Global Supply Chain Presentation Briefing Notes

You do not need to conduct in depth analysis using the equations we have looked at in supply chain planning or in global supply chain design You can consider the different variables which are used in these equations, which impact on supply chain planning and network design Part of the task is to manage the level of content in the time period you have. In your future careers you will be asked to present on projects for which you have undertaken considerable work; the skill is ensuring you get across what you think are the key points to your audience, which makes them want to find out more.Don't be afraid to question the approach your client is taking – they are obviously experts in their field for their company and you have had limited insight into their operations and they know this. However, we are asking you to consider your role to be that of a consultant, to bring in a different perspective, to question. As long as you are taking a logical approach which is well supported, your recommendations and insight are welcomed! The Task Critically analyse the challenges that your company faces managing their global supply chains.Outline how the company has addressed these challenges where possible and present your recommendations. You must ensure that you cover the key aspects of global supply chain management which we have discussed in topics one to five; however we would advise that you focus your presentation on just one or two of these topics which you consider to be especially relevant to your company’s operations. You must therefore justify why you view these topics as being of particular importance for your company. Each group must include application of appropriate frameworks in their presentation.Presentations which are mainly descriptive will be marked down as per the assessment criteria. All material must be clearly referenced using Harvard. The Topics and Some Questions to consider in relation to the challenges they face†¦ As outlined above, you need to demonstrate your understanding of the following topics – they do link together, but you do not need to cover every element in detail – focus on one or two areas which you feel are particularly relevant to exploring the challenges the company faces (but justify why in your introduction).Foundations of Global Supply Chain Management What are the macro trends impacting on their global supply chain? (ensure a balance, don't just focus on macro trends as one topic – you need to demonstrate how it links to the management of their global supply chain) Networks and Cycles in their supply chain? Supply chain processes; ‘Push' or ‘Pull' approach employed? Supply Chain structure to meet business objectives? Strategy in relation to nature of demand/supply – agile, responsive, efficient, risk hedging?Managing Supply Chain Performance: SCOR Plan, Make, Source, Deliver, Return – are there any areas of weakness or potential threats i n your client's global supply approach in these areas? Green strategy? Global Supply Chain Planning What forecasting methods are used? If not, what do you think might be some of the risks the company faces? Where do you think might be some of the ‘cost pressures' in their supply chain which would impact on profitability? Designing a Global Supply Network Location decisions?If you feel increased demand for their product may arise from new markets in say China, and you consider the location of your company's current manufacturing plants, what might be the risks associated with increasing capacity at their current manufacturing plant? If relocation is an option, what factors would you take into consideration? How might this impact on the overall design of their global supply chain network? Global Sourcing Make or buy decisions – challenges your company faces? Risks with their current strategy? Relationship with suppliers? Factors influencing the total cost of ownership?

Plato’s “The allegory of the Cave” Essay

Plato’s â€Å"The allegory of the Cave† addresses so many different areas of philosophy including, epistemology, metaphysics, asceticism, ethics, etc. In his allegory it is important to seek what Plato is trying to accomplish through locating his rhetorical devices, his tone, his position and arguments, in order to develop meaning to his allegory. Plato’s philosophies include education, interaction, individuality, and human nature to make his statement of what the correct path to â€Å"enlightenment† should be, being expressed through symbolism, imagery, themes, and metaphors to convey his message. Plato’s allegory however is actually represents an extended metaphor that is to contrast the way in which we perceive and believe in what is reality. â€Å"The allegory of the Cave† plays multiple roles, all depending how we interpret it, either being used as a metaphor for the process of intellectual understandings on the quest for sense and knowledge, or a way to portray parts of his political philosophy, involving the correct the path to â€Å"the good† and ‘reality’. Plato’s allegory of the cave is a parable to understand the process of how a person becomes enlightened; including the positives and negatives influences it can have on a person in their natural environment, in other words our responses and reaction to being freed from their chains and being forced to experience life outside the cave. Plato’s allegory of the cave presupposes a group of prisoners who have lived chained and uneducated in a cave â€Å"since childhood†. To the back of the prisoners, people cast the shadows on the wall in which the prisoners perceive as reality, questioning â€Å"is it reasonable for the prisoners to†¦In every way believe that the truth is nothing other than the shadows of these artifacts† Although if one were â€Å"released from their bonds and cured of their ignorance† the prisoner would now be confused as to what is real. The thesis behind is the basic tenets that all we perceive are imperfect â€Å"reflections, which subsequently represent truth and reality. This is an important development to the story because it shows us that what we perceive as real from birth is completely false based on our imperfect interpretations of reality and goodness. The importance of the allegory lies in the belief that there are invisible truths lying under the appare nt surface, which can only be obtained through being enlightened, being  Ã¢â‚¬Å"dragged† out of the darkness and seeing the light. Plato’s allegory of the cave shows that society is in a state of ignorance. Though they might be bounded in one position, they accept that it is their natural ‘place in society’. However when one is exposed to the ‘dazzling light’ they begin to see truth through a long, tortuous intellectual journey, discovering a higher realm, true reality and having awareness of goodness. A person who has gained such insight, according to Plato is best equipped to govern in society, having knowledge what is ultimately good, however, will frequently be misunderstood by ‘the other prisoners’ who haven’t obtained intellectual insights. Plato remains convinced that the best rulers, the philosopher-kings, are suited not only because of their education, experience, and wisdom, but also because they would prefer not to rule. More emphatically, nonetheless Plato finds that because of their enlightened minds, the philosopher-king has a duty to rule that t ranscends their personal preference for anonymity. Plato’s ideal society contains the correct functions of politics and motive. He argues that the philosophers, or individuals who have acquired knowledge of virtue and truth, should lead society. Another example is that in his allegory there are malicious individuals who stand in front of a fire as to be able to create shadows which the prisoners perceive as incorrectly reality. They are both aware of a slightly higher level of truth and capable of manipulation of average people’s perception but still unaware of the nature of the forms and of the form of the good. Philosophers should be the ones to lead rather than those who simply have the ability to manipulate the masses. This is because the philosopher is knowledgeable about the forms of the virtues and the good and is more likely to apply them to society. ‘The allegory of the Cave’ is a theory, concerning human perception that can be altered by what is seen and hidden. Plato claimed that knowledge gained through the senses is no more than opinion and in order to have real knowledge, we must gain it through philosophical reasoning. In ‘the allegory of the Cave’, Plato distinguishes between people who mistake sensory knowledge for the truth and compare them to people who actually see. Plato’s allegory revolves around truth and the reflection of truth, as devastating  criticism of our everyday lives as being in bondage to superficialities, to shadows rather than to substance. Both the leaders and the public are ignorant and corrupt, without true knowledge of themselves or the world, motivated by self-gratification. They are chained in slavery to ignorance and passions, to mob hysteria for or against fleeting issues, believing in the illusions, the shadows. We live in a time of loss of meaning, of crumbling values of truth and morality, of corruption in political life and decline in personal integrity. This is our despair. But there is a hope with Plato’s allegory, the hope of ascending to truth and values, even though we might be shunned, we have a grasp of the light.

Case Study for International Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Case Study for International Finance - Essay Example Though it aims to promote fair trade in industries, it has remained controversial despite of its long existence in the field of business. The sustainability of an economic justice model is definitely hard. It requires the cooperation of all the people who are involved in its application. If those people will unite to follow all the requisites of that specific economic justice model it may lead to its long term efficacy and success. However, if an organization fails to fulfill its promise of prosperity, it will eventually lose its magnetism among the industry members who believe or are about to believe in it. Organizations tend to be too exaggerated when it comes to setting their rules and limitations to the extent that they no longer mind its effect on the workers and the product. They set their own standards not considering how it will impact those who are at the starting phase of business, most importantly the workers. The structure of modern economic justice at this point in time seems to be too unjust, most especially to the less privileged members of the society. Some critics blame the ineffectiveness of these models to globalization. In spite of the opportunities brought by globalization to the worldwide economy, it has caused income inequality in some nations (Kapstein, 2004).

Summrize and paraphrase Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summrize and paraphrase - Essay Example Intersect defines similarly same concept. Parent child relationship corollary is based on the concept that the child’s actions and thought process is decided and dictated by the parents overall presence and personality. Adjustment, correlation and combination within and is termed as a concept called hierarchy formation. Parametric design is a specialization within the advanced concept of 3-D modeling. This feature enables multiple benefits such as the dimensions determination as well as the geometrical aspects understanding and calculation. Association within refers to the concept of aligning two or more components towards finding a common function and feature within. Sketched feature comes in contrast and difference to the 3-D models and concepts that are commonly prevalent. Although not as efficient as the 3-D model, yet it serves the objectives in the form of determining the union, intersection and other similar features associated with the structure of a given material or given design. Parametric association between different components can be judged from the name derived against it. These include the functions such as assessing the different dimensions and providing for a more accurate design and observation of the different angles within the modeled structure. Assembly constraint is a concept that is associated with the consideration of ensuring that the different design aspects and prerequisites are fulfilled. Axe, Edge and other domains and dimensions of a given structure are taken into account while gauging the assembly. Designs are highly prone to possible error and defect during the process of manufacturing. This can be eliminated through the design intent function which allows good handling of the designs with regard to making a better crafted structure. Other aspects of design making make include taking into account factors like re arranging of the structure, re visiting the geometry and further modifying the parameters. The sole

Summary three articles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Summary three articles - Essay Example This structure offered a solid statement on the connection between human rights and business practices; identifying that while governments have the principal duty to safeguard and uphold human rights, businesses have the duty to value the human rights of their workers and consumers. It also reiterated the importance of wronged persons having access to efficient non-judicial as well as judicial remedies in cases of contraventions of human rights. The United Nations Human Rights Council collectively authorized the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, in 2011, to make the framework functional. These doctrines present a global standard for checking as well as addressing the risk of unfavorable human outcomes that are related to business functions. The principles include preventing and dealing with favoritism and harassment, supporting women to take over roles of leadership, encouraging companies to institute paid parental leave , encouraging factors that help consumers to reach businesses more effectively, and endorsing plans for disability action. Other principles are promoting practices that preserve the environment, resolving grievances, and removing barriers against employees of a mature age. Global corporations are habitually accused of being offenders in conflicts over human rights abuses as well as ecological problems in developing nations. Due to the lack of financial assets, the groups campaigning for environmental preservation usually appeal to overseas consumer audiences to coerce multinational corporations into doing the right thing. The Royal Dutch/Shell first discovered oil in the Nigerian Ogoni lands in 1958. Some environmental protection groups assert that the corporation has raked in more than $30 billion as a result of oil mining since then. However, Shell has not appeared to give back in any way to the community that

Sociology and Anthropology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sociology and Anthropology - Essay Example Since most people know that smoking is hazardous to people’s health, just a limited number really understands what other social problems smoking can cause to both the people and the entire society. As stated, smoking results in death. According to the World Health Organization, smoking holds responsibility for every single death in five. Extent of Effects of Smoking as a Social Problem Apart from deaths, smoking extended illnesses such as cancer, respiratory and heart diseases among others. Facts maintain that continuous smoking can lead to cancer, which is a killer in both the contemporary United States and the world. Furthermore, smoking claims a higher percentage of heart diseases and respiratory illnesses in America. Smoking also causes liver cirrhosis, which, in turn, results in death if not treated early enough (McEachern, 2010). As people continue to wonder about the direct effects of smoking, research observations reveal that passive smoking, which is a common phenomen on among most Americans, causes lung cancer. Passive smoking is as endangering as it has links with cot death and asthma in children as well as glue gear (Barrett, 2009). Therefore, it is agreeable to say that smoking does not only affect whoever is smoking but also affects those around him. Additionally, contemporary United States, among other countries, is part of the largest producers of tobacco leafs. Tobacco planting results in deforestation as planters must clear the bushes before they replace them with tobacco trees (Gobo, 2004). This shows that the need for smoking leads to deforestation, which in the end results in lack of land for other agricultural purposes. Consequently, people suffer from poverty and other social problems due to tobacco plating in the contemporary United States. Further, the level of crime is on the increase in contemporary United States (Delamater & Myers, 2010). Criminal investigations record the habit of smoking among the youth as one of the most com mon motives of indulging in crime. This is because smoking among teenagers in contemporary United States goes hand in hand with other substance abuse. As a result, the need for more of these substances and lack of resources to acquire them among this generation accounts for their involvement in criminal activities (Barrett, 2009). Sociological Theory That Explains Smoking Interestingly, sociologists and other great thinkers tend to theorize almost everything. Through theorizing, they believe they can set forth better platforms where people can understand certain phenomena. The theory of structural functionalism explains smoking by aiding in establishing the factors that lead to smoking (McEachern, 2010). Additionally, it tries to expound on matters relevant to ways of stopping the habit of smoking. Sociologists in the criminal department have made the use of structural functionalism as a core element in trying to establish the type and amount of smokes, and the time consumed by smok ers. The theory of structural functionalism tries to provide empirical and modified range of type of cigarette that a particular person has been smoking (Evans, 2009). This symbolic dialect also encompasses the application of the theory of symbolic interactionalism which is a social psychological instrument used by sociologists in establishing the amount of smokes consumed by the subject. Essay Two The Nature-Nurture Debate The nature-nurture controversy has been and still is a

English Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

English - Research Paper Example In fact, employee performance remains tied directly to how an organization performs in the market. The purpose of the report was to understand the causes making Google Company not realize its optimal profits. A research was conducted, and the primary methods of collecting data were used. Few assumptions were made to make the research possible such as the companies under investigation had already realized their optimal profits. From the findings, a comprehensive report was made whereby conclusions and recommendations were derived. This research paper therefore discusses optimal profitability issue as it relates to the Google Company. It also addresses the company’s efficiency, productivity, and performance. The following report is based on the research conducted by the Google Company in search of methods that would lead the company to optimizing its profits.  Profit optimization remains an important aspect in most organizations. Therefore, the report seeks to establish causes, which make the company, fail to realize its optimal profits The only assumption that was made during the research was that all the included companies were already optimizing their profits apart from the Google Company. In fact, this was the reason why Google Company collected data from these companies. Collecting data from other companies with optimal profits allows Google Company to establish its own optimal profits platform during its business operations. The entire report covered practices that could lead the company to realize its optimal profits as well as the practices deemed to deny the company its optimal results. The study did not cover Google Company rivals and competing companies’ aftermaths of realizing their optimal results since the research was only focused on the Google as the main company. In doing this research, theoretical sampling tends to remain the hallmark of grounded theoretical methodology. However, qualitative methodology remains

Analysis of the president campaign through market research possess Essay - 1

Analysis of the president campaign through market research possess - Essay Example In the process, they will also be able to choose the electors who will represent their respective states in the Electoral College. With just around 30 days left to the U.S presidential elections, it is important to analyze the presidential campaign of each of the main presidential contenders using a market research analysis process. This paper will also discuss the main voter constituencies as well as the strengths and weaknesses of each of the presidential candidate before finally predicting the winner. The primary objective of this market research analysis is to develop a logical interpretation of the data regarding the potential electoral victory of any of the two main presidential contenders in the forth coming elections. The analysis will also evaluate and measure the attitudes of voting behavior of the U.S population and finally use this analysis to predict the likely winner of the November 2012 presidential elections. The analysis of the presidential campaign using market research process was through a number of methods that sought to determine the opinion of both the U.S citizens and interested parties all over the world on the November 6 U.S presidential elections. One of the key methods used was online review of recent publications regarding the key issues of the forthcoming elections as well as the strengths and weaknesses of each of the top contenders. Another method that was employed was an analysis of the social media profiles of the two main candidates to provide important insights into what the voters and supporters are saying about them, as well as the likely key issues that may shape the forthcoming elections. The Twitter and Facebook account data of both president Obama and his top challenger Mitt Romney were closely followed and recorded as shown below (Summers 4). The data collected from both the social media analysis and the online literature review revealed a significant

Unforgiven as an anti-wester western Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Unforgiven as an anti-wester western - Essay Example They are particularly interested in fulfilling their objective of no- interference from getting money. This portrays the westerners as men of leisure. Their motivation is self-centered, fulfilling their calling that was to accomplish their mission of killing the Cowboys. Although, to some extent, a material gain can be viewed as secondary in the film, Munny is in need of money. Apart from the farm, he has a family to support. His passion is no longer gun fighting. Munny has â€Å"abandoned that life and only returns to it for what life can offer him, an opportunity to make a fresher start with his family† (David, 49). He gives Beauchamp an account of the story. In the process, he relates what he believes to be a western hero. According to him, accuracy and coolness of head, rather than speed, make a western hero. This makes the film anti- westerners since there are revenge and mistreatment of women. , also personal gain among individual that their primary objective is to get money (David, 33) The Beauchamp is also painted as lonely and somehow melancholy (Kamir, 95). Munny faces Little Bill as well as his disputes singlehandedly, which is quite usual in the western. However, their loneliness is not imposed on them by their situations. Rather, it belongs to them intimately and testifies to their completeness. At the beginning of the movies, Munny has two partners (David, 32). They somehow leave him as results of the film’s narratives developments. Both the Kid and Ned abandon the gunfighter lifestyle. Munny to some extends ends up alone since that is what required by the genre, lonely hero. The film also concerns the generic convention of the Western The film can be witnessed as a version of the west which conforms to heroic modern lives done by most westerns (David, 53). It poetry’s a west that is modernized after losing all its wildness, to the point of reconcilability. Apparently, these changes appear

Interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Interview - Essay Example rengthen the overall fitness and effectiveness of the Army ´s workforce, to conserve manpower and enhance the combat readiness of Soldiers.† The difference between the two mission statements is that the Army mission is to ready the soldier for reintroduction to service. The mission and staff are funded by federal funds. When I first walked into the ASAP office on Fort Lewis, it feels like any other building, however, there is a totally different feeling when you walk into Mr. Dobson’s office. The instant you walk into the room the atmosphere is relaxing. It is spacious and light, with a fountain running in the corner; the room is painted with nice, soothing colors. Mr. Dobson said the army standard counseling sessions are 90 minutes long. He meets with active military and their family, retired military and federal civilian employees. He said the hardest thing about the job is trying to help someone or families that move every two to three years. Sometime they don’t try to get help until right before they leave, this leaves a disconnect between services and the families and military can drop the ball. Mr. Dobson stated the hardest issue for him to discern is to know if a client has issues of drug abuse. The army gives prescription for all kinds of pain. Mr. Dobson stated that he was aware the soldiers go through a lot, so it is hard to determine which drugs are for physical pain and which are used for emotional pain. Mr. Dobson begins with questions about the client’s family history of drug and alcohol abuse. Were they abused as a child or adult? What kind of culture and society did they grow up in? Are they suffering from trauma that happened while in military service? (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or sometimes called, PTSD). These all play a big factor in how someone takes medication. This is major issue in the military because of regular drug testing, and the policy one can be dishonorably discharged out of the military for abusing drugs. Mr.

Current Event Alcohol Essay Example for Free

Current Event Alcohol Essay This article is very surprising in the fact that the understanding of binge drinking is changing. It has been apparent for some time now that excessively drinking has been a problem but it is now under the microscope of having a positive light to the young population. This study had articulated how binge drinking is being looked at and what is changing across student college campuses. The article was based within a college campus, they were studying who or why college students binge drink. They found that students that are perceived as being â€Å"high status† are socially connected and mentally happier. On the other hand those that are considered â€Å"low-status† were deemed to not being as happy, especially in terms of the satisfaction of their college life. This study is trying to show college students correlation with alcohol and what may be happening as a whole within a certain community. As college students we are known to have very high stress, alcohol, is said to help lower this stress. The national institute on alcohol abuse says,†over 400,00 students between the ags of 18 and 24 had unprotected sex as a result of their drinking† all of these statistics are worrisome. It is hard to understand why this is becoming such a problem but as it is described here, it can be directly associated with peer pressure and failure of education about the matter. Binge drinking is a major problem within our society. Even though this article is only from one university it can be multiplied and used to inform and educate other universities across the United States. If we don’t understand the effects it is making now we will not be able to control the future generations. This is particularly close to family ties considering many young adults are dying every year from excess drinking. From the article they state that, â€Å"1,700 college student deaths can be attributed to excessive drinking. † This statistic alone proves that it is a problem that could be prevented with proper education or different drinking laws. The culture within the United States put such a high emphasis on drinking. We learned and talked about how when something is illegal it makes more people want to try it or use the certain substance, I believe this can be directly connected with alcohol in teens and young adults. It I no urprise to me that the statistic of those that are classified as binge drinkers is so high, they say it is â€Å"peer pressure at its finest†, but I wouldn’t only correlate it to be from that but also from our; parents, educators, and role models not creating a clear understanding of how dangerous it can be and is. I agree with their statement that, †we want to make clear that we believe binge drinking is a really dangerous and ultimately self destructive behavior, and that a social power structure that promotes this is a bad thing†. This sentence really amplifies the need for change. This article is almost making a plea for people to understand and have knowledge of this subject. It has been passed over and if we don’t stop this power trip alcohol is having on young adults we wont realize when we have changed the older generation of society as a whole. On the other hand I believe since this was only done within one small university, in order to have collected and statistic information more studies would need to be done to find an average across the United States. This article was an eye opener for me to some of the crazy statistics that are out there and primarily tied to the use of alcohol. This study is only one example of how alcohol is affecting our society. It may makes some college students happier about their college experience but in the long run it will catch up to you and hurt not only yourself but those around you, as we have talked about this many times in class. Overall I would hope you evaluate your own personal decision and decide what is your best option. Don’t let other dictate how you should live or what they think is the best way to live.

Culture Is Separated Into Two Aspects Management Essay

Culture Is Separated Into Two Aspects Management Essay The Oxford Dictionary defines culture as ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society; the attitudes and behaviour characteristic of a particular social group. Culture cannot be precisely defined, but it may be sensed and felt. Mobley, Wang and Fang (2005) also states that culture provides direction to peoples behaviours, in visible and sometimes unnoticeable ways; and it deeply influences decision-making. Culture is separated into two aspects which are visible and invisible. Visible aspects include the appearance of a person or what food does he consume. While invisible aspects include the importance of religion, beliefs in a society or the thoughts and feelings people have about certain issues. In the global market today, culture is an important aspect to multinational companies (MNCs). Apart from serving a diversified marketplace, MNCs would also be consisting of different nationalities. As such, companies are faced with the challenges of serving and managing a culturally diverse workforce. In addition, doing business on a global basis requires a good understanding of different cultures. Failure to understand cultural differences can lead to serious consequences such as an impact on the companys business relationships with overseas customers, clients and employees and bad public relations. Culture also shapes the way people do business across international borders. Same organizations of different nationalities may operate differently due to their culture and this impact on policies, communication strategies, organizational structure, and human resources management. Organizations particularly MNCs can no longer afford not to consider the culture of the countries where they operate in. Thus, the main objective of this essay is to critically evaluate that culture is the most important factor in shaping and accounting for international differences in employment relations. The essay will be evaluating culture through national culture and organisational culture. In national culture, it will begin by comparing and contrasting three different countries (France, China and Japan) with their distinct national cultures in employee relations using the Hofstedes six cultural dimensions with case studies of Danone Vs Wahaha and Renault Vs Nissan. The two case studies will then illustrate the importance of national culture to organizations and employment relations. In the second part, the essay will be evaluating the importance and the need of an organisational culture. It will further evaluate organisational culture by using Edgard Scheins Three Levels of Culture with an example of Google as a case study. Lastly, it will end of by discussing the other underlying factors that also help in shaping and accounting for international differences. It will also conclude with recommendations and the rationale why culture is the most important factor. National Culture Hofstede (1991) de ¬Ã‚ ned national culture as the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or people from another. It implies that the people share a collective national character that represents their cultural mental programming which is a set of norms, behaviours, beliefs and customs that exist within the population of a sovereign nation. Hofstede also claims that every national population shares a unique culture. However, in the recent years, many MNCs have not yet grasped the culture of the country which they are operating or selling their products in. By using case studies of Danone Vs Wahaha and Renault Vs Nissan in this essay, it will attempt to compare the vast differences in national culture between France, China and Japan using Geert Hofstedes 6 dimensions of defining and interpreting culture. First Case Study: Wahaha Vs Danone In 1996, Chinas Hangzhou Wahaha food group, Frances Danone group and Hong Kongs Bai fu qin corporation decided to form a joint venture named Wahaha. In this joint venture, Danone attempted to enter the china market using Wahaha brand that is well-received by the Chinese. However, problems surfaced when Danone became the biggest shareholder in 1998; thus producing resentment from the Chinas Wahaha group as they felt that Danone misled them from the beginning. To worsen the problem, Hangzhou Wahaha food group that is managed by Chairman Zong was accused of breaching the contract by establishing non-joint ventures which infringed the interests of Danone, claiming that the Hangzhou Wahahas establishment of the non-joint ventures and the illegal use of the Wahaha trademark has violated the clause in the contract. After which Wahahas Chairman Zong was sued by Danone in California and Italy, he created a series of small companies producing the same products as the joint venture. The Wahaha Vs Danone case has significantly depicted a dispute between ownership rights. Conflicts between Danone and Wahaha may be caused by unawareness of the cross cultural differences between France and China. Second Case Study: Nissan Vs Renault Nissan, a Japanese company and Renault, a French company decided to come together to work on a joint project. Both companies were well known for their distinct corporate cultures and brand identity. The joint project was formed as both companies shares a single joint of strategy for profitable growth and community of interest. However, Nissans management style strongly encouraged group performance while Renault focuses on individual performance. Communication between the top management and employees were unclear and indirect, therefore resulting in misunderstanding within the company. The conflict between the 2 partners was due to Nissans employees assuming that Renault was similar to them that encourage group performance. However, Renaults management style belongs to a much more individualistic approach, making the Nissans employees felt uncomfortable of having the feeling of losing their family atmosphere. Communication between the Nissan employees and Renault employees broke down; Nissan did not understood what were Renaults main objectives and their company goals in their partnership with Nissan. Some of the Nissans managers felt frustrated and opposed to the entry of Renault representative on Nissans board. The managers were old employees, and they felt that employees should be promoted according to their seniority instead of individual performance. The breakdown of communication is also caused by the differences in their language. With such a significant difference in their management style, there is a need in cross cultural awareness for the business joint venture to be a successful one. Geert Hofstedes Six Dimensions According to Geert Hofstedes cultural research studies, culture can be classified into six different dimensions; Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, Individualism Vs Collectivism, Masculinity Vs Femininity, Long term orientation Vs Short term orientation. The table below illustrates for France, China and Japan. France China Japan Power Distance 68 80 54 Uncertainty Avoidance 86 30 92 Individualism Vs Collectivism 71 20 46 Masculinity Vs Femininity 43 66 95 Long Term Orientation Vs Short term Orientation 39 118 80 Figure 1.0 Scores allocated to the different dimensions for France, China and Japan Power Distance Power distance can be defined as all individuals in societies are not equal it expresses the attitude of the culture towards inequalities among us. Power distance can be defined as to the extent to which the less powerful expects and accepts that power is distributed unequally. (Geert Hofstede,2001 ) In comparison of France, China and Japan, China belongs to a society where the people believes that inequalities is acceptable, there is a presence of a powerful employer-subordinate relationship which the subordinate will abide all rules and regulations set by the employer. France on the other hand may be prone towards a more hierarchical organization system where the attitude towards managers are more formal. Japan belongs to a more hierarchical society where the Japanese should be conscious of their hierarchical position in any situations. All decisions must be reviewed by each level of the management and finally the top management. Individualism Vs Collectivism Individualism can be identified as the high degree of independence a society maintains among its members. It relates to peoples self image in terms of I while Collectivism can be identified to be the opposite. In a individualist society, people tends to only look after themselves and their direct family while a collectivist society consists of people belonging to a group that takes care of them in exchange for their loyalty.(Geert Hofstede,2001) Comparing the 3 countries, there is a significant difference; China belongs to a highly collectivist country where people act at an interest of a group. In this norm, personal relationships prevail over the task and company. However in France, there is a certain degree of independence a society maintains among its members. The French prefers individual and private opinions and work relationships between the employer and employees are contract based where everyone focus on the task itself. Communication within an individualist company would be direct where everyone gives their opinions freely if they do not agree. Referring back to the Nissan Vs Renault case, it has clearly shown that Renault (France) encouraged a more individualist approach by promoting individual initiatives and hoped that the employees are promoted through individual performance. Direct contacts between the top management and employees were encouraged in their individualistic approach. Japan similar to China; belonging to a highly collectivist society, this can be shown through putting their harmony of group above the expression of individual opinions and the Japanese have a strong sense of shame for losing face. In the Nissan Vs Renault case, Nissans employees feel that it is important to have a family atmosphere in their working environment. The managers of Nissan felt frustrated and opposed to the entry of Renault as they felt that promotions should be done according to seniority, not individual performance. Masculinity Vs Feminity Masculinity Vs Feminity is another dimension where we can infer that a masculine society will be driven by competition, achievement and success. It is a value system that starts in the school and continues throughout organizational behaviour. On the contrary, a feminine society will be driven by caring for others and quality of life. It is one where quality of life is sign of success and standing out from the crowd is not admirable. (Geert Hofstede, 2001) In China, leisure time is not as important compared to the status and better salaries. Such examples can be found in students as they care very much about their exam scores and ranking as the main criteria to achieve success or not. France belongs to a relatively feminine society. It may be due to their famous welfare system, securità © sociale where the French are only required to work 35 working hours per week and entitled to 5 weeks of holidays per year. France cares greatly for their quality of life and focuses more on work in order to live the reverse. Competition in the working environment is usually not encouraged and flashy signs of success should not be shown in the public. In the Renault Vs Nissan case, Nissan is shown to treat males and females equally. Some of the female employees were offered several managerial positions in the company. Japan, a total opposite from France has a highly masculine culture. It is usually shown through competitive situations between groups, not individuals. Their famous workaholism is another expression of their highly masculine culture. In Japan, women find it difficult to climb the corporate ladder due to their masculine norm of long working hours. Contrasting Renault in the case study, Nissan belongs to a masculine company which managerial positions are only offered to the male employees, not the female workers. Uncertainty Avoidance Uncertainty avoidance has to do with how the society deals with the fact that their future will not be known. The unknown elements will bring about ambiguity and different cultures will react to the ambiguity in different ways. The uncertainty avoidance can be defined as the extent to which the members of a culture feels threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations and have created beliefs and institutions that try to avoid these. (Geert Hofstede, 2001) High degree of ambiguity can be seen from the Chinese as their language is often full of ambiguity that can be seen as confusing for the westerners. It is shown that the Chinese are comfortable with ambiguity and seem to be adaptable and entrepreneurial. 70% 80% of Chinese businesses tend to be small to medium sized and family owned. France on the other hand tends to have their training done in a deductive approach. In the management level, rules and securities are ensured to create a stress free working environment and a certain level of expertise are welcomed. A change of policies can also be seen as a stressful event. Japanese is one of the few countries that have the highest uncertainty avoidance score. It may be due to the fact that Japan is constantly threatened with natural disasters such as earthquake, volcanoes eruptions that most Japanese are always prepared in any kind of situations. In the business environment, a lot of time and effort are put into feasibility studies and all the risk must be worked out before the project can proceed. Long term Vs Short term orientation In the Long term Vs Short term orientation, a long term orientation can be seen closely related to teachings of Confucius and can be separately interpreted as dealing with societys search for virtue. Long term orientation can be defined as the extent to which a society shows a pragmatic future orientated perspective while Short term orientation shows a conventional historical short term point of view. (Geert Hofstede, 2001) China belongs to a long term orientated society whereby persistence and perseverance is normal. The Chinese are thrifty and tends to invest in long term projects such as real estate. They also recognized that the government is by men rather than being influenced by external factors such as god or the laws. France on a contrary is a short term oriented society; there is a great respect towards traditions, cultures and their language. In business related issues, the French tends to focus on short term results and therefore, companies are usually driven by quarterly results. They do not focus on saving and the management style is based on self-reliance, personal achievement, hard work and managers are judged based on short term results. In Japan, people lives their lives guided by virtues and good examples in life. There is a hint of long term orientation in the constantly high rate of investment in RD, even through difficult times. This is for the sake of a steady growth for market share instead of a quarterly profit, thus increasing durability of the company, serving the stakeholders and the society for many generations to come. Figure 2.0 Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions table for France and China From the graph above, it shows that the cultural differences between France and China are distinctly different in the different dimensions. The graph implicates the importance of focusing on the awareness of cross cultural differences between the 2 country in order for the joint venture between Wahaha and Danone to be a successful one. In the case study, Danone, the French company may not understand the ambiguity in how the Chinese operates in Wahaha and thus misinterpreted their good intentions. Likewise, for Hangzhou Wahaha, it is founded by the Chairman Zong who started the company from a small company which may be very much more family-owned. Chairman Zong may not have a vast understanding of how international joint ventures works and can end up leading to bigger misunderstanding and conflicts which results in failure of the joint venture or business attempts. An example from the case study; Zhang Cheryl(2001) stated that the interpretation of losing control is different between the western society and china. In the western society, losing control may not be treated at a personal level. However, losing control in china is meant as losing face, which would refer to losing the power to make decisions which puts Chairman Zong of Wahaha in a disrespectful situation among his employees. Wahaha therefore insist to runs normally in their daily operations in order to keep their face. To worsen the situation, Wahaha perceived it was losing face when Danone established other IJVs with their competitors resulting in Wahaha being less motivated to settle their conflicts and disputes between each other. From the case study, we have seen how important cross cultural awareness is in shaping and cultivating a good business attempt. Figure 3.0 Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions table for France and Japan In comparison of France and Japan, there is a significant difference in the 6 dimension index from Hofstedes theory. In the Nissan Vs Renault case, the difference in management style, breakdown of communication, different cultural values and language barrier are factors which may have caused a conflict between the two companies. One of the major problems may be the different management style; where Nissan is works in a family like atmosphere. However, Renault focuses on individual performance where an individual only cares about their own results. Nissan can also be seen as a more masculine society which managerial positions are only offered to male employees while Renault treats all employees as equal and it can be shown that several managerial positions were taken up by female employees. In such a different cultural environment, it is important that both companies should have cross cultural awareness for the business venture to be successful. Therefore, it is crucial for MNCs to be exposed to the different international cultural differences as in their daily operations they are exposed to multiple national cultures. This suggests that managing across borders introduces substantial complexity because it forces multinationals to attune their practices and approaches to each and every cultural context they operate in. Edgard Scheins Three Levels of Culture Apart from Geert Hofstedes 6 dimensions of defining culture, there is another famous culture theorist, Edgard Schein that devotes all his effort into comparing and identifying the organizational cultural differences. According to Edward Schein(1992), Organizational learning, development, and planned change cannot be understood without considering culture as the primary source to change. Schein has categorized culture into 3 different levels: Artifacts, Espoused Values, Basic assumptions and values. Figure 4.0 Three Levels of Culture (Schein, 2004, Organizational culture and leadership, 27) Schein defined that culture is first seen through artifacts such as visual organizational structures or tangible items. Underlying artifacts is the values such as strategies, goals and philosophies. The core of the 3 levels would be assumptions such as taken for granted beliefs, perceptions, thoughts and feelings through experience. Through the case studies, it has implied that each country has a unique cultural perspective and approach to certain situations and hence it is important for companies to strive to understand and support relevant programs or strategies in each region. Failure to appreciate and account for them can lead to issues like strain relationships in employment relations, communication breakdown between management team and drag down business performance. Newman Nollen (1996) also state that there is no one best way to manage a business. Differences in national cultures call for differences in management practices. One of their conclusions also states the importance of the congruence between management practices and the national culture should be in harmony in order to produce better performance outcomes, therefore pinpointing in another way the importance of cultural differences. Therefore, the management of a company should pay extra attention to national cultural differences as it may influence the effectiveness of the strategies and decisions that the company makes. Based on Geert Hofstedes research on national culture, he has demonstrated that organizations can also no longer ignore the impact of national cultures on organizations cultures particularly for MNCs. Therefore it is clear that in current times, the implementation of positive organizational cultures and effectively merging of national cultures into organizational culture is critical for positive business performance. Therefore as a start, MNCs should understand and be aware of the different types of national culture as well as adopting a fitting organizational culture themselves to account for international culture differences in employment relations. Organisational Culture Greenberg and Baron (1997) define organizational culture as a cognitive framework consisting of attitudes, values, behavioural norms, and expectations. These values stated have a strong influence on employees behaviours, thinking, and behavioural patterns which in turns encourages diversity and adaptability to support its performance. Organizational culture is also an effective control mechanism for managing employee behaviour. In an organization with different nationalities, the company would need to foster a common diversity culture in the company to create a mutual respect for each and every different employee; which may in turn enhance their full potential. A strong organizational culture is a primary generator of real motivation and commitment and has a unique absorptive power to congregate people (Mobley, Wang and Fang, 2005). Therefore, this is a need for an organizational culture that fits to the needs of the company and its employees. Now, using a case study on Google in this essay, it will attempt to evaluate how Google makes use of national culture and their organizational culture to account and shape for international differences using Edgard Scheins Three Levels of Culture theory. Third Case Study: Google Google is a worldwide company that has strong practices in diversity. Google culture revolves around their mission: to organize the worlds information and make it universally accessible and useful. (Corporate Information, 2011) Google consists of a diversity of staffs, supporting various cultural norms. Through this cultural norm, they encourage and support the diversity of its customers and employees. Google consist of bilingual employees catering to their diverse consumer base. In fact, Statistics shows that more than half of the results Google provides to its customers are outside of the US. (Corporate Information, 2010). Diversity is distinct in Google such as their employees, offices, products, and customers. By understanding national culture and accepting the different nationalities differences, Google leverage and make use of the different skill sets of each employees. Googles Culture As Google consist of a diverse staff group, it shows the importance of having a strategically appropriate culture, a culture which will fits the needs of the organization, its employees and the marketplace. At Google, we dont just accept difference we thrive on it, we celebrate it, and we support it for the bene ¬Ã‚ t of our employees, our products, and our community. (Google Annual Report, 2010) Google has embraced diversity and integrated it into their culture and into their core culture statement. The manifestations of Googles culture are analyzed by evaluating the artefacts at Google (Gagliardi, 1992). Through looking at the various aspects of Google, it is shown that Google has an integrated and informal culture (Martin, 1992), which comprises of four key elements. Mission Innovation Fun Reward Using Edgard Scheins Three Levels of Culture, it is first defined and seen through the artefacts such as visual organizational structures or tangible items. Google supports diversity of norms in each office by utilizing their office and cafes. They are designed to encourage interactions between employees within and across teams, and to spark conversation about work as well as play. Social interactions stimulate knowledge and learning breakthroughs. Without communication, there is no way to express thoughts, ideas, manage differences and feelings. Communication plays an important role in keeping and maintaining values and relationships necessary to keep the system of the organisation united. The next level of culture would be the exposed values which are the strategies, goals and philosophies. Daft (2003) stated that managing a global environment requires managers to have the ability to manage change through innovation and creativity. Therefore, the employees in Google are motivated to contribute their suggestions and ideas. Most of Googles work are project based hence employees are required to team up and pursue the project. The team may consist of a diverse group of members. Through the concept of a group project, members would then need to learn to accept one another and work together. This enhances the communication between Googles employees and hence they share a unified common goal and vision. However, conflicts between the employees are bound to happen in project based work. Therefore, conflict management between employees and respect for cultures must be structured and organized for the many cultures and diversities. One strategy that Google implement is to create awareness of international national differences is by organizing national cultural events such as The 6th Sense: Diversity Week in India and Diwali and Google Mela to develop cultural intelligence to the employees and international cultural competence. The purpose of these cultural events is that the employees would generate a culture-specific understanding of the other and positively regard of the other. Through these events, it will groom and educate the employees on cultural awareness. During such events, Googles employees are able to interact and appreciate each others culture; consequently, an accommodating culture and organizational behaviour is then established within the organization. The next level of culture would be the assumptions such as taken for granted beliefs, perceptions, thoughts and feelings through experience. Googles employees are passionate and self-motivated, and the company empowers them to a certain degree to make responsible decisions. Therefore, employees could get an equal and fair opportunity to innovate and unleash their imagination and ideas through their meetings. After analyzing all of Google culture characteristic, using Deal and Kennedy model of organizational culture (Deal and Kennedy, 1982), Google most likely falls into the work hard/play hard culture. Characteristics of the culture include high levels of activity and where employee has to take few risks and these characteristics are clearly reflected in Google. Through the concept of organizational culture on how they are establish and reinforce, it will make a big difference in the way employees act and in the way the organization act as a whole when ethical dilemmas are faced. Through cultivating a fitting culture from the start, the organization and the employees will have a shared set of understandings about what is correct behaviour and how ethical issues will be handled. Therefore, if a company would to embrace and be accepting to international culture from the start, this will account and shape the employees to be more accepting to cultural differences and hence improve employment relations. Therefore, it is proposed that companies should ensure mentoring their employees through guidance coaching of the culture and encourage bonding and communication between levels of management and their employees. Also managers that have to work across different countries are required to understand the importance of national culture and organisational culture as well. Gabriel (1999) states that managers have to also recognise and build on cultural particularities, adapting organisational products and policies to local cultures and managing employees in a manner appropriate to their culture. It is beneficial to understand the country culture and the organisations culture. The country may have its own set of framework and culture in which they operate in. This will impact and forces multinationals to attune their practices and approaches to each and every cultural context they operate in. Different companies may operate things differently due to their home countrys culture and thus causing an impact on policies, communication strategies, organizational structure, and human resources management. By understanding and managing these cultural differences, it will be a vital ingredient of organisational success. Other Factors In this essay, it has stated the importance of national culture and organisational culture in how they account and shape for international differences in employment relations. However, other factors such as economic, social, political, and technological factors may also constitute an impact on international cultures. Amongst the different factors, economic, political and technological factors are identified to be one of the most important factors that affect international differences. Economic Factors Economic factors like globalization are one of the factors affecting international employee relations. Through effects of globalization where companies may become more advance, the management has to ensure that the skills processed by the employees are compatible with those required in the market to meet the customer needs. Globalisation will increase the competitiveness and inequality among the countries. Under globalisation, industries and services move from one country to another, thus restricting opportunities for permanent employment relationships to the benefit of economic performance. To improve their competitiveness, many MNCs sought to relocate their business operations to countries where labour is cheaper and workers are less protected and hence neglected employment relation to focus more on the performance of the company. Technological Factors Sometimes companies that undergo technological developments have destroyed jobs as they undergo aggressive growth and rapid expansion. This may make it necessary for its human resources department to focus on recruitment and staffing internationally and locally. Therefore a company may have its problems to expand and recruit new employees, as it may need to focus its recruiting efforts outside the region if the labour pool is not large enough. Companies may also make specific requirements for a job where the applicant is required to possess a certain degree of skills or nationality and this in turn affect employment relations. Political Factors These reg

Why These Leaders Are Role Models Business Essay

Why These Leaders Are Role Models Business Essay My Leadership style is delegative. My Leadership style is the same as the Laissez Faire Style. It is a leadership style in which the manager provides small or no direction and gives workers as much freedom as possible. All power is given to the workers and they must set goals, make decisions, and fix problems on their own. I suggest this leadership style for those leaders that have highly experienced staff under their leadership, because in this leadership style the manager is not always skilled on the certain job they are managing. Task-Oriented theory Another Leadership style of mine is Task-Focused. I have found that my leadership styles correct name is Task-Oriented Leadership. The Leaders that follow this style only focus on getting their certain jobs done and they sometimes can be autocratic. I have researched and found that, leaders who follow this style are good at delegating tasks, which I believe is strength for me. What I found the weak points are of this leadership style are: motivation and retention problems, leader doesnt think too much about teams well-being, and sometimes the leader acts too fast without full information. Transformational theory The Transformational leadership style is the style that I look forward to use. The main reason for it being my favourite is that my biggest leadership Role-Model (Bill Gates) applies it. The Transformational theory states that, the leadership is the method in which an individual engages with others and is able to produce a bond that results in increased motivation and morality. What I believe is that, the key in transformational leadership is for the leader is to be helpful to the requirements and objectives of followers in an effort to help them reach their utmost potential. In addition, transformational leadership typically explains how leaders can begin, expand, and apply important changes in an organization. Transformational Transactional High aiming moral standards and ideas Objectives of the leader reach the targets and rewards Practical supervision No particular supervision Individual therapy Exception handling The motive is to promote understanding of the interests of the group The Motive is to achieve personal interests by encouraging Change management strategies- When it comes to Change in Management, transactional and transformational leadership styles contrast largely. In Transformational Leadership, the Leader goes ahead of managing day to day processes and crafts tactics for taking his department to the next level of performance and success. He always looks for good Opportunities, for possible changes in Management. In Transactional Leadership, Leaders are more anxious with maintaining the standard flow of actions. It can also be described as keeping the ship afloat style. They are not interested in any change in management. 1.3 Leadership Role Models 1.3a leadership profiles Steve Jobs-Complex management style Steve Jobs. Steve Paul Jobs was the co-founder and CEO of Apple Inc., which is now the worlds second largest Informational Technology Company by income. Steve Jobs was born on the 24th of February, 1955. I have discovered that Jobs follows the Autocratic Leadership style. I have found that, very few leaders use this leadership style and succeed. Steve Jobs is one of them. Ive heard many people criticising his leadership style, but I disagree to those people because apple wouldnt be what it is today, if he applied a different style. Ive learnt that Steve Jobs was always deeply focused when committed, confident enough to take risky actions, and charismatic enough to enrol large numbers of employees and customers in the constant quest of his goals. Steve Jobs Famously said that customers dont know what they want until weve shown them. Without a doubt, he produced such products that, after being launched were every persons want. Under his leadership Apples income raised from US $5 billion to US $351 billion! Hardly any top leaders show as much interest to product and design detail as Jobs did. He always considered simplicity, functionality, and consumer demands before; cost effectiveness, sales amount, or even income. Even though he had immeasurable talent, he always made the employees work just as hard as himself. I observed Jobs stating in an interview that We have an environment where excellence is really expected. I have read many blogs and books, accusing Jobs for being immature, stubborn, and even cruel. But however, Jobs seemingly harsh behaviours sparked peak performance, as much as they undermined it. Steve Jobs died of pancreas cancer, a day after the launch of the latest iphone. He was missed by all of the Apple inc. Workers and Consumers. Bill Gates-http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02012/Bill-Gates_2012907b.jpg William (Bill) H. Gates III is the co-founder, chairman and CEO of Microsoft Corporation, the worlds leading provider of software for computers. Bill Gates was born on October 28, 1955. I have researched and found that he follows a Transformational leadership style, which shows in his achievements throughout his career. I believe that he has so many great achievements that even a book can be written about them. Here are a few of his achievements that I found- Bill Gates got knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2005, for his contribution to the British community. From various universities and institutes like Harvard University and The Royal Institute of Technology, Bill Gates has received Doctorates! Because of Bill Gates and his wife doing many generous works for the welfare of the society, they received the award of Order of the Aztec Eagle in Mexico. Forbes Magazine listed his name in The Worlds Richest People from the year 1995 to 2007. I believe that the main reason that Microsoft succeeded was because of this man. A computer on every desk and Microsoft software on every computer he will continue to stomp out the competition until he dies. Every business and household must have a computer and must run Microsoft software, was the basic guiding vision of Bill Gates. Ive heard that Bill Gates found the most comfortable place where the positional power for him was high as he had most authorities in the firm. That means Bill Gates is more likely a transformational leader who wants performance from his subordinates/followers to achieve the goal/objective of the company. But Im certain that he is not only one who relies on the employees, he is one when needed who can do the employees jobs much better than them. Gates always had that smart brain for technology, as he was god gifted. He had once said that if you are gifted an extraordinary talent, then you should use it in a good way. I believe that his leadership skills have set an example for the young businessmen and businesswoman, as his tactics were so efficient that both Microsoft and Bill Gates had blown their rooftops off with money. Bill was a type of autocratic leader but he never made rash threats never used cruelty to manipulate others or to gain personal benefits. Bill Gates had the ability to influence others with something of value to them. Microsoft is well known for giving huge remuneration packages to its employees. What I consider is an important part of reward power is having control over resources, such as allocating expense budget funds. Bill Gates had full control over evaluating employees performance, determining their raises, promotions other rewards. He also kept the employees confident and positive. He showed those two skills as well. One day a reporter asked him arent you worried about the competition that is starting to show? He replied Whether its Google, Apple or free software, ou r fantastic competitors just keep us on our toes! Why these leaders are my Role Models I have chosen Steve Jobs and Bill Gates as my Role Models because; they both are or have been very successful leaders. Looking up to their success I believe that I will also be able to go very high in leadership standards. The main reason for me choosing Steve Jobs was his success with such a leadership style. I like that factor because with that leadership style only one in many succeeds. I also thought that him inventing such creations, that both kids and adults find as their needs, was something that only a special person could do, thus, I chose to study him and found his past and leadership style, inspiring, which led to him becoming my leadership role model. It is quite obvious why someone will have Bill Gates as their role model. Not only his awards but also, his past, success, popularity, personality, and leadership style was all inspiring. To be honest, he is my more favourable Role model as he is a leader who is always dedicated to his tasks and always aims to complete them to the best of his and the employees abilities. He is someone who I think every young businessman should have as their role model because he is one of the many few leaders that have gained such popularity and still stay focused on what their job is. This quality is a quality that we should all remember to follow, as I have seen many leaders get carried away, when their only at the beginning of popularity and success. 1.3b Benchmarking criteria Leadership is a vast scope that has no boundaries none can actually describe its area, method, traits, or other specifications. For example a housewife can be a leader for her own home and a student can be a leader of his own group or class etc. leadership styles are different as there are democratic, charismatic, autocratic etc. (Leadership New Zealand, 2011) Here are some benchmarking qualities- Task orientated- I believe that I am very much task focused person and have the ability to finish my tasks efficiently, but to become a successful leader you have to be task oriented and task focused as well, so to my understanding this is the key Quality which I need to develop on. Confidence- All the successful leaders have a high level of confidence which, enhances their decision making power and their risk taking ability, which you have to take at some point. I believe that I have lack of confidence in myself thats why I have included this quality in my personal development benchmarking criteria. Dedication- To become a successful leader you need total dedication to your work. I have chosen this quality, as I believe that Im already a dedicated woman but, if I put a bit more dedication into my work, then I can become a very successful leader. Patience- Patience is a very important element to the success of any leader, as sometimes you dont get your desired results and then the leader goes impatient and loses concentration and in result he takes the wrong decisions. I feel that this is my weakness which I want to improve on. Socially responsible- a leader who wants to create a good image of their organisation or themselves in the community shows social responsibility. I believe that social responsibility should not only be used for that reason; it should just be considered as a normal responsibility because it keeps the community happy and the environment neat. Disciplined- Not all leaders are disciplined or keep their employees disciplined, but leaders that actually are disciplined are usually more successful, and they are the ones that tend to stay in business the longest. I believe that I am the type of leader who is disciplined herself but, not the best at forcing discipline on others, thats why I need to improve on this point. Section 2: Self-assessment 2.1 Benchmarking Scores out of 10 Avinash Reen Patience 8 Dedication 8 Confidence 6 Task Orientated 9 Socially Responsible 8 Disciplined 10 Leadership Benchmarking Score 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 REALITY CHECK Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out. 7 Never mistake activity for achievement. 4 Adversity is the state in which man mostly easily becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then. 6 Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are. 8 Be prepared and be honest. 9 Be quick, but dont hurry. 7 You cant let praise or criticism get to you. Its a weakness to get caught up in either one. 7 You cant live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you. 2 Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be. 3 Dont measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability. 7 Its what you learn after you know it all that counts. 7 Its the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen. 7 Talent is God-given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful. 8 The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team. 5 BENCHMARK SCORE 87 TOTAL POSSIBLE SCORE 140 Score as a percentage 62.14% 2.2 Reflection My personal leadership style is the Delegative style. Although this is my style but it is not my preferred style. My preferred leadership style is transformational leadership style. The main reason behind transformational leadership being my favourite, because my biggest Role Model (Bill Gates) uses it; it shows how efficient it is by the success of my Role Model. I believe that I am quite strong at giving out authorities to my group members, working within the timeframe and delegating tasks. The weaknesses in Leadership which I have are Tendency to resist change, to listen poorly and to act too fast at times. These weaknesses are not only my thoughts but the surveys and theories all indicate them as well. My goal as a leader is to become a well known leader and contribute to the society at the same time. I follow the Sikh religion, in which it is said to contribute and serve the society and the helpless. This has inspired me deeply, so when I become successful, I will aim to donate large amounts of money to organisations that help the helpless. Also, donating and contributing to such societies goes under social responsibility, which in result gives you a good picture in the community, which will lead to success. Opportunities Rationale Strategies Timeframe Measures Resourcing Vege Oasis (my workplace) is looking forward to promote me to the supervisor of the fruit-packing area, in the organisation. As I am really skilled in the packing position, me supervising this sector is certain. First I will complete my business management course, so I know how to manage a group of employees properly and efficiently. 1-2 months to complete my current course, take some supervisor training and start my full time job as supervisor. I will know that I have achieved my goal, when I pass my Business Management course. Resources that I will need to achieve my set goals will be my personal resources (time, skill and money). Vege Oasis will give me the opportunity to work as the assistant store manager of the organisation. This position is almost certain because, the Organisation advised me that, they see lots of potential in me and can give me the position of assistant manager if I successfully handle the position of supervisor. I will need to prove that I am capable for the position by performing well, not only individually but also as a team leader. 6-12 months to prove that that I have good leadership qualities and can perform well as a leader. I will know that I have achieved my goal when the packing unit succeeds and the CEO gets impressed and promotes me to the assistant store manager. I will only need a few resources to achieve my objective, which includes: time and leadership skills. Position as the store manager of Vege Oasis. I have selected this opportunity because I will have qualifications, skills and experience. Firstly I will need to prove to the Organisation that I am capable for this role by performing efficiently as assistant manager. 1-2 years to prove myself as an efficient assistant store manager. I will know that I have achieved my set objective when I get selected for the managerial role and later on, receive positive feedback from CEO. The key Resources I will need will be personal resources (time, and skill). Section 3: Personal Development Plan

The Scop (beowulf) :: Epic of Beowulf Essays

The Scop After Julius Caesar lay claim to Englisyou do not want to receive this notification, click the Options link on the top horizontal menu bar. On the Options page, click the Preferences link. Scroll down to the Confirm Sent Messages option and select Noh soil, the Britons were subject the Northern coasts remained to become settlers and tillers of the soil, and Anglo-Saxon part of the Anglo-Saxon body of folklore and legend. It was not long until various warrior-kings had a â€Å"singer†, or scop attached to their courts who could recite and sing a body or oral literature- particularly about the warrior-king’s glorious deeds. In the late sixth century, Augustine came to England at the request of Pope Gregory. Gregory advised his monks not to disrupt England’s pagan customs, but to proceed with conversion gradually. Consequently, the question arises concerning whether Beowulf resulted from the traditions handed down by the scops, or whether the poem was a product of the monasteries. Some critics claim that it is an amalgam of both elements. Since the poet gives us a valuable portrait of the scop in all, they reason, the scop had a storehouse of old folktales, legenyou do not want to receive this notification, click the Options link on the top horizontal menu bar. On the Options page, click the Preferences link. Scroll down to the Confirm Sent Messages option and select Nods, and heroic deeds performed by great heroes of the past. Hrothgar’s scop was able to sing Beowulf’s praises the day following the defeat of Grendel, and in the song, he includes the older â€Å"Lay of Sigemund†. The scop’s purpose was to honor his noble patron or others who past and be able to sing them at the pride of the tribe depended upon a long genealogy of heroes. Additionally, the scop defined the moral values of his society by singing about heroes and about those who acted in non-heroic ways. His songs endorsed models of behavior. By example, he taught that certain actions were profitable to the group, and and criticized those who failed to perform according to the expectations of the group. course, do not recognize the code which includes the wergild option. The Scop After Julius Caesar lay claim to English soil, the Britons were subject to numerous invasions, mostly from Scandinavian tribes to the north of England. Many Scandinavian tribes who raided the Northern coasts remained to become settlers and tillers of the soil, and Anglo-Saxon society continued to be reasonably well organized, aristocratic, and of folklore and legend.

Hucks Contradiction in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay

Huck's Contradiction in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn      Ã‚  Ã‚   In Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Huck was a boy who thought very little of himself, but had a huge impact on others.   His moral standing was based on what is easier, right or wrong.   He lived the way he wanted to live, and no one told him otherwise.   He had the adventure of a lifetime, and yet he learned along the way. Although Huck has certain beliefs about himself, his actions and decisions contradict these beliefs.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Huck may consider himself lazy, but in reality, he is a very hard worker.   At one point, Huck wants to get away from his father so he comes up with a scheme to fake his death and escape from his cabin:   "I out with my saw and went to work on that log again. I took the sack of corn meal and took it to where the canoe was hid and shoved the vines and branches apart and put it in. I had wore the ground a good deal, crawling out of the hole and dragging out so many things.   So I fixed that as good as I could from the outside. Then I fixed the piece of log back into its place. I took the ax and smashed in the door-I beat it and hacked it considerable, a-doing it.   I fetched the pig.and laid him down on the ground to bleed. Well, last I pulled out some of my hair, and bloodied the ax good, and stuck it on the back side, and slung the ax in the corner" (24).   If Huck were lazy, he would not have gone through all that trouble to escape, if he escaped at all.   A lazy person would have just stayed there and not worried about what happened.   At another point in the novel, Huck and a runaway slave, Jim, are on an island where th... ...x, James M. From Mark Twain: The Fate of Humor (Princeton University Press, 1966) "Southwestern Vernacular" pp. 167-184. Copyright @1966 by Princeton University Press. Rpt. Twentieth Century Interpretations of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Ed. Claude M Simpson. Englewood Cliffs,N.J. 1968.    Fishkin, Shelley Fisher, Phd. "Teaching Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Finn", 1995, July Summer Teachers Institute, Hartford, Connecticut @1995    http://www.pbs.org/wgbn/cultureshorck/teachers/huck/essay.html    Leavis, F.R. "Three New Approaches to Huckleberry Finn". (London: Chatto and   Windus, Ltd., 1955) Rpt. Twentieth Century Interpretations of Adventures of  Ã‚   Huckleberry Finn Ed. Claude M Simpson. Englewood Cliffs,N.J. 1968.    Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001.   

Plagiarism :: Computers Technology Cheating Essays

Plagiarism Plagiarism has been present in society for longer than one might like to think. But what is even more upsetting is the fact that it is a recurring problem in innumerable school systems across the country. By definition, plagiarism is the â€Å"unacknowledged and inappropriate use of ideas and wording of another writer† and can be considered â€Å"a grave violation of academic integrity† (http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/writing/tools/plagiarism.html). This may seem slightly harsh, but it is indeed true. However, to put in layman’s terms, an act of fraud or deception is committed when someone plagiarizes, either from a textbook or the internet. And, as with every mistake, consequences arise that affect the individual greatly. The general public conveys plagiarism to be â€Å"the capital intellectual crime† and in addition, is most often used by students and professors whose â€Å"undetected plagiarisms disrupt the system of student and scholarly evaluation† (http://www.law.uchicago.edu/news/posner-r-plagiarism.html). Such actions can become the cause of expulsion of a student or the halt of a professor’s career. Because this is a major offense and requires immediate discipline, several American universities have established guides indicating the types of plagiarism that exist. One prime example is California State’s Eagle Guide. Within it, three categories of various plagiarisms are presented with the first titled Turning in Someone Else’s Paper, also known as Type I. Basically, the individual was either too lazy or lacked the confidence in himself to compose the paper. â€Å"This is the worst type of plagiarism because fraud is committed that undermin es the entire educational system. The material was not learned, writing skills did not improve, and the grade is based on deception. All in all, the person’s education is a fraud.† (http://web.calstatela.edu/centers/write cn/plagiarism.htm). Furthermore, Type II is the Internet â€Å"Pastiche† which is a â€Å"literary work composed of various sources† (Macmillan Dictionary, 1984). In this instance, the paper is assembled by the â€Å"writer† out of other texts. Paragraphs are â€Å"grabbed† and are carefully placed to form a final draft. Lastly, Type III is improper paraphrasing. This transpires when an author’s idea(s) are rewritten into other’s words and original sentence structure is used. Type III is the least hostile because it can easily be corrected with few practices.

Buddhism from a Philosophical Standpoint

When one attempts to put religion under the inquiry of philosophy, there is an important thing that must be clarified. One must be aware that philosophy is both a science of systematic thinking and a way of life. As a science, philosophy explores the ultimate causes and purposes of all things that exist. It entails adherence to rigorous logic and impassioned critique of nearly all things that may be put into question. Which is why, it is a strict rational science (if not the most rigorous one).However, one needs to equally remember that philosophy can also pertain to a principle about life, or a life-influencing belief system. To be sure, this second notion of philosophy enjoys more usage than the previous one nowadays. For instance, many self-help books promising to teach people new philosophies to help them emerge successful in life end up in bookstores as top-sellers and/or top-grosser. One can call both of them – the philosophic inquiry into things and the less rigorous ad herence to some principles about life – as philosophies in their own respects.Studying religion from a philosophical standpoint entails an inquiry figuring in two levels as well. Religion must be seen both as a subject that can be assessed, and a way of life that has to be lived. As an object of philosophic inquiry, religion must be evaluated according to the tenets it holds or the doctrines it teaches. As a way of life, religion must be seen in the context of ritual or ethical practices stemming from a belief system. Thus, in studying religion, one is able to gather philosophical analyses from certain practices and beliefs.In a way, it is the result of combining the two basic understandings of philosophy into a single framework. Rationale and Methodology The aim of this paper is to present Buddhism from the standpoint of philosophy. This means that some of the basic questions that philosophy asks shall be answered in the light of what Buddhism teaches. What could those basic questions be? First, there is a question about ontology. Under this specific inquiry, one looks at how Buddhism perceives all things that exist.Next, there is cosmology; an inquiry which enables one to ask: how does Buddhism understand the world? Other concerns include anthropology (read: how do they understand man? ) and ethics (read: how do they assess what could be morally acceptable or not). But ultimately, since Buddhism is acknowledged as one of the major religions of the world right now, a philosophic inquiry should include exploring their basic notions about God; and thus, theology. After all, religion is essentially about a â€Å"belief in Spiritual Beings† (McCutcheon, 2007, p.22) translated most frequently into a belief in a kind of God. Buddhism: History and Core Doctrines Buddhism is a religious movement which started approximately 500 years before Christ (Griffiths, 1997, p. 15). It first spread across most of the Indian peninsula, only to be dispersed outside the region later on. At present, its influence is embraced not just by Indians but also by those coming from countries which comprise the South and South East Asia region, a few areas in Japan and some provinces of China.It needs to be mentioned that Buddhism is a religious phenomenon characterized by diversity in forms and practices. Buddhism, says one author, is a â€Å"very differentiated† religion (Griffiths, 1997, p. 5). One may not find the same strain of Buddhism found, say, in South East Asia, and another one coming from, say, a southern province of India. Right now, there are a myriad of groups claiming to adhere to a unique practice of Buddhism on their own. In effect, it makes Buddhism a kind of religion that seems neither to teach nor require uniformity of doctrines from all its adherents.Buddhism is a religion that draws heavily from the inspiration lent by its recognized founder, Gautama Sakayamuni (later on to become Gautama Buddha) – a person who exempl ified for them a life of total freedom and perpetual meditation in order to arrive at an utterly blissful state called Nirvana. By and large, it is about an adherence to a lifestyle that seeks authentic enlightenment; and not about a longing for the Transcendent which most religions of the world are concerned with. For this reason, some thinkers are entertaining the idea that Buddhism is, after all, â€Å"not a religion but a way of life† (Humphreys, 1997, p.13). Buddhism, as many authors have noted, is a movement associated not so much with a set of doctrinal teachings as a â€Å"body of teachings with spiritual benefits† (Williams, 1989, p. 2). In fact, many Buddhism-inclined literatures encompass teachings not really about religious worship, but about way of living, ritual practices, devotional meditation (Mitchell, 2002, p. 1), among others. Owing much from the teachings which Gautama Buddha has left, Buddhism teaches that life is in a state of perpetual quest for enlightenment marked by a feeling of constant dissatisfaction (Williams, 1989, p.34). Buddha himself was a testament to this. After leaving home at an early age, Gautama ventured on a life-journey to seek for enlightenment; a precious state he could not seem to find in the world as he got to know it. As he tried to quell the gripping loneliness and instinctive drive to satisfy pleasures, Gautama sought answer and solace through meditation. His meditation led him to see that impermanence, dissatisfaction and a fluid sense of self constitute the basic truths of reality (Williams, 1989, pp.34-36). He further taught that a human person is really nothing, but only takes form as someone constituted by five different â€Å"aggregates† namely, â€Å"form (material constitution), sensation, perception, mental formations and consciousness† (Williams, 1989, p. 37). One should now that one of the chief elements that defines the uniqueness of Buddhism lies in how they consider all things to be illusory, since they subscribe to the idea that â€Å"things are not what they seem† (Griffiths, 1997, p. 20).Some of their other teachings about life include the following: value for the principle of moderation, belief in Karma and perpetual recurrence of everything that exists, belief in life’s four noble truths (life is suffering, the cause of suffering is cravings for pleasure, freedom from suffering is temperance from pleasures, and a way to stop suffering is by following the eight-fold path), and the practice of the noble eight-fold paths (right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right living, right conduct, right mindfulness and right concentration) in one’s life (Mitchell, 2002, pp. 45-47). A Philosophical AnalysisJudging from the ideas raised in the Introduction of this work, it is clear that one must consider Buddhism a type of philosophy – that is, as a way of life. Many authors have already proceeded to claim that this particular religious phenomenon is chiefly characterized by the numerous practical precepts which serve as guides towards an enlightened living. It is good to note that Buddhism, pretty much like philosophy, is concerned with the pursuit of enlightenment or truth. An enlightened self – immortalized perhaps in Western Philosophy by Plato’s Allegory of the Cave – is surely the goal why one enters into philosophical discourses.In so far as Buddhism offers its own distinct ways to attain enlightenment as well, it is therefore with good reasons that one should classify this religion as philosophical in many ways. Buddhism however does not stop at stipulating suggestions for right living alone. As a system of belief, it also offers perspectives about the whole of reality. Like philosophical discourses, Buddhism is a belief system that speaks of its perspective about the ultimate realities like human existence, cosmology, human knowledge, ontology and theology.Sur ely, there is a need to look into these briefly Buddhism’s take on reality encourages an attitude of detachment on account of a belief that â€Å"everything is impermanent† (Griffiths, 1997, p. 16), and therefore in a state of constant flux. Much of Buddhism’s view about reality rests on the belief that the world is full of ‘diversity’, and the more is able to ‘reveal’ or appreciate it, the closer is one to the truth about the ever passing universe (Williams, 1989, p. 3).This idea is interestingly shared by an ancient Western philosopher that went by the name Heraclitus, who taught that â€Å"fire†- an element in a perpetual state of movement – is the basic element that constitutes reality. Buddhism, one need to remember, is not so much concerned with the rigorous definition of reality. But in so far it embraces an attitude of non-attachment in relating to all things, Buddhism has to anchor this belief system on a formidab le reason – that one’s attachment over things is futile given the fact that all things pass away.In fact, most of what Buddhism teaches is drawn from this ontological belief; and this doctrine of impermanence must be seen as a recurrent theme in its whole system of perspective. As far as Epistemology is concerned, the doctrine of impermanence is also maintained. Buddhism teaches that nothing can be known with exact certitude because all things are ephemeral and thus, as mentioned a while ago, â€Å"they are not what they seem† (Griffiths, 1997, p. 19). Everything is subject to change and passes away.Thus, one may not arrive at a definitive knowledge about things at all. Which is why, Buddha maintained that â€Å"dissatisfaction† is a constant theme that defines the feelings of all who search for knowledge or truth (Mitchell, 2002, p. 33). No one is able to know what reality is; and its appearance is often misleading. One may notice that this epistemology is actually consistent with Buddhism’s anthropology, or, its understanding of human nature. If one checks the teachings of Buddha about man, one can clearly see the doctrine of impermanence as patent in it too.Buddha believes that human nature is nothing but a constitution of events called materiality, sensation, conceptualization, volition and consciousness (Griffiths, 1997, p. 20). This type of anthropology views man not as an existing individual substance (which most of Western Philosophy have understood what human nature is), but an â€Å"impermanent self† constituted by personal events (Griffith, 1997, p. 20). Cosmology for Buddhism follows the same line of logic. Constant flux is patent in its belief that the world follows a rhythm of birth and rebirth, of cycle and current, of existence and passage.The bulk of Buddhism’s teachings therefore solemnly enjoin its adherents to develop an attitude of detachment. Anchored on a belief that nothing in this world ever remains the same over a period of time, Buddhism points that the path towards Nirvana – or ultimate sense of bliss – lies in a state of total freedom from what this world actually offers. Lastly, it is quite interesting to point out that Buddhism rarely engages in a question about the ultimate reality or God. Broadly speaking, the whole philosophy of impermanence is at odds with a concept of deity.The general theory about God stipulates that ‘It† is a Supreme Being defined by eternality, omniscience, omnipotence and changelessness. In a belief system where the central truth about reality rests on the ephemeral nature of all things, the concept of God is really something hard to conceive (Griffiths, 1997, p. 22). How can there be such a Being when the general characteristic of all things – supposedly including God – is change and flux? More importantly, one can ask: how can one consider Buddhism a religion at all if one is not willing to r econcile its theology with its ontology?Griffith believes that the metaphysics of impermanence makes Buddhism deny the existence of God all together (Griffith, 1997, p. 23). But the image of Buddha as the exemplification of their quest for a transcendent end, translated in Nirvana, is perhaps the only figure of deity Buddhism actually posses. Conclusion Buddhism is both a philosophy and a religious movement. As a philosophy, it offers its adherents a way of life observed in a tradition marked by meditation, introspection, constant purgation of desire and an unending quest for enlightenment.As a religious movement, it is concerned with the pursuit of â€Å"transcendent ends† (Slater, 1978, p. 6) they call Nirvana. Buddhism offers its own understanding of reality too. Its doctrines are highly influenced by the teachings of its founder Gautama Buddha. In this paper, it has been noted that their belief system can also be evaluated under the categories which Western philosophy use s – metaphysics, epistemology, cosmology, anthropology and theology.These aspects are given meaning by a pervading concept of impermanence and dissatisfaction. Buddhism draws largely from a belief that everything in the world is impermanent, and that all people are enjoined to meet it with an attitude of detachment and self-control. The path towards true enlightenment happens only when one is able to see beyond what reality offers, and seek the true meaning of existence that lies only within. References Humphreys, C. (1997). A Popular Dictionary of Buddhism.Chicago: NTC. Griffiths, P. Buddhism. In Quinn, P. & Taliaferro, C. (Eds. ), A Companion to Philosophy of Religion. Massachusetts: Blackwell. McCutcheon, R. (2007). Studying Religion. An Introduction. London: Equinox. Mitchell, D. (2002). Introducing the Buddhist Experience. New York: Oxford University Slater, P. (1978). The Dynamics of Religion. Meaning and Change in Religious Traditions. San Francisco: Harper and Row. Wi lliams, P. (1989). Mahayana Buddhism. Doctrinal Foundations. New York: Routledge.