The representation of race in film

Discuss the representation of race in any one of the movies discussed on the class. Do The Right Thing ( Spike Lee, 1989 ) Analyzing race in any modern-day movie, can be a challenge it its ain right, but none the less film has changed and how we refer cultural groups and, today more and more histrions from different civilizations are looking on our screens. InDo The right Thingrace is evident on the screen throughout the full movie as Spike Lee introduces us to a mixture of multiculturalism from Black-Americans, Caucasic Americans, Italian-Americans, Asian-Americans, the movie itself engages its audiences and inquire us inquiries about racial struggle. The movie is set on the corner of a Bedford-Stuyvesant subdivision of Brooklyn, following the life of Mookie ( Spike Lee ) an intelligent immature black male, who is torn between sides, and that racial actions can take to a climatic minutes within the movie.Do the Right Thingne'er ties over to stereotypes, as its secret plan clearly and positively drives us through what mundane life and battles of a black-American in a racial environment. & A ; apos ; It c omes down to this: black people were stripped of our individualities when we were brought here, and it & amp ; apos ; s been a pursuit since so to specify who we are & amp ; apos ; ( Spike Lee ) fundamentally racial individuality is of import to the twenty-first century black American as is American independency. These together create a much stronger significance to the portraiture of American societies in Hollywood movies. Do The Right Thingis so powerful, with a batch of intending to it about racial purposes, was a challenge in itself to make, but what Spike Lee did, would intend you would hold to hold some kind of background history to make with multicultural vicinities, associating to the undermentioned narrative. Spike Lee & A ; apos ; s a black manager, who was brought up in Brooklyn so he knew the Immigration and Naturalization Services and outs of the topographic point, being brought up in a black vicinity inspired him to make the movie, he wanted to demo and do people understand what it was like, conveying this multicultural vicinity to cinema. His options on race and socialism, are portrayed in the movie rather good and fluently, even to the bare oculus. What & A ; apos ; s so cagey about this movie is that Spike Lee doesn & A ; apos ; t travel in front and enervate any civilization, alternatively shows everyone for who they really are. Each character is represented in their ain manner, for illustration some characters have their ain personalities which clearly represent their civilization, such as the Italian – Americans who own a eating house called Sal & A ; apos ; s pizza shop, the manner they dress and speak gives off a vibration, a typical Italian mobster back in the 1980 & A ; apos ; s. The usage of voices and how each cultural group negotiations, subjects them and makes it easier to understand who & amp ; apos ; s apart of who. We now come across to the other characters in the movie, each drives the narrative forward in their ain specific manner, and most if non all the chief characters have their ain alone portion in the movie which drives the narrative forward, come oning the movie and the tenseness constructing up a round the country. Spike downwind represents race in about every histrion on screen apart from, The Local DJ ( Samuel L. Jackson ) and smiley, the local DJ seems to be slackly narrating the narrative as it unfolds in forepart of him, during the racial tenseness scenes we see the local DJ attempt to quiet and loosen up the state of affairs about as though he is contending for peace within the vicinity. We now move onto smiley and what seems to be the full movie, smiley is invariably looking to be showing himself without the usage of words, he wants to develop an individuality within the vicinity, due to his mental disablements he faces some challenges. smiley represents that everyone is different, but still has a topographic point to remain in this universe, Some people should merely larn to run into people for who they are, have some compassion as you ne'er know, they could be one of the nicest and intelligent people you will run into. that was spike Lee & A ; apos ; s purpose on be half of the character smiley, he tries to demo us the audience and the world/media, that everyone can be equal, it & amp ; apos ; s merely takes attempt in socializing with the environing people. Lee shown this inDo The Right Thing basedaround racial tensenesss and force, which can be proved a challenge as smiley portrays in the movie, as he isn & A ; apos ; t aloud to voice his sentiments in a mode he would wish excessively. This movie clearly understands racial civilizations and tensenesss from all sides of the cultural groups.Do The Right Thingoffers us the spectator to inquire a figure of inquiries about race and political relations which Spike Lee had created within the narrative is defined by a race, and clearly shows us who and what cultural group they are with. This is one of the grounds why Do the Right Thing is still such a powerful movie. The inquiries it raises, while still powerful, besides still eludes us to the narrative about them intending of the movie is. another inquiry which is overlooked is, is at that place a black aesthetic? Spike Lee uses the mise en scene to depict and truly demo what an ghettoised black vicinity, set in Brooklyn. he sets this by utilizing exact vesture and prompts of a typical Brooklyn street, from what he remembers from his yesteryear, he brought into this movie, making the right ambiance for the audience, Lee & A ; apos ; s movie besides tries to accomplish dem anding/repeating political consciousness which is to state he doesn & amp ; apos ; t merely convey up political subjects but dares to take place. & A ; apos ; Fight the Power & A ; apos ; was the first vocal to be played in the movie, Spike Lee had this playing in the beginning shootings, with a adult female dancing deeply and sharply to it, utilizing this technique spike Lee is boding what will be played through the movie, force, Frustration, music, all this is shown under one vocal & A ; apos ; Fight The Power & A ; apos ; , it gives off negative vibraphones about what the movie holds, and the vocal & A ; apos ; Fight The Power & A ; apos ; & A ; apos ; Well, possibly we should halt stressing the negative, possibly we should stress the positive. Why can & amp ; apos ; t we fight for power, instead than contend the power & A ; apos ; this can be supported by this quotation mark ( Burton B. Roberts, administrative justice of the State Supreme Court in the Bronx, New York Times & A ; apos ; Do The Right Thing & A ; apos ; Page 2 ) fundamentally sketching why we as group our contending amongst ourselves why non battle for what w e think is right, and that everyone should be treated the same. Do The Right Thingfoliages us oppugning the facts based around ethnics groups, racial tensenesss and how we live together as a society. in Do the right Thing you it is impossible to pull specific decisions /about what was and wasn & A ; apos ; t the right thing to make. Spike Lee puts together a movie conflicting to political orientations from Malcolm X and martin Luther male monarch, clashing both facets of peace and force into one movie. this movie went into such item about a delicate topic demoing us the spectator different facets of the twenty-four hours in and outs of a immature black American. Spike Lee wanted to make such a enlightening movie about race, yet do it in a elusive manner. Spike Lee shown us what was right and incorrect, and how racial tenseness can construct up to make and even bigger narrative. . Bibliography & A ; apos ; It comes down to this: black people were stripped of our individualities when we were brought here, and it & amp ; apos ; s been a pursuit since so to specify who we are & amp ; apos ; ( Spike Lee ) Burton B. Roberts, ( July 1989 ) administrative justice of the State Supreme Court in the Bronx, New York Times ( July 1989 ) & A ; apos ; Do The Right Thing & A ; apos ; Page 2

Implementation of Global Strategy

Manag Int Rev (2011) 51:179–192 DOI 10. 1007/s11575-011-0071-6 R e s e a R c h a Rt i c l e Effective? Global? Strategy? Implementation Structural? and? Process? Choices? Facilitating? Global? Integration? and? Coordination Attila? Yaprak?  ·? Shichun? Xu?  ·? Erin? Cavusgil Abstract:? 0 0 this article offers a contingency framework of global strategy implementation effectiveness on firm performance. The research question we seek to address is what the structural and process requirements are for MNEs to successfully implement global strategy through increased efficiency and effectiveness of integration and coordination across world markets.Our central premise is that MNEs’ capabilities in establishing supporting structural and process mechanisms will enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of implementing their global strategies which would, in turn, lead to better firm performance. Keywords:? Integration and coordination  · Global strategy  · Firm performance  · contingency framework Received:? 25. 12. 2009 / Revised:? 15. 08. 2010 / Accepted:? 11. 10. 2010 / Published? online: 02. 04. 2011  © Gabler-Verlag 2011 Prof. A. Yaprak (? ) Department of Marketing, Wayne State University, Detroit, USA e-mail: Attila. [email  protected] edu Asst. Prof. S. Xu Department of Marketing and Logistics, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA Asst. Prof. E. Cavusgil Department of Marketing, University of Michigan-Flint, Flint, USA 180 A. Yaprak et al. Introduction The globalization of the world economy and markets has given rise to the growth of multinational enterprises (MNEs). With the expanded geographical scope and dispersed operations across national borders, managing MNEs effectively has become a challenging task for managers.As such, numerous studies have been conducted to understand what contributes to the success of MNEs in the global market. Many studies have adopted the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm as the theoretical basis of s uch an exploration, arguing that the competitive advantage of MNEs is sourced primarily in their ability to access and acquire rare and inimitable resources that create better value for customers around the world (e. g. Peng et al. 2008). These resources are considered indicators of firm performance levels in the global market (Lu et al. 010; Peng et al. 2008). While RBV has been instrumental in explaining the performance differences among MNEs, arguments have been advanced that the mere possession of resources is insufficient to generate superior performance (Sirmon et al. 2007). For instance, Barney and Arikan (2006) state that assuming appropriate strategic action will automatically follow from the recognition of valuable resources within the firm is an intellectually naive assumption.Specifically, how resources can be used through strategic actions to create superior value to create a competitive advantage for the firm remains unclear (Priem and Butler 2001). While firm resource s have a more or less direct impact on the strategic courses of action a firm may pursue, implementation of such strategies to realize value creation potential remains an under-researched topic (Barney and Arikan 2006). This deficiency in the literature has led to the distinction between resources and capabilities. Lu et al. (2010) propose that resources and capabilities are clearly distinguishable from each other.While Grant (1991) defined resources as stocks of tangible and intangible assets which firms use to convert into products and services while capabilities are viewed as intermediate goods generated by the firm to enhance the productivity of resources (Amit and Schoemaker 1993). As such, capabilities are different from resources since they act as enablers for firms to create value more effectively from the resources they possess. This distinction between resources and capabilities has encouraged researchers to examine the effect of MNEs’ capabilities on firm performan ce.Research regarding the capabilities of MNEs has mostly focused on those that facilitate global strategy formulation. For example, Elango and Pattnaik (2007) propose that networking capabilities have a direct impact on the internationalization strategy of the firm. Peng et al. (2008) articulates a framework in which firm resources and capabilities are viewed as one of three antecedents of a firm’s international business strategy (the other two being industry based competition and institutional conditions and transitions).Thus, the current literature sheds light only on how the capabilities of MNEs enable them to formulate appropriate strategic choices that match their resources with opportunities in their external, that is, their global, environment. However, mechanisms that ensure successful implementation of the chosen strategies remain unclear. While we assume that MNEs should be able to establish appropriate structures to match their strategies, research has shown that there is a lot of incongruence between MNE strategy and structure (Duysters and Hagedoorn 2001).Effective Global Strategy Implementation 181 Based on this backdrop and drawing from the strategic fit literature, the purpose of this paper is to offer a contingency framework of global strategy implementation effectiveness on firm performance. The research question we seek to answer is what the structural and process requirements are for MNEs to successfully implement global strategy through increased efficiency and effectiveness of integration and coordination across world markets.Our central premise is that MNEs’ capabilities in establishing supporting structural and process mechanisms will enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of implementing their global strategies which would, in turn, lead to better firm performance. That is, we argue that firms need to achieve a harmonious configuration among strategy, structure, and process to better deliver superior value from the res ources they possess. The remainder of this article is organized as follows.After reviewing the literature and presenting a comprehensive picture of the integration and coordination dimensions of global strategy, we offer propositions for future research. We discuss the merits of exploring each of these and conclude with suggestions for managerial practice. Conceptualizations? of? Global? Strategy The globalization of the world economy has pushed many organizations, particularly those MNEs with abundant resources, to rethink how they compete in this expanded market.The increasingly interdependent financial, product, and labor markets are all advancing at different paces towards a â€Å"globalized† system (Buckley and Ghauri 2004). As the political, economic, and cultural forces increasingly promote a global environment, many industries have become global in nature (Morrison and Roth 1992; Kim et al. 2003). Such global industries are largely driven by three structural forces: e conomies of scale, comparative advantage, and standardized markets (Birkinshaw et al. 1995).Firms competing in such industries have gradually been adopting a global strategy in which they no longer view their subsidiaries located across the world as independent subunits, but as a highly interdependent network (Kim and Hwang 1992). Global strategy is thus characterized as developing competitive advantage through operating in interdependent national markets by exploiting differences in national resource endowments, the flexibility of MNC networks, and economies of scale and scope, as well as learning (Malnight 1996).Extant literature suggests that the strategic choice of a firm competing in global markets is a function of firm traits and aptitudes and market contexts (Peng et al. 2008). The positive relationship between financial and market performance and global strategy is also well documented in the literature (Roth 1992; Kim et al. 2003). We further argue that these relationships are mediated by the interplay among strategy, structure and processes of the firm (Fig. 1). We now discuss these, in turn. Firm Traits and Aptitudes Firm traits and aptitudes refer to the resources and capabilities that a firm possesses to compete in the global marketplace.These resources and capabilities can take on different forms such as culture, knowledge, orientation, experiences, and learning capability. 182 A. Yaprak et al. Firm Traits Aptitudes Innovative Culture Firm's strategic creativity in its marketing strategy making Latitude in autonomy vs. control Local Embeddedness Depth in local market knowledge Local market orientation International Embeddedness International Orientation International Experience Firm Capabilities in Cross-subsidization (Leverage) Organizational learning Market Contexts Degree of international integration Degree of similarity with the primary international marketProcesses Degree of integration of strategic design and implementation [Integration vs. Independence] Configuration Perspective Strategy Degree of standardization . n marketing strategy [Standardization vs. Adaption] Coordination / Integration Strategy Performance Structure Degree of Concentration of value chain activities [Concentration vs. Dispersion] Contingency Perspective Fig.? 1: Strategy, structure, and processes as mediators of the firm, market and performance relationship. (Source: Constructed by the authors from Lim et al. 2006), Menon et al. (1999), Ozsomer and Prussia (2000), Solberg (2000), Xu et al. (2006), Zou and Cavusgil (2002)) Studies suggest that a fundamental antecedent to superior performance is the corporate culture of the firm, particularly those associated with innovation capabilities. They show that innovative culture, reflected by the firm’s creativity in its marketing strategy making, is a key ingredient in influencing strategic performance. They further show that focus on effective se of the firm’s marketing assets and capabi lities and prudent resource commitments across markets will upgrade its cross-market integration skills, and thereby enhance its market performance (Menon et al. 1999). The firm’s ability in reverse-innovating products, distributing them globally, and its skills in expanding opportunities in difficult markets and pioneering worthy segments in different types of market settings, all manifestations of creative strategy making, will also upgrade its market performance (Immelt et al. 009). A second key firm trait involves local market embeddedness. Local market orientation underscored by increasing depth of local market knowledge will lead to higher levels of global market penetration. When coupled with the ability to adapt to cultural diversity and affinity to the local market intermediaries’ aspirations to extract common denominators for many markets, this will likely lead to higher degrees of strategy effectiveness (Solberg 2000). Equally important is international embe ddedness.International orientation, bolstered by previous international business and/or marketing experience in the major markets of the firm will give the firm latitude in integrating and coordinating its competitive moves across world markets and thus lead to network-wide efficiencies, effectiveness and synergies. This valuable organizational resource will also help simplify worldwide planning and help establish the firm’s brands with a consistent image across markets; thereby enhancing the firm’s marketing strategy performance (Zou and Cavusgil 2002). Effective Global Strategy Implementation 83 Firm capabilities in organizational learning and cross-subsidization will affect global market performance positively. The firm’s ability to learn more and faster than its competitors and from its alliance partners in foreign markets will advance its marketing capabilities. Its skills in leveraging resources, information, experience, and ideas across markets and affili ates, sacrificing competitive gains in some markets for the benefit of other markets, and sharing organizational learning gains across its affiliate network will help the firm maintain a strong configural advantage, nd will improve the firm’s marketing strategy performance (Craig and Douglas 2000; hamel 1991; Lim et al. 2006). In light of these arguments, we propose that: P1: Firm traits, such as innovative culture and strategic creativity and firm aptitudes such as local and international embeddedness, along with capabilities in organizational learning and cross-subsidization, will enhance the adoption of a global strategy, which in turn, will positively influence firm performance. Market Contexts Porter (1990) suggests that the industry in which a firm finds itself competing largely determines its strategic choices.Market contexts specifically examine the external environment and the opportunities it presents to the firm. Market contexts, such as global industry and the fir m’s global orientation and international experience, will also give firms an incentive to adopt a global strategy which will, in turn, enhance marketing strategy performance. One argument here is that global strategy seeks benefits from both comparative and competitive advantages by leveraging economies of scale derived from common market demand and dispersion of operations across world markets to benefit from factor cost differences (Kim et al. 003). The degree of similarity among markets will incentivize firms to adopt a globally-integrated strategy which will lead to efficiencies and strategy effectiveness, and this will improve performance (Zou and Cavusgil 2002). Participation in multiple markets offers the firm the ability to identify different opportunities with which to exploit its resources. For example, the firm can extend its product life cycle by launching products with different pacings across global markets. Market contexts offer greater flexibility in implement ing global business battles against competitors.Participation in multiple markets also helps firms identify different value chain activity locations based on the unique comparative advantages of each location. The degree of integration in the firm’s markets will foster easier leveraging of resources and capabilities and will ease learning from these. As the firm expands increasingly into dissimilar markets, however, it will be inspired to develop creative solutions, innovative marketing mix adaptations, and imaginative strategies.The degree of coordination and differentiation in marketing strategies the firm is able to implement in global markets and its ability to harmonize competitive tactics across regions will also improve performance (Lim et al. 2006; Schilke et al. 2009). Since markets are dynamic, their changing nature will require emerging strategic mechanisms, inspiring the firm toward developing creative market-based learning, rather than deliberative solutions (Ozs omer and Prussia 2000; Vorhies and Morgan 2005). Thus, we propose that: 184 A. Yaprak et al.P2: Similarities and dissimilarities among the firm’s market contexts will move the firm toward adopting a global strategy, which in turn, will enhance marketing strategy performance. Integration and Coordination in Global Strategy and Implementation As the competitive advantage in adopting a global strategy lies in the firms’ ability to effectively link competitive actions across national markets, global integration becomes a critical task in coping with the challenges posed by the integrated global competitive arena (Kim et al. 2003).Thus, firms adopting a globally integrated strategy seek to integrate their globally-dispersed activities in a manner that will help them develop combinations of comparative (that is, location-specific) and competitive (that is, firm-specific) advantages that will foster more effective responses to cross-national competitive forces (Roth and Schwe iger 1991). Global integration, that is the coordination and control of business operations and functions across national borders (Cray 1984), is viewed as the ideal indicator of the degree of comparative and competitive advantage combinations within the firm (Kobrin 1991; Rangan and Sengul 2009).Roth and Schweiger (1991) describe these two sources of advantage in a global strategy as that developed through international scale economies and economies of scope (competitive), and that which results from exploiting the differences in factor costs across country locations (comparative). Comparative advantage arises from the geographic configuration of location choices while competitive advantage resides in geographic coordination or organization (Rangan and Sengul 2009). Thus, integration allows the firm to disperse its value-adding activities across national markets while integrating some of these within the firm’s own boundaries.Two major activities in achieving global integrat ion goals are coordination and control (Kim et al. 2003). The purpose of coordination is to achieve concerted action among the subunits and functional areas toward a unified organizational goal (Roth and Schweiger 1991). Coordination is essential in managing the interdependencies across the subunits of an organization. As coordination effort in an international business organization can range from low to high, the demand of a global strategy puts its coordination effort on the high end.A high degree of coordination implies that functional activities are tightly linked with one another and that these are tightly-integrated across geographic locations (Roth 1992). This integration leads to configural advantage (Craig and Douglas 2000). Thus, we propose that: P3: Superior performance of the MNE’s global strategy will be positively linked to increased integration and coordination of its value chain activities; that is, to the degree of its configural advantage.Structural and Proc ess Requirements for Global Integration and Coordination Even though MNEs enjoy the benefit of abundant resources and capabilities coming from firm traits and aptitudes and the opportunities their environments present, designing the organizational structures and processes that best support the strategies they deploy that Effective Global Strategy Implementation 185 use the resources and capabilities that suit the demand of their external opportunities is mandatory in realizing superior performance.In fact, the task of management is to formulate strategies based on the resources and capabilities of the firm and match them with identifiable opportunities in the external environment by selective market entry. Strategy, as such, is seen as an outcome of the process of identifying the alignment of the resources and capabilities of the firm and the opportunities present in the environment. Implementing such a strategy relies primarily on supporting the organizational structures and proces ses that are in place.Without the appropriate strategy, processes and structure, firm traits and aptitudes and market contexts may each present benefits by themselves, but they may also lead to detrimental performance when inappropriately combined. As such, firms need to examine both their internal strengths and the external opportunities they face and attempt to achieve the best synergy between these two. While strategy is mostly focused on identifying market opportunities that best utilize the resources of the firm, the reverse is also possible; the firm may identify opportunities in the environment but find that it lacks the resources to exploit these.Unique combinations of these structure and strategy elements will yield unique levels of strategic performance (Olson et al. 2005). Interrelationships among the internationalizing firm’s strategy, structure, and processes are positively associated with market performance and will lead to strategy implementation types that can serve as major sources of sustainable global competitive advantage (Xu et al. 2006). Structure A critical determinant of success in implementing a global strategy is the development of effective structures that will carry firm strategy toward superior performance.Organizational structural forces are crucial to effectively deploying and integrating firm resources (Fang and Zou 2009). One element of this effort is the global configuration of value chain activities such that achievement of the firm’s objectives is rationalized. Sourced in competitive advantage theory (Porter 1990), this effort involves selectively concentrating and dispersing activities across the firm’s global network so that it can differentiate, pursue cost efficiencies, focus on market niches, and achieve economies of scale in doing so (Roth 1992).It also involves assigning various roles to the firm’s affiliates so that they will serve the firm’s objectives in the most effective manner. For instance, subsidiaries might play such roles as strategic leader, implementer, and contributor, depending on their level of local competencies and the strategic importance of their markets to the firm or can be early or late movers in carrying the firm’s products throughout its network, depending on their special strengths and competitive advantages (Bartlett and Ghoshal 1989, 1992).The firm’s aims with regard to each local market as it incrementally internationalizes, and its desire for control over affiliates vs. encouragement of autonomy in local markets, can lead to subsidiary roles as local barons or implementers of headquarters strategies (Solberg 2000). These roles can then create internationalizing networks modeled as federations, confederations, and the United Nations (Bartlett and Ghoshal 1989; solberg 2000). Of the different dimensions of organizational structure, three dimensions are recognized as the most influential on global integration and coordina tion: formalization, departmen- 186A. Yaprak et al. talization, and centralization. Formalization is defined as the degree to which organizational norms are defined explicitly (Hall 1982). It essentially prescribes the acceptable and unacceptable behaviors within an organization. Roth and Schweiger (1991) argue that formalization boosts integration and coordination efforts by decreasing the discretion of the managers at both the headquarters and the subsidiary levels. Formalization reduces the direct involvement of the headquarters in subsidiaries by offering rules and procedures that fertilize the emergence of dominant logic within the organization.This dominant logic fosters similar actions from managers at different geographic locations. In addition, firms also increase integration efficiency by formalizing the ways functional activities are performed across units. By establishing standardized procedures, policies and rules, the effectiveness of integration will increase as the p rocess of conducting activities is codified, a form of coordination by standardization (Kim et al. 2003). Centralization is concerned with decision making authority and is regarded as an important means of reaching coordination goals within an MNE (Roth and Schweiger 1991).A global strategy leads to higher levels of interdependencies among the subunits within a global organization. This would require a higher level of coordination among the functional activities. Adopting a centralization structure in an MNE means that critical decision-making lies at the top management level because better understanding of the various activities and units scattered around the world is possible there (Kim et al. 2003). It could be argued that while formalization facilitates coordination of global integration, centralization plays more of a role in the control of global integration.The assumption here is that with a decentralized structure, each subunit will focus on achieving its individual goals an d tasks resulting in the sacrifice of the overall goal of the organization. Formalization and centralization along the firm’s value chain configuration will also affect its strategic behavioral orientations, such as customer, competitor, and innovationorientation, and by extension, the firm’s strategic performance. Departmentalization is defined as the degree to which the tasks are confined to a predetermined domain and members of departments are isolated from cross-functional interactions (Mintzberg et al. 1976).Departmentalization is believed to be detrimental to the integration and coordination effectiveness in business. It is argued that resource integration, especially as it involves knowledge integration, is an essential way to generate new ideas, particularly for new product development purposes. By isolating the subunits or functions from each other, members of the organization lose sight of the overall picture and the unique goals of the organization. Thus, we propose that: P4: Formalization and centralization of structure will positively influence integration and coordination effectiveness in firms that adopt a global strategy.P5: Departmentalization of structure will negatively influence integration and coordination effectiveness in firms that adopt a global strategy. Processes The major characterization of global strategy is focused on the integration of the firm’s global network of activities and the coordination of functions and resources that will yield enhanced strategy performance. This perspective is concerned with whether subsidiaries Effective Global Strategy Implementation 187 are standalone profit centers or parts of a more holistic design of deliberately integrated units (Lim et al. 2006).Its focus is on the dependence of affiliates on the headquarters and the interdependence among the subsidiaries for materials, resources, learning, efficiencies, and company-wide decision-making (Bartlett and Ghoshal 1989; Lim et al . 2006). When combined with the market offering and the concentration dimensions of strategy (Lim et al. 2006), and under the umbrella of contingency theory (Van de Ven and Drazin 1985), this perspective provides a window into our understanding of the spread of strategic autonomy, functional and operative control over affiliates, resource sharing, and cross-market consultation in he internationalizing firm. Dependence of the firm on its local affiliate or subsidiary for market knowledge due to lack of its own proficiency would lead the firm, for instance, to nurture interdependencies with its affiliates and strategic control over them. Low dependence of the subsidiaries on the headquarters, along with low interdependence among subsidiaries and high subsidiary autonomy are associated with worldwide mandates assigned to subsidiaries (Lim et al. 2006). The organizational processes of MNEs largely involve the control aspects of organizational activities.Gencturk and Aulakh (1995) classi fy formal control mechanisms as market-based and hierarchy-based. Birkinshaw and Morrison (1995) add the heterarchy model as an alternative control process. While the market-based control process intuitively works against the goal of integration and coordination, the hierarchy- and the heterarchybased control mechanisms facilitate integration and coordination to a greater degree. We argue, however, that the heterarchy-based control process is more appropriate for a global strategy.First, the hierarchy concept is incongruous with interdependence among the various regional and strategic business units that make up the global enterprise. Second, the hierarchy model implies unidirectional control, imposed by the headquarters over the subsidiary units, a notion incompatible with global integration. Finally, global integration requires stability and instrumentality to succeed and at least one of these, instrumentality, is less present in the hierarchy model than the other models of contro l.The heterarchy control model, in contrast, is based on three characteristics that global integration requires: dispersion of resources and capabilities; existence of lateral relationships among subunits; and coordinated activities. We feel that all three of these are consistent with the coordination and integration efforts of an MNE and foster greater integration. Thus, we propose that: P6: Adoption of a heterarchy-based control model will positively influence the integration and coordination effectiveness of firms that adopt a global strategy.The Interaction of Strategy, Structure, and Process While each of strategy, structure, and process may have a direct impact on firm performance, the interaction among the three may exert even greater influence on that performance. Viewing strategy as matching resources with the environment focuses essentially on strategy formulation. This relies largely on the fit of the external environment with the firm. However, strategy implementation re quires achieving the firm’s intended benefit. It relies more on the internal fit within the organization; that is, the fit between structure and processes (Venkatraman and Camillus 1984).Venkatraman and Camillus (1984) argue 188 A. Yaprak et al. that effective implementation of any strategy requires congruence among a large number of internal elements. This implies that the supporting role of structure and process cannot be separated from each other. In addition, the dominant logic in the strategic management literature is that strategy is the overriding concern, while structure and process are derived from strategy. Strategic performance is determined by how effectively the firm’s strategy is implemented, and by extension, how marketing objectives are accomplished (Olson et al. 2005).While there are many dimensions to performance measurement, financial and non-financial measurement metrics are typically used in strategy performance contexts. Among these are profitabil ity, ROI, and sales volume, as well as the strategic position of the firm relative to its most relevant competitor, its relative market share in key markets, and expectations compared to relevant competitors and satisfaction with achieved expectations (Olson et al. 2005; Zou and Cavusgil 2002). We argue that a holistic view should be used in measuring strategic performance; a measure that would incorporate both financial and non-financial considerations.We also argue that, all things considered, the strategy, concentration, and integration/coordination conceptualizations of global strategy will mediate the relationship between the firm and market antecedents of performance and strategic performance itself. This is evidenced by recent research which shows that the interplay of strategy, structure and processes lead to higher levels of performance when they are mediated by co-alignment of strategy with the market context (Xu et al. 2006). Thus, we propose that: P7: Firm and market ant ecedents of firm performance will be mediated by the interplay among the strategy, structure, nd process components of internationalizing firms. The Capability of Configuring Strategy, Structure, and Process The capability of an MNE to successfully configure a harmonious strategy, structure, and process could be a source of competitive advantage. Unlike the tangible resources such as plant and raw materials, intangible resources and capabilities such as the ability to align structural and process dimensions with the chosen strategy cannot be easily copied or substituted. When skillfully leveraged, these capabilities offer bases of competitive advantage and increase the effectiveness and efficiency in implementing a chosen strategy.Capability development is viewed as path dependent (Nelson and Winter 1982). Firms accumulate knowledge and capabilities by learning by doing. Dosi et al. (1990) views the firm as a historic entity in which repetitive activities offer the opportunity to le arn and form routines and search processes. In this perspective, capabilities are viewed as emerging from the past history of learning by doing. Firms may also actively invest in organizational structures and processes to make constant improvements of routines and practices (Ethiraj et al. 2005).As such, capabilities are a combined result of passive learning by doing and active investment in learning. MNEs with extensive internationalization experiences would have the opportunity to nurture the capability to align their structure and process with their strategies. As such, we propose that: Effective Global Strategy Implementation 189 P8: The international experience of an MNE will be positively associated with its capabilities to configure organizationally effective strategy, structure, and process combinations. Discussion? and? Suggestions? or? Future? Research The relationship between global strategy making and its performance outcomes has generated a rich stream of research in th e extant literature during the last few decades. This interest was heightened recently with the explosive growth in international business activity, especially by internationalizing firms from the emerging economies. This recent interest has resulted in conceptual developments attempting to explain the roles of various antecedents in explaining strategic performance and empirical testing of these frameworks (e. . , Katsikeas et al. 2006; Lim et al. 2006; solberg 2000; Zou and Cavusgil 2002). More recent work has explored the significance of the roles played by various moderators in explaining the strength of the antecedents-performance relationship (Schilke et al. 2009). All of these studies have deepened our understanding of the strategy making-performance relationship, but we do not yet have a comprehensive picture of many of the actors that might mediate this relationship. In this paper, we attempt to contribute to this void by developing one such picture.We propose that firm tra its and market contexts will positively affect strategic performance, but this relationship should be enhanced when mediated by the interplay among the strategy (standardization vs adaptation), structure (concentration vs dispersion), and process (integration vs independence) dimensions of strategy making (Lim et al. 2006). We offer propositions about each of these dimensions and the interface they have with the antecedents and outcomes of strategy formulation. Our work is exploratory and thus aims at offering a conceptual framework that should lead to empirical research.Some empirical questions that future research might explore include the following. First, what are the theory bases that might give us a better understanding of this relationship? The extant literature is full of studies that are anchored in the contingency and the configurational theories, but other theories/paradigms, such as agency theory, transactions cost economics, the resource based view, and social exchange theory might be fruitful avenues of inquiry in explaining the strategy making-strategic performance relationship.For example, agency theory may shed greater light on the impact of principal-agent relationships on product introduction rollouts in international markets and how these might shape the strategy formulation-strategic performance linkage. Social exchange theory might explore the significance that such constructs as trust, commitment, forbearance, and lack of opportunism might render on this relationship. The resource based view might explain the significance of the role played by the interdependence among the firm’s affiliates as they share certain types of esources; participate in decision-making contexts; and leverage capabilities across the firm’s network in the strategy making-strategic performance link. Second, what is the role of culture in defining and predicting the outcomes of the strategy-performance link? Culture, for instance, might influence conce ptualizations of the degree of control desired, what it means to be autonomous or interdependent, what kinds 190 A. Yaprak et al. f gains autonomy and interdependence might bring to subsidiaries and how desired these might be, and how norms and values might shape value chain configurations and levels of adaptations needed in different markets. Third, what role does time play in the shaping of this relationship? Longitudinal studies might show, for example, that the strategy making-strategic performance link changes in short time frames for some products, medium time frames for others, and long time frames for still others.Finally, are there other dimensions of strategy and/or performance that should be considered and how might these interact with the three discussed in this paper? For example, the firm’s position along its internationalization path or the level of its participation in its global markets might be dimensions that need to be considered more formally to better un derstand the strategy-performance relationship. The interactions among these and the dimensions already considered in the literature are also worthy of further study.Our purpose is to depict a more comprehensive picture of the strategy formulationstrategic performance relationship in international business and to suggest that the interplay among strategy, structure, and processes of the firm mediates that relationship. We also aim to offer questions for future research. We hope that our work will provide a deeper and broader picture of that relationship and the questions we ask will inspire future research in this interesting domain of research. References Amit, R. , & Schoemaker, P. (1993). Strategic assets and orgizational rent. Strategic Management Journal, 14(1), 33–46.Barney, J. , & Arikan, A. (2006). The resource-based view: Origins and implications. In M. Hitt, E. Freeman, & J. Harrison (Eds. ), The blackwell handbook of strategic management (pp. 124– 186). Oxfo rd: Blackwell. Bartlett, C. A. , & Ghoshal, S. (1989). Managing across borders: The transnational solution. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. Bartlett, C. A. , & Ghoshal, S. (1992). What is a global manager? Harvard Business Review, 70(5), 124–132. Birkinshaw, J. M. , & Morrison, A. J. (1995). 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Administrative Science Quarterly, 21, 246–275. Nelson, R. , & Winter, S. (1982). An evolutionary theory of economic change. Harvard University Press. Olson, E. M. , Slater, S. F. , & Hult, G. T. M. (2005). The performance implications of fit among business strategy, marketing organization structure, and strategic behavior. Journal of Marketing, 69(3), 49–65. Ozsomer, A. & Prussia, G. E. (2000). Competing perspectives in international marketing strategy: Contingency and process models. Journal of International Marketing, 8(1), 27–50. Peng, M. W. , Wang, D. , & Jiang, Y. (2008). An in stitution-based view of international business strategy: A focus on emerging economies. Journal of International Business Studies, 39(5), 920–936. Porter, M. E. (1990). The competitive advantage of nations (cover story). Harvard Business Review, 68(2), 73–93. Priem, R. L. , & Butler, J. E. (2001). 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The killing of U.S resident Anwar al-Alwaki Research Paper

The killing of U.S resident Anwar al-Alwaki - Research Paper Example The American government tried to keep the matter a secret but the choice to hunt and murder Anwar became an issue of public debate and scrutiny. Some American wondered the limitation of the powers of the president if he can order the killing of Americans abroad based on secret intelligence. It is significant to note that the killings of Anwar in Yemen brought in new information about the intelligence, military and legal challenges that the U.S government faced. This is because it shows the risks or perils of war, depending on missile strike from drone rarely recognized by the U.S citizens and intricate justifications written for only a selected few officials to read (The New Times, 2013). Â  It is believed that Anwar al-Alwaki and Samir Khan who killed in the drone strike were al-Qaeda operational leader in Yemen. The two were U.S citizens who had never been accused by the American government nor indicted with any crime. The secrecy behind such drone strikes emerged as major issue b ecause of the legal and ethical issues involved in the killings (Wilson Center, 2012). Â  Information from the U.S department of Justice asserted that the drone missile strike that killed Anwar, an Al-Qaeda affiliate whose death was justified by the government, also murdered Samir Khan, who the officials had asserted was a real danger capable to warrant being specifically aimed or targeted. The killing of Anwar in Yemen was justified and ethical because Anwar was an evolving danger or threat in that by the moment the U.S. and Yemen intelligence found him, he had been under the watch list of the C.I.A for more than ten years. For instance, in 1999, he was the first to appear on the F.B.I list because of his link with militants and in 2001, after the attacks in the U.S, he interrogated by U.S officials about his association with the hijackers at his mosque in Virginia and San Diego. In addition, when Anwar left the U.S in 2001, he supported the idea that the United States was officia lly at war with the Muslim community. In Yemen and Britain where he was jailed for eighteen months, Anwar hinted closer to a full support of terrorist activities and the use of violence (Mazetti & Scott, 2013). In 2008, the F.B.I asserted that their investigations have revealed that Anwar al-Alwaki was growing up as a radicalizer. In 2009, when Nidal Malik Hasan serving as a psychiatrist in the U.S army opened fire, murdering thirteen people in Texas, Anwar found his popularity when investigators found out that he been occasionally communicating with Anwar al-Alwaki. After four days,

Retail Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Retail Marketing - Essay Example Marks and Spencer made its reputation in the early 20th century by selling â€Å"British made goods† in England. The company introduced St Michael brand in 1928 which was a brand of clothes as well as foods. The company started expanding in 1957 in continental Europe and Ireland and also started selling of Asian food in the European market. The company got reputation for doing business through fair value of money and by this it got trust and brand value from its customers. The history of M&S is known as â€Å"iconic retailers of British Quality Goods†. The company started concentrating on the customers’ taste and preferences at the time of marketing myopia when other companies used to concentrate on the product quality by their won decision and choices. For this effective marketing and promotional strategies through the objective that customer is always and completely right the company got high reputation and brand image for4 its priority to the customers buying behaviour and preferences. After 1970 the company redesigned its packaging style for the food products and started selling food products by showing date of manufacturing. This was one of the important strategies of the company by which it generated huge customer base for the transparency and responsibilities to the customer in terms of ethical busi8ness practice. Since the inauguration of the penny bazaar by Michael Marks in 1984, five key principles have been followed by the company till now. These are quality, value, services, trust and innovation. The company came into Asia by opening first st5ore in Kabul in 1960. It had faced a continuous loss for a long time after 1973 in Canada and in 1999 all the 38 shops were closed due to unprofitable business. The company entered into France by opening few... This paper stresses that the company needs to promote this awareness programme as a part of solid waste positive environment. Generally the customers do not use the packets of the products and these are thrown out after taking away the goods at home. These packets can be the carry bag of per purchase of goods and also can be packets of grocery and food products. This report makes a conclusion that Marks and Spencer has experienced a long tough journey of its business from the very small start of the company. The company has been focusing and emphasised on the customers taste and preferences from its history and developed the brand present image by the trust and reputation from the customers. The company is very much popular in comparatively higher income group of people who only desire the product quality even in higher price. So, it needs to offer medium range priced products to wide its target segment of customers. This will generate more revenue and reduce the risk of competitive disadvantage. The company is very much dedicated to the society, customers, investor, supplier and the environment as these are the major contributor its success and current market share and position in the industry. If the company expand its target segment, it will be one of the leading retail companies in the world in near future in terms of revenue, social res ponsibility and customer satisfaction through efficient service provided by the company.

Human Experimentation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Human Experimentation - Essay Example It includes the historical background, after-effects, and the current status of human medical experimentation. The research entails the pros and cons of this practice along with salient ideas on overcoming or eradicating this kind of torture. Human Medical Experimentation A torturous conduct that thoroughly defied human rights and questioned healthcare norms It is generally stated that human beings of the world have certain rights which cannot be taken away from them, irrespective of situation and circumstances. The nature of these rights may be political or civil liberty; however, the most important right which a human being is entitled to is the right to physical safety and, most significantly, to "life". Human rights basically project the need for human tolerance, acceptance, fairness and mutual respect. The human rights notion exudes morality and justice. Although importance of human rights is emphasized by many organizations and governments around the world, violation of human r ights is a common experience around the world. The participation of human beings in medical experimentation is one such subject, which remains controversial due to human rights abuses. Many developed countries of the world, including the United States, claim to be world leaders in medical research. However, the Western medical development has a hidden dark side which is not acknowledged by many. This unlit side points to the fact that in order to develop medicine and achieve scientific progress, horrific medical experiments were conducted on destitute human beings and their children (Moses, 2007). For the most part, these medical experiments were conducted to gain profit by successfully developing drugs for various diseases and, mostly, these experiments were conducted without the knowledge of the people involved in the experimentation. Many believe that despite today’s so called free and civilized societies prevailing in the West, human experimentation has been taken up on a mass level. According to experts, almost half of the population of the United States is using some kind of drug regularly, and about 20% of children are using antidepressants or amphetamines (Moses, 2007). This paper aims to explore the topic of human medical experimentation with a view to illustrate its history, the dark side which it projects, the benefits that it has provided to human society and current status and opinions of various experts on the subject. Various medical fields such as biology, psychology, anthropology and clinical medicine employ human subject for research purposes. Human medical experimentation exposes living human beings to experiments, which are mostly cruel, painful, deadly and risky. Although Western countries are responsible for astounding medical breakthroughs such as the cure for malaria and other deadly diseases, this success, however, is followed by an immense price paid by the participants of the experiments. Some participants are compensated for their losses in physical and mental health, but most participants have not been compensated at all. Many participants have lost their lives during the process of experimentation, and of course, no compensation can bring back the most precious thing lost: their lives. The history of human medical experimentation in U.S. dates back to 1845, when J. Marion Sims, also known as the father of

Fast Food Effects Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Fast Food Effects - Essay Example However, fast foods have been proven to have a myriad of effects both positive and negative, while the culture of fast foods is considered to have revolutionized the feeding habits of the American public, it has come under harsh criticism because of the detrimental health effects they have on health among them obesity and diabetes. However, being cognizant of this, the fast food outlets have become more sensitive to the nutritional needs of consumers and have included â€Å"health† fast foods in their menus and even going as far as regulating the amount of salt one can consume. Considering the low pricing, people are often encouraged to buy fast foods and consume them on a regular basis. However, regular consumption of fast foods often results in obesity especially in children, bearing in mind that many of eth foods are high calories such a fries and chicken, which is often deep fried, as result the may end up consuming more calories than their bodies can burn. As a result, their body fat will increase and this will lead to weight gain, and this often has detrimental health effect on the consumer. People with office jobs are more prone to this since they spend all day sitting down and eat packed sandwiches, fries and sodas, due to lack of physical activity, they quickly gain weight and in many cases, this portends health complications in posterity. Consumption of fast foods on a regular basis especially foods rich in simple sugars can lead to insulin resistance; this occurs when the pancreas is not transforming sugars into carbohydrates and energy. Insulin resistance is a precise to diabetes type 2 that occurs when the levels of blood sugar increases (Trembla). This often results to ill health, and one becomes prone to other health complications since diabetes weakens the body’s immunity. This is made worse if someone was already overweight, since it becomes hard for them to engage in

Regionalism in Latin America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Regionalism in Latin America - Essay Example The main question surrounding the issue of regionalism is whether it is a mere station towards neoliberal or more of pluralistic word that organizes coexistence for the popular support (Thomas 2008:56). What forms of dialect does the regionalism take? In addition, what is the linkage between the multifaceted processes due to the regionalism? To answer these questions regionalist may bring its true picture of contestation among rivals from all sides of intensity. In my essay, I will analyze regionalism in Latin America from the international economic policy with a specific focus to the Andean community, which is a sub region in the Latin America. From a theoretical standpoint, regionalism explains the integration process in the development of a balanced and harmonious society. Reconfiguration of the Latin America’s regional governance is one major feature for the global political economy in the last one decade. Regional governance is currently transforming and bringing in different forms of regional policies, identities, and cooperation that transform the cartography of the Latin America. Latin America currently has assumed a different regional form of governance that builds the different rationale, which is not restricted to the US hegemony (Scott 2009:57). Regionalism driven by economic calculations represents a conglomerate project on the issue of commerce and political integration. In this conflicting scenario, the regional integration has redefinition from the regional projects that are substantially divergent in visions. The paper is concerned with the question of how transformation of the new regionalist can shape the thinking of the individuals on the political and social cooperation. Concepts used To help understand the issue of regionalism and the current issue in the Latin America one must consider these terms. A region implies the whole of Latin America whereas sub regions as a section of Latin America like the Andean or South America. Regional integration on the other hand is an agreement based on the intergovernmental or supranational model. It may involve economic, political, and social integration objectives (Lauren 2010:124). Lastly, regional trade preferences are agreements based on trade integration and cooperation on areas that promote democracy. Under this paradigm, the agreements result from conglomerate intentions of economic boost. Structural economic reforms of the Latin America The economy of the Latin America has shifted in its economic policy from its low achieving strategy to serious macroeconomic disequilibria (Lauren, 2010:32). Factors like high inflation, fiscal deficits, current account deficits, and financial sectors in critical trouble formed part of the foreign debt crisis in the early 1980s . After the poor economic management of the Latin America, it undertook structural reforms that placed the country on the path toward superior economic performance. Major structural reforms in the country occurred in the

Environmental law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Environmental law - Essay Example h which encourages the organizations to conserve the environment by promising them tax reduction and incentives as a reward for compliance with the set rules (Hatch, 2006). In direct control, the government sets rules to be followed by any company in connection with environmental conservation, failing which sanctions may befall the company that fails to follow the set rules, e.g., facing prosecution in court. Hatch (2006) argues that alternative methods concentrate on market oriented approaches to pollution where they always encourage companies to regulate their emissions as they continue to produce, rather than on direct control which must be followed, failing which the company is closed and banned from operating. This appears to discourage production. The alternative methods also give different measures to firms depending on their size and production capacity unlike the direct methods which give uniform rules to be followed by all firms, hence disadvantaging the small and young businesses. One alternative approach that can best be applied in the industrial sector is the trading scheme approach. It helps to provide a cost effective solution to enhance achievement of a clean environment as firms are given opportunity to make environment improvement and conservation to their place of choice (Hatch, 2006). The schemes are formed to allow firms to trade in waste with an aim of delivering environmental objectives at a lower cost. They adopt a variety of ways to engage in waste and emissions trade as they deal with the use of resources such as water with the sole aim of addressing waste management, thus reducing environmental pollution. In the end, firms using this approach must have enough wealth to cover their waste and emissions within the given time for them to go on operating (Hatch,

The Live Consultancy Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

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Discuss Biological Explanations of Schizophrenia Essay Example for Free

Discuss Biological Explanations of Schizophrenia Essay re are several different explanations for the disorder schizophrenia. One of these explanations is the biological model. This model explains schizophrenia through biological faults, for example viral infections and brain abnormalities. Genetic Factors Some psychologists say that schizophrenia can be passed down generations, meaning that some people inherit the disorder from their parents. Twin research has consistently shown that identical twins have a greater risk of developing schizophrenia, if their twin has the disorder, than non-identical twins. Gottesman found monozygotic twins have a concordance rate of 48%, whilst dizygotic twins have a concordance rate of 17%. Evaluation of Genetic Factors This research shows that there is a definite correlation between genetics and the risk of developing schizophrenia. However, no twin research has found a 100% concordance rate; therefore it is impossible the say that genes definitely cause schizophrenia, as other factors clearly have an influence. Also, some psychologists argue that the high concordance rates found could be caused by being brought up in a family with a schizophrenic, so the child mimics the schizophrenic behaviour, rather than by genetics. The Dopamine Hypothesis The dopamine hypothesis says that schizophrenia is caused by an increased reaction to dopamine in the brain. This could be because there is too much of the hormone dopamine in the brain, or conversely because there is an abnormally high number of dopamine receptors in the brain. This model says the excess sensitivity to dopamine results in the brain causes the symptoms of schizophrenia. Evaluation of the Dopamine Hypothesis Autopsies have found an unusually high number of dopamine receptors in the brain of schizophrenics (Owen et al, 1987), however, this evidence is varied and inconclusive. Grilly (2002) found that patients who suffered from Parkinson’s and took the drug L-dopa, which increases dopamine levels, showed signs of schizophrenic symptoms. This suggests the increase in dopamine could result in schizophrenia. Problems with this explanation There are problems of the dopamine hypothesis. One is that antipsychotic drugs, which block dopamine receptor don’t always help patients. This suggests something else must cause schizophrenia as well; otherwise the drugs would help all the patients. Brain dysfunction Using brain imaging techniques, such as P.E.T scans, researchers have found many schizophrenics have enlarged ventricles, on average 15% larger than normal. Some psychologists believe that the increase in the size of these ventricles is what leads to the schizophrenic symptoms. Evaluation The brain imaging scans support this explanation in itself, it’s clear that a lot of schizophrenics have different brain structures to normal people, so there must be some correlation between the two. Research by Meyer-Lindenberg (2002) found that reduced activity of the prefrontal cortex is linked to dopamine abnormalities. This could provide an explanation of why brain dysfunction could cause schizophrenia, not show a correlation. Viral Infection Some researchers suggest that brain abnormalities that lead to schizophrenia could be caused by viral infection. For example, contracting diseases such as Flu or Syphilis in the womb may relate to developing schizophrenia in later life Evaluation of Viral Theory Torrey (2000) found that more schizophrenics are born in the winter, when it is cold and exposure to viruses is higher, than in other months. Although this link is only correlational it suggests viruses do affect the chance of developing schizophrenia

United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights

United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights â€Å"Peace, in the sense of the absence of war, is of little value to someone who is dying of hunger or cold. It will not remove the pain of torture inflicted on a prisoner of conscience. It does not comfort those who have lost their loved ones in floods caused by senseless deforestation in a neighboring country. Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where the people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free† HH Dalai Lama. Human rights refer to the basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled† (United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights 2009). Perhaps basic human rights are the most violated rights in this developing and competing world. Human right watch explains, â€Å"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brother hood.† When we think about this globally, globalization has vivid effects on human rights. The poor farmers in Africa cannot compete with the global powers or global markets. They spend their entire lives in their fields for livelihood. Moreover, when they try to sell this in their own markets they have to lower their prices drastically to compete with the products from other parts of the world. Community is the most delicate part where human beings live and interact with their environment. Communis is a word derived from Latin where com means together and munis derived from Etruscan meaning to have charge of. In biology, community is a group of organisms where they interact to each other while they share a common space, which is called the environment (Alpert 2001). Sociologists explain community as a group of people living in a common location with shared interests. These shared interest can be environment, basic needs etc. Globalization is a not a new phenomenon. It began in the 19th century but slowed down during the time of First World War and started growing again in the 20th century. â€Å"Globalization is a widely-used term that can be defined in a number of different ways. When used in an economic context, it refers to the reduction and removal of barriers between national borders in order to facilitate the flow of goods, capital, and services and labor, although considerable barriers remain to the flow of labor† (The United Nations ESCWA). Globalization is an integrative concept where nations come together and open their doors for free trade and exchange of commodities and interests which is mutually beneficial. Human scholars over the years developed theories, concepts and law and order that help sustain societal order and ensure survival. Human rights are basic rights of human beings that include, access to food, water, space, right to property, religion, and right to self etc (Kuijer 2004). The early 1600s to 1800s are always mentioned as the black years because human rights violation was a practice in the form of slavery and racism. The excellent movie named Amazing Grace, directed by Michael Apted depicts the severity of the practice of slavery, slave trade and how William Wilberforce, worked hard for 5 years just to pass the abolishment act of slave trade in UK within the House of Representatives. In the ancient times, each society had their own laws, rules and regulation where a group of seniors defines justice for the entire population. Even now when we look at Amazon tribes, American Indians, Kalahari Bushmen, many tribes in Africa, each has their own law and order. The writer believes that the human rights are well kept in their societies and communities. Of course, they have fighting and quarreling, but the casualties can be counted on two hands when compared to fighting and quarreling in a so-called developed society. In the movie â€Å"The Gods must be Crazy†, one can see how the Bushman thinks about us, the so-called developed people as illiterates. He says that we cannot even sense our own environment; he could not understand why the two soldiers were fighting. When he found a dying elephant with its tusks removed by hunters from the developed world, he asked why the illiterates took the unwanted part (the tusk) and left the good part (the meat). He passed the news to the nearby community and his family to gather the meat. The writer would like to emphasize this mentality that many of the tribal people share but many of the developed communities do not. Human rights and justice are very closely associated. Justice determines human rights and human rights promote justice. The writer would like to focus on one area of human right violation. During war, construction works etc. many times the nearby populations are affected; they are either displaced or killed during war. When we look at development all over the world, people with the money and government with power decides what to do, where to do and when to do. Many of the times, poor people are displaced from their own environment, their own communities where they have emotional and other ties. Is this a violation of their rights? The interview revealed a great amount of the stress hidden among administrators in nonprofit organizations. In many work places, unethical problems happen. It can range from unethical service to sexual harassment. Sexual Harassment is one of the most deadly of the all. It can be explained as patterns of behavior like teasing, commenting etc. to actual physical contact. In the interview, the administrator shared how the students and the faculty found it very hard to complain about a professor who was behaving inappropriately. But the writer does not believe in dismissal of the person. However, the writer would like to look for behavioral modification techniques or early adulthood behavioral training etc. Peter Singers arguments are largely ethical and it is not always self-evident and obvious. The far away people will always find more immediate concerns like the above without thinking much about his mentioning about starvation, diseases, global warming, justice and globalization etc. However, the writer also thinks the ideas of Singer can definitely spark alternative ideas in the individuals who wish to bring their own communities and societies a change. The writer always wonders whether the principle of greater happiness or Utilitarianism and altruism is ever practical in this developed world other than those in untouched and far away tribes. Bibliography Singer, Peter, One World: The Ethics of Globalization, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2002 Sen, Amartya. Utilitarianism and Welfarism, 1979, http://www.jstor.org/pss/2025934 Accessed on June 8 2009 Alpert, Peter. â€Å"Concept of communities.† In Encyclopedia of Biodiversity, vol. 5, San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 282-91, 2001 Kuijer, Leiden Journal of International Law (1997), 10 : 49-67 Cambridge University Published online by Cambridge University Press 02 Mar 2004 United Nations University, â€Å"Globalization† 2009, www.unu.edu/globalization, accessed June 8 2009.

Essay examples --

Chapter 9 Homework: Substance Use Disorder Tanya Varkey Psychology 270 March 11th, 2014 Chapter 9 Homework: Substance Use Disorder Substance use disorder is a condition in which an individual depends on a substance, harming his or her mental health. In such a disorder, the continued use of the substance can affect a person’s normal functioning in correlation with the society. For example, the overuse of the substance leads to behavioral issues, which in turn, causes the person to fail in meeting the standards of work and or family matters. Substance intoxication refers to the state of being high due to the effect of the psychoactive substance used. The substance can be either a stimulant, increasing activity level, or a depressant which tends to slow down a persons’ activity level as well as awareness. Such substances are abused because individuals feel that they will be able to avoid uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms (Rosenberg and Kosslyn, 2011). Its’ negative cognitive effects such as not thinking properly nor having proper judgment can make a big impact upon an individuals’ abilit y to perform activities of daily living. Depressants is a category of drugs that individuals with substance use disorder consume. A depressant drug abuse can impede the activity of the central nervous system, causing decreased awareness and reduced activity of the brain (Rosenberg and Kosslyn, 2011). Tolerance and withdrawal are symptoms that depressant users display if the substance is used on a regular basis or even if it is discontinued (Rosenberg and Kosslyn, 2011). Examples of depressants include alcohol and types of sedative-hypnotic drugs such as benzodiazepines and barbiturates. Sedative-hypnotic drugs such as barbiturates and b... ... where the person experiences a blackout, meaning they are not able to recall what happened while he or she was drunk. In terms of treatment, abstinence is the main goal. Cognitive behavioral therapy is also provided in that it may eventually lead the person to understand that such an alcohol abuse can have several consequences leading to a harmful health. In terms of application, there is an Indian actress named Silk Smitha. Due to the fact that she was not a successful producer, had financial difficulties, as well as romantic issues, she eventually slipped into depression. Such a depressive personal life led her to be a constant abuser of alcohol. She believed that this substance abuse will help her out mentally so no medical treatment and help was sought. As time progressed, her depression and dependence on alcohol grew, eventually leading her to commit suicide.

Analysis of A Raisin in the Sun Essay -- Krannert

"A Raisin in the Sun" Analysis Upon walking out of Krannert's production of "A Raisin in the Sun," an eerie silence drizzled about the audience as people murmured and slowly shuffled towards the exits. After witnessing such a powerful yet melancholy piece of theater work, words seemed inappropriate. For three hours, "A Raisin in the Sun" encompassed us with racial, economic, and social issues of the 1950s. Swirling portions of humor, disgrace, pride, and sadness into a smooth blend, the play developed many twists and turns that kept the audience and myself completely alert. Throughout the three acts I could feel the audience, as well as myself, totally devoting themselves to the play. But after taking a step back, the play proved to produce much more than tears, gasps, and laughter; it created a new perspective of African American lifestyles in the 1950s. When my father and I first settled in the theater, I immediately scanned the crowd. On the way to the production I envisioned, as superficial as it may seem, an auditorium crammed with African Americans and college students. But to my surprise, the majority of the playhouse flooded with middle‑aged Caucasian people. With suits and dresses on, clearly they were financially well off. On the contrary, I only observed a few African American people. I expected that more African American families would attend a play that pertained so relevantly to their past. Nevertheless, the demographics still posed an interesting point about who goes to these plays. As a side note, I also observed many young children there. I thought this reflected well of the parents/guardians who brought them. It thoroughly proved to me that adults willingly want to teach their children, whether they... ...n in the 1950s. Sure, I studied the 1950's racial problems in grammar school, but it was a thoroughly different experience when told as an appalling story of discrimination. Noting the difference between my father and I, it clearly shows how times have changed for the better in our society. Overall, "A Raisin in the Sun" affected me in an enormously positive way. The contents of this essay do not even touch what the real experience was like. It not only provided an insight into a family's life in the 1950s, but also shaped a window into their personal lives. Spanning over only a couple of weeks, the play powerfully dove into the details and drama of the Younger's lives. With talented theatrical performances and a wonderful script, "A Raisin in the Sun" gave the audience much more than just an insight into the lives of African Americans, it let the audience live it.

Homelessness as a social problem Essay

Homelessness is a social problem and is the condition of people who lack regular housing. Homeless people are often considered to have little necessities such as food, shelter, money or medical help. They would usually spend their night uncomfortably on the streets or temporarily in a hostel. Some people may reside in their friends house on a sofa or on their floor with a blanket. Some of the factors why people become homeless are due to domestic violence, relationship breakdown, fleeing persecution from another country, drugs and alcohol misuse,family disputes and mental health problems. Another common reason why people are homeless is that they cannot keep a steady job, therefore they cannot pay for their rent or they cannot pay their bills so resort to being homeless. Some people receive little income from their jobs which is not enough for them to pay all the bills or buy enough food or get themselves any clothes. Homeless people would turn to begging on the streets to provide so me money for themselves and purchase the little food they can get with the money. Birmingham last year is said to have had the highest number of people homeless in the country with figures reaching to 925 households.Homelessness can be caused by physical or sexual abuse from their families and so they may choose to run away and seek refuge on the streets. For homeless people, there are the good days and the bad days.The good days include the homeless getting reasonable amount of money in which they may receive 10 pounds by panhandling an hour. The bad days involve inflation or recession in which case they would receive very little and undergo starvation for the night. Some Homeless people may find other ways overcoming the problem of homelessness; one of which is going to prison. This way they will receive accommodation and enough food for them to eat which prevents them from starving.

Types of Military Leaders

Types of Military Leaders The Military is one of the largest corporations in the United States of America looking for successful leader’s every day. They offer many developmental classes, schools and academies that give you the tools to become a successful leader. Like most jobs there is a pyramid effect of leadership roles. This pyramid role is called a chain of command in the military. Each leadership role is just as important as the one appointed above them and is only as strong as its weakest link.There are several types of leaders that dictate our military; authoritative, hands-on and hands-off. Each type of leader possesses different qualities which make the outcome of their work diverse. Authoritative leaders are born to be a leader. These are leaders who have a natural instinct on how to take control of a group and get the job done. They are the type of person you either love or hate. Authoritative leaders are very meticulous and strict on how they want to accomplish a task. It’s either their way or the highway. This can be very draining on the soldiers that work for them.Authoritative leaders can take two separate approaches in leading their soldiers. They either let the power get to their heads and bark orders killing the moral of the soldiers they work with. The other approach of authoritative leadership is someone who delegates work by asking for help on what needs to be accomplished, making it a much more comfortable environment to work in. These separate approaches can dictate the outcome of the work being performed by their soldiers which can either make or break their leadership role.Hands-on leaders are one of the most effective leaders in the military. These are leaders who don’t mind getting their hands dirty and take initiative in getting the job done. They are leaders who want to lead by example and are not afraid to take the blame if something goes wrong. Hands-on leaders are very well communicator’s, open to su ggestions and look for soldiers input. This allows them to expand not only their own knowledge but also the soldiers around them. They are willing to work with their soldiers on the small things in order to accomplish something larger.This gives them a better understanding of their job and the soldiers they work with. Once a hands-on leader sets the goals and shows the soldiers what they expect, it allows them to take a step back and let their soldiers execute the tasks at hand. Hands-off or laissez-faire leaders are considered the lazy one’s of the group. They typically are the fun leaders to hang out with as a friend but lack leadership as a boss. Hands-off leaders take no guidance of the group and are very passive on work. They tend to pass off jobs and allow the soldiers to dictate how the work is going to be done.This can either set the soldiers up for success or can completely kill the mission. Hand-off leaders are considered the chameleon of the group. They take some o f the credit on a successful task or hide and push the blame onto someone else when the task fails. Hands-off leaders typically try to please everyone to avoid any conflict. This can ultimately hurt a unit by not being able to trust or rely on their leaders. There are many routes a leader can take in leading their soldiers. It is up to the soldier to decide what leader he or she wants to become.Every day the military is looking for someone to step up and take on one of the roles of becoming a leader. The best way to decide on what leader you want to become is to look around and take notes on the qualities your leader’s posses and make a decision on how you want your peers to perceive you. Each leadership role can create a different outcome that can either take you straight to the top for success or damage your chances of becoming a great leader. It is up to you to make the decision on what path you want to take and the leader you would like to become.

Narrative Writing & Tupac Essay

American rapper, actor, activist, poet 2Pac was truly one of hip hop’s most distinctively talented artists and indeed, a dynamically influential figure who conveyed his introspective thoughts through such vibrantly resonating music and lyrics. However, 2Pac’s journey to glory and recognition was filled only with many intricacies and hardships but fuelled only by gifted ability, wit, heart and sheer passion. Many could either label him from anywhere as both a thug and gangster or a natural born leader and poet—but 2pac emphasized: â€Å"Measure a man by his actions fully, with his whole life from the beginning to the end† (qtd. in Lazin). Born Tupac Amaru Shakur (June 16, 1971) in East Harlem, New York, 2pac was named after a proud Inca chief from South America by his mother who was a key member of the Black Panther. Due to her significant affiliation with the movement, Afeni Shakur was incarcerated during her pregnancy to her son. 2pac admits the absolute admiration he has for his mother for being able to withstand all adversity and eventually giving birth to him, affectionately mentioning her as a â€Å"strong black woman†(Lazin). 2pac values his mother’s teaching of raising him and his sister to be community-oriented and socially aware, amidst the financial shortcomings they faced. 2pac categorizes their financial status then as being â€Å"stone broke† as they did not have luxuries or even necessities which he thought they needed. Growing up, 2pac had no real father figure to look up to—he stresses such longing in saying that â€Å"You need a man to teach you how to be a man† (qtd. in Lazin). Due to his troubles to gain a steady source of income, his mother decided to move to Baltimore. There, 2pac was enrolled in the Baltimore School of Arts and spent three years there learning assorted facets of art and meeting various individuals-turned-friends. In the process of education, 2pac pin points one major flaw of lack of shedding light into life’s reality. In his observation of the social and economic inequality, he states, â€Å"Rich people should live like poor people, and poor people should live like rich people. They should change every week† (qtd. in Lazin). In attempt to escape poverty and violence, 2pac moved to California only to realize the same poverty element shared by the â€Å"black community. † Yet, amidst it all, he stayed strong. After having decided to move out of his mother’s house and authority, with no other choice, 2pac resorted to the ways of street life in which he cites how he found father-figures in the form of drug-dealers, pimps, and criminals. It was in the streets that his rather sharp tongue was cultivated: â€Å"The words that I say are the words that don’t come out from a mother’s mouth or a father’s mouth† (2Pac qtd. in Lazin). Eventually dropping out from high school, 2Pac had a short turn in selling drugs but was advised later on by the same people— his co-drug dealers, who later stood as financial sponsors for him to follow his dreams in music. 2pac professionally started in an early nineties hip hop group known as the â€Å"Digital Underground. † Shock G, leader of the group, gave opportune chances for 2Pac as he was starting out—free style raps during performances and songs, having him belong in the group as a roadie and taking him in. After having some songs under his belt and being recognized for his talent by major music labels and prominent figures such as Interscope and Ted Field, â€Å"2Pacalypse Now† was released as his first platinum album in which he tackled major social issues and expressed and stimulated the pain he dealt with throughout his childhood. This was the beginning of a series of albums that were not only of commercial and critical success but also were of social significance. As 2Pac’s fame grew, he opted to stretch his skills for the silver-screen, through films such as â€Å"Juice† (1992), â€Å"Poetic Justice† (1993), and â€Å"Above the Rim† (1994) which displayed both his aggressive and sensitive strengths in his character and also, acting prowess. As his messages of social awareness come across even more, 2Pac stressed his personal take and concept of how he wants to empower the youth, the oppressed, and the ill-fated through his idealistic but rather controversial theme of â€Å"Thug Life. † However, there were rather social distortions in between 2Pac’s and the media’s meaning. Hence, in a subjective interpretation, 2Pac explains that this idea has nothing to do with the dictionary’s definition of thug; rather, it pertains to the underdog who chooses to overcome each life’s seemingly hopeless obstacles with pride, dignity, and courage. His fame was often accompanied by many sorts of controversy which included a violent altercation with a limousine driver, clashes with rightist group members like C. Dolores Tucker and William Bennett, to the news and media pertaining to his lyrics content, and even assault, which took quite heavy blows upon him. Most especially on life and freedom threatening occurrences, after being a victim of a shooting, he was later convicted to serve a prison sentence due to losing to charges of rape. His prison stint, only gave rose to strength and experience in him becoming a better man of insight in life’s truths. In addition, while serving his sentence, his music still crossed-over to the hearts and minds of millions. With all of these, he realized his irresponsible actions, mistakes, and rather wrong decision making of what to say, what to do, and how to act. After being bailed out through a record deal with CEO with a criminal past, Suge Knight and his music label, Death Row Records, 2Pac was freed and at once focused on getting his music on the rise again. Despite having freedom, 2Pac had to face an assortment of financial battles, just as so as he would not to go back to jail. As 2Pac music rode the Death Row banner high and proud, together with peers such as Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg, a feud between East Coast and West Coast rapper grew, but 2Pac stresses that such tension was rooted only and mainly on two men—him and East Coast rapper Notorious B. I. G. 2Pac understood the effects of such strain of which he felt responsible for and said that â€Å"I hope we would exercise greater restraint,† pertaining to the situation (qtd. in Lazin). Amidst all the past difficulties and pressing danger, 2Pac kept a strong outlook on life: â€Å"I felt that the only thing that could kill me is death, and even then, my music will live forever† (qtd. in Lazin). While in Las Vegas, after a Mike Tyson-Bruce Seldon bout, a car pulled up alongside were Suge Knight, and 2Pac was positioned then open fired upon by four gunmen as they were supposedly headed to a night club. After undergoing two surgeries, having a lung removed and despite having a surge of praying fans outside the hospital of which were he stayed, 2Pac passed away with his truth message and true music of which he left behind to us. His legacy would never be forgotten for his music captured continuing struggles of the common man who only demanded for change, progress, and the right to have a better future. Tupac Amaru Shakur indeed was a warrior and prophet, despite the controversy, despite the media frenzy he had to go through, and despite everything else. Indeed, his message is powerful: â€Å"I’m not saying I’m going to change the world, but I guarantee you that I will spark the brains that will change the world. So, keep you head up† (2Pac qtd. in Lazin). Works Cited Lazin, Lauren. Tupac: Resurrection. Los Angeles, California: Paramount Pictures, 2003.