Aldo Leopold- Ecocentrism Essays - Environmental Ethics, Land Ethic

Aldo Leopold- Ecocentrism Environmental Ethics 1) Leopold strongly suggests the need for land ethic because he sees a great lack for it. Humans see land as an economical resource. Land is used for our needs and enjoyment with the belief that we are the ruler and conqueror of the land. Humans feel superior to the land and all that live on it and therefore lack the sense of being a part of land. To have land ethic is to become a part of the land not a disconnected from it. When we separate ourselves from the land, we forget our obligation to take care of it. We use, abuse, and take land for granted. We are the ultimate consumers of land. Leopold suggests that adopting land ethic will change the human role of conqueror to a plain member citizen. I strongly agree with this point. Like everything else in nature, humans tend to think that anything that is incapable of speaking for itself is there for our use. We have all grown to be consumers. Not many of us think about how much of our resources are extracted and depleted from land eve ryday. We need to incorporate land ethic into education so that future generations can start thinking differently. If we don't start thinking differently, we are going to lose a lot of our precious land. 2) The community concept that Leopold refers to derives from the human-nature relationship. As humans, we think of ourselves as superior beings to the environment. We treat the environment in a way that it suits us. We fail to take into consideration that we are a part of the environment, not the master of it. The lack of this realization is the cause of most of the harm that we inflict on the earth. It is because we are so disconnected from the rest of the environment that we do not feel as though we are harming the earth. It is the day that man feels one with the environment he starts treating it as his own, with love and respect. 3) Leopold calls ?Ecological Conscience,? he speaks of the humans process this issue. So far, many land conservation efforts have been underway, but it is a hard concept to advocate and educate people about. Leopold explains, ? it defines no right or wrong, no obligation, calls for no sacrifice, implies no change in the current philosophy of values.? Leopold points out that there is a lack of initiative in society to actually take the responsibility to take care of the land. Education is also a big factor of the problem. How much and what kind of conservation education is needed is uncertain. And even the education does not guarantee action. Self-interest and profit takes priority over conservation and preservation. In a world as advanced as ours, it is almost too late to start to take such precautions. Problems with land abuse have a deeper root that starts with society, starts with our children. There is no meaning to conservation preaching if it starts too late. 4) The land pyramid as Leopold describes it is the ?biotic pyramid.? Leopold sketches the pyramid as a ?successive layer of species that depend on each other for food and services.? Humans, known as carnivores, are at the top of the pyramid. There is a balanced relationship (ideally) between the species where each successive layer decreases in numerical abundance. From this formula we would gather that the pyramid is self-sustained and balanced. However, with the growth of human population and the demand for more and more resources, the ecological balance of the pyramid is thrown off and reversed. People are flourishing while land is disappearing. That means the number of species in the lower part of the pyramid is shrinking. The question is, will this balance be able to handle this sort of change? The sort of change where land is eroded away by constant use and species are forced to extinction. I personally don't think that this fragile balance can handle such a change. This all tie s back into land ethic. If we don't adopt it now, we are going to destroy one of the most amazing natural systems that man has ever

John Brown Essays - Bleeding Kansas, Rebellions In The United States

John Brown Essays - Bleeding Kansas, Rebellions In The United States John Brown John Brown's raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, In October 1859, involved only a handful of abolitionists, freed no slaves, and was over in two days. Although many Northerners condemned the raid, by 1863 John Brown had become a hero and a martyr in the North. The views about John Brown expressed in the documents illustrate the strained relationship between the North and South before the civil war(1859-1860) and the severely crippled relationship after the civil war. In 1859 before the Civil war the Northern-Southern relationship was strained with such laws as the Kansas-Nebraska act, 'legalizing' slavery through popular soveirgnty in the territories, and the Dredd Scott decision practically legalizing slavery in any territory(without popular sovereignty). Soon after John Brown's famous raid, Northerners condemned him(Doc. A) for combating a 'great evil'(Slavery) in an 'unfit way'(through fighting), They said this because it was unconstitutional to fight without going through the government and there are other ways to get rid of slavery. This basically was a last ditch effort to save the south from succeeding from the union and to hold the thread that was holding the relations of the North and South together. By 1860, the dreaded election of 1860 was here and the Civil war would soon start due to the 'Railsplitter' Lincoln winning the election. Views of John Brown in the North were gaining more momentum as he became more popular(Doc. D). More Northerners began to feel it that John Brown had done it the right way. The Democrats at this time were using tactics to use John Brown against the Republicans that were for it, this failed and showed that most northerners were with John Brown all the way(Doc. E). He began to be more like a martyr in the north toward the end of 1860(Doc. F). When Lincoln was elected the South immediately succeeded and the Civil war began shortly after. During the Civil War John Brown rose to Hero and Martyr status and a famous song of the civil war was pledged to him(Doc. G). In Conclusion, the views of John Brown between 1859-1863 clearly showed how the North-South relationship was hanging on a thread and was cut as John Brown became more famous between these periods and into the Civil War.

Tourism Concepts Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Tourism Concepts - Research Paper Example Tourism is all about the specifications of a place; with specific details present, these tourists can wander around in the city with much ease. San Diego County is a county located in the southwestern corner of the State of California (San Diego, 2010). It is the most newest and dynamic metropolitan areas in the country America. San Diego has an attraction that can draw people’s attention towards it. The sights and sounds of the city center is the objective of the attraction. With the inland mountains and one of the most beautiful natural harbors in the world, San Diego is a result of years of development and vitalization (Trains Magazine, 2009). The report will be discussing the places of attraction situated at San Diego, the facilities of food, accommodation, and transportation. It will also be presenting the culture, hospitality of people, and the infrastructure of the county. This report will mainly be targeting the tourists and tourism planners. San Diego is considered as one of the most developed and pleasant counties of America. There are many attractive and major sites of interest for the tourists and the tourism planners. Alta Vista Garden is a garden that is established with the theme of bringing together people, nature, and art. The garden is situated on over 14 acres and the admission is free for the public (Kragen, 2009). The garden is a cultural botanical park and provides an interactive method to teach botany and other subjects to the students. The water paths are constructed in such a way that the water falls into natural pools and gives a natural waterfall-look. The other places of interest include Lego land, which is a theme park. It is the only Lego land situated outside of Europe. Lego land has nine main sections, each constructed on a separate theme (Kragen, 2009). Mission Bay is a recreational area includes sea world, and Fiesta Island etc. Mission Bay has sandy beaches spread over miles with a long pedestrian path. It is the larges t man made Aquatic Park in America (National Park Services, 2009). Sea world is famous for the facility of all kinds of water sports. Fiesta Island is located within Mission Bay. Charity walks, bicycle races, and other special events of this kind are held here. Tourists who are fond of jet skiing, sailing, camping, and water sports must visit Mission Bay. Balboa Park is also a worth visiting site. It has numerous museums and other cultural places (National Park Services, 2009). San Diego Zoo is also located in Balboa Park. The park itself has many beautiful and rare trees, which makes it a place of interest for the visitors; moreover there are several gardens in the Balboa Park. Also, there is Cabrillo National Monument that is the historical exhibition of Juan Rodeiguez Cabrillo and World War 2. (National register of Historic places, 2007). The park also presents a view of San Diego’s harbor and skyline. The means of transportation in San Diego County is unique too. There ar e highways which connect the neighboring states, roads for public transport, railroads for trolleys and coasters etc. Airports and ships are also used as a medium of transport. The airport of San Diego is located close to the downtown area. On arriving at San Diego airport, the visitors and tourists are given information by volunteering airport ambassadors. They provide information regarding airport and other travel facilities. The highways and roads of San Diego County are quite affordable and good for transport. The visitors can

North Movie Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

North Movie Review - Essay Example The researcher of this essay states that this movie is an ideal example of the failure of a marketing plan. The movie is â€Å"North†. Released in 1994, â€Å"North† is a movie based on a novel by Alan Zweibel. Though it was directed by famous Rob Reiner, who directed movies like â€Å"When Harry Met Sally†, â€Å"The Princess bride† and â€Å"the Sure thing†, that were well-known and greatly accepted by the critics, still the movie lacks a strong plot. The story revolves around a kid named North, is panic stricken about his parent’s arguments and wants to divorce them. The researcher also states that actors in the movie did well. However, some portion of the movie was just superfluous and can be trimmed. The audience feedbacks and the critic’s reviews disclose an important characteristic, â€Å"Audience too has brains and they are not fools.† Technology, special effects, lots of money, good actors etc. all will go in vain if th e storyline is not appealing. The researcher then concluds that not only a movie was badly written and had meaningless characters in it, such as a cowboy, a beach bum and the Easter bunny, but also the movie has a negative impact on the kids of the society because all the kids got influenced by the movie and kept on threatening to leave their parents like North did in the film. One more thing can be concluded from the review is that a plan should be tested on the maker himself before he decides to launch it in the market. Similarly the director would have analyzed the taste of his audience before making â€Å"North†.

The Indian Ocean Tea Trade Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The Indian Ocean Tea Trade - Research Paper Example The trading ecosystem that thrives in the Indian Ocean does so because of the strategic location of the Indian Ocean, whose size makes it comprises about 20 percent of the total ocean surface of the earth, and whose location makes it ideal for all kinds of business activities, spanning Iran, Bangladesh, Pakistan and India to the north, Indonesia, Australia and the Malaysian Peninsula to the east, the Arabian Peninsula and Africa to the west, and Antarctica to the South. In the southwestern portion of the Indian Ocean, the body of water shares its boundaries with the Atlantic Ocean. Here it meets the southern end of the African Continent. The Indian Ocean also joins the Pacific Ocean meanwhile on its southeastern portion (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2013). The Indian Ocean had been a traditional center of trade even in ancient times, extending as far back as the slave trade, where the trade in slaves in those earlier times coincided with mass migrations of peoples across the three conti nents of Africa, Europe, and Asia. In modern contexts, trade in the Indian Ocean has evolved to be concentrated on a few key commodities, including oil, which is the biggest item of trade in the Indian Ocean, as well as tea, rubber, coal and iron, with seafood being a relatively minor object of trade among key states along the Ocean and in the key destinations of Europe and Asia. Tourism has also grown to be a key aspect of trade in the Indian Ocean. This paper focuses on the trade in tea. (The Economist, 2013; Boston University, 2013; Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2013b; Hatcher, 2013; Asia Society 2013; UNESCO, 2013). II. Industry Background- Tea Trade in the Indian Ocean The literature tells us that the history of general trade in the Indian Ocean has ancient roots, extending to the early migrations of peoples along the bordering continents, and involving not just the trade in goods but also in slaves. Slaves are an important aspect of the ancient trade in the Indian Ocean, extending to the time of the European wave of colonization from the 16th century onwards. That trade would come to focus on a few key commodities in more present contexts, as discussed in the Introduction, and tea is one of those key commodities. There is meanwhile a deep historical basis to the trade in tea in the Indian Ocean itself, which is the subject of this section. (The Economist, 2013; Boston University, 2013; Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2013b; Hatcher, 2013; Asia Society 2013; UNESCO, 2013). When one talks of the modern tea trade one goes back to the roots of tea production and consumption in this part of the world, and here the references to the consumption of tea in Europe extend all the way back to the 16th century, with the consumption being attributed first to Portuguese traders and adventurers to the sea, with the tea being originated in the East, in China in particular, and finding their way via the ancient Indian Ocean trade routes to select members of the trading classes in Europe. That said, the formal attribution to tea being used as a key item of trade was given to the Dutch, who by the waning years of the 16th century had all but usurped the Portuguese role in being the facilitators of trade and the primary proponents of the routes of trade from Europe to the Far East and vice versa. The establishment of a Dutch trading post in Java in 1606 paved the way for the initiation of the trade of tea between Holland and the Chinese.  Ã‚  

An Analysis Of Sainsburys Supermarket

An Analysis Of Sainsburys Supermarket Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury along with his wife Mary Ann in London and then gradually grew to become the largest grocery retailer by 1922. Sainsburys is the UKs oldest major food retailer with their first store opened in 1869. It strives to keep up with its trusted heritage of quality with best services. Past: In the early 1990s Sainsburys, market leader so far, lost its position to Tesco and in 2004 it came down to no. three after Tesco and Asda. The downfall involved many reasons including changing managements, lack of innovative strategies, failing to assess the impact of loyalty cards scheme, unhealthy acquisition in Egypt and a misleading marketing strategy which failed to communicate the right message to the consumers. Present: Sainsburys started to fight back and be noticed after Justin King took over the management role in early 2004 and came up with a revival strategy under the name of Making Sainsburys Great Again. The process involved a no. of mergers and acquisitions of small chains in the south east England and the Midlands. The new message of Try Something New Today went really well with the media and the consumer led by the famous celebrity chef Jamie Oliver it encouraged buyers to innovate in their kitchens and make their food interesting. Future: The supermarket industry has reached a saturation point in the UK. How long can Sainsburys go on opening up new stores at locations such that its stores do not start to cannibalize each other? Using the Ansoff Growth Matrix two future strategies are suggested for Sainsburys: Opening up of Sainsburys Travels and Tours Product Development On the basis of the success potential in the travel business, Sainsburys might venture into the Travel and Tours business by way of Product Development as per Ansoff Growth Matrix tool for future strategy selection. Sainsburys has a very high probability of success as measured with the help of SWOT analysis and assessing the keys to success and the critical factors. Sainsburys China Market Development Sainsburys might opt for the Market development strategy by offering the supermarket business to the land of opportunities China. The move will be mad after the necessary PEST analysis has been done and companys SWT has been assessed with Chinese perspective. Sainsburys Strategic Corporate Development History: 1990 to 2004 Corporations are required to add value by mans of their business. The goal is to manage and control the businesses for a long term and sustainable success. The corporate level strategy deals with the choice of the business and the growth and development related to it. Sainsburys enjoyed the position of the leader in the UK supermarket industry up to the early 1990s. It had sustained its image of a name trusted with quality and service. British like old names with some history behind them. The company started to lose its grip in the early nineties due to a number of reasons. There was a change in management after the longtime CEO John David Sainsbury retired. He was replaced by David Sainsbury who bought about a change in the management style. Although the times were changing and some of the people in the management thought strongly about launching loyalty card schemes and also favored introduction of non-food items in the stores, both the options were rejected by the fresh management. The biggest rival Tesco had gradually moved up on the market scales and the internal indecisions help it get hold of better deals from suppliers. We will analyze Sainsburys approach in view of Ansoff Growth Matrix perspective. Ansoffs matrix is a tool that helps businesses decide their product and market growth strategy. Market Penetration: The strategy had been the simple approach of Market Penetration Strategy. As per Ansoff Matrix, this can be easily explained as the company keeps on offering the same product into the existing market. From 1993 onwards Sainsburys was unconsciously moving forward on the basis of wait and see policy. Up till now Sainsburys had enjoyed the position with no real threat. It started with price cuts on almost 30 of its labels, three months after came up with Tesco Value Lime. The move affected Sainsburys profit margins. Product Development: This made the management realize to offer something new to the customers and after Tesco came up with new format stores named Tesco Metro serving the town centers in 1994, Sainsburys responded with announcement of Sainsburys Central format. This approach is interpreted as Product Development strategy where a new product is introduced into existing market. The new project offered shopping facilities to the small towns was initiated leading to Country Town stores. The stores were formatted keeping in mind the distance the buyers have to travel for their weekly grocery shoppings. The new service enabled the customers to do so without going to large, out of town stores. They were mainly planned to be opened I the south east, which has always been Sainsburys strong hold. The 1st store was opened by the end of 1998 in Ongar (Essex). These stores have now been standardized as per the regular stores and they maintain even trading terms Setbacks: The company fell behind yet again in 1995 when the management failed to realize the importance of loyalty cards schemes and refused to go ahead with launch of any such offer. They had to reconsider their decision 18 months later after Tescos club card was introduced. In 1996 the company ventured into opening up of Sainsburys Bank. In addition it acquired Texas Homecare for 290M (GBP) in 1996. These expansions had a major effect on the financials and Sainsburys announced first fall in profits in 22 years. Another reason which affected Sainsburys sales was the perception among the customers that it is more expensive than its rivals. The marketing campaigns failed to convey the message that Sainsburys offers as good quality and value for money as its rivals. The marketing failed to communicate the required message of low cost and high vale and the company endured the consequences. The year 1996 saw Sainsburys losing its position of market leader to Tesco. Acquisition and Divestment: Sainsbury attained 80.1% of share in an Egyptian distribution group SAE. The group provided retailing services in Egypt with 100 stores and almost 2000 employees at the time or acquisition. The decision was criticized by the analyst as it was made during the most testing times of Sainsburys history. The reason behind the decision might have been the success Tesco outside UK. However the meager results shown by the Egyptian business led to the divestment of the share and sale of shares in 2001. The brand re-launch In 1998 the company again went under a management change and George Bull, the new Chairman took over and decided to re-launch the Sainsburys Brand. The new management targeted to revive Sainsburys corporate identity and started with the launch of a new logo, going for a slightly informal font and new slogan of making life taste better. Staff uniforms were redesigned The company underwent a Business Transformation Program (BTP) after the appointment of Peter Davis who showed significant improvement in the companys turnover and exceeded the targets. The BTP involved a 3.00bn (GBP) upgrade of the stores, distribution and IT equipment. The distribution setup included construction of fully automated depots which cost 100m (GBP) each and was later criticized by the new management. Sainsburys moved into the current headquarters at Holborn in 2001. The Nectar loyalty card scheme was launched in 2002 which replaced the Sainsburys Reward Card. Current Strategic Situation: 2004 to date: At the end of March 2004, new CEO Justin King joined the company who came up with a recovery plan for Sainsbury under the banner of Making Sainsburys Great Again. It was a three year recovery plan which was very positively received by the media and the stock market. The strategy involved laying off redundant staff from the head offices and recruiting additional staff for shop floors to increased and improved customer service quality. Sainsburys was having major issues with its stock availability, inventory and supply chain management. The new depot monitoring systems were to be implemented and IBM was given the deal to upgrade the system. Mergers, Acquisitions and Divestments: In 2004 Sainsburys new management under the Making Sainsburys Great Again plan to concentrate on its strong UK customer base, divested the American subsidiary Shaws. It was sold to Albertsons. The no. of convenient stores was increased through an acquisition of 54 Bells Stores chain which was based in the north-east of England. Another Acquisition took place with purchasing o 114 stores of Jackson Stores based in Yorkshire and the North Midlands. The acquisition took place in November 2004. Another small chain of 6 stores was acquired from SL Shaw lt. in April 2005. New Marketing Strategy Try something new today: Sainsburys is at a critical stage at the moment. Sainsburys Supermarkets have gone through a period of dramatic regression, in which they have been surpassed by rivals Tesco and, more recently, in 2004, Wal-Mart-owned Asda. (Global Market Information Database, 2004). It is not easy for an established and old UK brand to vanish off from the market but the competitors have. While it is rare for major brands to disappear completely from the UK high street, these competitors have acquired share from Sainsburys by way of their commitment to low and attractive prices, whereas Sainsburys has been focusing on its Business Transformation Program and has indulged itself in promoting an image of quality, and value rather than being affordable The present day UK customers which have a huge percentage of non British are heavily influenced by the economical changes and are passing through tough times. The message which has been conveyed by the Tesco and Asda was received warmly as it assured them of a combination of quality and assurance along with low price. As a result, Sainsbury is still considered comparatively expensive just because it failed to convey the message through proper marketing. A massive marketing campaign of Try Something New Today was launched in September 2005, which was designed to make people go off the shopping routine encourage them to be more adventurous in food eating. Under the campaign umbrellas, the spokesperson for the campaign Jamie Oliver encouraged the customers to be. The message conveyed was it supplies quality food as well as the only one offering useful ideas to make your food interesting. The aim was to reach and convince all the customers and not only the well off. Sainsburys is attempting to respond forcefully to the challenges it faces, however competition in the UK market is becoming increasingly intense, and Sainsburys faces a difficult struggle to regain the ground it has lost to rivals that continue to expand aggressively The management has a continuous approach towards work with responsibility. They attempt to provide fresh food and innovate with respect to customers needs. It serves over 18.5 million customers every week. The large stores offer over 30000 products along with complementary Non-Food products e.g. the TU clothing range which has over 1 million transactions every week. Along with other services, an Internet based shopping service has also been made available, keeping in trend with the changing requirements o the customers, to almost 90% of UK households. The company has a chain of stores with 537 supermarkets and 335 convenience stores, hence a total of 872 stores in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, including Hypermarkets (super large stores- Sainsburys stores- main plus), Sainsburys Central and Sainsburys local (supermarket and local convenient stores format main mission). The company has been eyeing the opportunity of expanding its business outside the UK. Especially the hyper potential in Asia (especially South East Asia and China). By analyzing Tescos huge success in the market outside UK, Sainsburys venture might not be far away. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index http://www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/index.asp?pageid=12 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sainsburys Strategic Direction for the Future: Sainsburys has a history of innovation and it continues to strengthen its relationship with its customers and has gone ahead with the growth of their convenient store operations, the online offers and the Sainsburys Bank. They have a constant approach towards developing new offers in line with the evolving customers demands resulting in operational growth and profitability. http://www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/ar08/businessreview/corporateobjectives.shtml Choosing a Strategy: A marketing tool for making the market strategy is the Ansoff Matrix, which gives us strategic choices for obtaining our business and market objectives. It offers four choices which deal with marketing and growth of existing or new products in existing or new markets. Ansoff On the basis of current scenarios there are two pathways for Sainsburys to opt from, for a sustainable growth and presence for a long time to come. Product Development Strategy: Sainsburys has a huge loyal customer base. The suggested new service product through Sainsburys Travel and Tours will provide these customers to utilize yet another trustworthy service by their trusted name. Market Development Strategy: Although Sainsburys has not yet ventured into the International market but the step might not be that far away keeping in mind the huge success TESCO has had in the international market. Sainsburys could venture into international expansion keeping in mind the growing and still unsaturated markets of China and Southeast Asia. Product Development Sainsburys Travels and Tours: Sainsburys can opt for launching Sainsburys Travels and Tours is by choosing the Product Development Strategy and is introducing a new product into existing market. The growing Travel and Tours market will definitely have a positive effect on the Sainsburys portfolio by increasing its profits and hence strengthening its business. Why Product Development? The Sainsburys Travels and Tours will provide the company to excel and achieve its strategic goals on the basis The supermarket industry has become fairly saturated in the UK and at present Sainsburys is eyeing to expand itself in the International market but it will be a while before it actually does. The Travel industry is a growing market and has a huge potential of growth. The new product will benefit the company earn huge profitability margins which are becoming hard to achieve I the supermarket industry. The Sainsburys has a huge loyal customer base which will be utilized for promotions and marketing purpose. The project has a high probability of success given a chance of a fresh new product offered by a supermarket chain. Market Demographics: Although year 2009 has seen the worst recession since 1930, there are definite signs that the cycle is now turning. Travel industry has suffered consequences of economic crush but the consumer confidence is indicating escalating progress. UNWTO is expecting a reasonable growth of 5% in 2010. There was an upward trend during the last quarter of 2009 which showed 2% upswing. The development is further strengthen by the Air Transport Data from IATA, which shows passenger traffic strength since September 2009 Asia is expected to show the greatest recovery being less effected by the economic crush (comparatively). Growth is also expected to resume in America and Europe. A large number of countries around the world have shown positive growth in the first two months of 2010. Overall the total of tourists arrivals during the first two months of 2010 was 119 million showing 7% improvement as compared to 2009 SWOT The SWOT analysis summarizes the vital strengths and weaknesses of the company. This SWOT analyses the new product line and reviews the opportunities and threats which Sainsburys may face Strengths Image differentiation with respect to Brand name The customer to employee ratio is low Staff is highly trained and customer focused Loyal customer base An interesting, diverse and new product offered by a trusted service provider Established network of outlets Weaknesses Difficulties related to finding employees with required skills and attitude Presenting the customers with interesting offers on continuous basis Lack of experience in the new industry Business limited to UK only Opportunities rapidly growing market all over the world Growing number of people with increasing need and desire for holidays The existing Utilizing the existing Nectar database for identifying potential customers Threats Lingering effects of the slump in economy Natural disaster such as he recent Icelandic volcanoes eruption Highly competitive industry Key to success Sainsbury has always aimed to be the consumers first choice for food, delivering quality products with great service at a competitive cost. The company is striving to achieve the objective of leading margins with diverse market and delivering strong profits every year. The new product will benefit the company earn huge profitability margins which are becoming hard to achieve in the supermarket industry. Critical Issues: What can go wrong? The Sainsburys already has an established huge no. of loyal customers who would be happy to have an option o a different kind of service offered from their trust worthy service provider. The expectation for a stable turnover is based on the fact that it is an established name offering a new product on the basis of its goodwill. How likely it is to happen? The expected growth can be effected by increasing inflation rates. The Travel Industry faced a huge blow after 9-11 incident. What are the consequences? Any unforeseen incident like this (God forbid) will have long lasting effects on the companys growth, profitability and future expansions and plans. Competitive Advantage Nectar Loyalty Card Database The database can provide an excellent competitive advantage because It will help the management to design the product, offerings, and travel and tour packages as per the preferences. The database can also be utilized to acquire knowledge about customers such as No. of family members Spending habits Income estimates Preferences with respect to food etc. Holiday routines Market Development Strategy: Sainsburys could also opt for the Market Development strategy with offering its existing product of Supermarket and offering it to a new market by venturing into a growing international market such as China. China is the promising power in todays business world and its domestic market allows huge potential for international companies with promising growth. Sainsburys is the third largest supermarket name in UK after Tesco, which already has a huge presence outside the UK and Asda which is owned by the industry giant Wal-Mart. The immediate rivals have other sources /markets to benefit from other then UK. But Sainsburys has so far only focused on the UK market and from last two decades its concentration has almost completely been occupied by gaining back the lost market shares from its competitors. For Sainsburys to venture into a new market, a PEST has to be made to know the market better and plan the strategy accordingly. PEST Analysis China: Political and Legal: Since 2001, china has entered into WTO and its market is open or multinationals to trade in. In china, supermarket industry is not considered as a prestigious as some other industries so the government rules and regularities are not so tough. The government is favoring development in the supermarket industry. Social: The demographics of china show that population growth rate 0.629% (2008) in which the youth from 0-14 years comprises of 20.1%. The Chinese customers have become more concerned about issues related to health and safety after the 2008 melamine contaminated milk issue. As per the current shopping trends in China, people prefer to buy in person (online buying is almost non-existent especially daily grocery). The families are very small units on average maximum of 4-5 per unit in sub urban areas where as mostly population in the larger cities is singly. Chinese prefer to buy on daily basis, fresh produce as per days requirement. Technology and development: China is a vast country with underdeveloped infrastructure so there will be immediate warehouse setup requirements. Chinese households have a very low trend of keeping refrigerators at home so big weekly supplies trips will take time to adjust in the culture. Environmental Factors: The plastic bags have been recently stopped in china. The govt. is still trying to establish regular and long term procedures for recycling. All these factors will be required to be kept during the planning and project development phase for Sainsburys China. Furthermore we will perform a SWOT analysis for Sainsburys with respect to its entry in the Chinese market. Strengths: Over a century of supermarket and retail experience Ambition for growth Experience from failed International acquisitions as Egypt. Weaknesses: Cultural difference Expansion will be slow initially Opportunities: A very large market size Huge potential of industry growth Govt. policies favor the Industry Expansion opportunities in the rural/western parts of China Changing consumer awareness with respect to shopping habits Threats: Immature market Rivalry to increase immensely Weak infrastructure Untrained local staff Increasing prices of raw materials Strategic Recommendations: Based on the above analysis Sainsburys should consider a slow and steady expansion strategy in China for long term results and sustained presence. Initially the stores should be opened in the urban and economically grown regions where customers will more readily adapt to change and new trend. Gradually then, on the basis of acquired knowledge, preferences, culture etc Sainsburys should venture into the suburban and rural areas. Sainsburys should use the critical factors involved in the success of the strategy such as It should strive to obtain consumers trust by offering good quality products at affordable prices. Health and safety measures should be the first priority so that no incident like the contaminated milk will occur. China is a big country and the company should fully utilize this factor for the locations o the stores. The locality factor should be given priority wile employing the Chinese as trust and ownership has a great value in Chinese culture. China is a growing country and its economic conditions will affect the pricing of the products Sainsburys should work on differentiating itself from the rivals from day one for developing long tem and healthy relationship with the consumers. Once Sainsburys makes its entry into China market, there is no looking back from the kind of growth and expansion opportunities it may provide. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sainsburys ) Conclusion: During the last decade of 1990s and early 2000s saw Sainsburys going through a very testing time in its history. It lost its no. 1 position to Tesco and then no. 2 to Asda. Time saw Sainsburys make some serious lack of judgments on behalf of management decisions related to adapting to the changing times, acquisitions and divestments. The management made a serious lack of assessment while deciding for bringing out the loyalty card scheme. The profit margins were affected as the companys marketing campaign failed to register with the consumers. The mid 2000 saw Sainsburys coming out again to be a Supermarket force lead by Justin King. The new campaigns Making Sainsburys Great Again and the companys new slogan of Try Something New Today succeeded in reach the customers positively. Given the market saturation of the industry Sainsburys has been suggested two options for business expansion using Ansoff Growth Matrix tool. Product Development Sainsburys Travels and Tours Market Development Sainsburys China The necessary SWOT and PEST analysis tools have been used to assess and measure the factor involved and could affect the growth suggested. The Travels and Tours Industry promises growth based on demographics provided by the WTO and the UK travel forecasts. The loyal customers of Sainsburys would be more the happy to have another product offered by their trustworthy service provider. Sainsburys China will provide an opportunity for immense growth of supermarket industry in a vast and massive population of China. Sainsburys should take a steady approach by starting from the urban areas and slowly expanding in the remaining country while studying and adapting to the new culture and country.

Albert Speer - Differing Historical Interpretations :: essays research papers

They are many factors influencing the different historical interpretations of Albert Speer. The most influential was Speer’s own character construction of himself in his defence at the Nuremberg trials. This view was held by a majority of historians until Matthias Schmidt found holes in Speer’s story. A large blow was dealt to Speer’s own construction of his role in Nazi Germany when the Walters’ chronicles were released containing various incriminating evidence. There are still a number of historians who prefer to view Albert Speer as the Good Nazi, even though most historians now believe that the image created by Speer of himself was self-serving and false. Speer’s well structured and thought out defence shaped historical interpretation for years to come. At Nuremberg he presented himself as a pure technician and not involved in the politics or ideology of the party. He also claimed collective responsibility for crimes against Jews but also his ignorance of the Nazi intentions. As he stated at a later time: â€Å"I just stood aside and said to myself that as long as I did not personally participate it had nothing to do with me. My toleration for the anti Semitic campaign made me responsible for it.† This admission of guilt won a fair amount of sympathy from the court. The reasons he gave for being with the Nazi party was that he was taken by Hitler’s personality and also realised that if he was to achieve his dream as an architect he will have to sell his soul to the party. This image of Speer was to be accepted for a while by most historians and was given little attention. This was probably because Speer was a litt le less ‘spectacular’ than Hitler’s other henchmen. There were however some suspicions. John Galbraith, a member of the US team that debriefed Speer before the Nuremberg trial, said in Life magazine 1945 that Speer’s claims contained â€Å"elements of fantasy†. He also believed that Speer’s confession was a part of his â€Å"well developed strategy of self vindication and survival.† Most historians believed in Speer’s testimonies until Wolters’ Chronicles were released. W Shirer The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (1960), A Bullock Hitler a Study in Tyranny (1962), and Joachim Fest The Face on the Third Reich (1970) all portray Speer as the good Nazi, the apolitical technocrat and a repentant German. Raul Hilberg, in The Destruction of the European Jews (1973) discusses in passing Speer’s involvement in the ‘Jewish affair’ but he does not delve in the matter.

Organizational Environments and Cultures

————————————————- PRINCIPLES OF MANAGEMENT ————————————————- CHAPTER 3: ORGANIZATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS AND CULTURES 1. HOW CHANGING ENVIRONMENTS AFFECT ORGANIZATIONS Environmental change: The rate at which a company’s general and specific environment changes * Stable environments: the rate of environmental change is slow * Dynamic environments: the rate of environmental change is fast * Punctuated equilibrium theory: companies go through long periods of stability, followed by a short complex period of dynamic change (revolutionary periods) to later return to stability * Environmental complexity: Refers to the number and intensity of external factors in the environment that affect organizations * Simple environments: few environmental factors Complex environmen ts: many environmental factors * Resource scarcity: Refers to the abundance or shortage of critical organizational resources in an organization external environment * Uncertainty: How well managers can understand or predict the external changes and trends affecting their business * Uncertainty is lowest when environmental change and complexity are at low levels and resource scarcity is small (if environment is not too complicated and doesn’t change much it’s easy to predict) . FOUR COMPONENTS OF GENERAL ENVIRONMENT: 1. Economy * It influences basic business decisions such as whether to hire more employees, expand production, or take out loans to purchase * In a growing economy more products are bought and sold, more people work and salaries rise; and viceversa (in shrinking economy) * Business Confidence Indices: shows how confidente actual managers are about future business growth 2. Political/Legal Trends Includes legislation, regulations, and court decisions that go vern and regulate business behaviour * New laws and regulations continue to impose additional responsibilities to companies 3. Sociocultural Trends * Demographic characteristics, general behaviour, attitudes and beliefs of people in a particular society 4. Technological Trends * Refers to the knowledge, tools and techniques used to transform inputs into outputs 3. FIVE COMPONENTS OF SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENTThe specific environment is the environment that is unique to a firm’s industry and that directly affects the way it conducts day-to-day business. 1. Customer: * Monitoring customer’s changing wants and needs is critical to business success. It can be done in two ways: i. Reactive customer monitoring: identifying and addressing customer trends and problems after they occur ii. Proactive customer monitoring: identifying and addressing customer needs, trends and issues before they occur 2. Competitor: Companies need to keep close track of what their competitors are doing * To do so, they perform a competitive analysis * A competitive analysis involves deciding who your competitors are, anticipating competitors’ moves, and determining competitors’ strenghts and weaknesses 3. Supplier: * Supplier dependence: the degree to which a company relies on that supplier because of the importance of the supplier’s product to the company * Buyer dependence: the degree to which a supplier relies on a buyer because of the importance of that buyer to the supplier’s sales * A igh degree of supplier or buyer dependence can lead to oportunistic behaviour (benefiting at the expense of the other) * In contrast, relationship behaviour focuses on establishing a mutually beneficial, long-term relationship between buyers and suppliers 4. Industry Regulations: * Regulations and rules that govern the practices and procedures of specific industries, businesses and professions * Unlike the political/legal component of the general environment, this doe s not affect all businesses 5. Advocacy Groups: These are groups of concerned citizens who band together to try to influence the business practices of specific industries, businesses and professions * e. g. environmental advocacy groups try to influence manufacturers to pollute less * Ways in which advocacy groups can influence businesses: iii. Public communications: voluntary participation of media industry to send out the group’s message iv. Media advocacy: involves framing the group’s concern as public issues that affect everyone, forcing media coverage v.Product boycott: advocacy groups actively try to persuade consumers not to purchase a company’s product or service 4. MAKING SENSE OF CHANGING ENVIRONMENTS Because external environments can be dynamic, confusing and complex, managers use a three-step process to make sense of the changes in their external environments: 1. Environmental scanning: * Searching the environment for important events or issues that might affect the organization * Manager scan the environment to reduce incertainty 2.Interpreting Environmental factors: * After scanning, the company determines what environmental events and issues mean to the organization. * Distinguish environmental events as either threats or opportunities 3. Actiong on threats and opportunities: * Managers decide how to respond to these environmental factors * Because it is impossible to comprehend all the factors and changes, managers rely on Cognitive maps that summarize the perceived relationships between environmental factors and possible organizational actions 5.INTERNAL ENVIRONMENTS – ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE Organizational culture is the set of beliefs, values and attitudes shared b members of an organization. * Creating an Organizational Culture: * The founder is the primary source of an organization’s culture * Founders create organizations at their own image * When founders are gone, culture is kept with: i. Stories: to em phasize culturally consistent assumptions, decisions, and actions ii. Heroes: people admired for their qualities and achievements within the organization. Successful Organizational Cultures: * Are Adaptable * Have employee involvement * Have a clear company vision * Are Consistent, Strong culture (even though strong cultures reduce adaptability) * Changing Organizational Cultures: * Culture has three levels: iii. Seen (surface level) iv. Heard (expressed values & beliefs) v. Believed (unconscious assumptions & beliefes) * Managers should only focus on the parts of the culture they can control, those are the surface level items and expressed values and beliefs

International business

International business Introduction International business refers to the commercial transactions or trade activities that usually take place between two or more countries. Commercial transactions entails a wide range activities that are carried either by the governments of the nations or the private investors who may be conducting business at an international level with other investors in other countries (Rugman brewer 2003, p.105).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on International business challenges and opportunities specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More On a broader context, international business incorporates all business activities that entail crossing national boundaries through transaction of goods, services or exchange of resources between two or more nations. International trade between different countries is always a mutual relationship that is primarily defined by diplomatic relations that exist between the participating countries. Dif ferent countries have different diplomatic relations with other countries and this significantly determines international trade; bad diplomatic relations between two countries or regional countries impairs international trade between the countries. The foreign policies of a given nation also play a significant role in determining the participation of a given nation in international trade (Feenstra 2004, p. 56). The onset of international business was primarily influenced by the increasing globalization which harmonized global relations between various countries; which saw various companies scale their operations to international levels subsequently leading to the rise of multinationals such as coca-cola. Some companies merged with other companies in different countries so as to use the available opportunity to increase their sales at international level (Gabriele 2008, p. 87). International divisions International divisions play a significant role in determining relationship that ex ists among different countries and subsequently affects international business. International divisions are determined by a wide range of factors that are primarily defined by social, political, economic and to some extent geographic factors. The diversity in social and economic factors among different countries plays an important factor in determining the international trade trends between different countries and regional alliances and sometimes affects intercontinental trade (Feenstra 2004, p. 55).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Some of the social factors that that are responsible for international divisions include religion, culture, geographical orientations and governance and economic structures. The international divisions play a significant role in determining the international relationships of a country. The market policies of a given country determine the international trade patterns that the country undertakes (Pressroom 2010, p. 56). Challenges in international business There are a number of challenges that are associated with international business. Some of the challenges that affect the local business also affect the international business at the same capacity. The challenges are dynamic and vary in nature according to the participating countries and the type of goods and services that the countries trade in. A challenge in itself is the way the participating countries establish strategies to approach the global trade challenges. Global markets are faced with various impediments ranging from the structure of the global financial markets to the foreign policies of the participating countries. Cultural, political and institutional diversities and complexities still play a big part in determining international trade patterns as they have been since the onset of international trade. Other upcoming concerns in the international busin ess include the climatic changes, rise of international terrorism and international fraud, just to name a few. One of the challenges that significantly affect international trade is the formulation of the global trade strategies and the execution of the established strategies. The administrators and policy makers who are solely responsible for facilitating international trade always impair the process of global business (Taylor 2007. P. 39). The various policies always have an effect on the patterns of global business and in most scenarios, the stringent policies does not favor the development of international trade. There are a large number of businesses that have the potential of carrying out their business operations on a world wide scale but on a few manage to gain international recognition due to the lack of proper international paradigms that only tend to favor a few international companies. The main challenge is in the global business management; the present global management requires more than just ordinary management in order to make international business run smoothly without any impairments. The current trend however is indicating some improvements with the rise of professionals taking up management positions (Taylor 2007. P. 40). Another challenge that greatly affects the international business is foreign politics. Foreign politics largely defines the way a given countries relates with other countries on an international platform.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on International business challenges and opportunities specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The present foreign policies that have been adopted by a significant number of countries do not favor the sustainability and growth of international business (Moore Harris 2010, p. 27). The policy makers of international policies put stringent measures such as taxes and rules and regulations that must be followed in order to carry out int ernational business between private investors or the international trade between the participating countries. These stringent rules and measures that are deployed at the borders or during the transit or exchange goods and services between the various countries always tend to impair international trade as they do not provide standardized international paradigms. Political disarray significantly affects the nation’s financial system and this greatly affects international trade (Moore Harris 2010, p. 27). Economic and financial challenges also play a significant part in impairing the sustainability and development of international trade. The organization of resources to initiate international business depends vastly on the variations in the international currency rates, international financial crisis or economic depression among the participating countries and especially the host nation, variations in the oil rates at the global arena, international price variations such as ris ing and subsequent falling off price of various commodities that are known to attract international attention, and the export rules that are associated with the exporting or host country and the import rules that are present on the partnering countries (Oliver 2008, p. 126). All these factors serve as impairment to the development of international trade and its sustainability. A recent blow to international trade is the global recession and economic depression that was witnessed by many countries and particularly the unites states of America and in other European countries; this was accompanied by a major decline in international business activities. Another challenge that international business faces is through the increased cost of conducting international business. Costs that are incurred during international transactions range from the cost of trading the goods or services such as tariffs and quotas to costs that entail direct ownership such as the involvement of foreign personn el in the global trade, taxations and costs due to corruption in the international business system. The above named factors significantly affect the equilibrium of the international market structure; which is not suitable to sustain and facilitate the growth of international business transactions (Moore Harris 2010, p. 30). In order to beat the challenges that are associated with international business, the various countries have to implement several measures and policies that are directed towards the facilitation and improvement of international trade. The participating countries should therefore abide by a given set of norms that that serve to govern the logistics that are associated with international business transactions (Oliver 2008, p. 123).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Key opportunities in international trade International trade greatly relies on the factors that harmonize global relationships between the various countries. The opportunities that facilitate the growth and sustainability of international business can be viewed from a social, economic, physical and infrastructural perspective. All the factors that attempt to harmonize the equilibrium of the global market serve as an opportunity to facilitate the growth and sustainability of international trade (Diamond 1995, p.36). The onset of globalization was a major significant step towards the realization of international trade. Some key issues that facilitated the growth of international trade include the technological advancements that are associated with the information age of the late 20th century. One of the key opportunities that facilitated the onset, and continued sustainability and growth is globalization. Globalization is fully responsible for the interdependence of countries which ul timately resulted to the integration of business transactions on a global level (Moore Harris 2010, p. 35). Globalizations also resulted to integration of people and ideas at an international level and this provides a healthy environment to sustain the growth of international business transactions and cross border trade activities. The integration due globalization is widely evident due to international investments that various multinationals exploited and cross border financial flows. Evidence suggests that globalization has contributed greatly to the rise and growth of international trade (Moore Harris 2010, p. 35). The onset of globalization harmonized cultural differences between the various countries and this presented an opportunity for exchange of resources between different countries (Diamond 1995, p.36). Another opportunity for the sustainability and development of international trade is the technological advancements that have been associated with the rise of information age during the late 20th century (Sawyer Sprinkle 2006, p.27). The technological developments especially the onset of the internet and the World Wide Web provided a great platform to facilitate international business through the use of online platforms; what is commonly being referred to as e-commerce. Online business defies geographical orientations which may pose a barrier to the development of international trade. Technological advances lowered the costs that are associated with transportation, marketing, and communication at the global basis. Advances in technology made it economically feasible for a multinational company to establish the different phases of production at different nations; this greatly promoted the rise of international trade because it scaled the operations of the various international companies on a global basis (Moore Harris 2010, p. 27). The liberalization of the global markets also presented an opportunity for the development if international business. This paved way for the rise of open markets with fewer government restrictions which in turn increased the private sector involvement in international business transactions (Indira Stone 2004, p. 39). Economic liberalization was due to the need for countries to be globally competitive in terms of international trade which in turn facilitated the development of international business between different countries on a global basis. Liberalization of global markets played a significant role in ensuring the flexibility of global financial markets in terms of both trade and capital markets. Liberalization of the market facilitated exports and imports between different countries (Indira Stone 2004, p. 42). Generally other opportunities that facilitated the growth of international trade include the increased privatization, free markets, the development of international financial institutions such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF). The development of regional alliance s such as the Common wealth and European Union saw the rise in international trade (Sawyer Sprinkle 2006, p.27). Conclusion International business primarily requires the interaction of different government agencies. This implies that it is mostly affected by the government relations rather than the technological advancements and the onset of globalization. With regard to this, participating countries should establish appropriate policies to govern the foreign relations with other countries. International business is vital for the development of any country through exports and imports which results to foreign income and at the same time facilitating the acquisition of resources that the country lacks (Indira Stone 2004, p. 34). However, care should be taken when balancing the tradeoffs between the imports and exports in order to avoid cases of inflation (Taylor 2007. P. 54). References Alan, M. R Thomas L. B., 2003, The Oxford handbook of international business, London: Oxford Uni versity Press. Diamond, E. D, 1995, Contemporary challenges: American business in a global economy, New York: New York University Press. Feenstra, C. R., 2004, Advanced international trade: theory and evidence, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Gabriele, G. S., 2008, International business under adversity: a role in corporate responsibility, conflict prevention, and peace, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. Indira, C. Stone, P., 2005, International trade law, New York: Routledge. Moore, G., Harris. L., Trade and Technology Policies. P. 27. Web. Oliver F. W., 2008, Peace through Commerce: Responsible Corporate Citizenship and the Ideals of the United Nations Global Compact, Notre Dame, Ind: University of Notre Dame Press. Press room, 2010, Challenges confronting international trade. Web. Sawyer, C. W. Sprinkle, R. L. 2006, International Economics (second Ed), Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Taylor, S., 2007, Major Challenges Confronting the International Trading System. Web.

Fostering Interpersonal Relationships in Diverse Groups

Fostering Interpersonal Relationships in Diverse Groups Proper interpersonal relationship is an important provision within international corporations. Additionally, the aspects of diversity must be considered within organizations in order to enhance competitiveness, distinctiveness, prosperity, and uphold meaningful competitive advantages.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Fostering Interpersonal Relationships in Diverse Groups specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A marketing campaign (organized by a global U.S. Corporation) meant to recruit team members in Greece, Singapore, Germany, and Iran must consider the provisions of varying cultures, diversity, interpersonal relations, and other relevant provisions in the recruitment drive. Since the organization endeavors to attain an international outlook, dominance, and presence, it is crucial to consider such provisions during the development of a viable recruitment drive (House, Gupta, Dorfman Javidan, 2004). This move will consi der and nurture the aspects of Cultural differences, gender provisions, power distance, future performances, individualistic vs. collectivist patterns, uncertainty avoidance, and assertiveness among other considerable virtues. There are numerous ways through which an organization can foster interpersonal relationships among the diverse groups of people from the four concerned cultures namely Greece, Singapore, Germany, and Iran. Evidently, each country has varying cultures in the realms of their lifestyles, operations, and workplace provisions. In order to foster interpersonal relationships, the aspects of tolerance, understanding, support, flexibility, and cultural dynamism are important. They allow one to relate perfectly with others despite the cultural and individual differences (Firestone Catlett, 2009). It is crucial to consider such provisions in the diverse contexts due to their viability and appropriateness. By promoting tolerance among the concerned individuals, it is pos sible to enhance the interpersonal relationships in a diverse workforce. Encouraging teamwork, providing individuals with considerable and equal opportunities within the workforce, as well as nurturing each person’s distinctiveness can help in fostering interpersonal relationships considerably. It is also important to appreciate gender differences, enhance equality, enhance future performances, and reduce the provisions of power distance within international corporations. The understanding of honor and diversity across the four cultures of Greece, Singapore, Germany, and Iran can be improved through numerous ways. It is important to enlighten the concerned stakeholders on the importance of diversity and how it can be nurtured to benefit the concerned organizations.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Additionally, cultural differences can be used to improve the competitiveness, international presence, viability, and competitive advantages of the concerned company despite the challenges. This is a critical provision in diverse contexts as indicated earlier. Another practice meant to develop/improve the understanding of honor and diversity within the concerned organization is the development of equity and justness within the workforce (House, Gupta, Dorfman Javidan, 2004). Since the four countries differ considerably in the aspects of culture, it is crucial to consider viable provisions regarding this issue. Some cultures have established and embraced the provisions of individualism while others have embraced collectivism. Operating contextually in every country might enhance the prosperity of the organization. Additionally, minimizing power distance and avoiding uncertainties can actually help in the situation. It is crucial to understand how to be a servant leader to employees from each of the four countries namely Greece, Singapore, Germ any, and Iran. Since each country possesses distinctive workplace cultures, a servant leader in each country must understand the environment of operation, embrace interpersonal relationships, lead by examples, establish/embrace teamwork, and consider other viable provisions that will uphold the productivity of the workforce (Grà ¶schl, 2011). This occurs while regarding diverse stipulations in each country. Additionally, a servant leader must prospect the intended future performances of the organization in respective countries. This will help in organizing business prospects within the corporation. Concurrently, it is important to be assertive in some circumstances. References Firestone, R. Catlett, J. (2009). The ethics of interpersonal relationships. London: Karnac. Grà ¶schl, S. (2011). Diversity in the Workplace: Multi-disciplinary and International Perspectives. Farnham: Gower. House, R., Gupta, V., Dorfman, P. Javidan, M. (2004). Culture, leadership, and organizations: The GLOBE study of 62 societies. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Fostering Interpersonal Relationships in Diverse Groups specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More

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

Akinari - Essay Example The danger arises because the limitations on conduct circumscribed by gender boundaries are breached by the overflow of passion. The story of â€Å"Bewitched† is the story of a white snake that appears in the forms of a beautiful woman and bewitches a young man. The beginning of the story itself subtly suggests the conflict that is set to play out through the course of the story. A young man, Toyo-O, sees a beautiful young woman at a temple during a sudden rain shower and lends her his umbrella. But a little later in the same episode, a mysterious serpent appears, subtly alluding a connection between the beautiful woman and the serpent. In Japan, snakes are regarded as animals of witchcraft and sorcery who are possessed by their owners, but who nevertheless search for victims to consume, hurt and possess, causing these victims a great deal of harm and pain (www.anime-myth.com). The presence of the snake - which is a symbol of pain for a victim - at the very beginning of the story, itself suggests that there is more to the beautiful woman than meets the eye. She is very beautiful, but the snake associat ion suggests that she may also be dangerous. Akinari’s story â€Å"Bewitched† is premised upon folklore about rejection transforming a lovesick woman into a malicious, deadly serpent. Akinari has used this as the basis to approach his story from a slightly different perspective: â€Å"If jealousy can transform a woman into a serpent, then love can turn a serpent into a woman.† (Akinari, 635). The beautiful woman is not in fact merely a woman, she is actually a serpent that has transformed itself into a woman in order to be near the man she loves. In essence, the story cautions a reader about the pitfalls and disaster that could befall a man who fails to show prudence and circumspection in his daily conduct and adopts a non-traditional gender

Intercultural Communication Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Intercultural Communication Paper - Essay Example Most migrants have assimilated into America’s traditions and ways of life. Although conventional cultural values and beliefs have been preserved by the originating migrants, their children have completely adapted and adjusted to Western culture. It is interesting to delve into finding out the factors which contribute to the academic performance of migrants’ children, specifically Korean Americans. Adolescents from today’s generation have grown with relatively antithetical thinking and preferences compared to generations that their grandparents and parents were accustomed to. Likewise, academic performance, attitudes and behaviors of previous generations were influenced by communication, among others; as well as traditional and conventional norms. Communication is the â€Å"process of transmitting thoughts, feelings, facts, and other information† through verbal or non-verbal means. (Delaune and Ladner 2006) Verbal messages are messages communicated with the use of words and language. These messages can either be spoken or written. Non verbal communication, on the other hand, is the process of transmitting messages without words, that is, through body language. (Delaune and Ladner 2006). In this regard, the objective of this essay is to proffer a scenario which manifests the relevance of intercultural communication in the academe, affecting the performance of students from another culture, particularly from Korea. A review of literature would initially be presented delving into the effect of communication to cultural diversity. Likewise, the methodology used would be explained in determining the academic achievement of Korean-American adolescents in schools in the US where a hypothesis is developed. Finally, through the interview conducted and through secondary sources, the effect of family, communication and culture in the academic achievement of Korean-American adolescents