Globalization: International Trade and World Trade Organization Essay

1.Describe how the world economy is becoming more integrated than ever before. The global economy is becoming more integrated than ever before. The world trade organization (WTO), now has 153 countries involved in more than 95 percent of the world’s trade. The global economy is dominated by countries in three regions: Western Europe, North America, and Asia. Europe is economically to form he biggest market in the world. Under the Maastricht Treaty, which formally established the European Union (EU), the euro was adopted as a common currency among European countries with the goal to strengthen Europe’s position as an economic superpower in the world. Among the Pacific Rim countries, Japan dominated world attention toward the end of the last century and with the world’s largest population and increasing industrialization, China is on its way to becoming the larges producer and consumer of the world’s goods. Asian countries have joined the United States, Australia, and Russia to form the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) trade Group. Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) brings together 10 developing nations and is aimed at cultural development and political security. The North American Trade Agreement (NAFTA) combined the economies of the United States, Canada and Mexico into one of the world’s largest trading bloc. And, as for the rest of the world with all the important developments, markets and competitors shaping the global environment, India for example with the fast growing economy and huge population has become the world’s second largest online support, software developer and other services. 2.Discuss what integration of the world economy means for individual companies and their managers. Compared with only a few years ago opportunities are greater because the movement toward free trade has opened up many formerly protected national markets. The potential for export and for making direct investment overseas is greater today than ever before. The environment is more complex because today’s manager often has to deal with the challenges of doing business in countries with radically different cultures and coordinating globally dispersed opportunities. The environment is more competitive because in addition to domestic competitors the managers must deal with cost efficient overseas competitors. Companies both large and small now view the world rather than a single country as their market and need to identify the best strategy for competing in a global marketplace. Universal needs exist when the tastes and preferences of consumers in different counties with regard to a product are similar, creating strong pressure for a global strategy. Thus, managers need to make sure that their companies are able to adapt to different needs in different locations not just locally but globally. Irene B. Rosenfeld, the CEO of Kraft and General Foods, understood the importance of globalization and to save the struggling company, aside from its North American market, she also focused on the overseas market. Krafts global expansion strategy targets 10 markets. Also, Kraft will focus on its overseas efforts and research and development for ten best selling brands which accounts for about 40% of Kraft’s international sales and over 60% of its profits.

Learning Technology Essay

Due to their nature, a lot of possibilities are opened up in virtual worlds that are not present in the real world. These can make it highly conducive to learning new things. For instance, students that are separated by geography can share a class. A virtual environment ensures that procedures or demonstrations normally limited by scope or expense can be repeated, observed and redone as often as necessary. The very idea that is entertainment, and not just another â€Å"day in class† provides a stimulus to education that real schools often lack. The greater opportunity for collaboration, relative safety and convenience provided by online gaming certainly makes it a solid platform capable of delivering the lessons of the future. Cons of Using Second Life as a Learning Technology Some aspects of learning can never be completely replaced however. While Second Life may offer a greatly enhanced experience and rapid transfer of information, it is still nothing like face-to-face interaction. A wholly automated method of teaching is still prone to disruption and malicious griefing, especially in an online game like Second Life. And virtual objects will never be a substitute for tangible things, making it difficult for educational applications that require hands-on training. Overall, the pros outweigh the cons, and many institutes of higher learning are already aware of this fact. Utilizing Second Life as a Educational Tool for the Real World Learning a new language is an effort that can be greatly enhanced by interaction with elements that are connected to the culture in some way. There a quite a few themed regions in Second Life that are almost perfect replicas of their real-world counterparts, complete with native speakers to boot. Virtual tourism is the perfect way to learn and remember commonly-used phrases before the real trip. References Kock, N. , Verville, J. , & Garza, V. (2007). Media naturalness and online learning: Findings supporting both the significant- and nosignificant-difference perspectives. Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education, 5(2), 333-356.

Barriers to Changing Personal Health Behavior

The result of the real age test has come as a surprise to me. There is a difference in my real age and the age results shown by the real age test. I have also been surprised by the factors which can affect one health. According to real age study factors such as relationships including having pets and the frequency of the times you have with your friend may affect our health. Thus there is an urgent need to undertake practices and actions which improve my real age. However there are some barriers which inhibit the decision to adopting good health behavior.One of the barriers is readiness to certain changes. In order on to improve on my real age I have to change my eating habit behavior, change my relationship profile and exercise more to improve my fitness level. Some habits such as smoking are not easy to quit. Another barrier is availability of time Sparing time for exercise might be a challenge especially for a fulltime students and the working class. The exercise itself is a sacri fice and requires a lot of discipline on my side.Good health is not seen as a priority and other would rather work for extra hours instead of relaxing provided they earn an extra. Taking good health a priority will be a barrier not only to me but also to other many people. Some of the stress is caused by our working condition. Some of us work very hard and long hours. Since it is the source of our living we cannot do away with it. Thus our work can also be a barrier to personal health behavior. One of the means I intend to use to improve my real age will involve changing my attitude towards things.Taking health as a priority is one of them. Having a positive mind will reduce occurrence of stress. By changing my attitude I will spare time for exercising. I will avoid some lifestyles such as smoking and excessive drinking which negatively affect my health. In order to observe healthy living I will eat recommended amount of food avoiding food and beverages high in calories. I will also adopt an active lifestyle where by I will exercise, walk and jog to avoid gaining excessive weight.The portion distortion quiz also reveals some shocking finding about how our eating habits and the choice of food we eat affect our health. The amount of food in our body is determined by the type of food we consume. There is also a trend revealed by the quiz that as new technology and new methods of cooking food is invented the amount of calories in the food increases. The pizza of 20 years ago has fewer calories compared to today’s pizza of the same quantity. From the finding of portion distortion quiz I intend to avoid food and beverage with high quantity of calories.This will reduce chances of occurrence of lifestyle diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. From the finding it is evident that exercising burns out the excess calories in our busy. I therefore intend to live an active life whereby I will do more than just the daily chores to burn excessive calories. Traditi onal foods are healthier than the new types of food which are very famous nowadays. I intend to avoid unhealthy lifestyle even if it might be the current trend.From the finding it is very easy to increase the amount of calories in your body. However burning them is not that easy. Therefore I will concentrate more on avoiding food with high amount of calories other than exercise to burn them. References Health Canada 2010 overcome barrier retrieved 30 July, 2010 from http://www. hc-sc. gc. ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/maintain-adopt/index-eng. php Health system for home use 2010 secret to live longer retrieved 30 July, 2010 from http://www. healthreviser. com/content/secret-live-longer

The Fraud-Governance Linkage and Audit Research Paper

The Fraud-Governance Linkage and Audit - Research Paper Example Corporate governance also highlights the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders such as an organization’s management, the board of directors, shareholders, and other stakeholders. Corporate governance avails guidelines centering on the way in which corporations should be governed in order to attain its goals and objectives, as well risk monitoring and assessment and performance optimization (Carcillo, Hermanson and Ye 2). One of the outstanding themes of corporate governance revolves around the nature and extent of accountability required of persons running corporations, and mechanisms fashioned at decreasing principal-agent challenge to minimize managerial opportunism. Achieving Effective Corporate Governance Corporations operate in a legal environment and are subject to laws and regulations of a certain jurisdiction. Organizations also have a constitution that avails individual rules that govern the Corporation and sanction or constrain its operations or decision making. There are codes and guidelines that oversee corporate governance cover a broad array of categories. These include auditing, corporate responsibility and compliance, board and management structure, financial transparency and information disclosure. Corporations pursue and maintain an effective system that facilitates continuous enhancement in relation to strategy, performance, compliance, and accountability (Carcillo, Hermanson and Ye 3). Effective corporate governance can be achieved when the board of directors strictly embodies the interests of shareholders. In exercising their duty of trustees, the board of directors should review, challenge, and oversee the corporation’s business strategy and its effectiveness. Stakeholders should be well informed, engaged and willing to challenge each other. Parties involved in Corporate Governance The most prominent parties engaged in corporate governance incorporate government agencies and authorities, management (encompasses board of directors), Chief Executive Officer, shareholders, auditors, and other executives such as line managers, lenders, suppliers, employees, creditors, clients, and the community. Corporate governance mechanisms encompass systems of controls directed at aligning the interests of the managers with those of shareholders. The directors, employees, and management expect to draw benefits and reputation, as well as remuneration from the corporation, while the investors expect to draw financial returns from the Corporation. Lenders, on the other hand, expect specified interest payments, dividend distributions, or capital gains on their investment. The organization’s clients concern center on certainty in the provision of desired goods and services, which meet proper quality; the concerns of the suppliers revolve around compensation for their goods or services, and probable continuity in the trading relationship with the Corporation. The board is entrusted with playing a critical role in corporate governance. The board is mandated to endorse the corporation’s strategy as well as shaping a directional policy.  

Finance and Accounting Assignment 2 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Finance and Accounting 2 - Assignment Example The interaction made with the organization based on relationship marketing can prove to be a part of ongoing relationship between the customer and the organization and this is because through the interaction, which was done through mail, highlights the importance of relationship marketing in the competitive environment and can be said to be a competitive advantage for organizations. Based on the interaction it has been learned that P&G has been using digital tools in order to build one on one relationship with the customers so to enhance the innovative and marketing capabilities of the company. According to P&G CEO, Bob McDonald the company aims to create indispensable relationship with the brands and it is possible though digital technology. The interaction on relationship marketing which took place can evaluate the way organization is thinking and to what extent they are ready to incorporate change to cater the needs of the customers. P&G is known for its innovation and customers e xpects the same level of innovation, involvement from the company while dealing with the requirements of the customers, therefore the interaction with the management of P&G is definitely an advantage to gather more information about the strategies which are adopted by the company to cater the needs of its target customers (Marketing Governance, 2011). Based on the interaction it has been revealed that P&G builds relationship with the customers based on trust and transparency. The company provides individual with choices and information with respect to communication strategy. The interaction further tends to create value for the ongoing relationship between the customers and the organization a whole. In the competitive world it has become extremely necessary to build trust on the customers so that loyalty is maintained with respect to specific brands and for this relationship marketing plays an important role and can be related to ongoing relationship between the customers and the or ganizations. Based on the interaction with P&G management, it has also been revealed that it has developed website allowing customers to shop through the site rather than visiting the stores. The online retail market is the new buzz word and companies are following it to attract and retain new and potential customers. By developing e-store P&G has created an image for itself in the minds of the customers as an accessible brand made available to the customers at any point of time and also helps to retain them from shifting to another brand offering the same facility. P&G advertise the sites and hopes that the convenience of shopping online by the customers draws more and more customers to the site (NBC News, 2010). The online retail stores have proved to be effective and have helped many retail outlets to incur profit ad increase revenue. Most important, it creates a perception in the minds of the customers that the brands is accessible and P&G being a huge FMCG giant and involved in many different sectors, the customers would prefer to buy products from the company which would further result in customer loyalty for the brand. This way the brand will be able to keep up the long term relationship with its target market and also potential target customers. Therefore organizations and brands are dependent on the customers providing them with an upper hand in comparison to the companies.

Legal system and method Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Legal system and method - Essay Example Subsequently, Laroche made a claim in the High Court of England and Wales, for personal injury against the defendant, which was dismissed. Laroche appealed against this decision in the England and Wales Court of Appeal. The High Court had held that his claim had been extinguished, on the basis of Schedule 1, Article 29 of the Carriage by Air Acts (Application of Provisions) Order 1967. Thereafter, the Spirit of Adventure underwent voluntary liquidation, but it was appropriately restored, so that Laroche could claim damages for the injury caused to him. In England, all claims are subjected to the application of the Non – International Rules and they also fall within the scope of the Warsaw Convention on International Carriage by Air 1929. Thus, the concept of exclusivity of claims is governed by the Carriage by Air Act of 1961. In this case, the claim was made under article 29 of Schedule I. Under this article, the parties have to make a claim within a period of two years. Thus, the claim in this case was not valid, since two years had already transpired. The claimant could not invoke his right to action. Section 651 of the Companies Act 1985 sets aside such limitation. Nevertheless, article 29 could not be excluded in order to invoke the doctrines of estoppel or waiver under English law1. It was held by the court that Laroche’s claim was governed by Schedule 1 of the 1967 Order. This Order provides an exclusive cause of action; and Laroche could invoke this schedule to his claims. However, he had failed to make a claim within two years. Thus, he was precluded from invoking Schedule 1 article 292. This is a landmark case in the area of accidents, during carriage by air or sea. It served to establish that the provisions of International Conventions will be applied to claims in such accidents. The provisions apply to claims in domestic or international accidents. The conventions provide remedies to the claims for damages, and are

Emergent Strategy and Changing Capabilities in Video Games Industry Essay

Emergent Strategy and Changing Capabilities in Video Games Industry - Essay Example Since this is a broad topic, a holistic qualitative method of study was chosen. A case study regarding Sony’s emergent strategies was undertaken, following the examples provided by the review. The research uses a structured grounded approach to the study. A structured grounded theory is a research approach that allows the hypothesis to emerge from exploring a case study. The data collection was based on secondary documentary evidence, supported by Yin (2003). In case of study research, data collection, analysis, and dissemination occur cooperatively in order to explore a descriptive case study. The research finds that Sony is able to understand when the business world is unpredictable and Sony is able to organize itself to respond to market pressures through its brand identity. However, Sony does not have adequate strength to move knowledge inside the organization to consumers or to build relationships with customers based on information, such as in the release statements of n ew products. Sony is able to evolve, however, its continued and rigid focus on the PlayStation line does not offer a flexible approach, particularly in seeking out new sources of revenue and innovation. New theories in strategic management consider a back to basics approach (Grant 2007). The video game industry is one of the most volatile and high growth industries in the modern technology era (Williams 2002). However, the industry is controlled by three main competitors: Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony (Williams 2002). With the recent launch of the PS3, Sony has suffered unexpected profit losses from low purchases in both the console and the game software development. Thus, it becomes important to examine if customer satisfaction affects the marketing strategies employed. Many firms do not focus on customer satisfaction as a method of increasing back to basics profitability and instead focus on other methods of generating money. This includes mergers and acquisitions (Anderson and Mittal 2003). Yet not all blame can be laid upon the consumer.

Cave Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cave - Essay Example The cave reveals that such people are trapped in the cave of confusion and misunderstanding. The Shadows symbolize the perceptions of people who believe that what we see in the world increases knowledge. When one believes that what he sees should be justified as truth then this happens to be the shadow of truth. The game illustrates how people believe that one individual can be a master. The escape prisoner symbolizes the philosopher who finds knowledge outside his senses and the cave. His intellectual journey revolves finding wisdom and truth. The return represents a different prisoner who desires to find philosophical truth. This essay seeks to discuss how we can use Plato’s allegory to understand what Ishmael Beah went through in his experiences in Sierra Leone’s war. In brief, the story of Ishmael Beah reveals a child’s journey through tribulations. At a tender age, Ishmael life was affected by the outbreak of the civil war. His parents and siblings died and left him in the world that was cruel and brutal. Soon after his family’s death, the young boy was recruited as a child soldier. In his assigned duties, Ishmael ensured that many people understood the devastating impacts of war on young children in his country Iran. Ishmael won a competition in his country for creating insights on the effects of war in Iran. In his life, the young boy spoke confidently about his experiences that eventually captivated many people’s attention on the aspect of child soldiering and the effect of war on children (Plato10). Ishmael spoke on different occasions on behalf of the Human Rights Watch and UNICEF. He created a strong ground for many people to promote children rights and end war since its effect cannot be underestimated. The story of Ishmael is of hope and redemption in that it revealed his passion in humanity. Now that we have discussed the meaning of the Allegory cave, let us now discuss how the Plato’s allegory helps us und erstand what Ishmael Beah went through in his experiences in Sierra Leone’s war. Ishmael Beah is like the prisoner described in the allegory in that he represents the dreamer who seeks knowledge outside of the senses and the cave (Beah 19). As previously mentioned, Ishmael’s journey represented a philosopher's journey of finding wisdom and truth. In a Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah narrates a riveting story that reveals his different realities before, during, and after his time as a soldier. Before being a soldier, the government army accused Ishmael of being capable of committing terrible acts. At this point, one would argue that the boy was in the cave of misunderstanding. The world around him was dark and filled with torments and pain. As argued by Plato (10), the people in the cave cannot air their thoughts since they can only see life as illusion. However, in the outer world there is light that makes an individual to identify everything that is happening around him. Based on this argument, one would argue that the young boy was inside the cave after the death of his parents and siblings. He could not comprehend why the world was so much cruel to the extent of killing his family members. During his time as a soldier, the young boy was in the outer world of the cave where everything was visible. He gradually began to identify everything that was happening around him and he realized that he was living in the real world. He

Ernesto Che Guevara dela Serna Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Ernesto Che Guevara dela Serna - Essay Example At such an early age, he was said to have a dynamic and radical outlook. As a child, he already suffered crippling episodes of asthma that afflicted him throughout his life. Despite this sickness, Guevara was an accomplished athlete who excelled in rugby and became renowned for his aggressive playing style (Anderson). Apart from this, Guevara also stood out in chess and took part in local tournaments at the age of 12. Furthermore, he was a voracious reader with interest ranging from Jack London's and Jules Verne's adventure classics to Sigmund Freud's essays about sexuality and Bertrand Russell's treatises on social philosophy. In addition, Guevara was passionate about poetry and photography (James). During his college years, Guevara entered the University of Buenos Aires to pursue further studies in the medicine in 1948. It was during this time that he was enlightened regarding the poor economic and social conditions in Latin American nations. As a student, Guevara frequently traveled around the region with his friend Alberto Granado. Aboard a 1939 Norton motorcycle, dubbed as La Poderasa II, the two set off intending to spend a few weeks of volunteer work at San Pablo leper colony in Peru. This journey was chronicled in The Motorcycle Diaries, which was translated and adapted into a film. ("Wikipedia") In light of Guevara's analysis relative to the poverty and oppression of the masses, he arrived at a conclusion that the answer to the prevailing socio-economic inequities in Latin America was revolution. With this, he also asserted that his ideology required a continent-wide strategy such that the separate nations would be viewed as one entity. From this he derived the concept of Ibero-America, which means united and borderless Latin American region linked by a common mestizo culture (Anderson). This became a central concept in Guevara's revolutionary undertakings. To start off, in his homeland, Guevara participated in riots against the Argentine dictator Juan Peron ("The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia"). Headstart in Guatemala - The Communist Youth After his graduation from medical school in 1953, Guevara traversed Latin American nations including Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador. He ended up in Guatemala where he was enticed to join the leftist regime of Jacobo Arbenz Guzman ("The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia"). President Arbenz ran a populist government that attempted to cause a social revolution through myriad reforms, specifically land reform ("Revolutionary Youth"). Guevara became involved in the Arbenz administration through Peruvian socialist Hilda Gadea, who introduced him to top ranked government officials (Anderson). It should be noted that it was around this time that Guevara acquired the nickname Che, a term he frequently used which is the Argentine equivalent of pal or mate. In 1954, the coup attempt led by Carlos Castillo Armas and funded by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had commenced and continuously gained ground. On the other hand, the Arbenz government was supported by the Communist Czechoslovakia that shipped thousands of tons of weapons to Guatemala (Holland). As a supporter of Arbenz, Guevara joined an armed militia under the tutelage of the

All men by their very nature feel the urge to know. How does knowledge Essay

All men by their very nature feel the urge to know. How does knowledge arise, and what characterizes scientific knowledge, - Essay Example He believes that human senses do not create wisdom, only experience. An individual remains unaware of the substance of a desire unless s/he discovers what truly fulfills it. Through its fulfillment individuals discover what is being desired by the desire. Hence Aristotle talks about the ‘delight’ individuals get from their senses. If the knowledge individuals desire for were only a way to achieve another objective, for instance, power, then the inherent desire would not be a yearning for knowledge.3 That human beings delight in the mere use of their senses is an indication that they do have a yearning for knowledge. This essay analyzes Aristotle’s argument that â€Å"All men by nature desire to know†. The analysis includes a discussion of the following questions: how does knowledge arise, and what characterizes scientific knowledge? How does Knowledge Arise? Aristotle classified knowledge into three main groups. He thinks that all ideas are either theoretic al or productive or practical. Theoretical knowledge pursues neither action nor production, but only truth. It comprises everything that people now regards as science, and in the point of view of Aristotle it includes thus far the ultimate part of the entirety of human knowledge.4 On the other hand, productive sciences focus on the production like farming, engineering, and so on. And practical sciences focus on action, such as how a person has to behave or respond in various situations. The basic assumptions of Aristotle’s model of scientific knowledge start with the broad statement that every intellectual learning and teaching develop from prior knowledge.5 Aristotle believes that the two forms of initial knowledge are needed—knowledge that an object exists, and knowledge of what that object is. This prior knowledge may involve the existence of an object, or to the description of certain concepts.6 It should also be established that scientific knowledge cannot arise t hrough sense-perception, and that scientific knowledge is developed by using the ‘syllogistic’ technique, which is how a person gives a scientific explanation of specific patterns and facts by demonstrating how they logically arise from specific first premises.7 For Aristotle, knowledge is not only having verified, factual belief. Knowledge is a concept quite precise for Aristotle. There are only certain statements that can be known. According to Aristotle, so as to know some statement P, first, P must be essentially correct or factual and, second, one should be capable of proving or demonstrating P from ideas that are essentially universal and factual. A ‘universal statement’ is defined as basically a statement about a group of objects, instead of a statement about a specific object.8 How Aristotle defines knowledge shows that statements such as â€Å"the speaker is a man† and â€Å"the boy is sad† are not bodies of knowledge, for only univer sal statements can be known, and the two abovementioned sample statements are specific, instead of universal statements. Aristotle would argue that a person ‘perceives’ that the speaker is a man, and a person ‘perceives’ that the boy is sad. Aristotle clearly explains that wisdom is the knowledge of causes and principles, because a person who has knowledge of such, also has