What are the many cultural, political geo-economic challenges faced by organisations operating in a global environment. How could they be addressed Essay Example

What are the many cultural, political geo-economic challenges faced by organisations operating in a global environment. How could they be addressed? Essay The major cultural challenges facing a global enterprise is understanding and adapting to local business customs and norms. In the Real World Case we saw how business in Africa tends to go on at a leisurely pace – a practice that undermines the principles of efficiency and expediency that multi-national enterprises thrive on. Understanding cultural sensibilities and adapting to them requires an open-mind and a flexible management approach. This can prove quite challenging if the top management is too engrained in their B-school trained approach. Often government bureaucracy or red tape can hinder expedient project execution. Red-tape can thus be considered both a cultural and political issue. Another political issue is the state of development. As emerging economies are mostly from the Third World, the available infrastructure can be quite rudimentary. This is a geo-economic challenge, for a majority of the population might be IT illiterate, as reflected in minimal usage of In ternet and other IT-enabled services. As the experience of Forrester Research and Cadbury illustrate, the broadband speeds for Internet usage in Africa is practically unfit for business purposes. This is especially so because the existing global IT systems for these companies are technologically far superior (and possibly incompatible) to what is on offer in developing markets. Geo-economic challenges extend further. To illustrate, let us take the particular instance of the entry of foreign banks in China. Understandably, the international press and the analyst community have focused on the critical issues of â€Å"financial transparency, adequacy of capital and loan provision, as well as the levels of non-performing loans (â€Å"NPL†s). While these remain key issues, one also has to ask whether plans are in place to address the inevitable management challenges that face banks transitioning from a unique, planned economy to a market economy.† (Yeung Lyngaas, 2005) The primary task of the management team in the new market is in coming up with solutions for cultural, political and geo-economic challenges identified above. Understanding local culture is mandatory so as to establish goodwill among local vendors, suppliers and clients. At the other end of the operations, cultural sensitivity is the key for attracting, retaining and expanding the consumer base. The last thing managers trained in a Western business school ethos want to acquire is a reputation for intolerance and insensitivity for people from different cultural backgrounds. Such an outcome would not only jeopardize the prospects for the company to expand globally but also undermine career progress for the individuals involved. Furthermore, the pace of change and ongoing weakness in the global economy mean that decision makers are looking for â€Å"real-time insights on developments in overseas markets, regardless of the language in which those developments are reported. The ability to discern meaning quickly from local-language news sources or databases can spell significant competitive advantage. One has to be ready to capitalize on what is happening in emerging markets and be tuned in to identify new opportunities quickly, even if they’re not in their native language.† (Kho, 2011) We will write a custom essay sample on What are the many cultural, political geo-economic challenges faced by organisations operating in a global environment. How could they be addressed? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on What are the many cultural, political geo-economic challenges faced by organisations operating in a global environment. How could they be addressed? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on What are the many cultural, political geo-economic challenges faced by organisations operating in a global environment. How could they be addressed? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The process of globalization present unprecedented problems for global managers due to the complex â€Å"interplay of individuals, social frameworks and culture: that we live in a complex, open and changing world of meanings; that the meanings we create are evanescent, that is, they can be shattered as soon as we structure them; that the result of living in a multiple and changing world is a fragmented sense of identity. That challenges are increasingly presented to the stability of particular perspectives by the overall globalization process, the cognitive compression of the world and the intensification of a global consciousness.† (Roniger, 1995) A few potential problems could arise if a company with global ambitions fails to overcome political challenges. The foremost is loss of goodwill among the political elite. Often in Third World countries, having the right contacts is the only means to developing the business. A manager who will strictly play by the rules is bound not to make progress. In terms of geo-economics, a major problem is coming to terms with the functioning of the local economy. This entails having a fair grasp of the demographic distribution of wealth and identifying target consumer groups. Later, catering culturally appealing marketing campaigns toward the target consumer group brings its own set of challenges. The designing of price entry points for the products is a key decision. Today, economic crises cut across all continents and â€Å"threaten a continued domino effect as leaders transition out of office because of gridlock and lack of public confidence. Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa – all are facing economic crises with implications for global business plans. These happenings represent change on a global scale that reflects immigration, migration, changing populations, struggling economies, and environmental challenges, health status – including nutrition issues of starvation and obesity – and continued technological drivers that will foster even more transitions.† (Baugher, 2012) The implications of globalization for geo-economy go further. It also translates to â€Å"more free markets, less protection, more labour market deregulation. In this dystopia a globalised, deindustrialised, rurally depressed society with high unemployment and high levels of foreign ownership is envisioned†. (Curthoys Johnson, 1998, p. 97) As far as resolving cultural issues, patience and keeping an open-mind are quite important. Expecting a through business attitude from local vendors and partners can often backfire. Savoir-faire or the acumen to mix politics with business is the requisite approach. Hence, arranging luncheons and dinners for the local business and political elite goes a long way toward achieving business goals. In the context of business in emerging economies social grace and charisma are more effective than rigorous strategic planning as taught in B-schools. These intangible qualities also help the process of understanding the cultural mindset and how they shape the consumption patterns. Thus, the solutions to geo-economic challenges are also linked to the solutions for cultural and political problems. It is fair to claim that there are no scientific methods or theoretical models one could use for successfully growing a business across the globe. The intangible qualities of good leadership such as ch arisma, intuition and educated risk-taking often override the systematic side of management and decision making.

Differentiating between Market Structures

Differentiating between Market Structures The structure of a market is defined by the number of firms in the market, the existence or otherwise of barriers to entry of new firms, and the interdependence among firms in determining pricing and output to maximize profits. This paper will cover the advantages and limitation of supply and demand identified in the simulation, the effectiveness of the organization, and how the organizations in each market structure maximizes profits.The simulation looks at all four types of market structure within the East-West Transportation Company. There are four divisions that operate within each of the four market structures. The divisions are Consumer Goods, Coal, Chemical and Forest Products.In the first scenario, the decision must be made whether to continue operations or shut down operations. After completing the simulation, it pointed towards continuing with operations in a perfect competition market. In the scenario the market demand curve is downward sloping, each seller perceives the i ndividual demand curve facing him or her to be perfectly elastic at a given price.Marginal profit is the difference between a firm's...Given this scenario this demand curve and the cost structures, sellers try to produce and output at maximized profit.The second scenario has the company looking at the coal division, which operates in the monopoly structure. Tanya Roy pointed out that the law of demand holds in a monopoly. At a high price, quantity demanded is high and profit would not need to be high. For a monopolist, price exceeds marginal revenue. Thus, at the output where Marginal Revenue = Marginal Cost, you extend the quantity line to the demand curve to determine the price to charge for this output. The demand curve is facing in a downward slope in the monopolist structure.In the third scenario the market structure is oligopoly- duopoly in the Chemical Division. The industry marginal cost...

Assess the Contribution of Functionalism

Functionalists view the family as an institution that is present in society to maintain social order and stability. Functionalist’s also view society’s functions very similar to that of the human body. The Brain in the human body is the organ that controls all other functions. In Society the Government is the main control over the country as a whole. The heart of the body is what keeps the body alive. In society the family is the heart. Overall if the family and heart is taken out, the body and society would collapse and die. Although both of these have necessary back-up systems, the society has the Army, Police services and Laws if the government should collapse. And the body has immune systems and antibodies to fight of any infections and diseases. Family is seen to be the key to society because it means reproduction to keep the society functioning. According to Functionalists the only family that would mean perfect functioning of society is the Nuclear Family. The nuclear family consists of a working man, a housewife, and children. The man is the breadwinner, he earns the money that the wife uses to buy food and necessities to help keep the family together. Functionalists views of this concept believe that heterosexual couples, adopted children and divorces do not fit into the smooth running of society. Murdock (1949) states that ‘The nuclear family is a biological necessity because it is universal’. What he means by this is that the main reason that reproduction of children is a necessity to society is because it is world-wide, it is happening everywhere and it can be found in all societies. Murdock also says that there is 4 key points. Stable Satisfaction of the sex drive (Less promiscuity), reproduction, primary socialisation and economic needs. Parsons extends on Murdock’s theory with the warm bath theory. This theory is based on how the family is seen to be a stress reliever. The man arrives home from work and is expected to be presented with a meal cooked by the wife. The family home is supposed to be a relaxed stress free environment for the man to wind down after a long day at work. Parsons also developed the functional fit theory which means a given family will fit the needs of the society in which it is found, for example, the extended family is only usually found in the pre-industrialisation period (according to Functionalists). And the Nuclear Family happens in the industrialisation period. The Nuclear Family is seen to be geographically mobile, higher wages also means socially mobile, and they are able to move up the social ladder. Parsons also adds to his theory the loss of functions; stabilising adult personalities and primary socialisation.

Exemplification Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Exemplification - Essay Example The court’s decision to exempt a student wearing a nose stud, stating the effective day to day running of the school would not affected (Lenta, par. 1). The government’s concern in implementing anti-discrimination laws devoid of immunity seems far stronger. A declaration for release from anti-discrimination laws looks in one respect more directly to look like the claim in Christian Education in South Africa versus The Ministry of Justice. In Christian education, the right of a learner not to undergo physical punishment at the hands of teachers was held to assist the wish of religious teachers to impose physical punishment in agreement with their spiritual convictions. The rationale behind the law banning unjust discrimination aims to guard all peoples’ right to equality, a basic right. In cases where religious groupings take on work-related discrimination on grounds banned to profitable enterprises draw little antagonism. In South Africa, anti-discrimination law forbids work-related discrimination on forbidden grounds, for example, sexual orientation, gender, race, and religion (Lenta, par. 2). However, in at least one circumstance churches should be allowed to discriminate. They should be permitted to apply religious standards in the selection of entrants for appointment to sacerdotal office. Nevertheless, the right of churches to keep on work-related prejudice on barred grounds does not stop there. Many are apologetic for the keeping out of women from the Catholic priesthood. People who have given consideration to the issue concur that anti-discrimination laws should not be summoned to stop this gender bias. This is because anti-discrimination laws should not be applied to stop such bias. Religious groups have a right to control their own dealings in accordance with the beliefs of members via their churches. Thus, freedom of religion as well as associational independence stresses as much (Lenta, par.

The history of fighter aircraft F-22 Raptor Research Paper

The history of fighter aircraft F-22 Raptor - Research Paper Example The fighter jet possesses significant attributes that make it better than any fighter jet developed thus far. With increased stealth, the F-22 becomes one of the best fighter jets that can evade detection by radar (Sweetman 44). In addition, the F-22 has the ability to maneuver and evade tracking by other fighter jets that may be on its pursuit. As a replacement of other fighter jets with limited superiority, the F-22 becomes the most reliable air to ground attack jet ever built. Most important, the F-22 has improved aerodynamics that makes pilots fly the fighter jet more easily than before. Today, the US army has deployed significant number of raptors to areas such as Japan where the army has stationed them ready for deployment. Whereas the F-22 has had some failures in navigation and communication, the F-22 raptor still remain an aircraft of choice in carrying out sorties and other activities such as aerial surveillance. The F-22 is a product of Lockheed Martin Corporation, which is well known for the production of aircraft. The demand for a better fighter jet like F-22 has been long overdue considering the shortcoming of other fighter jets such as F-15. With the demand of an advanced tactical fighter (ATF), the US army tasked the F-22 team to conduct a program that would later produce the F-22 as an engineering marvel that combines performance, speed and stealth into one robust fighter jet—F-22. The F-22 team started by developing two prototypes that they later developed to achieve a reliable fighting machine. In their program, the F-22 produced two YF-22 prototypes that they took through a series of testing (Sweetman 78). These prototypes relied on two other engine prototypes that were to be selected for use in the F-22 fighter jet. The testing of the fighter jet was done on Being and Lockheed installation where the features of the aircraft were refined to produce the F-22 that are in use t oday. During the development of the F-22, the Lockheed

Chains and Sustainable Development Essay Example for Free

Chains and Sustainable Development Essay Those of us who preach the gospel of agriculture with evangelical zeal find the text compelling and convincing. We are regularly possessed by the spirit only to look around and see out colleagues, in other sectors, in country management, or even our senior management doubting, yawning or subtly edging towards the door. We face the implicit query, â€Å"If agriculture can do such great things, why have they not yet happened? †1 The past decade has been one of agro-pessimism. The promises that agricultural development seem to hold did not materialise. This pessimism seemed to coincide with pessimism about Sub-Saharan Africa. Especially for Sub-Saharan Africa the hope was that economic development would be brought about by agricultural development. After the success of the green revolution in Asia, the hope was that a similar agricultural miracle would transform African economies. But this hope never materialised, agricultural productivity did not increase much in SSA (figure 1), and worse, the negative effects of the green revolution in Asia became more apparent, such as pesticide overuse and subsequent pollution. Also in Asia the yield increases tapered off. The sceptics put forward several arguments why agriculture is no longer an engine of growth2. For instance, the liberalisation of the 1990s and greater openness to trade has lead to a reduction in the economic potential of the rural sector: cheap imported Chinese plastic buckets out compete the locally produced pottery. On the other hand, it does mean cheaper (imported) supplies. With rapid global technical change and increasingly integrated markets, prices fall faster than yields rise. So, rural incomes fall despite increased productivity if they are net producers3. The integration of rural with urban areas means that healthy young people move out of agriculture, head to town, leaving behind the old, the sick and the dependent. It is often also the men who move to urban areas, leaving women in charge of the farm. This has resulted in the increased sophistication of agricultural markets (and value chains) which excludes traditional smallholders, who are poorly equipped to meet the demanding product specifications and timeliness of delivery required by expanding supermarkets. The natural resource base on which agriculture depends is poor and deteriorating. Productivity growth is therefore increasingly more difficult to achieve. Finally, multiplier effects occur when a change in spending causes a disproportionate change in aggregate demand. Thus an increase in spending produces an increase in national income and consumption greater than the initial amount spent. But as GDP rises and the share of agriculture typically decreases, the question is how important these multiplier effects are, especially when significant levels of poverty remain in rural areas, which is the case in middleincome countries. The disappointment with agriculture led many donor organisations to turn away from agriculture, looking instead to areas that would increase the well-being of poor people, such as health and education. Those organisations that still focused on agriculture, such as the CGIAR, were put under pressure to focus more on reducing poverty, besides increasing agricultural productivity. However, since the beginning of the new century, there seems to be a renewed interest in agriculture. A review of major policy documents5, including the well-publicised Sachs report and the Kofi Annan report, show that agriculture is back on the agenda again. The most influential report, however, has been the World Development Report 2008 of the World Bank6. This report argues that growth in the agricultural sector 1 contributes proportionally more to poverty reduction than growth in any other economic sector and that therefore alone, the focus should be on the agricultural sector when achieving to reach MDG 1. A reassessment of the role of agriculture in development seems to be required. This policy paper addresses several timely though complex questions: †¢ First, how can or does agriculture contribute to economic development, and in particular how does it relate to poverty? †¢ Second, the agricultural sector has changed considerably in the past decades: what are the main drivers of this change? †¢ Third, what is the relationship between economic or agricultural growth and pro-poor development? †¢ Fourth, how does agriculture relate to other sectors in the economy? †¢ Fifth, who is included and who is excluded in agricultural development, specifically focusing on small farms? †¢ And finally, if agricultural development is indeed important to economic development, then why, despite all the efforts and investments, has this not led to more successes? 2. Agriculture and economic growth This section presents a number of factual observations describing how the agricultural sector changed in terms of productivity, contribution to economic growth, and indicating the relevance of the agricultural sector for poverty alleviation in different regions. Background: some facts In the discussion of the role of agriculture in economic development, a leading question is how agriculture contributes to economic growth, and especially to pro-poor growth. There seems to be a paradox in the role of agriculture in economic development. The share of agriculture contributing to GDP is declining over the years (see figure 1). At the same time, the productivity of for instance cereal yields has been increasing (see figure 2). It seems that as agriculture becomes more successful, its importance declines in the overall economy. Of course, other sectors in the economy can be even more successful, such as the Asian Tigers.

Indian Culture Vs Western Cultures Essay -- World Culture

A couple of years ago, I had invited my best friend Jenene, to attend an Indian wedding. I thought it might be fun for her to experience the different foods, clothing, personalities, and religious beliefs that were particular to my culture. Later on that evening she had pulled me to the side and told me that the culture that she was raised in was completely different from mine. She was raised in New York all of her life and she had never experienced such a distinct culture. At that time I told her that she did not know half the story! As time went on, she attended more and more Indian functions and realized that the main differences between the western and Indian cultures were religion, marriage, and social interaction.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The western culture is predominantly of the Christian faith praying to one God. Growing up in the Hindu faith, I always wondered why my mother used to pray to many Gods. As I became older, I built up the courage to ask a Pandit (Indian Priest) why we believed in many Gods whereas all the others believed only in one. He had informed me that we only believe in one God, Lord Shiva. It may appear that we are praying to many Gods, but in fact we are praying to the many forms that he appeared to us on earth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Hindu and the Christian religious beliefs are predominantly very similar in that they teach individuals to be good and giving people. The main difference between the two religions is our belief in the after-life. Christians believe that after we die, we wait to be judged (Judgement Day) and until that time, your soul remains in an everlasting sleep (purgatory). After Judgement Day Christians believe that they answer for the wrongs that they committed upon the earth. This determines whether they go to Heaven or Hell. Hindus believe in reincarnation, which is life after death. We believe that after you die, your soul is transferred into another body or form. Depending on your dharma (behavior) in your previous life will determine your karma (actions that will affect your next life). If you were a good and giving person, your soul will be transferred into a human, the highest life form. If you were bad, your soul will be transferred into an insect, animal, or a lower life form. In any case, both the Christian and Hindu religion teach good values, beliefs and morals which constitute an ideal individual.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The topic of marr... ...ne is born into. For example if your parents are born Vaishya, then you are automatically a Vaishya for life. The reason for my parents’ migration to the United States was to break out of the caste system. The western society has a type of class system that indicates whether you are upper, middle or lower class depending on your income. This fortunately varies from generation to generation and is not something you are born into. Therefore an individual decides what class they want to fall into. As time goes on more similarities will be seen between the Indian and western cultures. All will reflect the changes that are occurring through assimilation. Indians, who were once thought to be backwards, more like traditionalists, are slowly adapting to the western societies and customs. Some changes can be seen today in the United States where Indians are choosing their own mates, altering their lifestyle from communal to associational, and shifting their classification from Vaishya to upper working class. All areas of life and social interaction are showing a change from traditional to non-traditional while maintaining all the values, beliefs and customs of their old respected ways.