Cross-Cultural Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Cross-Cultural Management - Assignment Example Mr. Keat also urged those who are interested in art and crafts and those who can write to engage the government for grants to fund their projects aimed at promoting the Chinese culture. He pointed out that art is one of the major avenues of promoting a culture (Zengkun, 2013). The Singaporean Chinese Teachers’ Union president, Madam Lian Hwee Eng, implored the stakeholders to lower the restrictions barring a huge number of students from pursuing Higher Chinese studies. She opined that it is chiefly through education that people can be able to fully understand their own culture and that of others and that teachers play a central role and should be lauded for their efforts (Zengkun, 2013). Looking back at the event, I cannot help but get puzzled by the sentiments of the leaders addressing that forum advocating for the promotion of a single culture without a show of neutrality. Singapore is a multi-cultured country which is in transition to develop a single national identity like the majority of other countries (Lee, 2010). This is largely due to the fact that most of the people occupying it are not the natives. The majority of the population had their ancestors immigrate to Singapore from elsewhere in the world. According toYoursingapore.com (2014), the Malays are the natives yet they comprise only 13.3% of the population. Typically, the Singaporean population is comprised of 74.2% Chinese, 13.3% Malays, 9.2% Indians and the rest 3.3% is made up of Eurasians (Lee, 2010). This cultural diversity is further compounded by the presence of many expatriates in the country, most of whom are workers. It is alleged that 42% of the current population is made up of expatriates ( Tamney, 1996). Given this complex cultural mix, in my opinion, it is only fair that nature be allowed to take its course. It is not right to promote one culture at the expense of others especially if the culture is a dominant one. Of

Business Letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Letter - Essay Example Greenhouse gases like carbon monoxide are the main cause of global warming. This global warming is presently the greatest threat to our planet Earth. The per capita consumption of paper is high around the world. The Americans lead the pack with average per capita consumption of around 700 pounds per year. 42% of the world’s wood harvest is used by the paper industry. The paper industry is actually one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. It contributes more than 9% to the greenhouse gas emissions of the manufacturing industry. In a country like United States, the paper industry is the fourth largest emitter of greenhouse gases. Paper accounts for approximately 30% of all landfill waste. Paper accounts for one third of all municipal waste. Municipal waste accounts for more than 30% of emission of methane. Methane is three times more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Cutting down of paper use by even 10% would result in reduction of emission of greenhouse gases by many million tones. The increasing use of recycled paper has offered some respite from the environmentally adverse impact of using paper. However, the demand for recycled paper is expected to exceed the supply by 1.5 million tones of recycled paper by 2017. However, the use of recycled paper is minimal in the printing and writing paper industry. With the growth of emerging economies like Brazil, India, Russia and China, the demand for paper has increased even more. According to some studies the pulp and paper industry may be contributing more to the global and local environmental problem than most industries of the world. The manufacturing of paper requires cutting down of rich forests, pollution in waterways and destruction of natural habitat for many endangered wildlife species of the world. Besides this, paper mills also generate greenhouse gases and also some

Five Forces of Competition Model Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Five Forces of Competition Model - Case Study Example The second force considers the threat created by new market entrants. The railroad business requires huge capital in starting a business operation. Moreover, potential new players lack access to land that is essential for the development of rail networks. The advancement of other transportation systems also hinder the widespread investment in this industry. For current players, the market remains stable as the rate of receiving new entrants is low. The bargaining powers of buyers stands as the third force (Hill & Jones, 46). In the railroad industry, buyers possess little bargaining power. The charges incurred in transportation are a dictate of legal laws regulating prices. Therefore, buyers lack power in price control. Moreover, the importance of goods transported through rail such as agricultural products limits the bargaining power of the buyers. The fourth force suggested by Porter considers the power of suppliers. In the case of railroad transport, suppliers hold a significant power. Union Pacific Corporation notes that the companies in the trade over-rely on specific suppliers for locomotive parts. Consequently, the withdrawal of one of the suppliers serves as a major challenge for these players. Suppliers in this industry control major processes of operation. The fifth force evaluates the threat of substitutes. The transportation industry offers substitutes in the shipping and air freight industries. Shipping costs sign ificantly cheaper while air transport remains faster. However, railroads remain significant due to their large operations on the land. Their major substitutes primarily operate in the air and water. Based on this analysis, the railroad industry stands out as unattractive. Challenges of competition create substantial problems. Moreover, the high cost of operation and the power of suppliers makes the industry unstable and unsustainable by new

Food Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Food - Research Paper Example This may be seen, for example, in the cultural prohibitions against eating pork in the Jewish and Muslim religions – this is an essential part of their cultural heritage, and it sets them apart and defines them as a part of their cultural group (James, 3). Food also forms memories, and these memories and associations form the basis for what is commonly termed as â€Å"comfort food.† Wansink et al., (740) state that comfort foods are foods which conjure a comfortable and pleasurable state in the person, and that childhood experienced and social-affective contexts influence these food preferences. The psychological pleasure that these foods bring is based upon the feelings of pleasure and love which are behind these foods. The researchers state that this psychological response explains why some people love liver and onions, while others find this aversive. Moreover, chocolate is often favored in part because of its association with gift-giving and rewards in childhood exp eriences. At the same time, certain foods may have negative connotations, and these negative connotations creates food aversions. Concurs Wood (36), food often has a certain nostalgic appeal that is based upon sentiment, and is often associated with home and contentment. Familiar foods evoke comfort and psychological benefits. Wood also found, interestingly enough, that when individuals are in the midst of great personal change, they choose familiar favorites less often (Wood, 36). Thus, as Wansink and Wood acknowledge, there is a very powerful memory component in the consumption of food. Whether one remembers mum serving Yorkshire Pudding every Sunday evening at dinner, or one remembers one’s father serving curried chicken, these will be the foods which will be psychologically comforting, because these are the foods which are steeped with memories of home, childhood and love. These will be the foods which will create the nostalgic craving, that, interestingly enough, accordi ng to Wood, are not as appealing when an individual is going through great personal change. While this paper will concentrate on three different regions of the world, and some of the trends or the staples of their diet, James (3) cautions against using stereotypes in ascertaining typical regional diets, given the diversity within cultures for what people prefer to eat. James states that people have an idea about typical diets, such as a typical Italian diet, or Greek diet, or Spanish diet, and this is what gives society at large a general idea of what to expect when visiting these countries. Furthermore, as each region of the world is influenced by the global nature of society, as well as immigrants into the country and the general fluidity of the populace with regards to travel, food, according to James, has more of a global character than a local one. She points out that olive oil has only become a staple in the Provencal region since the end of the 19th Century (James, 4). Theref ore, James argues that regional cooking is influenced by globalization, and, as such, is ever evolving. Since there is such diversity in each of the areas which are explored – for instance, even in the United States of America, there are distinctive regions that serve different kinds of foods (southern food is much different than New England food, which is different from West coast food, etc) –

Assigment #2 Creating youir dream job Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Assigment #2 Creating youir dream job - Essay Example e increasing technological exposure, every graduate wants to be a part of the successful and drastically boosting Information Technology Organizations. The impacts of technology in our society are so clear that no one can deny the fact that we humans are now totally technologically dependent. Students in the universities are not only choosing this field of science, but they are also pursuing their own research in this particular field. There are several huge companies that are competing in this field. The list is endless from Super Laptops by Dell to the micro-chip designs by the Fabless Company. My dream job is the job of the analyst software engineer in a leading oil and gas company. The combination of the software technology and the oil and gas sector is a rare one, but if we look deep into both fields, the relation gives birth to several new, challenging opportunities. These opportunities will help boost the learning process in both fields simultaneously. The combination of the software technology and the field-based job is fascinating. Normally the software engineers sit in air conditioned offices and pursue designing most of the time. In the field-based job, the engineer will be able to learn and implement the advance theories of information technology in relation to the oil and gas field. The field-based analyst software engineer will be assigned many duties. The job mainly comes under the supervision of the company’s managing director. In some urgent cases the engineer can report directly to the director. The analyst software engineer can have a group of technical trainees. The main responsibility of the analyst software engineer is to invent the technology tactics and several code-based applications that are relevant to the field operation. Challenges: The engineer can face several challenges while working in the field. Some of them can be the automation of the field computers and the development of proper technology infrastructure within the remote

Human Rights and Oil Companies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Human Rights and Oil Companies - Essay Example It also examines prominent cases under the Alien Tort Statute of 1789. The paper goes on to view some codes of best practice in relation to the operations of American multinationals and petroleum companies overseas in relation to human rights. The paper concludes with the writer's opinions and findings about the subject. Human Rights â€Å"Human rights create entitlements and are fundamentally different from rights established solely as state obligations that cannot be claimed by the beneficiaries† (Kalin & Kunzli 32). This implies that human rights refer to some inherent rights that people must be granted irrespective of their status and situation. In other words, human rights are not conditional. In includes the right that any human being must be granted in any situation or condition. Although beneficiaries of human rights are individuals, they are sometimes asserted by minorities in various collective forms (Kalin & Kunzli 32). In other words, people can come together a gro up to demand their human rights in a collective manner. This can be done through group actions like protests on the street or universal adult suffrage elections like a referendum or plebiscite to choose a given option. Human rights are constitutive and not regulative (Milne 103). This is in line with John Locke's view on natural right which requires people to be granted certain rights without having to work for it (Donelly 18). These rights are based on moral vision. This should generally include natural justice wich involves the right to life and the right to fair trial and justice on the part of all human beings. No one must decide whether to grant those rights or not. They are inherent and there are no conditions or exceptions that can be attached to such rules. In a nation, there are three main conceptions that ensure that human rights are entrenched and observed throughout the nation (Milne 104). First of all, human rights are guaranteed where there is the rule of law. In other words, human rights can be guaranteed if there is a constitution and the constitution guarantees some inherent and inalienable rights of people in a given society. Secondly, the supremacy of human rights laws must be guaranteed. And thirdly, there should be equality before the law in the interpretation of human rights law. Due to the supremacy and entrenched nature of human rights, all groups and units within a given nation must honor these laws. This therefore means that businesses in every nation, whether they are international or local, should honor human rights laws. Human rights laws are internationally guaranteed (Kalin & Kunzli 32). This therefore means that there is an international framework within which human rights can be discharged. Laws that Protect Humans Rights In every nation, the constitution and fundamental rights must ensure that basic human rights are protected. The Parliament of every nation must make laws that are sensitive to human rights (Campbell & Goldswor th 259). This therefore means that there should be an entrenched and established universal system that must respect and honor the basic rights of all citizens. The parliament or law making body of every nation should be sensitive to fundamental human rights in the making of laws. Also, in interpreting the law in relation to specific cases, the Judiciary must guarantee the human rights of individuals. Where this is in

Market Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Market Research - Essay Example The product being launched is that of a rival company to Microsoft, Apple; therefore the paper entails a detailed analysis of the major areas that can be utilized to overcome the market power of Microsoft and promote the sale of the new product. Marketing Research: Competing Company and Product SWOT Analysis for the Launch of a New Product When a company conducts a SWOT analysis, it does not mean that it is in a state of crisis, but this is only a measure designed to understand whether it is suitable or not. It is usually conducted in the wake of a company’s launch of new major projects and business undertaking the organization wishes to embark on (Cleland & Ireland, 2007). To launch a new product, the organization has to conduct a detailed analysis of its current position so as to determine the means with which the launching of the project can be addressed based on the findings. Microsoft Corporation (SWOT Analysis) Strengths First, Microsoft has the advantage of being popula r as the largest software company usually associated with software and hardware products that are highly innovative. This is displayed by the presence of more than 500 offices in 160 countries (Drucker, 2007). Secondly, the basic operating systems used globally are Windows 7, Vista and XP accompanied by suitable products such as Microsoft Word, Excel and Access among others. These offer the company a competitive advantage via the ease of integrating the products and setting of standard prizes for their standardized products (Hafner & Hibbert, 2001). Another major strength of Microsoft is the nature of rapid development of products and provision of timely updates as well as its strong, flexible and elevated quality of its staff. One of the other strengths of Microsoft PCs is the size. The design of its tablets and laptops makes them easier for portability and they are widely spread globally (Hafner & Hibbert, 2001). Weaknesses One major weakness of Microsoft is its failure to articul ate the growth of its products, thus being overtaken by competitors with respect to productions. Similarly, the products are usually sold with an assumption that the customer is running a Microsoft operating system (OS) for its compatibility which has resulted in declining sales of the OSs and server software (Hafner & Hibbert, 2001). In addition, employee exhaustion is evident owing to intense deadlines for products and their launching. As Drucker (2007) reports, Microsoft is characterized by recurrent restructuring, many rules and regulations with a domineering atmosphere that causes employee morale to reduce and sometimes loss of instrumental employees. This slows down the company’s innovative process. Microsoft has been dormant in the Internet space up to the time MSN was released although it still faces tough competition from Yahoo. With the increased consumer demand of the products, there has been limited human resource to deal with these needs in good time. Opportuniti es Microsoft has the opportunity of having access to cheaper international telecommunication and new markets since many people around the world are connected to the Internet (Drucker, 2007). With the demand for personal computers (PCs) and software components increasing worldwide, despite the market being flooded by attractive handheld devices, Microsoft can still produce more and increase their sales. Finally, Microsoft has