The Welcome Table Essay Example for Free

The Welcome Table Essay Understanding â€Å"The Welcome Table† One of the main focus points of all literary works is the theme of the story that is being read. To identify a story s theme you must look beyond what is happening in the story but look at what the story is really about. In this short paper I will be covering the theme of â€Å"The Welcome Table† and examples of certain elements of the story. Theme of â€Å"The Welcome Table† When reading writings of any kind you must try and understand what the story is really about instead of looking too much into what the story is being wrote about. For lots of pieces of literature that was written in the era before the 1950’s when writers had an underlying meaning for their writings that weren’t noticed unless read closely. In the short story â€Å"The Welcome Table† written by Alice Walker, you see the plot immediately start when an older black lady is at the front steps of a white community’s church. The story is obviously written in a time when black people where thought to be unequal to white people. Considering that the author of this short story was born in 1944 and growing up in a time when racism against black people was at the highest point. Throughout the entire story the theme is racism. Many of the people in the story saw the old lady as an invasion or maid, to the young usher telling the lady that this wasn’t her church. Then after the ladies in the church practically made the men throw this harmless old black lady out of a church, you could tell the theme had to be about race. The tone throughout the entire story that these people had against this old black lady, was not necessarily hatred but of disgust. The women made their husbands grab this old lady and take her outside into the cold. I wasn’t like this one old black lady was there to hurt anyone of disrespect the white people in any way but to come to church. As we look father into the story after the old lady is outside she sets the tone for more of an uplifting tone. As she is standing on the front of the church in the cold singing a sad song, she sees Jesus. As she is walking with him she is overjoyed and sings and uplifting song. Even though these people have disrespected her by kicking her out of a church, her faith is unbroken and she is doing as Jesus tells her to. Even though the story ends with the black families seeing her walking alone down the street, one can only think that she died somewhere and went to heaven to be with Jesus; almost like he was leading her there. There are many symbols in this story that can be referenced to many things. The story seems to be written during the winter since there was reference to it being below freezing outside. Winter is closely related to Death, and for me I let my mind wander to the death of the old lady, even though the story did not say that, that is what I have come to the conclusion. One of the other major symbols I see in this story is when the old lady first saw Jesus. She kept looking to see if he was carrying the lamb, like in the picture that she had. The lamb refers to gentleness, and since they were at a white church, the white referring to life. Even though the white people were so disrespectful to her and put her out in the cold she still kept her faith. See was ecstatic when she saw Jesus coming down the road, and made sure she got his attention so he would not miss her. Winter was there for the old lady and she knew it, so she went to the church to make her peace with Jesus and it just so happened that he was coming for her. Even though the white people were so cruel to her and the theme of this story is racism, the story also says don’t give up on what you believe even if it seems unrealistic. The old lady believes in Jesus, and the white people were not going to affect that no matter how they treated her.

Impact Of Dlf Ipl On Two Economies Tourism Essay

Impact Of Dlf Ipl On Two Economies Tourism Essay There exists no such event whose effects can be annulled in any way. No event takes place in an isolated way, defeating the very purpose of the event. The event has direct or indirect influence on every aspect of our lives and these include social, cultural, economic, environmental or political aspects (Allen et al., 2002). The payback from an event is enormous. A lot of constructive and encouraging associations are formed during the event. This is one of the most important reasons for the attractiveness and fame of an event (Bowdin et al., 2006). It is inevitable to measure the various impacts of an event, thus ensuring the proper monitoring, control and evaluation. Recent literatures have revealed an interesting fact, that the methods used to measure the event, and also the aspects measured differ significantly (Wood, E.H., 2005). Primarily, constructive social, cultural as well as economic impacts are normally recognized to be the probable advantage to event hosts (Veres et al., 2 008). It is obvious for the hosts to have an inclination towards giving more importance to the economic impact, highly influenced by the tourism research. Economic advantages of an event are very vital to the host. Hence it is very imperative to have good frameworks for the measurement of this aspect. However, an accepted fact is that economic benefits are not the only advantage which comes with an event. Various elusive benefits have to also be measured to know how successful an event has been (Bowdin et al., 2006); Jones (2001) suggests that even if the former unconstructive effects are included having a limelight merely on straight expenses payback will still give an unfinished image. However, it is also to keep in mind that events can sometimes have negative and unplanned consequences and these penalties can lead to the event having both media and public attention for the wrong reasons (Allen et al., 2002). This has to be kept in mind during the planning and execution of the eve nt. The power of media in deciding how an event is shown is formidable. The media can have a strong social and cultural  impact  upon society. Thus the media can influence how the event is professed, and also how it is shown to remote audiences (Getz, D., 2007). Events can basically have two kinds of outcomes i.e., positive and negative impact on the host communities and stakeholders (Allen et al., 2002). Event failures can be very devastating, bringing in negative publicity, humiliation and expensive lawsuits (Bowdin et al., 2006). Hence a lot of importance is placed on the financial impacts of an event. Factors leading to this are that both the employers and government need to meet budget goals, deadlines, and also be ready with explanations for the expenditures and an important factor is that financial impacts can be easily measured (Allen et al., 2002). Getz, D. (2002) suggests fours main costs and benefits that have to be evaluated: tangible benefits, tangible costs, intang ible benefits and intangible costs. Also the methods of measurement or assessment used vary with the impacts to be measured or assessed. To calculate the overall impact of the event, social and cultural benefits cannot be left out. However, rather than following a statistical approach calculating them may require a narrative approach (Bowdin et al., 2006). The impact of an event is sometimes calculated well before the event actually takes place. This is because in many scenarios, after the event policy focus shifts elsewhere (Jones, 2001). Long-term effects of an event are very crucial. No matter the event being attended or not by the local community, the effects will be felt by them (Ritchie and Smith, 1991). The host society can be provided with a policy for putting forward their knowledge, hosting probable shareholders and endorsing new business opening by the event (Bowdin et al., 2006). These events can create possible employment opportunities during the construction phase (All en et al., 2002). One of the most important impacts of a mega-event is on the tourism industry which would bring in lot of visitors to a particular place which has never been a tour destination before (Getz, D., 2006). This paper focuses on the various impacts of DLF IPL on the South African community and how it has contributed towards the Indian economy. It also discusses the various advantages and disadvantages that are involved with DLF IPL. OVERVIEW OF DLF IPL The DLF IPL is organised by the well established event management organisation IMG WORLD, LONDON. The Indian Premier League (IPL) has been produced by the joint venture between IMG and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). For the IPL IMG explored the most favourable fair as well as mercantile model and a huge amount of $724m were raised by carrying out the notable authorization sale procedure (IMG World, 2009). In India, IPL is one of the most economically victorious sports idea ever initiated. The IPL is played according to the most up-to-date cricket layout which is Twenty20; this decreases match playing time to three hours, and thus makes it ideal for major time television as well as live in-stadia spectators. The television production and distribution rights, franchise rights, event and venue management and sponsorship sales for the IPL is handled by the IMG. The shifting of the venue to South Africa in the year 2009 was taken care by IMG. IMPACT ON INDIAN ECONOMY DUE TO IPL SWITCH TO SOUTH AFRICA All the businesses in India right from the road trader to the publicity organizations holding millions of dollars of shares are faced financial crisis because of the shift of IPL from India to South Africa due to security reasons as the IPL dates conflicted with the general election dates in India. The market analysts sensed that this sudden move from India to South Africa has grinded down from the Indian marker an ample amount, adding up to the already existing despair of global financial slump. Last year the IPL had contributed up to 1 billion rupees to the Indian economy, but due to the shift to South Africa which involved a lot of additional expenditure the BCCI did not incur a lot of income. The media houses in India did undergo a major income loss, which was estimated to be from 500 million to 700 million rupees. The estimated loss when it came to the gate receipts was 500 million rupees. The hospitality industry as well as tourism industry had a major impact. But there was an advantage tagged to this shift as well which was that IPL is now seen by people as a tournament with international value. OVERALL IMPACT OF DLF IPL ON THE SOUTH AFRICAN COMMUNITY According to Getz (2007) all events have a direct social and cultural impact on their participants, and sometime on their wider host communities. But, some events leave a legacy of greater awareness and participation in sporting and cultural activities (Bowdin et al., 2006). The Indian Premier League (IPL) has contributed a lot towards the education in South Africa (The Hindustan Times, 2009). According to Getz (2007) the financial profits are gained when the particular event can pull in extra income for the community benefits which is either in the form of endowments or funding. As stated by Fakir Hassen (2009) Lalit Modi, who is the man behind IPL proclaimed a scholarship of over eight million and this was one of the best programme towards community development in South Africa by a sports oriented organisation. This money given towards education benefits (Torkildsen, G., 2005) has also helped in the initiation of Help Educate and Teach (HEAT) programme that was commenced at the Ale xander Sinton High School in the suburb of Athlone. The schools and individual learners will be benefited by this programme. Lalit Modi stated that any attempt towards development and strengthening of individuals as well as nation always remains as a soul of superior education. He also stated that India has emerged as a successful nation because of its strong education basis: This emphasis on education is now paying off many times over as India has grown into an economic powerhouse far better equipped to lift people out of poverty(The Hindustan Times, 2009). The investment of DLF IPL in the in the education of South African community targets towards a prospect return (Getz, D., 2007) and cautious analyses of this is vital. According to one of the strategies set out by Bowdin et al. (2006) i.e., Local area strategy; the DLF IPL created a carnival atmosphere by celebrating cultures of the South African community which in turn led to the enhancement of community unity. According to the report by the Hindustan Times 32 schools have benefited from the HEAT programme. For the learners who attended the DLF IPL matches, with the cooperation of the producers of the television five learners were recognized at individual matches and their faces were displayed on the monitors in the stadium. Each one of these received 15,000 rands as part of their school fee. Cricket South Africa (CSA) chief Gerald Majola stated that the IPL model could be used to make this game a global sport event and this in turn would help other set-ups take a great leap as well. The benefits gained economically were considerable. During this period of economic crisis the IPL has built a strong base for the South Africas tourist industry (Bowdin et al., 2006) and also proved to set out to the world that it is capable of hosting the FIFA 2010. According to Allen et al.(2002) other than the expenses of the event the people who came for the event put in their money on tour, lodgings, and other services in South Africa and there was a increase in hotel room bookings by 40,000 which otherwise is normally very low during winter season in South Africa. The South Africa government is majorly focusing on tourism sector as an upcoming industry that is competent of increasing the economic benefits and employment opportunities (Bowdin et al., 2006). In addition to the tourism pro duced throughout this event, IPL has also involved a lot of media reporting (Allen et al., 2002) and due to this the South African community profile has gained importance (Getz, D., 2006). The IPL has not only boosted the confidence of the youthful South African cricket players but has also provided with an opportunity to take part in a sporting event that is recognized worldwide (The Business Standard, 2009). It is still sometimes argued by event boosters that mega events generate benefit from the legacy of infrastructure and venues, but this assertion can easily be wrong (Getz, D., 2007), because the basic purpose of IPL is very fruitful considering the fact that it brings the cricket stars worldwide who are against each other on nationalized defences into single squad (The Business Standard, 2009). This event has created a long lasting bond between the two countries (India and South Africa). Hosting the IPL in South Africa has not only made IPL a global brand, but has also brough t billions of income to the South African economy. SWOT ANALYSIS OF DLF IPL Based on the details in Indian Premier League (2009) the following have been identified to be the: STRENGTHS OF IPL: The Indian Premier League (IPL) follows the Twenty20 format of cricket. This is the shortest version of the game, thereby finishing within two and half hours of game play. Unlike the One day format, which takes a full day to complete, or the Test format spanning five days of play, the Twenty20 is fast-paced and electrifying. Thus pulling in a large crowd to watch the game even on weekdays. Also the IPL has employed people who can really market goods well. These highly trained economists maximize the revenue with their very clean and methodological approaches. This makes IPL an integrated sport. Further each team has players from different countries. This causes a wide range of support of different communities to a single team, thus making cricket globally accepted. The supremacy of the BCCI in the control of ICC has a lot of benefits to DLF IPL. The financial backing from BCCI and also the power to manipulate the dates of international cricket matches favours the IPL. WEAKNESS OF IPL The pace at which people lead their lives now, they hardly have time to lavishly spend on watching a sport. Since IPL has satisfied this need of theirs, people are happier to watch the twenty20 format. Lots of talk has been going on about the status of other formats of the game and how to revive it. But the truth is, IPL has damaged the image of One day cricket and Test cricket. Further, a lot of money is involved in the IPL. Failure of a team can hurt the managements financial position a lot. Teams also spend a lot on advertisement, cost of players, brand promotion. Hence sponsorship is hard to find for their overpriced rates. A team doing well will fare well. If not tough times lie ahead. OPPORTUNITIES OF IPL IPL has a budding fan following. Since it is striking and very attractive, a lot of potential sponsors and advertisers are willing to invest a lot in this event. The IPL has eight leagues. Each being responsible for itself in every sense. Every franchise has to market its team well and get a large fan following behind their team. This in the long term will generate a lot of revenue for them. There is a nice opening for teams to sell their brand name in forms of shirts, accessories and other memorabilia. Another important and vital opportunity for IPL is to target the teenagers. The older people will naturally have a stronger inclination to the traditional form of cricket. But the youth today will like this thrilling and breathtaking format. Each franchise will continue to pay the same fees till 2017-2018. Hence the teams need not worry about inflation, which has been a drawback in India for the past few years. THREATS OF IPL If the top players in world cricket cant be brought into IPL teams, it will lose its popularity. Further, the domestic season in Australia runs concurrent with IPL. If the Australian players are not allowed to choose IPL instead of their local teams, a lot of fan following will be lost.

Top Glove Corporation Berhad Analysis

Top Glove Corporation Berhad Analysis Globalization opens new opportunities to every one of us. At the same time, it intensifies the challenges before us. This report begins by introducing globalization and the rise of the multinational corporation. Subsequently, it would discuss the benefits and indentify the challenges that the selected company (Top Glove Corporation Ltd) encountered when doing business internationally. This multinational company is the worlds largest rubber glove manufacturer operates in three principal geographical areas of the world. It will conclude by presenting a brief consideration for a multinational corporation in operating business abroad. A multinational corporation is refers to any business that has productive activities in two or more countries. Typically, a multinational corporation develops new products in its home country and manufacturers them abroad. An international trade is refers to an exchange of goods and services with foreign countries. The falling barriers to cross-border trade made it easier for todays firms to sell internationally. Still, foreign direct investment (FDI) is when a firm making a physical investment into building a new factory to produce or market a product in another country. During the 1920s and 30s, various trade barriers raised by worlds nation government have contributed to the Great Depression of the 1930s (Hill, 2009, p.11). However, the emergence of global institutions such as GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) and WTO (World Trade Organization) has successfully lowering the trade and investment barriers between countries and enabled more companies involved in international trade and investment. Besides, technological, market, cost and competitive factors had contributed to the growth of globalization. Many opportunities had produced in an international business. A multinational company can expand its revenues by selling products and services worldwide by producing in nations where key operation costs such as labor, are cheap. As markets globalize, organizations increasingly engage in cross-broader trade and investments indicating that managers need to recognize that the task of managing an international business is differs from that of managing a purely domestic business in many ways. In international settings, manager in a multinational company is confronted with a range of issues that the manager in pure domestic business that would never confronts. Countries differences in political systems, economic systems, culture, legal systems pose a challenge to the manager because these differences require the manager to vary its practices country by country. Corporate Profile Top Glove was established and founded by the husband and wife team of Dr. Lim Wee Chai and Mrs. Tong Siew Bee in year 1991. Dr. Lim Wee Chai was appointed as the Chairman of Top Glove Corporation Ltd on 4 September 2000; he has more than 20 years of experience in the rubber and latex manufacturing business. Co-founder Mrs. Tong Siew Bee was appointed as an Executive Director of Top Glove on 4 September 2000, she has more than 10 years experience in the information technology field. The history of Top Glove stretches back 18 years when Dr. Lim brings a wealth of experience in the marketing of consumer products whilst he was the Sales Manager of a subsidiary company OYL Industries Ltd to set up Top Glove Pte Ltd in 1991. In spite of his first own glove manufacturing and trading business with only three production lines, the manufacture has gone through many changes in its corporate direction, the company survived through chaotic times during the Asian financial crisis in 1997 to 1998. The company was successfully listed in the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange in year 2001. In a short span of slightly more than a year, Top Glove Corporation Ltds listing has been successfully promoted from the Second Board to the Main Board of the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange on May 16, 2002. Since its inception in Malaysia in 1991, Top Glove had evoked from 1 factory in 1991 with 3 production lines to 20 factories in 3 countries and expanded this business to be the worlds largest rubber glove manufacturer. There are 14 factories in Malaysia, 2 factories in China, 2 glove manufacturing factories and 2 latex concentration plants in Thailand. With 379 glove production lines, Top Glove has a huge production capacity of over 33 billion pieces per annum. Today, Top Gloves customers consist of glove importers and distributors from all over the world, mainly from the U.S. and Europe. The company has comprehensive range of top quality products such as Latex Examination Gloves(powdered and powder-free), Latex Examination Gloves(Powder free), Colored and Flavored (Mint)Gloves, Soft Nitrile Gloves, Surgical Gloves, Vinyl Gloves, Household Gloves, Polyethylene(PE) gloves, Stretchy Vinyl Gloves, Clean room Gloves, and Polyethylene(PE) Aprons. These top quality products used in variety industry such as medical, food and services, dental, automotive, electronic and laboratory sectors. Top Glove has a market capitalization of RM3.7 billion as at 31 August 2010. The corporation posted a sales revenue of RM2.08 billion in FYE2010, it was an increase of 36% from RM1.53 billion last year while profit after tax of RM250 million rose 49% from RM168 million. (Top Glove, Annual Report 2010). The company continuous invests in RD and collaborates with Rubber Research Institute (RRI) and the Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB), Top Glove is at the forefront of new development in rubber research technology. The upgrading and collaborations of RD is to enable Top Glove to be a world class of cost effective producer with the most extensive range of premium quality glove products. Benefits As a result of the falling barriers to the free flows of goods and services, declining telecommunications and transportation costs, the volume of cross broader trade and investment has been growing rapidly indicating that there are many companies go global. All these factors made it easier for companies to invest abroad and resulted the growth of multinational companies. This section is to elaborate possible benefits that Top Glove acquires while venturing abroad. Benefits of Globalize Production According to Hill (2009, p.7), the globalization of production refers to the sourcing of goods and services from locations around the globe to take advantage of national differences in the cost and quality of factors of production (such as labor, energy, land and capital). By doing this, a multinational company would be able to lower down overall cost structure and improve the quality of its products offering. According to Mr. Lim Cheong Guan (Executive Director of Top Glove Corp), he said that foreign workers account for about 50 to 60 percent of the groups total workers. Although the cost of hiring foreign workers slightly higher, it is not significant as it can be offset by improvement productivity through the huge base of workers (Top Glove, 2010). For example, when setting up plants abroad particularly in China, the large young and literate labor force available in China provides more choices for the company to recruit the skilled labors that are inaccessible in Malaysia. Thus, with this characteristic, the production in China can be enlarged in a low cost manner. Furthermore, lower land acquisition cost coupled with lower administrative cost grants Top Glove operate its business economically and desirable in the host country. On top of that, having factories in foreign market (e.g. Top Glove (Zhangjiagang) Co. Ltd in China and Great Glove (Thailand) Co., Ltd in Thailand) would enable the company to realize location economy because the high transportation costs can be avoided and it is more preferable for the company to distribute its products within the country besides than exporting. Expand Sales and Income Globalization can provide Top Glove a new source of income. As a multinational corporation, apart from serving the local needs, the firm can also enjoy the sales from the overseas business. For example, Top Glove has more than 900 customers and its products are exported to more than 180 countries. Based on the company website, most of its products cater for export market, sales revenue mainly from Europe 33%, North America 29%, Latin America 20% and Rest of the World 18%. Therefore, the overall business profit can be multiplied through the increasing revenues outside of the home country. International Diversification As mentioned earlier, Top Gloves has a wide export markets. Thus, as the company diversifies its market, it becomes less vulnerable to the changes in local demand. In other words, it spread risk by avoiding having all eggs in a single basket. For instance, in the case of local market goes saturated or other factor such as interest rate raised by local government, when operating in such a huge market can insure Top Glove against such risks. According to Shapiro and Sarin (2009, p.19-20), the foreign cash flows generally are not perfectly correlated with those of domestic investments, the greater riskiness of individual projects overseas can well be offset by beneficial portfolio effects. This has meant that a multinational company like Top Glove would be able to reduce taxes and avoid tight currency control through foreign direct investment having relied on the existence of financial market imperfections. We have better profit, good cash flow and a very healthy balance sheet said by Chairman Dr. Lim Wee Chai in an interview (Porter and Li, 2010). This also implies that the greater cash flow would enable the corporation to acquire potential business or to pay out dividends to its shareholders. Competitive Advantages With regards to the glove industry manufacturers like Kossan Rubber Industries Berhad, Supermax Corporation Bhd, Hartalega Holdings Berhad are the major competitors in the local market. However, operate business globally can aid in minimizing such competitive risks. For example, when profits made by the export sales can be used to upgrade or strengthen the domestic business toward less vulnerable on local competition. Challenges This paper does not focus solely on the benefits of doing international business but also addresses concerns about the challenges that Top Glove have experienced when venturing abroad. These challenges are thus discussed in depth in this section. Difficulty in International Management Based on the company website, currently Top Glove has 20 factories in 3 geographical areas include Malaysia, China and Thailand with a total number of 10, 900 employees. However, its size could also work against its favour as it is more difficult for the management to keep a close eye on all its operations. Most importantly, the differences levels of economic development and legal system among countries complicated the staffing and compensation activities. According to Lane (2009), most countries have an official language, a single basic legal system, a system of government, yet these practices and relationship are often different from those in the country next door. Country is thus a very important type of culture to account for an international business. For example, the journey in the ventured countries not smooth as Top Glove had to deal with different cultures and mindsets, particularly in China with its ever-changing policies. Latex Output and Price Fluctuations For any manufacturers, raw materials are the main concerned. Based on the annual report 2010, raw material like latex is the major costs components of glove products. They were concern over high raw material cost as the latex prices remained at a high of more than RM8 per kg. The crude oil price movement and speculation are the factors that make latex price fluctuate irregularly. Moreover, the output of latex may be shrunk due to weather impact. The varying on latex output may affect the gloves production. Thus, latex price volatility will affect the corporations costs and margins, and there will be time lag on passing on the gloves to customers in different geographical areas when shortage of latex. Competitors As mentioned earlier, Top Glove is facing several major local competitors within the glove industry. In global marketplace, the company is also facing with numerous global competitors such as Kimberly-Clark Corporation (U.S.), Ansell Ltd (Australia), Allfun Enterprise Co., Ltd. (China) and many others. These manufacturers are thus geared towards increasing capacity and offering gloves at the lower prices. Therefore, the domestic competition coupled with global competition result in difficulty in securing orders from overseas markets. Environmental Issues Another challenge is where all operation decisions have some kind of environmental impact. The addition of chemicals in latex compounding, discharge of residual latex containing toxic chemicals and disposal of rejected gloves i.e. not meeting product specifications are the headstream of generating waste materials. These waste materials resulted water pollution, health-related problems for workers and local community. The environmental issues not only challenge the local operation, but also a tough issue when producing gloves in overseas such as in China and Thailand. As a result, the manufacturer is looking ways in reducing and minimizing wastes. Currency Exposure Top gloves main income came from its export sales and all its exports are denominated in U.S. dollar. The reporting currency for the company is the Malaysian Ringgit (MYR). In fact, MYR was actually strengthening against the dollar throughout the year 2010. This may put the company in an unfavourable position as the profits would be contracted when converted from U.S. dollar to RM. According to Top Gloves executive director Lim Cheong Guan, he said that the weakening US dollar hurt the company financial results; the company has incurred forex losses totaling RM21 million in FY10 (Top Glove,2010). This is such a challenge to the corporation to grow at the rate they have been growing in past few years. Moreover, currency fluctuation can impact competitive positions, product prices, payable and receivable and ultimately the value of the firm itself. Conclusion Discussion above has revealed that benefits and challenges are associated with doing business internationally. According to a research done by Foong (2010), Malaysia produces 65% of the worlds latex gloves. Top Glove is in the leading position in the industry with 23% global market share. This was the contributions from its wide range of product offering coupled with export markets. It also indicates that Top Gloves management team truly understands that most of the markets opportunities are outside of the home country, thus only doing business internationally can provide growth opportunities and allow firms to receive substantial sales and income. It can be seen that the firm mainly rely on exporting entry mode into foreign market although has few factories in overseas. Generally speaking, export may help the firm to experience economic of scale and avoid substantial costs of establishing manufacturing operations in the host country. By producing in a large volume and exporting to other national markets may enable the firm to realize substantial economies from its global sales volume. However, it is believed that its exporting has pitfall too. High transportation costs are associated when its products are exported over a long distance such as Latin America, Europe, and Africa. Additionally, abrupt trade policy such as tariffs imposed by host government may prevent international trade which is very risky to the company as well. Managers within international business must develop strategies and policies for dealing with such interventions. As stated in the annual report, Top Glove has a great cash flow. Hence, it would be good for the company to make a merger and acquisition (MA) as it gives immediate access to trained labor force, existing customers and an immediate source of revenue. This requires the international manager to conduct a detailed research otherwise a bad acquisition can be costly. In addition, it can be seen that Top Glove is confronting with quite a number of challenges. It is quite challenging when managing a large number of workforces. Managers in Top Glove have to decide how to staff key management post in the company, how to develop managers so that they are familiar with the subtle differences of when they are based in different countries, and how to compensate people as to retain highly skilled labors. After all, managing a global business is not that easy, it requires manager to see things globally, that is, see the bigger and broader picture by constantly scanning the geographical horizon to learn more about potential markets, competitors as well as technological changes. In a nutshell, a multinational company in complex international settings not only overcoming challenges; but should always prepared for market opportunities. References Foong, M. (2010). Rubber gloves. Gloving the world. Deutsche bank global market research company. Retrieved Nov 25, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://www.google.com.my/url?sa=tsource=webcd=4ved=0CCwQFjADurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.supermax.com.my%2Fhtml%2Ffiledownload.aspx%3Ffile%3DDEUTSCHE%2520BANK%2520-20100510.PDFei=EvrxTOiPLIGwvgP5rtDJDQusg=AFQjCNGCxYKsiGoK8eHAsnwf5s0NYvRT2w Hill, C. W. (2009). International business: competing in the global marketplace (7th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Lane, Henry W.. International management behavior: leading with a global mindset. 6th ed. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley, 2009 Porter, B. and Li, S. (2010). Top Glove Targets 40% Profit Distribution This Year (Update1). Bloomberg Business Week. Retrieved Nov 24, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-01-21/top-glove-targets-40-profit-distribution-this-year-update1-.html Shapiro, A. C., Sarin, A. (2009). Foundations of multinational financial management (6th ed.). Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley Sons. Top Glove Co, Ltd (2010). Retrieved Nov 28, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://www.topglove.com.my/index.htm Top Glove Co. Ltd. (2010). Retrieved Nov 22, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://www.topglove.com.my/news/2010/news_208.htm Top Glove Co. Ltd. (2010) Annual Report 2010. Retrieved Nov 27, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://www.topglove.com.my/IR-ar.htm Top Glove expects growth to slow in 2011. (2010) TheMalaysianinsider.com Retrieved Nov 24, 2010 from the World Wide Web: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/business/article/top-glove-expects-growth-to-slow-in-2011/

Looking Fo Alibrandi :: essays research papers

Growing up is complex, especially in a society with different cultural background. This is the major issue the novel â€Å"Looking for Alibrandi† discusses. A realistic view through the eyes of a seventeen-year old Italian girl, Josephine is presented. Josephine’s like many teenagers that have learned from their mistakes. This is the long road that everybody meets while growing up. Learning to become an adult has many different responsibilities and every teenager has to deal with these issues. Once they pass a certain age different responsibilities have to be dealt with. Taking care of yourself is necessary before you can begin to help others. Most teenagers have to know what they want. In reference to â€Å"Looking for Alibrandi† Josephine had trouble taking her responsibilities seriously. Either being a school captain for example, on school sports day Josephine was supposed to look after a group of students but instead went to the city with her friends. Her goal in life was to become a lawyer and after getting a scholarship she tried everything to get good marks. However she did not know how to be mature in front of adults. She kept proving that she was immature by the way she acted with her parents, Sister Gregory, grandmother and her boyfriend. By the end of the novel Josephine reflects on the way she has acted throughout the year and why she has act ed that way. The relationships within a family influence the way a young person grows up. Children who grow up without either parent will lack part of their growing up. For instance a male growing up without a father misses out on male companionship. Without a mother he will lack a part of his caring side. On the other hand a daughter growing up without her mother will miss the neutering and caring side, basically a mothers love. If she where to grow up without a father she would have a confusing time trying to relate to most men and the protection of a father around. In Josephine Alibrandi’s case she never knew what it was like to have a father around. In some parts of the novel she recounts the time when she felt he was needed most. There is the conflict between the Italian cultural traditions and values compared to the Australian way of life. Growing up can be difficult and confusing trying to adapt from one culture to another.

Carl Gauss Essay -- Biographies Gauss Mathematician Essays

Carl Gauss Carl Gauss was a man who is known for making a great deal breakthroughs in the wide variety of his work in both mathematics and physics. He is responsible for immeasurable contributions to the fields of number theory, analysis, differential geometry, geodesy, magnetism, astronomy, and optics, as well as many more. The concepts that he himself created have had an immense influence in many areas of the mathematic and scientific world. Carl Gauss was born Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss, on the thirtieth of April, 1777, in Brunswick, Duchy of Brunswick (now Germany). Gauss was born into an impoverished family, raised as the only son of a bricklayer. Despite the hard living conditions, Gauss's brilliance shone through at a young age. At the age of only two years, the young Carl gradually learned from his parents how to pronounce the letters of the alphabet. Carl then set to teaching himself how to read by sounding out the combinations of the letters. Around the time that Carl was teaching himself to read aloud, he also taught himself the meanings of number symbols and learned to do arithmetical calculations. When Carl Gauss reached the age of seven, he began elementary school. His potential for brilliance was recognized immediately. Gauss's teacher Herr Buttner, had assigned the class a difficult problem of addition in which the students were to find the sum of the integers from one to one hundred. While his classmates toiled over the addition, Carl sat and pondered the question. He invented the shortcut formula on the spot, and wrote down the correct answer. Carl came to the conclusion that the sum of the integers was 50 pairs of numbers each pair summing to one hundred and one, thus simple multiplication followed and the answer could be found. This act of sheer genius was so astounding to Herr Buttner that the teacher took the young Gauss under his wing and taught him fervently on the subject of arithmetic. He paid for the best textbooks obtainable out of his own pocket and presented them to Gauss, who reportedly flashed through them. In 1788 Gauss began his education at the Gymnasium, with the assistance of his past teacher Buttner, where he learned High German and Latin. After receiving a scholarship from the Duke of Brunswick, Gauss entered Brunswick Collegium Carolinum in 1792. During his time spent at the academy Gauss independent... ...a great deal of concrete results. The Magnetischer Verein and its journal were conceived, and the atlas of geomagnetism was published. From 1850 onwards Gauss's work was that of nearly all practical nature. He disputed over a modified Foucalt pendulum in 1854, and was also able to attend the opening of the new railway link between Hanover and Gottingen, but this outing proved to be his last. The health of Carl Gauss deteriorated slowly and he died in his sleep early in the morning of February 23, 1855. Carl Gauss's influence in the worlds of science and mathematics has been immeasurable. His abstract findings have changed the way in which we study our world. In Gauss's lifetime he did work on a number of concepts for which he never published, because he felt them to be incomplete. Every one of these ideas (including complex variable, non-Euclidean geometry, and the mathematical foundations of physics) was later discovered by other mathematicians. Although he was not awarded the credit for these particular discoveries, he found his reward with the pursuit of such research, and finding the truth for its own sake. He is a great man and his achievements will not be forgotten.

Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road” Essay

A novel entitled ‘The Road’ sparks the image of a journey, not necessarily one concerning movement, but an experience, where by the time you reach the ‘destination’ you have either witnessed something or come-by certain things which may affect you as a person, changed the way you think or possibly had an effect on your personal ethics. For example, a mental journey, whereby somebody lives through a certain period in their life and comes out the other end with a new perspective and attitude, like in J.D. Salinger’s ‘The Catcher in the Rye’. Another type of journey is an actual physical one ‘from A to B’; at the destination in this type of journey one may feel a sense of achievement and arrive at ‘B’ with scores of anecdotes and stories that can range from little events that make a good joke to events which may actually change you as a person. Writing about journeys like these is a genre of writing in its own right: Travel Writing, an example being John Steinbeck’s ‘Travels with Charley’. The third type of journey that I associate with the phrase ‘The Road’ is the concept of being on an open road, simply going with no particular interest in where you may arrive, simply the journey itself has its importance. This may simply be on a whim or yearning for open road or maybe because of a need to travel, to not stop and just keep going and perhaps to get away from something, an example of this is the film ‘Thelma and Louise’. This is a key image in American Culture, not only featured in many novels and films but important simply because it represents a freedom to be who you want to be. The open road offers new horizons and the prospect to witness new and unexpected things. This idea represents the liberty and freedom found in America The way in which the protagonists travel in ‘The Road’ is not the picture perfect, open road, free spirited adventure, they rarely travel on the actual road, to avoid being seen by others who may want their belongings and food. ‘This was not a safe place. They could be seen from the road’. The iconic concept of the open-ness and the freedom associated with it is no longer present in Cormac McCarthy’s America. The idea of the road being such a dangerous and deadly place and the paranoia of the man is installed firmly in the readers head by the fourth page, when it discusses the shopping trolley the man has in which he carries all his possessions, food, blankets and tarpaulin. On the handlebars of the trolley the man clamped a ‘chrome motorcycle mirror that he used to watch the road behind him’ which shows that whoever is left in his world isn’t to be trusted and it’s a ‘fend for yourself’ environment with none of the trust and neighbourliness that America is famous for. In the post-apocalyptic world portrayed in ‘The Road’ we see an utter breakdown in the sense of community and the ‘love thy neighbour’ ethic for which America is renowned. In the book, the few people the man and child come across are treated with utter caution or are avoided altogether and people who need help are ignored. An example of this would be when they come across the man who has been hit by lightning and they don’t help him. The son cries for his father to help the man, but he bluntly refuses and does nothing. This is an accurate account of how some people may react in today’s world where help may not be given to the man by some people so as not involve themselves, but the good thing to do would, of course, be to seek medical help. Traditional American values would instruct that one do the good thing and aid the lightning struck man. Another good example of the lack of common ethics is when the stranger robs all their belongings and they run after him and not only get it back, but also take everything he has on him, including his clothes. The fact that the man and robber are prepared to leave the other to die of the cold and starvation, represents how McCarthy’s world has changed human nature and the love thy neighbour and ‘do unto others only what you would want done to yourself’ ethics are left disregarded and one cares for no-one but themselves.. ‘I’m starving, man. You’d have done the same. You took everything. Come on man. I’ll die.’ This proves my point that the people left will do anything to survive even if that worsens the chances of another individual. For me, the theme that is present throughout the book and had me contrasting McCarthy’s world to today’s is the relationship between the father and son. The young child is, of course, dependent on his father for food, guidance and moral support like most children are today and this image is strong in America with the concept of a nuclear, wholesome family being very important. In the book, whilst the sense of community may have collapsed, the father-son relationship is very strong; they care for each other, keep each other company and the father brings the child up as best he can, but in Cormac McCarthy’s world nothing is left quite the same. What unsettled me was how freely the child spoke about their possible impending death and themes of a similar nature. The situation in which this child has been reared has left him matured beyond his years, an example showing this being when he asks his dad, ‘You think we are going to die don’t you? We’re not going to die. Okay.’ The child is so unfazed by the topic and it strikes me as odd and proves how even something as simple as the carefree thoughts of a child have been distorted by the world and lifestyle of the people within the America McCarthy depicts. Within the story there are two scenes that are stuck in my mind because of their vividness and brutality. Firstly, when the father and son break into a house and find dismembered, burnt people locked in the basement, a man with his legs ‘gone to the hip’. These people are being held very much like poorly treated animals or cattle, probably to be eaten, because the people are so desperate for food they have resorted to what is one of the most taboo and strictly forbidden act in most societies, cannibalism. Also the setting of their incarceration is chilling and something only thought of in nightmares. Secondly, when the father and son come across the baby gutted and placed on the spit roast in preparation for a meal. America prides itself on the fact that it’s a ‘free country’. This phrase is thrown around a lot but it basically means that people there have a freedom to say and do what they want as long as it doesn’t break the law. The people locked in the cellar certainly aren’t free and them being held captive shows how extreme people may have become out of starvation and desperation to survive disregarding their previously strong believe in freedom and equality. This is also interesting because it wouldn’t be the first time slavery has been an issue in America. After the Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution, which was passed in 1865, slavery was made illegal in America and equality reigns. The change was accepted after years of fighting and now America sees itself as a fair nation with racism and the plight of the black man as less of an issue, a good example being that the first black American President is going to be inaugurated January 20th of the coming year. Cormac McCarthy’s book portrays this ethic of us all being of the same level of importance being readily ignored by those in need to feed themselves and survive. In the news we often hear about anti-abortion lobbyists and pro-life rallies, especially in America. In Cormac McCarthy’s book the protagonists see a group of people travelling with impregnated women and then the man and son walk through the abandoned camp of these people and find a gutted baby on the spit-roast. If you put the two together the idea may strike you that women are being impregnated for the sole purpose of the ‘meat’ they’ll produce. In today’s world this would be considered ungodly and unmentionable and not only brings up the topic of cannibalism but also the controversial theme of abortion which is utterly ignored in McCarthy’s world and the fact that it has gone beyond mere cannibalism but the actual production of babies for meat shows the pure desperation of some to survive and the ethical issue which is so very important today, ignored. In the scene the author refers to the baby itself very impersonally, as if it’s a piece of meat and nothing more. The author describes it as a ‘human infant, headless, gutless and blackening on the spit’, very brief and to the point much like one may have described it were it a common farm animal. If it weren’t for the ‘human infant’ part it may well have been anything, the author does little to humanise the creature on the spit-roast. I think this may be simply to shield the reader and avoid the text being too explicit but also to show how this is largely commonplace in McCarthy’s world and that whilst shocking to the more good-willed protagonists, for some it is merely a case of survival. America is often referred to as the land of plenty, with its almost endless resources, especially of food. The poignant scene in which the father finds what could possibly be the last coke can on earth shows just how much has changed in McCarthy’s world and introduces the notion of how we take too much for granted. In the scene with the coke can the author describes ‘drinks machines†¦tilted on the floor, opened with pry bars’. This shows the desperation of mankind for such objects like Coca Cola, which are integral to lifestyles in modern society and inexplicable to those who haven’t witnessed it. People now never think such ubiquitous items will run out. What makes the scene sadder is the fact that this iconic can which nowadays is seen in many pieces of pop-artwork, has hundreds if not thousands of adverts worldwide and is truly a universally recognized brand, isn’t recognized by the child, showing how in McCarthy’s world this idea of a constant, ready supply of everything is simply no longer the case, especially with food. Throughout the book, punctuation is hardly used; with no speech marks and few commas and the father and son aren’t, at any point, referred to by name. I believe that this is to further the image that Cormac McCarthy is portraying; conveying the fact that the breakdown of society and nature is such that things like punctuation and the names of the characters, no longer are of any importance as there are more important things, survival for instance and by dropping things like the names it leaves the reader to focus more upon the father-son relationship and less on the more trivial details. The ‘American Dream’ is the concept of everybody reaching his or her full potential and having the ability to fulfil their hearts desire, in the land of opportunity that America is famous for. People often immigrate to America to start a business or career in either the music industry or maybe acting. In the book rather than going to America in the hope of having it all, money, glamour, the sweet life, people are trying to leave because they have nothing. It shows how different this bleak world his and how everything has turned on its head. The phrase itself, ‘American Dream’ was coined by James Truslow Adams in his book, published in 1931, called ‘The Epic of America’; in the book his definition for it is ‘that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone’ but in McCarthy’s world, for anyone surviving there is nothing left of the original values of America, the living are in some cases, hunted for food, their freedom compromised for fear and ultimately nothing remains as it was.

Business Etiquette

The proverb â€Å"When In Rome, do as the Romans do† applies to business representatives as well as tourists. Being attuned to a country business etiquette can make or break sale, particularly in countries where 1 ,oho-year-did traditions can dictate the rules for proper behavior. Anyone interested in being a successful marketer should be aware of the following considerations: Local customer, etiquette, and protocol. An exporter's behavior in a foreign country can reflect favorably or unfavorable on the exporter, the company, and even the sales potential for the product. Body language and facial expressions. Often, actions do speak louder than words. Expressions of appreciation. Giving and receiving gifts can be a touchy subject in many countries. Doing it badly may be worse than not doing it at all. Choices of words. Knowing when and whether to use slang tell a joke, or Just keep silent is Important. The following informal test will help exporters rate their business etiquett e. See how many of the following you can answer correctly. Answers follow the last question. ) 1 . You are in a business meeting in an Arabian Gulf country. You are offered a small cup of bitter cardamom coffee. After your cup has been refilled several times, you decide you would rather not have anymore. How do you decline the next cup offered to you? A. Place your palm over the top of the cup when the coffee pot Is passed. B. Turn your empty cup upside down on the table. C. Hold the cup and twist your wrist from side to sled_ .In which of the following countries are you expected to be punctual for business meetings? A. Peru. B. Hong Kong. C. Japan. D. China. E. Morocco. 3. Gift giving is prevalent in Japanese society. A business acquaintance presents you with a small wrapped package. Do you: a. Open the present immediately and thank the giver? B. Thank the giver and open the present later? C. Suggest that the giver open the present for you? 4. In which of the following countries is tipping considered an insult? A. Great Britain. B. Iceland. Canada. 5. What Is the normal workweek In Saudi Arabia? B. Friday through Tuesday. C. Saturday through Wednesday. 6. You are in a business meeting in Seoul. Your Korean business associate hands you his calling card, which states his name in the traditional Korean order: Park Chula So How do you address him? A. Mr.. Park. B. Mr.. Chula. C. Mr.. So 7. In general, which of the following would be good topics of conversation in Latin American countries? A. Sports. B. Religion. C. Local politics. D. The weather. E. Travel.