Globalization and Multinational Corporations Essay

Globalization and Multinational Corporations - Essay Example The globalisation concept does not reveal the challenges leaving the companies to look at the positive side of the concept. There are very many management challenges due to different cultural issues and government intervention in different nations. As it will be discussed in the paper, countries differ in their levels of technology, development, availability of labour and resources and policies targeting trade and taxation. Both local and global companies normally do not have the right information concerning such issues thus end up making the wrong decisions in location and strategies (Karsten, 2000, pp.120-134). The best example of a multinational company to use is the Coca Cola Company as it has gone through very many challenges as it was in its race to meeting the global concept. Global strategy is defined in business as guidelines of an organisation to globalisation. For a firm to succeed in expanding globally it requires to define the extent to which it can expand its service and products provision. Local and global enterprises are facing a lot of challenges in expanding globally and this does not leave out the Coca Cola Company. The decisions Coca Cola makes on where it needs to locate its business are highly affected by the fact it usually defines how far it needs to allocate. Many multinational organisations that are failing expand unnecessarily. This occurs because of the lack of complete information on the different economic status of different nations. This limits them in attaining competitive advantage within the corporate world (Gupta, 2008, pp. 20-21). Strategic management Strategic management entails to plan and forecast, command, control, co-ordinate and organize. It is important for organizations to practice effective modes of management to ensure that at the end of the day they achieve their main objective; profit making. Though strategic management entails all this conditions, it is evident that they are not practised in all organisations globally. This is so because countries differ in their adoption of management strategies. This makes it hard for an organisation in a well established country that practises high management concepts to incorporate the concepts in another country that has not yet implemented them (Ghoshal, 1987, pp. 425-440). However, with Coca Cola being a multinational company for a very long time, it has identified that different areas need different ways of management though people are being urged to embrace global ways of management. Business courses and beliefs are very different in all nations. For instance, in developing countries, the business courses are outdated and it is only recently that they are trying to educate its people on the global strategic management principles. Many organisations that want to expand globally are misled by believing that all nations embrace the concept globalisation thus they set up their businesses in different localities only to find that they do not use the global strategies of management. This makes them to lag behind in making profits because they lack competent individuals to employ. It is evident that for a business to flourish there must be availability of labour within the area. Some multinational entities are forced to employ individuals from other countries which is a more expensive strategy because they demand a high pay for relocating from their native homes (Ghauri, 1995, pp.

What factors would lead to a rise in the cost of credit in an economy, Essay

What factors would lead to a rise in the cost of credit in an economy, and in what circumstances - Essay Example The formula, when applied, can show the annual rate of interest to be paid towards exhausting borrowed money. Acceptance of credit is often termed as a source of finance to a business due to the fact that it escalates with business expansion. (Siegel, et al, 1997) A nation’s central bank can determine the cost of credit in an economy by either raising or lowering it. For instance; in 1989 the bank of Japan raised the rates of discount by 0.5% to 4.25%. Once the new rate took effect immediately, it would help in stabilising the economy’s prices by curbing the pressures due to inflation and enhance economic growth. The discount rate is applied by the central bank while charging interests in the bank loans extended to other banks. Therefore, the raising of discount rates would amount to a rise in the cost of credit to the whole economy in entirety. An example to illustrate this instance of Japan is the immediate announcement by big banks in Japan, where they said that they would escalate the prime lending rates for long-term funds to 6.8% from the previous 6.5%. (Reuters, 1989) The apt measurement of the credit cost is the prevailing real interest rates in the economy. Market interest rates have been influenced by the inflationary levels and thus cannot present the true meaning of interest rates in the economy. Thus, it is the rise in the real interest rates in a nation that lead to a rise in the cost of credit in the market. Also according to the center for popular economics, the cost of credit in a country may rise due to an increase in taxes. If the real interest rates in an economy and which are reflected in the GDP deflator rose and the taxation levels did the same, they would have an upward effect on the credit costs. (Center for popular economics, 1896) A country’s economy depends so much upon the amounts of credit held by persons in it. Attitudes of people towards the credit can also change the course of things in the

The Canterbury Tales Essay Example for Free

The Canterbury Tales Essay What do we learn about religion from studying the general prologue of The Canterbury Tales, With reference to two of the characters, the prioress and the Monk? Geoffrey Chaucer was born in 1340, his family were from London. Chaucer became a page in royal court and was educated with highly experience of people around him from the very rich to the ordinary working man helped him to write the Canterbury Tales. The Canterbury Tales is a framework story. It is about a group of pilgrims who go on a pilgrimage to Canterbury. While at the Tabard Inn, on the night before the journey, Chaucer describes them, The Monk and the Prioress are two of the pilgrims travelling with Chaucer. Using irony, Chaser seems at first to be compliment them. This is when his character he realises he is pointing out their fault and the criticising the church. The prioress was a Nun who travelled with Chaucer to Canterbury. While in the Inn Chaucer describes her, saying, That of hie smylyng was ful simple and coy. Chaucer also writes, hir gretteste ooth was by saint Loy. Nuns are meant to be holy, they have committed there lives to God, they are meant to follow the commandments given to Moses, not even to swear a little bit is acceptable let alone to swear at all. Chaucer also writes, Ful;wel she song the survace divine, She was singing not to please God but to catch the eye of the other people in the church. Chaucer says that the prioress ate her meal with elegance, he said she had beautiful manners and that she was entertaining to watch, Mate wel y taught was she with alla, Amyable of port. Later on in the text Chaucer comments about her beauty on a number of occasions. Nuns have to take a vow of poverty and should not have any possessions. Clearly she possesses make-up and fine clothes. God should be the Centre of her life and she should only be doing things he wants her to do. Chaucer thinks that the prioress isnt acting and behaving as she should and that she should forget about the pilgrimage to Canterbury and start to learn once again about being a nun. The Monk was according to Chaucer a fine looking man, Fair for the mainstrve, This man was not just a monk but an outryere. In those days lots of irony was used and an outrider was a person who could go out of his monasteries to do work for the church. Chaucer also sats that this monk, lovede Venerye and Ful many a deyntee hors haddle he in stable. The monk had taken a vow of poverty just like the prioress, so this monk shouldent have any possessions. Chaucer also writes about his brydel which was Gynglen in a whistynge waynge wynd. This monk was also drawing attention to himself while he was meant to be out doing the work of the church; he was treating this work like a holiday. This monk was fashionable and enjoyed best quality food. A fat swan love he best of any roast. Swans were very expensive, so he must have eaten this while he was out doing the work of the church. He was caring for his freedom, not commitment while he should have been caring for the poor not indulging himself. Although Chaucer wrote the Canterbury Tales about 600 years ago, it is still valid today. The nun and the Monk speak for themselves, they say that human nature doesnt change and that some people will always be greedy and selficha dns some people will be nice and kind, this was Chaucers job, to show them up in his writings.

Why Did The Soviet Union Not Invade Poland History Essay

Why Did The Soviet Union Not Invade Poland History Essay This essay will primarily analyse the factors that prevented the Soviet Union from intervening in Poland in 1981, when faced with political opposition by the Solidarity movement. There are four main reasons as to why the USSR decided against the invasion of Poland: StanisÅ‚aw Kanias involvement in the decision making process, the USAs pressure on the Soviet government, domestic factors affecting the Soviet Union and Wojciech Jaruzelskis successes in crushing the opposition. When combined, these factors worked as obstacles to the Soviet Unions decision to invade Poland. The Polish crisis officially burst onto the scene in August 1980. Under the leadership of Lech Walesa, some 10 million poles joined the solidarity movement which immediately set off alarm bells for the communist government in charge. Solidarity was an umbrella organisation which consisted of political and social organisations that wanted a change in the state of affairs in Poland. Solidarity aimed to hold the regime to its communistic promises of government by the people and less work for more pay. Furthermore it demanded free elections and called for a referendum on the replacement of the communist government. Solidarity was so influential that it was allowed to register as a political organisation which encroached on the monopoly of power that the communist government had normally enjoyed. The sheer numbers in Solidaritys ranks and position of relative power it held as a political opposition group caused panic in the Moscow Kremlin. The Soviet military reserves were called up and w arships were sent to ports in Poland. Furthermore a special commission was set up by the Kremlin headed by Mikhail Susolov to investigate the roots of the crisis as well as a remedy to tame the uprising. This background to the Polish crisis gives a solid foundation upon which analysis can take place as to why the invasion of Poland did not take place. StanisÅ‚aw Kania played a crucial role in delaying the intervention till a time when the Polish government had proved itself incapable of handling the political opposition. In the early days of 1981 the Soviet Union had drawn up plans for military intervention in Poland. Soviet, East German and Czechoslovak troops would enter Poland, with 18 divisions remaining in close proximity to the city. The short but effective campaign was set to crush the solidarity movement and restore the communist governments supremacy in Poland. This campaign would have no doubt been complete humiliation for the Polish regime and its leaders, who would be viewed by the rest of the world and, Warsaw pact member alike, as a government incapable of controlling its own people. Furthermore this intervention would have left the Polish government with few supporters and a huge loss of faith from the general population. Kania, being a member of the ruling class in Poland, was determined not to let this h appen and thus played a vital role in delaying the Soviet intervention. On December the 5th during the Moscow summit Kania addressed Brezhnev and fellow Warsaw pact leaders of the critical condition of administrative affairs in his country. He acknowledged the threat that Solidarity posed to communist power in Poland however he emphasized that intervention was not the answer. He stated, If there were to be an intervention there would no doubt be a national uprisingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ which would leave socialist ideas swimming in blood. His open and truthful manner of addressing his countries problems gained the confidence of Leonid Brezhnev. At the end of the summit Brezhnev concluded that the intervention would be postponed in order to give Polish officials a chance to regain the confidence of the public and tame the political opposition. Hence Kanias influence proved a crucial obstacle to the Soviet intervention of Poland in 1981. The USA used its influence as the other global hegemony to great effect in deterring the Soviet Union from invading Poland. The USAs constant threats to the Soviet Union, under the Carter administration, leading up to 1980 are often seen as rather inadequate. Upon hearing that the Soviet Union planned to intervene in Poland, Jimmy Carter put out a press release stating that non intervention of Poland would have clear benefits for the USSR and US- Soviet relations. The Carter administration also had an informant within the Polish borders, who updated them on all Soviet military advancements. When informed of the Warsaw Pacts build up of troops around the Polish border, Carter promptly disclosed the information to the press and the Solidarity movement, thus denying the invaders the element of surprise. Although these threats and actions did have some effect on the Soviet decision making process, they were more useful as a foundation upon which the Reagan administration were able to bui ld their own intimidating tactics. Upon its inauguration into office the Regan administration stated that Soviet intervention in Poland would have dire consequences on US- Soviet relations and strongly advised them to stay out of Polish affairs. Furthermore Reagan emphasised that if Polish forces were to intervene in Poland it would be a, Polish matter in which the US would stay out. Rather than just target threats at the Soviet Union, the USA also provided economic incentive to make the Polish crisis a solely Polish affair. Regan ordered the rescheduling of Polands enormous debt to its creditors in order to enable a relatively peaceful political solution, as opposed to a violent military one. This debt postponement meant that the Polish regime could not focus more resources towards crushing the political uprising thus giving Soviet officials a major reason to leave the Polish crisis to Polish officials. Reagans tactics worked in intimidating the Soviet Union; the Soviet Union would ultimately factor in US relations as a big reason to stay out of Poland. The state of domestic affairs and the importance of public opinion are quite naturally seen as the biggest reasons for the Soviet decision to not intervene in Poland. In the 1980s Soviet leaders had a new found sensitivity towards public opinion. In order to continue the spread of communism, especially in the third world, the Soviet Union needed to portray itself as a progressive nation with the peoples best interest at heart. The Polish crisis had cropped up at a time when the USSR was engaged in a failing war in Afghanistan, with a faltering economy based on deteriorating terms of trade and the dà ©tente having all but ended. Yuri Andropov addressed the politburo on the 10th of December stating that it was an enormous risk to go into Poland that would most likely end in catastrophe. He stated that the USSRs priorities had changed since the 1950s and that they no longer needed Poland to maintain their influence. In addition he addressed the economic and political sanctions that the West would surely impose upon them which would prove an even greater strain on the already waning Soviet economy. On the other hand public opinion was of great importance to both the USA and the USSR and whichever side was deemed to be winning the battle would no doubt be in a better position to influence world affairs. Andropov addressed this point as well by clearly stating, that an invasion in Poland was out of the question because, World public opinion will condemn us [USSR]. These claims by Andropov were well found because the USSR was at a crossroads where they needed to focus on their own countries interests above all others. Ultimately the communist regime being replaced by Solidarity would have only proved a small obstacle for the USSR. The USSRs position of power and influence would have been enough to prevent the downfall of communism in Poland to be mirrored in the rest of the empire. In bordering East Germany and Czechoslovakia the polish crisis was received with relat ively neutral opinions. Their firmly rooted conservative regimes did not fear their respective populations to follow suit. This was mainly due to the fact that the populations of the two countries looked down on Poland for their massive debt and economic backwardness. If a large scale war were to have broken out between communism and capitalism, the USSR would have had no trouble in marching through Poland and reclaiming it and thus the leaders of the politburo concluded that there would be no immediate intervention in Poland. In making this decision Brezhnev remarked, Okay we wont go in, although if severe problems occur we would. Hence in this way the Soviet Union proved to be more concerned with long term western pressure and world public opinion than short term loss of a Warsaw pact member. Jaruzelskis success in imposing martial law is, in my opinion, the most crucial reason as to why the Soviet Union did not invade Poland in 1981. In the final weeks of 1981 it seemed as though the Soviet Unions decision not to invade Poland rested solely on the success of martial law in Poland. In the early days of December Jaruzelski held a conference directed towards Solidarity and other opposition groups where he said, If Polish forces do not manage to break resistance by Solidarity they [the public] could expect other countries to introduce armed forces in Poland. On December the 12th, the night prior to the proclamation of martial law, Warsaw Pact forces in neighbouring countries were put on alert in the case of a large scale public uprising that the Polish authorities would be unable to manage. The imposition of martial law on December 13th 1981 caught Solidarity and other opposition groups off guard. All political organisations, such as solidarity, were banned, a curfew was put in place and all telephone and postal mail were subject to censorship. The initial resistance to martial law proved to be weak and no match to Jaruzelskis military patrols that roamed the streets. Over 90 people were killed in the initial uprising which showed that Jaruzelski was liable to resort to extreme brutality in order to ensure that the nation was once again firmly under the grip of the communist regime. Furthermore in order to further hamper the opposition, all known solidarity members were rounded up for interrogation and Lech Walesa, Solidaritys leader, amongst other opposition leaders was arrested. Jaruzelskis tactics were working in the mere weeks after martial law was imposed. Special military courts were set up which had an outstandingly high rate of conviction. Jaruzelski instilled fear within the population to the magnitude that they refused to go on strike because they were likely to lose their jobs and be detained without trial. Underground Solidarity leaders att empted to rally the population to go on strike at their places of work, in response to this water tanks and armoured cars were sent to large factories and mills to combat any opposition. An underground Solidarity leader said, It was too much to ask of workersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ without specific strategy it was unfair to ask workers to risk their jobs. The public began to fear assembling in opposition to the government because they feared the over used police brutality and were no longer certain about receiving a free and fair trial. Lack of strong and organised opposition put Soviet intervention in Poland out of the question. Brezhnev no longer saw the need to intervene in a country where the communist regime had seemed to, at least temporarily, have the public and opposition under control. In the early 1990s Jaruzelski gave an interview to justify his proclamation of martial law in Poland, where he stated that martial law was the lesser evil in the given scenario. Had he not imposed it the Warsaw pact forces would have inevitably invaded the country. Thus the success of martial law stands as the biggest reason for Soviet non-intervention of Poland in 1981. The four main reasons that stood in the way of the Soviet Union intervening in Poland, all have their respective merits. However it is in the last two reasons, internal problems in the Soviet Union and Jaruzelskis success in crushing the opposition, that stand out as the most crucial. Had Solidarity taken power in 1981, all obstacles preventing the USSR from invading Poland would have vanished and an army would have ultimately been sent into Poland. However in my opinion Jaruzelskis success in imposing martial law was the only factor that gave the Soviet Union a finality about their decision to not invade Poland and must thus stand as the main point of analysis when considering the given question.

McDonaldization Essay -- essays research papers

People At Work Coursework Question   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To what extent do you consider this concept of the McDonaldization of society disturbing, expected or inevitable, for employees in the twentifirst century. Also the possible consequences for theories of human motivation and whether the concept applies equally to all jobs. In this paper I will be analysing the effects McDonaldization has on society and the employees of the twentifirst century. I will be discussing whether McDonaldization is to be expected, accepted, rejected or is inevitable. I will also be arguing that McDonaldization does effect employee motivation, and how it fits in the numerous theories on motivation. McDonaldization as defined by George Ritzer is â€Å"the process by which the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of society†. This concept originally stems from the concept of bureaucracy, which was a type of organisational structure that aimed to rationalise and standardise its products and services and the processes it took to produce them. McDonaldization differs somewhat from bureaucracy as it concerns itself with its five main points: Efficiency, Calculatability, Predictability and Control. For the emphasis to be on these points it has an effect on employee’s jobs. Often it involves the de-skilling of the employees, under McDonaldization employees do not need a wide range of skills, In fact just to be productive they only need to know how to complete a single task. This has numerous benefits for the organisation, primarily it cuts down on training costs as it does not cost much to train for low skilled jobs, and as these jobs are so low skilled employees can be paid minimum wage. It also leaves employees with little bargaining power as staff can be replaced so easily. Jobs often become standardised and continually repetitive and leave room for little or free thinking or initiative to be employed. Staff are often replaced or governed by technological changes. However it is argued that the effects McDonaldization has on employees depends on the many variables surrounding your job i.e. public or private, Blue collar (professional) or white collar (menial) jobs or simply the type of industry retail, service or tertiary. Public sector jobs tend to be as less affected by McDonaldization than pr... ...n, Supervision, Working Conditions, Relationships, Salary, Status and Security. As I outlined in previous paragraphs that McDonaldization has a negative impact on all these things. Herzbergs model also names motivators as being achievement, recognition, interest in tasks, responsibility and advancement. McDonaldization by design makes it more difficult to make big achievements and even harder to be recognised for them. With the standardisation of many jobs interest in the tasks are unlikely to play a big part in motivation. Increased responsibility, growth and advancement have also been negatively effected by McDonaldization and opportunities for either of these motivators is become bleak. Overall one can see that the effects McDonaldization have had on society and its employees tend to be negative ones. But the reason it is so widespread is because huge organisations rely on it as a means to maximise profit. But is the price too high for the rest of us to bear. It plays as a de-motivator, effects our everyday thinking. References George Ritzer ‘The McDonaldization Of Society’ Abraham Maslow Fredrick Herzberg Dr Ellen Langer Mullins Buchanan & Huczynski

Corporate Downsizing Essays -- essays research papers

Downsizing has become an extremely popular strategy in today’s business environment. Companies began downsizing in the late 1970’s to cut costs and improve the bottom line (Mishra et al., 1998). The term â€Å"downsizing† was coined to describe the action of dismissing a large portion of a company’s workforce in a very short period of time. According to online encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org downsizing refers to â€Å"layoffs initiated by a company in order to cut labor costs by reducing the size of the company.† Downsizing became a familiar management mantra in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. In fact, three million jobs were lost between 1989 and 1998 (Mishra et al., 1998). More than 350,000 jobs were lost in 2001 (DeSouza & Donaldson, 2002). Downsizing has become almost a way of life for U.S. companies. Typically, the first round of job cuts are followed by a second round of cuts a short time later. Not everyone agrees with t he reasoning behind downsizing. According to an article in the Journal of Banking and Financial Services, downsizing is merely â€Å"a short-sighted business strategy motivated by arrogant CEO’s eager to appease shareholders (Unkles, 2001). Others feel downsizing is a necessary tool to ensure business survival in the face of a changing economy. Regardless, the costs of downsizing are high, and the payoffs of downsizing are mixed at best. This paper doesn’t serve as an approach to downsizing, rather, it explores the many aspects of downsizing, from when it’s time to downsize to what steps that can be taken to avoid the process altogether. Corporate Downsizing: An Overview   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many reasons why a company downsizes. Layoffs began as a way for companies to offset a decline in earnings, but quickly became a popular practice even in companies that were doing well financially. A 1994 survey by the American Management Association found that two-thirds of all workers who were laid off were college-educated, salaried employees (Downs, 1995). Today, the term downsizing is used to refer to a narrow effort to reduce the workforce and also to broaden efforts to improve work systems or redesign the total organization. Companies may downsize to increase capital, as a result of a merge with another company (where additional staff are not needed), poor cash flow (which results in payroll issues), changes in technology, and lastly due to a chang... ...k Enterprise. Retrieved April 22, 2009, from http://www.findarticles.com Downs, A. (2005). Corporate executions: the ugly truth about layoffs-how corporate greed is shattering lives, companies, and communities. New York: AMACOM-American Management Association. Hoskisson, R., & Hitt, M. (2004). Downscoping: How to tame the diversified firm. Oxford University PR on Demand. Krepps, M. (2007). Industrial inefficiency and downsizing: A study of layoff and plant closures. New York: Garland Publishing. Mishra, K. E., Spreitzer, G. M., & Mishra, A. K. (2008, Winter). Preserving employee morale during downsizing. Sloan Management Review. Unkles, j. (2009). The downside of downsizing: after almost a decade of surging economic growth and booming share markets, many corporate and financial managers are getting their first look at a downturn in the business cycle. Journal of Banking and Financial Services, 115(6), 2. Retrieved April 22, 2009, from Baker College Web Site: http://web2.infotrac.galegroup.com Zimmerman, E. (2007, November). Why deep layoffs hurt long-term recovery (HR's tools for recovery). Workforce. Retrieved April 20, 2009, from http://www.findarticles.com

African Slavery

The following essay will describe the historical case study of African Slavery and also the basic human rights that were exploited from the African people between the 17th and 19th centuries. For five centuries Europeans went to Africa, took people by force then sold them to other European people in their countries. The Africans were captured in warfare or raids and loaded onto ships that traveled mostly over the Atlantic Ocean. They were forced to work as slaves to break the land and to labour on sugar, tobacco, coffee and cotton plantations. The slaves were kept chained together in the ship’s hold. They were put in very fine spaces and unable to move about. Disease was common aboard the ship in the unhealthy conditions where people were unable to go to the toilet. When slaves died they remained chained up until the crew took them away. Many Africans committed suicide instead of facing the brutal life as a slave. Most Africans captured this way were taken to the Americas. Africans that knew each other or spoke the same language were split up and all given European names. It was sheer luck whether the slave would be bought by a kind or a cruel master. They were either placed in the harsh work of a field slave or as a household slave doing the easier tasks. The younger the slave was the more money he or she would cost. They worked from dawn till dark and some would die from exhaustion. The women would sometimes have abortions or kill their babies to prevent their child from suffering the life of a slave. In the southern states, plantation owners explained to their slaves that they were free. Many chose to stay with their masters and work as paid labourers. Back then freedom did not mean equality or fair treatment so blacks kept fighting for human rights but struggled. Europeans quickly made laws that restricted and controlled the lives of black people and made necessary another century of struggle for civil rights. Slavery ended in 1838 by the British who had made it illegal. Human rights back then compared to nowadays is changed dramatically for the better and we need to appreciate that.