Doing Business in Japan Essay

1) A large Japanese firm makes important decision by a so-called â€Å"nemawashi† consulting system which requires all internal stakeholders to review and sign the final decision. Research the concept online and compare the advantages and disadvantages of this decision making versus the vertical U.S. system. Describe specific situations when â€Å"nemawashi† could be advantageous and disadvantageous. The culture of the Japanese is to live in harmony with nature and others and they do this by avoiding debates and clashing positions by using a decision making system called Nemawashi. They value interpersonal connectedness and consensus which is the exact opposite of how Americans think and respond. This idea was developed in 1950 when American statistics professor, W. Edwards Deming, trained Japanese leadership staff in Science and Engineering on quality control techniques. David O’Gorman (2012) wrote, The techniques Deming introduced were very compatible with the cultural value of harmony. For example, Deming had 14 key principles for quality improvement. One principle is to â€Å"Break down the barriers between departments.† Deming’s perspective on teamwork, and his other teachings on quality improvement, fit perfectly with Japan’s cultural values of harmony and consensus. Nemawashi gets its meaning from a horticulture terminology meaning â€Å"wrapping around the roots.† When transplanting a tree from one place to another, preparing the root ball by wrapping it with fabric material and acclimatizing it to its new location before transplanting would make that tree grow healthier and stronger in its new environment. (Sakai, 2012) In practice, it means that the groundwork for a new proposal must be carefully prepared in advance if it is expected to take root, survive and prosper. (O’Gorman, 2012). Japanese managers are significantly more relationship-oriented and hierarchical than their U.S. counterparts, preferring consensus building, collectivist decision making, and risk avoidance. (FitzGerald, 2014) By informally communicating ideas to stakeholders, any issues planned for discussion in the larger meeting that might prove to be controversial are hashed out ahead of time so that they don’t create embarrassing snags. Any new ideas or proposals that are going  to be presented can be floated in the pre-meeting, in order to avoid any surpr ises during the main meeting. (Kopp, 2010) To avoid conflict and saving face, many of the discussions of an idea are done informally with all stakeholders prior to the actual formal meeting. There are advantages and disadvantages of this decision making style. The advantages of Nemawashi are: Nemawashi is a more disciplined business practice Nemawashi eliminates the element of surprise Nemawashi eliminates the likelihood of â€Å"whoever screams the loudest† getting their way Nemawashi eliminates ego and aligns interests to a common goal, focusing on the problem at hand with more input across the team or organization (Gordy, 2013). Consensus-building The disadvantages of Nemawashi are: It is time consuming Is not well suited to generating the innovated products and services that Japan needs to compete globally in the future. It suppresses innovative ideas. The nemawashi-ringi process can allow good ideas to wither and die. (O’Gorman, 2012). People are worried that decisions are sometimes made behind the scenes, instead of out in the open. It is therefore seen as an undemocratic process. (Abe, 2014). Those who hold a minority view do not express it to preserve harmony. Furthermore, decisions are flexible and open to change. As a result, decisions are vague, rarely written down, allowing various parties to implement the decision differently. (Anderson, 2009). An example where Nemawashi can best be implemented occurs when a decision does not have to be reached immediately. Japanese use it effectively when they are trying to improve a product such as Toyota. They have time to research, analyze, mull over, and share with all of the stakeholders and can flush out any inconsistencies or challenges prior to making the final decision. An example where Nemawashi is not advantageous is when a decision needs to be made rather quickly or when trying to be innovative. Because nemawashi is time-consuming, if there was a sudden decision that needed to be made, individuals who use this method of decision making would have difficulty getting everyone on board and in agreement in such a short amount of time. It may take months, perhaps years, for an idea  to work its way through the nemwashi-ringi process and be implemented. In the past, this did not pose much of a problem. But in today’s rapidly changing global environment there are increasing demands on companies to make faster decisions just to maintain their competitive position. (O’Gorman, 2012). An example of innovative products can be an idea such as the iPhone or self-driving tr ansportation. 2) Imagine that you are to welcome a Japanese delegation in your home-country. The delegation represents a potential business partner for your firm. Describe how you would prepare for the meeting and how you would decrease intercultural communication apprehension on both sides. I am welcoming a Japanese delegation in my home-country and because I am not ethnocentric, I have researched the Japanese culture and understand that they value hierarchy, status, social ranking, interpersonal relationships and nature. Japanese are polite, sensitive and have good manners and so it will be important to demonstrate those qualities, but not make an assumption because they possess these qualities that they will do business with my organization. I must prepare months in advance for the meeting because Japanese do not like to be taken by surprise. Japanese value commitment, dedication, excellent service, quality and reliability. I would send the itinerary to the Japanese delegation in advance along with any necessary paperwork for their review along with pictures of the executive members of the organization and their ranking. The professional portfolio would detail how long our organization has been in existence and our ranking in our industry. We would have researched their organization and identified their executives as well as their salaryman with whom we are engaging to do business. At the airport, a team of individuals would meet them and acknowledge the most senior member first on down to the salaryman. A business card held by both hands would be given to each one as each of us bow the formal bow and say ‘Watashi no namae wa Jones desu’. Although you do not need to become word-perfect Japanese speaker, many Japanese people really do appreciate foreigners who make the effort to learn at least a few Japanese words and business phrases. (Web) We would receive their business card and immediately study the card and place it carefully in our business card portfolio. We then would follow the itinerary explicitly. Instead of  taking them straight to the office, we would have tickets for the professional baseball team in our region in the loge with food and delicacies of their liking. Matsuzaki (2014) as a summer scholar states that Japanese people love sports, especially baseball. After the game, each delegate would receive a baseball hat with the team logo and a baseball shirt. After the game, a walk through the company and introduction to any senior managers would be done. We would go over our goals and objectives and discuss our portfolio in detail sharing information of how with an expanded business in Japan everyone could have a substantial profit. The most important thing to remember in dealing with the Japanese is to take a passive attitude and listen very carefully to those words that are spoken as well as those not spoken. Soft sell and use facts like â€Å"we sold over a million sets last year† rather than biased information such as â€Å"we’re better than them.† Be very careful not to overstate your case. Any kind of smooth talker or talking too much can rub the wrong way. It is much better to say too little than to say too much. ( Matsuzaki, 2014) Afterwards, at an upscale restaurant we would have an uchiage, (drinking party) which is a tradition Japanese have done after the end of a business transaction. Each business partner would be advised as to drink in moderation and if they do not drink, politely provide an excuse as to why they are not imbibing. The delegation would later be escorted to their hotel and in the morning escorted to the next planned event or to the airport by our executives with a parting gift of a company pen from Tiffany’s. 3) Access JETHRO’s website and other e-Global resources and describe the complexities of setting a Japanese representative office. What are the advantages and disadvantages when compared to other forms of business establishments in Japan? There are many complexities when setting up a representative office in Japan. According to Japan Management Consulting the Representative Office needs to have a Representative resident of Japan. The Representative Office needs to prove the reality of its existence by showing: a lease for office space in its own name a utility bill in the Representative Office name copy of the contract between the representative and the foreign country The Representative of the Representative Office needs to prove its good standing  with Social Insurance, Tax and Legal authorities by providing documents such as: registration with the local ward office â€Å"Juminhyo† registration with Social Insurance, typically a copy of Pension Book is needed proof of payment of resident tax and national tax and also individual enterprise tax if she/he was self-employed. The representative office also need to register with relevant tax office to report and pay the tax withheld on employees salary. (Japan Management Consult, 2011) The advantage of creating a Representative Office in Japan is to be able to carry marketing survey and information gathering activity in Japan before starting a full scale operation, without having to support the burden of full size company and especially keeping a Japan Yen General Ledger and paying taxes. The Representative Office can employ people in Japan and does not need to be registered with legal authorities like the Legal Affairs Bureau. The only registration needed is with tax office for payment of emplyees withheld income taxes. A representative office is often used by companies that wish to employ people in Japan for support activity or before starting a full scale activity. (Japan Management Consult, 2011) The disadvantage of a Representative Office is that it cannot engage in any for profit transactions that would raise Japan’s tax liability. It is only there to gauge the atmosphere of the environment through surveys and assessments. References Abe, Namiko. (2014). About.com Japanese Language. Nemawashi. Retrieved from: http://japanese.about.com/library/weekly/aa080597.htm Anderson, R.V. (Mar/Apr 2009) Management World. The Online Journal for Certified Managers. Japanese and American Management: A Contrast of Styles. Retrieved from http://cob.jmu.edu/icpm/management_world/CMartMar09.pdf FitzGerald, L.A. (2014). Module 2: One World Many Cultures. In Jones International University, BC 607: Leading from a Global Perspective. Retrieved from http://courses.jonesinternational.edu/display.jkg?courseSectionId=33756&uid=105453&tpl=frameset Gordy, Bill. (Dec 11, 2013). The Solutions Group Inc. Implementing the Japanese Business Practice of Nemawashi. Retrieved from www.thesolutionsgroupinc.com/implementing-the-japanese-business-practice-of-nemawashi/ Japan Management Consulting (2005-2011)

Why We Hate the Smart Kids

Shamyra Jones Vejea Jennings English 097 March 23, 2013 Why Do We Hate The Smart Kids? My initial reaction to Grant Penrod essay was flabbergasting because even thou I am not in high school anymore I could look back and remember how all the jocks did get more recognition then the nerds. In my days at school the nerds were the smart people or the teacher’s pet. According to Grant Penrod, â€Å"Social stereotypes began to emerge as early as high school. †(Grant. Chapter 57 Pg. 692) I agree with Grant because I remember when I was in the 10th grade walking with my friend Amber. e would always hang out in the quad area because that’s where all the popular kids hung out until one day we asked each other, â€Å" Why don’t we ever hang out in the back?. † So we were heading down to the back of the school, and as eyes took in the scenery Amber whispered, â€Å"We can’t stay here. † We knew we couldn’t stay because everyone in the back w as â€Å"nerds† or Geeks† and we didn’t want to be perceived as any one of those titles so we scurried to the quad again. But you have to ask yourself,† If teenagers judge the smart kids, then how does society judge other groups? But being Invisible follows you into adulthood it does not end in high school because if someone was to invent something new and helpful and it became a success a very few people would know who invented the item, and that’s because the name of the person is not gloried as much as the creation. â€Å"Ignoring intellectuals both in both in school and later on in life crushes its victims. † (Grant . Chapter 57 pg. 694) When I was younger my parents always scolded at me, â€Å"you have to get an education, and if you don’t you will be jobless and out on the streets! And I would always reply back, â€Å"Then why do alot of football players and majority of the actors do and didn’t even finish high school. Wh y do they make more than people who actually graduated college? † That question is always in the back of my mind. â€Å" Why do people who spend years in school make minimum wage but the people who are actors or rappers make billions of dollars and barely have any education?. † That’s a question I always wanted to ask but no one, not even my parents, seem to have the answer.Personally I think teachers should make the most since they are ones who actually teach everyone; including the doctors, nurses and firefighters. But it seems like everything is backwards: Instead the actors making billions and trillions, it should be the people who save like firefighters and doctors. I never quite understood it but what’s to understand. I was never into popularity like my peers were because I was brought up on being the â€Å"Smart kid† and don’t be a statistic. Related essay: Example Essay: How to Study SmartMy parents believed if you joined tons of clubs in middle school and in high school you get good grades in all the four years you were in high school then you would go to an excellent University and live comfortable for the rest of your life. My parents encouraged me to be â€Å"The nerd. † Don’t fit in! But like Grant mentioned in his essay that nerds are never gloried as much as the football players. Even thou I wasn’t into popularity I still wanted to be acknowledged for my intellectuality which was belittled.But wanting to â€Å"fit in† in high school was common, no one wants the title â€Å"nerds†, because if you are a nerd then you are never asked out, never invited to any parties or have any friends just because you are a nerd. â€Å"Nerds† are excluded from social activity because of their label, and that label in turn intensifies through the resulting lack of social contact. † (Gr ant Penrod) It could be due to the media because majority broadcast you don’t have to be smart to be successful.And if you look on the internet and see how much doctors make verses singers it is a big difference. I am not saying all singers or rappers didn’t go to school or/and they are not smart, but some do not have doctorates and make 80,000 a day. Lawyers don’t even make that much and they been in school for years. For being in school all those years you would think it would pay off. If I were a kid now I would think,† why go to school if I could just become a rapper or a singer and make more than people who actually go to school for years? That is the way a lot of teenagers are thinking; about dropping out of high school because a lot of my guy friends are dropouts because they are noticing rappers are making more than people who graduated colleges. â€Å"Most people affected by the media are teenagers† (Grant Penrod). But that is because a lot of teenagers do what they call â€Å"what’s in†. If smoking is cool then majority of the teens will do it just because everyone is doing it . Some nerds will also go that far just to â€Å"fit in†. But fitting in does not guarantee automatically popularity.I think you don’t have to hide your intellectuality for other people benefits, it’s not a handicap. It’s a gift that should be spread like a virus and acted upon on. You never know you may change someone life, you might inspire a drop-out to go back to school and get a degree because that is what we need in our society. Everyone is forgetting how important knowledge is and going for the short cut in life. Being someone helpful in the future requires enriching your knowledge; not just by improving it. When you enrich your knowledge you are improving for a better future; not just yours the generation next.

Practice week Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Practice week - Assignment Example The evaluation and designing of data gathering tools has resulted in the collection of the following data on the problem of physical inactivity among the youths. The United Kingdom department of Health and Human Services recommends that young people between the ages of 18-25 should participate in at least sixty minutes of physical activity. However, this is not usually the case because only 18% of young people within this age are those who are active physically. 29 % of young people of this age have a record of attending physical education only in institutions of learning while the rest do not attend any form of physical fitness exercise (Humphreys & Ruseski, 2007, p. 541). Lack of physical activity affects academic achievement of a person such as concentration and attentiveness in classroom. 34% of academic mischievous individuals results due to lack of physical activity. According to Humphreys and Ruseski (2007, p. 544), physical inactivity influences overweight and obesity and increases the risks of one getting diabetes, high cholesterol, asthma, high blood pressure, poor health status and arthritis. Over 60 % of deaths and diagnose cases of the above conditions among affected individual has its roots from lack of physical activity. Physical inactivity influences and raises the chances of a person dying prematurely, developing diabetes, dying of heart diseases and colon cancer (Humphreys & Ruseski, 2007, p. 545). 58 % of problems and general deaths in hospitals arising from the above conditions have their causes traced from physical inactivity. From the data gathering and information collection, 77% percent of individuals between ages 18 and 25 years reported not to have participated in a free-time physical activity during the previous fourteen days. Instead, only 15.1% have participated in not more than sixty minutes of any

Management 4330 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Management 4330 - Research Paper Example This strengthens my confidence to put the best in my work as well as offering encouragement to improve my skills. I rank among the top as compared to other students who undertook this exercise. Being in the first quartile did not surprise me as I am aware of my positive abilities affecting my work and those around me. My capability of organizing people according to their skills is on the higher side. I know how to assign roles to different people according to how well they can perform them. Identifying the areas they are competent in as well as their strengths and weaknesses. This is among my strong points that make a competent manager. Secondly, is that I am able to generate multiple solutions for solving a problem rather than depending on just one way of tackling a problem. I take time to go through the best solutions for a problem after studying it rather than just offering one temporary solutions that will only be short term. However, the above data shows areas that I need to improve on. I take this positively as this is a way of improving myself in how I work and relate with other people. I use too many positive comments even where negative comments are of essence. This is can be an encouragement for some people might to take advantage of the situation and present substandard work because they know they will not get negative comments (Lussier 60). I should tell it like it is and give negative comments where necessary. This will make people work hard and present quality work as nobody wants to look like a failure in his or her job. Another area I need to improve on according to this survey is encouraging people to develop their strengths rather than just overcoming weaknesses. This way people will be independent in the decisions they make, and also improve on the quality of their skills. Compared to other associates, my skills of good

Property law Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Property law - Case Study Example Thus, so long as the disseisor physically possess the land, and gained entry into the land without the permission of the owner, and has been using the land appropriately according to its resources and location, and also fulfilling the statutory duties regarding the property such as paying taxes, rates and rent for a reasonable period of time, then the disseisor has the right to the ownership of the property, without compensation to the rightful owner (Martin, 102). In this case, as the legal attorney, I would advise Barney to give up claims on the property as a legal advice, since the 2o years settled by Ernest on the land, and the consequent use and development allows him the right of ownership, under the concept of adverse possession, and tell him that God will reward him otherwise, as a spiritual advice, since his action would amount to helping others, which is a fundamental spiritual principle. The second issue regarding the move by the authorities to take over the beach house ow ned by Barney for the sake of developing the property as the â€Å"Future home of the Nickelodeon Family Resort†, can be pitched on the legal concept of Eminent Domain. ... y the authorities can then be developed for public utilities or economic generation projects, as long as the projects are undertaken to meet the public interest such as employment, providing basic services or availing a rare service to the region where the property is being has been taken over. Under the concept of Eminent Domain, the law provides that the rightful owner of the property that has been taken over by the state or other government agencies should be granted a just value compensation (Paul, 47). The law interprets just value to mean the prevailing fair market value. Therefore, considering the fact that the property owned by Barney is being taken over by the relevant government authorities in the best interest of the public, such as to create employment opportunities, then, the course is justifiable, under the legal concept of Eminent Domain. Therefore, as the attorney advising Barney on legal matters, I would recommend that he receives the due compensation being offered a s per the fair market value. Additionally, on the spiritual perspective, it would also be in line with the spiritual principle of sharing what an individual has with others, since the property will be applied in a way that would benefit many through service provision and employment creation. Therefore, it would be spiritually correct for Barney to allow the take-over of the property. On the third issue where Barney’s vehicle was stolen by Carl and then sold to a car dealer, the circumstances can be drawn from the legal concept of Good Faith Purchasers for Value. This concept defines a Good Faith Purchaser for Value, as an individual or party that purchases a property from another party, and gives value in exchange of that asset, without the due knowledge of adverse claims to that asset

Saint Thomas Aquinas Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Saint Thomas Aquinas - Research Paper Example The influence of Thomas Aquinas on Western philosophy and thought is undeniable. This is demonstrated from the fact that a considerable portion of modern philosophy has been conceived either as an agreement to or a reaction to the ideas of Thomas Aquinas. This is particularly true when the areas of ethics, metaphysics, natural law and political theory in modern Western philosophy and thought are explored. For these reasons and others, the Catholic Church has designated Thomas Aquinas as the model teacher for anyone studying for priesthood (Davies, 2004). Saint Thomas Aquinas is best known for his Summa Theologica and Summa Contra Gentiles and is one of the thirty three Doctors of the Catholic Church. Furthermore he is considered as the greatest philosopher and theologian available to the Catholic Church and his services have been recognized on a number of occasions. This text will explore the ideas of Saint Thomas Aquinas within the domain of philosophy and will compare them to other more modern thinkers to gauge their standing. 2. Philosophy Saint Thomas Aquinas is considered as a Scholastic philosopher (Jordan, 2006) as well as a theologian by the thinkers who came after him. Within his life, Saint Thomas Aquinas did not consider himself to be a philosopher and was highly critical of philosophers. He considered philosophers as pagans for always â€Å"falling short of the true and proper wisdom to be found in Christian revelation† (Davies, 2004). Keeping this in context, the works of Saint Thomas Aquinas show limited reverence for Aristotle who is simply referred to as â€Å"the Philosopher† in the Summa. The majority of his works reflects on various philosophical issues and so it can be considered as a work of philosophy. As mentioned before, the ideas of Saint Thomas Aquinas have had great effect on subsequent Christian theology in general and on the Roman Catholic Church’s theology in particular. This influence has borne its mark clearl y on subsequent Western philosophy and thought in general. Through his works, Saint Thomas Aquinas has stood for change in the traditions of Aristotelianism and Neo-Platonism. Saint Thomas Aquinas penned several significant commentaries on Aristotle such as Nicomachean Ethics, On the Soul and Metaphysics. These works are associated in large part with William of Moerbeke’s translations of the works of Aristotle from Greek to Latin. 2.1. Epistemology Saint Thomas Aquinas was a staunch believer of divine help required for garnering human intellect without which he believed that human beings would remain limited in knowledge. He states (Jones, 2010): "...that for the knowledge of any truth whatsoever man needs divine help, that the intellect may be moved by God to its act." However it must be stressed that these ideas were limited to garnering further knowledge as per Saint Thomas Aquinas. On the other hand his ideas relate that human beings had an innate capacity to know various things without the need for special divine revelation. Still he contended that such divine revelation occurred from time to time (Aquinas, 2005): "...especially in regard to such (truths) as pertain to faith." Hence it may be surmised that Saint Thomas Aquinas contended that human beings knew of many things around them from innate capacity while matters pertaining to faith could only be advanced through divine revelation. However this stands in stark contrast to the ideas presented by later Western philosophers and

Media Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Media Response - Essay Example Reality check, they too are humans. Thus the world has to start treating them equally. In a contest they too can lose I mean do they always have to win? Amazingly, Asians are considered superheroes. But yet are they? Based on the short film by Chris Tashima and Tom Donaldson, about Sempo Sugiwara, who risked his live going against the most powerful institution in a country- The Government, just to save people he had no blood relations with. Hero or no hero it’s the perfect show of humanity. A war is not only fought using guns and swords alone, the brevity displayed in the film the Lil Tokyo Presenter shows how a single individual can make law his tool of war and use it to liberate his people (the Japanese) from the chaining bonds of the American law. I find this interesting as all the efforts bore fruits much greater than he anticipated. In the modern world, Asian Americans have been integrated in the society. They are rarely segregated as they can walk the talk in a whole different way than anyone expects! The best part is that they always stick together. My friend told a joking story when an Asian guy broke up with his American girlfriend only to hook up with an Asian American girl. This got me thinking how Asians stick and stay together like a pack of wolves! Harm one face all that’s their motto I presume. Asian Americans embrace all cultures but mostly cling to the Asian side a bit more. Anyway who can blame them? Asian culture is diverse and unique. From the food and spices all the way to martial arts there is a lot to share and discover. Personally is more into their fashion and mode of dressing. Their taste is just unarguable. As in the film Model Minority, we see that Asian Americans are depicted as going through struggles in the 21st century. The new generation of Asian Americans is faced with family drama such as parents forcing their kids to do hard subjects such as science or math. This has in turn led to the kids rebelling and dropping out

Money and Banking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Money and Banking - Essay Example One of the shortcomings of an economy with a fixed exchange rate is that monetary policy cannot be utilized to stimulate the economy, although an economy with a floating exchange rate like the U.S. can employ monetary policy to stimulate economic growth. The macroeconomic shock, interest rates in the domestic economy fluctuate with respect to foreign interest rates. For instance, when there is an expansionary monetary policy, it will cause interest rate to decline in the domestic economy, as a result, domestic investors will have an opportunity to invest in the foreign market that will cause a capital account deficit and cause the exchange rate to decrease. The monetary growth causes a raise in domestic income that in turn causes an increase in imports and a current account deficit. When the domestic money supply increases in the foreign market because of an increase in imports and net capital outflows, it leads to depreciation of the domestic currency due to the weak association between supply and demand. The decline in the exchange rate will cause domestic capital to be attractive for foreign investors and the domestic economy will start to draw foreign investment as the exchange rate declines until the BOP equals zero that lead t o interest rate parity . 1b The BOP factors that affect the supply for domestic currency in the foreign economies are a raise in imports and an increase in capital outflows in search of higher rates of return. These factors lead to a BOP deficit in the domestic economy and are frequently affected by expansionary monetary policy that causes a decrease in the domestic interest rate. 1C Increase in exports and an increase in capital inflows where foreign investors are in search of higher rates of return in the domestic economy are factors that affect the demand for domestic currency in the foreign economies. In addition, if the domestic economy cause an increase of exports, it indicate that domestic goods are relatively less expensive compared to foreign goods. Consequently, foreigners will demand more domestic currency as they import compared to domestic exports. When, the domestic rate of returns is more in respect to foreign economies, there will be a raise in demand for the domestic currency, as foreign i nvestors will require domestic currency to buy domestic capital. 2A Based on flexible exchange rates and relatively responsive capital flows, we can establish that any fluctuate in the capital financial account will be greater in magnitude than fluctuate in the capital account. Thus, the EE curve will be flat compared to the LM curve. A fiscal expansion causes IS curve to shifts up and to the right that lead to increase of interest rates and output (y) .The increase in interest rates lead to increase of inflow of KA and a demand for domestic currency in magnitude than the CA deficit affected by increase in revenues that in turn increases imports relative to exports. This causes a BOP surplus that causes the exchange rate to appreciate and lead to shift of the EE curve up and to the left. The exchange rate will appreciate to the point where the BOP comes back to equilibrium. When exchange rate appreciates, the rate of return on domestic capital gets smaller due to diminishing margina l returns, which will reduce the rate of capital inflows to the domestic econ

The Plan of Marching of the Poor of Martin Luther King Junior Coursework

The Plan of Marching of the Poor of Martin Luther King Junior - Coursework Example 1968 was a year with both good and bad occurrences.   Good because it was the year when Martin Luther King Junior had led the plan of marching of the poor. Luther had intended to mobilize the poor in America to move to Washington on a campaign he dabbed Poor People’s Campaign. At the beginning of 1968, King had been able to travel widely so that he could get more and more support from the poor in America.   In his quest, King intended to bring broad and mixed racial together for a common course, a move that worked in uniting Americans for a common purpose at a time when racism was at its height in United States of America. King was advancing his argument to the wider American poor community with reference to how America had treated the majority poor badly without exposing them to resources to make them productive in the society. King had addressed matters that he believed were ailing America as at that time. He pointed racism, poverty and war as the main problems of America. Specifically, he had condemned the involvement of America with the Vietnam war and described the war as the most unjust war that America had involved itself with. The year was bad because in the same period when King was planning for the march, he was murdered. This made it had for the march to continue successfully. Led by Ralph Abernathy, the march went ahead but it was described as a failure. The march had been marred with rain. The media had given it a wide berth and the congress ignored the event.

Manipulation techniques Essay Example for Free

Manipulation techniques Essay Richard is generally a callous person who shows no remorse to anyone or any action. He is duplicitous, manipulative, deceiving. He counter argues, compliments, quickly responds and twists peoples words.  Towards women, he is a different man. He is a very good actor and uses this as an advantage. He normally showers them with compliments and manipulates them.  In act 1 scene 2, Richard is put to the test of making Anne agree to marry him. This would prove difficult, as Richard has killed Annes husband and father-in-law. He compliments her in this scene so much, to pacify her. At this stage, Anne is angry and will not listen to him. For Richard to actually persuade her to marry him would be quite difficult. This is where his manipulation techniques come in. Nay, do not pause: for I did kill King Henry-but twas thy beauty that provokes me. Nay, now dispatch twas I that stabbed young Edward but twas thy heavenly face that set me on. This speech from Richard puts Anne in a very difficult position. She ha a sword in her hand, and he is in a vulnerable position. Anne knows he is a murderer and will feel petrified. This is how he manipulates her, Throughout the scene, there is a certain stichomythia. Where Anne makes fun of Richard and then Richard instantly responds about her beauty. He does not hesitate. Would it were mortal poison, for thy snake!, Never came poison from so sweet a place. He is responding very quickly and does not give up.  Richard says he killed her husband because of her beauty: Your beauty was the cause of this defect. He is saying she is so beautiful that he had to kill her husband so she could be free to marry him. He is trying to make out that she is responsible for her husbands death because he wants to make her feel guilty if she feel guilty, she will be even more vulnerable. He also uses very romantic language your beauty that did haunt me in my sleep. He knows women like to be called beautiful and telling her he killed because of her beauty emphasises how beautiful he finds her. Despite Annes initial hostility, Richards persuasive skills win her over. He is so effective that he makes Anne think Richard has become penitent who is honest and show remorse.  In act 4 scene 4, Richard talks to Elizabeth in a different tone in contrast to Anne. He doesnt shower her with compliments but he gives her ideas of thoughts that could be achieved if she agrees to make her daughter marry him.  Richard acts very innocent towards Elizabeth as if he has done nothing wrong. You speak as if that I had slain my cousins. He is trying to make Elizabeth think that Richard is calm, gentle and caring instead of malicious and cruel. Richard talks to Elizabeth a lot about advantages for Richard marrying her daughter: I do intend to make her queen of England. This would mean Elizabeth would be the queens mother.But mine shall be a comfort to your age. This means they will have children and she will be a grandmother and have a family again.  When Elizabeth sarcastically goes over all the ways he has hurt her family, Richard says, You mock me, madam. This is not the way to win your daughter. Richard answers simply and directly because he does not know what else to say. Faced with Elizabeths bitter sarcasm Richard is no longer being clever, witty and cynical. For the first time, he has met someone who can be more sarcastic than him and he doesnt know how to answer her. She is not frightened of him, so he cannot threaten her and, in any case, he needs her help to marry her daughter. He realises he cant get anywhere with her by being so clever, so he decides to persuade her by talking about what she will get out of allowing him to marry her daughter: wealth, status, grandchildren, he son allowed to return from exile. For the first time in the play, he has to treat someone as an equal.  Richards treatment of Anne in the first extract is different to the treatment of Elizabeth in the second in several ways: He showers Anne with compliments; he talks to Elizabeth about advantages of her daughter marring him; his conversation to Anne is a lot faster and rapid than the one to Elizabeth.

Value Chain And Supply Chain Analysis Commerce Essay

Value Chain And Supply Chain Analysis Commerce Essay The definition of value chain analysis includes evaluation of business activities which impacts the companys competitive strength. Delivering a product on time is the result of multiple business processes working perfectly to create a Value Chain that leads a firm greater profit over costs (Dess, Lumpkin, Eisner, 2007). There are two main value chain activities in the organizations. The first one is primary activities which could directly add value for the final products, for instance, marketing and sales, operations, service and etc. The second one is support activities which could support the effective of primary activities, for example, the infrastructure, Human Resources Management, technology and etc. (Campbell, 2002) All these departments work together to produce the companys profit. In the race for global domination, the components of this value chain have to be optimized   on a worldwide scale, at all levels of the corporation Global Headquarters, Regional Headquarters, a nd country level, as well as within the critical product portfolios, regions, and countries that the companies operate in. (Johnson, 2008) 2.1.1 The Value-Chain activities for the industry and FedEx Corporation Transportation is one of the largest industries in the world, and its sector range is very wide which include taxis, truck, train, ships, barges, airplanes, pipelines, warehouse and logistics service. For the industry, the three main trends were globalization of business, information technology development and new technology to support process efficient, and the market demand for more value-added. Hence, the companies in transportation and logistics industry depend on the global network of distribution centres to gain quick payment cycle and cheaper resources. In FedEx Corporation, as a leader firm in the industry, its centralized structures have always required, and facilitated billion dollar investments in IT and established the website from 1994. It provided a successful technology for the FedEx Corporation as a pioneer in the whole industry for e-business. This strategy became an advantage that they used to undermine their competitors strengths and localized customer service. Wit h a globally connected IT network, FedEx was able to leverage their IT advantage to service their corporate accounts on a global basis, rather than on a country by country basis. With the best HR system in the business, FedEx also has had an active strategic procurement optimization initiative that has been adopted by the rest of the industry, producing savings in excess of millions of dollars, straight to the bottom line. The most important part of the value chain is found in the senior management of these companies. FedEx has had stable, strong teams running the critical components of the value chain and the associated departments. (Latinamericanlogistics.org, 2009) For further support activities of infrastructure, in the early years, most companies developed on buying space on commercial airlines or contracting their shipment to the third parties. However, FedEx emphasize on creating its own fleet, the strategy could effectively reduce the cost of business process, increase the dependability and speed of delivery and improve the length of order cycle. Furthermore, for solving the transportation volume growth slow down, the FedEx Corporation reorganized in the year of 2000, its five subsidiary companies could operate independently but compete collectively in the industry. 2.1.2 The core activities for the industry and FedEx Corporation Global Transportation and Logistics Industry as the service industry, its core activity of value chain should be the service. The companies should compete on customer segmentation, pricing and quality of service. In the industry, USP was the largest company for transportation. Most companies should emphasize on reducing the cost, well-managed logistics operation could effective reduce the length of order cycle and relieve the stress of cash flow. FedEx Corporation was introduced as federal Express to the early marketplace. At that time, the company fought to a new logistics method, which was overnight delivery. It succeeded and well done enough for their competitors in the market and bring more interesting to the logistics market. The most interesting thing is that FedEx provides fast delivery services which has been named as FedEx Ground. This service provides the delivery day in 2-3 days and within a less expensive cost to every shipper. On the other side, FedExs value chain is embedding into Ground, Cargo and other divisions. At first time when company talking about FedEx ground, the companys president and CEO (Frederick, 2008) indicated that the decision to split Ground apart was to Broaden and deepen FedExs product line, in order to take advantage of customer focus, and the scale of the market. In the package business of FedEx Ground, it includes low value products which dont need to be at final destination because of the short package time of FedEx Express. Smith (2006) announced the model is taken from 3M Company, which has 250 separate operating companies, each of which is focused on a specific market segment. According the figure 1, FedEx had specific objectives and strategies in every Value-chain activities. Figure 2 FedEx value chain activities (Source: http://www.fedex.com/us/about/today/mission) 2.2 Supply Chain Management Analysis Supply Chain Management is the monitor and management of materials, information, and finances, as those elements move in a process from supplier to manufacturer to wholesaler to retailer to consumer (SearchManufacturing.com, 2007). For running the full range of products and services, companies rely on SCM expedient procedures and techniques to move goods. I.e. FedEx promise the fast delivery within the less expensive cost. FedEx is in the business of providing businesses the ability to manage their supply chains. In the Global Transportation and Logistics Industry, the stage of supply-chain should be from supplier, inbound, manufacturing, order management to the outbound. For the whole process, the companies should have effective management on inventory management, warehouse management, the purchasing process, the product distribution, transportation and the customer service. (Lynch, 2006) In FedEx Corporation, it has advanced management system in each process. The figure 2 shows that the different management system utilization in FedExs supply chain management. For instance, the Customer Oriented Service and Management Operating System is one of unique system in FedEx Corporation which could integrate the information of goods shipping and the information about the mode of transportation. Besides, the Global Resources for Information Distribution which launched in 1998 could improve the quality and quantity of their delivery. Furthermore, its Global Inventory Visibility System, Inventory Mana gement System, Transportation Management System Enterprise Resources Planning, Customer Clearance System are all forceful supporting for every steps in the supply-chain management. Figure 2, FedEx solution in the supply chain process. (Source: Case study of FedEx) In one word, FedEx Corporation could always catch the demand and changing needs quickly and effectively in the industry, their leader strategies in value-chain activities and supply-chain management could perfectly support the company to achieve its core value and take the leadership position in the Global Transportation and Logistics Industry. 3. Mergers and Acquisitions in Global Transportation and Logistics Industry and FedEx Corporation Mergers and Acquisitions (MA) refers to the aspect of corporate strategy, corporate finance and management dealing with the buying, selling and combining of different companies that can aid, finance, or help a growing company in a given industry grow rapidly without having to create another business entity. (Lynch, 2006) A merger make the shareholders of the organizations come together to share the resources for enlarging the organization and the all the old shareholders in the merger will become the shareholders in the new organization. (Campbell, 2002) But the acquisition is one organization buying and subsuming the unequal partners. The shares in the smaller company will be bought by the large one. (Ansoff, 1988) With the development of human society, economic globalization is increasingly clear that MA between companies has become a common thing, but a deal is not as simple as writing the word and its connotation of far beyond the superficial meaning, and thus a correct understan ding of mergers and acquisitions are particularly important. 3.1 The MA in the industry and evaluation Apparently, it has both benefits and limitations for MA in the Global Transportation and Logistics Industry. From the view of advantages, firstly, the MA could increase the market share in the whole industry. I.e. the DHL acquired Airborne Express to increase its market share in ground delivery market. (Lyne, 2003) Secondly, it could reduce the competition in the market. Thirdly, it could gain preferential access for the distribution channels. For instance, FedEx acquired the UK express company called ANC for improve the distribution channels in the UK. (Business Wire, 2006) Moreover, MA may help the company develop the new products or exploit product ranges for searching more opportunities in the market of Global Transportation and Logistics Industry, this method will be much quicker than the organization to launch it from the beginning step. Besides, the MA could help the company to gain new production and information technology for reducing the cost, improve the quality and differ entiation of their products. For example, FedEx acquired Caliber Systems in 1998. Moreover, the company could entre in a new market by MA. For instances, Amazon.com purchase the joyo.com in China for the Chinese distribution market. (uk.reuters.com, 2004) Additionally, the MA in the Global Transportation and Logistics Industry may enhance the awareness and reputation in the market, especially for the company may under the alleged misdemeanour. Last but not least, the MA could support the companies in Global Transportation and Logistics Industry to achieve asset strip which means break up an acquired company and recovering more than the price paid by selling the parts separately. (Campbell, 2002) On the other side, the MA in the Global Transportation and Logistics Industry also have limitations and potential problems. The main factors of integrations failure could be summarize in the following six elements. The first one is lack of research for the conditions of the target company. Hence, it could not achieve the expectation after the integration. The second factor is the cultural inappropriate between the two parties. The third issue is the two parties lacking of communications before of after the integration. Another failure factor is that loss of key personnel in the target company after the MA performance. Furthermore, a potential problem is the over paying for the acquired company lead the acquiring company to get into the financial risk. The last issue for MA in the Global Transportation and Logistics Industry is assuming that the growth in the market is uncertain which include the market trend, economic trend and etc. 3.2 Evaluation of FedEx acquisition of Caliber System To evaluate the success or failure for FedEx Corporation acquired Caliber Systems in 1998 should also form the different points of view. From the positive side, the company use $88 million acquired the Caliber System, Inc., it could provide the company a powerful technical support on Internet commercial at that time. In the period, the e-commercial was on the development stage in the Global Transportation and Logistics Industry, the long-term investment and acquisition of Caliber System made the FedEx Corporation own the abilities and opportunities to be the pioneer and leader in this area. According to summary of benefits for MA, The strategy helped FedEx Corporation entre a new market, broaden the business range, develop the new product and also gain new information technology. From the result, after the acquisition, in the following year, the company had an excellent performance, the net income increased 30 per cent and posting record earning risen 73 per cent. (Gelis, 1999) However, as the passage of time, the competition in the market became more intense, despite of the e-tailing and electric commerce supporting, the report shown that both the volume and the income have a negative trend. From the view of financial report, the result had an obvious falling. This condition was cause of several factors. Firstly, the fuel pricing jumping was unexpected, it will increase the cost for the company. Secondly, it also meant the Caliber System did not blend in the organization completely. The organization was enormous, the operation was complicated, hence, just acquisition strategy without well association could not make the new party perform perfectly. For solving the problems, the FedEx Corporation announced reorganization on 19, Jan, 2000. Consequently, it is hard to simply judge whether success or failure for the acquisition of Caliber System. The acquisition brought benefits, opportunities and also new operation method for FedEx Corporation. The negative result in the following years was also cause of multiple factors, i.e. the competition in the industry, the fuel price rapid rising and etc. 4. FedExs financial and non-financial performance in the Internet and e-tailing market The popular using of Internet has changed most business in the world. The utilization of Internet improved the structure of organization, the collection, saving and dealing with data and information management. Furthermore, it also provided the opportunity for companies increase the awareness and sale channels in the market. FedEx Corporation created its own website form 1994, it is the first step and basis for the company to develop its e-commerce. FedEx.com is the first transportation website which could accept the one line order for package tracking and allow the customers to transact the business by Internet. Both shippers and recipients could access shipping information and print documentation via Internet. As the pioneer in the industry, FedEx should continually improve their system and service due to its competitor also created the Internet service and Internet software. For instance, the DHL launched the website in 1995(Exelby, 2000), UPS spent billions on IT and electronic commerce (Blackmon, 1999). The express transportation associated with e-tailing would reach $7 billion in the year of 2000, but FedEx only handled with 10 percent of purchase on-line goods. All of these brought heavy pressure to FedEx. In 1998, the company paid more than $2 billions to acquire the Caliber System, Inc. to incre ase the abilities and power on Internet service and e-tailing. (Payne, 1997) Because of the large potential market and lower cost, the Internet and e-tailing market was continually enlarging in the Global Transportation and Logistics Industry. To evaluate the performance of FedEx in Internet and e-tailing market should be from the view of five performance objectives. (Slack, 2007) Firstly, from the view of cost, FedEx as the first one for Internet and e-tailing in the Global Transportation and Logistics Industry, it focused on long-term investment on IT and led the company to have the specific position in the area. For the intense competition, the company paid more than $2 millions to purchase Caliber System. It could effectively increase their market share in business-to-consumer delivery service. Hence, the investment partly made up the weakness against with UPS. Secondly, flexibility, the Internet service and e-tailing provide the convenience for the customers, increase a easy and quick channel for the transportation and e-tailing business. For instance, i n the year of 1999, FedEx Marketplace created a link to the on-line shopping, the on-line shopper could click to the top on-line stores and with FedEx delivery. Thirdly, dependability, the establishing of the website enhanced the dependability between the organization and customers. The computer system supported the customers to know their goods conditions in the whole delivery process. For example, the company created software called FedEx Virtual Order in 1999 which provide Internet order and also provide the customers catalogues for them on the website. Moreover, the IT system also enhanced the internal management of FedEx Corporation. For the enormous organization, the dependable information system should be the basis for the busy operation process. (I.e. in 1995, FedEx launched AsiaOne Network, it is a transportation routing system) Fourthly, speed, for the transportation and logistics industry, speed is one of the crucial elements for the customers choosing a transportation co mpany. The online order and the unique information system in FedEx deal with the order and storage, goods and shipping process, every process could reduce the time than before. For example, the FedEx Marketplace provided easy access to on-line merchants to offer fast FedEx shipping. Last but not least, quality, all of the strategies and performances about Internet and e-tailing could be linked to improve the quality providing for the customers and partners. For instance, the FedEx created e-business Tool in the year of 1997 which could support an easier connection with FedEx shipping applications. And the EuroOne network established also provide a powerful transportation routing system which linking more than 30 cities. All of this would enhance the service quality of FedExs Internet and e-tailing. Consequently, the FedEx had an explicit objective in the Internet and e-tailing market, for both financial and non-financial performance of organization in this area was focus on achieving their objective. For the customers and partners, FedEx try to provide more flexible, convenient, fast service by the Internet and e-tailing channel, created dependable and loyal relationships with them and build a perfect reputation in the market. For the own organization, it insisted on long-term investment on Internet and e-tailing area, it would lead to earn a long-term benefits. Besides, the organization continually emphasized on the infrastructure building and technology improvement, to create a dependable operation system and transportation team which could support the smooth operation in Internet and e-tailing market. All of these performances lead the development of FedEx. It could not satisfy only by the pioneer of Internet business in the Global Transportation and Logistics Industry but t ry to be the long-term leadership in this market. 5. Conclusion As has been discussed and evaluated, the Global Transportation and Logistics Industry as a significant industry in the world, the competition is intense and its changes is large and rapid. For the main organization in the industry, such as FedEx Corporation, should have clear objectives in its long-term operation and management. It includes the right decisions in the value-chain activities the specific process in the supply-chain management. Furthermore, the company should have a penetrating judgment for the marketing trend in the following years and according the judgment and other factors provide a right decision for Merger and Acquisition strategies. Additionally, the organizations should also focus on the infrastructure building, enhance the performance in their operation and management process. Internet market should still play a significant role in the Global Transportation and Logistics Industry and its potential benefit is enormous. Hence, to gain the leadership position in t he Internet and E-commerce area may lead the organization to take the leadership in the Global Transportation and Logistics Industry.

Hate Crimes Should NOT be Punished Differently than Other Crimes Essay

Hate Crimes Should NOT be Punished Differently than Other Crimes Hate crimes should not be punished differently than other crimes. The actual crime should be punished, not the reasoning behind it. The idea of punishing crimes differently based on victims might make some people or groups feel that others are more protected or valued than they are. The concept of punishing crimes differently because of motive is senseless, unnecessary, and an injustice. Again, the actual crime should be punished not the reasoning behind it. Murder is murder, robbery is robbery, rape is rape, regardless of motive. For example, Person A and Person B both assault innocent people. But while beating the life out of his victim, Person B calls him a "Nigger." His crime is considered a hate crime. Consequently, his crime will receive harsher punishment. Despite why the crime took place, the point is that a crime took place. No matter why the victim is chosen, he or she was still harmed, the family is still going to grieve, and someone must be punished. Whether a person is killed for money or drugs or out of hate or prejudice, the fact still remains that he or she has been killed. With hate crime laws, the hate is being looked at, more so than the crime itself. Even though hate is a terrible thing to have in your heart, all Americans have the right to hate whatever or who ever they want. Besides, if officials start punishing hate or unholy thoughts, they mi ght as well make a new category of crime— thought crime. If this line of thinking were acted upon, then half of America would be behind bars. As stated above, the idea of punishing crimes differently based on the victim might make some people or groups feel as if others are more prot... ...ce about committing a crime. But lawmakers failed to see that this is the point of any law. Look at how much crime this country has. That is part of the reason why many states reinstated the death penalty—because people were supposed to think twice about committing crimes. Obviously, these laws are not doing their job. The government reported 97 executions this year alone, up from 68 in 1998 and 74 executions in 1997 (Johnson 1). Officials should rethink their strategies. If laws already exist for a certain crime, regardless of whether or not it is a hate crime, then those laws should be used. Laws should not be changed to fit individual situations. In conclusion, hate crimes should be punished no differently than other crimes. The effects are the same. The crime is basically the same. The family experiences the same trauma and the punishment should be the same.

Sexual Selection and Sexual Conflict Essay -- Mating Biology

Charles Darwin characterized sexual selection as â€Å"variance in the number of mates†. The purpose of sexual selection is to perfect the secondary sexual characteristics, which are the morphological differences between the two sexes. On the other hand the primary sexual characteristics are the differences between the reproductive genital systems of the two sexes. Sexual selection instead of adapting the individual to the environment, like natural selection, it does enhance traits involved in mate acquisition. Sexual conflict, on the other hand, occurs when males and females have different reproductive interests and deriving from the urge of sexual reproduction. This is boosted by promiscuity when males and females have several partners. (www1, www2, www4) Futuyma (1998) defines sexual selection as â€Å"selection that arises from differences in the mating success (number of mates that bear offspring)†. Sexual struggle can be divided into two categories. The first category is the struggle between individuals of the same sex (generally males) in order to be victorious against their rival by killing it or make it retreat. In this category the females remain passive. The second category is the struggle between individuals of the same sex but this time this happens in order to attract individuals of the opposite sex. There are also some theories for the existence of sexually selected traits. There is the intrasexual selection, in which males compete aggressively with each other for access to the females. It includes weapons such as horns, antlers, tusks and spurs, which are examples of sexual dimorphism. Weapons are mainly male characteristics and some possible explanations for their existence are: protection against predators, used for co... ...he same sex as they compete for mates and also between the sexes as individuals choose their partners. Sexual conflict arises because strategies that maximize the fitness of one sex can reduce the fitness of the other. To sum up, sexual conflict can lead to sexually antagonistic co-evolution, in which one sex evolves a favorable trait, which is countered by a countering trait in the other sex. (www5, www6) Works Cited †¢ http://www.zoology.ubc.ca/~otto/PopGen500/Discussion3/Overheads.html http://bio.research.ucsc.edu/~barrylab/classes/animal_behavior/SELECT.HTM#anchor460576 : http://aarongoetz.netfirms.com/My%20Articles/SexualConflict-bookreview-atg.pdf†¢ http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/21967.php http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9780470015902.a0003669.pub2/abstract †¢ http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1038/npg.els.0001718/abstract

Contrasting Cultures: Spain and Pakistan

Contrasting Cultures: Spain and Pakistan This paper goes through the cultural differences of two countries, Spain and Pakistan based on four â€Å"culture-driving† factors: food, Religion, Clothing and Language. Culture may differ from country to country, family to family or even individual to individual. Mostly a country has its culture ,according to which the citizens of that country behave respectively. â€Å"A nation’s culture resides in the heart and in the soul of its people† (Mahatma Gandhi) Pakistan, which is officially known as Islamic Republic of Pakistan, follows the Islamic law or Shari’aa.It’s obvious that the main religion of Pakistan is Islam. About 96% of the population are Muslims ,out of which 80% are Sunnis and 20% Shia’’s, 2% are Hindus, less than 1% are Christians and the others are Jews, Sikhs, Ismailis etc (Worldtradepress, 2010). As the majority of Pakistanis are Muslims, and is a huge factor in driving the cult ure of Pakistan, all the citizens engage in the Islamic holidays and festivals for example Eid-ul-Adha, Eid-ul-Fitr and respect the Muslims who are fasting in the Holy Month of Ramadan by not drinking or eating in public.Where Pakistan has a dominant religion as Islam, Spain’s dominant religion is Roman Catholicism which comprises of 94% of the population and the remaining 6% are Muslims, Hindus and Jews (kiwiessential. co. uk, n. d. ) The Catholic Church in Toledo implements instructions on the society, but as the rest of the Europe, Spain has now become a secular country so it literally does not have an official religion. Islam and Arab roots of Spain have been present for about 400 years, however in the modern Spain there are only Muslims which are either converts or immigrants from Morocco.Religion does not have great influence on culture in Spain when compared to Pakistan, even though there are dominant religions and minor religions in both countries. The factor which ma kes a person known is the language they speak. Both countries have different languages, Urdu being the national language of Pakistan and Castilian Spanish being the dominant language of Spain. However the similarity of languages in both countries is that the other languages spoken in the country are based on the region.For example, In Pakistan, Punjabi is spoken in Punjab province, Sindhi in the Sindh province and the other languages like Balochi, Siraiki, Pashtu and others adding upto 12 different languages (Saarctourism. org,n. d) Same is in the case of Spain where Castilian (national language) is spoken in Castile, Galician in Galicia, Basque in Euskardi, Calan and Valencia in Catalonia and Valencian region respectively (kiwiessential. co. uk, n. d). All the languages spoken in Spain are not known to Pakistanis and vice versa. Hence language differentiates the two cultures, and basically defines them.Apart from language, dressing of a person makes the other judge from which count ry he or she belongs to. Spanish people wear semi-conservative but fashionable clothes and the way they dress mostly depends on the weather (Hagerty,J 2012) Women mostly wear modest clothes which do not reveal a lot of skin, They prefer not to wear revealing clothes or sleeveless in public and mostly wear skirts, long pants or loose fitting shirts (Worldtradepress, 2010). However in Pakistan, the clothing is mostly conservative, except for the upper class.Shalwar Kameez is the the national dress of Pakistan which is basically a long shirt and loose pants. As the times now in Pakistan have changed, people over there wear both western and traditional clothes, but wearing sleeveless or short dresses are looked down upon. The trend of Jeans-Kameez is very common in the women now ( Korener S. & Rusell, I. , 2010) However, not wearing Shalwar Kameez by women is still not accepted in many parts of Pakistan and moreover women or girls are expected to wear the most modest clothes and sta y â€Å"covered† as it is a very conservative society as well as a Muslim country.Pakistani clothes are mostly rich in embroidery and full of colours (mapsofworld. com) whereas the people in Spain wear clothes which are mainly made of wool, cotton or leather because of the geographical situation of the country (Hagerty J. , 2012) The clothes worn in the two countries differentiate each other a lot and mostly the Pakistani clothing especially to women is driven by the religion factor. The next culture-driving-factor is food. Food is always different â€Å"regionally† throughout the globe.Pakistani food uses a lot of spices and herbs making it an exquisite cuisine. Lentils are eaten a lot as well as wheat and flour products such as Chapatti, which are like the Mexican Tortillas, are eaten almost daily. The use of clarified butter known as Ghee is widely used in the middle-class and low-class of Pakistanis, however now the people are more health conscious which has reduce d its use in the upper class. Pakistanis are big lovers of pickles and sour pastes called as chutneys which make their food even tastier. Saarctourism. org,n. d) On the other hand, Spain’s food is nothing like that of Pakistan’s. They ate very mild food and mostly have Continental breakfast, a Heavy lunch and a light dinner (Harkins A, 2011). Wine is a must for them during lunch and so are the desserts mainly Black Pudding The lunch is mostly a four course meal with a soup, a fish or egg dish, a meat dish served with vegetables and a dessert mainly a pastry or custard (Porter D, & Prince D, 2004). However the famous dishes vary from city to city in Spain.Due to the Islamic law any kind of alcoholic beverage is not included in Pakistani meals unlike Spain. Rabbit, Chicken and Pork are the main meats eaten in Spain (expatfocus. com, n. d. ) whereas in Pakistan ,due to Islamic law Pork is not allowed, hence chicken, lamb and beef are mostly eaten (saarctourism. org). In conclusion, after reading this paper the clear conclusion which comes is that both the cultures are extremely different. They rarely have any similarity. The main point is that Pakistan’s culture is driven by Religion whereas Spain’s culture is driven by Region!References * Expat Focus, n. d, Spain- Food and Drink, accessed on 5/11/2012, available URL http://www. expatfocus. com/expatriate-spain-food-drink? gclid=CMzKzYuVurMCFSHHtAodmjMA2Q * Hagerty, J 2012, 10 Facts about Clothing in Spain, accessed on 6/11/2012, available URL http://www. travels. com/travel-tips/advice/facts-clothing-spain/ * Harkins, A 2010, Espana, accessed on 6/11/2012, available URL http://dreamweaver. reinhardt. edu/harkins91109/spain-cultures. html * Kiwi essential, n. , Spain Culture Guide: Religion in Spain, accessed 5/11/2012, available URL http://www. kwintessential. co. uk/articles/spain/Spain-culture-guide-Religion-in-Spain/21 * Kiwi essential, n. d, Spain-Language, culture, Customs An d Etiquette, accessed 5/11/2012, available URL http://www. kwintessential. co. uk/resources/global-etiquette/spain-country-profile. html * Koerner, S & Russell, I 2010, Unquiet Pasts,p382-385, Ashgate Publishing Ltd. , accessed on 6/11/2012, URL http://books. google. ae/books? id=7li2jpQgYvAC&pg=PA382&dq=nati

American Retirement Corporation Essay

American Retirement Corporation (ARC) is an operator of senior living communities. The company is a senior living and health care services provider offering a broad range of care and services to seniors, including independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing and therapy services. The company operates around 65 senior living communities in 14 states, with an aggregate unit capacity of approximately 12,900 units and resident capacity of approximately 14,500. Across the United States, the company owns 19 communities, leases 41 communities, and manages five communities pursuant to management agreements. The company operates in three distinct business segments: retirement centers, free standing assisted living communities (ALCs), and management services. The company operates large continuing care and retirement communities (CCRCs) and independent living communities (retirement centers) that provide an array of services, including independent living, assisted living, Alzheimer’s and skilled nursing care. The company’s retirement centers are the largest segment of the company’s business and comprise around 27 of the 65 communities that the company operates, with unit capacity of approximately 8,100, representing approximately 63% of the total unit capacity of the company’s communities. The company’s free standing ALCs provide specialized assisted living care to residents in a comfortable residential atmosphere. Most of the free standing ALs provide specialized care such as Alzheimer’s, memory enhancement and other dementia programs. These communities are designed to provide care in a home-like setting. At each of its free standing ALCs, the company provide personalized care plans for each resident, extensive activity programs, and access to therapy or other services as needed. Jack C. Massey, Dr. Thomas F. Frist, Sr. , and a small group of prominent local businessmen founded American Retirement Corp. in February 1978. Historically, the company operated large CCRCs and independent living communities that provided an array of services, including independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing care in large, often campus style settings. The company formed American Retirement Communities in February 1995, through a combination of certain entities that owned, operated, or managed various senior living communities. American Retirement became a wholly owned subsidiary of American Retirement Communities in February 1997 (Datamonitor, December 2005). ARC began to develop and acquire a number of free-standing assisted living communities in 1999, most of which began operations during 1999 and 2000. In 2001, the company purchased assisted living residences in partnership with CNL Retirement, namely the Broadway Plaza at Pecan Park in Arlington, Texas and the Homewood Residence in Boca Raton, Florida. In Boca Raton, ARC could be availed through the Homewood Residence, a senior community designed to help those who need assistance with daily activities such as bathing, dressing and administering needed medication. According to the Homewood Residence Website, the service they provide is â€Å"just like family†, the extra assistance their clients may need with their daily activities, while helping them maintain the privacy, dignity and independence (Homewood Residence Website). Boca Raton, located in the Palm Beach County, has a healthy economy and wealthy retirees. Its primary growth is relying mainly on the tourism industry. Palm Beach County’s growth, on the other hand, is concentrated in biotechnology, electronics, and computer industries. The largest employers are in the public sector, federal and state government, public schools, and Florida Atlantic University. In Boca Raton, there is also an increased number of older populace. Businesses must deal with the shifts in demands for goods and services brought on by the desires and needs of older consumers (Howell, 1997). The issues facing the delivery of goods and services in general are magnified in the health care arena. Efforts to reach older consumers often are hampered by failure to understand the requirements and preferences of this population. According to the Boca Raton Comprehensive Annual Report (September 2005), the Milken Institute Index listed the Boca Raton market as the fourth in the â€Å"2004 Best Performing Cities Index† in the country for economic strength and job and wage growth. With a shortage of affordable housing, Boca Raton has introduced a workforce housing ordinance and is in the process of developing mixed use options as tools for providing additional housing in areas previously reserved for non residential uses. The Report also proudly states that Boca Raton is the location of several Fortune 500 companies and nearly 3,000 businesses, employing over 38,000 people because of its low taxes, strong employment base, and quality of life, Boca Raton’s business community is thriving (See Table 1). Table 1. Boca Raton’s Top Employers Among the three counties in Florida, Palm Beach has experienced the greatest population growth – in absolute numbers and in population density. It also has the oldest population. According to the 2000 US Census, Palm Beach County has 1,131,184 residents (See Table 2). Residents of Palm Beach County also have a higher per-capita income than in the other two counties. Miami-Dade County is clearly the largest of the three, in geographic size and population. Palm Beach and Broward Counties have similar proportions of their population that are uninsured, approximately 15 percent, and Miami Dade has the highest at 25 percent (Jackson & Beatty, 2003, p. 7). In the issue of income, Boca Raton has a high income per capita. Table 3 provides the data of income distribution by age group and by ethnicity in the year 1999. Table 2. Palm Beach Demographics PALM BEACH COUNTY FL US POPULATION Number Number Number Total population 1,131,184 Square miles (land) 1,974. 11 Population per square mile 573. 01 296. 37 79. 56 GENDER Number Pct Pct Pct Male 546,739 48. 3 48. 8 49. 1 Female 584,445 51. 7 51. 2 50. 9 AGE Number Pct Pct Pct 15 or younger 201,715 17. 8 19. 0 21. 4 16-24 113,057 10. 0 12. 2 13. 9 25-44 305,041 27. 0 28. 6 30. 2 45-64 249,295 22. 0 22. 7 22. 0 65+ 262,076 23. 2 17. 6 12. 4 Number Number Number Average age (years) 42. 55 39. 53 36. 22 RACE AND ETHNICITY Number Pct Pct Pct White 894,207 79. 1 78. 0 75. 1 Black or African American 156,055 13. 8 14. 6 12. 3 American Indian and Alaska native 2,466 0. 2 0. 3 0. 9 Asian 17,127 1. 5 1. 7 3. 6 Native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 692 0. 1 0. 1 0. 1 Some other race 33,709 3. 0 3. 0 5. 5 Two or more races 26,928 2. 4 2. 4 2. 4 Hispanic or Latino 140,675 12. 4 16. 8 12. 5 Sources: U. S. Census Bureau, 2000 Census; ePodunk Note: Hispanic ethnicity is a separate data category from race. This number should not be added to race totals. Table 3. Incomes in 1999 Boca Raton, Florida BOCA RATON FL US MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME BY AGE ($ IN 1999) Number Number Number Median household income 60,248 38,819 41,994 Householder under 25 24,080 22,861 22,679 Householder 25-34 49,871 39,021 41,414 Householder 35-44 73,110 46,291 50,654 Householder 45-54 82,033 50,347 56,300 Householder 55-64 71,315 42,971 47,447 Householder 65-74 52,321 32,398 31,368 Householder 75 and older 43,971 25,085 22,259 PER CAPITA INCOME BY RACE OR ETHNICITY ($) Number Number Number Per capita income 45,628 21,557 21,587 White 48,463 23,919 23,918 Black or African American 16,275 12,585 14,437 Native American 31,123 16,598 12,893 Asian 22,469 20,429 21,823 Native Hawaiian and Pacific islander 13,569 15,251 15,054 Some other race 14,023 11,431 10,813 Two or more races 20,589 13,514 13,405 Hispanic or Latino 25,476 15,198 12,111 Sources: U. S. Census Bureau, 2000 Census; ePodunk Moreover, the Health Care District of Palm Beach County provides a source of funding for low-income residents to gain access to health care coverage and maintains a comprehensive trauma system in Palm Beach County, Florida. Other services include: rehabilitation/long-term care, nurses in public schools, behavioral health professionals in public schools, senior services and children’s health insurance programs (HCDPBC Website). HCD’s mission is to â€Å"maximize the health and well being of Palm Beach County residents by addressing their health care needs and planning for the access and delivery of services. † Health care has become one of the most vibrant sectors of the American economy, frequently a leader in economic growth, and the largest employer. Its research-based medicine focused on the use of pharmaceuticals, mechanical devices, and surgery, intervention strategies that reflect an earlier view of the body as a machine, paying relatively little attention to internal processes of problem-solving that occur normally (Heirich, 1998, p. 343). According to Andersen, Rice and Kominski (2001), improving access to health care can be greatly facilitated by a new generation of access models and indicators. These should stress the importance of contextual as well as individual characteristics to promote policies to improve access for defined populations. Also, these should focus on the extent to which medical care contributes to people’s health. Access measures should be developed specifically for particular vulnerable population groups. These measures are especially important because of the cross-cutting needs of many of the vulnerable groups: persons with HIV/AIDS, substance abusers, migrants, homeless people, people with disabilities, and those suffering from family violence. Improving equity, effectiveness, and efficiency should be the guiding norms for research on access. Among the most important areas for research are: †¢ Promoting successful birth outcomes—research on the relationships among medical risk factors, the content of prenatal care and birth outcomes †¢ Reducing the incidence of vaccine-preventable childhood diseases—research on the relationships among race, barriers to access, and infectious disease †¢ Reducing the effects of chronic diseases and prolonging life—research concerning the differences in use of high-cost discretionary care according to gender, ethnicity, income, and insurance status and whether these differences represent overuse or underuse of these services. †¢ Reducing morbidity and pain through timely and appropriate treatment— research exploring methods to better define what constitutes timely and appropriate use of physician services References American Retirement Corp. (2005, November 5). Retrieved May 5, 2006, from Datamonitor Database at http://dbic. datamonitor. com/companies/company/? pid=BAC9B41D-2415-44CF-8228-1C8B736DCBA8 American Retirement Corporation Website. http://www. arclp. com/index. html Andersen, R. M. , Rice, T. H. , & Kominski, G. F. (2001). Changing the U. S. Health Care System. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Boca Raton Income Overview. Retrieved May 5, 2006, from Epodunk Website at http://www. epodunk. com/cgi-bin/incomeOverview. php? locIndex=8367 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report of the City of Boca Raton, Florida. (2005, Spetember 30). Retrieved May 5, 2006, from Boca Raton Government Website at http://www. ci. boca-raton. fl. us/city/Council3. cfm Heirich, M. (1998). Rethinking Health Care: Innovation and Change in America. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. Homewood Residence Website. http://www. seniorhousingnet. com/seniors/search/brochure/pr_brochure. jhtml? pid=552999&name=hrbocaraton&trigger=shn&source=a1shzr2t070 Howell, W. C. (1997). Forward, perspectives, and prospectives. In A. D. Fisk & W. A. Rogers (Eds. ), Handbook of human factors and the older adult (pp. 1–6). San Diego, CA: Academic Press. Jackson, C. A. , & Beatty, A. (2003). Organization and Financing of Indigent Hospital Care in South Florida. Santa Monica, CA: Rand. Palm Beach Population Overview. Retrieved May 5, 2006, from Epodunk Website at http://www. epodunk. com/cgi-bin/popInfo. php? locIndex=8814

Case Study of Bata Ltd Essay

Bata Ltd. is a privately owned global shoe manufacturer and retailer headquartered in Ontario, Canada. The company is led by a third generation of the Bata family. With operations in 68 countries, Bata is organized into four business units. Bata Canada, based in Toronto, serves the Canadian market with 250 stores. Based in Paris, Bata Europe serves the European market with 500 stores. With supervision located in Singapore, Bata International boasts 3,000 stores to serve markets in Africa, the Pacific, and Asia, Finally, Bata Latin America, operating out of Mexico City, sells footwear throughout Latin America. All told, Bata owns more than 4,700 retail stores and 46 production facilities. Total employment for the company exceeds 50,000. Company Founded in 1894 The Bata family’s ties to shoemaking span more than two dozen generations and purportedly date as far back as 1580 to the small Czech village of Zlin. However, it was not until 1894 that the family began to make the transition from cobblers to industrialists. In that year, Tomas G. Bata, Sr. along with his brother Antonin and sister Anna, took 800 florins, some $350, inherited from their mother and launched a shoemaking business. They rented a pair of rooms, acquired two sewing machines on an installment plan, and paid for their leather and other materials with promissory notes. They produced stitched, coarse-woolen footwear. Within a year, the business was successful enough to enable the Batas to employ ten people in their factory, such as it was, as well as another forty who worked out of their own homes. In the same year, 1895, Antonin was drafted into the military and Anna quit the business to get married, forcing Tomas to assume complete control of the venture. He was just 19 years old. In 1900, Bata moved the operation to a new building located close to Zlin’s railway station and took the first major step in industrialization, installing steam-driven machines. The company enjoyed success producing light, linen footwear that appealed to a large portion of the population, who could not afford better-made leather shoes. Nevertheless, Bata came close to bankruptcy on more than one occasion and concluded that in order for his business to survive he needed to find more efficient ways to manufacture and distribute shoes. In 1904, he and three employees took a trip to the United States to learn firsthand the ways of mass production. Bata spent six months working as a laborer on a shoe assembly line in New England. On his way back to Zlin, he also took time to visit English and German factories. Upon his return home, Bata began to transform the family shoe business, not only by applying the latest production techniques–which would one day earned him the moniker, â€Å"the Henry Ford of the shoe industry†Ã¢â‚¬â€œbut also by finding a way to preserve the role of workers, which all too often changed dramatically during the transition from an artisan to an industrial approach to commerce. The Bata shoe business began to experience steady growth, so that by 1912 it was employing 600 full-time workers plus another few hundred who worked out of their homes in neighboring villages. Tomas Bata now began to exhibit another side to his personality, the social idealist. Because there was a shortage of housing in Zlin for his new workers, he constructed new homes, which he rented at cost. He also offered inexpensive meals in factory cafeterias and free medical care. He even built a new hospital to care for his workers. However, as soon as they began to earn higher incomes, area merchants raised prices. In answer, Tomas Bata opened his own less-expensive company stores to ensure that his employees were able to enjoy the fruits of their success. He also took steps to identify management talent among the ranks of his workers and instituted a training program that was ahead of its time. World War I Boot Contract a Turning Point Bata received a major boost in 1914, following the outbreak of World War I, when the company received a contract to produce boots for the Austro-Hungarian army. From the waste of these items, the company produced the uppers to a wooden shoe that it sold to the lower classes. Tomas Bata then invested the profits in new machinery, as well as in the opening of new retail shops, so that the business was well positioned to take advantage of the economic boom of the 1920s. Before the company could enjoy this strong period of growth, however, Tomas Bata and his employees were forced to take a major gamble together. In the years immediately following the end of World War I in 1918, an economic slump prevailed across the globe, leading to significant unemployment. Czechoslovakia, formed as part of the peace settlement of World War I, attempted to fight inflation, which had already devastated Germany, by adopting tight monetary controls. As a result, the country’s currency lost three-quarters of its value, which in turn led to a drop in demand for products, a cutback in production, more unemployment, and even less consumer demand–developments that together threatened national economic devastation. In August 1922, a group of industrialists met to discuss their plight. Unlike the others, Tomas Bata did not simply throw up his hands and blame the government. Instead, he called on the industrialists to take decisive steps to stimulate market demand, and he shocked everyone by announcing that he was going to cut the price of Bata shoes in half. Once the surprise of the moment wore off, Bata’s audience simply laughed at him. Bata was able, however, to convince his workers that he had a plan, albeit a radical one, that would work. He believed that the company had to cut costs to the bone and work at peak efficiency in order to halve the price of Bata shoes. Workers, ignoring their union leadership, accepted a 40 percent reduction in wages across the board. Tomas Bata, in turn, provided food, clothing, and other necessities at half-price to mitigate the loss of wages. In addition, he introduced measures that were pioneering, including the creation of individual profit centers and incentive payments to both management and workers to spur productivity. With his operations lean and efficient, he then launched a national advertising campaign. The response from consumers was swift and dramatic, as Bata stores, which had been virtually empty for months, were now swamped with customers looking for inexpensive shoes. Bata was forced to increase production, and not only did the company maintain full employment, it began to hire. The decision to cut prices proved to be a turning point in the history of the company, which now grew at a tremendous pace. Tomas Bata continued to innovate, improving on productivity primarily through the introduction of an assembly line approach. After five years, productivity improved 15-fold; after ten, the retail price of Bata shoes dropped by 82 percent. The employees’ faith in Tomas Bata was also rewarded. After accepting a severe wage cut in 1922, by 1932 they had seen their salaries doubled. They were now working for the largest shoemaker in the world. According to company lore, in fact, in some developing countries â€Å"bata† gained currency where there was no word for â€Å"shoe. † Moreover, Bata became involved in a variety of other industries, including socks, leatherwork, chemicals used in leather making, shoemaking machinery, wooden packing crates, tires and other rubber goods. The company launched its own film studio to produced advertising materials, and it soon evolved into a full-fledged enterprise that produced some of the earliest animated films. Because of the company’s involvement in transportation, as Bata became the world’s largest exporter of shoes, Tomas Bata even became involved in the manufacture of airplanes through the Zlin Air Company, which produced both sporting and business planes. He also became famous for housing his headquarters in the tallest reinforced concrete office building in Europe, which featured an elevator that housed his â€Å"floating office. † With a push of a button, Bata was able to confer, and keep an eye on, his employees on every floor without leaving his desk. Bata established operations in new markets, such as Singapore in 1930. The company, which in 1931 adopted a joint stock company form of organization, also established subsidiaries and shoe factories in a number of European countries as a way to circumvent tariffs that had been imposed in response to a worldwide economic depression. In mid-1932, Tomas Bata called together his team of executives and announced that in order for the company to weather increasingly difficult economic conditions and drive further growth, they would have to look to more distant markets, in particular North America. Just two days later, however, Tomas Bata was killed when an airplane he was in took off in a thick fog and crashed into a chimney of one of his buildings. He was 56 years old. Bata left a 22-year-old son, Thomas J. Bata, whom he had groomed since childhood to one day head the business, but in the meantime Bata’s half-brother Jan took over and continued the mentoring process. It was Thomas Bata who was to be dispatched to North America, to which the company was already exporting shoes, to establish a manufacturing operation. While most executives in the organization lobbied for the United States as the location for a plant, the young Bata was fixated on locating the business in Canada, a place he had romanticized since childhood after reading the works of Jack London. With the rise of Nazi Germany in the 1930s, the importance of organizing a North American operation took on increasing importance, as the company now made plans to relocate its headquarters to the West. In March 1939, with Germany on the verge of invading his country, Thomas Bata fled to Canada along with 180 Czechoslovakians. After being granted permission from the Canadian government, he started up operations in Frankford, Ontario, taking over a former Canadian Paper Company mill while a new factory was built. To aid in the Allied war effort, the company focused its personnel and equipment on the production of anti-aircraft equipment and machines used to inspect ammunition. For his part, Jan Bata moved his headquarters to the United States, but when blacklisted by the Allies he was forced to relocate to Brazil. The Bata Shoe Organization, as it was called, was now split between uncle and nephew, resulting in an eventual contest for management control and ownership. Thomas Bata essentially prevailed in 1949, but the contest continued to be played out in the courts of numerous countries until the end of 1966. The return of Bata operations lost to the Nazis was short lived after World War II. In 1945, the communist government installed in Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union had nationalized the country’s industry, usurping the original Bata shoe factory in Zlin and the company’s far-flung network of shops. Even Zlin’s name was changed, becoming known as Gottwaldov, a tribute to the country’s first communist president. ) Bata was further stripped of assets as other countries, including East Germany, Poland, and Yugoslavia, also nationalized their shoe industries. Now based in the West, Bata and its many Czechoslovakian expatriates began to rebuild the business, taking on an almost missionary zeal in the process. Rather than organizing in a centralized manner, the company established a structure based on autonomous operations, primarily in the new markets of developing countries. Also following the war, Thomas Bata married an aspiring architect named Sonja, a woman who would play an influential role in the success of the company, supplementing her husband’s manufacturing and sales expertise with a sense of design and style. By the mid-1950s, Bata was operating 56 factories in 46 countries. Thirty years later, Bata was in 115 countries, selling close to $2 billion worth of footwear each year through 6,000 company-owned stores and 120,000 independent retailers. Bata Shoes Returns to the Czech Republic in 1991 In the 1970s and 1980s, the manufacture of shoes began to shift increasingly to Pacific Rim countries, where lower labor costs provided a competitive edge that proved devastating to shoe companies around the world. With its widely cast operations and well-established distribution network, Bata was better able to compete, but it too suffered from a softening in its business. With the fall of communism in the late 1980s, Bata was able to return to the country where the family business was founded. The company was not able to resume ownership of its prior assets, which has been combined with other Czech shoe operations, nor did Bata wish to be encumbered with facilities that the communists had neglected for more than 40 years. Nevertheless, Thomas Bata was committed to establishing a business in his native country. After some study, the management team elected to focus on a retail distribution business and a modest manufacturing facility, one that was not part of the old Bata operation. A small factory established by the communist regime was found acceptable, and the company then selected a number of retail locations, which would total a 20 percent market share, and presented the government with a joint venture proposal that was accepted in late 1991. Thomas Bata, at the age of 80, elected to retire in 1994. His son, Thomas Bata, Jr. , had been serving as president since 1985. According to The Globe and Mail, Thomas, Jr. â€Å"took over at a time when the international shoe maker was experiencing heightened competition from strong global marketers. The movement toward free trade challenged its network of quasi-autonomous national companies. Mr. Bata tried to make changes, but insiders says he lost the support of key members of the board. † He was widely expected to succeed his father, but to the surprise of many, Stanley Heath, a Canadian with considerable executive experience with RJR Nabisco, took over as president and CEO to assume the day-to-day running of the business, while the younger Bata assumed the chairmanship, ostensibly charged with focusing on the â€Å"big picture. He soon left the family business and moved to Switzerland. His father, with a reputation as an autocrat, was slated to become honorary chairman, but the post proved to be far from ceremonial, as he continued to be involved in the company’s operations on a day-to-day basis and was not reticent about letting management know his opinions. Little more than a year after coming to Bata, Heath resigned for â€Å"personal and family reasons. â⠂¬  Taking over for Heath was a loyal company man, Rino Rizzo, who had been with the Bata organization since 1969. In 1999, Bata brought in Jim Pantelidis, an executive who had no experience in the shoe industry, to assume the CEO position. Pantelidis’s background was in retail gasoline sales, and during his career he had worked for one of Canada’s largest chains, Petro-Canada Corporation. Pantelidis instituted a plan to develop regional shoe lines, as opposed to lines created for individual countries. In addition, he wanted to create economies of scale by building regional infrastructures. The goal was to use the regional infrastructures to position the Bata brand on a global basis. The tenure of Pantelidis lasted just two years. In late 2001, Thomas Bata, Jr. returned, gained control of the business, and was named chairman and CEO, while Pantelidis left to â€Å"pursue other challenges. † Bata began to reorganize the company, essentially running the business out of Switzerland. It remained to be seen if he would be able to succeed where outsiders had failed in the effort to transform Bata from a federation of stand-alone local subsidiaries into a truly international company. Principal Subsidiaries: Bata Canada; Bata Europe; Bata International; Bata Latin America. Principal Competitors: Footstar, Inc. ; Jimlar Corporation; Payless ShoeSource, Inc. Product Profile: Legendary quality, trend-setting styles, and a tradition of innovation that goes back to 1894. For more than 100 years, the Bata brand has offered the best shoe at the best price. With contemporary and classic styles, the Bata collection has shoes and accessories for active men and women who appreciate great design and understand the meaning of value. Everyday shoes that look good and feel even better; nobody knows shoes better than Bata. Bata Ambassador Combining Italian design with handcrafted detail and the highest quality leather, Bata’s premium Ambassador brand sets the standard for European footwear. And its trend-setting style doesn’t sacrifice comfort. The Ambassador offers a flexible genuine leather upper, a leather lining to absorb moisture, and a polyurethane sole for a firm grip. A contemporary classic for the man who knows where he’s going. Combining great-looking style and design with the latest technology, Bata Benefit offers the ultimate in healthful comfort for men and women. Developed at Bata’s Shoe Innovation Centre in Europe, the Benefit collection breaks new ground in shoe design, exceeding the expectations of even the most discriminating customers. From sporty and casual to elegant and formal, From Bata Flexible, Bata Antistatic to Bata Air System, all Benefit shoes are made with high-quality leather and Bata’s trademark precision.