International business Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

International business - Personal Statement Example I believe that through the course I can gain sufficient knowledge to be able to handle such issues and other related problems associated with international business. My previous educational background has also motivated me to apply for this course. I am currently a BA student in this institution, which is relevant to my course because it entails business issues. So far, I have learned a lot about business administration and management, and I would like to widen this knowledge further to the international level. My choice to apply for the course in this school is because as a student here I have known the institution to be an excellent place. The culture of the school and its diversity are great opportunities to reckon, and they blend with my philosophy. The school values development of leaders and creation of knowledge in business issues, and that is exactly what I believe in. Business rocks the world; this institution creates knowledge in business; and I choose to be here. I am hoping to get a positive feedback from you soon. Thank you for your

Social Integration Essay Example for Free

Social Integration Essay India from time immemorial, people belonging to various religious faiths lived in harmony and peace. There are fundamental values and traditions in our culture that promote integration among different communities. This was helpful for the growth of a great civilization in the Indian sub-continent. It will be our endeavour as the citizens of this country to preserve the rich tradition of Social Harmony among diverse religious and ethnic groups and pass it over to the future generations. Even though communal tensions in India are well under control, there is no place for omplacency as many internal and external forces are waiting with their ulterior motives sowing the seeds of ill-will. Human needs can be found as the same everywhere in the world if we look at it from biological and psychological perspectives. Irrespective of the geographic, linguistic or religious differences humans everywhere have common biological needs like hunger, thirst, sex etc; the satisfaction of which is essential for their survival. Similarly man has psychological needs like, need for recognition, need for companionship, need for security, need for prestige etc. he fulfillment of which is inevitable for maintaining sound mental health. Man cannot satisfy most of such needs through his own individual efforts. He requires the assistance of his fellow members of the group in this regard. That is why human beings are considered as social animals. A cooperative integrated society is most congenial for leading a healthy social life. Religion is one of the social institutions found in all human societies. It assists man to establish and maintain harmonious relationships with the supernatural forces that are believed to have direct influence in the fortunes of man. Moreover religion is one of the agents contributing to the integration of society. Religion provides We feeling among its members. Performance of religious rites, participation in festivals, leadership provided by priests and religious functionaries, following many common beliefs and values, etc reinforces the unity among the members of a religion. Even though holy books and teachings of each religion claim that they help man reach God, none of them propagate hatred against other faiths. All religions in their essence assist people to live in harmony with members of the society. According to Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India the communal problem is not a religious problem, it has nothing to do with religion. Nobody can blame the presence of diverse religions for the emergence of communal problems in the world. Even though all religions proclaim the universal brotherhood of man, history is full of bloody, violent conflicts between members of different religions. Many battles were fought between Muslims and Christians, Jews and Muslims, Hindus and Muslims and so on in the past. Many such struggles are going on even now like the conflict etween Muslims and Jews in Palestine. A deeper analysis of the causative factors of these conflicts shows that in all these situations non-religious, often political and economic interests were instrumental to these problems. Religious identity was used root cause of communalism is not the presence of many religions in the country. When religious sentiments are exploited with an economic or political motive the resultant effect gives rise to the genesis of communalism. According to Madan (2001) communalism is the political expression of religion. He defined communalism as an deology, which envisages the religious community as a political group committed to the protection and promotion of its social and economic interests and cultural values. While communalism is a feeling or state of mind existing at a psychological level, communal conflict or riot is its overt expression. Once generated, communalism remains in the minds of people always, and communal conflicts emerge only occasionally when there is a total breakdown in the good relations between two communities. From a sociological perspective social conflict by its very nature cannot ontinue indefinitely. During communal violence each community used it as an occasion to harm the interests of the rival community who may be socially or economically sound. The feelings of relative deprivation felt by one community is often converted into violent attacks against a well placed community. This is what happened in 1984 when there were violent attacks against the Sikhs in different parts of the country after the assassination of the then Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi by her body guards who happened to be from the Sikh community. Investigations onducted later by sociologists and many other social scientists proved that Sikhs who were economically well placed were attacked and members of other communities who were Jealous of their prosperity looted their shops. People with vested interests to attain their ulterior goals exploited this particular context by exploiting the religious sentiments. One must not confuse communalism with communal violence, rioting etc. Poorly conceived Communal ideology leads to communal violence. Communal violence is a consequence of the spread of misunderstood and ill-conceived communal ideology. But it is not the crux of the communal situation at all. Communal ideology cannot only exist, but can grow for decades before it takes the form of violence. This book contains some of the selected papers presented in the National Conference on Social Integration and Communal Harmony organized by the Kerala Sociological Society from 1st to 3rd December 2006 at Sree Narayana College, Thiruvananthapuram. Prof. N. R. Madhava Menon in his paper Constitutionalism and Management of Diversity in Multi-cultural Societies deals with the significance of Indian Constitution o manage various problems in a multi-cultural society. He points out that secularism is a basic feature of the constitution which cannot be changed even by parliament. There is no state religion and the state is prohibited against discrimination on the basis of religion. He believes that for multi-culturalism can survive and communal harmony can prevail only when we ensure equality of status among people and second part of the paper, the author focuses his attention on the concept of social integration. He notices that the constitutional strategy to promote fraternity is helpful to attain social integration. In this context the author recommends a Uniform Civil Code for the entire nation. However, political parties do not support this view because no political party is ready to talk about it, because of the vested interests involved especially because of the vote bank politics. In her paper, Social Integration and Communal Harmony, Prof. M. Indukumari presents the multiple factors and contexts that influence social integration and communal harmony. First of all she explains the significance of this theme in the present Indian context. According to her view, the prime concern of any nation iming at development should be the attainment of social / national integration. Moreover, she argues that despite some differences at ritual, social and cultural levels among different religions, there is conspicuous commonality at the level of values that promotes communal harmony. The author lists many examples of inter religious co-operation that exist in Kerala for a long period. However, she also points out that this rosy picture of Kerala is changing gradually and this society has started showing symptoms of religious intolerance and communal violence. This paper gives due consideration towards the debate on the need for a Uniform Civil Code for India. Another concern of this paper is to show how communal violence affects the interests of the vulnerable sections like women, religious minorities, tribals, dalits etc. The author expresses confidence that NGOs can play a crucial role in maintaining communal harmony. In the concluding part of the paper she identifies certain strategies to promote communal harmony. On the whole this paper provides a comprehensive picture of social integration and communal harmony in India. M. K. George in his article on Tolerance is various faiths attempted to highlight how various faiths and religions can contribute to the building of tolerance in the world. He stresses that every religion contains components of belief, rituals, information and knowledge, behavioural consequences and the expectations that guide the whole system. The author briefly looks at Bhuddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Hinuduism and observes that in discussing religion as an instrument of peace and harmony one needs to make this distinction between religiosity, which only can ivide, and spirituality which can unite all believers. Religiosity focuses on differences, where as spirituality emphasizes what is common. Spirituality provides meaning to life and reality. Spritiuality connects, with the self, others, god and native. He stresses that the social scenario in India and the world over demands an active Youth population striving for peace and tolerance and hence the Youth needs to take this agenda. The paper Secular Legacy and Communal Paradox The case of Kerala contributed by Dr. Antony Palackal presents some unconventional interpretations of the communal ituation in Kerala. The author observes that secularism, the characteristic facet of nowadays there seems to be an alarming spread of communal and fascist forces in the State. This article marks an enquiry into the characteristics and dynamics of the emergent communalism in Kerala and tries to trace its secular legacy and the communal paradox. The first part of the paper seeks to unfold the secular legacy and the opposite reality of communalism that has engulfed it. The second part is a discussion on the unique forms of communal manifestations in Kerala. The third part s an exploration into the evolution of the growing communalism in Kerala. The concluding section briefly sketches the relation between communalism and spirituality vis-Â ¤-vis religion and the possible manner in which the growing menace of communalism may be addressed. The paper reveals that communalism gives rise to a heightened sense of identity and belongingness as it operates on the basis of the theory of polarization. Polarization results in emotional, mental or physical mobilization of individuals and groups to cause cohesion within a group . However it divides people as members of larges communities. The author feels that religious and/or caste sectarianism and communal interests dominate most of our political life today. The paper conclude with an optimistic note that a viable alternative to the prevailing communal paradox appears to be the resurgence of societal consciousness born out of neo-renaissance movements capable of regaining the lost secular legacy of Kerala. The paper Hindu Response to Conversion Threat: Questions on Conversion and Social Equality written by ShaJi. A is undertaking a historical analysis of the communal situation in 20th Century Kerala. The major focus of this paper is on The Temple Entry Proclamation of Travancore, 1936 that was a turning point in the history of modern Kerala. This proclamation put an end to the inhuman practice of untouchability and it opened a new future to the oppressed classes in Travancore. The author notices that before 1936 several low caste people of Travancore including Ezhavas converted themselves into other religions especially Christianity since they found it as the easiest way to escape from the caste tyranny. However, Sree Narayana Guru, leader of SNDP movement was successful in reventing this tide of conversion to Christianity or to Buddhism. The Ezhavas were also interested in Islam and Sikhism. When the low caste Hindus including Ezhavas started large-scale conversion to Christianity, it became an eye-opener for progressive Hindu reformers. Efforts were made to bring back the converted Hindus to Hinduism under the initiative of the Hindu Mission. By permitting entry to all Hindus to the temples, low caste Hindus including Ezhavas were retained in their religion. This paper clearly explains how Temple Entry Proclamation assisted the Hindu leaders to meet the challenges of conversion.

Relationship between business and the local, national and global

Relationship between business and the local, national and global The aim of this unit is to provide learners with an understanding of different organisations, the influence of stakeholders and the relationship between business and the local, national and global environments. Q1: Identify the purposes of different types of organisation? Ans: ORGANIZATION DEFINITION: An organization is a social arrangement which brings towards collective goals, controls its own performance, and it has a boundary to make it separate from its environment. The word I is derived from the Greek word organon, itself derived from the better-known word ergon. TYPES: Bureaucratic structures Bureaucratic structures have a certain degree of standardization. They are better suited for more complex or larger scale organizations. They usually adopt a tall structure. Then tension between bureaucratic structures and non-bureaucratic is echoed in Burns and Stalked distinction between mechanistic and organic structures. It is not the entire thing about bureaucratic structure. It is very much complex and useful for hierarchical structures organization, mostly in tall organizations. Functional structure Employees within the functional divisions of an organization plan to perform a specified set of tasks, for instance the engineering department would be staffed only with software engineers. This leads to operational efficiencies within that group. However it could also lead to a lack of communication between other fields because these people jst tend to theie limited. Divisional structure Also called a product structure, the divisional structure groups each organizational function into a divisions. Each division within a divisional structure contains all the necessary resources and functions within it. Divisions can be divided from different points of view. There can be made a distinction on geographical basi or on product/service basis. Another example, an automobile company with a divisional structure might have one division for SUVs, another division for subcompact cars, and another division for sedans. Each division would have its own sales, engineering and marketing departments. Matrix structure The matrix structure groups employees by both function and product. This structure can combine the best of all other separate structures.This structure is often used by different employes to complete some tasks in order to take advantage of combine strengths and to finish weaknesses. An example would be a company that produces two products, product a and product b. Using the matrix structure, this company would organize functions within the company as follows: product a sales department, product a customer service department, product a accounting, product b sales department, product b customer service department, product b accounting department. Matrix structure is amongst the purest of organizational structures, a simple lattice emulating order and regularity demonstrated in nature. Team One of the newest organizational structure which is developed in 20th century .In small Business the team structure can be defined as the entire organization. Teams can be both horizontal and vertical.while an organization is comprises as a set of people who meet to achieve newer dimensions, the quality of organizational structure revolves around the competencies of teams in totality. For example every one of the whole food market, the largest natural-foods grocer in the US developing a focused strategy.While team leaders in any store or in any region are also a team. Q2: Describe the extent to which an organization meets the objectives of different stakeholders? Ans: Definition: It is called the measure to which an organization fulfil the goals and overview the problems of stakeholders by taking review of their whole business cases. Major differences in how organizations carry out the various steps and activities in the strategic planning process are more of a matter of the size of the organization than its for-profit/nonprofit status. Small nonprofits and small for-profits tend to conduct somewhat similar planning activities that are different from those conducted in large organizations. On the other hand, large nonprofits and large for-profits tend to conduct somewhat similar planning activities that are different from those conducted in small organizations. (The focus of the planning activities is often different between for-profits and nonprofits. Nonprofits tend to focus more on matters of board development, fundraising and volunteer management. For-profits tend to focus more on activities to maximize profit. Also, with the size of the organization, differences in how organizations carry out the planning activities are more of a matter of the nature of the inclusion in the organization than its for-profit/nonprofit status. For example, detail given people may prefer a linear, top-down, general-to-specific approach to planning. On the other hand, rather artistic and highly reflective people may favor of a highly divergent and organic approach to planning. Q: Explain the responsibilities of an organization and strategies employed to meet them? Ans: It Is defied as the the duty and well being of the staff , contractors and the population in the area where it operates. Organisations also have a responsibility to ensure that others are not put at risk by their work-related activities, including driving. These factors, therefore, point to a need to carry out an assessment of the health and safety risks for employees while they are at work, and to other people who might be affected by their work activities. Organisations should also looks at its employers which includes in it the data of the employers should be be kept in privacy and should provide them with all the peace of mind. Organisations should also lookafter the environment means factory where the production takes place the surrounding area .They should make sure that the surrounding area including population , land and other things should not b harmed by their activities. Organizational members, themselves, should be giving remarkable to what these new responsibilities should be, rather than leaving this task to management. It is also the responsibility of the organisatios to make peace of mind of costumers and making their will by advertising their products in a well manner . A greater awareness of environmental issues, working conditions and social responsibility has led an increasing number of consumers to take these aspects into consideration when shopping. If the chief executive isnt fully behind the program, employees will certainly notice and this apparent hypocrisy may cause such cynicism that the organization may be worse off than having no formal ethics program at all. Therefore, the chief executive should announce the program, and champion its development and implementation. Most important, the chief executive should consistently aspire to lead in an ethical manner. If a mistake is made, admit it. Q: Explain how economic systems attempt to allocate resources effectively? Ans: The allocated resources are the resources in a business by which we can sale our products without the review of these resources we cannot take our business to the market. The major function of an economic system is to work out the basic economic problems which are; What is to be produced, How is it to be produced, For whom to produce and How efficient is the use of resources. These economic problems are caused by the fact that resources are limited but human wants are unlimited. Therefore, every country desires to adopt an appropriate system which will result in efficient allocation of resources so as to avoid scarcity. There are three systems used for this purpose which are: Command economic system Mixed economic system Free market economic system In a command economic system resources are allocated by the government through their planning system. The main role in this system are government , employes and consumers. All system is owned by the government. The Market system of economy which is also called the price system simply put is a means of allocating resources in which the resources are allocated by the market mechanism and the major economic problems are resolved by private individuals. In mixed economic system resources are allocated by the government and the stakeholders as well And this system is owned by the two parties I.e. government and the investers as well. some resources are allocated through the price or market mechanism and others are allocated by the state. In theory, such a system is able to combine the best elements of both a planned economy and a market economy. In reality, the proportion of planned and market varies, with some countries placing more emphasis on market solutions to resource allocations and others favouring a greater role for state planning. Third one is called pure economic system but it is rarely found. a market economy answers the three questions that form the economic problem through a market system. The market system is based on the demand and supply of products. Demand and supply determine prices and prices act as signals to both producers and consumers . The market system depends on a number of terms to ensure it is working properly. the profit motive _the incentive for a reward for enterprise Good levels of information being available to both producers and consumers Price accurately reflecting the costs and benefits of consumption and production The ease with which resources can move to different uses If I buy a usb priced at  £12.99 but do not like the music on it, I might decide that I was not getting  £12.99 worth of value I could have used that  £12.99 to better effect by buying something else that would have given me more satisfaction. In short there should ba an understanding between the costumers and the producers for the well being of this system and for the progress of this business. Q: Assess the impact of fiscal and monetary policy on business organizations and their impact? Ans: This Paper compares the dynamic impact of fiscal policy on macroeconomic variables implied by a large class of general equilibrium models with the empirical results from an identified vector autoregression. In the data we find that positive innovations in government spending are followed by strong and persistent increase There is a strong relationship between between public expenditure , reforms and growth as fiscal adjudjustments are created by reforms and growth. Assessing the effect of monetary policy and wage bargaining on employement and inflation in the European monetary union in the first step a kay kensyen is developed. Fiscal policy changes can be targeted to affect certain groups (e.g. increases in means-tested benefits for low income households, reductions in the rate of corporation tax for small-medium sized enterprises, investment allowances for businesses in certain regions) Consider too the effects of using either monetary or fiscal policy to achieve a given increase in national income because actual GDP. Lower interest rates will lead to an increase in both consumer and fixed capital spending both of which increases current equilibrium national income. Since investment spending results in a larger capital stock, then incomes in the future will also be higher through the impact on LRAS. When the economy is in a recession (when business and consumer confidence is very low and perhaps where deflationary pressures are taking hold) monetary policy may be ineffective in increasing current national spending and income. The problems experienced by the Japanese in trying to stimulate their economy through a zero-interest rate policy might be mentioned here. The government has introduced a lower starting rate of income tax for lower income earners. This is designed to provide an incentive for people to work extra hours and keep more of what they earn. Changes to the tax and benefit system also seek to reduce the risk of the poverty trap where households on low incomes see little net financial benefit from supplying extra hours of their labour. If tax and benefit reforms can improve incentives and lead to an increase in the labour supply, this will help to reduce the equilibrium rate of unemployment (the NAIRU) and thereby increase the economys non-inflationary growth rate. Taxation and the Pattern of Demand Changes to indirect taxes in particular can have an effect on the pattern of demand for goods and services. For example, the rising value of duty on cigarettes and alcohol is designed to cause a substitution effect among consumers and thereby reduce the demand for what are perceived as de-merit goods. In contrast, a government financial subsidy to producers has the effect of reducing their costs of production, lowering the market price and encouraging an expansion of demand. The use of indirect taxation and subsidies is often justified on the grounds of instances of market failure. But there might also be a justification based on achieving a more equitable allocation of resources e.g. providing basic state health care free at the point of use. Taxation and labour productivity Some economists argue that taxes can have a significant effect on the intensity with which people work and their overall efficiency and productivity. But there is little substantive empirical evidence to support this view. Many factors contribute to improving productivity tax changes can play a role but isolating the impact of tax cuts on producti Q: Evaluate the impact of competition policy and other regulatory mechanisms on the activities of a selected organization? Ans: A set of laws, practices and procedures aimed at enhancing the economic efficiency of the provision of goods and services by maximizing competition among suppliers and consumers in a market or market-like environment is called competition policy. Competition policy is one of the Singapore issues , or new issue that were introduced at the first wto conference held in Singapore in 1996.According to the declaration of the Singapore minestarial conference a working group is to be established to study issues raised by members concerning the interaction between trade and policy in order to identify possible areas that may be subject of a mulatilateral framework agreemenat. When markets deviate from competitive ideals, assessing the desirability of government intervention requires a careful assessment of the costs of market failures relative to the benefits of imperfect regulation. The recognition that even imperfect markets may be preferable to regulated outcomes accompanied a dramatic transformation in the nature and extent of government intervention across a broad range of markets over the past thirty years. Many industries long subject to price and entry regulation in the United States among them airlines, trucking, railroads, and banking were deregulated. NBER researchers continue in the vanguard of research, market design, and implementation of electricity restructuring. Much of the empirical work to date has focused on restructured generation markets, in which prices generally are determined through a competitive bidding process. Some of the topics or development of projects encouraged in this PA may also be more suitable for a small project grant (projects requesting total costs of $100,000 or less) (R03). If so, applicants are encouraged to apply under the procedures outlined in the AHRQ Small Research Grant Program PA, published in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts (NIH Guide), January 2, 2001. Competition should be in business because in this way we can represent our products in a well maner for example take mc donalds as an organization . When we talk about competition In mc donalds we have to keep eye on a lot of aspects which are by 1s competitions we should take care that others are not gona harm. Special offers should be kept in such a way that other branches should not take negative effect by it . It depends on the location as well means if some where rents are higher and the branch cannot afford it So therefore it is difficult for them to make some promotional offers. Q: Explain how market structures determine the pricing and output decisions of businesses? Ans: A variety of recent proposals rely heavily on market forces as a means of controlling hospital cost inflation. Sceptics argue, however, that increased competition might lead to cost-increasing acquisitions of specialized clinical services and other forms of non-price competition as means of attracting physicians and patients. Using data from hospitals in 1972 we analyzed the impact of market structure on average hospital costs, measured in terms of both cost per patient and cost per patient day. Under the retrospective reimbursement system in place at the time, hospitals in more competitive environments exhibited significantly higher costs of production than did those in less competitive environments. Conventional wisdom has it that a large part of the explanation of Keynesian unemployment is the observe rigidities and prices. What has been lacking however is a satisfactory theory which explains how wages and prices can be at non market clearing level. If all firms in an industry actin concert to determine pricing policies, they can maximize their combined profits . Traditional oligopoly theories widely appericiate this fact and therefore they desire to collude to maximize their joint long run profits. It also suggests that the character and scope of collusive conduct is related to the structural and legal conditions cotfronting the firms in a market. Growth theorists have investigated extensively the idea that technological progress is endogenous and driven by market forces. General equilibrium (GE) models developed to explain these forces depart from the traditional theory of growth. Since innovation requires profit-seeking firms to undertake up-front research and development (RD), the factors determining the incentives to undertake RD in imperfect markets are central to the seminal theories of Romer (1990), Grossman and Helpman (1991), and Aghion, P. and Howitt, P., 1992. A model of growth through creative destruction. Econometrica 60, pp. 323-351Aghion and Howitt (1992). These contributions, however, downplay the role of market structure. In contrast, an important strand of literature in Industrial organization (IO) argues that market structure is a key factor determining RD investment because it captures features of the business environment, like the size and number of firms, barriers to entry, and diversification. These fact ors determine market rivalry which, in turn, determines the opportunities and constraints that firms face when planning. The financial structure and oligopoly have at least one common feature both place little emphasis on the strategic relationship between financial decisions and output market decisions. In financial theory , the product market is typically assumed to offer an exogenous random returns which is un affected by the debt equity positions of the firms in the market. A structural model is proposed which integrates and extends previous findings on the interrelations between risk-return outcomes, market share, firm conduct attributes, and inter-firm rivalry. It is argued that the relative impact of market share and firm conduct attributes on risk-return outcomes depends on the intensity of rivalry By these market structure kinds we can determine these policies very well and can get achieveable goals by making business on the top. Q: illustrate the way in which market forces shape organizational responses using a range of examples? Ans: An organization is a collection of people working together under a defined structure for the purpose of achieving predetermined outcomes through the use of financial, human, and material resources. There are a number of approaches to the structure and management of organizations. Forces of demand and supply representing the aggregate influenceof self-interested buyers and sellers on price and quantity of the goods and services offered in a market. In general, excess-demand causes prices and quantity of supply to rise, and excess supply causes them to fall The market forces also effect the organisatioal structure in thses five steps which are illustrated as below: The entry of competitors (how easy or difficult is it for new entrants to start to compete, which barriers do survive) The fear of substitutes (how easy can our product or service be produced, especially cheaper) The bargaining power of buyers (how strong is the position of buyers, can they work together to order large volumes) The bargaining power of suppliers (how strong is the position of sellers, are there many or only few potential suppliers, is there a monopoly) The rivalry among the existing players (is there a strong competition between the existing players, is one player very dominant or all all equal in strength/size) Some academics believe that a sixth force could be included government. A well-arranges organization is particularly important to call centers, given that the powerful pooling principle the immutable law that says consolidation of resources will result in improved efficiencies lies at the heart of call center effectiveness. In fact, when call centers began catching on several decades ago, the big challenge was to get callers to abandon the need to reach specific individuals. Today, as building customer relationships and loyalty have reached the forefront of strategy, the need to develop effective, collaborative organizations is more important than ever. However, there is an unfortunate paradox at work in many organizations. On one hand, the organizational design is constantly exerting its forces as it channels communications, shapes protocol and establishes lines of authority. It is one of the most influential and visible aspects of any enterprise. Most managers can draw their organization charts in their sleep. Yet, it is an issue that, in the daily, somehow becomes assumed almost outside the realm of managerial consciousness. By the use of these five market forces the organizational responses can be managed in a well way and The company can make progress in a well way. Q: Judge how the business and cultural environments shape the behavior of a selected organization? Ans: Business and cultural environment comprises all those factors that affect a companys operations, and includes customers, competitors, stakeholders, suppliers, industry trends, regulations, other government activities, social and economic factors and technological developments. These factors affect the behaviour of an organization in different ways and these are the base as well for an organization. Organisation behaviour is a major part of any business and cultural environment because it sets out to help students understand how human beings deal with being part of organisations, large or small, working in teams and so forth. It is, essentially, the study of the soft end of business.   The theories derive from a variety of disciplines including sociology and psychology. It concerns itself with the complicated patterns of individual and group working. Thus the apparent aim of the study of organisational behaviour is to understand why people work in certain ways and then working out how to use this knowledge to improve the use of resources.   The history of the study of organisational behaviour is often broken down into different phases, beginning with both Scientific Management and the study of bureaucracy in the early-twentieth century. Both of these schools of thought were attempts to analyse human activity at work. The first looked at human beings as though they were part of a machine and sought to break activities down into discrete actions. The study of bureaucracy instead looked at the whole organisations and sought to define them through the varying levels of authority within the whole. The role of the manager in all this was also considered as the topic grew in scope.  Ã‚   As the study of psychology and psycho-analysis became more prevalent and more sophisticated, these rather mechanistic views eventually gave way to a more humanistic period in which it was seen that the workplace was also structured around mutually interactive groups of people who could not be defined in the earlier simplistic terms. Later on these ideas became even more sophisticated as it seemed that the work place was somewhere, if the conditions were right, people would find positive experiences, and where they could seek fulfilment and become creative.   Organisational behaviour, perhaps because it is about human beings, that generally defy categorisation, is home to many theories. Because it is about people and the way they react to and interact with each other, it is an ideal topic for teaching through fiction. Once again fiction provides endless opportunities to describe the conflicts and allegiances that are constantly being formed and re-formed in the work place. The fact that most novels are in some way or other about relationships and the ways in which people deal with negative and positive experiences within groups, and how alliances can shift over time and through internal or external pressures, means that they are rich in examples to be used in illustrating the various theories that make up the study of organisational behaviour. The fact that psychology, sociology and anthropology feature so strongly in the topic offers a variety of approaches in interpreting the scenarios, just as in real life. Q: Discuss the significance of international trade to uk business organizations? Ans: The buying and selling of goods and services across national borders is known as international trade.It is of vast importance not just for a single country but all the countries because without international trade the economy of a country and business organization can not make a progress on international level and they will b unable to display their manufactures to display at international level. International trade is the backbone of our modern, commercial world, as producers in different nations try to profit from an expanded market, rather than be limited to selling within their own borders. There are many reasons that trade across national borders occurs, including lower production costs in one region versus another, specialized industries, lack or surplus of natural resources and consumer tastes. There is currently a great deal of concern over jobs being taken away from the United States, member countries of the European Union and other developed nations as countries such as China, Korea, India, Indonesia and others produce goods and services at much lower costs. Both the United States and the European Union have imposed face restrictions on imports from Asian nations to try to stem this tide. Clearly, a company that can pay its workers the equivalent of dollars a day, as compared to dollars an hour, has a distinct selling advantage. Nevertheless, American and European consumers are only too happy to lower their costs of living by taking advantage of cheaper, imported goods. Even though many consumers prefer to buy less expensive goods, some international trade is fostered by a specialized industry that has developed due to national talent and/or tradition. Swiss watches, for example, will never be price-competitive with mass produced watches from Asia. German cutlery, English bone China, Scottish wool, fine French silks such as Hermes and other such products always find their way onto the international trade scene because consumers in many parts of the world are willing to foster the importation of these goods to satisfy their concept that certain countries are the best at making certain goods. One of the biggest components of international trade, both in terms of volume and value of goods is oil. Total net oil imports in 2005 are over 26 million barrels per day (U.S. Energy Information admin.figures) (Note: Importedoil include crude oil, natural gas liquids, and refined products.) At a recent average of $50 per barrel, that translates to $1billion, three hundred million, PER DAY. The natural resources of a handful of nations, most notably the nations of OPEC, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, are swept onto the international trade scene in staggering numbers each day, and consumer nations continue to absorb this flow. Other natural resources contribute to the movement of international trade, but none to the extent of the oil trade. Diamonds from Africa, both for industrial and jewelry use, wheat and other agricultural products from the United States and Australia, coal and steel from Canada and Russia, all flow across borders from these nations that have t he natural resources to the nations that lack them. Despite complaints about trade imbalances, effects on domestic economies, currency upheavals, and loss of jobs, the reality of goods and services continually crossing borders will not go away. International trade will continue to be the engine that runs most nations. Q: Analyse the impact of global factors on uk business organizations? Ans: Businesses are affected by an external environment as much as they are affected by the competitors. Global factors affecting business are legal, political, social, technological and economic. Understand

US. v. Lopez :: essays research papers

U.S. v. Lopez 514 U.S. 549 (1995), Vote of 5 to 4, Rehnquist for the court.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Congress in 1990 enacted the Gun-Free School Zone Act, making it a federal offence to possess a firearm in a school zone. Congress relied on the authority of the Commerce Clause of the Constitution to justify passage of legislation as a way of stemming the rising tide of gun related incidents in public schools.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1992 Alfonso Lopez, Jr. was a senior at Edison High School in San Antonio, Texas. Acting on an anonymous tip, school authorities confronted Lopez and discovered that he was carrying a .38 caliber handgun and five bullets. A federal grand jury subsequently indicted Lopez, who then moved to have the indictment dismissed on grounds that the federal government had no authority to legislate control over the public schools. At a bench trial, the federal district court judge found Lopez guilty and sentenced him to six months’ imprisonment and two years’ supervised release. Lopez then appealed to the Fifth Circuit, which reversed the conviction and held the Gun-Free School Zone Act unconstitutional as an invalid exercise dy congress of the commerce power.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Lopez case posed the question of the extent to which Congress could exercise authority over street crime and, in so doing, intrude into constitutional space traditionally occupied by the states. Since the New Deal of the 1930’s, the Supreme Court had accepted that Congress had broad authority to regulate virtually every aspect of American life under the cover of the federal Commerce Clause. Moreover, the bombing of the federal office building in Okalahoma City, while it had occurred after the passage of the Gun-Free School Zone Act, created a political environment where the Clinton administration and the Republican congressional leaders believed that the federal government had to combat domestic terrorist groups and the weapons that they used.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The case drew considerable attention from diverse interest groups. The National Education Association, for example, joined with the Clinton administration and various antigun groups to argue that schools had experienced difficulty in handling gun related crimes. Soliciter General Drew S. Days argued that the law was different from other statutes dealing with firearms in that it targeted possession rather than sale. Yet Days also insisted that a close connection existed between violence in schools and the movement of guns in interstate commerce. The government insisted that guns were often used as part of the drug culture that was itself carried on through national commerce.

“I Want a Wife” By Judy Brady Essay

Judy Brady is a freelance writer, writing topics mainly relating to the roles of women in society. Judy wrote the piece I Want a Wife right after the second wave of the feminist movement in the United States. The purpose of the movement was to have the right to vote and have the same equal rights as male citizens. Judy’s essay appeared in MS. Magazine in 1971. She used feminist humor to persuade her readers to look objectively at a man’s expectations of what a wife is and should be. Brady’s intended audience was women and men of that time period. Not only does she write to married couples, but people in general. I believe she is trying to get out to the public that these stereotypes of roles for women are wrong and should end! Judy writes in her article about the many demands of being a wife. According to Judy, a wife is also a worker, homemaker, mother, provider, and a sexual partner. She stresses that the roles of women are unfair to the roles of men. And she illustrates this by telling you all the roles. I want a wife who will cook, clean, take care of the children, and my sexual needs all while providing for our family so I can selfishly pursue my dreams (442). She is stirring up emotions for the reader in hopes that this will persuade you to take action. She is clearly telling women to stop and think about their life. You don’t have to act this way, it clearly isn’t fair and needs to stop! Cespedes2 Judy wants people to get angry and take a stand; I believe those are her intentions when writing such an emotional piece. Her argument is clear and to the point. She uses the quote â€Å"I belong to the classification of people know as wives. I am a wife, not altogether incidentally I am a mother† (441). She uses this to show readers that she is creditable and has knowledge in this subject. She is an activist and has experience in knowing the roles herself which create a strong piece for her argument. I believe she is also telling women, its okay to be a wife, but take a look at your life and make sure your husband isn’t demanding and expecting too much from you as his wife. She ends her argument with a very emotional statement â€Å"My god, who wouldn’t want a wife† (443). The article is really inspiring and gets you thinking. Women have so many roles and are overlooked in so many ways, or just expected to do act this way because of society. I am very thankful for Judy Brady being such a strong activist for us. I am also a wife and mother and it’s great to be living in a time where I am seen equally in our relationship. There are no gender related roles in our marriage; we chip in equally where it is needed. So for me Judy’s simple words are extremely effective in changing many opinions of what a wife should be.

Death of a Salesman Essay

Discuss the role and importance of the first â€Å"flashback† scene in Death of a Salesman. This scene is the first in the play which gives us any real insight into the past of Willy, the protagonist of the play. Its purpose is to show the audience of some of where Willy went wrong; we see some of his mistakes through his memories of his own past. We see the way that he treated his sons, and how this relates to what they are like now; we witness the difference between what the impression of himself he gives and the failure he really feels; we discover his affair with the woman, why he had it, and the terrible guilt that overhangs him because of it. This then explains some of the tension and unhappiness that we have seen so far in the play. This, though, only takes us so far; we do not learn the full story, of why he and his son do not now share the bond we see in the flashback scene, and of why he becomes so depressed. He does not want to see the truth – he is not ready to realise where he went wrong. The scene gets more and more dramatic as it gets on. At first, it shows us an idyllic, happy time; Willy is apparently a fantastic success, who is idolized by two loving sons. The eldest son, Biff, is popular with the others at school and with girls, a great sportsman, and generally â€Å"well liked†. They all live in a beautiful house, surrounded by fields. But we then find about Biff stealing and then his poor academic achievement, that Willy lies about how successful he really is, and finally the affair with the woman before the whole thing spirals out of control and turns into some kind of terrible nightmare. We move into Willy’s memories using a number of stage effects – the lights brighten, we hear soft music, possibly flute music, and the background turns from the harsh orange of the brick apartments to the cool green fields of the countryside. This has a calming, nostalgic sense on the audience, who are therefore encouraged to share Willy’s feelings at the start of the flashbacks; we feel that we are entering a happier, more pleasant past. When he talks about himself to his sons, he presents himself as a great success; he uses lots of boxing language, such as â€Å"knocked ’em cold† and â€Å"slaughtered them†. He knows that his sons praise athletic ability, and so likens himself as a boxer, and a winner. Phrases like â€Å"open sesame† suggest that success in his glamorous job comes easily to him; he is a person who takes coffee with the Mayor of Providence, who deals with â€Å"the finest people†. But Willy, although he does not realise it, does a lot of harm to his sons through the lessons that he teaches them. In congratulating his son on taking the ball from school, he teaches them that, so long as you are â€Å"well liked†, you do not need to obey the rules, that popularity is more important than honesty and integrity. He also teaches them that the key to success is not in schoolwork, but in being popular, and in turn, the key to being popular is through good looks and sporting skill. He tells them that Bernard will not go far, because, although he is good academically, he is not well liked, but Biff, being as popular as he is, will become a success. Bernard is â€Å"anaemic† and a â€Å"pest†, whilst he is clearly proud of his own son, Biff. This, of course, is unrealistic – Bernard’s hard working attitude is more likely to render him a success than Biff’s sport aptitude and looks, and we see this in the play. In the next episode, with Linda, what he tells her contrasts greatly with the story he told his two sons. This does not happen immediately though; firstly he tells her he â€Å"was sellin’ thousands and thousands†; then he says he sold â€Å"five hundred gross in Providence and seven hundred gross in Boston†, before revealing that he actually sold â€Å"roughly two hundred gross on the whole trip†. When he is talking to his sons, he is trying to gain their love and respect, but he knows that he already has Linda’s, and so does not try to impress her. After claiming to his sons that he is â€Å"well liked†, he reveals to Linda that the other sellers laugh at him behind his back, and refer to him as â€Å"walrus†. He greatly exaggerates his successes; his earlier claims of easy access to wealth contrasts with his resignation that he has to be â€Å"at it, ten, twelve hours a day†. Linda is lovingly loyal and caring to Willy; she accepts and is used to his exaggerations. She patiently ignores the lies, and awaits the true answer to her question. She attempts to comfort him and make him feel good about himself, to display her love for him. When he tells her that he talks too much, she replies â€Å"you’re just lively†. She tells him that he is, to her, â€Å"the handsomest man in the world†. We are then presented with the Woman from Boston, whom Willy has the affair with. Firstly, we hear her laugh, progressively loudening, whilst the Willy continues his conversation with Linda. She appears on stage through the use of a scrim, a fabric sheet which, with the use of lighting, can make whatever is behind the scrim gradually fade onto the stage. The use of the scrim and the laughter is reminiscent of a haunting ghost. This makes the audience feel like this is not a welcome memory; it plagues Willy’s thoughts like a ghost, a memory Willy would like to be rid of, but cannot leave behind. The memory of Linda darning some old stockings after he buys this Woman shows the audience his guilt over what he is doing, and we feel some sympathy for him. He appears to be having an affair with this woman simply because it makes him feel respected. He wants someone to laugh at his jokes, to compliment him, and to make him feel that he is not worthless. He looks pleased when she tells him that she â€Å"picked† him. What he has forgotten, of course, that he has the respect he so greatly desires from his wife, Linda. The Woman and Linda both appear on stage simultaneously, which gives us the feeling that although he doesn’t want to between them, he needs both; he has a burning need for attention, which is provided by the Woman, and needs support from Linda. From when he tells Linda to throw away the stockings that she is repairing, the end of the scene becomes less strictly realistic, and more a nightmare, spiralling out of control. Both Linda and Bernard become very out of character, seemingly unceasingly listing problems with his son Biff, despite his cries of â€Å"Shut up! † and â€Å"Get outa here! â€Å". He is dramatically trying to shut out the memories, to prevent him from coming to the realization that Biff was not perfect, and a lot of it was his fault. Willy is in between Bernard and Linda with a verbal onslaught of complaints about Biff. This peaks with an explosion of anger, with Willy telling himself that Biff was not a failure, comparing his son with Bernard. He finally just denies it – â€Å"I never in my life told him anything but decent things†. This scene is not, by any means, simply a memory. Its purpose is to provide us with an insight into the workings of Willy’s mind. It helps us begin to understand how Willy got into the mental state that we have seen in the play. As we have seen, the use of staging, language and structure have all been important for us to begin our understanding. But Willy does not completely confront the whole truth about his son, but he shuns it, leaving us wondering when he will inevitably confront his past mistakes, and how he will react.