An experience that changed my life Essay

Everyone has experience in their life. These experiences could be the incidents which has happened in someone else life or in our life. Some people learn lesson from their experiences and some experiences change the people’s life automatically. The topic I selected is about a tragic experience that happened in my life, during my early twenties. I was working for one of the largest retail companies in America which has over than 1,916 stores nationwide. Newly hired in the store, makes me strive to be recognized, famous, awarded and the best employee in it. My new job took priority over my family, and led me to leave my responsibilities as a sister, aunt and a daughter behind. Then, one day I was injured on my shift so badly that I had to stay home sick for three months. This accident changed my view towards lifestyle, work and family. Experiences are various lessons which affect a person’s life positively or negatively. It depends on how each individual’s experience affects their view of life because experience is the best teaching resource in a person’s life. Not each person has parents, friends, or teachers to learn from; but each one has his personal experience. My bad experience led to a positive outcome. The purpose is to give a wise experience to the reader from my own experience. The audience for this essay are: instructors, students, parents, teachers and workers. The method that will be used is descriptive. The essay will describe the high expectation of living in America with the professional idealism towards family orientation. Read more:Â  Books That Changed My Life

Change management: the implications of self-interest on organizational change

Introduction Organizations in the modern business environment face rapid change driven by globalization and continuous technological innovation. To adapt to this rapid change and to be successful in enhancing organizational performance in this environment, an effective approach is required to facilitate the transitioning of individuals, teams and organizations to a desired future state. A structured approach enabling organizational change would ensure smooth change and successful implementation in the pursuit of lasting benefits (Bennis, 2000). Despite this need, efforts towards organizational change often run into some form of human resistance due primarily to the diverse ways in which individuals and groups act in response to change. However rational or positive, change often causes some form of emotional turmoil and involves perceptions of loss and uncertainty (Beitler, 2005). Kotter and Schlesinger (1979; 451) identify four common reasons people resist change including: †¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"a desire not to lose something of value (parochial self-interest), a misunderstanding of the change and its implications, a belief that the change does not make sense for the organization, and a low tolerance for change.† Self-interest is a major reason for resistance within organizations with people focusing on their own best interest and not those of the entire organization. This paper explores the effect of self-interest in change management evaluating the view that this factor necessitates the adoption of pluralism in organizations with regard to management styles and approaches, organizational design, culture, and decision-making. Also evaluated is the view that although self-interest undermines the concept of â€Å"shared organizational vision,† it is essential to the comprehension of the nature of resistance to change and how that resistance might be managed. This is achieved through an in-depth analysis evaluating organizational context, culture as well as employee beha viour and attitudes which are linked to potential resistance. It contributes to the understanding and application of change management processes and how transformational change can be sustained towards enhanced organizational performance. Parochial self-interest Despite potential positive outcomes, it is nearly always the case that change is resisted. A degree of resistance is normal and acceptable given that change and its attendant process is often disruptive and stressful (Lawson and Price, 2003). A degree of scepticism can also be healthy especially when there are actual or perceived weaknesses in the change proposed, which need to be addressed for the change to have desired positive outcomes (Frese and Fay, 2001). However, resistance in any form and from whatever cause impedes the achievement of business objectives which form the essence of the pursuit and effective management of organizational change (Bennis, 2000). It is a widely held opinion that humans are born with self-interest as an innate tendency and their primary motive, which underlies their outwardly evident behaviour, is to safeguard and to improve these interests (Miller, 1999). This tendency is often automatic, habitual and is in most cases exercised without conscious tho ught (Mansbridge, 1990; Miller, 1999). Self-interest is, therefore, part of normal human nature inherent in our being with every individual having the propensity to narrowly focus on their own best interest and self-preservation before that of others including the organization. Self-interest concerns individual regard for the implications of change for themselves linked to a desire not to lose something of value. In the context of organizational change, this concern and regard for self often causes individuals to resist changes or alterations, particularly if there are suspicions or negative perceptions regarding the changes or circumstances (van Dam et al, 2008). Strong resistance to change is however often rooted in feelings that are historically reinforced and deeply conditioned, established ways, procedures, or methods which could be subject to disruption through the change (Battilana and Casciaro, 2013). Resistance could also result from the individual’s perception of a particular situation, as well as their levels of tolerance for change which could be linked to other causes of resistance such as inadequate information and/or understanding of the necessity and implications of the change; adequate skills development and training; trust and a sense of security; and overall employee relations in organization settings (Zander, 1950; Beitler, 2005). However, in some cases, self-interest has negative connotations of greed and selfishness in the context in which such self-concern goes against the interests of others or widely accepted moral values (Miller, 1999; Rocha and Ghoshal, 2006). In this case, an individual acts to safeguard individual benefits and/or to enhance gain without regard to the impact and effect of their decisions and actions on others including the interests and objectives of the organization. In the exploration of the nature of self-interest and its implications in the context of organizational change, this paper reviews two theoreti cal viewpoints applicable to this focus. These include the rational-economic view which is discussed alongside complementary theories, such as the bureaucratic-hierarchy organizational theory and the neo-institutional economic theory; and the humanistic view, in which the communitarian and collaboration theories are addressed. These orientations reflect a shift in regard for human nature and behaviour from the traditional narrow definition of the rational, egocentric individual to a greater recognition of capacity for other-orientation and willingness of individuals for collaborative action. Theoretical context In neoclassical economics under the capitalist system, the business environment is portrayed in a mechanistic nature with businesses portrayed as ‘machines’ serving primarily for profit maximization subject to iron laws of competition (Mahoney, 2005). This linguistic scheme tends to ignore reality and focuses strictly on mathematical grammar which ideally, albeit not factually, replaces human judgment with algorithms (Rubinstein, 2006). It does not anticipate challenges regarding the human component of organizations, assuming it to be among essential factors of production. However, the human component in business is significant and cannot be ignored or eliminated in the conduct of economic activities; being an essential space through which individual participants exercise responsibility (Sen, 2002; Harder et al, 2004). Businesses in the modern world have to grapple with the human resource component, given the rapidly changing nature of business and greater flexibility an d freedoms of employees participating in production. A central concern in the study of organizational behaviour is how to get employees to contribute high levels of effort and performance to their organization’s collective interests (Mahoney and McGahan. 2007). It entails the pursuit of mechanisms through which to achieve greater alignment between the self and the collective interest (Lawson and Price, 2003; van Dam et al, 2008) essential for the achievement of enhanced organizational performance and crucial in the modern dynamic business environment particularly in moments of change. On one hand, in the context of neoclassical economics, the practice and study of organizations has been based on the foremost assumption of individuals and organizations as rational actors pursuing their self-interests in an inherently competitive space in which several parties involved strive for scarce resources (Diefenbach, 2007). This is the basis for the rational-economic view which assumes that self and collective interests are essentially in conflict (Zander, 1950). In contrast, the humanistic point of view holds that both interests are not independent of each other, embracing the view that they are compatible (Dierksmeier, 2009). These viewpoints are explored in greater detail. Rational-economic view This view essentially assumes that individuals are independent agents rationally pursuing actions that seek to maximize their own self-interests as a primary motivation for their engagement in economic considerations (Mahoney and McGahan. 2007). This has its basis in descriptions in a set of Theory X assumptions regarding human nature described by McGregor (1960) which are premised on the view that employees are naturally lazy and harbour a dislike for work. Individuals are thus reluctant to contribute to the objectives of the organizations, pursuing only money and security. The objective of organizations, then, is to control individual behaviour through rational and efficient organizational structures and processes which ensure consistency with organizational goals and objectives such as stability, efficiency and productivity (Sen, 2002; Dierksmeier, 2009). In this view, organizational design, administrative structure and management approaches adhere to bureaucratic-hierarchical for m. The design of tasks follows principles of division of labour and efficiency maximization pegged on classical economics (Diefenbach, 2007). Control is achieved through systems of authority in the structure, written rules and regulations, punishment and coercion for deviants, as well as incentives such as career advancement and compensation for compliance (Mahoney, 2005). Recent emergence of neo-institutional or organizational economics applying rational-economic assumptions to the analysis of organizations has gained in popularity. This approach relaxes the narrow assumptions of rational economics and departs from the simplistic and negative view of the nature of humans (Sen, 2002; Mahoney and McGahan, 2007). The underlying assumption that humans are rational in intent, self-interest and readily opportunistic is retained though emphasis is made on the assumption of bounded rationality (Rubinstein, 2006; Thomas and Hardy 2011). Neo-institutional approaches, in their various constit uent theories, are premised on the perspective of ready belief that individuals are likely to seek avoidance, to withhold effort, or to act deviousness in pursuit of their own interests (Diefenbach, 2007; Folger and Salvador, 2008). Hence, self-interest is seen to be in conflict with collective interests with the former taking precedence in determining individual decisions and actions. With a basis on these assumptions, agency theorists who argue for control of agents (i.e. employees) by the principal (i.e. manager) affirm the need to adopt mechanisms for incentive, monitoring and control to align the conflicting interests and to prevent agents from pursuing their individual self-interest without regard to organizational goals (Kotter and Schlesinger, 1979). Proponents attempting to solve problems associated with collective action advocate the use of mechanisms to distinguish individual contribution (or lack thereof) which enable incentive or sanction mechanisms (Diefenbach, 2007). This perspective does not consider collective action and collaborative effort in the organizational context as feasible instead promoting greater control and authoritative hierarchical approaches. In its core assumptions, humans are regarded as rational and readily opportunistic making the joint pursuit of a shared organizational vision in organizational settings untenable. In disregard of collective (or organizational) interest, individuals are likely to shirk, withhold effort, and act in devious ways with their self-interest taking precedence and determining their decisions and actions. In this case, pluralism, which entails a bargaining process among diverse and sometimes competing interests in the attempt to maximize the goals of all involved cannot be realized. It is ineffective in organizational settings involving diverse and varied individual interests at play. Despite its significant influence, this perspective has been subject of various criticisms. Its control mechanisms a re deemed to hinder flexibility and responsiveness reducing employee morale, creativity and satisfaction (Frese and Fay 2001; Folger and Salvador, 2008). Its primary emphasis on external control mechanisms and monetary incentives is seen to reinforce and foster negative egocentric behaviour locking out collaborative behaviour essential for the advancement of the organization’s interests (Sen, 2002; Folger and Salvador, 2008; Frese and Fay 2001). The humanistic view This view challenges the core premises of the rational-economic perspective regarding human nature focusing on motivations that underlie human behaviour in a broader orientation (Nguyen, 2000; Lawson and Price, 2003). It is premised on a contrasting set of Theory Y assumptions also described by McGregor (1960) contrasting those of Theory X. These capture the essence of the humanistic perspective including the notion that individuals will to be self-directed, to work hard, and to assume responsibility (Nguyen, 2000; Dierksmeier, 2009). Unlike the earlier approach focused on lower order survival and security needs, such assumptions serve to create more humanistic organizations which endeavour to provide employees with greater opportunity to pursue their higher order needs for self-esteem and self-actualization (Rocha and Ghoshal, 2006; Harder et al, 2004). This view is compatible with the communitarian view which sees humans as multifarious and consequently cannot be limited to concept s such as egocentric, rational and pursuing only their self-interests, not even when regarding their economic transactions (Frese and Fay 2001). Communitarians posit instead that individuals are at the same time rational and social agents, pursuing both concerns of self and moral values of community. In their view, people want and endeavour to be part of and to identify with something larger than themselves, a group or community, and to contribute to some collective good. An ability of human beings to have and to express sympathy for others and to demonstrate commitment to other-oriented values and principles is consistent with this perspective (Nguyen, 2000). Incidentally, in instances when self-interests are in conflict with moral values and commitments in a social setting, the latter in communitarian theory, often supersedes the former as the basis for individual decision making (Mansbridge, 1990; Folger and Salvador, 2008). The communitarian perspective generally advocates for i nvolvement and participation, as well as engagement in civic, collective, and social processes and activities to encourage social and moral behaviour among individuals (Lively, 1978; Battilana and Casciaro, 2013). This backs up the premise that the use of economic incentives and factors that are intrinsically motivational can foster greater alignment between self- and collective interests resulting in an internalized moral commitment to collective good rather than one which is induced or incentivized (Lawson and Price, 2003). This perspective can also be subsumed under the collaboration theory which is of the general belief that individuals have social-moral potential for the pursuit of collective interests and thus are collaborative in nature (Harder et al, 2004; Rubinstein, 2006). Proponents of this perspective have suggested that organization based on the rational-economic perspective is insufficient and incapacitated in the modern dynamic, information-based society linked in net worked systems (Mahoney and McGahan. 2007). Others also posit that there are a number of positive benefits that could accrue from organizational structures, management approaches and incentive mechanisms consistent with collaborative assumptions. These include: increasing positive behaviour due to organizational citizenship and belonging (Battilana and Casciaro, 2013); enhancing willingness and motivation to perform; facilitating high levels of morale and creativity (Frese and Fay 2001); improving the quality of team-based action and work; support of win-win approaches to resolution of problems; besides enabling greater systemic coordination (van Dam et al, 2008).Communitarianism and the collaboration theory support and front the humanistic idea that there can be significant benefits for organizations from design features and management practices oriented towards shared power with employees through increased opportunities for co-leadership, autonomy, empowerment, self-management and participation. Collaboration theory is also premised on the view that due to the interdependence of an organization’s constituent parts, there is no inherent conflict between individual self-interest and the organization’s collective interest (Lively, 1978). Research on organizational culture, for instance, has shown that organizational effectiveness can be enhanced when employees are bound together by shared values, beliefs and practices, in their natural inclination to protect and advance collective interest (Lively, 1978; Battilana and Casciaro, 2013). The collaboration-oriented approach advocates for the replacement of traditional principal-agent relations and hierarchical authority serving to control and to direct employees by a pluralist stewardship approach to management. This aims to meet the needs of various stakeholders while serving the interests of the entire organization (Lively, 1978). This view and orientation favours pluralism given that individuals in the organizational context, with diverse and sometimes competing interests, are considered to have the capacity to co-exist and to achieve democratic equilibrium essential for the obtaining of a win-win compromise. This compromise and cooperation is essential for the change process and the attainment of enhanced performance. Accordingly, self-interest is not a hindrance in the pursuit of a share organizational vision given the potential for individuals to have shared values, beliefs, and practices, and a natural inclination to protect and to advance collective interest. Such a shared vision can be attained through the pursuit of a stewardship approach to management. These recommendations are however criticized for their optimism with regard to moral values, trust and willingness to contribute and to collaborate. This optimism is deemed by sceptics as underestimating the potential pervasiveness of self-interest, the strengths of existing power relations, and the risks of democracy i n the establishment of business relations; factors which necessitate the pursuit of greater managerial/principal control and direction (Folger and Salvador, 2008). The need for greater focus on self-interest In organizational settings, various individuals and different personalities are engaged and interact each with their own priorities and motivations. Behind the various economic facts pursued by organization in their operations are free human beings (McGregor, 1960). Unlike unalterable laws of nature, structures of economic behaviour are influenced by notions and ideals of these interacting individuals that are engaged in it (Frese and Fay 2001). Time and again throughout history, it has been shown that economic behaviour changes with alterations in human attitudes eroding various economic laws (McGregor, 1960; Harder et al, 2004). The individual freedom and ideas about its responsible use plays an eminent role in the economy and if directed and employed appropriately can have significant impact in furtherance of shared organizational vision and objectives. These freedoms and ideas and their individual application in various contexts cannot be conceptualized by abstract methods, predi cted or computed (Nguyen, 2000). Unlike physical systems, human beings form theories about their contexts and act, not simply driven by material causes as often assumed by economic theory, but upon their personal interpretations of the world (Lively, 1978; Dierksmeier, 2009). In the context of organizations and in everyday life, resistance is not a single set of behaviours employees exhibit in situations such as when change is instituted. It comprises various reactions, sometimes unconscious, to forces acting on individuals or groups in a particular environment and context (Thomas and Hardy 2011). Reality in business in the organizational context therefore requires â€Å"messy† procedures and qualitative assessments which result from unpredictable democratic as opposed to technocratic decision-making procedures (van Dam et al, 2008; Thompson and Martin, 2010). There can therefore hardly be a singular effective method or approach to the management of resistance as it requires that all the diverse concerns and needs be addressed. It is also noteworthy that the common reason leading to resistance such as the desire not to lose something of value, a misunderstanding of the change and its implications, and low tolerance for the change can in some way be tied up to self-interest (Harder et al, 2004). It is therefore imperative to focus on the particular self-interest of the various individuals so as to predict potential causes of the resistance, to create an understanding on the nature of their individual and particular resistance to change, to predict their individual responses to it, and to seek appropriate response to mitigate the concerns or to tackle upcoming issues. The various reactions to the change help to elucidate the effect and actual or potential impact of the change, which might not be evident in a closed hierarchical and controlled command system. Such an approach enables the realization of greater success in the change process as it enables jo int diagnosis of problems, fostering of consensus, development of a shared vision, enhancement of cohesion and revitalization in the path to the new vision, as well as the development of all-inclusive formal policies and enhanced monitoring and adjustment. It thus is not a coercive and an impelled process but one that is inclusive and shared. The more people’s needs are better understood, the better the management of the change process and the better the involvement and participation of affected individuals in the process. It is only through such wide engagement and consensus that any transformational change desired can be effected and sustained. Conclusion Regardless of the many types of change, a critical aspect is an organization’s ability to buy-in its employees to the change. This is the predominant reason why evaluation of the implication of self-interest, particularly the unbridled parochial self-concern, is essential to change management enabling the understanding of the nature of resistance to change and therefore how such resistance might be managed. Such a capability can facilitate the sustenance of transformational change, which enables enhanced organizational performance and consequently, success in the challenging modern business environment. The modern environment, given its attendant dynamism, networked systems and information-based societies, presents a challenge to traditional hierarchical and control approaches to management. This makes pluralist and democratic methods essential for the conduct of business in present day organizations. References Battilana, J., and T., Casciaro, 2013. Overcoming resistance to organizational change: strong ties and affective co-optation (Report). Management Science, (4), 819. Bennis, W., 2000. Managing the dream: Reflections on leadership and change. Cambridge, MA: Perseus. Beitler, M., 2005. Overcoming Resistance to Change. Viewed from: www.strategicorganizationalchange.com Dierksmeier, C., 2009. â€Å"A Requisite Journey: From Business Ethics to Economic Philosophy.† In: The Humanistic Management Network (ed.), Humanism in Business, 68–83. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Folger, R. and R. Salvador, 2008. Is management theory too self-fishJournal of Management, 1127-1151. Frese, M., and D., Fay, 2001. Personal initiative: An active performance concept for work in the 21st century. In: B. M. Staw and R. I. Sutton (Eds.), Research in organizational behaviour (Vol. 23, pp. 133–187). Amsterdam: Elsevier. Harder, J., P., Robertson, and H., Woodward, 2004. The spirit of the new workplace: Breathing life into organizations. Organizational Development Journal, 22(2), 79–103. Kotter, J., and L., Schlesinger, 1979. Choosing strategies for change. Harvard Business Review. March-April, 1979 Kotter, J., 1995. Leading change: Why transformation efforts fail. Harvard Business Review, 73(2), 59-67. Lawson, E., & Price, C., 2003. The psychology of change management. McKinsey Quarterly, (4), 30-41 Lively, C. 1978. Pluralism and consensus. In: P. Birnbaum, G. Parry, J. Lively, (eds.), Democracy, Consensus and Social Contract. London: Sage Publications, 188–202 Mahoney, J., 2005. Economic Foundations of Strategy. Thousand Oaks, CA.: Sage, Mahoney, J., and A., McGahan. 2007. The field of strategic management within the evolving science of strategic organization. Strategic Organ. 5(1) 79–99. Mansbridge, J., 1990. Beyond self-interest. Chicago: University of Chicago Press McGregor, D., 1960. The human side of enterprise. New York: McGraw-Hill. Miller, D., 1999. The norm of self-interest. American Psychologist, 54, 1053–1060 Nguyen, H., 2000. Do humanistic values matterAcademy of Management Best Paper Proceedings, ODC: A1-A6. Rocha, H., and S., Ghoshal, 2006. Beyond self-interest revisited. Journal of Management Studies, 43: 585–619. Rubinstein, A., 2006. A sceptic’s comment on the study of economics. The Economic Journal, March: C1–C9. Sen, A., 2002. Rationality and Freedom. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Thompson, J., and Martin, F., 2010. Strategic Management: Awareness and Change. Cengage Learning EMEA. Diefenbach, T., 2007. The managerialistic ideology of organisational change management. Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 20 Issue: 1, pp.126 – 144 Thomas R., and C., Hardy, 2011. Reframing resistance to organizational change. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 27(3), 322-331. van Dam, K., Oreg, and B., Schyns, 2008. Daily Work Contexts and Resistance to Organisational Change: The Role of Leader–Member Exchange, Development Climate, and Change Process Characteristics. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 57(2), 313-334. Zander, A., 1950. Resistance to change: Its analysis and prevention. Advanced Management, 4(5), 9-11.

Human Papilloma Virus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Human Papilloma Virus - Essay Example The warts seldom cause cancer or other medical complications, though the viruses that are transferred sexually and cause warts to be located on the genital reason are capable of causing cervix cancer in females (Stern, 1994). Though the actual cause of any form of human papilloma virus in an individual is still unknown, it can be contracted by making contact with a person that does have the virus. Genital HPV infections are developed through sexual intercourse and oral sex; in the case of oral sex, the warts can appear around or in the mouth or throat. In regard to other forms of the human papilloma virus, skin-to-skin contact, regardless of the body part, can cause a person to pass the virus on to another. The human papilloma virus cannot always be cured. Even if the person no longer has warts, as they are able to disappear, the person can still be harboring the virus and can still pass it on to another (Dizon, 2010). Vaccines and medications are available to get rid of the warts ca used by the virus. Other methods of treating the warts include freezing with liquid nitrogen, which can be done in an over-the-counter fashion, and surgical or laser surgery. It is difficult to prevent human papilloma virus, especially the types that produce common warts. Sexually transmitted viruses can be prevented by practicing safe sex and reducing the number of partners. References Dizon, D. S. (2010). Human papilloma virus. New York: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Stern, P. L.

Usability Engineering Quantitative Analysis Assignment

Usability Engineering Quantitative Analysis - Assignment Example The fields that were selected were: What did you read? , what was the reading medium? , what was the reason for reading? , what was your native language? , How old are you? And do you know any other languages? The data on gender in regard to whether one was male or female was deemed to be unsuitable for analysis since the number of males exceeds that of females by a far large margin. The missing data was filled using the results from the frequency distribution tables for the selected data and the redundancy that existed in the dataset was removed. Some fields such as the use of lectures notes was merged with paperwork and the use of slides was merged with the use of lecture slides. Data about websites was combined under the umbrella of websites. The descriptive statistics for the selected fields were computed as shown in the table below Through analysis of the statistics obtained in the table above, it emerged that the question of what was most read by the respondents was obtained through the mode. 128 people were determined to have read their emails. The laptop was found to be the most commonly used medium. A total of 380 respondents indicated that they had used their laptops to read. Most of the respondents indicated that English was their native language. The number of persons who were determined to have indicated that English was their native language was 72. The highest number of respondents also indicated that they were 25 years of age or younger as compared to those who were over 25 years old. The highest number of the respondents also indicated that they had knowledge of more than one language compared to those who were unilingual. This narrows down to 1.29 % using e readers while 12.56 % used papers as a media. These results from the sample population indicate that the people prefer to use the traditional medium of communication as compared to the modern media. A further analysis of the data on the media used

Child labour and its impact on childhood and child health Essay

Child labour and its impact on childhood and child health - Essay Example The study â€Å"Child labour and its impact on childhood and child health† examines the issue of child labour on a global scale. According to the International Labour Organization, approximately 215 million children worldwide are employed as full time labour with little or no access to education and play. They have no access to proper nutrition or care and are essentially, deprived of their right to childhood. A significant number of these children live in third world countries, where the children are exposed to hazardous environments, which are deemed to be detrimental for their physical and mental health. According to estimates, almost 14 per cent of the world's children under the age of 18 are engaged in active employment. This proportion is higher in third world countries such as India, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Yemen. The interest in child labour issues has increased significantly over the recent decades indicating the gravity of the issue and its far reaching impacts on the children globally. Research indicates that the environmental conditions of workplaces play a key role in the health and well-being of the workers. Children are far more vulnerable to ill-health if made to work in extreme conditions, as compared to adults. Research suggests that due to anatomical differences between the children and adults, child workers are relatively more vulnerable to occupational health hazards. Constant exposure to carcinogens is known to cause cancer among children as compared to adults with similar amounts of exposure.... For instance, constant exposure to carcinogens is known to cause cancer among children as compared to adults with similar amounts of exposure. Furthermore children are prone to occupational injuries at work places as compared to adults, since they experience more fatigue and stress and have less knowledge and poor judgement than adults. Also, they are often made to work with tools which are mainly designed for adults thus making it difficult for them to handle them effectively (Bekele & Meyers, 1995). Furthermore child labour diversely affects the children’s education, and robs them of their basic right to rest, play, and leisure. Involvement of children in hazardous occupations at an early age may lead to serious health consequences affecting their physical as well as mental development. It may even lead to irreversible damage resulting in permanent disability (Hindman, 2009). According to WHO almost 111 million children under the age of 15 are involved in hazardous work whic h includes environments with high levels of chemicals, noise, and ergonomic risks such as lifting heavy loads etc. It also includes longer durations of work, night work, and work environments which may lead to physical and sexual harassment (WHO, 2012). It is argued that children in full time employment and forced to work for long hours are deprived of their right to leisure (Hobbs, McKechnie, and Lavalette, 1999; Haspels & Jankanish, 2000) thus resulting in emotional and psychological stress (Tienda & Wilson, 2002). Some researchers have observed that children are often paid a meagre amount for the same amount of work done by their adult peers. Furthermore child

Decision and accounting making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Decision and accounting making - Essay Example From the below income statement summary, Waldron’s sales have been rising almost in all the four categories of products that they deal in. It is evident that Waldron has been experiencing significance growth as per the divisional summary report. Durafit has been hit with several market challenges including stiff competition from foreign markets. This can be witnessed even with the latest financial report that shows Durafit’s sales drop from 1, 332 million euros in the year 2012 to 1,214 million euros in the year 2012; this represented a decrease of 9%. Durafit has been struggling to come into the market as an active player but there are some issues that still hold the division. The decrease in sales also saw Durafit record low profit margin at the end of the year 2013 as compared to the year 2012. Durafit’s main challenge is the nature of its products versus customers’ taste. Durafit took time in adjusting to modern construction techniques which gave its major competitors time to adjust and conquer the market with modern building techniques. The division’s profit margin was up by 1% when both 2012 and 2013 are compared. This is one of the Waldron’s divisions that give the company an interest to continue in business. With its nature of operations, Contracts at one time experienced downfall in the U.K market which posed a threat in attaining its profits. With opening of its branch outside the U.K and completion of major projects ahead of schedule, Contracts has won the trust of major clients and has really benefited from this. Contracts’ sales improved greatly from 1,949 million euros to 1,214 million euros in the year 2012 to 2013 respectively; this represented a 12% increase. Gross profit margin was also up from 50% to 54%. This was as a result of opening up for new markets outside the U.K which saw its sales increase as a result of more tender being awarded to the division. Unlike other divisions, elite is one of the

The need for the ACA to provide american family the ability to Essay

The need for the ACA to provide american family the ability to purchase affordable comprehensive healthcare insurance that includes abortion coverage - Essay Example ely to improve the coverage of the comprehensive healthcare insurance and thus expand the benefits and coverage subsidies for most American businesses and individuals. The ICA policy is likely to results into several market reforms that will see many Americans, who previously could not afford healthcare insurance, take advantage of the expanded Medi-cal and federal subsidiaries through covered California; a health benefit exchange that will increase benefits covered under the comprehensive healthcare insurance while lowering the costs of insurance. However, with increased enrollment, improved benefits and implied limitations on the sharing of costs, most Americans are going to experienced increase in costs and premiums paid while purchasing individual medical covers for themselves and their families. According to the Californian Association of Health Plans (1-4), the ICA provisions are likely to affect costs of insurance in a number of different ways. One, individuals will be forced to buy insurance polices that offer almost similar benefits like those offered by the employer and this is likely to cost more and attract more premiums. Two, according to the National Institute for Health Care Management(1), the ACA requires insurance healthcare plans to cover a higher percentage of medical costs, which is likely to increase the annual premiums. Three, ACA will increase the insured benefits, which will result into a proportionate increase in the insurance costs because of increase in average premiums charged. Four, ICA forces insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions and prohibits them from exerting extra charges for poor health conditions; this is likely to force them to raise the healthcare premiums for the entire market in order to widen the common pool. Five, based on the Milliman client report (10), ACA provisions make it very impossible to lower premiums based on age of applicant; this implies that younger people will be charged higher premiums just

Module 3 DQ 1 and 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Module 3 DQ 1 and 2 - Assignment Example The representative member must have some elements of commonality uniting him with the population. There are several reasons why survey and cohort research designs are used. When the need to determine general trends, public perception and opinion towards the government, its policies, businesses, healthcare institutions or sector and the media arises, survey research designs comes in handy. The same can be used in both small-scale and large-scale levels of research studies. After determining the aim of the research design, the sample group is determined, in order to ensure accuracy. As a form of research design, surveys are flexible enough to be carried out either on a face-to-face basis, or via mail (Turlik, 2010). Conversely, cohort design can be used in both medical science and social science researches. This type of experimental design is very popular because, it factors statistical occurrences within a designated subgroup, and hence upholding the highest extent of accuracy possible. The results accrued are valid since the subgroup has similar characteristics that are pertinent to the problem being researched on. The cohort design is popular because of its flexible nature, its compatibility with both primary and secondary data and its affiliation with ethical standards. Internal validity has to do with: how well a research study has been carried out, in light of operational definitions and the research design used and the measuring of the variables; and the extent of confidentiality that is adduced when observing the effects brought about by independent variables, in lieu of extraneous variables. Again, internal validity covers accuracy of the results produced. If for instance sampling is done inchoately, results obtained may be inaccurate. Errors and biases can undermine the validity of a research study in several ways. First, the failure to do random sampling will automatically generate inaccurate results. For instance, if a designated sample

Strip Club Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Strip Club - Personal Statement Example It offers a cross-section of society, and a person will see both the negative and the positive of life when visiting. First, when paying to get into a strip club, you are looked at rather carefully by the bouncer who is normally at the door. He essentially acts as the gatekeeper to stop the too drunk or the too rowdy or the too strange-looking from going in. Once through this door (which is often covered by a curtain) the first thing that a person will notice is the sudden change in lighting, change in temperature and probably a new mixture of smells. First of all, the lighting inside a strip club is often quite dim and often red in nature. The stage on which the various girls strip is deliberately very-well lit however, and the eye is naturally drawn to it and the pole on which a lady is usually draped. A strip club is often kept a quite a hot temperature - higher than the average business. Perhaps this is because the girls need to keep warm because they are obviously less dressed than the employees of virtually any other business. It may also be to get the customers hot and bothered - to make them feel excited and thirsty and thus ready to buy the over-priced drinks. I It is the smell of spilt alcohol, various lotions that the girls use, smoke (if it is one that allows smoking) and generally a rather unclean, but not unpleasant smell, that exists inside a strip club. It is not a gentile place, and the smell shows it. On closer inspection the carpet will be seen to be stained with the rinks spit over many years of patrons coming in and out and not being careful because they are watching the girls. What kind of people are in strip clubs Well, there are some of the desperate type of men that are perhaps the clichs of such establishments as seen in movies. There are usually at least a couple of groups of drunk businessmen in town for the night, escaping their wives. However, there may also be a number of rather normal looking couples who actually go to strip clubs for entertainment. What precisely the women get out of it is not clear, but they seem willing enough to be there. Right by the stage where the girls dance and strip are stools for people to sit on, but often a little further back are longer couches and tables/chairs where people can just chat and drink as in any other bar. Most strip clubs do not force all patrons to sit right by the dancers, and thus there is no pressure to tip the girls if you do not want to. Finally, there is normally very loud music for the girls to dance to and often a rather old, has-been DJ who introduces the songs, the girls and may administer the lap dancing sessions when they occur. Normally the lights change for these sessions, in which most of the strippers offer individual performances for the patrons if they are prepared to pay the money. The bouncers are very much in evidence during these lap dances, making sure that the patrons do not touch the women in any way that they do not want to be touched. To conclude, a strip club is a fascinating place to visit. It offers a unique perspective upon human beings and is a business that offers 'pleasure' in a raw and yet often rather sad sense. The sadness comes from the vague sense of embarrassment that seems to hang around

Operations Management Plan for a Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Operations Management Plan for a Company - Essay Example The company is also determined to maintain a Customer Support Service, which matches with the best in the industry. The company wishes to maintain a strict control on the movement of input components and materials to the assembly plants, the assembly process, the dispatch of finished product to the dealers, and actual sale to the end user, in order to optimize the operations and maintain cost effectiveness and customer satisfaction. All the operations are to be centrally monitored at the head quarters at Osaka, Japan. Key issues in the supply chain and logistics management, customer support, quality assessment tools and quality management techniques are discussed, taking into consideration the impact of the geographical spread of the component suppliers, manufacturing bases, distribution channels, customer support centers and end users. 1. Processor Chip: This is to be procured from southern China. It is suggested that at least one additional source may be developed for the processor chip to avoid unforeseen supply problems in future. Assembly Plants: As seen from the supply chain diagram, the above materials are supplied to the two assembly plants, one located in Thailand, and the other in Mexico. Hence, it will be additionally beneficial to finalize at least one component supplier for each component category geographically close to each assembly plant. Major supplies of components to an assembly plant can be made by the suppliers geographically close to it, and materials from other suppliers may be diverted only in case of delivery problems. The quality checking of the incoming materials is done after receipt of incoming materials at the assembly plants. After assembly operation at the assembly p

Reactivity Series Investigation Essay Example for Free

Reactivity Series Investigation Essay Experiment on Metals Aim-To find out which of these metals will be most reactive with hydrochloric acid,and plan an investigation to test it out. The Metals given:Calcium,Aluminium,Iron,Magnesium and Zinc. Prediction-I predict that the metal will be the most reactive with hydrocholoric acid is calcium because calcium is in Group 2 which is the alkaline earth metals in the periodic table and because calcium is at the extreme left side of the periodic table and as you go across a period,the element change from reactive metals on the left to non reactive metals on the right. On the extreme right of the periodic table is the noble gases. Also calcium is Group 2 which is the alkaline earth metals and they are part of the reactive metals which is Group 1 and 2. Also out of all of the metals given calcium reacts more faster with air and creates a sparkling sight and can damage your eyes creating calcium oxide in word equation it is Calcium+Oxygen equals calcium oxide. In chemical equation it is 4Ca +O2 equals 2 Ca2o. Calcium also reacts more than zinc,aluminum,iron and magnesium with water and much more violent and quicker creating vapour and moves much faster than the other metal and creates a vigrous sizzling sound and fizzing in water and dissloves much faster than the other metals. The alkaline metals get more reactive as you go down the group and calcium is further down than magnesium so therefore it must be more reactive than magnesium. Calcium is in group 2 in the periodic table which is more reactive than iron and zinc in the transistion metals section of the periodic table which is not very reactive because transisiton metals are the metals they use to build structures or making things since they have high melting points and high densities. Calcium is in group 2 and is the more reactive out of all the metals is because group 2 metals in the periodic table have low melting points than the transition metals which iron and zinc belong to and The poor metals which aluminium belong to and they also have low low densities than the other metals. The next most reactive metal I think will be Magnesium because magnesium is higher in the group 2 than calcium and therefore less reactive than calcium and much more reactive than iron,zinc and aluminium because when magnesium react with oxygen it is more reactive than Iron or zinc or aluminium as we test it out when burning it. The magnesium sparkled producing a white light and turned into another substance which can damage your eyes if you look at it directly without any protective glass whereas the iron and zinc and aluminium didnt react as violent as this because they didnt turn into another sunstance but they did change colour. The end result of the magnesium reacting with oxygen is magnesium oxide that is in word equation magnesium+oxygen equals magnesium oxide. The chemical equation is 4Mg+O2 equals to 2Mg2O. The other reason I think magnesium is more reactive than the other metals apart from calcium is because magnesium reacts more violent than iron, zinc and aluminium in water much faster than them. The word equation for this reaction is Magensium+water equals Magnesium hydroxide+hydrogen gas and the chemical equation is 2Mg+2h2O equals 2MgOH+H2. So if calcium and magnesium acts violently with water and oxygen it will act more violently with dilute hydrocholoric acid. Equipement: -1 Gas syringe -1 Stop clock -5 Conical flask -Delivery tube -Powders 0. 5g -1 Bunsen Burner -1 heat proof mat -1 gauze mat -1 tri-pod -Top pan balance -Hydrocholoric acid -1 Spatula -5 petri-dishes -1 Clamp stand -A box of Matches -A Splint -1 measuring cylinder -Sticky labels -1 thermometer -1 bung Plan-First of all collect all the equipment on the equipement list. Then get all the different powders which aluminium powder,magnesium powder,calcium powder,iron fillings and zinc powder. After getting all the powders get a spatula and the top pan balance. Then plug in the top pan balance and weigh the mass of each powder to 0. 5g using the spatula and the petri dish to put the powder in other wise it will be everywhere. The reason we are using the plastic petri-dish is because they have less mass than beakers which we have to do calculations. The petri-dishs mass is not only 0. 1g whicle beakers will be a lot heavier and therefore we have to take away beakers mass from the powder and beakerss mass. After weighing all the different powders put them in the pertri-dish and put sticky labels on them writing what each metal are so we dont get mixed up with the metals e. g. Suppose to test aluminium but got zinc powder. After putting the labels on the powders we are going get the measuring cylinder and measure hydrocholic acid which is 15cm3 and after we measured it we are going to put it into a conical flask. Repeat the measuring of the hydrocholic acid and putting it into the conical flask till all the 5 conical flasks have 15cm3 of hydrocholic acid. Then get the clamp stand and put the gas syringe in or set up the gas syringe make sure it doesnt fall off. Then bung the delivery tube to one of the conical flask so we can fit the delivery tube onto the top of the syringe where the gas enters the syringe. Then we reset the stop clock if we have to and put the calcium powder in the conical flask and when it is in the conical flask we quickly start the stop clock. Then after 10 seconds we are going to take our reading and record so we will do a reading every 10 seconds. For very powder we are going to test for 2 minutes and so every powder will have 12 readings because there is 12 10 seconds in 2 minutes. So we are going to do calcium poder first and then magnesium.

Cadbury Integrated Marketing Communication

Cadbury Integrated Marketing Communication Executive Summaryonal company which manufactures a variety of cocoa products which are known and sold throughout the world. This paper gives an Integrated Marketing Communication plan that is aimed at promoting the forthcoming rollout of a new premium dark chocolate by Cadbury in the Australian market. The paper commences by looking at Cadbury as a whole-its current marketing strategy and positioning in the global confectionary industry before narrowing down to Australia. The marketing and communication plan touches on issues like; the implication of launching the new premium chocolate product in its Australian market, the different sizes and unique packaging together with the specific promotional strategies. The paper also analyzes market competition and how to combat the already launched Rondnoir dark chocolate product by Ferreros (a competitor) in October 2009. Various marketing ingredients will also be analyzed and some will be recommended due to their advantages in boosting the new product market position. Finally there is an implementation plan on how the new product will be distributed to the various outlets in order to reach the primary target market of middle to upper class people over the age of 25. Cadburys competitive positioning will be based heavily on its reputation in the marketplace with current products. Its comparative taste and quality ingredients will also be a positioning advantage. The new product will be exclusively distributed through all major supermarket chains, gift stores, delicatessens, specialised coffee shop franchises and major department stores. Introduction Cadbury is the world leading confectionary company with an excellent portfolio of gum, candies, and of course chocolates. The company is reputed for creating brands like Cadbury, Halls and Trident. The company started back in 1824 by John Cadbury, since then the company has expanded into a multinational. Cadburys vision is to be the worlds biggest and best confectionary company. The company has over 35,000 suppliers (direct and indirect) and employs over 50,000 people globally, it is a complex organisation. The companys units focuses on commercial operations these are in: The US, Britain, Ireland, South America, Middle East and Africa, Europe, Asia and the Pacific region. The business model involves a number of category-led operations: Commercial, Supply Chain management, Science and Technology, Human Resources and Corporate affairs, Strategy, legal and secretariat, Finance and IT. This particular structure is well integrated to deliver the Groups commercial objectives and global gro wth. Consumer analysis Cadbury marketing strategies and processes are focused towards being the best in performance, while keeping in touch with the regions commercial operations. The global confectionary market is large, expanding and with attractive dynamics. Cadbury is estimated to have a retail value of about $141 billion. The main category is chocolate representing more than half of the worlds confectionary market. Globally, the confectionary market is growing at the rate of 5 per cent more than any other packaged foods. Developed markets account for over 67 per cent of the global market. The most popular ranges are: Cadbury Dairy Milk, Eclairs, Halls, Trident, Flake, Clorets, Dentyne, Hollywood, Crà ¨me Egg, Stimorol and Bubbaloo. Cadburys has managed to create the right range that is available to all and for all. Cadbury is a market leader in many markets in one or two categories. In Australia, their strength is in chocolate and candy. Chocolate remains the most popular category with consumers seeking a particular taste in each of the markets. Cadbury Australia SWOT analysis Internal environment (S)trengths Cadbury is the largest confectionery company with a market share approximated at 10 per cent. The company also enjoys a strong financial position. In addition, Cadbury is competent in its manufacturing process due to a strong brand name and leadership in innovation. The companys manufacturing focus on chocolate, candy, and chewing gum has helped the company to understand unique consumer segments. The companys acquisition strategy since 2003 when it acquired Adams has helped it to expand to new markets. (W)eaknesses Cadbury solely depends on confectioneries and beverages for its revenues while some of its main competitors such as Nestle have diversified their product portfolio. This generates more profits that can be ploughed back and/or invested in RD. other competitors have even stronger supranational experience, Cadbury on the other side has majorly been strong in Europe. Cadbury must continue to enhance its presence and understanding of emerging markets in order to remain competitive. External environment (T)hreats Globally, environmental costs are rising especially costs of energy, packaging, cocoa, packaging, transport and sugar. Thus the company should locate its global supply chains at low cost areas. Pressure from competitors especially branded suppliers leads to higher costs of advertising. This is manifested in terms of price wars and aggressive marketing. In addition to this, societal changes due to increased cases of obesty and calorie couonting have also affected the demand for Cadbury products. (O)pportunities The confectionery market is well known for a high the propensity to merge or acquire, this is an opportunity for Cadbury to increase its market share through acquisitions. There are also new markets in highly populated countries such as China and India where demand for confectionary is increasing. In order to survive in the FMCG market, cost minimization is very important. Cadbury has the ability to further reduce costs through outsourcing, increasing supply chain efficiency, and prudent investment in R D. innovation is important to responding to consumer preferences. This can be achieved by the production of sugar free gums and Cadbury premium chocolate for treats and enjoyment. Industry Analysis Cadbury operates three Australian confectionery factories; two are in Melbourne, one in Hobart, Tasmania, and one in Dunedin, New Zealand. The premium chocolate market is quite lucrative in Australia and Cadbury wants to lift its image from just an everyday chocolate to one that allows the consumer to spoil themselves and the ones they love. The product can also be used as gifts to impress. The primary target market is middle to upper class people over the age of 25. Competitor analysis The new bite-sized chocolates is being introduced to counter the Rondnoir dark chocolate launched by Ferrero in 2009. Since the product is targets middle and upper class consumers who are over 25 years it will feature a variety of fillings and packaged uniquely. Integrated Marketing Communication plan (IMC) Integrated Marketing Communications is defined as, the use of different media channels to optimize the effectiveness of marketing communications programmes (Schultz et al., 1993). For Cadbury, brand communications is a reflection of implied values and the companys image consistently. The use of IMC has gathered popularity because of the observation that marketing communication offers the only sustainable competitive advantage of marketing organizations (Schultz et al., 1993, pp. 47). Since the organzation has various forms of communication at its disposal, any of these can be used, the end goal being to influence the behavior of targeted segment (Shimp 1997, pp. 13). As Percy et al. posited that people generally look at all marketing communications as advertising (2001: v). Increased brand marketing has made the advertising medium less important as compared to the brand personality. Indeed, marketing strategists have argued that placing a paid-for ad in a mass medium has less impact than a well integrated product placement in a high-profile sporting event sponsorship deal or even a movie. Integrated advertising programmes utilize the different qualities of media in a communications blitz that is carefully designed to project consistent brand values irrespective of the communication source encountered by the consumer. The use of marketing communications (especially information technologies) has been linked with the growth of global business. Global brands are now crossing borders and are resonating with consumers of more countries. Mass media, above-the-line (ATL) advertising is regarded as a key strategic constituent of marketing communications. It is the type of communication that if used well can transform the fortunes of companies, create new brands and revolutionize the entire markets. Although most managers are still holding onto this view, there is a stron g case for advertising from an integrated perspective with the recognition of the fact that brand communications leads in the practical enhancement of integrated creative implementations and media strategies. Market target The primary target market is middle to upper class people over the age of 25. Its competitive positioning will be based heavily on Cadburys reputation in the marketplace with current products. Point of difference The bite-sized chocolates will feature a variety of fillings and boxed uniquely. It will be upmarket from Cadburys current Milk Tray boxed chocolate range. Positioning Strategy The entire positioning strategy can be summarized as follows; The lovers of chocolate are now able to enjoy a premium taste that has been carefully designed to give the highest level of satisfaction that no other chocolate has ever reached. This is not just chocolate, it is an instant message to lovers with a sweet I love you on their tongue. Communication Objectives Product awareness: To achieve a minimum 25% trial rate within the aggregate target market within the first 12 months of the launch. Interest: To achieve a re-purchase cycle of not less than one month among a minimum of 50% of those who have trialled the product. Market penetration: Achieve an average 1% market share of the category segment nationally within the first 12 months of launch. Evaluation: Out of the 40% of consumers who are interested in the new premium dark chocolate, a survey questionnaire is prepared for them to compare it to Ferreros Rondnoir dark chocolate. Trial: After evaluating the new premium dark chocolate, consumers should select it over other premium chocolates at least 20% of the time because of the unique packaging. Adoption: the new premium dark chocolate should have an adoption of 75%, which will mean the consumer will buy the premium chocolate and will have given a positive feedback. Communication Mix elements Cadburys introduction of the new dark chocolate will involve the use of both push and pull promotional strategies in order to create and increase brand awareness. This is because the new premium chocolate is at the introductory stage of the product life cycle. Along the same line, it is believed that if we can package our products so as to be something like a gift can lead to a better market position of our new premium dark chocolate. The distribution channels will include supermarket chains, gift stores, and delicatessens as well as specialized coffee shop franchises and or not limited to major departmental stores. The feedback found from the large consumer market should be tested and the research elements applied to other point of contact like the letterhead, logistics, packaging and several others in order to complete the integrated marketing communication cycle. The IMC involves integrating all promotional tools in order to achieve harmony. They all should speak together with one voice. The direct mail, sales and advertising departments within the company can help each other via data integration. To achieve this, a marketing information system should be put up in place to collect and share data that is relevant across the different company departments (Axis, 2009). Advertising It is important to note that this campaign may need bulk of marketing money on creation and creation of adverts and may necessitate a large budgetary allocation for this campaign. In order to reach clients during the campaign, considerations are to be given to both the online and offline campaigns and more is to be allocated to the offline marketing. TV and Radio adverts are to be structured to give an impression of satisfaction to the consumer and should give them a very good reason to leave their current brands and consider taking a ride on the new premium chocolate made by Cadbury (Global, 2004) References General managerial texts on advertising and promotion Pickton, D. and Broderick, A. (2003) Integrated Marketing Communications. London: Pitman Publishing. Shimp, T.A. (1997) Advertising, Promotion and Integrated Aspects of Marketing Communications. Florida and Texas: Dryden Press. Managerial introductions to advertising Jones, J.P. (1999) The Advertising Business. New York: Sage. Wilmshurst, J. and Mackay, A. (1999) The Fundamentals of Advertising. Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann, ISBA. Cultural and historical studies on advertising McFall, L. (2004) Advertising: A Cultural Economy. London: Sage. Nava, M., Blake, A., MacRury, I. and Richards, B. (eds) Buy This Book. London: Routledge. Studies of consumption McCracken, G. (1990) Culture and Consumption: New Approaches to the Symbolic Character of Consumer Goods and Activities. Bloomington, IN; Indiana University Press. Szmigin, I. (2003) Understanding The Consumer. London: Sage. Studies of marketing and signification Barthes, R. (2000) Mythologies (Translation Jonathan Cape, 1972). London: Vintage. Umiker-Sebeok, J. (ed.) (1997) Marketing and Semiotics. Amsterdam: Mouton de Gruyter. Jobber, (2006), Principles and Practices of Marketing, 3rd Edition

Rhythmic Contractions And Relaxation Of Isolated Gut

Rhythmic Contractions And Relaxation Of Isolated Gut The isolated gut has a spontaneous activity with rhythmic contractions and relaxation of its smooth muscles. Various drugs that affect the smooth muscles by either direct or indirect stimulation were used (Day Vane 1963). These drugs were acetylcholine, atropine, adrenaline, noradrenaline and d-tubocurarine. Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter (Martini 2009, p. 304) that is released by a neuron and acts directly on the plasma membrane of another cell, in this case smooth muscles. It affects both the muscarinic and nicotinic receptors located on the smooth muscle membrane (Broadley Kelly 2001). The effects of acetylcholine on the muscarinic receptors can be identified by another drug, atropine (Broadley Kelly 2001). Atropine is an alkaloid found in several plants (Broadley Kelly 2001) and inhibits binding of acetylcholine to post synaptic membrane of smooth muscle cells (Martini 2009, p. 425). Adrenaline and noradrenaline are hormones released from the suprarenal glands and induce relaxation of the smooth muscles by binding to the adrenergic receptors. They are called catecholamines because of their structure (shown in figure 1). D-tubocurarine is an alkaloid drug derived from curare and is a neuromuscular nicotinic receptor antagonist1. It prevents acetylcholine from binding to the postsynaptic membrane of muscle fibres (martini 2009, p. 425). AIM The aim of this experiment was to investigate the effects of acetylcholine, atropine, adrenaline, noradrenaline and d-tubocurarine on the smooth muscles of the gut. MATERIALS AND METHODS Materials Transducer Heater Heat exchanger chart recorder experimental tissue (rat intestine) organ bath with carbogen-bubbled Krebs Henseleit solution at 37ËÅ ¡C drugs used in the experiment were: 1 mg/mL acetylcholine 1 mg/mL atropine 1 g/mL adrenaline 1mg/mL noradrenaline 1 mg/mL d-tubocurarine Methods At the start of the experiment, the transducer was calibrated using weights to allow conversion of the amount of displacement of the intestine into electrical signals which are then recorded. The amount of movement measured corresponds to the type of drug added. The experimental rat tissue that was dissected previously was supported in a 100 mL organ bath containing carbogen-bubbled Krebs Henseleit solution at 37ËÅ ¡C aerated with a mixture of 95% oxygen and 5% carbon dioxide. The tissue was anchored to the device that applied force to stretch the muscle until a steady rate of contraction was obtained. The force of contraction was then measured and converted to electrical signals which were recorded by the chart recorder. Some equilibration time was allowed for the preparation to stabilise its activity in the organ bath before starting the experiment. The smooth muscles of the tissue had spontaneous activity before the administration of any drug. The exact concentration and volu me of the drugs administered were then calculated to obtain the right concentration. A volume of 0.1ml of 1mg/mL of acetylcholine was first administered to the muscles and its effects were recorded. The organ bath was drained and refilled so as to resume its baseline activity. Three increments of 0.025 ml of 1mg/mL atropine were added to the organ bath periodically to see its effect on the smooth muscles. Another dose of 0.5 mL of 1mg/mL acetylcholine was added into the organ bath without draining and refilling. The effects were then observed on the chart recorder. The organ bath was drained and refilled again. 0.1mL of 1gm/mL adrenaline was added to the water bath. The organ bath was again drained and refilled. 0.1mL of 1mg/ml noradrenaline was added to the organ bath. The organ bath was again drained and refilled. 0.5mL of 1mg/mL acetylcholine was added and the effects were observed. The organ bath was again drained and refilled. 0.025 mL of 1 mg/mL d-tubocurarine was added to the water bath and the effects were recorded. Lastly without draining the organ bath, two increments of 0.5ml of 1mg/mL of acetylcholine was added at regular intervals and its effect was recorded. RESULTS Calculation of the volume of the drugs used: acetylcholine Original concentration C:Documents and Settings7168241Local SettingsTemporary Internet FilesContent.Word22032011079.jpg Figure 1: Experiment setup Table 1: Effect of the drugs administered on the smooth muscles of the gut Drug administered Effect on smooth muscle observed. Acetylcholine Increase in contraction rate Conductance and amplitude increased Atropine Decrease in contraction rate- muscle relaxes Decrease in amplitude, tone and frequency Adrenaline Large decrease in amplitude Effect was very strong ( alpha and beta receptors on smooth muscles) Noradrenaline Small decrease in amplitude ( it has alpha receptors) Acetylcholine Increase in contraction rate Conductance and amplitude increased D-tubocurarine No effect as the muscle tone remained constant Acetylcholine Increase in contraction rate Conductance and large increase in amplitude when first dose was added and slight decrease in the amplitude when second dose was added DISCUSSION The muscle had spontaneous activity before the addition of the drugs. They were self excitatory and depolarized without the addition of any drugs. WHY As observed in table 1, acetylcholine increased the rate of contraction in the smooth muscles. Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter released at the neurojunction of the nerve and the smooth muscles. Contraction of the smooth muscle achieved is due to acetylcholines effect on membrane permeability via the second messengers since it cant enter the cells interior. Acetylcholine binds to the muscarinic receptors and causes GTP binding to the alpha subunit of the G-protein. The GTP-bound alpha subunit activates the production of the second messengers by activating phosphoinosidase C (PIC). PIC hydrolyses phosphatidylinositol 4, 5-biphosphate which then forms inositol 1, 4, 5-triphosphate (IP3) and diacylglycerol (DAG). IP3 and DAG bind to the receptors on the sarcoplasm reticulum and cause the release of calcium ions into the intracellular f luid to initiate contraction of the muscle (Broadley Kelly 2001). Acetylcholine also causes the contraction of the smooth muscles by depolarizing the membrane directly via the nicotinic receptors. As seen in the table 1, adding atropine to the water bath caused decrease in the amplitude of the stimulus. This is due to the fact that atropine is a reversible competitive antagonist for acetylcholine at the muscarinic receptors. It has no effect on its binding on nicotinic receptors (Evers Maze 2004). It prevents acetylcholine that has built up at the neuromuscular junction from binding to the receptors and depolarizing the post synaptic membrane thus preventing the generation of an impulse in the cell. Acetylcholine produces a response when it binds to the receptors whereas atropine binds to the same receptors as acetylcholine without producing a response. It just makes the receptors unavailable for acetylcholine (Abel 1974, p.106). When another dose of acetylcholine was added to the water bath, the amplitude is seen increasing to a lower intensity than before atropine was added and transmission is restored and the muscle begins to contract. This is due to the fact that this new dose of acetylcholine displaces atropine from the receptors since it is a reversible antagonist. When adrenaline was added to the organ bath, the amplitude dropped by a large amount due to its combination with alpha and beta receptors on the smooth muscle. When noradrenaline was administered, the amplitude decreased was a small amount compared to the large drop in adrenaline. This small response obtained due to addition of noradrenaline is due to its sensitivity to alpha receptors only. Combination of noradrenaline with alpha receptors increases the K efflux and influx in depolarized smooth muscle (Bulbring 1970, p.286). This increase in K conductance caused an increase in membrane permeability and inhibited depolarization. Adrenaline caused the relaxation of the smooth muscles coupled with hyperpolarization of the membrane as a result of increase of potassium ions. The action of the sympathetic transmitters; adrenaline and noradrenaline involved direct action via the alpha and bet a receptors (Paton Vizi 1969). Acetylcholine added again resulted in high increase in the amplitude, which decreased gradually. D-tubocurarine added to the organ bath had no effect on the contraction of the muscle as it maintained a constant tone. Lastly the acetylcholine added resulted in an increase in the amplitude. This observation agreed with the expected result. It was expected for the amplitude to be constant since there wasnt any acetylcholine in the organ bath for d-tubocurarine to replace. A spike in the amplitude was observed when acetylcholine was added. Acetylcholine replaced d-tubocurarine from the nicotinic receptors and restores the transmission of the stimulus2. This shows that the neuromuscular transmission block produced by d-tubocurarine is abolished when acetylcholine is added (Bradley 1989, p.47). CONCLUSION It was found that both adrenaline and noradrenaline affect the smooth muscles via alpha and beta receptors and produce a similar effect that is relaxation. Adrenaline is more potent than noradrenaline since it utilizes both alpha and beta receptors while the other one only affects beta receptors. Acetylcholine is an excitatory neurotransmitter that causes contraction of smooth muscles via both nicotinic and muscarinic receptors. Atropine is a competitive antagonist of acetylcholine on the muscarinic receptors. D-tubocurarine is a mu

Comparing The Wife of Baths Tale and The Story of Dame Ragnell :: English Literature Essays

Comparing The Wife of Bath's Tale and The Story of Dame Ragnell The story of Dame Ragnell and "The Wife of Bath's Tale" are works that are very similar yet have differences that set the two apart. The most obvious comparison between the two works is the dilemma faced in each. In both stories a man's life is at stake and all he has to do to be spared is to answer one question. That question has to do with what women really want. Another similarity involves the outcome of each story. The differences between the two stories are revealed in the plots. The differences that stand out the most are the circumstances leading up to the question being asked and the attitude of the person that has to marry the old hag to get the answer to the question. There are many small differences between the stories but they are not as important as the two mentioned. In the story of Dame Ragnell and "The Wife of Bath's Tale," the men in question are in a very serious predicament. The knight in "The Wife of Bath's Tale" gets into his predicament by raping a young maiden. In "Dame Ragnell," King Arthur is accused of giving Sir Gawain land that belongs to someone else, Gromer Somer Joure. Their crimes are completely different, yet they still warrant similar punishment. Although the reason that each character is in his situation is a glaring difference between the two stories, in both cases the character's lives are at stake because of something they have done. In order to be saved from death they must answer a question: "To shewe me at thy coming whate wemen love best in feld and town." (Ragnell 91-92) This is what King Arthur is asked by Gromer Somer Joure in the story of Dame Ragnell. In "The Wife of Bath's Tale," we can see the question is worded differently. The Queen says to the knight: "I graunte thee lif if thou canst tellen me what thing it is that wommen most desiren." (Bath 910-911) Although there is a slight difference in the wording of the question in each tale, each still has the same idea: What is it that women want the most? In both stories the main characters, the knight, in "The Wife of Bath's Tale" and King Arthur in, the story of Dame Ragnell, search out the answer to this question.

Why Hester Is A Whore :: essays research papers

Adulterous relationships always end in pain. Examples of such pain are present throughout the intricate web of time. From Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers, to the media buffet of Bill Clinton, adultery leaves pain. Hester embodies this pain. Not in pity but in cause. She embodies pain. Pain of loss, suffering. The pain of adulterous relationships. The universal wronging of adultery is deserving of such pain. Even in present times, with views much lax than puritan epoch, the wrong exists in full force, and just as deserving. Nathaniel Hawthorn's "The Scarlet Letter" deals in the justice of adultery. Wronging. This simple word exemplifies all things that one could do to destroy any sort of bond between two objects. A politician wrongs a public, a teacher wrongs a student, a boss wrongs an employee. A wife wrongs a husband. Wronging is universal in its presentation. The act which juxtaposes the wrong remain unimportant, it's the simple wronging which exists most corporeal. Hester wronged. She wronged more than her husband, but deeper, she wronged herself, and because of her times she wronged her god. Wronging deserves punishment. "Before the ugly edifice, and between it and the wheel-track of the street, was a grass plot, much overgrown with burdock, pigweed, apple peru, and such unsightly nail in the soil that had so early borne the black flower of civilized society, a prison." Almost parallel to Hester's deserving of pain stands a prison. Born out of civilized society springs a prison, a home of villainy. A breading ground for the wrong. What building more deserving, a nd what woman? Hester became a prison. Holding in the wrongness of her sin. Her justice was to carry out it's sentence. "It may be less soothing than a sinless conscience. That I cannot give you." Truly spoken from Nathaniel Hawthorn's text. Hester's wronging was her cross to bear and hers alone. Much like when Christ made a walk to his own crucifixion, so must Hester, deserving, make a walk through life bearing her A shaped cross. However, religion is a rather minor reason for her rightful punishment. The feelings and morals of the time dictate right and wrong. Presently we have values and views quite different than those of Hesters period, but the wrongness of her act of adultery remain universal. Even to this day, with views much lax of those Puritans in question, her wrong remains quite acute. Why Hester Is A Whore :: essays research papers Adulterous relationships always end in pain. Examples of such pain are present throughout the intricate web of time. From Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers, to the media buffet of Bill Clinton, adultery leaves pain. Hester embodies this pain. Not in pity but in cause. She embodies pain. Pain of loss, suffering. The pain of adulterous relationships. The universal wronging of adultery is deserving of such pain. Even in present times, with views much lax than puritan epoch, the wrong exists in full force, and just as deserving. Nathaniel Hawthorn's "The Scarlet Letter" deals in the justice of adultery. Wronging. This simple word exemplifies all things that one could do to destroy any sort of bond between two objects. A politician wrongs a public, a teacher wrongs a student, a boss wrongs an employee. A wife wrongs a husband. Wronging is universal in its presentation. The act which juxtaposes the wrong remain unimportant, it's the simple wronging which exists most corporeal. Hester wronged. She wronged more than her husband, but deeper, she wronged herself, and because of her times she wronged her god. Wronging deserves punishment. "Before the ugly edifice, and between it and the wheel-track of the street, was a grass plot, much overgrown with burdock, pigweed, apple peru, and such unsightly nail in the soil that had so early borne the black flower of civilized society, a prison." Almost parallel to Hester's deserving of pain stands a prison. Born out of civilized society springs a prison, a home of villainy. A breading ground for the wrong. What building more deserving, a nd what woman? Hester became a prison. Holding in the wrongness of her sin. Her justice was to carry out it's sentence. "It may be less soothing than a sinless conscience. That I cannot give you." Truly spoken from Nathaniel Hawthorn's text. Hester's wronging was her cross to bear and hers alone. Much like when Christ made a walk to his own crucifixion, so must Hester, deserving, make a walk through life bearing her A shaped cross. However, religion is a rather minor reason for her rightful punishment. The feelings and morals of the time dictate right and wrong. Presently we have values and views quite different than those of Hesters period, but the wrongness of her act of adultery remain universal. Even to this day, with views much lax of those Puritans in question, her wrong remains quite acute.

Of Mice And Men :: essays research papers

â€Å"Of Mice and Men† At the starting of the story, two men named George Milton and Lennie Small are trying to get to a ranch in Salinas Valley, California. George is the leader of the two men, because of Lennie’s small size. George is filled confidence while Lennie is a simple man with a big heart. On account of Lennie they got kicked out of town called Weed, up North. Leenie is a type of guy that is not very bright and gets frightened and confused really easy. Petting animals and picking up things that are interesting to him. Lennie and George decided to go the pool hall one night. There was a girl there that got Lennie’s eye. She was wearing a bright red dress. It interested Lennie and he grabbed her sleeve and wouldn’t let go. The girl was full of fear because some stranger wouldn’t let go of her dress. He held it tighter and tighter and wouldn’t let go. After that night he found out that the girl was pressing charges against him. Every day the police were on the look out for Lennie. But George and Lennie escaped from the town by hiding in a ditch until nightfall. After the night of lying in a ditch Lennie and George started to hitchhike. They hitchhiked all the way to Salinas Valley, California. They got there the next day which was their destination. This is the ranch where they started working. They met an old man of the name Candy. He had been working there for many years. A couple minutes later an anther guy walked in named Curly. He was the boss’s son. He was very hostile to the new people. George thought that he would do something to Lennie in the future. George informed Lennie never to talk to Curly’s wife cause he knew he would get in trouble. That night Candy’s dog had puppies, which one was given to Lennie. He went every night to pet his new dog. The next night one of the workers persuaded Candy about his dog and telling him that he should kill him so he didn’t have to suffer. They killed the dog because of its old age, which was the best thing to do. After Lennie watching the dog being killed he asked George about what their plans were again for the future of them. George repeated it and said as soon as we get enough money we will buy a house with a few acres of land, and a few animals.

Chemistry Form 4 Essay

INTRODUCTION All the objects that exist around us are made up of chemical substances. These objects exist an element, compound or mixture. All these objects contribute benefit to human kind. As time goes on, human has done many researches to ensure all these chemical substances will be enough for the use of themselves. Chapter 9 of Form 4 syllabus introduces the students with manufactured substances in industry. This is important for the students to appreciate the knowledge of chemistry that is still new for themselves. Personally, I think that this chapter is an interesting chapter as it revealed the way of scientist produces the material around me. It also gives me new knowledges of the uses of chemical substances that I usually found in the laboratories. I hope, by learning this chapter, I will be more interested in learning chemistry as it will help me in the future. All the equations from this chapter make me more understand of the previous chapters. OBJECTIVES * Understand the manufacture of sulphuric acid. * Synthesise the manufacture of ammonia and its salts. * Understand alloys. * Evaluate the uses of synthetic polymer. * Apply the uses of glass and ceramics. * Evaluate the uses of composite materials. * Appreciate various synthetic industrial materials. ALLOYS ARRANGEMENT OF ATOMS IN PURE METAL * Pure metal is soft and not very strong. * Atoms of pure metals have similar size and shape and are arranged closely but there is still space between the atoms. * When force is applied to pure metals, the atoms slide along one another easily. * This property causes pure metal to be ductile, that is, it can be stretched into a wire. * When knocked or hammered, metal atoms slide along one another to fill spaces between the metal atoms. * This property causes pure metal to be malleable, that is, it can be knocked or pressed into various desired shapes. MEANING OF ALLOYS * An alloy is a mixture of two or more metals mixed in a certain percentage. OR * An alloy is a substance formed from a mixture of metal and other elements. OR * An alloy is a solid solution that contains at least one metal. Most often an alloy will contain only two or more metals, but some alloys contain one or more metals along with a non-metal. * A foreign atom (impurity atom) may be atoms of other metals or non-metals such as carbon and silicon. * The process of mixing atoms of impurities with atoms of pure metal by melting is called alloying. PURPOSES OF MAKING ALLOYS Alloys are made to * Increase the strength and hardness of the metal * Prevent corrosion of the metal * Improve the appearance of the metal so that it is more attractive. ALLOY| PURE METAL ATOM| MAIN FOREIGN ATOM| STEEL| 99% IRON| 1% CARBON| STAINLESS STEEL| 74% IRON| 18% CHROMIUM,8% CARBON| BRONZE| 90% COPPER| 10% TIN| BRASS| 70% COPPER| 30% ZINC| PEWTER| 97% TIN| 2% COPPER1% ANTIMONY| DURALUMIN| 93% ALUMINIUM| 3% COPPER3% MAGNESIUM1% MANGANESE| COPPER NICKEL| 75% COPPER| 25% NICKEL| ARRANGEMENT OF ATOMS IN ALLOYS * Impurity atoms which are mixed may be larger or smaller than atoms of pure metal. * Impurity atoms fill the empy spaces between the atoms in pure metal. * Impurity atoms can prevent the layers of metal atoms from sliding along one another easily. * Due to this, an alloy is harder, stronger, less ductile and less malleable than its pure metal. EXPERIMENT TO COMPARE THE HARDNESS OF AN ALLOY AND A PURE METAL EXPERIMENT TO COMPARE RATE OF RUSTING BETWEEN IRON, STEEL & STAINLESS STEEL SOME EXAMPLES OF ALLOYS, ITS COMPOSITION, PROPERTIES AND ITS USES ALLOYS| COMPOSITION| PROPERTIES| USES OF ALLOYS| CARBON STEEL| 99% IRON1% CARBON| HARDSTRONG| * FRAMEWORK OF BUILDINGS & BRIDGES * FRAMEWORK OF HEAVY MACHINERY & BODY OF VEHICLES| STAINLESS STEEL| 74% IRON18% CHROMIUM8% NICKEL| SHINYSTRONGRESIST RUSTING| * MAKING CUTTLERY & KITCHEN WARE| MAGNALIUM| 70% ALUMINIUM30% MAGNESIUM| LIGHTHARDSTRONG| * MAKING AIRCRAFTS| PEWTER| 97% TIN3% COPPER, ANTIMONY| LUSTROUSSTRONG| * MAKING MUGS, CANDLE STICK & SOUVENIERS| SOLDER| 50% TIN50% LEAD| HARDSHINYLOW MELTING POINT| * MAKING OF SOLDER FOR ELECTRICAL WIRES| CUPRO-NICKEL| COPPER, NICKEL.% ACCORDING TO COLOUR| HARDSHINYRESIST CORROSION| * MAKING COINS| POLYMERS MEANING OF POLYMERS * Polymers are long chains of molecule made from combinations of many small molecules. OR * Polymers can be defined as large molecules composed  of numerous smaller, repeating units known as monomers which are joined by covalent bonds. * Small molecules that combine to form polymers are called monomers. * Polymerisation is a process of combining monomers to form a long chain of molecules. polymerisation polymer monomer * Polymers can be divided into two types: a) Natural polymer b) Synthetic polymer NATURAL POLYMER * A natural polymer is a polymer that occurs naturally. * Natural polymers are normally made by living organisms. NATURAL POLYMER| MONOMERS ( small molecules )| RUBBER| ISOPRENE| CELLULOSE| GLUCOSE| STARCH| GLUCOSE| PROTEIN| AMINO ACID| NUCLEIC ACID| NUCLEOTIDES| SYNTHETIC POLYMERS * Synthetic (artificial) polymers are man-made polymers that are produced from chemical compounds through polymerization. * Synthetic polymers are used widely in daily life. * Some examples of synthetic polymer and their monomer and their uses. TYPES OF POLYMER| MONOMER| USES| POLYTHENE| ETHENE| * MAKE BUCKETS, PLASTIC BAGS, RAINCOATS, FILMS, BOWLS & RUBBISH BINS.| POLYVINYL CHLORIDE (PVC)| CHLOROETHENE ( Vinyl Chloride )| * MAKE WATER PIPES, ELECTRIC CABLES, MATS, VINYL RECORDS & CLOTHES HANGERS| POLYPROPENE| PROPENE| * MAKE ROPES, BOTTLES, CHAIRS, DRINK CANS & CARPETS| PERSPEX| METHYL-2-METHYLPROPENOATE( Methyl methacrylate )| * MAKE CAR WINDSCREENS, AIRPLANE WINDOW PANES & SPECTACLE LENSES (optical instruments)| NYLON| ADIPIC ACID & HEXANEDIAMINE| * MAKE ROPES, CURTAINS, STOKINGS & CLOTHES| POLYSTYRENE| STYRENE| * MAKE PACKING BOXES, BUTTONS & NOTICEBOARDS| EFFECTS OF THE DISPOSAL OF ITEMS MADE FROM SYNTHETIC POLYMERS ON THE ENVIRONMENT 1. Synthetic polymers are not biodegradable (not decomposed by microorganisms ). 2. The careless disposal of items made from synthetic polymers such as plastic causes environmental pollution. 3. The effects of burning & careless disposal of items made from synthetic polymers on the environments are as follows: a) Burning of synthetic polymers * Releases pollutants that endanger health such as smoke, gases that are smelly, poisonous & corrosive such as sulphur dioxide, pollutants that cause acid rain & the greenhouse effect. b) Careless disposal of synthetic polymers * Spoils the beauty of the environment * Causes flash floods during heavy rainfall * Endangers marine life like turtles that accidentally eat polymers such as plastic as its food. 4. The best way to manage used items made from synthetic polymers is to recycle them. 5. Plastics that are biodegradable can be used instead to reduce environmental pollution. GLASS AND CERAMICS * The main component of both glass and ceramic is silica or silicon dioxide, SiO2, which is obtained from sand. * Both glass and ceramic have the same properties as follow a) Hard and brittle b) Inert to chemical reactions c) Insulators or poor conductors of heat and electricity d) Withstand compression but not stretching e) Can be easily cleaned f) Low cost of production * 3 main differences between glass and ceramic: * Glass can be heated until molten repeatedly but not ceramics * Glass is usually transparent whereas ceramics are not * Glass has a lower melting point than ceramics USES OF GLASS USES OF CERAMIC TYPES OF GLASS a) FUSED SILICA GLASS b) SODA-LIME GLASS c) BOROSILICATE GLASS d) LEAD CRYSTAL GLASS COMPOSITE MATERIALS * Composite materials are produced from the combination of two or more different compounds such as alloys, metals, glass, polymers & ceramics. * The characteristics of the produced material are much more superior than those original components. * Several examples of composite materials & their uses are : a) Reinforced concrete * Made from a mixture of cement, gravel, sand, water, iron or steel to produce nets, rods or bars. * Strong, high tensile strength & cheap * Construction material for buildings, bridges, highways & dams b) Fibre glass * Made from silica, SiO2, sodium carbonate, Na2Co3, and calcium carbonate, CaCo3 * Good insulator of heat & electricity * Used to make protective apparel for astronauts & firefighters. c) Fibre optics * Made from glass, copper & aluminium * Enables information to be transmitted in light form at high speeds (speed of light) * Used in the field of communications to make electrical cables and in the field of medicine to observe internal organs without performing surgery. d) Ceramic glass * Produced by exposing glass that contains certain amount of metals to ultraviolet rays & heating it at high temperatures. * Withstand heat * Used to make cooking materials & rocket heads e) Photochromic glass * Produced from molten silica that is mixed with a little silver chloride, AgCl * Dark in colour when exposed to bright light ( ultraviolet ray ) & bright when in the dark. * Used to make opticl lenses & glass windows (windshields) of certain vehicles. Comparing the Properties of Fiber Glass with its original components The process of making glass and fiberglass Most glass is a mixture of a substantial amount of silica that derived from fine white sand or pulverized sandstone, combined with smaller amounts of an alkali like soda (sodium bicarbonate) or potash to decrease its melting point, and lime (from limestone) to help stabilize the mixture and eventually make the glass vigorous and water-resistant Whereas At the most basic level, a strand, or fiber, of glass, can be formed by  taking molten glass (made by melting silica sand, limestone, and soda ash, along with recycled glass) and forcing it through a small hole. Commercial fiberglass production engages a platinum bushing with up to three thousand holes in it, creating three thousand fibers at a time. Even though glass is brittle, these fibers are pretty flexible, because they are so thin. Advantage of using Photochromic glass in the making of spectacles Photochromatic lenses are activated by UV radiation. Thus it will darken up the glasses so that it can prevent our eyes from direct lights which leads to retinal damages or Photophobia. Other than that , Photochromic lenses are great for those that wear eyeglasses, who can not wear sunglasses unless they are prescription. With photochromic lenses, we can carry just one pair of sunglasses or goggles for all day and even night REFERENCE * http://www.chemistrymodule.blogspot.com/ * http://www.ehow.com/facts_5727690_meaning-alloy_.html#ixzz2VQ7Mc4k3 http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=fused+silica+glass&view=detail&id=2D0945BBDD1229AD3B5B4C431D552902CB8C2FB4&first=31&FORM=IDFRIR http://chem2u.blogspot.com/

Hbr Article

www. hbr. org Even as companies are being told that the future lies in globalization, some are severely punished for their international moves. A simple test can help you decide what makes strategic sense for your organization. When You Shouldn’t Go Global by Marcus Alexander and Harry Korine Included with this full-text Harvard Business Review article: 1 Article Summary The Idea in Brief—the core idea The Idea in Practice—putting the idea to work 2 When You Shouldn’t Go Global 8 Further Reading A list of related materials, with annotations to guide further exploration of the article’s ideas and applicationsReprint R0812E This article is made available to you with compliments of Harry Korine. Further posting, copying or distributing is copyright infringement. To order more copies go to www. hbr. org. When You Shouldn’t Go Global The Idea in Brief Globalization promises substantial advantages like new growth and scale. For some companies, itâ €™s paid off handsomely. But global mania has also blinded many firms to a hard truth: global strategies are devilishly tough to execute. The landscape has become littered with some of these unfortunates’ remains.DaimlerChrysler and ABN Amro— dismembered and bought up by activist shareowners—are particularly painful examples. To escape this fate, don’t assume you should go global, say Alexander and Korine. Instead, determine whether a global move makes sense for your firm. Ask: †¢ Could the move generate substantial benefits? †¢ Do we have the capabilities (for example, experience in postmerger integration) required to realize those benefits? †¢ Will the benefits outweigh the costs (such as the complexity that comes with coordinating far-flung international operations)? A yes to these questions suggests globalizing may be right for you.The Idea in Practice THREE QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE GOING GLOBAL Could the strategy generate substantia l benefits for our firm? The global race can lead you to overestimate the size of the prize. Example: Redland, a UK manufacturer of concrete roof tiles, expanded around the world to leverage its technical know-how beyond its home market. But it often sought opportunities in countries (such as Japan) where local building practices provided little demand for concrete roof tiles. Thus, there was no value in transferring its technology to such markets. Do we have the capabilities needed to achieve those benefits?Companies often lack the skills needed to unlock the coffer holding the prize. Example: Taiwanese consumer electronics company BenQ’s acquisition of Siemens’s mobiledevices business failed because BenQ lacked integration skills. It couldn’t reconcile the two companies’ incompatible cultures or integrate R&D activities across the two entities. BenQ’s German unit filed for bankruptcy in 2006. Will the benefits outweigh the costs? The full costs o f going global can dwarf even a sizable prize. Example: TCL, a Chinese maker of TVs and mobile phones, has expanded rapidly into the United States and Europe through acquisitions and joint ventures.It now has numerous R&D headquarters, R&D centers, manufacturing bases, and sales organizations. The cost of managing this complex infrastructure has outweighed the benefits of increased scale—creating large losses for TCL and several of its joint-venture partners. THREE INDUSTRIES WITH PARTICULAR GLOBALIZATION CHALLENGES †¢ Deregulated industries. Formerly stateowned industries (telecommunications, utilities) have globalized after deregulation to spur growth and escape stiffened competition at home.They assume they can use their existing competencies in new markets to achieve cross-border economies. But it’s been difficult, for example, for utilities to optimize electricity flows over uncoordinated grids. †¢ Service industries. Many service businesses (retailing, insurance) go global to generate growth beyond home markets threatened by foreign rivals. Their strategies hinge on coordination of people or processes—no easy feat. Wal-Mart, for instance, has struggled to get its partner firms and employees abroad to adopt its work methods. †¢ Manufacturing industries.For automobile and communications equipment makers, for example, global mergers and partnerships seem to offer the size needed to compete against consolidating rivals. But the complexities of integration can cause delays in achieving those gains. These companies thus have become vulnerable to economic slowdowns, which constrain their ability to pay for expansion and consolidation. COPYRIGHT  © 2008 HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL PUBLISHING CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. page 1 This article is made available to you with compliments of Harry Korine.Further posting, copying or distributing is copyright infringement. To order more copies go to www. hbr. org. Even as companies a re being told that the future lies in globalization, some are severely punished for their international moves. A simple test can help you decide what makes strategic sense for your organization. When You Shouldn’t Go Global by Marcus Alexander and Harry Korine COPYRIGHT  © 2008 HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL PUBLISHING CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Economic globalization is viewed by some as the best hope for world stability, by others as the greatest threat.But almost everyone accepts that businesses of all types must embrace it. Even smaller enterprises—urged on by the ? nancial markets, by investment bankers and consultants, by the media, and by the moves they see rivals making—feel the strategic imperative to go global in one form or another. Although the current ? nancial crisis is putting a damper on such activity, the pressure on companies to globalize is likely to persist. With this sense of inevitability, it’s easy to forget the serious mistakes s ome companies have made because of their global strategies. Dutch ? ancial-services ? rm ABN Amro, for example, acquired banks in numerous countries but wasn’t able to achieve the integration needed to generate value with its international network. AES, a U. S. -based energy ? rm that operates 124 generation plants in 29 countries on ? ve continents, has in recent years struggled to show that it is worth more than the sum of its individual geographic units. Daimler-Benz merged with Chrysler in 1998 in order to create a Welt AG—a world corporation—but never attained the power over markets and suppliers that this global position was supposed to deliver.And these days, companies can’t always chalk their mistakes up to experience and move on. Industry rivals and activist share owners are increasingly forcing ? rms to undo their international investments—despite, in many cases, early endorsement by analysts and the market—and even to ? re the sen ior management teams that made them. ABN Amro was dismembered last year by the Royal Bank of Scotland, Fortis, and Banco Santander, largely along geographic lines. AES’s share price has tumbled since investors’ initial enthusiasm for its globalization strategy, and some investment advisers are calling for the ? m to be split into three or more parts. The architect of the DaimlerChrysler deal, CEO Jurgen Schrempp, ? nally yielded to share-owner pressure and resigned, freeing up his successor to sell harvard business review †¢ december 2008 This article is made available to you with compliments of Harry Korine. Further posting, copying or distributing is copyright infringement. To order more copies go to www. hbr. org. page 2 When You Shouldn’t Go Global Chrysler to the private-equity giant Cerberus in 2007.Indeed, we believe that businesses with illconsidered globalization strategies are poised to become the next targets for breakup or corporate overhaul by activist share owners, just as companies with poorly thought-out business diversi? cation strategies were targets in the past. Today’s activists include private-equity ? rms, hedge funds, and traditional pension funds, and they wield in? uence through a variety of means, from vocal use of the platform offered by a minority stake to all-out takeover and sell-off. All right, even the best executive teams are going to make mistakes in a business environment as complex as today’s.And no one would deny that the forces driving globalization are powerful and that the business bene? ts of becoming a global player can be tremendous. What concerns us is that so many companies seem to share unquestioned assumptions about the need to go global and are lulled by apparent safety in numbers as they move toward potential disaster. We highlight in this article several industries where this mind-set has been prevalent and a number of companies that have paid a high price for adopting it . Avoiding Ill-Fated StrategiesBusinesses have had international ambitions at least since the founding of the British East India and Hudson’s Bay companies in the seventeenth century. Truly global corporations began appearing early in the last century, and their number has grown—with both successes and failures along the way—ever since. But the accelerated removal of political and regulatory barriers to cross-border trading and investment over the past 15 years, along with the advent of technology that enables companies to conduct business around the world 24 hours a day, has made a global presence a generally accepted requisite in many industries.From the late 1990s onward, with a brief pause during the 2001–2003 bear market, we have witnessed a head-over-heels rush by companies to globalize: Foreign direct investments are at record levels, cross-border partnerships and acquisitions are burgeoning, worldwide sourcing continues to increase, and the pursui t of customers in emerging economies grows ever more heated. Marcus Alexander is an adjunct professor of strategic and international management at London Business School, a director of the Ashridge Strategic Management Centre in London, and a coauthor, with Andrew Campbell, of â€Å"What’s Wrong with Strategy? (HBR November–December 1997). Harry Korine ([email  protected] edu) is a teaching fellow in strategic and international management at London Business School and a senior research fellow at IFGE in Lyon, France. He is a coauthor, with Pierre-Yves Gomez, of The Leap to Globalization (Jossey-Bass, 2002) and Entrepreneurs and Democracy (Cambridge University Press, 2008). Both authors have worked with some of the companies mentioned in this article. Although such moves have bene? ted—or at least not irreparably damaged—many companies, we’re beginning to see fallout. Sometimes ? ms have failed because their global strategies were deeply misguide d, other times because execution was more dif? cult than anticipated. We think that many failures could have been prevented—and would be avoided in the future—if companies seriously addressed three seemingly simple questions. 1. Are there potential bene? ts for our company? Just because a move makes sense for a rival or for companies in other industries doesn’t mean it makes sense for your own company or industry. The race to globalize sometimes leads people to overestimate the size of the prize.UK-based roof tile maker Redland, for example, expanded aggressively around the world beginning in the 1970s with the aim of leveraging its technical know-how beyond its home market. The problem: It often sought opportunities in countries, such as the United States and Japan, where local building practices provided very little demand for concrete roof tiles. Although the company was fully able to transfer the relevant technology, there was no value in doing so in such ma rkets. 2. Do we have the necessary management skills? Even if potential bene? ts do exist for your company, you may not be in a position to realize them.The theoretical advantages of globalizing—economies of scale, for example— are devilishly dif? cult to achieve in practice, and companies often lack the management key needed to unlock the coffer holding the prize. By the late 1990s, industrial conglomerate BTR had developed a presence in many countries. However, each business unit was run as a largely autonomous entity, with stringent pro? t accountability and little encouragement to work with others. This approach made sense in a fragmented world, but as BTR’s customers globalized, they came to expect coordinated supply and support across borders.Although the opportunity was clear and BTR seemed well positioned to seize it, the company found it impossible to implement an approach so alien to its traditions. Even after a change of CEO and other senior staffers, the company culture blocked attempts at global integration, and the 1999 merger with Siebe was seen by many analysts as an admission that BTR simply could not make the changes needed. harvard business review †¢ december 2008 This article is made available to you with compliments of Harry Korine. Further posting, copying or distributing is copyright infringement.To order more copies go to www. hbr. org. page 3 When You Shouldn’t Go Global 3. Will the costs outweigh the bene? ts? Even if you are able to realize the bene? ts of a global move, unanticipated collateral damage to your business may make the endeavor counterproductive. Too often, companies fail to see that the full costs of going global may dwarf even a sizable prize—for example, when an effort to harmonize the practices of national business units drives away customers or distracts national management teams from the needs of their markets.The increased complexity of managing international operations is a lso a threat. TCL, a Chinese maker of electronics and home appliances, has expanded rapidly into the United States and Europe through a series of acquisitions and joint ventures. As a result of deals in the past few years with Thomson and Alcatel, TCL has found itself with four R&D headquarters, 18 R&D centers, 20 manufacturing bases, and sales organizations in 45 countries. The cost of managing this infrastructure has outweighed the bene? ts of increased scale and resulted in large losses for both joint ventures.Globalization’s Siren Song Companies neglect to ask themselves these seemingly obvious questions because of their complacent assumptions about the virtues of going global—assumptions that are reinforced by seductive messages from, among other places, the stock market. Although the siren song of globalization has lured companies of all kinds into this risky strategic space, recently the call has been particularly insidious in certain industry contexts, three of which we describe here. (For a description of how a management imperative such as â€Å"Become more global† can rapidly spread, see the sidebar â€Å"TheSusceptibility to Managerial Fads. †) The Susceptibility to Managerial Fads The belief that companies must become more global is the latest in a long line of widely held and generally unquestioned assumptions that can undermine the rational behavior of companies or entire industries. The management trends—you might even call them fads—that grow out of these assumptions can be dangerous because they often lead to sloppy thinking. For example, the label used to describe a trend may get stretched far beyond its original meaning. â€Å"Reengineering† has come to mean nearly any corporate reorganization; â€Å"related diversi? ation† is used today to justify acquisitions within categories, such as â€Å"communications media† and â€Å"? nancial services,† that are so broad as to be almost meaningless. More troubling, the stampede by companies to join peers in mindlessly embracing such trends can cloud managers’ judgment about what is worthwhile and achievable in their particular case. The pathology of management fads has an underlying dynamic that is worth exploring: Company X, with talented people at the helm, pioneers a new management approach. The ? rm does well, and others take notice. Maybe one or two experiment with similar innovations.Then stock market analysts and journalists spot the new approach. They view it as part of a broader pattern, and someone comes up with a clever-sounding label. The word â€Å"paradigm† may even get tossed around. As the phenomenon gains visibility—often in publications like this one—academics develop â€Å"frameworks† to help companies understand it. Their codi? cation, intended simply to explain the phenomenon, further validates it. (Consultants also develop frameworks, though usually w ith the aim of selling the trend as a product. ) Over time, people use the now-familiar label more and more loosely.They group all manner of activities under the heading. Despite its ambiguity, there is a growing sense that activities under the rubric are worthwhile. Investment bankers cite the concept as a reason for companies to make acquisitions or other moves, and in the enthusiasm of deal making everyone glosses over the dif? culties of integration and implementation. Financial markets sometimes reward companies just for announcing that they have adopted the new approach. Sadly, the original insight, not to mention an appreciation of the context that gave rise to it, soon gets lost as ompanies scramble to become part of the trend. Before long, they are copying all sorts of elements and manifestations that are at best tangential and often irrelevant to the sought-after bene? t. By the time a few books have come out on the topic, managers are embarrassed if they can’t poin t to examples within their own organizations. As the herd piles in, smart managers are already scanning the horizon for a new idea that will give them a competitive advantage. But others continue to give little thought to whether the trend has played out—or was never likely to bene? a company in their situation. There is always a lag before misapplications of the concept start to affect companies’ numbers. Even when they do, many corporate managers, with stacks of statements and presentations extolling the virtues of the approach, are reluctant to abandon it. The stubborn ones carry on regardless of mounting costs— thereby setting the stage for activist share owners to step in and force a change. This discouraging scenario doesn’t unfold because the original concept was wrong. (Globalizing isn’t necessarily bad; not globalizing isn’t necessarily good. It plays out because embracing a trend often precludes careful examination of the pros and cons of the speci? c choices made by a single company in a particular context. harvard business review †¢ december 2008 This article is made available to you with compliments of Harry Korine. Further posting, copying or distributing is copyright infringement. To order more copies go to www. hbr. org. page 4 When You Shouldn’t Go Global Deregulated industries. Many businesses in formerly state-owned industries, such as telecommunications, postal services, and utilities, have responded to deregulation with aggressive global moves.Faced with limited growth opportunities and often increasing competition in their home markets, companies have accepted that geographic expansion is the best way to exercise their new strategic freedom. These companies, the argument goes, can apply existing competencies—providing voice and data communication, delivering letters and parcels, distributing electricity and water, even dealing with the deregulation process itself—in new m arkets. They will enjoy signi? cant savings by sharing resources across their international operations while â€Å"sticking to their knitting. The latter point—the importance of focusing on what they know how to do—is a key part of the argument, since unrelated diversi? cation, itself once a widely touted strategy, has been largely discredited. This apparently sound logic has turned out in many cases to be oversold by investment bankers or to be just plain ? imsy. Companies frequently pay far too much to enter foreign markets. Furthermore, many of the deregulated industries are â€Å"glocal†Ã¢â‚¬â€that is, customer expectations, operating environments, and management practices for what seem to be globally standard services can vary greatly depending on location.Water distribution, for instance, may not in fact be the same industry in the regulatory settings of two different countries. In addition, cross-border economies, if they exist at all, may be hard to ac hieve. It is dif? cult, for example, to optimize electricity ? ows over uncoordinated grids. Faced with such challenges, a number of companies have struggled with or reversed their global moves. Kelda, a UK water utility, sold its U. S. business six years after acquiring it because differences in pricing, environmental regulations, and distribution proved so great that the business could be run only on a stand-alone basis.Partly because of national differences in customer behavior, Deutsche Telekom has ended up running its U. S. unit, T-Mobile USA, as a completely independent business that could be sold off at any time. Rival telecom operator Vodafone has been forced by dissatis? ed share owners to unload its Japanese subsidiary, J-Phone. Deutsche Post, in assembling an international network of mail, express, and logistics services, overpaid signi? cantly for the U. S. express-delivery services DHL and Airborne. Germany’s former state-owned monopoly has also had great dif? ul ty integrating DHL’s entrepreneurial management culture with its own. Some analysts value the sum of Deutsche Post’s separate businesses as 25% greater than the market value of the company—an assessment that is likely to increase pressure to spin off some of those businesses. Service industries. Companies in traditionally national and fragmented service industries, such as retailing, consumer banking, and insurance, have viewed globalization as a way to realize scale economies and to generate growth beyond home markets themselves facing an incursion of foreign competition.In some cases, globalization seems to make sense because customers and suppliers are also becoming more global. As in deregulated industries, however, the â€Å"global† customer may be more national than anticipated. And obtaining scale economies across borders requires management skills and experience that many companies lack. For example, serving a customer that is truly global in a co nsistent way from multiple national of? ces is no easy task. Service businesses seeking to capture the bene? ts of a globalization strategy must, like ? rms in deregulated industries, pay attention to a mix of global and local factors.Purchasing can bene? t from careful coordination across borders, but marketing and sales may suffer from too much standardization. Certain services travel much better than others that seem remarkably similar. In shoe retailing, for instance, offerings targeted at the wealthy or the young are far more global than those aimed at the middle market, which remains doggedly local. In service businesses, many of the implementation challenges of a global strategy involve the coordination of people or processes. Wal-Mart, for instance, has struggled to get its partner ? ms and employees abroad to adopt its work routines. ABN Amro’s global empire was dismantled by predators because the international business was a collection of mostly unrelated operations in countries ranging from Brazil to Monaco. The company achieved few economies of scale: In marketing, harvard business review †¢ december 2008 This article is made available to you with compliments of Harry Korine. Further posting, copying or distributing is copyright infringement. To order more copies go to www. hbr. org. page 5 When You Shouldn’t Go Global for example, it didn’t enjoy the ef? iencies resulting from a single global brand, because local banks mostly kept their original names. Furthermore, its attempts at sharing information systems, management processes, and other bits of infrastructure were repeatedly delayed and then implemented haphazardly, creating few savings. The outcomes of some other service companies’ global strategies have not been so dire—but they have still fallen short of expectations. Starbucks has pursued international growth at a breakneck pace, even though margins abroad have been only about half those of the compa ny’s U. S. operations.Axa, the global French insurance group, has enjoyed satisfactory ? nancial performance from its many units around the world but has so far been unable to reduce its global cost base or convincingly roll out innovations, such as its U. S. variable-annuity program, internationally. Thus, although the globalization strategy hasn’t destroyed value, it also hasn’t added as much as originally envisioned. Manufacturing industries. Over the past decade, companies in manufacturing indus- tries, such as automobiles and communications equipment, have viewed rapid crossborder consolidation as necessary for survival.Global mergers and partnerships seem to be the only way for companies to obtain the size needed to compete against consolidating rivals, to reduce their reliance on home markets, and to gain manufacturing economies of scale. These bene? ts, though arguably easier to achieve than those sought by service companies (because local differences se em less problematic), are often outweighed by operational and organizational challenges. The complexities of integrating organizations and operations can cause costly delays or failures. And companies haven’t had the luxury of much time to realize the bene? s of integration. Counting on the bene? ts of size and scale to drop quickly to the bottom line, many manufacturers have become particularly vulnerable to economic slowdowns, which constrain their ability to pay for expansion and consolidation before an increasing debt-to-equity ratio forces their executive teams to cede control to ? nanciers or new management. Royal Ahold’s Downfall Dutch supermarket operator Royal Ahold is best known in recent years for an accounting scandal that led to the resignation of its CEO and its CFO in 2003. The ? nancial irregularities must be seen in light of the company’s mbitious, and ultimately unsuccessful, globalization strategy. Royal Ahold began its international expansion in the 1970s and accelerated it in the 1990s, eventually acquiring businesses throughout Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the United States, to become the fourthlargest retailer in the world. But the bene? ts of owning this network of stores were hard to realize or didn’t exist in the ? rst place. Global economies of scale are one of the main rationales for international expansion. However, such economies, dif? cult to attain in many businesses, are particularly elusive in food retailing.Purchasing economies can be achieved only with items furnished by global suppliers to all markets—and these typically represent at most 20% of all supermarket items, because of cultural differences and the frequent need to source fresh food locally. Even apparently â€Å"international† products, such as hummus, must be adapted to different countries’ distinct tastes. Additionally, realizing synergies across a far-? ung network requires common information systems and mana gement processes, and Ahold made little effort to integrate its acquired businesses into the existing organization.Different information systems thus continued to coexist across the company, sometimes even within the same country. Ironically, the lack of integrated systems and processes needed to secure global bene? ts helped conceal the company’s ? nancial irregularities. And the failure to attain those bene? ts undoubtedly put pressure on top managers to produce favorable—if false— ? nancial results. When the new executive team ? nally introduced common management processes in the wake of the scandal, those processes did little to improve such activities as common purchasing across markets.As recently as last year, key suppliers were charging Ahold different prices in different countries. Ahold’s 2007 sale of most of its U. S. operations to private equity ? rms highlighted the nearly complete abandonment, under pressure from dissatis? ed minority share owners, of its once ambitious globalization strategy. The dissidents were concerned not about the usual over-diversi? cation of business types— after all, Royal Ahold remained focused on retailing—but about the over-diversi? cation of geographic locations. (Tests for suitable business diversi? ation are discussed in â€Å"Corporate Strategy: The Quest for Parenting Advantage,† by Andrew Campbell, Michael Goold, and Marcus Alexander, in the March– April 1995 issue of HBR. ) With the focus on governance at Ahold, the underlying story of failed globalization did not receive adequate attention until activist share owners jumped on it. harvard business review †¢ december 2008 This article is made available to you with compliments of Harry Korine. Further posting, copying or distributing is copyright infringement. To order more copies go to www. hbr. org. page 6When You Shouldn’t Go Global The merger of Daimler-Benz and Chrysler is a poster child fo r this problem: The German and U. S. automakers were different in almost every respect, from company cultures to purchasing practices, and they were never able to attain such bene? ts as the promised billions of dollars in savings from common supply management. Taiwanese consumer electronics company BenQ’s acquisition of Siemens’s mobile-device business followed a similar story line, including incompatibility of cultures and processes, as well as dif? culties in integrating R&D activities.In a haunting echo of the scramble by Daimler-Benz and Chrysler to merge, BenQ didn’t visit Siemens workshops and production lines before inking the deal, relying only on due diligence documents. Although BenQ continues to be active in mobile equipment, its German unit was declared bankrupt in 2007. In both of these cases—and in numerous others—the strategic logic for globalization was tenuous, and the skills needed to implement a globalization strategy effectivel y were in short supply. A Continuing Danger We aren’t saying that all globalization strategies are ? awed.Telefonica, Spain’s former telephone monopoly, has successfully expanded throughout much of the Spanish-speaking world. The past ? ve years have seen General Electric’s Commercial Finance business move rapidly and effectively into dozens of non-U. S. markets. Renault’s pathbreaking alliance with Nissan has to this point proved bene? cial for the French and Japanese automakers. But focusing on such success stories only reinforces the conventional wisdom that a globalization strategy is a blanket requirement for doing business—which in turn leads many companies to insuf? iently scrutinize their proposed global initiatives. (For a discussion of one of the gravest cases of failed globalization, see the sidebar â€Å"Royal Ahold’s Downfall. †) We expect this trend to continue, as ? rms in various industries recklessly pursue global str ategies. Take the emerging renewableenergy industry—companies developing technologies for biofuel, solar energy, and wind energy. We have talked with executives who, racing to establish a global position in this booming ? eld, are planning rapid expansion over the next few years in Africa, Asia, nd Latin America—and completely underestimating the management challenges involved. Many will, after initial applause from the ? nancial markets, ? nd their hastily conceived strategies challenged after the fact by activists. We also anticipate that problems will recur in industries that earlier rushed to adopt globalization strategies, with activist share owners ready to pounce on companies as evidence of poor management choices surfaces. Activist share owners have already taken signi? cant positions in some companies mentioned in this article.Other target companies, perhaps not quite ripe for direct intervention—and temporarily shielded from attack by the current credi t crisis and turbulent equity markets—are nonetheless being discussed in the boardrooms of rivals and by the investment committees of pension funds and private equity ? rms. Ironically, some predators, having spotted the weaknesses of other companies’ global strategies, may be poised to fall into the same trap. For example, the Royal Bank of Scotland is known for its highly successful 2000 acquisition of NatWest, a much larger UK rival, and for the subsequent overhaul of its target’s culture.But RBS may ? nd it dif? cult to achieve similar results with the disparate banking assets—spread across more than 50 countries— that it acquired from ABN Amro. And though the recent government bailouts of RBS and Fortis aren’t a direct result of the ? rms’ international strategies, the acquisition of ABN Amro assets stretched their balance sheets and made the companies more vulnerable to the ? nancial crisis. We also worry that activist share own ers and private equity ? rms may reproduce ? awed globalization strategies in their own portfolios. The largest of these players are now more diversi? ed, both in ype of business and in international footprint, than many of the giant conglomerates of 30 years ago that were subsequently broken up and sold off. Indeed, as you look out on a landscape littered with the remains of dismembered companies weakened by failed globalization strategies, you have to wonder: Could today’s predators be tomorrow’s prey? Reprint R0812E To order, see the next page or call 800-988-0886 or 617-783-7500 or go to www. hbr. org harvard business review †¢ december 2008 This article is made available to you with compliments of Harry Korine. Further posting, copying or distributing is copyright infringement.To order more copies go to www. hbr. org. page 7 When You Shouldn’t Go Global Further Reading ARTICLES Managing Differences: The Central Challenge of Global Strategy by Pankaj Gh emawat Harvard Business Review March 2007 Product no. R0703C The main goal of any international strategy should be to manage the large differences that arise at the borders of markets. Yet executives often fail to exploit market and production discrepancies, focusing instead on the tensions between standardization and localization. Ghemawat presents a new framework that encompasses all three effective responses to the challenges of globalization.He calls it the AAA Triangle, with the As standing for the three distinct types of international strategy. Through adaptation, companies seek to boost revenues and market share by maximizing their local relevance. Through aggregation, they attempt to deliver economies of scale by creating regional, or sometimes global, operations. And through arbitrage, they exploit disparities between national or regional markets, often by locating different parts of the supply chain in different places— for instance, call centers in India, factories in China, and retail shops in Western Europe.Ghemawat draws on several examples that illustrate how organizations use and balance these strategies and describes the trade-offs they make as they do so when trying to build competitive advantage. Emerging Giants: Building World-Class Companies in Developing Countries by Tarun Khanna and Krishna G. Palepu Harvard Business Review October 2006 Product no. R0610C As established multinational corporations stormed into emerging markets, many local companies lost market share or sold off businesses—but some fought back.India’s Mahindra & Mahindra, China’s Haier Group, and many other corporations in developing countries have held their own against the onslaught, restructured their businesses, exploited new opportunities, and built worldclass companies that are today giving their global rivals a run for their money. The authors describe three strategies these businesses used to become effective global competitors despite f acing financial and bureaucratic disadvantages in their home markets. Some capitalized on their knowledge of local product markets.Some have exploited their knowledge of local talent and capital markets, thereby serving customers both at home and abroad in a cost-effective manner. And some emerging giants have exploited institutional voids to create profitable businesses. Getting Offshoring Right by Ravi Aron and Jitendra V. Singh Harvard Business Review December 2005 Product no. R0512J Recently a rising number of companies in North America and Europe have experimented with offshoring and outsourcing business processes, hoping to reduce costs and gain strategic advantage—with mixed results.According to several studies, half the organizations that have shifted processes offshore have failed to generate the expected financial benefits. What’s more, many of them have faced employee resistance and consumer dissatisfaction. A three-part methodology can help companies reform ulate their offshoring strategies. First, prioritize company processes according to two criteria: the value these processes create for customers and the degree to which the company can capture some of that value. Then keep highest-priority processes in-house and consider outsourcing low-priority ones. Second, analyze the risks that accompany offshoring.Finally, determine possible locations for offshore efforts, as well as the organizational forms—such as joint ventures—that those efforts might take. page 8 This article is made available to you with compliments of Harry Korine. Further posting, copying or distributing is copyright infringement. To order more copies go to www. hbr. org. To Order For Harvard Business Review reprints and subscriptions, call 800-988-0886 or 617-783-7500. Go to www. hbr. org For customized and quantity orders of Harvard Business Review article reprints, call 617-783-7626, or e-mail [email  protected] harvard. edu