Discuss the rise in importance of FDI for Multinational Enterprises Essay

Discuss the rise in importance of FDI for Multinational Enterprises - Essay Example This deepening and widening economic integration is achieved through three main channels such as trade, foreign direct investment and the international transfer of knowledge and technology. The enterprises, which have dispersed their business processes across the globe through the channel of FDI, are termed as Multinational Enterprises (MNEs). These MNEs are the main pillars in the globalized economies which involved in the world economic activities. Though trade which principally means export-import of goods and services across the geographical regions are there since many years but the concept of foreign direct investment (FDI) is rather of recent origin. Being different from portfolio investment this type of investment entails a firm to open its subsidiary in a foreign land to expand its business activities there. In today's fast moving global economy the scale of FDI made by a multinational enterprise plays a vital role for the growth of developed as well as developing countries across the world. In this essay the rise in FDI as well as its importance for the MNEs has been vividly described in the Section-II and also an analysis of the circumstances under which FDI may or may not be an appropriate strategy for an international business has been made in the Section-III. The conclusion to the discussion has been given in Section-IV. The analysis of the rising trend in the various regions of the world and the possible impact of FDI in the host and home economies has been made in this paper. II. FDI: The Increasing Trend in Global Economy "FDI is defined as a firm based in one country (the 'home country') owning 10 percent or more of the stock of a company located in a foreign country (the 'host country') -- this amount of stock is generally enough to give the home country firm significant control rights over the host country firm. Most FDI is in wholly-owned or nearly wholly-owned subsidiaries." (http://www.populareconomics.org/globalization/html%20/Glossary.html). Thus FDI is different from the portfolio investment which may cross borders but lacks such controls over it. This FDI may be 'Green-field'1 or 'Acquisition/Mergers'2 and also it may be 'horizontal'3 or 'vertical'4. "Thus to create, acquire or expand a foreign subsidiary, MNEs undertake FDI. The total direct capital owned by non-residents in a given country each year constitutes the stock of FDI" (Navaretti & Venables, 3). If one makes a comparison between export and FDI during the last twentieth century one can see that the exports grew much stronger than FDI in the pre 1980 period while the FDI sown an unprecedented rise after 1985. "The worldwide real GDP increased at a rate of 2.5% per year between 1985 and 1999 and worldwide exports by 5.6%, worldwide real inflows of FDI increased by 17.7%." (Navaretti & Venables 3). Also it is seen that the worldwide FDI stocks increased from $794 billion to $1, 768 billion in the second half of the eighties (Table-1). That means they more than doubled in just six years. The inflow of FDI peaked in the year 2000 but suddenly declined from the year 2001 due to slowing down of economy.

Voting and High School Essay Example for Free

Voting and High School Essay Background of the Study The era of computer system has spread very fast, wide and extreme conduct of required data. Voting System for the Central Board of Student High School Department in San Sebastian College Recoletos – Manila is still using the manual process, now the proponents are ready to change the free of manual using process. This study would help them with this attributes efficiency, convenience and security not just to the integrity of voting but also the protections of the high school student voters. Based on DepED Order No. 79, s. 2009 Revised Standard Constitution and By-Laws of Supreme Student Governments in Secondary Schools signed by Secretary Jesli A. Lapus â€Å" that the significant roe, and contributions of the Supreme Student Government (SSG) in the school and in line with Students Government Program (SGP) of the Department of Education-Center for Students and Co-Curricular Affairs (DepED-CSCA), the enclosed Revised Standard Constitution and By-Laws is hereby issued for implementation in all Secondary School.† Since the beginning of elections in San Sebastian College- Recoletos High School Department,there are different problems such as fraud ,cheating , and slow process of counting ballots and human errors which can’t be removed to the mind of the voters. But the proponents believe that those irregularities will not break the will and heart of a true sebastinian. Voting must be exercised freely, safely and intelligently within voting precints. As in the present of how is the process of voting in the existing voting system works manually, manual election usually takes a long time before proclaiming the winning candidate while computerized election usually takes a short period of time before proclaiming the winning candidate. Voters will write the name of their chosen candidate in an piece of paper given by the committee and it will be placed inside a ballot box, At the end of the voting period, the assigned canvassers will count the votes manually and thus it result to human errors and slow process of tallying of votes, in order to pursue a secure and honest election, it is the function of the proponents to provide the students the means to credible system of election. Proponents define manual election as a system that counts votes using paper audits stored by a ballot box. Objectives of the Study 1. The general objective of the study is to develop an automated based voting system for San Sebastian College-Recoletos High School Department. Specific Objectives 1. The main objective of this research is to develop automated based voting system for the San Sebastian College-Recoletos High School Department. 2. It will provide a faster and easy way to vote candidates during the voting season. 3. It will ease the pain of providing hundreds of ballots but this system will totally will remove the cost and effort of printing ballots. 4. It will secure the confidential information about the result of the last election. 5. To introduce an automated voting system for San Sebastian College-Recoletos High School Department. 6. To provide a user friendly system for the high school students. 7. To employ a more organized and accurate way of electing a new board members for the high school department. Scope and Delimitation of the Study The Proponents will develop a voting system that prepares a voting process for San Sebastian College-Recoletos High School Department by creating a computer based voting system that will help the commissioners count the number of votes. 1. Voters can also see the pictures of the candidates while voting and because of that can easily identify to whom they will give their vote. 2. The System has a back-up system to save the number of votes. 3. It will only take 5 minutes for the students to vote to avoid wasting of time. 4. It has a log in security attempt limited for 3 times. 5. The proponents are planning to use Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 to realize the goal. The coverage of this study is from June to Sept 2013. 6. The researchers limit the study to Sebastian College-Recoletos High School Department. 7. The candidates are not allowed to manipulate their number of votes; the election commissioners cannot alter the voting process. 8. This system has a delimitation that the users should know, the system doesn’t have a print out of ballots. Definition of Terms Automation – process which involves the electronics and computer technology which the participation of human is less. Automated Voting System – A technology which is much faster and efficient more than the old voting system, it also involves the participation of information and communication technology individuals. Ballot – A tangible thing wherein the cast of votes writes here. Also exists in old voting/electoral process. Ballot Box – A tangible thing wherein the votes of the voters stores here for counting. Canvassers – An individual who canvass votes and plays a vital role in old voting system. Election Commission – In charge of overseeing the implementation of election procedures. Inquiry – process that has the aim of augmenting knowledge, resolving doubt, or solving a problem. Precincts – a table, place where you will vote.

Theory of Inner Core Super-Rotation: An Analysis

Theory of Inner Core Super-Rotation: An Analysis Andrew Brown Introduction This article investigates the various thought processes behind, and controversies surrounding, the theory of Inner Core super-rotation. The Inner Core of the Earth is composed predominantly of soli iron, and lies at the centre of the planet, surrounded by a liquid Outer Core (again, predominantly composed of iron). It is a region that has long been known for having a profound influence in the processes that maintain convection within the liquid Outer Core. Understanding the workings of the Inner Core could be key in the understanding of dynamo theory, the Earth’s magnetic field (from its origins, through to the present day), heat-flow, core-history, core-composition, and possibly effects on the Earth’s gravity field. In recent years, many seismic studies have indicated that the Inner Core contains large-scale anisotropy in its velocity structure. It was discovered that there was evidence of systematic changes in the travel-time of waves travelling through the Inner Core. These changes (changing over long time periods) were interpreted as indications of the Inner Core rotating at a different rate than that of the other material within the Earth. It was suggested that the Inner Core is rotating in an Eastward direction relative to the Mantle and Crust, at a rate measurable within human time-scales. This finding was initially dismissed as being either too slow a rotation-rate, or considered to be physically impossible. However, additional evidence, displayed in recent studies into the matter, is found to support the hypothesis that the Inner Core is, in fact, super-rotating. Despite this finding, the topic of Inner Core super-rotation, along with discussions about the rate at which it is rotating, i s still considered a controversial area of research. Research History The first suggestion of a super-rotating mass at the centre of the Earth was brought on by analysis of the interaction between the solid Inner and liquid Outer Core. The viscosity of the Outer Core is very low, and is thought to convect at a rate of approximately 1cms-1. It could be thought that this might result in the appearance that the Inner Core was moving with respect to the mantle. In order to investigate this phenomenon further, Glatzmaier Roberts (1995) modelled a numerical solution for 3D convection dynamo motions within the Outer ore. This model successfully reproduced observed magnetic field strength and reversal behaviour. However, in the model, the Inner Core was free to rotate, and what was found was that it naturally super-rotated in an Eastward direction. From this is was then hypothesised that seismic reflections, rebounding off the Inner/Outer Core boundary, could show evidence of this modelled rotation, but it was later found that a more efficient data set would be to examine seismic waves that are transmitted through the Inner Core (Song Richards, 1996). Using this technique, along with others (such as analysis of geodynamo processes and shear-wave conversions within the Inner Core), there is more evidence supporting a super-rotating Inner Core, than not. However, even upon agreeing that this idea is both plausible and probable, there is still a large level of uncertainty surrounding the rate at which the Inner Core is rotating with respect to the Mantle. There have been suggestions in recent studies that it is rotating at a rate of less than 1à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °yr-1, but equally, there have been suggestions of rotation rates of over 1à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °yr-1, and even suggestions recently of no discernable difference in rotation. Evidence for Super-Rotation Our current theories of the origins of the Earth’s magnetic field rely on the understanding of the geodynamo processes occurring within the core. Differential rotation is a requirement for the geodynamo to exist. It is this differential rotation that drives the dynamo action by generating toroidal magnetic fields from poloidal. Initially, there are poloidal field lines, which are then ‘wound up’ by the differential rotation (shown in figure 1). Only a small amount of diffusion is needed to break these poloidal lines and form a toroidal loop, and these new toroidal field lines then amplify the original poloidal field, and the process repeats. It can be observe that the core surface appears to drift in a westward direction. If the Inner Core is, indeed, differentially rotating, then it would suggest an eastward drift at the Inner Core boundary. This predicted eastward drift agrees with the eastward drift observe in geodynamo simulations. In addition to this, it is well understood by electromagnetism, that Inner and Outer Core are well coupled, and thus would suggest that the Inner Core should be super-rotating, and drift east. Although a super-rotating Inner Core is consistent with current geodynamo theories, such a controversial subject area requires more actual, observable evidence in order to validate these assumptions. This evidence comes from analysis of Inner Core seismology. P-waves are found to travel through the Inner Core approximately 3 or 4% faster in a direction almost parallel to the north/south axis, than in directions along the equatorial plane. (Poupinet et al., 1983; Morelli et al., 1986; Song Helmberger, 1993). In addition to this, analysis of the free-oscillations of the Earth that contain significant energy within the Inner Core shows evidence of shear-wave splitting (Masters Gilbert, 1981; Sharruck Woodhouse, 1998), another indication of a variation in velocity between planes. Both these phenomena are show Inner Core anisotropy, with the ‘fast axis’ tilted approximately 10à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ° from the rotation axis (figure 2). This fact can be used to the advantage of research ers, as if the Inner Core is super-rotating then it should be possible to observe this ‘fast axis’ precessing over long time periods. In other words, if the anisotropic Inner Core rotates about the north/south axis at a different rate to that of the Mantle, then the observed travel-times will change in a systematic fashion for repeated seismic signals passing through the Inner Core. Interpretations of the relative (rather than absolute) timings are use in order to reduce the methods sensitivity to errors in source locations. The method uses a combination of source and receiver pairs that allow for seismic rays through the Inner Core, that also have an orientation that will be sensitive to the effect of the hypothesised rotation on the ‘fast axis’. The differences in travel-times are analysed for three different ray path phases: AB, BC and DF (shown in figure 3). Ray paths through the Earth are very close together, hence the need to analyse relative travel-times. Mantle convection is slow, and the Outer Core is well-mixed, and thus the travel time of the BC phases should remain relatively constant over time. It should, therefore, be safe to assume that any variations observed over time will have an Inner Core origin. Each of these phases travel through different sections of the Earth’s Mantle and Core, and thus contain different information, therefore, changes between phases are unlikely to be due to event mislocation. The contrast between AB and BC phases are mostly just scattered; however, the difference between BC and DF phases show a systematic increase over time. However, interpretation of the differences in travel time, alone, is not sufficient to detect super-rotation. It is the effect on the parameter, ÃŽ ¾ (the angle of the ray with respect to the Inner Core ‘fast axis’), that is sensitive to the changes in ray paths that would be observed if the Inner Core were differentially rotating. Figure 4 shows two curves: the percentage velocity perturbations with ÃŽ ¾; and the derivative of this curve, with respect to ÃŽ ¾, which illustrates the sensitivity to changes in velocity with ÃŽ ¾, which is what would be expected with super-rotation. Studies of these core-phase relative travel times have indicated a definite eastward Inner Core rotation rate of approximately 1à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ° per year (Song Richards, 1996), although further studies have produced varying results for this rate. Ovtchinnikov et al. (1998), again, used BC-DF travel-time differences brought on by nuclear explosions, thus reducing the error in source location. The result of this study, produced through the analysis of long time-series data over decades, was consistent with a cylindrically symmetric Inner Core which is moving in an eastward direction. It was found that it rotated at a rate of 0.3-1.1à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °yr-1. Another, different, approach by Vidale Earle (2000) was to use short-period seismic waves, or ‘coda’, that are reflected back from the Inner Core (PkikP phase). This method is particularly affective (in comparison to previous techniques) as it allows for the measurement of changes in Inner Core rotation rates. They found that, over a period of around 3 years, the western hemisphere of the Inner Core appeared to be moving towards the recording station, and the eastern, away. This is what would be expected for an eastwardly super-rotating Inner Core, and the rate of this rotation was estimated to be around 0.15à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °yr-1. Controversies Surrounding Super-Rotation Although many studies agree on an eastwardly rotating Inner Core with respect to the Mantle, research using only slightly different methodologies and phase combinations has produced vastly varied results. Researchers have dismissed the variations in the findings as being due to the methodology producing the results being inadequate, and that the data is insufficient. All of the methods described rely on the use of data over a time period which could be up to decades. Seismogram quality has improved greatly over time; therefore arrivals will end up being picked earlier in the more accurate, modern seismograms. In addition to this, the rays being analysed have to 1st travel through local source, receiver and deep mantle structure before then passing through the area of interest (Inner Core). These have greater effects on the velocity variations than that of the Inner Core anisotropy, which reduces the accuracy at which the effects of the Inner Core can be interpreted. All initial studies, although successful in providing ‘proof’ of Inner Core super-rotation, rely on the assumption of a homogeneous, cylindrically symmetric model for the distribution of Inner Core anisotropy, with a north/south tilted fast axis. On top of this, the assumption of the Inner Core as essentially a rigid rotating rigid body, forces a potentially unrealistic framework. Instead, a ductile Inner Core is more plausible, which would deform as rotates. Recent studies into mode splitting functions have shown that there are complex patterns of inhomogeneity in anisotropy within the Inner Core. These must be included in the base-model because of the effects of Inner Core lateral velocity variations on the observed travel times as the body rotates. Therefore, work is still needed to be done to understand these heterogeneities, in order to interpret the changes in travel times for a more precise estimation of the rotation-rate. In addition to heterogeneities within the Inner Core, the effects on seismic velocities brought on by artefacts (such as subducting slabs) at the base of the mantle must be understood, as they could lead to misinterpretation of ‘evidence’ for temporal brought on by the rotation. Thus there is some-what of a trade-off between the rotation rate, and the lateral change in velocities when interpreting the travel-times. It is found that a non-zero rotation rate of approximately 0.2à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °yr-1 is required to explain the temporal variations in observed relative travel times between the BC and DF phases. Finally, â€Å"the Inner Core is far less accessible to us than the surface of any planet in the solar system†. The Inner Core lies at the very centre f the Earth, inside a highly variable 3000km of solid mantle and a convecting liquid Outer Core. This results in poor, restricted sampling locations and reduced number usable of ray-paths, resulting in biased results, as there are only limited locations for source receiver pairs that can collect information on the key phases (see figure 3) used in the interpretation. Conclusions In conclusion, although there is increasing evidence supporting the theory of Inner Core super-rotation, it is clear that there is still a lot of work and research needed to be done. In addition to this, even if the theory of a super-rotating Inner Core is viewed as not only plausible, but necessary, a further understanding of the dynamics and structural influences of the Outer and Inner Core is still required to correctly determine a precise rate for this rotation It is for these reasons that the topic of Inner Core super-rotation, along with discussions about the rate at which it is rotating, is still a very active and controversial area of research. References Glatzmaier, G. A. and Roberts, P. H. 1995. A three-dimensional convective dynamo solution with rotating and finitely conducting inner core and mantle.Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, 91 (1), pp. 6375. MAkinen, A. M. and Deuss, A. 2011. Global seismic body-wave observations of temporal variations in the Earths inner core, and implications for its differential rotation.Geophysical Journal International, 187 (1). Masters, G. and Gilbert, F. 1981. Structure of the inner core inferred from observations of its spheroidal shear modes.Geophysical Research Letters, 8 (6), pp. 569571. Morelli, A., Dziewonski, A. M. and Woodhouse, J. H. 1986. Anisotropy of the inner core inferred from PKIKP travel times.Geophysical Research Letters, 13 (13), pp. 15451548. Ovtchinnikov et al. 1998 About the velocity of differential rotation of the Earth’s inner core. Dokl. Russ. Acad. Sci. Geophys., 362, 683-686. Poupinet, G., Pillet, R. and Souriau, A. 1983. Possible heterogeneity of the Earths core deduced from PKIKP travel times.Nature, 305 (5931), pp. 204206. Richards, P. G. 2000. Earth’s inner corediscoveries and conjectures.Astronomy Geophysics, 41 (1) Sharrock, D. and Woodhouse, J. 1998. Investigation of time dependent inner core structure by the analysis of free oscillation spectra.EARTH PLANETS AND SPACE, 50 pp. 10131018. Song, X. and Helmberger, D. V. 1993. Effect of velocity structure in D †³on PKP phases.Geophysical research letters, 20 (4), pp. 285288. Song, X. and Richards, P. G. 1996. Seismological evidence for differential rotation of the Earths inner core.Nature, 382 (6588), pp. 221224. Vidale, J. E. and Earle, P. S. 2000. Fine-scale heterogeneity in the Earths inner core.Nature, 404 (6775). 1

Galileo: A Man on a Mission :: History

Galileo: A Man on a Mission In 1632, Galileo Galilei published his book "Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems." As innocent as this may seem, the implications that were associated with the publishing of the book were soon evident. In the time prior to the publishing of the book, Galileo had been warned several times not to publish it by the Catholic Church. The book was a fictitious dialogue between three men, whose purpose was to discuss two theories of Planetary Motion. The theory that Galileo was advocating was considered by the Church to be heretical, and he was told several times that publishing the book would have dire consequences. His pride, his impulsive nature, his arrogance, and his love for science influenced Galileo's decision. Galileo was a scientific genius, but he was also a human. He was too proud to compromise his beliefs under any circumstances. Before we can analyze this decision, we must understand exactly what the book contained. The idea behind the book was to demonstrate the superiority and validity of the Copernican model of the Solar System versus the Ptolemaic model of the Solar System. The Ptolemaic System was a model of the Solar System in which the planets, the sun, and all other objects in the universe revolve around the Earth. This system was supported by Aristotle and coincided with Holy Scripture, and therefore, was supported by the Church. On the other hand, the Copernican model of the Solar system was the basis for the system we use today. It stated that all objects in the universe, including the Earth, revolve around the sun. This idea was what caused problems with the Church. The theory that the Earth was not the center of the universe directly contradicted Holy Scripture. This was the foundation on which the Church based its threats against Galileo. Before we can truly understand the magnitude of this decision, we must also first comprehend the climate of the times in which his book was published. Europe was in the midst of a break from the old method of thinking to a new, increasingly scientific method of viewing the world and society. Until this time, Europe had been in what we call the "Age of Faith." This time period was characterized by a strong belief in the Church and religion. Although still a major force in the lives of the people, religion and philosophy were on a steady decline since the start of the Renaissance when the "Age of Exploration" began.

Geert Hofstede Organization Culture Essay

I. Analysis Every one of us already realizes and knows that we are living in a global age. Technology has brought everyone much closer together. This means that people of different cultures find themselves working together and communicating more and more. This is exciting, but it can also be frustrating and fraught with uncertainty. How do you relate to someone of another culture? What do you say, or not say, to start a conversation right? Are there cultural taboos that you need to be aware of? Building connections with people from around the world is just one dimension of cultural diversity. You will also need to factor it into motivating people, structuring projects, and developing strategy. Of course there are so many question on our head how can we understand cultural differences? Are we relegated to learning from our mistakes, or are there generalized guidelines to follow? Fortunately, psychologist Dr. Geert Hofstede asked himself this question in the 1970s. What emerged after a decade of r esearch and thousands of interviews is a model of cultural dimensions that has become an internationally recognized standard. Before we talk about the theory further further let us know more about Geert Hofstede deeper. Geert Hofstede, a widely known Dutch researcher of culture, has defined culture as â€Å"the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another.† During 1978-83, he conducted detailed interviews with hundreds of IBM employees in 53 countries. Through standard statistical analysis of large data sets, he determined patterns of similarities and differences among the replies. From this data analysis, he developed five dimensions of culture. In the 1990s, Hofstede published results of his research in publication Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind. Initially he developed four dimensions in culture, but added a fifth dimension in 1991. Moreover Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory is a framework for cross-cultural communication, developed by Geert. It describes the effects of a society’s culture on t he values of its members, and how these values relate to behavior, using a structure derived from factor  analysis. The theory has been widely used in several fields as a paradigm for research, particularly in cross-cultural psychology, international management, and cross-cultural communication. The original theory proposed four dimensions along which cultural values could be analyzed: individualism-collectivism; uncertainty avoidance; power distance (strength of social hierarchy) and masculinity-femininity (task orientation versus person-orientation). Independent research in Hong Kong led Hofstede to add a fifth dimension, long-term orientation, to cover aspects of values not discussed in the original paradigm. In the 2010 edition of Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind Hofstede added a sixth dimension, indulgence versus self-restraint, as a result of co-author Michael Minkov’s analysis of data from the World Values Survey. Before we jump further, let us see what is the identification of culture itself in terms of Hofstede termination, culture to be mental programming of the mind: every person carries within him or herself patterns of thinking; feeling; and potential acting which were learned throughout their lifetime (Hofstede, 2005 p4). He identified 3 layers of mental programming that are: individual, collective and universal. Based on these 3 layers he constructed his culture triangle (see figure 1). The Individual level (personality) is focused on the mental programming exclusive to each person. Hofstede suggests that this level is at least partly inherited. The Collective Level (culture) is focused on the mental programming that is learned from others, that is specific to a group of people. The Universal level (human nature) is focused on all humans, and is also likely inherited: instincts for survival et cetera. Figure 1: Hofstede’s Culture Triangle With access to people working for the same organization in over 40 countries of the world, Hofstede collected cultural data and analyzed his findings. He initially identified four distinct cultural dimensions that served to distinguish one culture from another. Later he added a fifth dimension, and that is how the model stands today. He scored each country using a scale of roughly 0 to 100 for each dimension. The higher the score, the more that dimension is exhibited in society. The Five Dimensions of Culture Armed with a large database of cultural statistics, Hofstede analyzed the  results and found clear patterns of similarity and difference amid the responses along these five dimensions. Interestingly, his research was done on employees of IBM only, which allowed him to attribute the patterns to national differences in culture, largely eliminating the problem of differences in company culture. The five dimensions are: 1. Power/Distance (PD) This refers to the degree of inequality that exists – and is accepted – among people with and without power. Power distance is the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions (like the family) accept and expect that power is distributed unequally.† Cultures that endorse low power distance expect and accept power relations that are more consultative or democratic. A high PD score indicates that society accepts an unequal distribution of power, and that people understand â€Å"their place† in the system. Low PD means that power is shared and well dispersed. It also means that society members view themselves as equals. Application: According to Hofstede’s model, in a high PD country such as Malaysia (104), you would probably send reports only to top management and have closed-door meetings where only select powerful leaders were in attendance. PD| Characteristics| Tips| High PD| * Centralized companies. * Strong hierarchies. * Large gaps in compensation, authority, and respect.| * Acknowledge a leader’s power. * Be aware that you may need to go to the top for answers| Low PD| * Flatter organizations. * Supervisors and employees are considered almost as equals.| * Use teamwork. * Involve as many people as possible in decision making.| 2. Individualism (IDV) This refers to the strength of the ties people have to others within the community. A high IDV score indicates loose connections. People have large extended families, which are used as a protection in exchange for unquestioning loyalty. In countries with a high IDV score there is a lack of interpersonal connection, and little sharing of responsibility beyond family and perhaps a few close friends. A society with a low IDV score would have strong group cohesion, and there would be a large amount of loyalty and  respect for members of the group. The group itself is also larger and people take more responsibility for each other’s well being. Application: Hofstede’s analysis suggests that in the Central American countries of Panama and Guatemala where the IDV scores are very low (11 and 6, respectively), a marketing campaign that emphasized benefits to the community or that tied into a popular political movement would likely be understood and well received. This talks about how much a society sticks with values, traditional male and female roles. Masculine cultures’ values are competitiveness, assertiveness, materialism, ambition and power, whereas feminine cultures place more value on relationships and quality of life. In masculine cultures, the differences between gender roles are more dramatic and less fluid than in feminine cultures where men and women have the same values emphasizing modesty and caring. High MAS scores are found in countries where men are expected to be â€Å"tough,† to be the provider, and to be assertive. If women work outside the home, they tend to have separate professions from men. Low MAS scores do not reverse the gender roles. In a low MAS society, the roles are simply blurred. You see women and men working together equally across many professions. Men are allowed to be sensitive, and women can work hard for professional success. Application: Japan is highly masculine with a score of 95, whereas Sweden has  the lowest measured value (5). According to Hofstede’s analysis, if you were to open an office in Japan, you might have greater success if you appointed a male employee to lead the team and had a strong male contingent on the team. In Sweden, on the other hand, you would aim for a team that was balanced in terms of skill rather than gender. MAS| Characteristics| Tips| High MAS| * Men are masculine and women are feminine. * There is a well-defined distinction between men’s work and women’s work.| * Be aware that people may expect male and female roles to be distinct. * Advise men to avoid discussing emotions or making emotionally based decisions or arguments.| Low MAS| * A woman can do anything a man can do. * Powerful and successful women are admired and respected.| * Avoid an â€Å"old boys’ club† mentality. * Ensure job design and practices are not discriminatory to gender * Treat men and women equally.| 4. Uncertainty/Avoidance Index (UAI) This relates to the degree of anxiety that society members feel when in uncertain or unknown situations. High UAI-scoring nations try to avoid ambiguous situations whenever possible. It reflects the extent to which members of a society attempt to cope with anxiety by minimizing uncertainty. People in cultures with high uncertainty avoidance tend to be more emotional. In contrast, low uncertainty avoidance cultures accept and feel comfortable in unstructured situations or changeable environments and try to have as few rules as possible. People in these cultures tend to be more pragmatic, they are more tolerant of changeThey are governed by rules and order and they seek a collective â€Å"truth.† Low UAI scores indicate that the society enjoys novel events and values differences. There are very few rules, and people are encouraged to discover their own truth. Application: Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions imply that when discussing a project with people in Belgium, whose country scored a 94 on the UAI scale, you should investigate the various options and then present a limited number of choices, but have very detailed information available on your contingency and risk plans. (Note that there will be cultural differences between French  and Dutch speakers in Belgium.) 5. Long Term Orientation (LTO) This is the fifth dimension that Hofstede added in the 1990s, after finding that Asian countries with a strong link to Confucian philosophy acted differently from Western cultures. In countries with a high LTO score, delivering on social obligations and avoiding â€Å"loss of face† are considered very important. This refers to how much society values long-standing – as opposed to short-term – traditions and values. It describes societies’ time horizon. Long-term oriented societies attach more importance to the future. They foster pragmatic oriented towards rewards, including persistence, saving and capacity for adaptation. In short term oriented societies, values promoted are related to the past and the present, including steadiness, respect for tradition, preservation of one’s face, reciprocation and fulfilling social obligations. Application: According to Hofstede’s analysis, people in the United States and United Kingdom have low LTO scores. This suggests that you can pretty much expect anything in this culture in terms of creative expression and novel ideas. The model implies that people in the U.S. and U.K. don’t value tradition as much as many others, and are therefore likely to be willing to help you execute the most innovative plans as long as they get to  participate fully. (This may be surprising to people in the U.K., with its associations of tradition.) LTO| Characteristics| Tips| High LTO| * Family is the basis of society. * Parents and men have more authority than young people and women. * Strong work ethic and high value placed on education and training.| * Show respect for traditions. * Do not display extravagance or act frivolously. * Reward perseverance, loyalty, and commitment.| Low LTO| * Promotion of equality. * High creativity, individualism. * Treat others as you would like to be treated. * Self-actualization is sought.| * Expect to live by the same standards and rules you create. * Be respectful of others. * Do not hesitate to introduce necessary changes.| The latest one that has just been added by Geert itself is Indulgence versus restraint (IVR): The extent to which member in society tries to control their desires and impulses. Whereas indulgent societies have a tendency to allow relatively free gratification of basic and natural human desires related to enjoying life and having fun, restrained societies have a conviction that such gratification needs to be curbed and regulated by strict norms. II. Implication After the publications of the theory I especially directly know the evidence that organization or family are different from each other, we used to believe that deep inside all people everywhere anytime are the same. In fact, as we are generally not aware of other countries’ cultures, we tend to minimize cultural differences. This leads to misunderstandings and misinterpretation between people from different countries. Instead of the convergence phenomena, cultural differences are still significant today and diversity tends to increase. The in order to be able to have respectful cross-cultural relations, we have to be aware of these cultural differences. So here I would like to analyze of those 5-dimension theory of Geert Hofstede and also the spirit of leadership in the application of my community, organization, and family. First, regarding  to the power or hierarchy, I can see that the organization even family I had now is got very high score of power or hierarchy. Asian co untry especially south East Asia country included Indonesia widely known as the east part of the world has very long hierarchy process in organization. It needs to follow so much unbiased rules and regulation that never existed in western country. Another thing in my organization or family is centralized meaning the leader is everything; the leader in a group or family (parents, father especially) can do what they want. They take control of every single thing and execute all of things that they think it is right to be executed. The leader power here is also get tons of acknowledgements of power also compensation, authority, and respect in the way they behave in the community. And not many things you can really do over there unless you have top Harvard quality student of opinion or sight. Second, it is regarding to the individualism. This individualism model can be positive or negative. Its position is more in the between good and bad, depends on the condition that an individual face. Widely known in Indonesia that it has relatively low score. Indonesia as part of the Eastern country world is very low on facing the condition of being individual. It also here in my organization and family where the entire member included leader and sub ordinaries are not really independent in terms of individual people’s eye. They here one hundred percent have totality in suppress feelings and emotions to work in harmony Besides that tradition are the main habit of my community to be respected even it cost slow changes. This thing is also inter-related with showing respect for age and wisdom. Another good thing about having low individualism is the willing of my mates in emphasizing on building skills and becoming master or pro of a specific skill on something detail. They also have very high appreciation of intrinsic rewards. Lastly what I have been seeing in the community I have been involved in that they really support the creation of harmony in the community even it needs to scarify the honesty. Third thing is masculinity. Once again as the historical and geographical background of most Indonesian majority is Islamic people which really praise the superiority of men. Same also with the minority, Chinese people of Indonesian really put more eyes on men compared to women. Men in Indonesia  can be said has higher status than the women. They are different from each other. Both men and women is really distinguish and well defined in work, job, attitude, and behavior in the neighborhood. Some people really praise this condition so they really have high expectation on putting men over women which men advised is really being a high terminology on discussing emotion or making emotionally based argument even decision. Fourth, regarding to the uncertainty method, what I face in my organization or family is really in between. I really mean that it is in the middle, not really high not even low. But somehow if it is calculated deeply I can conclude it is more on the low side with the c omparison of 60:40 for low uncertainty. I can say it is low because there is some informal business attitude in executing the activities in family even organization. They act not really formal like in army but it is more enjoyable and fun but still serious. Then another why I say it is informal that mostly the organization mates do not really impose rules or structure unnecessarily. Besides that also can be seen there is minimization in controlling emotional response by being calm and contemplating situations before speaking. Las thing is people do not really afraid of expressing curiosity when some differences or irrelevant concept found. Another supporting condition but not I found which also make the 40 percent disagreement are there are more concern with long term strategy than what is happening on a daily basis and also accepting of change and risk. Both thing are hardly founded in my organization, they prefer to be stick on what have drawn before. Fifth is regarding to the long-term orientation that has been just added by Geert. This condition is 100 percent high. Easily founded everywhere not only in my organization and family that family, family, and family is based on everything in the society. It should be on the top of priority compared to another element in the society. In the family itself parents especially has absolute power and authority compared another member which also another member without demanded give respect for tradition terms. Another thing that the terms of an individual displaying extravagance or acting frivolously is reaching zero percent in behavior action that has high reward perseverance, loyal, and total commitment. This condition exactly leads to strong work ethic and high valued placed on the training and education. Last method is just recently developed can be said not really playing important role but worth slightly  to be discussed which is indulgence versus restraint. This is quite high in Indonesia that everyone needs to control desire and also impulses of what there flesh demand. In other word in organization, family, group, and also community that I have been involved in in Indonesia are being super strict to many traditional views of law and norm that exist in neighborhood which also the inheritance of the ancestor created and did. So being totally freedom as in the heaven is hardly found. III. Conclusion The creation of this theory really become valuable for everyone as there is differences between culture in family and also organization from one and other. Thus people can prepare for it. Another thing of this creation model theory can provide us the chance of demonstrating management competencies such as personal motivation, time management, organization and communication. The knowledge we get also important to evaluate and compare community, organization, management, nation, continent, and an era. Furthermore it is hoped that the skill and ability gained from this paper can be added to rich our multi cultural point of view and be useful from high value consulting standpoint.

An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away Essay

The idiom â€Å"to kill two birds with one stone† is used to describe achieving two objectives at the same time. The term references a common hunting tool, the slingshot; slingshots continue to be used to hunt small birds, and at one point, they were very common. As you might imagine, killing one bird with a stone requires an excellent aim and control over the slingshot; to kill two could be considered even more difficult, a task for only the most skilled of hunters. This idiom dates from the 1600s, and it was initially used in a somewhat pejorative way, to describe a philosopher’s attempt to prove two arguments with a single solution. The implication was that killing two birds at one time is extremely challenging and unlikely, and that the philosopher’s attempt should be viewed with extreme suspicion. The philosopher had obviously failed to satisfy his critics, who suggested that his attempt was about as successful as a try to knock out two birds with a single s tone. Over time, â€Å"to kill two birds with one stone† has come to be used more generally to accomplishing two goals at once, and the negative connotations have largely vanished. In fact, people are encouraged to think of ways to accomplish it, thereby living much more efficient lives. This is especially true in the business world, where employers are constantly on the hunt for ways to cut costs and improve efficiency, so something that kills two birds with one stone could be quite useful. For example, someone could be flying to a city on business, and decide to visit a family member while he or she is in the city, or a company might have an employee pick up a shipment somewhere while he or she is already there. From the point of view of both the employee and the company, this can be convenient, because the employee will be reimbursed for mileage and other expenses, while the company can save a trip. Some people feel that this term is a bit negative, given the association with hunting and death, and they prefer more positive twists on the saying. Several organizations have even sponsored contests to come up with a new and more animal-friendly version of â€Å"to kill two birds with one stone.† However, the idea has become so entrenched in many societies that it is unlikely to fade from usage anytime soon, negative or not.