Net Neutrality Paper

Capitalism is an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decision, and by prices, production, and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a free market. (Merriam-Webster Online, 2010) The United States of America is considered a â€Å"free market†, in some cases. Internet Seen,'ice Providers own the tangible cables and pipes providing the service of connectivity to the internet. They are the bridge. They own the bridge. In a free market, they can regulate heir bridge how they see fit, within the parameters of the law.This same model is expressed by cell phone companies in the communication industry as well as cable companies in the television industry. Cellular phone companies own all the variables that make up their network. They then sell you service to connect to their network based off of their interpretation of what the market will allow. They dictate wha t you pay, how much usage you are allowed and what types of usages are allowed. Cable companies evolved in the same manner. Once a free entertainment source is now a billion dollar year industry marked with the footprints of capitalism.Cable companies put forth the ground work to make the cable experience what it is today. In return, they profit from their investments to do so. They also dictate what we pay and what types of usage we are allowed. These cable and cellular communication companies have thrived in our free market mentality but in the same instance have been regulated by government when it applies to the internet. In the same way they own the physical cables, the pipes underground, the satellites and the air space, they are providing the bridge.Without their bridges, the consumer cannot access the internet. In a free market society, we tell companies to manage their business according to what the market will allow. The market has allowed the cell phone industry to operat e without regulation. The cable companies have thrived without regulation under the allowance of the market. The internet is no different. Property is any physical or intangible entity that is owned or possessed by a person or jointly by a group of people. Property is synonymous with ownership.Ownership is the exclusive right to possess and dispose of what oh own. â€Å"When you pull out the government, you take out socialism, and when you remove the rights of ownership and place the benefits broadly on the least able to pay for them, you have communism. It isn't yet clear if socialism will work in the U. S. , and it is doubly doubtful that communism (aka â€Å"Net neutrality†) will ever work. † (Ender, 2010) In economic terms, calculability is the ability to exclude others from use of a good. Rivalry is when one person's use of a good diminishes another's ability to use that good.When you have a resource that doesn't have calculability but does display rivalry you hav e what is known as ‘Tragedy of the Commons† which is an overused, under maintained resource (aka â€Å"the free-rider problem†). In Africa arose the possibility of the elephant becoming extinct from humans killing them for their hides and tusks. Two countries decided to act against this problem, Kenya and Rhodesia. Kenya took the approach of placing a ban on elephant poaching while Rhodesia gave property owners Private Property Rights to the elephants with incentives for elephant maintenance.Jenny's elephant population decreased while Rhodesia increased dramatically. The conclusion of when property rights are given, ownership of property motivates protection and care for the property more efficiently than federal regulations. In economic terms the internet would be classified as an Clubbable resource. The classification of rival or non-rival is debatable due to bandwidth. However if we look at this example from the rival standpoint, it bears identical resemblance of the private goods industry.When property rights are given with incentives, the elephant will prosper. If ownership is revoked and regulations are implemented by government, we have Tragedy of the commons. Sip's currently don't have incentives to make broadband bandwidth accessible in all parts of our country due to lack of profitability. Therefore our elephant population (internet) will decrease. This is a simple example of how capitalism is a great model for economical success. It is the same model that has molded our country for over two centuries. Why the model is continually changing I do not know.The Internet is not public property. Telecommunications companies have spent billions Of dollars on network infrastructure all over the world. They did so in the hope of selling communications services to customers willing to pay for them. The government has no right to effectively nationalize Sip's by telling them how run their networks. Proponents of net neutrality love to invent hypothetical scenarios of ways companies could abuse customers. It is true that a free society gives people the freedom to be stupid, wrong, and even malicious.The great thing about capitalism is that it also gives people the freedom to decide whom they want to do business with. A socialized Internet takes away that freedom and turns it over to politicians and lobbyists. Why do â€Å"net neutrality' advocates ridicule politicians for impairing the Internet to a â€Å"series of tubes,† and then trust them to regulate it? (vessels, 2007) The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has the ability to regulate wireless network providers by reclassifying them as Title II common carrier services, essentially equating them with cable and phone companies.That type of regulation would allow the FCC to impose traffic equality laws on all carriers, where under Washman's proposal wireless providers would have been exempt. Verizon, AT and wireless association ACTA have opposed the PC's m easures, while Google, Faceable and Keep, among various public interest groups strongly supported them. (Prism, 2010) Phone and cable companies have argued that increased regulation of Internet practices could have a detrimental effect on the industry. They argue that tough regulations could deter network investments and hinder the expansion of broadband infrastructure.The free-speech objection to net neutrality has also gained some ground recently. The National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCAA) and AT&T began citing First Amendment objections to net neutrality in public discussions and in filings with the FCC this year. The free-speech argument states that, by interfering with how phone and cable companies deliver Internet traffic the government would be manipulating the free-speech rights of providers such as AT&T, Verizon and Compass. Jerome, 201 0) The Federal Communications Commission first established rules in 1 965 for cable systems which received signals by micro wave antennas. In March 1 966, the Commission established rules for all cable systems (whether or not served by microwave). The Supreme Court affirmed the Commission's jurisdiction over cable in United States v. Southwestern Cable Co. , 392 US. 157 (1968). The Court ruled that â€Å"the Commission has reasonably concluded that regulatory authority over CATV is imperative if it is to perform with appropriate effectiveness certain of its responsibilities. The Court found the Commission needed authority over cable systems to assure the preservation of local broadcast service and to effect an equitable distribution of broadcast services among the various regions of the country. In March 1 972, new rules regarding cable television became effective. These rules required cable television operators to obtain a certificate Of compliance from the Commission prior to operating a cable elevation system or adding a television broadcast signal.The rules applicable to cable operators fell into se veral broad subject areas franchise standards, signal carriage, network program non-duplication and syndicated program exclusivity, non-broadcast or cable casting services, cross-ownership, equal employment opportunity, and technical standards. Cable television operators who originated programming were subject to equal time, Fairness Doctrine, sponsorship identification and other provisions similar to rules applicable to broadcasters.Cable operators were also required to maintain certain records ND to file annual reports with the Commission concerning general statistics, employment and finances. In succeeding years, the Commission modified or eliminated many of the rules. Among the more significant actions, the Commission deleted most of the franchise standards in 1 977, substituted a registration process for the certificate of compliance application process in 1978, and eliminated the distant signal carriage restrictions and syndicated program exclusivity rules in 1980.In 1 983, th e Commission deleted its requirement that cable operators file financial information. In addition, court actions led to the deletion of the pay cable programming rules in 1977. In October 1 984, the U. S. Congress amended the Communications Act of 1 934 by adopting the Cable Communications policy Act of 1984. The 1 984 Cable Act established policies in the areas of ownership, channel usage, franchise provisions and renewals, subscriber rates and privacy, obscenity and lockers, unauthorized reception of services, equal employment opportunity, and pole attachments.The new law also defined jurisdictional boundaries among federal, state and local authorities for regulating cable elevation systems. Following the 1984 Cable Act, the number of households subscribing to cable television systems increased, as did the channel capacity of many cable systems. However, competition among distributors of cable services did not increase, and, in many communities, the rates for cable services far ou tpaced inflation. Responding to these problems, Congress enacted the Cable Television Consumer protection and Competition Act of 1992.The 1 992 Cable Act mandated a number of changes in the manner in which cable television is regulated. In adopting the 1 992 Cable Act, Congress dated that it wanted to promote the availability of diverse views and information, to rely on the marketplace to the maximum extent possible to achieve that availability, to ensure cable operators continue to expand their capacity and program offerings, to ensure cable operators do not have undue market power, and to ensure consumer interests are protected in the receipt of cable service.The Commission has adopted regulations to implement these goals. In adopting the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Congress noted that it wanted to provide a pro-competitive, De-regulatory national policy ramekin designed to accelerate rapidly private sector deployment of advanced telecommunications and information technologies and services to all Americans by opening all telecommunications markets to competition. The Commission has adopted regulations to implement the requirements of the 1996 Act and the intent of Congress. General Cable Television Industry and Regulation Information Fact Sheet, 2000) In the end life contains complex decision making decisions that come from those with opposing opinions. If we take positive economic results from the past and try to replicate them today, it might begin with clear and concise repertory rights pertaining to the internet. Let the free and open market drive competition to fuel creativity and innovation.

Public Meeting Okaloosa County Commissioners

Public information update included Stillwell Park, which had replaced an old sewage plant. Two future additions to the park include a water feature and special needs section. Reported that a plaque, US Saloons PAP 21 9 was present to the County and placed in one of the County buildings. The County Administrator updated the board about money saved by purchasing TV less expensive vehicles to complete work in the county. He related that it is normal business to discuss these items with the board, but felt that when employees save monies for the County he wanted to bring this to the Boards for acknowledgement.Commissioners updated section included them commenting about employ awards, and the great staff that the County has to sustain the County. Commissioner Goodwin discuss the need to evaluate how well the contracted lobbyists are representing the County. He suggested adding this to agenda to discuss coming up with quantitative measures to evaluate the lobbyist's effectiveness for the c ounty. Several of the County Commissioners attended the Florida Association of Counties meeting in Tampa where they discuss priority list for the upcoming legislative session.Some of the priorities that were mention were set funding priorities, priority sit for upcoming legislative session, and collecting monies from DEJA. Commissioner Bowels volunteered to prepare the packet for the next meeting for both the funning priorities and the priority list for the FACE. He also related that the City League has requested placement on the next agenda for a round table discussion about reported cross–jurisdictional issues that both the County and sister cities in Saloons County are experiencing.They also brought up in the meeting to set up an ordinance in the county for assisting residents with road grading on non-county roads by using County equipment and staff. The Commissioner reiterated that the County would receive consent from the effected residents and bill them for the services . They approved the recommendation from the Saloons County School board to add Dewy Destine to the of ORCA committee. Visitor, Dry. Karen Chapman provided a presentation to the Board on status and history of Bola virus.A Public hearing request for plan amendment and rezoning was heard and the board approved the plan amendment and rezoning as requested of T. Davis Gordon. Consent agenda where they approved 22 of the 23 items and discussed item number 16. They discussed Medicaid Amendment for approval the contract for transportation to assist medically needy patients. Change orders to extend time limit for completing of the contract at West Hangar Area Parking Facilities. Request for approval of five FOOT Airport Grants more change orders to reduce contract amounts on the Administration Building and Sheriffs New Building.New business on the agenda was a request from board member to select for Chairman and Vice Chairman for 201 5, and discussion of County Administrator selection. They unanimous elected a new chair and vice chair for County Commissioners Board. All parties agreed to elect the current acting County Administrator because he has done an outstanding job. The Commissioners open the floor for comment and Tim Anderson owner of an Airport Shuttle / Taxi business requested to address the Board.He reported that he was unsure as o how he went about making a request. He wanted to request a change in how Valparaiso conducted business. He reported that he had a letter for each of the Board members to read. The Chairperson advised him that he could pass the letter to the clerk for their review and they would contact him. Attending this meeting was very educational by learning the recess to petition the board for a hearing or about other request and concerns that we might have for our neighborhood and community.Speaking with our County Commissioners could make a change for the community and people who need assistance. It is important to be prepared and confident about any request that you plan on making. Lastly, the board controls the monies that legislators approve for the county level. An Advocate could use this venue to request funds to provide services to clients or even use of a county building. My impression of the speakers who address the board meeting from the audience seem direct and to the point, UT seemed a little nervous about the process.

History of Islam

Islam is the religion of the Arabic and Iranian world of which Hazrat Muhammad (P.B.U.H) was the prophet. He lived from 570A.D to 632A.D.The word Islam is derived from ‘silm’ which means peace, obedience and submission. It signifies submission to the will of God. Islam is one of the few great and wide-spread religions of the world. The adherents of Islam are called as Muslims.Islam came later than the other great monotheistic religions, like Judaism and Christianity. It drew its inspiration mainly from Judaism and Nestorianism. Muhammad (P.B.U.H) accepted the inspiration of the Old Testament and claimed to be a successor to Moses, and although he did no recognize Jesus as God, he did recognize Him as a prophet sent by God to guide the humanity on the path of spirituality.The sacred book of Islam is called as Quran. This book is written in Arabic and Muslims memorize the whole or part of it. Like Orthodox Judaism Islam is a literal-minded religion lived in everyday life. No Muslim is in any doubt as to exactly how he should carry on in the events of his day.Muhammad’s (P.BU.H) main achievements were the destruction of idolatry, the welding of warring tribes into one community, the progress of a conquest which led after his death to the great and cultured empire which spread throughout the Middle East into North Africa, north India, and ultimately to Spain. That it did not spread all over Europe was due to the Muslim defeat by Charles Martel at Tours in 732.After the death of Hazrat Muhammad (P.B.U.H) the reigns of govt come into the hands of his successors called as ‘Khalifas†. The first four caliphs are declared as the pious caliphs or ‘Khulfa-e-Rashideen’. The first one among them was Abu Bakr Siddique (R.A). He remained khalifa of Muslims from 632A.D to 634A.D. He on his taking the charge of govt in his own hands fought wars of apostasy (the Battle of Yamama 633A.D).These wars were fought against people who declare themselves as prophets and those who refuse to pay ‘Zakat’. The next in line were Umar (Aug 634-Nov 644), Usman (644-656A.D) and Ali(656-661A.D). These four rulers were selected to govern by four different selection processes. They established a system of government which is monarchical and ruled a vast empire according to the rules and regulations set by Hazrat Muhammad (P.B.U.H) and the holy Quran.During the reign of these four caliphs the Islamic state extended its borders extensively. Slowly this system of Government degenerated into a worldly empire which becomes power-hungry and corrupted. Though, physically the Islamic empire was spreading vast but politically there were many fissures in it. That corrupted it a lot.After the death of Umar, Usman succeed the throne but he was accused of favoritism and nepotism. He was murdered and succeeded by Ali. But the Muslims had been divided by then into groups and factions that were at daggers drawn towards each other beca use of political and ideological differences and a civil war(657-659A.D) started between them that was also declared as the ‘first Fitna’ in Islam.The civil war was fought between Ali on one side and Amir Muawiyah on the other. In reality the jealousy and rivalry between the two tribes, banu Hashim (the tribe to which Hazrat Muhammad P.B.U.H and Ali belongs) and banu Ummayah (the tribe of Usman, Abu Safiyan and Muawiyah), had been going on for the long time even before the birth of Hazrat Muhammad (P.B.U.H).‘The battle of Camel’ between Ali and Muawiyah remained indecisive and Ali was murdered by a Hwariji. After his death Muawiyah succeeded the throne (661-680A.D). Thus lay down the foundation of the hereditary Umayyad caliphate.Amir Muawiyah extends further the boundaries of Muslim state with the help of an able Muslim general Uqba bin Nafi. When he nominated his son Yazid (680-683A.D) as his successor he gave birth to the second Fitna (683-685A.D) in Isl amic empire. Imam Hussain, the grandson of Hazrat Muhammad (P.B.U.H) also laid claim on the ruler ship of the Islamic empire. His revolt failed to succeed and the clan of banu Ummayah ruled for another seventy years.During their reign Muslim world extended to North Africa and Central Asia as well as to many other places. There economic position improved greatly. There religion got recognition all over the world as Muslims spread themselves in far and wide of the globe. This new empire was tolerant towards the religious freedom of its non-Muslim subjects though a tax called ‘jizyah’ was imposed on them. With the introduction of non-Arab Muslims into the Islamic empire the tension grew within the state.

Partnership in Employee Relation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Partnership in Employee Relation - Essay Example Without delving deeply into why mind always associate industry and office with non-living things, the point is, humans are the crucial things who can put an organization in a cruise mode in terms of production, sales, profits, etc. So, the workers only form the crucial ‘cog’ in the running of the organization. Only if these crucial workers are recruited or staffed optimally through an effective recruitment process, the organization can achieve optimum success. Even with automation and computerization happening in every segments of organization, all the important processes inside the organization mainly rests with the humans. Even though, all the important processes starts and ends with the leader or the management team, the workers will also be included, as part of â€Å"successful work teams† or â€Å"Partnership for Progress†. â€Å"Partner for Progress† is the organizational term given to the UK government policy which spelled out how employees should work in partnership as teams for the successful functioning of the organizations. That is, since late 1990s, the U.K. government has laid more emphasis on the concept of ‘Partnership for Progress’ and ‘Partnership Working’ and importantly selected it as the preferred model of UK employment re lations policy and practice. So, this paper will critically evaluate how the state initiated concept of ‘Partnership’ is implemented in the organization and how it will have an impact on employee relations, promoting partnership as well as derailing partnership. . In any organizations, the successful Partnership can be successfully set or established, if the head or the management team of the unit put their thoughts, strategies and also the organizational goals for discussion among the other organisation officers or workers. This way the workers as a form of work teams can be involved productively. That is, the workers can input their gained knowledge

School uniform Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

School uniform - Essay Example Some students and organizations, which promote freethinking and freedom of expression, have strongly contest in requiring school uniforms. This paper asserts that public school students in the US should be compelled to wear school uniforms by pointing out the various advantages would bring in terms of financial implication, convenience, safety in school, students' sense of identity and belonging as well as their discipline and learning. It is clearly seen that school uniforms would help parents save money on their children's clothing expenses. The set of tailor-made uniforms would be used by students on school days so parents would not have to be burdened with always buying clothes for their kids. With this, students would not find a reason to impel their parents to buy clothes for school since they already have school uniforms. Aside from this, wearing of school uniforms would also facilitate the convenience of students in selecting day-to-day clothes. Normally, these students encounter difficulties in choosing what to wear in school. At times, this problem may cause them to be late for class as they can hardly decide on what to actually wear or how to mix-and-match their clothes to look good. With school uniforms, they can save time in going about the said dilemma every morning. Instantly, they have something to wear everyday without the worries if their peers or classmates would notice if they wear the same clothes at frequent intervals. Some argue that requiring school uniforms may be burdensome for low-income families since even school uniforms are acquired at a cost. But then this argument can be countered by the fact that school uniforms are still relatively more affordable that most clothes bought in malls, particularly the branded ones. Moreover, students whose parents could not afford trendy clothing or designer wear would be saved from embarrassment, especially at the adolescent stage where looking good is an important factor for social acceptance. Safety of Students With the advent of gang-related clothing such as loose-fitting clothing style, public school officials have related these trends with the aggravation of school violence. This is because baggy clothing style characterized by oversized shirts and pants may be one of the ways by which students or gang members bring in weapons and drugs to school concealed in their clothes. Moreover, gang members, who may dress in the same way as regular students, easily gain access in public schools by mixing with the school crowd. These increase the incidence of violence in public schools and make both parents and students be troubled about safety. To address the rising incidence of school violence, public school officials have considered implementing the policy on school uniforms so that public school students would become more easily identified and screened. School security officials may disallow entry of those who are not in school uniform. As such non-students and outsiders would be able to access the school premises and adversely influence students by distributing deadly weapons or illegal drugs. Such would also help prevent school violence. This does not mean though that this would be the only security measure undertaken by school officials. In

Socrates View on Freud's Civilization and Its Discontents Term Paper

Socrates View on Freud's Civilization and Its Discontents - Term Paper Example In dealing with the reality, it may have become typical for the ego of a man to necessitate separating itself from the harsh truth of real inevitable circumstances, yet Freud must add that it is also through having a sense of genuine community, or of acknowledging the value of socialization and the distinct characteristic of companionship that would help resolve the alienating trait of the ego. To some extent, Freud may be met more than halfway in his claim that ego bears the counter potential of developing for itself an attribute which would make it become capable of securing happiness and fulfillment later on. This is the point where he provides adequate discourse of civilization and the tensions associated with the inner struggle of each individual to cope with its influence. However, Freud appears to draw inference at reducing this effort on arguing that the purpose of life executes fundamentally around the pleasure principle, designating projected human ends to a rather limited cause of shifting out of the cycle of consuming displeasure. It would have been better if, in the process of finding settlement with happiness and trying to rid oneself of suffering, highest human goal attainable which transcends discontents in the material world emerges in realization. He could have accounted for the possibility of going beyond the perception of pleasure as deeply embedded in every conscious faculty having the concern of gratifying the need to drive away incompetence. To Freud, it occurs that the ego assumes the chief role or is central in directing response as a human being attempts to explore various strategies by which to adapt to the environment in possession of elements of discontent to which an individual reacts to ascertain how particular circumstances can be worked to acquire the favor of securing contentment. In fairness though, ‘Civilization and Its Discontents’ signifies what Freud considers as a religious sentiment, brought about by an â₠¬Ëœoceanic feeling’ of wholeness, eternity, and limitlessness as if in a pure state of bliss. He elaborates nevertheless that such is of pathological origins which dissolve the boundary between ego and object of pleasure so that once this is achieved, one is led to a religious degree of relief with cares thrown away due to detachment of inclination to materialism which creates suffering from human weakness often predisposed to sexual desires and violent mode of aggression conventionally against figures of prominence. Freudian concept of ‘civilization’ refers to a man-made entity embodying materialization of human ideals that may eventually address proper gratification of instincts as well as serve to stimulate intellectual functions in order for the ego to manage its own foundation of placing balance between the ‘Id’ and the ‘Superego’. This is not significantly different from establishing a form of democracy which initially sustains mea sure of freedom and revolution desired by people yet this same democracy spontaneously guides the behavior of the latter to threats of evolving tyranny and disorder which are altogether unfavorable to the nation.

Discuss whether supermarket are benefical to the society they operate Essay

Discuss whether supermarket are benefical to the society they operate within in the united kingdom - Essay Example The three-quarters of food shopping are made through just four firms. Supermarkets’ claims on fulfilling their corporate social responsibility can not be measured in the absence of relevant benchmarks. There is greater need to bring the civil society organisations to the table with supermarkets to hold a discussion on social, environmental and ethical issues but supermarkets are not coming forward in good numbers to follow an approach where transparency and stakeholder interests are protected with the participation of civil society organisations. A number of reasons can be attributed to the supermarkets’ withdrawal from such initiatives the like of Race to the Top (RTTT) project whose objective was to set benchmarks taking into confidence the civil society organisations (RTTT Final Report). Government intention to develop major performance indicators for the food sector created fear in the supermarket lobby of a new governance structure by selecting a successful RTTT. Supermarkets had not been forthcoming in providing data, which was crucial for partnering with society stakeholders. External data is costly because of expensive labour and methodological issues although crucial in showing change in comparison to supermarkets’ data showing company policies only (RTTT Final Report). There was lack of staff time and technical know-how. The timing of pressurising the supermarket companies to bring transparency in data on environmental and social effects mismatched because of their disinterest in providing the information due to cost cutting measures to remain in competition with leading market giants (RTTT Final Report) Another problem is the heterogeneous nature of the UK supermarket in terms of scale, ownership and customer base. Companies are wary of running such business initiatives that map the customer rather than the companies on sustainability of high animal-welfare food items (RTTT Final Report). The high

A Causal Relationship between Problem solving and Student Success Essay

A Causal Relationship between Problem solving and Student Success - Essay Example To be able to analyze the objectives of the project or the course of study and how to utilize the information that is available and that which is already stored in the brain or ask the right questions to obtain clarify and effectiveness. This approach reviews students on an individual basis and instruct methodically rather than one standardized format, which may not be applicable to all. The idea is to access individual student capabilities, weaknesses and fashion it based on their specific needs. These assessments are based on studies made on periodical assignments, IQ tests and skill tests through the course tenure, be it primary or secondary education level. The object of this article is to ascertain if there is a logical reasoning behind this kind of pedagogy and if there is evidence of results. The article is divided under the following: What are problem-solving skills? It is broadly inferred that â€Å"problems† when viewed from the academic point of view relates only directly to mathematics when solving equations; chemistry deducing the chemical compound or the reactive behavior of some chemical compound or to put in even a bit broader in science in general. This article looks at problem solving skill sets as what it is in today’s academic context and its application over the entire academic spectrum. To a human mind anything and everything that does not have an obvious solution is a problem and in the event of such problems it is necessary to take on a theoretical and methodical approach to it. The human mind is a humongous library of knowledge and information stored at different points of time in response to things seen, heard or read. All of this information has applications in our lives and can be found useful in finding a solution or trying to understand something better or learn something new yet connected. The purpose is to train the mind to think objectively exercise it to approach learning

Testing the relationship between the stock market and Time series Essay

Testing the relationship between the stock market and Time series model - Essay Example ionship between the stock market and Time series model† is aimed at explaining the volatility modelling used for stock market analysis, thus evaluating the performance of the ARCH and GARCH models. Data from four Asian stock market indices like Hang Seng index, Jakarta index, KLSE index and Stock exchange of Thailand index during 2000 to 2006 have been used in this study. The analysis helped to reach a conclusion that EGARCH is the best model among the GARCH family which helps in estimating the volatility of stock market to predict the stock market for future investment. By analysing recent developments in the stock exchanges gathered from newspaper reports, it is seen that a common question could be posed among the investors in stock. The question is â€Å"Is the stock market predictable?† It has become the main concern of many researchers for the last 20 years due to the up and down fluctuations leading to a large volatility. There are many stock market prediction tools contributed by different researchers which are helpful to both the public and institutions. There arises a question as to why a tool is required to predict the stock market due to the complexity of the stock market which is mainly influenced by economical, political, and monetary features. However, the fact is that markets’ reaction against each economic shock (i.e. bad news and good news) may vary from country to country due to their own macro economical and financial characteristics. For example, statistics show that Asian shares have fallen dramatically which is as follows: Tokyo by 11%, London Stock exchange by 5.7%, Hang Seng by 7.6%, India’s by 4%, Australia by 6.7% etc. (Wall Street shares yo-yo n.d.). For that reason, it is necessary to use several models to forecast volatility as well as evaluate them. It is seen that South Eastern stock exchanges have responded with lesser impact to the economic recession than European and American economies. The selected countries for this

Cultural competence Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cultural competence - Assignment Example knows what question to ask.’’ Nurses are more likely to attain culturally competent cross cultural care when the multifaceted combination of cultural knowledge, consciousness, attitudes and skill are used enthusiastically for cultural evaluation of patient’s health beliefs and practices, and for negotiating culturally harmonizing health interventions through expertise cross cultural communication. Health care providers can employ a number of strategies of cultural competence in their practice so as to deliver effectively; for instance, cultural accommodations can have a big payoff for patient’s emotional well-being because it supports and facilitates the use of cultural practices that have not been proven harmful, a good case study is placing a metal object such as coin or key on the umbilicus of a new-born child, which is understood to promote healing according to some societies (Srivastava,2007). However, for accommodation of culture to work, it is upon the nurse to have the prior knowledge of the culture from other sources, direct assessment and conversations. Implementing this strategy I quite involving because it requires the health provider to go extra mile in acquiring the relevant information related to a particular culture. Cultural preservation support clients in maintaining those aspects of their culture that promotes healthy behaviors. The health provider will support the use of systematically sound practices such as acupuncture for managing pain in a patient as well as interventions from biomedical health care systems such as using lower doses of opioid analgesics. However, this might be a challenge due to stereotype, other health care givers will ascribe to certain beliefs and behaviors to their patients without really understanding the individual differences within the groups (Ivanov & Blue, 2007). Cultural repatterning involves working with the patient health promoting behaviors. A health provider will work with the patient in order to

Trends and profitability Essay Example for Free

Trends and profitability Essay Construction has grown dramatically because of trends. It has been said By the year 2000, there were 10 times as many people on Earth as there were 300 years ago and As of October 2008, the worlds population is estimated to be about 6. 7 billion, the population of the world human population increased by 203,800 every day. Due to this reason contuctions have increased; building more homes, renewing buildings etc for the population. Clothe manufacturing has grown because of fashion, trends and profitability. So many people need clothes around the world, for this reason clothes manufacturers increase and produce more clothes they are a number of manufactures in the world which produce different style of clothing which some are fashion e. g nike and addidas for instance, nike is a globally known brand and is worn by all ages starting from children to adults this brand has become very profitable for their business. clothes manufactures grow because of the human population in the world the more people the more they sell this is why clothe manufacturing is profitable. Secondary sector-Decline Car manufacturing is declining in the UK because of technological developments and foreign imports. High tax rate is also another reason, car businesses in UK are decreasing because of various cars being imported from different countries, such as BMW, VW, Honda, Mercedes etc these cars are preferred by people living in the UK because it their high quality and economy. Other reasons is because of tax rate being too high which makes it hard to maintain a factory in the UK and car materials being too expensive to purchase and produce in this country. Some businesses in the UK buy a share of companies abroad to import cars and make profit in the UK Mini disc is a music player; you can listen to music and record sound. Mini disc manufacturers are absolute declining because of technological developments. 2-3 years ago mini disc was a fashionable item to have; everybody used them to listen to music and was very popular. Now since technology has developed audio manufactures produced new products to listen to music such as cd players, Ipods, mobile phones and MP3 some of these items are popular and known globally, a percentage of the people use these items to listen to music. Tertiary sector-Growth Online shopping is growing because of technological developments and lifestyle. Technology has developed in the last few years, online shopping has become more common and now it is easier and quicker to purchase products online, now you can buy all sorts of products on the internet clothe wears, accessories and foods, by using the internet people can shop easily. People prefer shopping on the internet rather than shopping in the markets because of long ques, spending money on travel and comfortability when shopping at home. Estate agencies are growing because of trends and profitability. The human population has risen in the last 300 years; more homes have been built for this reason. So many people intend to purchase a house, so they can have a house of their own and a number of people buy houses from agents to sell them to private individuals and make profit. The statistics say a numerous of houses are being sold every year. Tertiary sector-Decline Music retail is declining because of technological developments. 3-4 years ago in most markets they were loads of music stores available providing various kinds of music in cds, tapes, cassettes etc, now since technology has developed music stores are less of its numbers because of computers and internets; these two components are used to download and listen to music, you can listen to different type of music off the internet for free. People dont need to buy cds to listen to music anymore they can just download it off the internet from different sources for free. Analogue TV retailers are absolute declining because of technological developments and analogue TVs were very common and was used by everybody in the past. When technology developed TV manufacturers produced new high definition television with more specifications such as built in DVD players, blue ray, Radio etc. Analogues TVs are getting old and becoming unwanted products since everybody is interested in more advanced televisions. Bibliography http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_population#Rate_of_increase http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/food_matters/fishfarming.shtml http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/food_matters/fishfarming.shtml www.wikipedia.org/wiki/fish_farm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_food

Organisational cultures Essay Example for Free

Organisational cultures Essay Introduction: defining culture The concept of culture has become increasingly significant in education during the 1990s and into the twenty-first century. This enhanced interest may be understood as an example of dissatisfaction with the limitations of those leadership and man- agement models which stress the structural and technical aspects of schools and colleges. The focus on the intangible world of values and attitudes is a useful counter to these bureaucratic assumptions and helps to produce a more balanced portrait of educational institutions. Culture relates to the informal aspects of organisations rather then their official elements. They focus on the values, beliefs and norms of individuals in the organi- sation and how these individual perceptions coalesce into shared meanings. Culture is manifested by symbols and rituals rather than through the formal structure of the organization: Beliefs, values and ideology are at the heart of organisations. Individuals hold certain ideas and value-preferences which influence how they behave and how they view the behaviour of other members. These norms become shared traditions which are communicated within the group and are rein- forced by symbols and ritual. (Bush 2003, p.156). The developing importance of culture arises partly from a wish to understand, and operate more effectively within, this informal domain of the values and beliefs of teachers, support staff and other stakeholders. Morgan (1997) and ONeill (1994) both stress the increasing significance of cultural factors in leadership and manage- ment. The latter charts the appearance of cultural labels and suggests why they have become more prevalent: The increased use of such cultural descriptors in the literature of educational management is significant because it reflects a need for educational organiza- tions to be able to articulate deeply held and shared  values in more tangible ways and therefore respond more effectively to new, uncertain and potentially  threatening demands on their capabilities. Organizations, therefore, articulate values in order to provide form and meaning for the activities of organiza- tional members in the absence of visible and certain organizational structures and relationships. In this sense the analysis and influence of organizational culture become essential management tools in the pursuit of increased orga- nizational growth and effectiveness. (ONeill, 1994, p.116) The shift towards self-management in many countries reinforces the notion of schools and colleges as unique entities with their own distinctive features or cul- ture. It is inevitable that self-management will lead to greater diversity and, in Eng- land, this is one of the Governments explicit aims. Caldwell and Spinks (1992) argue that there is a culture of self- management. The essential components of this culture are the empowerment of leaders and their acceptance of responsibility. Societal culture Most of the literature on culture in education relates to organisational culture and that is also the main focus of this chapter. However, there is also an emerging liter- ature on the broader theme of national or societal culture. Dimmock and Walker (2002a, p.3) claim that the field of educational administration †¦ has largely ignored the influence of societal culture but their work has contributed to an increasing awareness of this concept. Given the globalisation of education, issues of societal culture are increasingly sig- nificant. Walker and Dimmock (2002) refer to issues of context and stress the need to avoid decontextualized paradigms (p.1) in researching and analysing educa- tional systems and institutions: The field of educational leadership and management has developed along eth- nocentric lines, being heavily dominated by Anglo-American paradigms and theories †¦ Frequently, either a narrow ethnicity pervades research and policy, or an implicit assumption is made that findings in one part of the world will necessarily apply in others. It is clear that a key factor missing from many debates on educational administration and leadership is context †¦ context is represented by societal culture and its mediating influence on theory, policy and practice. (Walker and Dimmock 2002, p.2) Walker and Dimmock are by no means alone in advocating attention to issues of context. Crossley and Broadfoot (1992, p.100) say that policies and practice cannot be translated intact from one culture to another since the mediation of different cultural contexts can quite transform the latters salience while Bush et al. (1998, p.137) stress that all theories and interpretations of practice must be grounded in the specific context †¦ before they can be regarded as useful. LEADING AND MANAGING PEOPLE IN EDUCATION48 Dimmock and Walker (2002b, p.71) have given sustained attention to these issues and provide a helpful distinction between societal and organizational culture: Societal cultures differ mostly at the level of basic values, while organizational cultures differ mostly at the level of more superficial practices, as reflected in the recognition of particular symbols, heroes and rituals. This allows organiza- tional cultures to be deliberately managed and changed, whereas societal or national cultures are more enduring and change only gradually over longer time periods. School leaders influence, and in turn are influenced by, the orga- nizational culture. Societal culture, on the other hand, is a given, being out- side the sphere of influence of an individual school leader. (Our emphasis) Dimmock and Walker (2002b) identify seven dimensions of societal culture,  each of which is expressed as a continuum: 1 Power-distributed/power concentrated: power is either distributed more equally among the various levels of a culture or is more concentrated. 2 Group-oriented/self-oriented: people in self-oriented cultures perceive themselves to be more independent and self-reliant. In group-oriented cultures, ties between people are tight, relationships are firmly structured and individual needs are sub- servient to the collective needs. 3 Consideration/aggression: in aggression cultures, achievement is stressed, competi- tion dominates and conflicts are resolved through the exercise of power and assertiveness. In contrast, consideration societies emphasise relationship, solidar- ity and resolution of conflicts by compromise and negotiation. 4 Proactivism/fatalism: this dimension reflects the proactive or we can change things around here attitude in some cultures, and the willingness to accept things as they are in others a fatalistic perspective. 5 Generative/replicative: some cultures appear more predisposed towards innovation, or the generation of new ideas and methods, whereas other cultures appear more inclined to replicate or to adopt ideas and approaches from elsewhere. 6 Limited relationship/holistic relationship: in limited relationship cultures, interac- tions and relationships tend to be determined by explicit rules which are applied to everyone. In holistic cultures, greater attention is given to relationship oblig- ations, for example kinship, patronage and friendship, than to impartially applied rules. 7 Male influence/female influence: in some societies, the male domination of deci- sion-making in political, economic and professional life is perpetuated. In others, women have come to play a significant role. (adapted from Dimmock and Walker 2002b, pp.74-6). This model can be applied to educational systems in different countries. Bush and Qiang (2000) show that most of these dimensions are relevant to Chinese education: 49ORGANISATIONAL CULTURES †¢ Power is concentrated in the hands of a limited number of leaders. The principal has positional authority within an essentially bureaucratic system †¦ China might be regarded as the archetypal high power-distance (power-concentrated) society (p.60). †¢ Chinese culture is group oriented. Collective benefits [are] seen as more important than individual needs (p.61). †¢ Chinese culture stresses consideration rather than aggression. The Confucian scholars advocate modesty and encourage friendly co-operation, giving priority to peoples relationships. The purpose of education is to mould every individual into a harmonious member of society (p.62). †¢ Patriarchal leadership dominates in education, business, government and the Communist Party itself. There are no women principals in the 89 secondary schools in three counties of the Shaanxi province. Coleman et al. (1998, p.144) attribute such inequalities to the continuing dominance of patriarchy. Societal culture is one important aspect of the context within which school leaders must operate. Leaders and managers must also be aware of organisational culture which provides a more immediate framework for leadership action. Principals and others can help to shape culture but they are also influenced by it. Chapter 7, for example, refers to the need for educational leaders to be aware of the societal cul- ture underpinning schools and colleges so that appropriate equal opportunities policies and practices can be developed. Central features of organisational culture Organisational culture has the following major features (Bush 2003): 1 It focuses on the values and beliefs of members of organisations. These values underpin the behaviour and attitudes of individuals within schools and colleges but they may not always be explicit. These individual beliefs coalesce into shared values: Shared values, shared beliefs, shared meaning, shared understanding, and shared sensemaking are all different ways of describing culture †¦ These pat- terns of understanding also provide a basis for making ones own behaviour sen- sible and meaningful (Morgan, 1997, p.138). This does not necessarily mean that individual values are always in harmony with one another. Morgan (1997, p.137) suggests that there may be different and competing value systems that create a mosaic of organizational realities rather than a uniform corporate culture. Dissonance is more likely in large, multipur- pose organisations such as colleges and universities but Nias et al. (1989) note that they may also exist in primary education. Fullan and Hargreaves (1992, pp. 71-2) argue that some schools develop a balkanized culture made up of separate and sometimes competing groups: LEADING AND MANAGING PEOPLE IN EDUCATION50 Teachers in balkanized cultures attach their loyalties and identities to particular groups of their colleagues. They are usually colleagues with whom they work most closely, spend most time, socialize most often in the staffroom. The existence of such groups in a school often reflects and reinforces very different group outlooks on learning, teaching styles, dis- cipline and curriculum. Staff working in sub-units, such as departments, may develop their own dis- tinctive subculture and middle managers, or middle level leaders as the NCSL prefers to call them, may wish to cultivate this as a way of developing and enhancing team effectiveness. However, as Fullan and Hargreaves (1992)  imply, such subcultures may not be consistent with the whole-school or college culture. 2 Organisational culture emphasises the development of shared norms and mean- ings. The assumption is that interaction between members of the organisation, or its subgroups, eventually leads to behavioural norms that gradually become cul- tural features of the school or college. Nias et al.s (1989, pp.39-40) research shows how group norms were established in their case-study schools: As staff talked, worked and relaxed together, they began to negotiate shared meanings which enabled them to predict each others behaviour. Consequently each staff developed its own taken-for-granted norms. Because shared meanings and ways of behaving became so taken for granted, existing staff were largely unaware of them. But they were visi- ble to newcomers †¦ Researchers moving between schools were con- stantly reminded of the uniqueness of each schools norms. These group norms sometimes allow the development of a monoculture in a school with meanings shared throughout the staff the way we do things around here. We have already noted, however, that there may be several subcul- tures based on the professional and personal interests of different groups. These typically have internal coherence but experience difficulty in relationships with other groups whose behavioural norms are different. Wallace and Hall (1994, pp.28 and 127) identify senior management teams (SMTs) as one example of group culture with clear internal norms but often weak connections to other groups and individuals: SMTs in our research developed a culture of teamwork †¦ A norm com- mon to the SMTs was that decisions must be reached by achieving a working consensus, entailing the acknowledgement of any dissenting views †¦ there was a clear distinction between interaction inside the team and contact with those outside †¦ [who] were excluded from the inner world of the team. 3 Culture is typically expressed through rituals and ceremonies which are  used to support and celebrate beliefs and norms. Schools, in particular, are rich in such symbols as assemblies, prize-givings and corporate worship. Hoyle (1986, pp.150  and 152) argues that ritual is at the heart of cultural models: Symbols are a key component of the culture of all schools †¦ [they] have expressive tasks and sym- bols which are the only means whereby abstract values can be conveyed †¦ Sym- bols are central to the process of constructing meaning. (Hoyle 1986, pp.150-2). School culture may be symbolized through three modes: (a) Conceptually or verbally, for example through use of language and the expres- sion of organisational aims. (b) Behaviourally, through rituals, ceremonies, rules, support mechanisms, and patterns of social interaction. (c) Visually or materially, through facilities, equipment, memorabilia, mottoes, crests and uniforms. (Beare et al. 1989, p.176). Schein (1997, p.248) argues that rites and rituals [are] central to the deciphering as well as to the communicating of cultural assumptions. 4 Organisational culture assumes the existence of heroes and heroines who embody the values and beliefs of the organisation. These honoured members typify the behaviours associated with the culture of the institution. Campbell-Evans (1993, p. 106) stresses that heroes or heroines are those whose achievements match the cul- ture: Choice and recognition of heroes †¦ occurs within the cultural boundaries identified through the value filter †¦ The accomplishments of those individuals who come to be regarded as heroes are compatible with the cultural emphases. This feature is evident in South Africa, for example, where the huge interest in school sport means that sporting heroes are identified and celebrated. This was evident, for example, in a Durban school visited by one of the authors, where for- mer student Shaun Pollock, the South African fast bowler, had numerous pho- tographs on display and a room named after him. In celebrating the achievements of this cricketing hero, school managers are seeking to emphasise the centrality of sporting achievement to the ethos and culture of the school. Developing a culture of learning in South Africa As we noted earlier (p.000), societal or national culture underpins the organisa- tional culture of individual schools and colleges. Nowhere is this more apparent than in South African schools where the predominant culture reflects the wider social structure of the post-apartheid era. Decades of institutionalised racism and injustice have been replaced by an overt commitment to democracy in all aspects of life, including education. Ngcobo (2003) addresses issues of cultural diversity and, drawing on Irvine (1990), identifies nine dimensions of African culture: †¢ Spirituality: life is viewed as vitalistic rather than mechanistic. †¢ Harmony: humans and nature live interdependently and in harmony. LEADING AND MANAGING PEOPLE IN EDUCATION52 †¢ Movement: rhythm, music and dance. †¢ Verve: high levels of stimulation. †¢ Affect: emotions and feelings. †¢ Communalism: social connectedness and an awareness of responsibilities to the  group transcending individual privileges. †¢ Expressive individualism: genuine personal expression. †¢ Oral tradition: oral/aural metaphors and colourful forms. †¢ Social time perspective: time as social rather than material space (adapted from Ngcobo 2003, p.224). Ngcobo (2003) notes that these cultural features are very different from European cultures. Such cultural differences became particularly significant as schools began to change their racial composition in response to the South African Schools Act (1996), which made it illegal to deny admission to students on the basis of race. For- merly white schools, with a predominantly European culture, began to assimilate learners, and to a lesser extent educators, from different cultural backgrounds. Ngcobo (2003) gives two contrasting examples of how school leaders responded to these cultural changes. Vryburg high school avoided cultural diversity by dividing the premises into two sections (white and black). This had several deleterious con- sequences, including conflict leading to charges of assault being laid against 14 black learners and seven parents of white students. Greenland secondary school in Durban adopted a different approach, aiming at cultural diversity and encouraging learners and staff to express and celebrate their own cultures. This school has been very successful academically which the principal attributes to the strong integrative culture it promotes (Ngcobo 2003, p.230). The years of struggle against apartheid inevitably affected schools, particularly those in the townships. One of the weapons of the black majority was for young- sters to strike and demonstrate against the policies of the white government. Sim- ilarly, teacher unions were an important aspect of the liberation movement and teachers would frequently be absent from school to engage in protest activity. It is perhaps inevitable that a culture of learning was difficult to establish in such a hos- tile climate. Badat (1995, p.143) claims that the crisis in black education, including what has come to be referred to as the breakdown in the culture of learning †¦ continued unabated. This issue surfaced in Bush and Andersons (2003) survey of school principals in the KwaZulu/Natal province. In response to a question about the aims of the school, principals stated that: †¢ the school is striving to instill in the minds of learners that education is their future †¢ to show the importance of education within and outside the school †¢ to provide a conducive educational environment †¢ to develop a culture of learning. 53ORGANISATIONAL CULTURES The absence of a culture of learning in many South African schools illustrates the long-term and uncertain nature of cultural change. The long years of resistance to apartheid education have to be replaced by a commitment to teaching and learn- ing if South Africa is to thrive in an increasingly competitive world economy. How- ever, educational values have to compete with the still prevalent discourse of struggle and also have to reconcile the diverse value systems of the different sub- cultures in South Africas integrated schools. It seems likely that the development of a genuine culture of learning will be slow and dependent on the quality of lead- ership in individual schools. Leadership and culture We noted earlier (p.000) that societal culture is beyond the control of educational leaders but heads and principals are able to influence organisational culture. Arguably, they have the main responsibility for generating and sustaining culture and communicating core values and beliefs both within the organization and to external stakeholders (Bush 1998, p.43). Heads and principals have their own val- ues and beliefs arising from many years of successful professional practice. They are also expected to embody the culture of the school or college. Hoyle (1986, pp.155-6) stresses the symbolic dimension of leadership and the central role of heads in defining school culture: Few heads will avoid constructing an image of the school. They will differ in the degree to which this is a deliberate and charismatic task. Some heads †¦Ã‚  will self- consciously seek to construct a great mission for the school. Others will convey their idea of the school less dramatically and construct a meaning from the basic materials of symbol-making: words, actions, artefacts and settings. Schein (1997, p.211) argues that cultures spring primarily from the beliefs, values and assumptions of founders of organisations. Nias et al. (1989, p. 103) suggest that heads are founders of their schools culture. They refer to two of their English case study schools where new heads dismantled the existing culture in order to create a new one based on their own values. The culture was rebuilt through example: All the heads of the project schools were aware of the power of example. Each head expected to influence staff through his/her example. Yet their actions may also have been symbolic of the values they tried to represent. Nias et al. (1989) also mention the significance of co-leaders, such as deputy heads and curriculum co-ordinators, in disseminating school culture. Deal (1985, pp.615-18) suggests several strategies for leaders who wish to gener- ate culture: †¢ Document the schools history to be codified and passed on. †¢ Anoint and celebrate heroes and heroines. LEADING AND MANAGING PEOPLE IN EDUCATION54 †¢ Review the schools rituals to convey cultural values and beliefs. †¢ Exploit and develop ceremony. †¢ Identify priests, priestesses and gossips, and incorporate them into mainstream  activity. This provides access to the informal communications network. One of the ways in which leaders can shape or change culture is through the appointment of other staff who have the same values and beliefs, leading to cultural consonance. In this view, the staff selection process provides an opportunity to set out the values of the school, or its leaders, in the hope  that those who hold similar values will be attracted to the post while others will be deterred from making or pur- suing an application. Over time, the culture of the school will shift in the direction sought by the principal. The literature on collegiality (e.g. Bush 2003) shows that leaders are more likely to cede power to others when they are confident that their own educational values will not be compromised by doing so. Foskett and Lumby (2003) point out that staff selection processes are themselves subject to cultural variables. They draw on Akinnusi (1991) to distinguish between universalistic and particularistic approaches to selection. The universalistic approach, as discussed in Chapter 9 of this volume, for example, attempts to match applicants to objective criteria and is thought to be more successful in identifying the best match to the vacant post (Foskett and Lumby 2003, p.71). These authors contrast this model with the particularistic approach adopted, for example, in Africa and in China. Here, selection is shaped by the personal affiliation of the players, for example kinship, religion, ethnic or political similarities (p.70). This approach is likely to be successful in ensuring that the appointees have similar val- ues to the leaders. Using cultural criteria to appoint new staff may help to modify culture but the established staff, and inertia, may still ensure that change is highly problematic. Reynolds (1996) refers to one school where the prevailing culture was posing severe difficulties for any purported change attempts (p.153). He point to multiple barri- ers to change including: †¢ staff wanted top down change and not ownership †¢ weve always done it this way †¢ individual reluctance to challenge the prevailing culture †¢ staff blaming childrens home background for examination failure †¢ numerous personality clashes, personal agendas and fractured interpersonal rela-tionships (Reynolds 1996, pp.153-4). This example illustrates the difficulty of attempting to impose cultural change. As one former college principal stresses, [it is] dangerous †¦ for  managers to move too fast on cultural change (Bridge 1994, p.197). Turner (1990, p.11) acknowledges the pressures on leaders to mould culture but rejects the belief that something as pow- erful as culture can be much affected by the puny efforts of top managers. 55ORGANISATIONAL CULTURES Hargreaves (1999, p.59) makes a similar point, claiming that most peoples beliefs, attitudes and values are far more resistant to change than leaders typically allow. He identifies three circumstances when culture may be subject to rapid change: †¢ The school faces an obvious crisis, for example a highly critical inspection report or falling pupil numbers, leading to the prospect of staff redundancies or school closure. †¢ The leader is very charismatic, commanding instant trust, loyalty and fellowship. This may enable cultural change to be more radical and be achieved more quickly. †¢ The leader succeeds a very poor principal. Staff will be looking for change to instil a new sense of direction (adapted from Hargreaves 1999, pp.59-60). These points may also apply to sub-units and subcultures. Hargreaves (1999, p.60) concludes that, if none of these special conditions applies, assume that cultural change will be rather slow. Leaders also have responsibility for sustaining culture, and cultural maintenance is often regarded as a central feature of effective leadership. Sergiovanni (1984, p.9) claims that the cultural aspect is the most important dimension of leadership. Within his leadership forces hierarchy, the cultural element is more significant than the technical, human and educational aspects of leadership: The net effect of the cultural force of leadership is to bond together  students, teachers, and others as believers in the work of the school †¦ As persons become members of this strong and binding culture, they are provided with opportunities for enjoying a special sense of personal importance and significance. Limitations of organisational culture The concept of organisational culture provides several useful elements to the lead- ership and management of people in schools and colleges. The focus on the infor- mal dimension is a valuable counter to the rigid and official components of the formal models. By stressing the values and beliefs of participants, culture reinforces the human aspects of management rather than their structural elements. However, this approach has three significant weaknesses (Bush 2003): 1 The notion of organisational culture may simply be the imposition of the leaders values on other members of the organisation. The search for a monoculture may mean subordinating the values and beliefs of some participants to those of leaders or the dominant group. Shared cultures may be simply the values of leaders imposed on less powerful people. Morgan (1997) refers to a process of ideological  control and warns of the risk of manipulation: Ideological manipulation and control is being advocated as an essential managerial strategy †¦ such manipulation may well be accompanied by resistance, resentment and mistrust †¦ where the culture controls rather than expresses human character, the metaphor may thus prove quite manipulative and totalitarian in its influence. (pp.150-1) Prosser (1999, p.4) refers to the dark underworld of school culture and links it to the concept of micropolitics: The micro-political perspective recognized that formal powers, rules, regulations, traditions and rituals  were capable of being subverted by individuals, groups or affiliations in schools. Hargreaves (1999, p.60) uses the term resistance group to refer to sub-units seeking to subvert lead- ers and their intended cultural change. However, this may simply be a legitimate attempt to enunciate the specific values of, for example, departmental culture. 2 The portrayal of culture may be unduly mechanistic, assuming that leaders can determine the culture of the organisation (Morgan 1997). While they have influ- ence over the evolution of culture by espousing desired values, they cannot ensure the emergence of a monoculture. As we have seen, secondary schools and colleges may have several subcultures operating in departments and other sec- tions. This is not necessarily dysfunctional because successful sub-units are vital components of thriving institutions, and successful middle-level leadership and management are increasingly regarded as essential to school and college effec- tiveness (Harris 2002; Briggs 2003). In an era of self-managing schools and colleges in many countries, lay influ- ences on policy are increasingly significant. Governing bodies often have the for- mal responsibility for major decisions and they share in the creation of institutional culture. This does not mean simple acquiescence to the values of the head or principal. Rather, there may be negotiation leading to the possibility of conflict and the adoption of policies inconsistent with the leaders own values. 3 Hoyle (1986) argues that symbols may misrepresent the reality of the school or college. He suggests that schools may go through the appearance of change but the reality continues as before: A symbol can represent something which is real in the sense that it †¦ acts as a surrogate for reality †¦ there will be a mutual recognition by the parties concerned that the substance has not been evoked but they are nevertheless content to sustain the fiction that it has if there has been some symbolization of the substance †¦ in reality the system carries on as formerly. (p.166) Schein (1997, p.249) also warns against placing too much reliance on ritual. When the only salient data we have are the rites and rituals that have survived over a period of time, we must, of course, use them as best we  can †¦ however †¦ it is difficult to decipher just what assumptions lead- ers have held that have led to the creation of particular rites and rituals. Conclusion: people and culture The belief that schools and colleges are unique entities is gaining ground as people increasingly recognise the importance of the specific contexts, internal and exter- nal, which provide the frameworks within which leaders and managers must oper- ate. Despite the pressures of globalisation, understanding and managing the school context is a vital dimension of leadership in the twenty-first century. Values and beliefs are not universal and a one size fits all model does not work for nations any more than it does for schools. The recognition that school and college development needs to be preceded by attitudinal change is also salutary, and is consistent with the view that teachers must feel ownership of change if it is to be implemented effectively. Externally imposed innovation often fails because it is out of tune with the values of the teach- ers who have to implement it. Since organization ultimately resides in the heads of the people involved, effective organizational change always implies cultural change (Morgan 1997, p.150). The emphasis on values and symbols may also help to balance the focus on struc- ture and process in many of the other models. The informal world of norms and rit- ual behaviour may be just as significant as the formal elements of schools and colleges. Even the most concrete and rational  aspects of organization whether structures, hierarchies, rules, or organizational routines embody social construc- tions and meanings that are crucial for understanding how organization functions day to day (Morgan 1997, p.146). Culture also provides a focus for organisational action. Effective leaders often seek to influence values so that they become closer to, if not identical with, their own beliefs. In this way, they hope to achieve widespread support for, or ownership of, new policies. By working through this informal domain, rather than imposing change through positional authority or political processes, heads, principals and other leaders, including middle managers, are more likely to gain support for inno- vation. An understanding of both societal and organisational culture also provides a sound basis for leading and managing people in education. In many countries, schools and colleges are becoming multicultural, and recognition of the rich diver- sity of the cultural backgrounds of students, parents and staff is an essential element in school management. Similarly, all educational organisations have certain dis- tinctive features and understanding and managing this cultural apparatus is vital if leadership is to be in tune with the prevailing norms and values. An appreciation of the relevance of both societal and organisational culture, and of the values, beliefs and rituals that underpin them, is an important element in the leadership  and management of schools and colleges. References Akinnusi, D. (1991), Personnel management in Africa, in Brewster, C. and Tyson, S. (eds), International Comparisons in Human Resource Management, London, Pitman. Badat, S. (1995), Educational politics in the transition period, Comparative Educa- tion, 31 (2), 141-159. Beare, H., Caldwell, B. and Millikan, R (1989), Creating an Excellent School: Some New Management Techniques, London, Routledge. Bridge, W. (1994), Change where contrasting cultures meet, in Gorringe, R. (ed.), Changing the Culture of a College, Blagdon, Coombe Lodge Reports. Briggs, A. (2003), Finding the balance: exploring the organic and mechanical dimensions of middle managers roles in English further education colleges, Edu- cational Management and Administration, 31 (4), 421-436. Bush, T. 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Strategic Options That Globalization Offers To Firms Marketing Essay

Strategic Options That Globalization Offers To Firms Marketing Essay This report looks at how firms can explore opportunities that globalization offers if they wish to grow with established or new products in a new or existing market. The report looks at a number of strategic options which can be pursued to gain competitive advantage over other firms. Strategic options which are available mainly offered by the ansoff matrix are discussed. Other strategic options such as Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), Collaborative ventures, Exporting, Take over, mergers, acquisitions, franchising and licensing and many more. Examples of firms that exploited opportunities that Globalization offers are also discussed in this report. Some of the companies are Samsung, Virgin group, Vodafone, SWIFT, LNM (Mittal), Google, Motorola, McDonalds, Sony, BMW, SABMiller and many more. INTRODUCTION Globalization of markets refers to the gradual integration and growing interdependence of national economics. Globalisation allows firms to view the world as an integrated market place. Globalisation has a broader meaning and also refers to the interconnectedness of national economies and the growing interdependence of buyers, producers, producers, supplies and government in different countries. Market globalization in manifested in by the production and marketing of branded products and services worldwide. Declining trade barriers and the ease with which international business transactions take place due to the internet and other technologies are contributing to a gradual integration of most national economies into a unified market. Early civilization in the Mediterranean Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe have all contributed to the growth of cross-border trade over time. Bursts of cross-border trade have been triggered by world events and technological discoveries. LITERATURE REVIEW The globalization of markets has opened up countless new business opportunities for internationalizing firms. Globalisation allows firms to explore opportunities in new established markets, with new or existing products. According to H. Ansoff, firms wishing to go international can use the Ansoff product and/or market matrix which provides a simple way of generating four basic alternative direction for strategic development; Market Penetration, Product Development, Market Development and Diversification. Firms can go global with the following scenarios. An existing product in an existing market (market penetration consolidation), an existing product in a new market (Market Development), a new product in an existing market (Product Development); and a new product in a new market. Market Penetration Consolidation This strategic option is when a firm increases share of its existing product range, is on the face of it the most obvious strategic direction. It builds on existing strategic capabilities and does not require the firm to venture into uncharted territory. The organizations scope is exactly the same. Greater market share implies increased power vis-a-vis buyers and supplies, greater economies of scale and experience curve benefits. Firms seeking greater market penetration may face two constraints; Retaliation from compellation and legal constraints. Retaliation and Competitors Increasing market penetration is likely to exacerbate industry rivalry as other competitors in the market defend their share. Increased rivalry might involve price wars or expensive marketing battles, which may cost more than any market shares gains are actually worth. In low growth or declining markets, it can be more effective simply to acquire competitors. For example; in the steel industry the Indian LNM (Mittal) moved rapidly in the 2000s to become the largest steel producer in the world by acquiring struggling steel companies around the world. Acquisition can actually reduce rivalry. Legal Constraints Greater market penetration can raise concerns from official competition regulators concerning excessive market power. Most countries have regulators with the powers to restrain powerful companies or prevent mergers and acquisitions that would create such excessive power. Example in the UK, competition commission can investigate any merger or any acquisition that would account for more than 25% of the national market and either half a deal or proposed measures that would reduce market power. Consolidation This is when firms focus defensively on their current market with current products. Product Development This is where firms deliver modified or new products to existing markets. This strategy can be undertaken by firms who wish to explore opportunities in existing market with a new product. This is a limited extension of organisational scope. Product development implies greater degrees of innovation firms who wish to explore opportunities in established markets with new products can fare challenges because it is expensive and high-risk activities because of the following: New Strategic Capabilities Product development typically involves mastering new technologies that may be unfamiliar to the firm. For example, banks entered online banking at the beginning of this century but suffered many setbacks with technologies so radically different to their traditional high street branch means of delivering banking services. Project Management Risk Product development projects are typically subject to the risk of delays and increased costs due to project complexity and changing project specification over time. For example, 7.6bn Airbus A380 double-decker air line project, which suffered two years of delays in the mid 2000s because of wiring problem. Air bus had managed reveral new aircraft developments before but the high degree of customization required by each airline customer and incompatibilities in computer-aided design software, led to greater complexity than the Airbus project management could handle. Market Development If product development is risky and expensive, firms wishing to explore opportunities to go global can use Market Development has a strategy where the firm offers existing products to new markets. Markets development might take three forms: New statement. For example in the public services, a collage might offer its educational services to older students than its traditional intake, perhaps via evening courses. New Users. An example would be aluminium, whose original users packaging and cutlery manufactures are now supplemented by users in aerospace and automobiles. New Geographics. It is essential that market development strategies are based on products or services that meet the critical success factors of the new market. Strategies based on simply off-loading traditional products or services in new markets are likely to fail. Moreover, market development faces similar problems as product development. In terms of strategic capabilities, market developers often lack the right marketing skills and brands to make progress in a market with unfamiliar customers. On the management side the challenge is coordinating between different segments, users and geographics, which might all have different needs. Example Diversification Diversification is defined as a strategy that takes an organisation away from both its existing products. (Johnson et al, pp 262). It radically increases the firm scope. A good deal of diversification in practice involves building a relationship with existing markets or products. Market penetration and product development entail some diversifying adjustment of product or markets. Diversification is just one of the directions for Globalisation and needs to be considered alongside its alternatives. Opportunities which may drive firms to go global are Efficiency Gains. Efficiency gains can be made by applying the organizations existing resources existing resources or capabilities to new markets and products or services. These are also called Economics of Scope. If an organisation has utilized resources or competences that it cannot effectively close or sell to other potential users, it can make sense to use these resources or competences by going global using diversification into new activity. Stretching Corporate Parenting Capabilities. At the corporate parent level, managers may develop a competence at managing a range of different products and services which can be applied even to businesses which do not share resource at the corporate parenting skills as the dominant general management logic. For example, a French Conglomerate LVMH includes a wide range of business form champagne through fashion and perfumes, to financial media that share few operation resources or competences. Increasing Market Power. With many businesses, an organisation can afford to cross-subsidize one business from the surplus earned by another, in a way that competitors may not be able to. Types of Diversification Firms wishing to explore opportunities in new or established markets, with new or existing products can diversify through Related diversification or Unrelated diversification. Related Diversification This is corporate development beyond current products and markets, but within the capabilities or the value network of the organisation ( ). For example, Procter and Gamble are diversified corporation, but virtually all of their interests are in fast moving consumer goods distributed through retailers. Their various business benefit therefore from shared capabilities in research and development, consumer marketing, building relationships with powerful retailers and global brand development. Related Diversification can be done in two ways; Vertical integration describes either backward or forward integration into adjacent activities in the value network. Backward integration refers to development into activities concerned with the inputs into the companys current business. Forward integration refers to development into activities which are concerned with a companys outputs. Horizontal integration is development into activities which are complementary or adjacent to present activities. Unrelated Diversification Unrelated Diversification is the development of products or services beyond the current capabilities or value network. Unrelated diversification is often described as a Conglomerate Strategy because there are no obvious economies of scope. DISCUSSION Globalisation allows companies to explore opportunities in new or established markets with new or existing with new or existing products. Firms go global to mainly maximize profits by increasing their market share and exploiting opportunities in other geographic areas. As market globalization intensifies, firms are compelled to respond to challenges and exploit new advantages. Many firms proactively pursue globalization as a strategic move. They become more aggressive at identifying foreign market opportunities, seeking partnerships with foreign firms and building organisational capabilities in order to enhance their competitive advantage. Market globalization is driven by a number of factors World Wide Reduction of Barriers to Trade and Investment. Many national governments have reduced trade and investment barriers, this has accelerated global economic integration. For example, in South Africa, tariffs on the imports of automobile, industrial machinery and countless other products have declined nearly to zero encouraging free international exchange of goods and services. The China government has committed its self to make its market more accessible to foreign companies. Reduction of trade barriers is also associated with the emergence of regional economic integration blocs, which is a key dimension of market globalization. Industrialization, Economic Development and Modernization. Industrialization implies that emergency markets are moving from being low value-adding commodity producers, dependant on low-cost labour, to sophisticated competitive producers and exporters of premium products such as electronics, computers and aircraft. For example, Brazil has become a leading producer of private aircraft and the Czech Republic excels in the production of automobiles. India is now a leading supplier of computer software. Integration of World Financial Markets. Integration of world financial markets makes it possible for internationally active firms to raise capital, borrow funds and engage in foreign currency transactions. Financial services firms follow their customers to foreign markets. Cross-Border transactions are made easier partly as a result of the ease with which funds can be transferred between buyers and sellers, through a network of international commercial banks. For example, Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) connects over 7,800 financial institutions in some 200 countries, it facilitates the exchange of financial transactions. Advances in Technology. Technology is a remarkable facilitator of globalization and provides means for internationalization. Firms wishing to explore opportunities in other countries or connects can interact more effectively with foreign partners or subsidiaries and value-chain members than ever before. Technology advances have made the loss of international operation as affordable for all types of firms. For example, information technology allows firms to more efficiently adapt products for international rich markets Intel and Motorola, two of the worlds premier technology companies, both receive a substantial portion of their revenue from sales in china because China is a place to be when it comes to technological progress. It is very important for firms wishing to explore their opportunities globally through development of new products to take technology seriously for its spurs good appeal to a global audience. To adequately explore the opportunities that globalization possess forms can pursue a number of strategies that forms wishing to explore opportunities the global market can pursue. Market Penetration and Consolidation. Market penetration is where an organisation gains market share with existing products in an existing market. For example LNM (Mittal) an Indian company rapidly in the 2000s to become the largest steel producers in the world. Acquisitions can actually reduce rivalry thereby increasing market share by taking out independent players and consolidating them under one umbrella. However, this strategy has constraints such as Retaliation from competitors and legal constraints. For example, Gaz de France and Suez, two utility companies with dominant positions in France and Belgium, decided to merge in 2006, the European Commission insisted that the two companies reduce their power by diverting some of their subsidiaries and opening up their networks to competitors. Consolidation mainly focuses defensively on their current markets with current products. Product Development is where firms deliver new products or modified products to existing markets. An example of a firm which developed its products is Sony, it developed its products from walkman portable music system from Audio tapes, through CDs to MP3 based systems. Effectively it involved the same markets but the technologies are vatically different. Another example is Samsung which developed its brand and this has continuously rising strong. According to Jan Luedermana, global managing director of Inter Brand said that Samsungs key success factor is management ambition and determination to make Samsung a continuos product developing brand. However, product development can be an expensive and high-risk activity for two reasons, new strategic capabilities and project management. For example, a  £7.6 billion Airbus A380 double-decker air project, suffered 2 years of delays in the mid 2000s because of wiring problems. Market Development is where existing products are offered in new markets. For example, German car maker BMW launched a new factory in South Carolina, US in order to readily access the huge US market. Globalisation drove BMW to relocate key value-adding activities to most advantageous location in the world. Diversification is a strategy that takes an organisation away from both its existing markets and its existing products. An example of a firm which used diversification to go global is the Virgin group. Virgin in one of UKs largest private companies, its highest profit business was Virgin Atlantic which had developed to be a major force in the international airline business, among them where financial services, trains, cinemas and music stores. It later globalised or went global spreading to other continents such as Africa, Asia and North America. Another company which diversified in a related industry, horizontally is Internet search company, Google which spread into news, images and maps amongst other services and Zodiac a French firm which was founded in 1896 to manufacture only dirigible airships but due to the downfall in the market of Airships, Zodiac decided to leverage its technical expertise and moved from dirigibles to inflatable boats. It later diversified further because of increasing competition from Italian manufacturers by taking over Aerazur, a company specialised in parachutes, but also in life vests and inflatable life rafts. The Ansoff framework helps firms with strategic options to pursue in different market. However, like other models, it has its own limitations. It is imperative to look at other strategic models such as PESTEL and SWOT. For example, the Ansoff analysis of McDonalds a US company was launched in India using market development. It suffered huge losses because of the Indians do not eat beef from cows, cultural aspects are very important when choosing a strategy to explore in internationalization. Therefore, when conducting a strategic analysis, it is essential that the SWOT and PESTEL are critically analyzed also. Other strategic options that a firm which wants to explore opportunities in new or established market with new or existing products or services are: Firms can use strategic alliances, which is an arrangement between two companies who have decided to share resources in a specific project or business. Franchisees and licensees, a company can enter a new market through franchising or licensing by using well established brand names to gain competitive advantage and build on its own brand. For example, McDonalds has given licensees to firms such Mr. Green, Vulet services and many others. Acquisitions, mergers and take over are strategic options open to firms wishing to go global. For example, Zodiac took over Aerazur, a company specializing in parachutes, life vests and inflatable life rafts. Another example is SAB, a South African Brewery which Acquired Miller in 2002 to become SABMiller, this acquisition made them become the second largest Brewery in the world acquired Miller in 2002 to become the second largest Brewery in the world. Thereby, creating a completion advantage over other firms. Foreign Direct Investment can also be used to explore opportunities globally. This is a strategy in which a firm establishes a physical presence abroad by acquiring productive assets such capital technology, labour, land, plant and equipment. For example, Vodafone, one of the leading wireless phone services providers which offers telecommunication and data services, multi media portals, cellular operations, satellite services and retail shops. In 1993, Vodafone had invests in mobile phone networks in Australia, Greece, Hong Kong, Malta and Scandinavia. The firm bought stakes in operations throughout Europe, the Americans and parts of Asia and Africa. Vodafone drew funds from global capital markets. Collaborative venture is essentially a partnership between two or more firms and includes equity joint ventures, project-based non equity ventures. A joint venture is essentially a special type of collaboration involving equity investment by the parent firms. For example, Procter and Gamble (PG) is in a joint venture with Dolce Gabbana (DG) an Italian fashion house. Under the deal, PG produces perfumes, while DG markets them in Europe, leveraging the strength of its strong local brand name. Samsung, the Korean electronics firm began internationalizing in 1970s through joint ventures with foreign-technology suppliers such as Sonya, NEC and Corning Glass works. The partnership allowed Samsung to acquire product designs and marketing outlets and gave management increasing confidence in foreign operations. Samsungs earliest foreign manufacturing effort was via a joint venture in Portugal, launched in 1982. Exporting can be another strategic option for firms wishing to go global. This is a strategy of producing products and services in one country and selling and distributing them to customers located in other countries, this can be done through franchising and licensing. SUMMARY Globalisation offers many opportunities which firms wishing to maximize, profits, market share and other stakeholders expectation can explore. International trade has opened up these opportunities which opened up these opportunities which until right strategies can fully be exploited. As market globalization intensifies, firms are compelled to respond to challenges and exploit new opportunities. Globalisation has fostered a new dynamism in the world economy the emergence of regional economic integration blocs, growth of global investment and financial flows, the conà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. of buyer lifestyles and needs and the globalization of production. Firms wishing to go global can gain competitive advantage when they apply correct strategies in a particular region, country or continent. Firms can pursue a number of strategies. The Ansoff framework which looks at established and/or new market strategies to pursue are market penetration or consolidation, product development, market development and diversification. Firms can pursued the above strategic in many ways such as Exporting existing or established products or services in new or existing market. Forming strategic alliances with other firms by sharing resources in a specific project. Franchising and Licensing. Acquisitions, mergers and takeovers. Firms in a global market can operate successfully by engaging strategies that will aid in achieving competitive advantage over other global barriers and threats that globalization faces