Chicano studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Chicano studies - Essay Example These movies need close introspection and a thorough cognition would definitely enable us to deep delve into some of the important socio-economic and cultural discourse of the time with a good taste of aesthetic operating throughout the film. Comparison of two films occurs from some mutual paradigm. Portrait of Teresa by Pastor Vega and Salt of the Earth by Herbert J. Biberman both the films are contemporary and are based on contemporary socio-economic issue of a similar geographical terrain. Both the films encapsulate a strong feminist discourse and centres round the deconstruction of archetypal stereotype traditional and conventional role of woman in society. Portrait of Teresa directed by Pastor Vega was released in the year 1979 and apparently seems a trajectory of women with much dramatic presentation. But the language of camera pushes its limit beyond the initial portrayal of Teresa overwhelmed with her family which comprise of her husband Ramon and three children and her job as a crew leader in the textile factory to a realm where she moves beyond the ordinary role of a household woman trying to seek the attention of her husband and becoming expert in mere domestic duties to a revolutionary and a dominant motivating factor in labour movement (The Internet Movie Database, â€Å"Retrato de Teresa (1979)†). Teresa moves beyond the parameters of odd jobs and dirty dishes and her husband failing to accept her in the new role get separated and start an affair. When her husband wishes to reconcile, Teresa asks him what if during the time of separation she also had an affair. Block-headed Ramon fails to pass Teresa’s test with his chauvinist reply â€Å"But men are different† and with if he loses Teresa forever who with her head held high in self-esteem courageously wishes to move beyond the limits of an ordinary woman performing only her household duties (Rich, â€Å"Portrait of Teresa Double Day, Double Standards†). On the other hand, the film Salt of the

Key learning point Essay Example for Free

Key learning point Essay Power refers to the extent to which one can satisfy their target goals, needs or desires. Power can be used either to dominate or control the other, or can be used to work together with the other party involved. Whichever way power is used it gives one an edge over the other party in negotiations. Information provides an important source and a means of acquiring power. Reason for Selection: Informational power comes from a person’s ability to assemble data to support his positions, arguments, or desired outcomes. This resource provides an important tool in challenging the other party’s position, or undermine their arguments or propositions during negotiations. Application to a business or personal situation: A year ago, I was talking to a doctor who was new at one of the centers I am marketing my pharmaceutical products. The doctor openly rubbished my product saying he had absolutely no scope for it in his medical practice basing his argument on the position of a respected doctor in the area of medicine in which my product is applied. What this doctor did not know is that from my market survey on my product and competitor brands momentum in the market, the doctor he claimed was the top prescriber of my product in that town . I provided the evidence and within a month I received a call from my manager that the doctor had placed an LPO for my product. Action or steps taken to improve: I read widely and extensively on new trends in my area of work; undertake market survey on different issues; seek the opinion of experts; attend seminars and conferences on various topics; and in general try to keep an open mind, maintain my curiosity about life and watch informative programs. References Squidoo (2010). A goldmine of journal Writing Prompts. Retrieved on 30th July, 2010, from http://www. squidoo. com/journalwritingprompts

HIV Screening for Pregnant Mothers | Research

HIV Screening for Pregnant Mothers | Research INTRODUCTION â€Å"There is such a special sweetness in being able to participate in creation† Pamela S.Nadev â€Å"Passing the disease to a new born is a human rights violation. This should stop and all of us must try to make this a success,† Oscar Fernandes (Head of Forum of parliamentarians on HIV/AIDS) reportedly said when asked about HIV screening among pregnant women. Pregnancy is what make our life on earth keeps going. Making a healthy progeny, would help the existence of our species in our natural GOD given form. If the progeny is not good, who knows, man might again turn to be monkeys as by Darwin’s theory. But that’s not what we are going to discuss here. As Oscar Fernandes says, giving a disease is a serious human rights violation, which I would call a great sin. India has a low HIV prevalence of 0.34 percent while in terms of individuals infected, India is home to the third largest number of people living with HIV in the world. Nearly 5% of infection are attributable to parent to child transmission. National AIDS Control Organisation estimated that 2.39 million people live with HIV/AIDS in India in 2008 – 2009, a more recent investigation by the Million Death Study Collaborators in the British Medical Journal (2010) estimates the population to be between 1.4 – 1.6 million people. In the last ten years 50% decline has been seen in the number of new HIV infections. (British Medical journal 2009) Pandey et al., (2008-2009) updated the adult HIV prevalence and number of people living with HIV in India for the year 2008-2009. It revealed that the estimated number of people living with HIV is 2.4 million (1.93 – 3.04 million) in 2009, of which, 39% are women, children under 15yrs of age account for 4.4% of all infections. NACO had estimated that there was 0.31% of HIV prevalence among adults (15yrs above). According to UNICEF, it is estimated that there are between 22,000 and 61,000 HIV pregnant women living with HIV in India. Although the percentage of pregnant women tested for HIV increased from 2% in 2005 to 23% in 2010, testing coverage is still low. The more recent National AIDS Control Organisation data, India has demonstrated a reduction of 57 % in estimated annual new infections from 0.274 million in 2000 to 0.116 million in 2011, and the estimated number of people living with HIV was 2.08 million in 2011. A study to determine seroprevalence of HIV in pregnant women in a tertiary care hospital (Kurnool Medical College) India was conducted in 2011. Out of 11,671 pregnant women, 53 were found to be positive for HIV (0.45%). (Devi R.A., Shyamala R. (2011) Alvarez-Uria G., Midde M., Naik K.P. et al., (2011) suggested that the HIV prevalence in young pregnant women reduced from 1.22% in 2007 to 0.35% in 2011. A reduction in HIV prevalence was seen in all subgroups except in women from forward castes. Women whose job was not related to agriculture and women who had only completed primary education were more likely to be HIV- infected. According to NFHS-II figures, overall HIV prevalence was higher among urban than rural populations. However some states had a slightly higher HIV prevalence among rural populations than urban populations namely Punjab, Tamilnadu and Uttar Pradesh. In 2006, HIV prevalence among mothers attending antenatal clinics is more than 1% in 118 districts. 81 districts have an HIV prevalence of >5% in one or more of the high risk groups. In Tamilnadu, NFH survey II found, HIV prevalence at antenatal clinics was 0.88% in 2002 and 0.5% in 2005, though several districts still have rates above 1%. The general population survey of 2005-2006 found a rate of 0.34% across the state. According to recent National AIDS Control Organisation data, there was 0.25% of antenatal clinic HIV prevalence 2007. Infochange India. Dash M., Mohanty I., Sahu S., Narasimham M., Padhi S., Panda P. (2012)reported that among 18,905 pregnant women counselled, 15,853 (83.85%) were accepted for HIV testing. From the total 15,853 testing in 61/2 years, 0.66% women were found to be HIV seropositive. The mean age of HIV positive women was 24.31 years (SD  ± 3.9yrs). The HIV seroprevalence rates showed a declining trend from1.53% in 2006 to 0.34% in 2012. Among seropositive women majority (43.8%) were in the age group of 25-29years. UNAIDS found that mother to child transmission is the largest source of HIV infection in children below the age of 15yrs and the estimates of children living with HIV in 2012 was 3.3 million. The joint technical mission on PPTCT (2006) found that out of 27 million annual pregnancies in India, 1,89,000 occur in HIV positive pregnant women. If not intervened timely, an estimate of 56,700 infected babies will be born annually. (NACO) Kaushal A., Udadhyay Y. (2007) stated that children of today are the youth of tomorrow. Human immunodeficiency virus affects this very precious generation and bear grave consequences to our future, our nation, the continent and the world at large. It will adversely impact the health statistics, economic growth and above all the morale of nations. The main thrust areas include the newborn component of prevention of parent to child transmission (PPTCT), follow up of the HIV exposed infant, counselling mothers to decide the right infant feeding choices and appropriate diagnosis of infected children Nanavati R., Mondkar J., Kabra N.(2006) found that in the pandemic of HIV infection, mother to child transmission accounts for over 90% of HIV infections in children below the age of 15yrs. With approximately 27 million babies born in our country every year and given 0.7% prevalence rate of HIV infections in pregnancy, the estimates are about 1,89,000 HIV infected women deliver in India and as per the NACO 2005 estimates, approximately 60,000 HIV infected infants are added to the existing load each year. Almost 10% of world’s burden of vertical transmission of HIV infection comes from India. Unfortunately, less than 4% of pregnancies avail – prevention of PTC transmission services, less than 7% of such exposed mother- baby couples are put in prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT)- regimen of single dose of NVP and less than 3.5% of such babies are actually prevented from getting infected from their mothers. This is far less than United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) goals of 20% reduction in MTCT, which was to be achieved by 2005. It is equally important to provide support to those, who are infected inspite of best efforts. This is huge task for a country like India. (National Neonatology Forum) NEED FOR THE STUDY Screening for HIV has been imposed mandatory in India because of the increased threat of child being born with HIV. Thousands of babies are born with HIV positive status as they acquire the virus while in their mother’s womb. So now our government of India has imposed mandatory HIV testing for all pregnant women. Though there is much of advancement in knowledge, people still widen their eyes on sound of the word ‘HIV’ itself. People just don’t want to acquaint with HIV in any way, even for testing. And some who have this doubt, about the possibility of acquiring HIV are worried about confidentiality. â€Å"India must produce a generation without HIV. This is possible if we go for detecting the virus in every single pregnant women before delivery.† –(UNAIDS executive director)Michel Sidibe said. This decision of the government was not very much welcomed because of the lack of awareness among the primi mothers. According to USPSTF (U.S. Preventive Services Task Force) 2013, the goal of bringing end to AIDS starts with diagnosis of individual people. Current treatment has made HIV infection a chronic disease by prolonging survival and preventing further transmission. Bringing the epidemic to end will be very tough and only effective screening can make it possible. For any screening guideline and protocol to be effective, awareness about its seriousness must be known to people. (Das,M., Volberding,P. (2013). In September 2013 BBC Health NEWS, said that researchers at Keeleuniversity found HIV was still widely seen as a disease of young people. They said older women, in particular, fear they will be seen as undignified or sexually irresponsible. Many in the study also expressed fears over the uncertain impact of the disease as they moved into old age. Dr.Dana Rosenfeld, who led the project used focus groups, surveys and life history interviews with 76 older people in the London area living with the virus. She says there was an â€Å"immense knowledge gap† in this field. She continued that it has revealed a sense of anxiety about how they may be perceived.(Brimelow,A. (2013) Addo,N.V.(2005) conducted a descriptive study to assess the knowledge about HIV/AIDS and attitudes to VCT among 334 antenatal attendants at KomfoAnokye Teaching Hospital (KATH). The study summarizes that about 50% of respondents said a HIV positive woman could transmit HIV to her baby before birth but had no idea of any means to prevent this. He,N., et al. (2009) conducted a descriptive study on knowledge, attitudes and practices of voluntary HIV counselling and testing among rural migrants in Shangai, China. A questionnaire was administered face to face. Among 2,690 participants, 78% had lifetime sexual intercourse with 41.3% of singles, 9.2% had multiple sex partners in the past year, only 19% had always used condoms and only 2.3% had ever had HIV testing. As far as this report is concerned, effort should be made to improve the awareness among public so as to increase usage of voluntary counselling and testing centres. Ekabua J.E., Oyo-ha A.E., Oquji D.S., Omuemu V.O. (2005) conducted a descriptive multi-centric study of 400 antenatal attendees in Calabar, using pre-tested, semi- structured and interviewer – administered questionnaire for data collection. The study states that out of 96.7% women with knowledge of HIV infection, 41.2% were assessed to have excellent knowledge of the mode of transmission. Awareness of antenatal HIV screening was observed in 96.2% women; while 93.7% approved of antenatal HIV screening. Awareness and approval of antenatal HIV screening was significantly related to age and educational status. In a developing country like India, where HIV screening is made mandatory for all antenatal mothers, there is a foreseen risk of developing negligence in imparting awareness to the public. A test like this can also be done without much emphasize on knowledge regarding HIV, its screening, prevention and treatment availability. In situations like this, we find it important to evaluate or assess the knowledge and attitude aspect of the Indian antenatal women regarding HIV screening. The goal of reaching a HIV free generation will not be possible unless everyone of our nation cooperate and participate. There arise the need to know the awareness among primi mothers and their attitude regarding routine HIV screening. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM A study to assess knowledge and attitude regarding HIV screening among primigravida mothers in selected Maternity centres, Coimbatore OBJECTIVES: To assess the knowledge regarding HIV screening among primigravida mothers. To assess the attitude regarding HIV screening among Primigravida mothers. To associate demographic variable with knowledge and attitude scores towards HIV screening. To associate knowledge and attitude regarding HIV screening among primigravida mothers. OPERATIONAL DEFINITION ASSESS This term refers to evaluate or estimate the knowledge and attitude regarding HIV screening among primigravida mothers. KNOWLEDGE Refers to the familiarity and awareness of primigravida mother to the transmission of HIV, purpose of its screening and its importance ATTITUDE Refers to the expression of favour or disfavour feeling towards HIV screening among primigravida mothers HIV SCREENING Refers to the Anti HIV1 and 2 (rapid) done for Primigravida mother to detect human immunodeficiency virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. PRIMIGRAVIDA MOTHER This refers to a woman who is first time pregnant and is in her first trimester and have not had an abortion previously. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK Conceptual framework of the study had been developed from Nola J.Pender, Health Promotion Model (revised). The Health Promotion Model (revised) deals how the individuals are motivated to engage in behaviors directed towards the enhancement of health. The components of the HPM (revised) include, Individual characteristics and experiences Behavior – specific cognitions and affect Behavior outcome Health promotion is defined as â€Å"behavior motivated by the desire to increase well-being and actualize human health potential. Predicting factors are prior related behavior, personal factor, biological, psychological and sociocultural factors. Influencing factors are perceived benefits of action, perceived barriers to action, perceived self-efficacy, activity related affect, interpersonal influences and situational influences. Competing factors are immediate competing demand and preferences. Factor favoring action is commitment to a plan of action which ultimately leading to health promoting behavior. This model is useful in assessing knowledge and attitude, which favours the health promoting action- the HIV screening. In our nation, HIV screening is made mandatory, but the willingness to take up the action among the pregnant women is what assessed using this conceptual framework. Health teaching could be initiated in order to remove ignorance and misconceptions about HIV screening. The first component dealt is individual characteristics and experiences. This component is very unique to each person and is divided into prior related behavior and personal factors. Prior related behavior is more of predictive of future action or behavior and is linked to gathered information about HIV screening, taken HIV screening prior to marriage, Initiated HIV screening of the partner before marriage. Personal factors are those that are unique and would influence behavior or action. It includes Age, Religion, Education. Biological factor is linked to sickness of the past. Psychological factor includes fear of HIV, while sociocultural factor include stigma. In this study, the second component behavior specific cognitions and affect is influenced by perceived benefits of action such as early medical approach and early intervention to prevent mother to child transmission of HIV; Perceived barriers to action such as perceived no risk, social stigma and poor attitude regarding HIV screening. Perceived self-efficacy includes ability to take up HIV screening; Activity related affect includes result- oriented ambiguous feelings of uncertainity. Interpersonal influences include learning from others; situational influences such as public motivation to HIV screening and access to health care; Immediate competing demands include fear of needles and preferences include postponding HIV screening; commitment to a plan of action include initiation to take HIV screening by approaching health services at specific time and place. In this study, the third component health promoting behavior is influenced by asking for HIV screening related information, taking up HIV screening, convincing spouse to take up HIV screening and propagating information regarding HIV screening to others. 1

Culture and Motivation :: Business, Employee Motivation

Culture and Motivation According to Robbins, DeCenzo, and Coulter (2011) â€Å"motivation is the process by which a person’s efforts are energized, directed, and sustained toward attaining a goal† (p. 267). Organizations are always looking for new ways to motivate employees. In a global economy it is important to understand that cultural differences can impact how an organization can motivate its employees. Geert Hofstede (as cited in Sledge, Miles, & Coppage, 2008) believed there are five dimensions of culture. These five dimensions are power distance, individualism versus collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity versus femininity, and Confucian dynamism (p. 1670). This paper will discuss each dimension of culture and how they could effect employee motivation. Power Distance According to Sledge, Miles, and Coppage (2008) power distance is â€Å"the degree to which control and influence are distributed unequally in society† (p. 1670). In a country with a high power distance employees would not feel comfortable voicing their opinions or disagreeing with their managers. Empowering employees would not work well because employees would be scared to take actions on their own. Employees would feel more comfortable with structure and strict procedures. In countries with low power distance managers could benefit from empowering employees. Employees are free to voice their opinions and develop and express new ideas or plans. Empowerment would motivate employees more in a country with low power distance. Individualism versus Collectivism According to Sledge, Miles, and Coppage (2008) individualism versus collectivism is â€Å"the concepts of ‘I and Me’ versus ‘We and Us’† (p. 1670). Some cultures rely heavily on groups and teams. Collective societies look at group accomplishments rather than individual accomplishments. Some countries such as China and Japan rely heavily on groups. Countries like the United States and Canada are more of an individualism society. People focus more on individual accomplishments. Teams have started to become popular in the United States, but are not as effective as in a collective society. In a country where individualism is strong individual recognition and rewards would be effective motivators. Uncertainty Avoidance Sledge, Miles, and Coppage (2008) explain uncertainty avoidance as â€Å"the degree of risk aversion† (1670). In a country with high uncertainty avoidance there may be more policies and procedures in place. In a culture with low uncertainty avoidance companies could empower employees to develop new ideas. Culture and Motivation :: Business, Employee Motivation Culture and Motivation According to Robbins, DeCenzo, and Coulter (2011) â€Å"motivation is the process by which a person’s efforts are energized, directed, and sustained toward attaining a goal† (p. 267). Organizations are always looking for new ways to motivate employees. In a global economy it is important to understand that cultural differences can impact how an organization can motivate its employees. Geert Hofstede (as cited in Sledge, Miles, & Coppage, 2008) believed there are five dimensions of culture. These five dimensions are power distance, individualism versus collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity versus femininity, and Confucian dynamism (p. 1670). This paper will discuss each dimension of culture and how they could effect employee motivation. Power Distance According to Sledge, Miles, and Coppage (2008) power distance is â€Å"the degree to which control and influence are distributed unequally in society† (p. 1670). In a country with a high power distance employees would not feel comfortable voicing their opinions or disagreeing with their managers. Empowering employees would not work well because employees would be scared to take actions on their own. Employees would feel more comfortable with structure and strict procedures. In countries with low power distance managers could benefit from empowering employees. Employees are free to voice their opinions and develop and express new ideas or plans. Empowerment would motivate employees more in a country with low power distance. Individualism versus Collectivism According to Sledge, Miles, and Coppage (2008) individualism versus collectivism is â€Å"the concepts of ‘I and Me’ versus ‘We and Us’† (p. 1670). Some cultures rely heavily on groups and teams. Collective societies look at group accomplishments rather than individual accomplishments. Some countries such as China and Japan rely heavily on groups. Countries like the United States and Canada are more of an individualism society. People focus more on individual accomplishments. Teams have started to become popular in the United States, but are not as effective as in a collective society. In a country where individualism is strong individual recognition and rewards would be effective motivators. Uncertainty Avoidance Sledge, Miles, and Coppage (2008) explain uncertainty avoidance as â€Å"the degree of risk aversion† (1670). In a country with high uncertainty avoidance there may be more policies and procedures in place. In a culture with low uncertainty avoidance companies could empower employees to develop new ideas.

Importance of JIT in Modern Organisation Essay

The philosophy of just-in-time (JIT) originated in Japan 50 years ago at Toyota Motor Co. The goal is to create a production environment driven by demand that holds only a small amount of inventory and products at any given time. Organizations in the manufacturing, service and public sectors are implementing a wide variety of innovative managerial tools and JIT philosophy to help them deal with the highly competitive, customer-driven environments in which they must operate. External relationships, for example with vendors and transportation carriers, become critical for effective support of JIT systems. Co-ordinate such relationships and interactions introduces additional complexity into the system. Many companies now operate in a global environment that offers both threats and opportunities to their very survival. This global environment changes at an ever increasing rate and manufacturing organisations need to be able to adapt to those changes very quickly or they will succumb to their competitors. This paper clarifies the basic features of JIT and their benefits to organizations. The paper illustrates some advantages of using JIT system in order to emphasis the importance of adopt this system. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to advocate the JIT systems through analyse the current problems in most organizations. INTRODUCTION JIT manufacturing has the capacity, when properly adapted to the organisation, to strengthen the organisation’s competitiveness in the marketplace substantially by reducing wastes and improving product quality and efficiency of production. â€Å"JIT manufacturing is a philosophy by which an organization seeks continually to improve its products and processes by eliminating waste† (Ptak, 1997). It is a systems approach to reduce stock and eliminate waste, thus to produces only necessary items in necessary quantities at necessary times. It has been widely implemented in manufacturing industries as a survival strategy against global market competition. JIT offers various benefits, such as  greater throughput, higher productivity and better quality. In this paper, the author will start from the basic elements of JIT, and batch size discussion will be followed in section 2. Section 3 will clarify two basic methods of JIT which can be used to overcome the â€Å"local versus company-wide† dilemma. The relationship of ERP and JIT will be mentioned in Section 4. Section 5 will illustrate outcomes of JIT to a supply chain of company. 1. FUNDAMENTAL FEATURES OF JIT JIT composes of ten basic elements which are: Flexible resources Cellular layouts Pull production system Kanban production control Small-lot production Quick setups Uniform production levels Quality at the source Total productive maintenance Supplier network The author will illustrate each of these elements and their outcomes for JIT system. _Flexible Resources_ It is recognized as a key element of JIT which requires workers with the ability to perform more than one job and general-purpose machines with the ability to perform several basic functions. With single workers operating multiple machines, the machines themselves also required some adjustments. Extra tools and fixtures were purchased and placed at their point of use so that operators did not have to leave their stations to retrieve them when needed. The company uses of JIT system can reduce the waste of movement to other machines, setting up other machines and waiting at other machines can also be eliminated. _Cellular layouts_ It creates manufacturing cells that comprise of dissimilar machines brought together to manufacture a family of parts. The layout of machines within the cell resembles a small assembly line and is usually U-shaped. Work is moved within the cell which in normally in one direction and experiences little waiting. In a one-person cell, the cycle time of the cell is determined by the time it takes for the worker to complete his or her path through the cell. It means even different items produced may take different time to complete; the time between successive items leaving the cell remains virtually the same because the worker’s path remains the same. _Pull system_ It emphasizes the supermarket approach and relies on customer requests to pull products/components through the system. Workers take only those parts or materials they need and can process immediately. The system avoids overproduction and; only necessary quantities are produced. _Kanban Production Control System_ â€Å"Kanban is a ‘pull’ system which is driven by the demand at the lowest point in the chain.†(Christopher, p186, 1998) A kanban contains such information as part number, description, type of container, unit load, preceding  station, and subsequent station. In a Kanban system the aim would be to produce only that quantity needed for immediate demand. It provides a simple and understandable process, quick and precise information with lower cost, avoid overproduction and delegate the responsibilities to line workers. _Small-lot production_ It requires less space and capital investment. Incorporate the production of small amounts at a time can allow processes to be moved closer together and transportation between stations can be simplified. The quality problems are easier to detect in small-lot production. Lower inventory levels make processes more dependent on each other. In short, small-lot production will help people to discover the errors and solve the problems quickly. _Quick Setups_ It incorporates a system called SMED (single minute exchange of dies) that focuses on the principles for quick set-ups. The system differentiates between internal and external set-up, where internal set-up can be performed only when the machine is stopped, and external set-up can be performed while the machine is operating. It convert internal set-up to external set-up. _Uniform Production Levels_ It is achieved by smoothing the production requirements on the final assembly line. It aims to reduce variability through more accurate forecasts, smoothing of demand and incorporating mixed-model assembly steadying component production. _Quality at the Source_ One of the most important issues of just-in-time is quality. Just-in-time companies should follow the concept of quality at the source, or doing it right the first time throughout all areas of the organization. Just-in-time can only be successful in a company that is already producing quality goods.  A quality at the source (jidoka) program must be implemented to give workers the personal responsibility for the quality of the work they do, and the authority to stop production when something goes wrong. _Total Productive Maintenance_ It refers to the practice of preventive maintenance with the concepts of total quality – employee involvement, decisions based on data, zero defects, and a strategic focus. The goal of TPM is zero breakdowns. _Supplier Networks_ A network of reliable suppliers is also essential to JIT. An organization will reap many benefits in terms of costs and time savings by reducing the number of suppliers and improving relationships with these valued partners in the JIT manufacturing process. The company and the supplier both benefit from just in time systems. The company benefits because of reduced cost. The supplier benefits by long-term business relationships with companies as long as they continue to supply quality products on time. 2. BATCH SIZE DELEMMA Large batch size can reduce set-up cost per unit, however, the carrying cost of it must be higher due to the higher inventory. Large batch inventory may hide many quality problems and only become visible when downstream customers try to use and it does not fit. A large batch size will tend to create long waiting time delays as large jobs wait in queue behind large jobs being processed. Thus, a longer average job queuing time will result from either batch size that are too small (an excessive amount of machine time is consumed by setups), or batch size that are too large (large jobs waiting in queue behind other large jobs). It means large batch can result of a number of difficulties, including: lengthy setups, long queues at work centers, material waiting to be moved to the next operation, long distances between work centers, uneven loads from one period to the next, equipment and workers with limited flexibility, unexpected equipment failure, and large  safety stocks to cover possible scrap. Let’s consider how the JIT approach can solve some of these difficulties. â€Å"JIT philosophy the requirement is for small shipments to be made more frequently and to meet the precise time requirements of the customer.† (Christopher, p188, 1998) Smaller batch sizes are desirable because they lead to such benefits as shorter lead times, less work in process, fewer space requirements, and less scrap and rework. With all the machines located close together in the cell, material handling is greatly reduced. Moreover, control of parts flows and scheduling within the cell are simplified, as is tracking the status of jobs. Also, small batch size leads to lower inventory, which will make it easier to discover the problems. Lower inventory makes reliable continuous flow delivery. Although small batch size usually needs more money on set-up cost per unit, the carrying cost of it must be lower due to the small-lot production. 3. JIT OVERCOMES THE â€Å"LOCAL VERSUS COMPANY-WIDE† DILEMMA JIT focuses on total employee involvement, not on the local or departmental resources, This principle can be found through analyzing the two basic elements of JIT-Kaizen and Group Technology. Kaizen is the Japanese term for continuous improvement. It is both a rigorous, scientific method using statistical quality control (SQC) and an adaptive framework of organizational values and beliefs that keep workers and management alike focused on zero defects. It is a philosophy of never being satisfied with what was accomplished last week or last year. It is the team responsibility to improve current systems and procedures. Management, staff, and labor must participate. It need total employee involvement, that is, participation of every employee at every level. To be able to establish a JIT manufacturing system, every department should have some commitment to align with a common goal. The company’s top management must also support this goal in order to have resources and time allocated to developing the necessary systems and procedures. The Kaizen cycle has four steps: Establish a plan to change whatever needs to be improved. Carrying out changes on a small scale. Observe the results, Evaluate both the results and the process and determine what has been learned. Group technology seeks to improve productivity by grouping parts and products with similar characteristics into families and forming production cells with a group of dissimilar machines and processes.† The aim of group technology is to makes it possible for a firm to achieve higher levels of flexibility without increasing production costs or sacrificing product quality, thus leading to an improved competitive position for the firm. GT is the concept of exploiting similarities to achieve manufacturing and design efficiencies. For instance, the cells group dissimilar machines together to process a family of parts with similar shapes, the worked paths are given at the same time. The cycle time is also prescribed by the workers paths. The flexibility of this layout must be very much efficient. It is the group technology which makes the works independent to a department. 4. JIT SYSTEM & ERP ERP is an account-oriented information system for identifying and planning the enterprise wide resources needed to take, make, ship, and account for customers’ orders. â€Å"The use of the system has the potential to convert supply chains into demand chains in the sense that the system can now respond to known demand rather than having to anticipate that demand through a forecast.† (Christopher, p199, 1998) For many users, an ERP is a â€Å"do it all† system that performs everything from entry of sales orders to customer service The system integrated operations and reporting to initiate, monitor, and track critical activities such as order fulfilment and replenishment  processing. It is a method for the effective planning and control of all resources needed to take, make, ship and account for customers orders in a manufacturing, distribution, or service company. It attempts to integrate all departments and functions across a company onto a single computer syste m that can serve all those different departments’ particular needs. JIT (just in time) is a philosophy based on the elimination of waste, an important component of JIT is kanbans which is a technique based on replacing material that has been used but has no forward visibility. ERP systems improve efficiency of organizations and allow for more accurate information for decision makers to utilize. In connection with JIT process, ERP systems help to flatten an organization across the entire global enterprise by identifying business areas that are not adding value. Within the pull system, the production of a certain product starts on the demand or at the request of the buyer. It has been determined that the computer is the best source for determining when an order should be placed. Companies use ERP information system can link the replenishment of product in the market place with their upstream operations and those of their suppliers through the use of shared information. The system monitors and measures all aspects of production as the order proceeds through the various steps of the production cycle. The work order provides a complete â€Å"audit trail† which will come in handy later down the road. Presently, ERP is considered the price of entry for running a business and for being connected to other enterprises in a network economy. As the business scale becomes global, and technology such as the Internet allows speedy and inexpensive communication, the use of ERP systems will be critical to an organization’s success. e-commerce and supply chain management techniques, along with JIT, will be a push toward better information systems to better manage the organization and support customers and suppliers along the supply chain. In this growing global economy, the business that provides better product with better customer service will be the business that survives the increased competitiveness. Businesses can better provide for their customers by integrating the online shopping experience with automated ERP systems. 5. JIT IN A COMPANY _Quick Response_ QR has been defined as a philosophical business umbrella, by which retailers decrease inventory levels while gaining greater customer delivery, through innovative use of technology and business partnerships. There are many tools are used to create QR environment, which include bar code, POS and EDI. Manufacturers have turned to just-in-time (JIT) as their answer to the problem of managing inventories. They look to JIT to reduce lead time, eliminate waste, produce to customer demand, and develop long-term relationships with suppliers. In turn this will help manufacturers to satisfy the customers’ requirements with minimum levels of inventory and increase productivity. Retailers, struggling for survival, also must find ways to substantially reduce their cost while improving customer service. One major coat incurred by retailers is the cost associated with carrying and handling inventory, which serves to satisfy customer demand. The volume of inventory the retailer carries is proportional to the sizes, styles, prices, models, colors, and so forth of the products and their total lead time. If lead time were zero, the inventory would be zero. Even though this is not practical, the shorter the lead time, the smaller total the inventory. Retailers are now adopting the philosophy that is referred to as Quick Response (QR). Quick response can be considered as a process that uses real-time or near-real-time signals to trigger replenishment responses in the supply chain for manufacturers or retailers. This will improve inventory turns, product allocation and replenishment times and helps retailers avoid running out of important stock. â€Å"The basic idea behind quick response (QR) is that in order to reap the advantages of time-based competition it is necessary to develop systems that are responsive and fast. Hence QR is the umbrella term for the information systems and the JIT systems that combine to provide ‘the right product in the right place at the right time.† (Christopher, p192, 1998) In short, QR is the retailer sends a replenishment order to the supplier or manufacturer via electronic data interchange (EDI). _Vendor relationship_ Companies with just in time production systems depend on suppliers to deliver quality goods on time. An organization will reap many benefits in terms of costs and time savings by reducing the number of suppliers and improving relationships with these valued partners in the JIT manufacturing process. Suppliers must deliver goods as frequently as required. Suppliers must make numerous deliveries each day in the exact quantity specified. Because of frequent deliveries, central receiving areas and warehouses are not needed. Several suppliers may combine their loads on one truck that will tour the supplier plants to pick up itmes for delivery to the customer. Meanwhile, the small warehouses could be used for frequently delivered items, and the consolidation warehouses could become load-switching points when geographic distances between supplier and customer prohibit daily deliveries. Generally materials are delivered straight to the area of the production process. The JIT approach presents a very different perspective on the relationship. The JIT purchaser-supplier relationship is one of a partnership-in-profit creation. The cooperative relationship, on the supplier’s side, insulates them from the full force of competition in the supply segment of the market chain. This is particularly noticeable when the supplier is committed to only one, or at most, a few purchasers. The buyer, on the other hand, can benefit from the non-investment and low risks of this â€Å"vertical integration†. Companies must build relationships with suppliers. The company and the supplier both benefit from just in time systems. The company benefits because of reduced cost. The supplier benefits by long-term business relationships with companies as long as they continue to supply quality products on time. CONCLUSION Hence we can see that to have a Total JIT manufacturing system, a company-wide commitment, proper materials, quality, people and equipments must always be made available when needed. In addition; the policies and procedures developed for an internal JIT structure should also be extended into the company’s supplier and customer base to establish the identification of duplication of effort and performance feedback review to continuously reduced wastage and improve quality. Reference Christopher, M., (1998), Logistics and supply chain management – strategies for reducing cost and improving service (2nd Edition). Prentice Hall. Ptak, C., 1987, MRP and Beyond: A Toolbox for Integrating People and Systems, Irwin, Chicago, IL.

Free Essays on Crabbing Regulations

INTRODUCTION The water of the Chesapeake Bay is the home of one of Maryland’s most economically important animals: Callinectes sapidus. This unique creature, commonly known as the blue crab, enjoys the warm, shallow waters of the Bay which provide the perfect environment for all stages of its life (Wesche 2002). The mix of fresh and salt water is optimal for life and for submerged aquatic vegetation located in the estuary supplies a safe haven for developing crabs (Wesche 2002). The overall richness of the environment contributes in creating the idea habitat. The blue crab is a vital part of the ecosystem as well as the culture in Maryland, which is known for its crabbing industry. Chesapeake blue crabs are understood to be some of the most delicious in the world. Each year tourists come to this region just to taste the fresh meat (Greer 2002). Wesche (2002) summarizes the background of the blue crab. Early settlers documented the utilization of the blue crab by the native people of the Chesapeake Bay. The tasty meat was a staple in their diets, and the colonist soon shared the same craving. Use by individuals became the norm; however commercial marketing of this resource was sluggish due to the inability to ship the crabs to non-coastal communities without spoiling. The first big break occurred with the invention of refrigeration. As the crabbing industry began expanding, it became necessary to implement management techniques for harvesting, including regulations. For over a century these â€Å"rules of the trade† have evolved. New restrictions have been created each time the need for better management arises. Recently, a drop in the crab population and yield has led to new regulations on commercial crabbing greatly affecting the industry. This paper will focus on the controversial implementation of Maryland’s most recent crabbing regulations. This will identify the reasons for the managerial actions, as wel... Free Essays on Crabbing Regulations Free Essays on Crabbing Regulations INTRODUCTION The water of the Chesapeake Bay is the home of one of Maryland’s most economically important animals: Callinectes sapidus. This unique creature, commonly known as the blue crab, enjoys the warm, shallow waters of the Bay which provide the perfect environment for all stages of its life (Wesche 2002). The mix of fresh and salt water is optimal for life and for submerged aquatic vegetation located in the estuary supplies a safe haven for developing crabs (Wesche 2002). The overall richness of the environment contributes in creating the idea habitat. The blue crab is a vital part of the ecosystem as well as the culture in Maryland, which is known for its crabbing industry. Chesapeake blue crabs are understood to be some of the most delicious in the world. Each year tourists come to this region just to taste the fresh meat (Greer 2002). Wesche (2002) summarizes the background of the blue crab. Early settlers documented the utilization of the blue crab by the native people of the Chesapeake Bay. The tasty meat was a staple in their diets, and the colonist soon shared the same craving. Use by individuals became the norm; however commercial marketing of this resource was sluggish due to the inability to ship the crabs to non-coastal communities without spoiling. The first big break occurred with the invention of refrigeration. As the crabbing industry began expanding, it became necessary to implement management techniques for harvesting, including regulations. For over a century these â€Å"rules of the trade† have evolved. New restrictions have been created each time the need for better management arises. Recently, a drop in the crab population and yield has led to new regulations on commercial crabbing greatly affecting the industry. This paper will focus on the controversial implementation of Maryland’s most recent crabbing regulations. This will identify the reasons for the managerial actions, as wel...

How Apportionment Determines State Representation

How Apportionment Determines State Representation Apportionment is the process of fairly dividing the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives among the 50 states based on population counts from the decennial U.S. census. Apportionment does not apply to the U.S. Senate, which under Article I, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution, is comprised of two senators from each state.   Who Came Up With the Apportionment Process? America’s Founding Fathers wanted the House of Representatives to represent the people rather than the state legislatures, which are represented in the Senate. To that end, Article I, Section II of the Constitution provides each state shall have at least one U.S. Representative, with the total size of a state’s delegation to the House based on its total population. Based on the national population as estimated in 1787, each member of the House in the First Federal Congress (1789–1791) represented 30,000 citizens. As the nation grew in geographic size and population, the number of representatives and the number of people they represented in the House increased accordingly.. Conducted in 1790, the first U.S, Census counted 4 million Americans. Based on that count, the total number of members elected to the House of Representatives grew from the original 65 to 106. The current membership of the House of Representatives was set at 435 by the Reapportionment Act of 1929, which established a permanent method for apportioning a constant number of seats according to each decennial census. How is Appropriation Calculated? The exact formula used for apportionment was created by mathematicians and politicians and adopted by Congress in 1941 as the Equal Proportions formula (Title 2, Section 2a, U. S. Code). First, each state is assigned one seat. Then, the remaining 385 seats are distributed using a formula that computes priority values based on each states apportionment population. Who is Included in the Apportionment Population Count? The apportionment calculation is based on the total resident population (citizen and noncitizen) of the 50 states. The apportionment population also includes U.S. Armed Forces personnel and federal civilian employees stationed outside the United States (and their dependents living with them) who can be allocated, based on administrative records, back to a home state. Are Children Under 18 Included? Yes. Being registered to vote or voting is not a requirement to be included in the apportionment population counts. Who is NOT Included in the Apportionment Population Count? The populations of the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Island Areas are excluded from the apportionment population because they do not have voting seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. What is the Legal Mandate for Apportionment? Article I, Section 2, of the U.S. Constitution mandates that an apportionment of representatives among the states be carried out each 10-year period. Schedule for Reporting and Applying Apportionment Counts According federal law codified in Title 13 of the U.S. Code, the Census Bureau must deliver the apportionment counts- the census-counted resident population totals for each state- to the Office of the President of the United States within nine months of the official census date. Since the 1930 census, the census date has been April 1, meaning the Office of the President must receive the state population counts by December 31 of the census year.   To Congress According to  Title 2, U.S. Code, within one week of the opening of the next session of Congress in the new year, the president must report to the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives the apportionment population counts for each state and the number of representatives to which each state is entitled. To the States According to  Title 2, U.S. Code, within 15 days of receiving the apportionment population counts from the president, the Clerk of the House of Representatives must inform each state governor of the number of representatives to which that state is entitled. Using its population count and more detailed demographic results from the census, each state legislature then defines the geographic boundaries of its congressional and state election districts through a process known as redistricting.

how the media portrays women essays

how the media portrays women essays Due: 5-14-01 Literacy How does the media portray women today? Some studies have suggested that the media's portrayal of the "ideal body" for women has had a big impact on the increase in women's body dissatisfaction. Research also proposes that this media exposure is linked to the increasing occurrence of eating disorders and body image disturbances. We do know that the media and other psychology solely cause eating disorders. Emotional, and developmental factors play a big role. It does not appear necessary, however, to investigate the effect the media has on women and eating disorders. Past research has emphasized the way media images affect peoples abilities to accurately estimate their own body size. The conclusions have been that eating disorder patients and women showing high body dissatisfaction tend to overestimate their body size after viewing thin female models. These findings show that certain women are affected by exposure to the media's ideal women, but it has not explained why only some women are affected. A recent Australian study attempted to determine which women are affected by investigating how women feel about their own bodies and how this alters their perceptions of female celebrities. Ninety-six female undergraduate psychology students from the University of Sydney participated in this study. Students took the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ), which measured their concerns about their own body shape. Students suspected of having an eating disorder were not included in the study. Participants were then shown one accurate and six distorted photogra phs of thin and heavy female celebrities and were asked to choose which photograph portrayed each celebrity's true body shape. Participants were separated into low-body-shape-concern and high-body-shape-concern groups. The high-body-shape-concern group judged the thin celeb ...

A Victim of a Sexual Assault Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

A Victim of a Sexual Assault - Research Paper Example It is important to understand what a sexual assault means before proceeding to the possible damages that such as crime can attract. Any type of physical contact involving sexual organs that are unwanted is sexual assault. Many people perceive sexual assault as forcible rape, not knowing that it is only a type of sexual assault. This means that there are different types of sexual assaults recognized by the law. Sexual assault may be in the form of rape, inappropriate touching, child molestation, attempted rape, groping, sexual harassment, elderly sexual assault and sexual intercourse where one party says no to or any other sexual activity that a person says no to. The concept of assault comes about if the victim of the sexual ordeal did not consent to the sexual contact that they were subjected to. However, according to Smothers, if the victim is a child or is intoxicated, he or she is not capable of giving legal consent to sexual contact. The sexual ordeal in such a case qualifies to be called a sexual assault. In fact, the law stipulates that sexual assault with a person who is intoxicated becomes sexual assault, regardless of the intoxicating substance that the assault victim was under the influence. These substances may include â€Å"date-rape† drugs, alcohol, drugs or any other intoxicating substances. It is also important to note that if a person feels or thinks that they are a victim of sexual assault by having undergone any of the above ordeals, he or she is advised by the law to inform the police immediately. Reporting is important for many reasons such as preventing the same sexual offender from assaulting others, providing psychological closure for the victim and creating certainty about the victim’

Mass Media and Its Influence on Public Opinion Essay

Mass Media and Its Influence on Public Opinion - Essay Example This project analyzes how mass media manages to both observe and influence public opinion as it relates to consumer-based and politically-based advertising. Mass Media Industry Social changes occurring across the world have radically changed how information sources are utilized for learning, entertainment, and knowledge-sharing. Social-based technologies, such as MySpace, YouTube and Facebook are now considered to be moving into the social mainstream, thus providing an excellent opportunity for opinion leaders to spread their personalized messages. â€Å"Wherever people are online, they are actively engaged in a wide variety of social media platforms, from blogs to social networking to video sharing† (Smith, 2009, p.559). Social media over the Internet is a significant revolution from traditional information sources such as newspaper and television as it relates to lifestyle and allows for evolution of thought from a variety of demographics. This is why this form of media is b ecoming more and more valuable to opinion leaders as it maintains the ability to reach a wide variety of consumers to present different advertising schemes and concepts. The content of messages now have changed with the use of mass media when considering social media outlets as it no longer has to be targeted to just one specific demographic, such as newspapers like the Wall Street Journal which is targeted to those who invest in stocks and bonds. It can be directed toward a global community, as a means to influence and persuade others to accept a particular advertising message. The electronic format of this type of media also allows for rapid changing of the message by the opinion leaders as a means to shift delivery in the event of changing social needs or beliefs across the world. In order to explore the issue more effectively, one should take into consideration the concepts of advertising in order to better understand the observational methods of those delivering the advertising content over mass media sources and how it manages to influence opinion of the community. Marketers have a strategy to ensure competitiveness of their products and also to maintain a competitive edge over other businesses that sell similar products or concepts and services. This strategy is referred to as positioning, which is â€Å"owning a place in the mind of a consumer. By understanding how a mind works, marketers can use it to their advantage and successfully drive demand for their products† (Trout, 2008, p.2). Marketers understand that there must be some element about their products or advertising strategy that is unique to all other competition and they rely on the ability to persuade consumers to accept and adopt their intended messaging. They do this by relating information to the individual’s lifestyle and then select a particular, very biased message that will be delivered to their specific target group. Now that the fundamentals of advertising messaging ha ve been understand as it relates to changing the mind-set of buyers, it can be explored how observation and influence occur as a product of this advertising strategy. In earlier years, marketers used traditional forms of mass media to deliver a singular, streamlined message that was not easily transformed or updated as it was generally in print. Today, with concentrated growth in the Internet, public opinion leaders can now create new,

Personal paper on SoHo, NYC. First-person Essay

Personal paper on SoHo, NYC. First-person - Essay Example . Geographically, Soho is a neighborhood located in Lower Manhattan, New York City. It is a zoned neighborhood bounded by Houston Street and Lafayette Street, with the Centre Street on the East and Canal Street on the South. As a place, one can immediately observe that there is more to the city than its geographical location evident with the characters of its more than 250 iron cast buildings. Indeed there is more that meets the eye because what made Soho special are not only its buildings but its inhabitants and its history. Dreams and perfection were created in that community, a dwelling place were great artworks were conceived and worked during the stillness of its night and the brightness of its day. Soho’s nature to become the nest and breeding place of so many artists can be said to be a happy accident or perhaps even by Divine Providence. In the early part of Sohos history, the place was virtually empty where its historic buildings became unattractive to factories or any form of business. At some point, it was thought of as a miserable place, without place to work, all space and no money from industry where abandoned buildings litter the community. For a time, there may be no money coming in during in Soho but its historic buildings and its lofts that has large unobstructed space where light can get in freely, has a special charm to artists. It could provide them the space to work and for their art to flourish. Its bane of being absent of industry and factories actually became an advantage and an asset because it afforded artists rent cheap to do their creative works. Just imagine a place, or a community where all of its residents are dreamers or purveyors of beauty whose heads are always on the cloud even if their feet touches ground. Many may have been gone but you can still feel that artistic aura, to explore and to open up, and pour ourselves in creative ways that only God understand.

Push and pull factors in Syrian migration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Push and pull factors in Syrian migration - Essay Example (Mooney, 2014). Mostly, people flee in entire families in order to save their children. The flow of refugees from Syria affects many other states including both the immediate neighbors and the more distanced countries, because the refugees looking for shelter, employment and safety produce considerable impact on their social welfare policy and economy. With the outbreak of the war, forced migration began including people seeking asylum abroad and internally displaced citizens. The scale is rather disturbing, as nearly a half of the entire Syrian population is reported to have migrated; and the numbers of refugees has been persistently growing since 2011. Presently, the number of the emigrants registered in other countries reaches 3,810,574 people, according to the reports of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR, 2015); whereas the number of internally displaced citizens is estimated 6.5 million (Nebehay, 2014). It is necessary to mention that not all Syrians have been able to cross the border in order to migrate to other countries: many of them are reported to have difficulties in crossing the border. It is especially relevant for Palestinian refugees living in Syria, who are often deported from the neighboring countries (e.g. Jordan) back to the warring country (Mooney, 2014). However, the flow of the internally displaced doesn’t seize, because people’s lives are endangered both by governmental military forces and â€Å"non-state armed groups† (The Independent International Commission of Inquiry for the Syrian Arab Republic, 2014). The most frequent destinations of the forced migration are the immediate neighbors, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon; other countries to give refuge to Syrians are Egypt, the United States, North African countries and members of the European Union. Particularly, Jordan remains among the most favorable hosting countries for a range of reasons. The influx of

Nuclear Terrorism Cons & Risks - United States Essay

Nuclear Terrorism Cons & Risks - United States - Essay Example In the eve of Nuclear Security Summit in April 2010, President Barrack Obama pronounced the prospect of nuclear terrorism as the biggest threat to US security in long term, medium term and short term (Michael, 2012). Equally, in the final report of 2011, the Commission reported the threat from terrorists armed with a weapon of mass destruction as the greatest danger faced by America. The Union of Concerned Scientists considers the development of nuclear items as the biggest long-term threat facing the US and International security nowadays. Fenopetov, et.al (2011) noted that the efforts by various countries of the post-soviet space and those extra-regional actors to form an inclusive, cooperative security structure that can deal with new postmodern threats have very little success. Nuclear pose both direct and indirect threats to US security. Direct threats to US security start from the proliferation, nuclear terrorism, unauthorized or inadvertent use and risk of accidents (Below, 2009). The US has several licensed nuclear power reactors that generate a certain percentage of the total energy consumed in the US. The location of several nuclear reactors is near large population centers. Many experts consider US nuclear reactors to be of high-value aim for a terrorist resolute to perpetrate large-scale death and destruction in the United States. A report commissioned by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) showed security vulnerability associated with the energy system. The report noted that the close location to population centers makes those centers prime candidates for strategic nuclear targeting or conventional bombing. Currently, nuclear proliferation is another pressing threat. Mostly those countries that have differences with the US and its allies are likely to acquire nuclear weapons. In pursuit of their ambitions, countries such as Iran and North Korea have violated the non-proliferation duties and defied the

Outline Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Outline - Essay Example A romance begins with flirtation, and is initiated by verbal contact. When the attracted individuals have initiated contact and decide to pursue the romance they get into a deeper relationship characterized by support and commitment, more personal communication, more expressions of affection like giving of tokens, enhancement of personal appearance, social involvement with the partner’s family and friends, sexual intimacy, and behavioral adaptation. The researcher is aware that such concepts are not easily measurable; hence, the information/data for this research would come from research literature and experiences shared by couples in romantic relationships. A set of questions related to the research questions posted shall be drawn up to be asked of the couples via questionnaires or interviews. A qualitative comparative analysis shall be done using the data gathered. III. Constructs: The following constructs are the base understanding of the researcher. It is one goal of this paper to gain more clarification of these constructs as culled from research and information from the interviews and questionnaires. Dating- the coming together of two people to spend time with one another for the purpose of getting to know each other and to gauge if a relationship might possibly develop from the time spent one-on-one with each other. Dating is part of romance. Romantic Relationship – A relationship involving two people attracted to each other and bonded by love, intimacy and commitment. Each partner does things for the other to make him or her more attracted and amorous to each other and to deepen the relationship further. Intimacy -This study will adopt Moss and Schwebel’s (1993) definition of intimacy: â€Å"Intimacy in enduring romantic relationships is determined by the level of commitment and positive affective, cognitive and physical closeness one

Push and pull factors in Syrian migration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Push and pull factors in Syrian migration - Essay Example (Mooney, 2014). Mostly, people flee in entire families in order to save their children. The flow of refugees from Syria affects many other states including both the immediate neighbors and the more distanced countries, because the refugees looking for shelter, employment and safety produce considerable impact on their social welfare policy and economy. With the outbreak of the war, forced migration began including people seeking asylum abroad and internally displaced citizens. The scale is rather disturbing, as nearly a half of the entire Syrian population is reported to have migrated; and the numbers of refugees has been persistently growing since 2011. Presently, the number of the emigrants registered in other countries reaches 3,810,574 people, according to the reports of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR, 2015); whereas the number of internally displaced citizens is estimated 6.5 million (Nebehay, 2014). It is necessary to mention that not all Syrians have been able to cross the border in order to migrate to other countries: many of them are reported to have difficulties in crossing the border. It is especially relevant for Palestinian refugees living in Syria, who are often deported from the neighboring countries (e.g. Jordan) back to the warring country (Mooney, 2014). However, the flow of the internally displaced doesn’t seize, because people’s lives are endangered both by governmental military forces and â€Å"non-state armed groups† (The Independent International Commission of Inquiry for the Syrian Arab Republic, 2014). The most frequent destinations of the forced migration are the immediate neighbors, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon; other countries to give refuge to Syrians are Egypt, the United States, North African countries and members of the European Union. Particularly, Jordan remains among the most favorable hosting countries for a range of reasons. The influx of

Outline Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Outline - Essay Example A romance begins with flirtation, and is initiated by verbal contact. When the attracted individuals have initiated contact and decide to pursue the romance they get into a deeper relationship characterized by support and commitment, more personal communication, more expressions of affection like giving of tokens, enhancement of personal appearance, social involvement with the partner’s family and friends, sexual intimacy, and behavioral adaptation. The researcher is aware that such concepts are not easily measurable; hence, the information/data for this research would come from research literature and experiences shared by couples in romantic relationships. A set of questions related to the research questions posted shall be drawn up to be asked of the couples via questionnaires or interviews. A qualitative comparative analysis shall be done using the data gathered. III. Constructs: The following constructs are the base understanding of the researcher. It is one goal of this paper to gain more clarification of these constructs as culled from research and information from the interviews and questionnaires. Dating- the coming together of two people to spend time with one another for the purpose of getting to know each other and to gauge if a relationship might possibly develop from the time spent one-on-one with each other. Dating is part of romance. Romantic Relationship – A relationship involving two people attracted to each other and bonded by love, intimacy and commitment. Each partner does things for the other to make him or her more attracted and amorous to each other and to deepen the relationship further. Intimacy -This study will adopt Moss and Schwebel’s (1993) definition of intimacy: â€Å"Intimacy in enduring romantic relationships is determined by the level of commitment and positive affective, cognitive and physical closeness one

Dr. Adler’s New Vision for New York Medical College Essay Example for Free

Dr. Adler’s New Vision for New York Medical College Essay Quality education plays an important role in the development of an individual, as well as in any field of profession. In relation to this, quality education entails that it could adapt to the changes that happen through time. This kind of adage is most applicable in the field of profession that involves the welfare of other people especially when in comes to their health. Being the case, medical schools should also do the necessary steps in order to enhance the quality of education that they render to their students. In line with this, the new vision of Dr. Karl Adler tends to address such changes, which makes it a sound proposal to improve the performance and contribution of New York Medical College to the students and the society. Dr. Adler’s new vision involves affiliating the New York Medical College with Catholic universities in the New York metropolitan region (Klein, n. d. ). Personally, I believe that this proposal could indeed become very beneficial for the college, as well as for the university that they will be affiliated with. Pursuing this plan can help in addressing the problems that the college is currently experiencing. First, during the recent years, the college has been experiencing a deficit because of the unstable financial condition of the hospitals that it is connected with. As a result, the college is having difficulties in managing their finances. An affiliation with a university that has more students and greater sources of budget could aid this problem. Second, working interdependently with a university will also give way for greater grants that will help primary care doctors in their training (Singer, 1997). Lastly, New York Medical College is among the last colleges that have not been declared as a university. Establishing partnership with a university will give the students of the college an exposure with other fields like law, sociology, business, and other things available in a university. In the same manner, the college will also gain a chance to study medical intensive areas of study. The new vision of Dr. Karl Adler is indeed a sound proposal that will greatly contribute in addressing the problems of the college as well as making it a better educational institution. He exemplified a proactive and effective leader thinks of ways in order to adapt with changes. The concept of quality education could be fully realized in his plan because as Dr. Adler said â€Å"by working closely together we’ll make New York Medical College stronger† (Klein, n. d. ). References Klein, M. (n. d. ). New President sets course for medical college. The Journal News. Singer, P. (1997). Grant Helps to Ready Primary Care Doctors. Retrieved February 11, 2009, from http://query. nytimes. com/gst/fullpage. html? res= 9B03E6DB103EF935A15753C1A961958260partner=rssnytemc=rss.

Impact on international business negotiations

Impact on international business negotiations Cultures Impact On International Business Negotiations International Negotiations And Culture Nowadays there is not product or service that does not have any international mark in its story. According to Thomas, D. (2008:3) â€Å"virtually all business conducted today is global business. It is difficult to identify a product or service that is not somehow influenced by a cross-border transaction of some kind†. Czinkota et al. (2009:53) suggests that when a firm expands its operations across international borders, it acquires new customers and new partners in new environments. It is essential for the company to understand cultural differences and the way they manifest themselves and to determine similarities across cultures and exploit them in the formulation of strategy. The success in new markets is determined by the capability of the firm to adapt to the new culture. Patience, flexibility and appreciation of others beliefs are essential qualities. Unlike economic, legal, and political aspects of the country, which are recognizable, cultures effects are mostly hidden and difficult to observe. For this reason, Thomas (2008:11) states that culture is the aspect of the management context most often neglected. Even large multinational corporations like Unilever need to observe the cultural features in a new market before launching a product. For example, when Unilever decided to enter the Indian market, it began its business by spending weeks living in rural villages to spend time with locals and come in touch with their uses and customs. Doing this, it discovered that to sell soap to Indian women it had to develop differently its product. Because of the use of the women of this region to use the same soap for body washing as for shampoo, Unilever developed a low-cost soap that could be used for body and for hair. (Johnson et all. 2006:302) To deal with culture it is necessary to understand what it is and what it is made of. ASPECTS /COMPONENTS INVOLVED IN PARTICULAR INTO THE BUSINESS WORLD, IN RELACION CON EL MUNDO COMERCIAL Definition Of Culture Czincota et al. (2009:54) defines culture as an â€Å"integrated system of learned behaviour patterns that are characteristics of the members of any society†. Any society has interrelated and interdependent features that characterize the direction and guidance in all phases of human problem solving. Culture is dynamic in time and develops through interactions among groups of people, societies, regions and nations. The key to success in international operations is to adjust and adapt to a specific culture in order to understand and later satisfy its specific needs. This activity is called â€Å"process of acculturation†. Reseacrh in this field has demonstrated that culture affects peoples behaviour. Its internal elements as values and attitudes can influence the way a person approach new products and some companies might find necessary to adapt dramatically its goods to the societys requirements. These elements are: language (verbal or nonverbal), religion, values and attitudes, manners and customs, material elements, aesthetics, education and social institutions (Maureen 2005: 42; Czinkota et al. 2009: 57). THE LATES PROVIDED A VERY USEFUL DEFINITION OF THESE ELEMENTS THAT CAN BE SUMMARIZED AS FOLLOW: 2.1. Language has been described by Czincota et al. (2009: 58) as the mirror of culture. Language capability serves three distinct roles in international business. Firstly, business meeting are aids by language knowledge. Speaking the national language would make the people more comfortable and inclined to make a deal. Secondly, it provides access to local society. It is reccomendable to become part of the market rather than observe it from the outside. Finally, language capability is increasingly important in company communications because using an interpreter takes long time and the manager could not be sure the message has been translated correctly. The company has to pay also attention at the different translations that a word could have in countries with the same language. For example, Goodyear has identified five different terms for the word â€Å"tyres† in the Spanish-speaking Americas: cauchos in Venezuela, cubiertas in Argentina, gomas in Puerto Rico, neumaticos in Chile and llantas in most of the other countries. Dealing with language invariably requires local assistance. Manager also must to analyse and becoming familiar with nonverbal language. Key topics are: time, space, material possessions, friendship patterns and business agreements (Czinkota et all 2009: 60).Following, this aspect will be applied at the Spanish culture. 2.2. Religion has an impact on international business that is seen in a cultures values and attitudes toward entrepreneurship, consumption and social organization.(SINTASSI) Although the impact of religion may be indirect in Protestant northern Europe, its impact in countries where Islamic fundamentalism is on the rise may be profound. .(Czinkota et all 2009: 60). 2.3. The differences in cultural values and attitudes affect the way planning is executed, decisions are made, strategy is implemented and personnel are evaluated. In some counties many middle-aged bureaucrats and company officials believe that buying foreign products is unpatriotic.(Czinkota et all 2009: 63). 2.4. Manners and customs: understanding manners and customers is especially important in negotiations, because interpretations based on ones own frame of reference may lead to a totally incorrect conclusion. To negotiate affectively abroad, all types of communication should be read correctly. For example, gift giving is one area where preparation and sensitivity are called for. (Czinkota et all 2009: 65). 2.5 Material elements: material culture refers to the results of technology and is directly related to how a society organizes its economic activity. Many US exporters do not understand the degree to which Americans are package conscious; for example, cans must be shiny and beautiful. (Czinkota et all 2009: 67) 2.6 Aesthetics: each culture makes a clear statement concerning good taste, as expressed in the arts and in the particular symbolism of colours, form and music. What is and what is not acceptable may vary dramatically even in otherwise highly similar markets. In Spain, for example, sex is a big selling point while Japanese in order to preserve the purity of their women use foreign models to make the point in provocative adverts. (Czinkota et all 2009:67). ESEMPIO PUBLICITA PROVOCATIVA IN SPAGNA 2.7 Education: education levels effect various business functions. For example, a high level of illiteracy suggests the use of visual aids rather than printed manuals. (Czinkota et all 2009: 68). In Lanzarote the labels of many products are written in Castellano, English and French to adapt to the mix of nationalities population †¦ of the island. (COME FACCIO LA REFERENZA?) 2.8 Social institutions: It affects the way people relate to each other. The family unit, which in Western industrialized countries consists of parents and children, is extended in a number of cultures to include grandparents and other relatives. This affects consumption patterns and must be taken into account, for example when conducting market research. social organization also determine the roles of managers and subordinates and how they relate to one another. In some cultures, managers and subordinates are separated explicitly and implicitly by various boundaries ranging from social class differences to separate office facilities. (Czinkota et all 2009: 68) Controllato Fino A Qua Spanish Culture This chapter analyses the main characteristics of Spanish culture paying particular attention at the Lanzarotes context. To understand a culture, one must first understand the people – where they come from, who they are the values and traditions they live by, as well as their customs and etiquette. (Graff 2006: about the series). Spain is a land of contrasts. A fascinating mixture of cultures, architecture, landscapes and climates, it is a country begging to be explored and offering newcomers as wide a choice of lifestyles, business opportunities and entertainment as any other country in Europe. (Graff 2006: vi) Spaniard love to gather together and talk. They are sociable people, generally vivacious, ready to enjoy a party and join in celebrations. They are passionate about their family, their conviction and their arts, but also enjoy modest pleasures such as a good meal with friends. Spanish temperament is strongly individualistic. (Graff 2006: 30) In Spain there is the usage to kiss people on the cheeks when meeting at an event or in the street. Foreigners must be aware of this customs and adapt to it. Women will kiss the men and the other women, but men will only kiss women. It is possible that at the end of a friendly conversation a man may give another man a big hug that it is just an expression of friendly feeling. (Graff 2006: 32) Settling In Spanish bureaucracy is a critical factor for foreigners and locals. Because of the slow administrative system, it could take also a day to get a simply permit. Patience will be tried to the extreme on occasion, and it must be learnt to remain calm and reasonable under quite severe stress. Spaniards find these long waiting a chance to do conversation and make new friends. (Graff 2006:57) Food And Entertaining Spaniards have a real veneration for food. A meal it is an expression of community spirit, to everyone meeting to enjoy the food and the company (Graff 2009:97). Language There are different languages and dialects spoken throughout the country. The local languages may create difficulties to foreigner when travelling from a region to another as road signs might be written in the local language. Castilian is the official language of Spain used by the majority of the mass media and also in official documents. However, Catalan, Galician and Basque are widely spoken in their regions (Graff 2006:140). Non-Verbal Communication Spaniards use non-verbal language more than British people. Particularly when speaking with foreigner, Spanish people wave their hands to describe or to emphasise what they are saying. Handshakes are never prolonged and only used at first introductions, after which kissing becomes the accepted form of greeting (Graff 2006: 143). MAÑANA Punctuality In order to do not have unpleasant hours of waiting it is necessary to understand what Spaniards mean with maà ±ana, (tomorrow). According to Spanish courtesy it is more acceptable to keep scheduling an appointment maà ±ana, even knowing there are just a few possibilities it will happen, instead of refusing it (Graff 2006: 145). Spaniards do nothing in a hurry. While they expect foreign visitors to be punctual for business meetings, they are lax about their own punctuality for social occasions or business appointments (Bosrock 2006: 399) Meetings And Business Lunches Spaniards prefers to do business face to face. For this reason, when it is possible, they like to arrange a meeting in a cafà © or a restaurant. Business meeting are frequent occurrences and likely to be noisy affairs where a foreign could probably be constantly interrupted. These kind of lunches tend to become lengthy affair. It is so advised to do not schedule any important appointment after the lunch (Graff 2006: 151). (Bosrock 2006: 393) Because of the richness of Spanish culture and history it is recommended to know some of the basic fact. Applying this to the Spain it results an useful list..: Its official name: Spain The collective name of its people: Spanish/Spaniards The language(s) spoken: Castilian (official), Basque, Catalan, Its presidents name: Zapatero Its political system: democracy Its currency: Euro Whether it belongs to the European Union (EU): yes Main events of the past century, (the more details you know, the better your conversation will be.) Current issues and event (Bullfighting, ETA, ) (Bosrock 2006: 20) What To Wear According to Bosrock 2006 (397) â€Å"appearance is extremely important to Spaniards, and they will judge you on how you look. Wearing high-quality designer clothing and accessories will suggest professionalism and social standing. Spaniards dress well, and their casual attire is smart casual It is recommendable to be aware about the Spanish tortura de la galanteria when loud comments are made about someone appearance as walking by someone Spanish. This must be taken as something simply complimentary (Graff 2009:152). Business Dealings With Spaniards Graff stances that ‘most foreigners say that they find doing business with Spaniards â€Å"straightforward† generally speaking. The ‘problems seem to arise from the Spaniards wish to enjoy what he happens to be doing at any particular moment with the frequent result that he will completely forget an appointment made a few days ago in order to pursue the business being discussed with the client sitting in front of him. One of the chief complaints voiced by many foreigners id ‘unpunctuality and, as this aspect of Spanish existence is much in evidence in all the spheres; you will need to learn how to deal with: Sudden change of plan Being stood up with no excuses whatsoever offered Business meetings dragging on with the result that you too, will be late for your next appointment (Graff 2006: 153). Spanish Corporate Culture (Bosrock 2006:400) Structure: conflict and stress exist in business between the old bureaucratic, authoritarian management style that managers over age fifty use and the new, more participative management style that younger managers use. The boss asserts authority and solve problems but in the real organizational structure that is social, people on the third or fourth level may have more actual power then those at the top. While subordinates accept criticism from the boss, theyre likely to resent criticism from colleague or outsiders. When reprimanded, a person often wont admit fault. Communication (Bosrock 2006:400) large companies conduct business in English and Spanis, but Spanish usually predominates. Check ahead to see whether youll need an interpreter. Spaniards may hesitate to express disagreement to your face; they believe that open disagreement is disrespectful, instead, they will discuss their disagreement with others, who will eventually pass it on to you. (Smiles dont always mean you have done well) Be Aware Spaniards are very proud people. Dont mistake their self-relaince and sense of worth as intolerance. Never embarrass anyone. Expect delays and procrastination. Spanish bureaucracy menas odd office hours, plenty of paperwork, seemingly random rules and regulations, and unhelpful staff. Spaniards dismissal of rules and regulations produces a constant crisis atmosphere Spaniards loyalty lies with people, not institutions. Especially For Women Spanish society is aggressively pursuing equality between the sexes. Nevertheless, machismo persist. Few working women are on the fast track; female lawyers and doctors are extremely rare. In addition, society expect even working women to be the primary caretakers of the family and home. progress for professional women has been slow, but educationally qualified women are gradually gaining acceptance in the business community. While Spaniards accept foreign businesswomen, its important that women immediately establish credentials and ability. Spanish men are charming. Be especially careful of making eye contact with Spanish man, whi may interpret your gaze as flirting. Although its rare to whistle at women, staring is common and acceptable. If someone stares at you, just ignore it. For dinner, dont dine alone in restaurants or bars. Its acceoptable for a foreign woman to invite a Spanish man to a business dinner, but she may have trouble paying for the meal. Spanish men expect to pay. If you want to pay, arrange payment with the wait staff beforehand. Working Hours Dati Popolazione Lanzarotegna Da Wikipedia that a company should understand before initiate any negotiation. Bases Of Negotiation In An International Business In markets such as China and Taiwan, companies such as KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken), McDonalds and other fast food entities dramatically changed eating habits, especially of the younger generation. The example of KFC in India illustrates the difficulties that companies may have entering culturally complex markets. Even though the company opened its outlets in two of the Indias most cosmopolitan cities (Bangalore and New Delhi), it found itself the target of protests by a wide range of opponents. KFC could have alleviated or eliminated some of the anti-Western passions by tailoring its activities to the local conditions. First, rather than opting for more direct control, KFC should have allied itself with local partners for advice and support. Second, KFC should have tried to appear more Indian rather than using high-profile advertising with Western ideas. Indians are ambivalent toward foreign cultures and its ideas may not always work well there. Finally, KFC should have planned for competition, which came from small restaurants with political clout at the local level. (Czinkota et all 2009: 56) Main Issues About International Relationships In Lanzarote On May 2009, the only English magazine on Lanzarote island, The Gazette, carried out a research about customer services quality on the island. It found out the quality level was very low due to the attitude of certain shop assistants and their unwillingness to assist customers and solve their problems. One factor that The Gazette suggested to take into account was the cultural divide. It took as example the fact that the Spanish do not say â€Å"please† and â€Å"thank you† as much as the British do. As explained in the article titled â€Å"Service not included!†, in Britain it is common to sat these words around four or five times during the most simple transaction in a shop. As a result, what is normal in Lanzarote may seem brusque to a visitor on the island. (The Gazette 2009) Products are not just products: they become what they are as the result of their integration into particular context. For example, MD Food, a Danish producer of dairy products, marketed Havarti cheese in Spain that was physically the same marketed in Denmark. However, it did not think about the different uses and criteria of evaluation of the two different countries. While the cheese in Denmark may be eaten on black bread accompanied by milk, the souths European eat it on white bread and take it with wine. (Maureen, G. 2005) For this reason, it is highly recommended to carry out a research based on the probable use the consumer may do of a product. How To Do Business Across Culture Mention Artic spa (book about how an Artic spa should be sold) First thing to ask yourself: â€Å"Are my actions considerate and respectful?† (Bosrock 2006: 5). According to the article â€Å"Going native† published on The Gazette on April 2009, English people living on the island should â€Å"go native† and live day at the Spanish way in order to fully integrate with the local culture. The article suggest to firstly start the day with a traditional Lanzarotes breakfast, dress like local, and not like tourists, have fun like local and get ones self attitude right. (The Gazette: April 2009) How can a company explain and predict the behavior of people in a specific country ? From the management perspective, first at all, managers must ensure smooth interaction of the business with its different constituents and must assist others to implement programmes within and across markets. (Czinkota et al 2009: 73) The international managers task is to distinguish relevant cross-cultural and intra-cultural differences and then to isolate potential opportunities and problems. A good example is the Indian subculture in Britain McDonalds in Europe is an excellent example of how an organization has used an appreciation of culture as a competitive business advantage. When McDonalds restaurants first approaches France did have hard work. French activists attempt to destroy a McDonalds restaurant under construction. The French are a nation for whom good food and quality dining are cultural icons akin to the Eiffel Tower. Yet somehow McDonalds is thriving in France, with revenues second only to those in the United Estates . The company has about 950 restaurants in France, and in 2006 its sales in France grew by 8 percent, which is a pretty good growth for a county that treasures fine dining (Solomon and Schell, 2006)p.7 While maintaining a global brand, it has adapted it to be respectful of local tastes and values. Some of the restaurants have leather upholstery, and some have fireplaces and candles.( Solomon and Schell, 2006) it also developed relationship with local suppliers. McDonalds is thriving in Europe b ecause it gets the culture right. According to Maureen G, (2005) cultural differences are known to affect peoples purchasing behavior. For example, Scandinavian countries have much faster take-off rates for adopting new technical products such as DVD recorders or third generation mobile phones, than those of the big European economies such as Germany and Britain. For these reason technical products companies as Nokia could find Scandinavian countries a good place to test new products. One way is to employ foreign people of the same foreign country the company wants to expand in. in this way the company itself could use these international employees as example of what the new customers will be and in this way find out how they could approach the companys new product (before launching it on the market) Another way could be to organize long-term â€Å"holiday† abroad for some of the employees. In this way these employees will learn how the new potential customers behave and what they would really aspect from a product. In these period it could be possible to test and make changes to the product. (Maureen 2005: †¦) Bosrock suggests to approach international travels with the same attitude and behaviour used when attending a party in ones bosss home. the invited person would be sensitive, would dress appropriately and bring a suitable gift (Bosrock 2006: 4). To achieve success in international business negotiation it is imperative to show respect and consideration to others but to do this it is firstly necessary to learn about those people and their cultural features. The best method to learn is to observe, ask, listen and mainly try and make errors. (Bosrock 2006: 5) The Ten Things To Do Before Visiting A Host Country 1. Recognize and respect uniqueness. 2. Need basic knowledge of each countrys culture and history will greatly benefit you 3. Build relationships. 4. Never compare countries to one another or to your country. 5. Never judge another countrys political or social system. 6. Be patient. Business may be very different from your countrys. 7. Be flexible. adapt to the environment. Dont pretend others to adapt to your style. 8. Always be sincere. 9. Ask, look and listen. 10. Assume the best about people and their actions. Most behaviour is rational once we understand its rational. (Bosrock 2006: 6) Sources Of Cultural Knowledge Books, Movies, Exchanges, The concept of cultural knowledge is broad and multifaceted. Cultural knowledge can be defined by the way it is acquired. Objective and factual information is obtained from others through communication, research and education. Experiential knowledge, on the other hand, can be acquired only by being involved in a culture other than ones own. The more a manager becomes involved in the international arena, the more he or she is able to develop a meta-knowledge; that is, ground rules that apply whether in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, or Asuncià ³n, Paraguay. Market-specific knowledge does not necessarily travel well; the general variables on which the information is based to. (Czinkota et all 2009: 73) In a survey of managers on how to acquire international expertise, they ranked eight factors in terms of their importance (see appendix 1). The managers emphasized the experiential acquisition of knowledge. Written materials played an important but supplementary role, very often providing general or county-specific information before operational decisions were made. Interestingly, many of todays international managers have pre-career experience in government, the Peace Corps, the armed force or voluntary work. Although the survey emphasized travel, a one-time trip to New York with a stay at a very large hotel and scheduled sightseeing tours does not significantly contribute to cultural knowledge. Travel that involves meetings with company personnel, intermediaries, facilitating agents, customers and government officials, on the other hand, does contribute. HOWEVER, FROM THE CORPORATE POINT OF VIEW, GLOBAL CAPABILITY IS DEVELOPED IN MORE OAINSTAKING WAYS: FOREIGN ASSIGNMENTS, NETWORKI NG ACROSS BORDERS AND THE USE OF MULTi-country, multicultural teams to develop strategies and programs. At Nestlà ©, for example, managers move around a region (such as Asia or Latin America) at four- or five-year intervals and may serve stints at headquarters for two to three years between such assignments. Such broad experience allows managers to pick up ideas and tools to be used in markets where they have not been used or where they have not been necessary before. In Thailand, where supermarkets are revolutionizing consumer-goods marketing technique perfected elsewhere in the Nestlà © system are being put to effective use. The experience the, in turn, are used to develop newly emerging markets in the same region, such as Vietnam. (Czinkota et all 2009: 73) Other oversights may lead to more costly mistakes. for example, Brazilians are several inches shorter than the average Americans, but this was not taken into account when the US store Sears erected American-height shelves that block Brazilian shoppers view of the rest of the store. (Czinkota et all 2009: ) International business success requires not only comprehensive fact finding and preparation but also an ability to understand and fully appreciate the nuances of different cultural traits and patterns. Gaining this interpretative cultural knowledge requires ‘getting ones feet wet over a sufficient length of time. Over the long run, culture can become a factor in the firms overall success. (Czinkota et all 2009: 75) Research has shown that the take-off point for new products (i.e., when initial sales turn into mass-market slaes) is six years, on average, in Europe. However, in northern Europe new products take off almost twice as fast as they do in southern Europe. (when will it fly? The Economist , 9 August 2003, 51) It is important to position the product as a continuous innovation that does not require radical changes in consumption pattern. (Steenkamp and Hofstede, 1999) Since the United States higly regards individualism, promotional appeals should be relevenat to individual empowerement. also messages should be informal and friendly. In opposite situations, marketing communications have to emphasize thet the new product is socially accepted. However, if the product is imported it can sometimes utilize global or foreign cultural positioning. For example in China, individualism is often used for imported products but almost never for domestic ones. (Czinkota et all 2009: 77) Understanding the implications of the dimensions helps businesspeople prepare for international business encounter. For example, in negotiating in Germany one can expect a counterpart whi is through, systematic, very well prepared, but also rather dogmatic and therefore less flexible and willing to compromise. Efficiency is emphasized. In Mexico, however, the counterpart may prefer to address problems on a person and private basis rather than on a business level. This means more emphasis on socializing and conveying ones humanity, sincerity, loyalty and friendship. Also, differences in the pace and business practices of a region have to be accepted. (Czinkota et all 2009: 77) Adjusting to differences requires putting ones own cultural values aside. The following analytical approach is recommended to reduce the influence of cultural bias: 1. define the problem or goal in terms of the domestic cultural traits, habits and norms. 2. Define the problem or goal in terms of the foreign cultural traits, habits and norms. Make no value judgements. 3. Isolate the self-reference criterion influence in the problem and examine it carefully to see how it complicates the problem. 4. Redefine the problem without the self-reference criterion influence and solve for the optimum-goal situation. This approach can be applied to product introduction. If Kellogs Co. Wants to introduce breakfast cereals into markets where breakfast is traditionally not eaten or where consumers drink very little milk, managers must consider very carefully how to instill the new habit. In France, Kelloggs commercials are aimed as muchat providing nutrition lessons as they are at promoting the product. In Brazil, the company advertised on a soap opera to gain entry into the market because Brazilians often emulate the characters of these television shows. ( Czinkota et al 2009: 78) The increase in the overall international activity of firms has increased the need for cultural sensitivity training at all levels of the organization. Further, todays training must encompass not only outsiders to the firm but also interaction within the corporate family as well. However inconsequential the degree of interaction may seem, it can still cause problems if proper understanding is lacking. Consider, for example, the date written as follow: 11/12/04. A European will interpretate this as the 11th of December; an American as November the 12th. Some companies try to avoid the training problem by hiring only nationals or well-travelled individuals for theit international operations. This makes sense for the management of overseas operations but will not solve the training need, especially if transfers to a culture unfamiliar to the manager are likely. International experience may not necessarily transfer from one market to another. The foster cultural sensitivity and acceptanc e of new ways of doing things within the organization, management must institute internal education programmes. The programmes may include: 1. Culture-specific information (data covering other countries, such as video pack and culture grams); 2. General cultural information (values, practices and assumptions of countries other than ones own)and 3. Self-specific information (identifying ones own cultural paradigm, including values, assumptions and perceptions about others). One study found that Japanese employees assigned to the United States get mainly language training as preparation for the task. In addition, many companies use mentoring, whereby an individual is assigned to someone who is experienced and who sends time advising and explaining. Talks given by return