Eggplant to floor wax introduction Essay

One of the many problems of any home or infrastructure is keeping the shininess and the cleanliness of the floor and only thing that make this possible is the product called Floor wax it is applied on floor surfaces to make it scuff-resistant, water-resistant, slip resistant and glossy. It provides a thin, protective and hard surface layer when applied to flooring. In this modern age, floor polishes is made from synthetic materials and with the advancement of synthetics so does floor wax, each passing day over half a million people are using floor wax even as we speak someone is using it! But of all the useful traits that floor wax gives us at our floors there are always disadvantages to it and the first disadvantage is our environment, since floor wax is made out of highly synthetic materials its is non-biodegradable. The second is that floor wax contains toxic substances that can either cause severe damage to humans and animal life if came in contact. Third is prolong exposure of its unpleasant smell can cause different problems throughout the body. Fourth is that it can cause damage to the plants since floor wax contains volatile substances that can block plants from doing photosynthesis Despite the recent efforts by various organizations efforts to educate the public about the toxic dangers of floor wax no one seems to believe them due to the effectiveness of the modern floor wax but still its harming our environment. Our research aims to put these problems away through the use of eggplant leaves, by the use of eggplant leaves we can eliminate the problems of toxic materials exposing human and plants and making the floor wax safe to dispose at the environment because it can degrade over time plus making it 2 times more cheaper and the most important part is we can retain results, texture and luster of a commercially produced floor wax.

Development of Sexual Identity

Ethical relativism means, that I reject the Idea that there Is a single correct moral view. I think this because I believe that everyone has a right to choose and have their own moral view. I also think that in my own opinion that everyone that wants to do or say or feel a certain way should be able to and that no matter how much people say it may be wrong they should be able to show how we feel. I have also thought about critical thinking a lot different when it comes to sexuality. I think that we as younger adults, considering I am only 28, need to stop and think about the decisions that we eke as we are growing up.Now a days kids are getting younger and younger when they are having their babies, but the problem is that they are still babies themselves. They are ruing their lives and in some cases their baby's lives as well. Society needs to stop with all the media and showing the good things with babies and show the more negative things. With me though if I would have known what I know now I do not think that I would have had a child at 20, but no matter what I would not change it for anything and I know it is hard but in my opinion it was and is worth it. ;Describe the effect of environment and historical perspectives on your sexuality. In the environment that I was raised, I was raised to be tough and to be a manly man. My father really did not like gay, lesbian, or bi-sexual people and even treated them like they were nothing. I understand that if I was gay I would have been â€Å"disc- owned† and probably thrown out of the family, I did though have a lesbian cousin and I think that it must be the way my dad and his family were raised because her dad was very, very rude and really disheartening towards her.Being that my dad Is Native American and his family Is very proud I think that Just being raised around this type of family and their values can really affect you as a person. I think that the historical perspectives have really had no Influence on me personally because I think that we should learn from the past and historical events but we can choose whether or not to actually use them In our lives or make our lives ;our lives† that we live. ; Discuss the development of your gender Identity.A few things that have helped me In determining my gender Identity are that I have always felt that I need to take care of my family and to do my best when I am trying, his is one of the reasons that I chose to go back to school and further my education Ana try to get a netter JODI winner I can earn more money Ana Tell netter Dialectally secure about our future. I always feel that growing up my dad did a lot of working and really never spent time with us kids and I was always told that it was because he needed to take care of us kids and the family.And if I have gotten anything from him it was that taking care of your family was the first and most important thing to do. Another is that I am a sports fanatic and love the competitio n that comes with it. While watching TV. Hen I was younger I really never got what was happening but I knew that my dad did it so I thought it was the right thing to do. And when our team lost he was disappointed and really showed, so I thought that was normal activity, but I know now that it is Just a game and am now teaching my son that it is k to loose but having fun is the main goal.And lastly, and one of the most important things that I would say helped me with my gender identity was that growing up boys were the ;tough† ones and the girls were the ;weak' ones of course now that I am older I know that this untrue and that some girls are in fact stronger than some guys. Even though now that I think about it I and how wrong I really was I Just laugh about it because we were kids and it was only the perception of other kids that influenced me. ; Analyze the effect of attraction and love in your relationships.I think that the effect that attraction has had on me in my relatio nships has a lot of who I dated when I was younger. I used to see a girl that I felt was attractive and try to ask her out on a date. Then as I got older I used to see a girl that was attractive to me and I would try to take her out and start a relationship with her based solely on the first initial attraction. I understand that a real and stable relationship takes a whole lot more than Just looks to be a successful relationship and to be serious.I now am married to the most wonderful women on this planet and really and truly understand love. She is my best friend, my lover, and my world. We have nothing in common but that is what makes it so much fun, every day we either try something different or Just hang out together. Being different I think is Just like people say ;opposites attract† well in our case it has and I believe that life could not get any better. To me love really means something a to deeper than to other people.To me it means to love unconditionally and no matt er what you do not give up on that person Just because you or they are mad. So when I say ;l love you† I really mean it with all my heart and it is not Just a turn of phrase to me, like some of these kids that Just through it out there to Just say it. ; Discuss another topic of this course that is interesting and useful to you. Relate this topic to your life. I think that after taking this course another topic that has interested me and really related to my life is that of child and sexual molesters.The reason that this topic has really interested me is because I personally think that these men and women are very mentally and physically sick people. I think that these people should be giving help but only if they admit that they have done wrong and need the help. Now some people that think that this may be something they need to say to get out of Jail or whatever else that they are being held in, but they are only saying this to get out and are more than likely going to refine d and hurt someone else's child or them personally by raping them.I think that we as a society need to make a law that is a en strike for these offenders and be put away for life. I have a child and I know that being a father and if one was to hurt or molest my son I would be engulfed with rage Tanat may not De addle to nylon Deck IT I met ten person won a a It. So In my pollen I think that this would not only be looking out for the children but for the person who did this and to the parents or loved ones that the sex offender has done this to.Many people think that there should be either stricter rules for sex offenders and some think that the laws are fine as long as they register as a sex offender, but I think that story has shown that many of them go out and refined and hurt another child or person. So instead of stopping this while we could at the first time that they did it we let them out and they go out and destroy another life. I think that this is Just too risky and should leave them in the prisons to live their life out.An idea that I would suggest is that maybe build a facility on an island to serve as a place to put offenders and let them live a normal life but far, far away from people they may hurt and the children they may hurt. Now that I am done with this class I will still be doing my own research on a lot of he things that we have learned here and I hope to be able to pass them on not only to my kids but to anyone that may want to learn about this as well.This class has not only taught me a lot but it has opened my eyes to things that I may have never known or even thought about learning. I thank you and I hope that one day I may be able to share this with people to ensure that we understand our bodies and how they work, and what to do when things happen to us. Format your personal response consistent with PAP guidelines. Post your personal response as an attachment.

All Parents Should Have the Option of Home-schooling Their Children Essay

All Parents Should Have the Option of Home-schooling Their Children - Essay Example Homeschooling enables parents to monitor what their children learn and would feel more secure about the matter. Since parents will largely decide on the education of a child, they can limit what is fed to them on certain matters or they can also give emphasis on the subjects they want their child to be more knowledgeable about. For instance, some parents regard moral values over scientific knowledge while others want their approach to their children’s education to be holistic. Some schools do not teach religion and this would either limit or extend what the parents think about their children’s education. In china for instance, Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism are among the religious thoughts that are taught in school. A Christian parent who does not want his child to learn the doctrines of such religions should have the option of homeschooling his kid so that he can limit the dogma he wants the child to learn. On the contrary, he can also maximize the time to teach all the values and beliefs he deems necessary for his child to assimilate. Since religion is an important part of every individual, this should be greatly considered because somehow, the world will soon benefit from such kind of education. Another argument why parents should have the option of homeschooling their children is for security reasons. Kidnapping of children is not a foreign issue in many countries. There have been so many cases wherein children are used by criminals as a means to their goals and they are often endangered on their way to school or even in the school itself. Indeed, keeping the children at home may not assure parents that they will not be in danger however their stay at home somehow places a borderline to... This essay approves that children are not the same in their abilities and interests. This is a fact that schools should consider however, with the number of students every teacher has to teach in traditional schools, not all students are well-developed in their environment. Homeschool provides an excellent teacher-student ratio that enables students to maximize their learning experience. Adjustments can always be made when a child is homeschooled. In traditional schools, the success and development of a talented student can be limited because the curriculum is quite rigid. Homeschooling on the contrary is flexible and is more advantageous to the development of a student. This report makes a conclusion that homeschooling is cheaper compared to traditional schools. It provides homes which are not able to afford sending their children to school the chance to be educated. In addition, parents can monitor what their children learn. They can either limit the knowledge of their children or expand them according to how they want their children to be taught. Parents do not have to worry about their educational security. Furthermore, their physical security is also closely supervised. Homeschooling protects children from bully teachers and fellow students. Most importantly, it allows a student to improve one’s weaknesses or enhance his strengths at his own pace. For the aforementioned reasons, it is obvious that homeschooling benefits students and parents in various ways therefore, parents should be given the option of homeschooling their children.

Beneficiary Principle Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Beneficiary Principle - Case Study Example Therefore, it can be safely deduced that Grant's final intention was to give the "Gatesgarth" house to Polly. The latter's failure to register the title transfer in her favor with the Land Registry is of no moment. This is so despite the provision in Section 23 of the Probate Law subsequent conveyance or any other act done after the execution of the will shall not prevent the operation of the will. b.) No, Joe is not entitled to the shares in Smallco Ltd. It is required by law that in case of transfer of stocks or shares in a company, the same must be done by executing a stock transfer form and deliver it to the company together with the stock or share certificate for the specific purpose of transferring the name in the stock certificate and in the stock and transfer book of the company. It is only upon registration of such transfer that the transfer binds third parties. The act of Grant handing his share certificate for 1000 shares in Smallco Ltd. ... RSCPA is entitled to the shares in Smallco Ltd. This is in accordance with Grant's valid will, giving the rest of his estate to RSPCA, which is a registered charity. Since the state does not recognize the principle of "legitime" or "forced heirship", it is the will of the decedent that should be followed in the distribution of estate. By virtue of this provision in Grant's will which gives effect to the principle of residuary devises, all monies and properties of Grant that did not pass to some particular beneficiaries shall be given to RSPCA. c.) Grant's telephone conversation with Tom during his lifetime regarding the trust has no legal effect whatsoever. A mere telephone conversation will not suffice as to validly effect a transfer of benefits under a trust agreement. To effect such transfer of shares to Polly, Grant must have executed a formal deed of conveyance during his lifetime, prior to the transfer of shares to Polly so as to validate the same. Tom's act of transferring the shares to Polly without a formal act on the part of Grant has no legal effect whatsoever as it is not supported by a legal document to prove the intent of Grant to let go of his shares in favor of Polly. Since transfer of stocks requires compliance with certain formalities as execution of a deed of transfer or any act of formal conveyance and presentation thereof together with the stock certificate to the company for purposes of transferring the registration in the stock and transfer book, and issuing a new stock certificate in the name of another person, the transfer made by Tom is therefore unlawful and is considered null and void. Henceforth, title to the shares of stock must revert back to Grant's estate and be distributed according to his

Strategic planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Strategic planning - Essay Example Further, innovation is another key factor behind their success. They rapidly developed international stores, built good non-food sales, expanded into retailing services and exploited e-commerce successfully. Tesco executives adopted the street corner strategy (i.e. more Tesco Express convenience stores) as the key to continued growth in core UK sales. This takes advantage of a major shift in food consumption patterns .Tescos sparkling growth has come at the expense of rivals, especially Sainsbury and Safeway, both of whom are battling to keep customers. The other UK supermarkets simply cannot compete on both price and range of different store formats. Tescos UK stores are divided into five formats, differentiated by size and the range of products sold. That is super stores, metros, express, one stop and homes plus. Superstores are large super market, stocking groceries and a much smaller range of non-food goods than Extra stores. Most are located in suburbs of cities or on the edges of large and medium-sized towns. Tesco Metro stores sized between Tesco superstores and Tesco Express stores. They are mainly located in city centres, the inner city. Tesco Express stores are neighbourhood convenience shops, stocking mainly food with an emphasis on higher-margin products alongside everyday essentials. They are found in busy city centre districts, small shopping precincts in residential areas, small towns. One Stop is the only category, which does not include the word Tesco in its name. These are the very smallest stores. They were part of the T&S Stores business but unlike many, which have been converted to Tesco Express; these will keep their old name. Tesco home plus offer all of Tescos ranges except food in warehouse-style units in retail parks Tescos success in recent years has mainly come from expanding overseas, shifting to higher margin non-food merchandise and maintaining a strong UK core business. Its UK success has been built

Mild Mental Retardation Related focused on pediatric population and Research Paper

Mild Mental Retardation Related focused on pediatric population and communication disorders - Research Paper Example To establish a diagnosis of mental retardation, the intelligence has to be atleast 2 standard deviations less than the mean intelligent quotient. Mental retardation can be categorized into mild, moderate, severe and profound based on the intelligent quotient and of these, mild mental retardation (MMR) accounts for more than 85 percent of the cases. The intelligent quotient is between 50-55 to 70 and the standard deviation below mean is 2-3. According to Reschly (2009), "MMR was the official designation of a level of MR that involved current intellectual functioning performance between 2 and 3 standard deviations below the population mean and significant limitations in some, but not all, facets of everyday adaptive functioning." The DSM (2005) criteria for mental retardation includes "significantly sub-average intellectual functioning- an IQ of approximately 70 or below, trouble with functioning in multiple areas of life and onset before age 18." Since those with MMR do not have much biological or physical involvement, there is no biological stigmata associated with the diagnosis (Nadelson, 2001). On the other hand, in those with levels of mental retardation beyond MMR, the diagnosis is often made in preschool years and the setting of identification is usually a health care system (Reschly, 2009). The comprehensiveness of the individual is poor and affects performance of the individuals in all social setting and also functional roles. Biological stigmata is always present with the diagnosis (Reschly, 2009). Diagnosis of MMR is often complex and also controversial because of lack of unequivocal symptoms and signs (Hegde and Pomaville, 2008). The diagnosis of MMR was recognized formally about a century ago and has been described in the earlier versions of American Association on Mental Retardation Disabilities (Reschly, 2009). When compared to other levels of mental retardation, MMR is usually not diagnosed until the child attains school age and the diagnosis usua lly occurs subsequent to referral from the class teacher of the child for suboptimal academic performance. Individuals with MMR typically do not exhibit any physical characteristics, neither do they have much impairment of comprehension (Reschly, 2009). When compared to other levels of mental retardation, MMR is usually not diagnosed until the child attains school age and the diagnosis usually occurs subsequent to referral from the class teacher of the child for suboptimal academic performance. Individuals with MMR typically do not exhibit any physical characteristics, neither do they have much impairment of comprehension (Reschly, 2009). Recent formulations for grading the severity of mental retardation are based on the levels of support needed rather than intelligent quotient. This is because; support levels are anyway related conceptually to impairment levels. Four levels of support are described in this regard and they are analogous to the four levels of impairment used earlier (Reschley, 2009). In this essay, communication problems, their evaluation tools, and treatment will be discussed with reference to MMR. Since there are several causes of MMR and it is beyond the purview of this essay to discuss them, one cause of MMR, the William syndrome will be discussed. Speech and language characteristics of the disorder The permanence in MMR is variable and its identification is unlike during preschool age period and adulthood.

Module Matinee 6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Module Matinee 6 - Essay Example excellent message that it is not the race, cultural difference, prejudice or social disparity that makes people to hate each other but it is the habit of blaming others for the frustration and problems they are going through their lives that makes them to hate each other. the people from other ethnic background and culture. They think that it is because of their presence that they are not able to find happiness and peace in life. Farhad thinks that people from white ethnic background do not accept him as one of them. He is being compared to the terrorists just because he follows Muslim tradition. Jean thinks that she has to suppress her true emotions as she fears being called as ‘racist’ if she expresses them. Chrsitine thinks that she suffered molestation at the hands of a police officer from white ethnic background as she belonged to black ethnic background. In this way, every character in the movie thinks that people from other ethnic backgrounds are responsible for the misery and disharmony they are experiencing in their lives. In the beginning, the characters are shown displaying their external behavior patterns. For example, Jean expressing her fear when she sees Anthony and Peter crossing her, Officer Ryan insulting Christine and Cameron, Farhad being aggressive ‘perceiving’ discrimination at the hands of the shopkeeper in the gun shop, etc. However, as the movie continues, we get to see the other side of these characters. We feel sorry for Officer Ryan when we see that his father is suffering from painful disease and he has to watch him in pain helplessly. Jean’s insecurity about her relationship with her husband makes us feel that it is her personal frustration that is making her to behave negatively towards people from other ethnic background. We get to see a very warm side of Daniel’s personality when he tells his daughter that they have left the ‘bad’ neighborhood where there is violence. Slowly, the movie reveals the true reasons that

Ethnographic Research Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Ethnographic Research Project - Essay Example Different cultures are affecting the present market conditions and business process. People belonging from various cultures behave in certain ways in their day to day activities. The goods are produced and consumed according to their lifestyle and culture. The companies are also very aware of this. They manufacture and sell goods and services according to the tastes and preferences of its customers. By studying the culture of its targeted customers different brands have developed its brand image. Brand has a strong relation with the product which has unique characterises. It builds up a strong image of the product on the mind of the customer which portrays the status and taste of the customers. The social, personal and cultural identity of people defines the relationship between the production and consumptions. The development of new promotional culture helps to attract more customers. The brands are perceived in a different way for this new promotional culture. The topic of this research paper is ethnography. The main aim of this paper is assessing the role of consumption and cultural production in the present time of new economies. In the modern time the production of the company is highly dependent on the cultural tastes of the customers. The research paper describes the importance of brands and branding in this context. The objectives of this paper are to explain the contribution of design and aesthetics for the development of various promotional cultures by the companies. The research paper will also focus on the process by which consumption shapes our experiences, relationships by opening up different ethical questions. The assignment has also emphasised on the link between consumption and production which has affected many cultural industries. This research paper is done on the study of primary and secondary data. Primary Research is the most important part of this project. A detailed study of this people and their day to day

Von Mangoldt function Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Von Mangoldt function - Essay Example There are various functions that relates to the Von function. Some of the functions that relates to the Von function is the mobius function, the divisor function and the phi function amongst others. In number theory, the phi function φ(n), is a part of the arithmetic function that counts the n totatives, that is, the positive integers that are less than or equal to n that are mainly prime to n. If n is a positive integer, then φ(n) is the integer number k in the range 1 ≠¤ k ≠¤ n for which the biggest common divisor gcd (n,k)=1. The totient function refers to a multiplicative function that means that where two numbers n and m are relatively prim, then φ(mn)  =  Ãâ€ (m)φ(n). The Euler’s product formula states A divisor function is also a part of the arithmetic function linked to the integer divisors. When denoted as the divisor function, it states the integer divisors number. It comes out as a remarkable identities involving relationships with the Eisenstein series and Riemann zeta function of modular forms. A linked formula is the divisor summatory function that like the name is the sum exceeding the divisor function. The Von function is related to the divisor function through the summatory function. The subsequent chebyshey function ψ(x) is the summatory function associated with the von Mangoldt function: There are various aspects that surround the Von function. Many questions have been asked as to whether the Von function is multiplicative. The von function is one of the most significant arithmetic function that cannot be classified as additive or multiplicative. An arithmetic function a is said to be completely additive if a (mn) = a (m) + a (n) for all the natural numbers m and n. An arithmetic function is attributed to be completely multiplicative if a (mn) = a (m) a (n) for all the natural numbers m and n. Two whole numbers n and m are referred to as comprise if their greatest common divisor equals 1, meaning that there

Final global business plan Essay Example for Free

Final global business plan Essay The ASEAN was founded in 1967 to promote the alliances of the countries in Southeast Asia. The current members of the ASEAN are the Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam (ASEAN, 2010) Physical Environment The physical environment of Southeast Asia is primarily a warm climate other than the high elevation areas (Andaya, 2009). The physical environment also differs from the ocean and jungle geographical areas. A primary concern within the physical environment is the availability of safe drinking water in many areas of Southeast Asia and the air quality. Political Stability The political stability within Southwest Asia is very questionable in many areas of the region due to the terrorist activities; however with the support of the U.S. and other countries the threat is reduced just not eliminated. A scoring system was used to evaluate the region based on data that was provided by AMB Country Risk Reports. The rating system is; One Very Low Risk, two Low Risk, three Moderate Risk, four High Risk, and five -Very High Risk. The country leads the region with are risk score of one is Singapore followed by Indonesia two, Malaysia and Thailand three, Philippines and Viet Nam 4. The Philippines and Viet Nam have significant political risks that need to be taken into consideration (A.M. Best, 2010). Economic Conditions The economic risks within major countries of Southeast Asia are moderate at best. In the recent economic downward trend Southeast Asia is seeing the effects the slowing economic trend with their major trading partners the United States and Europe. The demands for exports are decreasing and forecasts for 2009-2010 expect this trend to continue (A.M. Best, 2010). A scoring system was used to evaluate the region based on data that was provided by AMB Country Risk Reports the rating system is; One Very Low Risk, two Low Risk, three Moderate Risk, four High Risk, and five -Very High Risk.† The country leads the region with are risk score of one is Singapore, followed by Indonesia two, Malaysia and Thailand three, Philippines and Viet Nam four. The Philippines and Viet Nam have significant economic risks that need to be taken into consideration (A.M. Best, 2010). Financial Options and Risks The financial system within the Southeast Asia region indicates a moderate to high risk on average other than the country of Singapore. As the global economy tightens credit requirements, this can have a significant impact on the financial stability in the region (Country Risk, 2010). A scoring system was used to evaluate the region based on data that was provided by AMB Country Risk Reports. The rating system is; One Very Low Risk, two Low Risk, three Moderate Risk, four High Risk, and five -Very High Risk. The country leads the region with are risk score of one is Singapore, followed by, Malaysia and Thailand three, Philippines and Indonesia four, and Viet Nam- five. The Philippines, Indonesia, and Viet Nam have significant financial risks that need to be taken into consideration (A.M. Best, 2010). Political stability There is a constant threat of terrorism according to the U.S. Department of State diplomacy in action website: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2794.htm, but the political stability is stable because of the continued efforts of the U.S. and other international entities such as the International Monitoring team. Economic conditions The economic conditions are stable; the Philippine government has been working over the past few years to reduce its deficits down to 0.2% of the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and is continuously working to balance its budget. Finance options available According to an article Philippines: Types of Business Organizations that Foreign Investors may Establish in the Philippines there are several financial options available that are: These include the establishment by a foreign corporation of a (i) local subsidiary through a domestic corporation, (ii) a branch office, (iii) a representative office, (iv) a regional or area headquarters, or (v) a regional operating headquarters. Entry into the Philippines can also be achieved through joint ventures with other domestic corporations (Manalastas, and Guinto, 2000). Physical environment and its affect on trade The locality of the Philippines creates some environmental issues that needs to be taken into consideration there are three main issues the first two are seasonal; the typhoon season from June through November, the monsoon rain season from July through December. The third issue that is unpredictable is the volcanic eruptions that can happen at any time (The Philippines, 2010). Social, health, and environmental conditions The majority of the Philippine people do live in poverty and the mortality rate for babies is high; however the health care is improving the Philippines have been recognized for eliminating Polio (The Philippines, 2010). Although there is a pollution problem, the government of the Philippines is stepping in to help reduce pollution by enacting and enforcing laws that actually is helping clean up their environment. Cultural considerations When doing business in the Philippines there is a couple of cultural consideration to keep in mind such as it is unacceptable behavior to correct a person in public, to cause a person to lose face by refusing or saying no to a person, and do not accept an invitation to a family meal when first asked, if the invitation is asked a second time then it is all right to accept (The Philippines, 2010). Organizational Description Apple Computer, Inc. is headquartered in Cupertino, California. The company is a worldwide producer, designs, markets, manufactures computers, digital music and video players. Founded on April 1, 1976 by Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs, and Ron Wayne, apple sells to all consumers small, mid-sized, and large businesses. The company sells its products through retail stores, online stores, and also third party wholesalers. The increase in awareness of value of the internet, and convenience it gives to its users will soon bring more to the table for the Philippines. Since the internet has been a big expansion for many markets many businesses have found use to this to expand their business overseas. Since 2000 to 2009 the internet usage has gone up from 2,000,000 (2.6%) to 24,000,000 (24.5%) in the Philippines. Apple’s line of digital music players has taken advantage by providing iPod users to download digital music files to their iPods. Apple Inc., sales a line of iPod digital music and video players to both the Windows and Mac users that also provides online services that can, as described in this article Reuters Profile: Apple INC. (AAPL.O) which states; â€Å"distribute third-party music, audio books, music videos, television shows, movies, podcasts, and applications† (Reuters, 2010), through the iTunes Store. ITunes is a digital music application for downloading and playing digital audio and video files. Since Philippines have about 24,000,000 internet users as of June 2009 which is about 24.5% of the population in the Philippines there is potential growth for this market to grow. With new information about Netflix possibly signing an agreement with Apple Inc. sales can possibly increase since there will be more possibilities for iPod users to download through Netflix servers. Risk Analysis Week 3 The purpose of this document is to analyze the risks that are involved in establishing a global business operation in a foreign country of the Philippines. The document will detail the risks of introducing Apple Incorporated and the iPod to the Philippines. The risks that will be covered include political risks, legal risks, exchange rate financial risks, and taxation risks. The document will also detail a variety of additional risks, specific marketing strategies and performance measurement that will impact the overall success of Apple Incorporated within the country of the Philippines. Political/Legal/Regulatory risks The Philippines is a bureaucratic country. It has a complex network of regulations, permissions, procedures, and authorities with approval procedures. Many of these restrictions are designed to bar off newcomers entering the country’s existing industries. This will not be the case for Apple Inc. The political, legal, and regulatory risks of opening an Apple store in the Philippines vary. Apple’s plan is to acquire an existing retail store and moving under the Apple brand. Even though the political risk is high Apple Inc. is in no way threatening to the political climate in the Philippines. The Philippines has been working in developing relationships with neighboring countries, â€Å"build close ties with neighboring countries in Southeast Asia through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)† (A.M. Best Company, Inc, 2009).Legally, the risk associated with opening the store could be great, and the company must make sure it is in compliance with rules and regulations regarding the opening and operation of the store. The most immediate regulatory risk to business is because of mandated price agreements used by the government to combat inflation. Apple Inc. sees Philippines as a country poised for a great economic turn-around in the Internet and electronics market. Indicators such as World Stats forecast that the country is on a steady uphill swing. Exchange/ Repatriation of Funds Risks Exchange rates and repatriation of funds needs to be considered with Apple opening a store in the Philippines. Philippines are very open to foreign investors as a way to grow the local economy. However on January 2007, in an ongoing effort to promote two key goals, â€Å"the Philippine government has issued the Seventh Regular Foreign Investment Negative List† (Baleva, 2007), protecting domestic industries and encouraging foreign investors to participate in certain areas of enterprise. Pricing will also be a factor if the company bases there pricing by US standards. Exchange rate on US dollars to Pesos needs to factor in. Competitive Risk Assessment Apple’s key competitors are already doing business in the Philippines and creating a strong and profitable presence. Competitors such as Sony, Samsung, and Sansa have been doing business in the Philippines for many years. Apple’s target entrance into the market will give consumers more options and encourage more competition within the market. Taxation/Double Taxation Risks The agreement of double taxation outlines what taxes are covered, defines who the parties are and the context of the agreement and itemizes what is covered under the agreement. Underlining the rules under which a business’ profits are taxed and when double taxation comes into action. The double taxation agreement defines the establishment of permanent residence, which Apple Inc. would seek to have by opening a store in the country on a permanent basis. HM revenue customs defines permanent establishment as, â€Å"a fixed place of business in which the business of the enterprise is wholly or partly carried on† (HM Revenue Customs, n.d.). Based on the information contained in the agreement it is possible that Apple will be possibly doubled taxed. Market risks (four Ps price, place, promotion, and product) One of the risks that every business needs to address when selling their product in a foreign country is pricing the product to high that only a small portion of customers can afford to buy the product. According to the article Manila’s living costs, wages among the lowest it states; â€Å"To illustrate, workers in Zurich are paid $22.60 per hour ($30.30 gross), while workers in Geneva are paid $20.40 per hour ($29.20 gross)—a far cry from what average workers in Manila are paid: $1.40 per hour ($1.60 gross)† (Victoria, 2009). One of the ways to address this issue is to buy in large quantity, so that cost can be driven down. Currently the Philippines is experiencing a power crisis, which is a risk within itself in the article Philippines power at crisis point of the Asian Times it states; â€Å"Recent electricity outages in the Philippines has sparked concern that the country is on its way to its second power crisis in 20 years† (Rubrico, 2010). If there is no electricity, it will be hard to sell iPods to customers especially in the dark. Our company can purchase generators that can be used during the power outages. The Ipods are very popular and expensive in the Philippines, which has created a market of iPod thieves. According to Davao Today article iPod Thieves on the Rise in RP that states; â€Å"iPods may now be joining wallets and mobile phones as attractive targets for thieves and pickpockets† (No author mentioned, 2010). Train both employees and customers how to avoid being a victim, this will show the customers we just don’t think of them as a sale but as a person. Marketing Research Approach The marketing research approach for the Apple Store is a five step process that includes defining potential problems, developing a research plan, collecting relevant information by specifying data, developing findings, and taking marketing actions based on the analysis of data findings (Marketing Research, 2006). The research objectives will be to determine if there is a demand for the products offered by the Apple Store. The research plan will consist of surveying a minimum of 1,000 to 2,000 consumers in the target region of the Philippines. Contact information will be gathered to later obtain positive or negative feedback on the products that are offered by the Apple Store. An online survey will also be conducted through the Apple Store via the internet. This will assist in later developing marketing strategies applicable to the products offer by the Apple Store that are in demand in the target region. Some types of questions that will be asked during the Apple Store survey are as follows: 1) What is your age? 2) What is your gender? 3) Would you purchase the products offered by the Apple Store? 4) What did you like about the product? 5) What did you dislike about the product? 6.) Was the product easy to use? 7.) What would you change about the product, if anything? 8.) Will you continue to use the product? 9.) Would you recommend the product to a friend? 10.) What would you consider a fair price for the product? Apple Store Marketing Mix The marketing mix of product, price, place, and promotion is a crucial part of the introduction of the products being offered at the proposed Apple Store. A strong strategic marketing plan developed by the marketing team will assist the Apple Store in getting of to a positive start. The products offered by the Apple Store will include all items that a consumer can purchase through the on-line Apple Store web address http://store.apple.com/ph. The products include the wide variety of iPod products, iPhones, and Mac products. The physical location of the Apple Store needs to be in a high traffic public area that will attract many customers. The pricing strategy of the products offered at the Apple Store in the Philippines will targeted to under cut the competition in the region during the first 6 months of operation while still maintaining reasonable profit margins on the Apple Store products. This strategy will help in initially establishing the presence of the Apple Store in the target region. Apple Store executives will consistently monitor the progress of the Apple Store in the Philippines during the first 6 months of operations and recommend solutions to any potential risks that come up during this time period. After the first 6 months of operation in the region the product pricing strategy will be revisited. The location of the Apple Store will be critical to the overall financial success of the business. The attributes that are desirable for the physical location of the Apple Store include a highly visible location with heavy consumer traffic. An additional attribute is needs to be considered is the location of the store will be easily accessible for ease of the distribution channels to replenish inventory needs with minimal risk. In selecting a location with these attributes the Apple Store will have a higher probability of meeting or exceeding business goals and objectives. The strategic marketing plan will identify specific dates that will provide the best dates for a promotional sale grand opening of the Apple Store in the Philippines. To start the promotional period the marketing team will start advertising the grand opening of the Apple store several weeks prior to the grand opening. Apple Store products will be advertised by using magazine ads, internet and television spots, and any other means of promotion detailed as a strong promotional tactic in the region. The marketing team will need to pay close attention to see how quickly the product inventory will move from the shelves during the first few weeks of operation if the Apple Store is approved for implementation in the Philippines. The marketing strategy also needs to verify that there is sufficient demand for the Apple Store products. Distribution and supply chain risks There are a few items that make distribution and supply risky in the Philippines, as stated in the Spend Matters article Apple’s Risky iPod Supply Chain; What types of risk? Well, try an active volcano located less than 20 miles away, proximity within an earthquake zone (which makes San Francisco’s seismic activity look tame), and the very real threat of tropic storms and typhoons. And thats not even considering that the area around the plants is subject to regular flooding from storm water, blocking ingress of people and egress of goods [the factories] even sends people home early when a serious storm is forecast, because of the risk that the roads will be impassable.† (Busch, J. 2006) No one can prevent Mother Nature from happening, but we can be prepared by staying updated on the weather reports and staying alert to nature’s surroundings. By staying prepared and knowing what to do in the event of a natural disaster, will prevent personal injuries to emp loyees and customers as well as minimizing damages to our product. Distribution Channel Management The marketing team will perform extensive research before the introduction of the Apple Store begins business operations in the Philippines. Determining a reliable distribution channel in a global business operation is an important formula for success. The main distribution channel will start in the United States and products will be distributed to the Philippines based on inventory needs transmitted through an electronic data base. The distribution of the Apple Store products from shipping destination within the Philippines to the Apple store location is an addition characteristic that needs to be considered because of the threat of theft that exists within the target country. Once the store headquarters has been established then logistics such as shipping, receiving, and storage in smaller warehouses will be considered based on distribution risk factors have been evaluated. One prime objective of the Apple Store in the Philippines is to meet or exceed our customers’ needs. Physical and environmental challenges to entering and operating in a target market There are several physical and environmental challenges when operating a business in the Philippines, some of the physical challenges include political unrest, corruption, terrorism, and extortion these are just a few that needs to be address. The environmental challenges include pollution (water and air), natural disasters (volcano eruptions and flooding), unemployment according to Index munbdi: Philippines unemployment rate that shows for 2010 to be an estimated 7.5% (No author mentioned, 2010). Staying informed is key to handling these types of risks, some things can be handled by local authorities and others will have to be dealt with the best way possible depending on the situation. Social and cultural risks In the social and cultural circle, the risk of misunderstanding in many categories is very easily done such as those listed in the article Centre for intercultural learning: Cultural Information Philippines that are: â€Å"Conversation, Communications Styles, Display of Emotions, Dress, Punctuality, Formality, and Decision Making† (No author mentioned, 2009). Not knowing how to address each of these items can lead to offending the Filipino people, which will cause problems in doing business in the community. Common sense and proper communications will just about handle each of these risk, also by participating in community events and helping the community during a time of crisis will promote unity between the company and the local people. Cyber or Technology Stealing technology and cyber attacks are a big risks, the government of the Philippines still needs to catch up the laws concerning today’s technology. In the article, Experts Call for Stringent Laws against Cyber Crime in Philippines states that; â€Å"The security researchers states that these kinds of e-mail attacks occur more commonly across the Philippines since there arent any cyber crime laws in the country to catch and prosecute Internet criminals, particularly e-mail fraudsters† (No author mentioned, 2010). Common sense applies to these risks as well, making sure that our computer systems maintain the most recent updates on security programs and training the employees to never give out passwords and shut down the computer every night before going home are just some suggestions that will prevent problems down the road. Define and clarify mission and objectives The Mission Statement of Apple Incorporated will remain the same as researches through multiple sources according to Investor Relation of Apple (located on the FAQ page) it states that; Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market this year with its revolutionary iPhone (Apple-History, 2010 6). Philippines Internet use has grown remarkably throughout the years. Internet World Stats estimated as of March 2009, there are 20.6 million Internet users coming to about 21.5% of the entire population in the Philippines. Apple Inc. has selected the Philippines to begin expansion providing stores and Internet downloading over the web for users to download digital audio, video, and podcast files. The primary business objective is to establish a 15% profit margin in the first year of operation within the Philippines. In each subsequent year after the first a 5% increase to the profit margin has been established as a goal until the profit margin reaches a 30%. Additional objectives include obtaining a 10% market share of the products offered by Apple Incorporated and a 4% increase per year over the next 3 years. Customer satisfaction has also been established at a target percentage of 97%. SWOTT Analysis SWOTT analysis is a useful tool to determine the strengths, weaknesses. Opportunities and threats that exist within a global business entity or region are being evaluated for risk factors. The team has developed a SWOTT analysis for the target region to identify these factors prior to engaging in any business operation within the Philippines. This will assist the team in identifying key characteristics in the structure and development of Apple Incorporated within the Philippines. Current Competitors Competitive Landscape The competitive landscape for Apple Store are the following companies that have a strong hold on a large portion of the population that Apple Store will have to compete with in the global market place. These companies manufacture similar technology devices that Apple Store is competing for to increase global market share. Their products are known throughout the global technology market where competition is extremely competitive. Competitors’ of the Apple Store include Dell Incorporated, Hewlett Packard, and Gateway. The engineering development of new improved technology will assist the Apple Store in gaining competitive advantage over the competitors. Customer satisfaction is a primary objective at the Apple Store. A recent survey conducted in 2008 by the University of Michigan named the American Customer Satisfaction Index ACSI indicated that Apple had a ten point advantage over its closest competitor (Computerworld, 2010). The Apple Store that is being considered in the Philippines will have the same target goal in reference to customer satisfaction in the target region. Strategy Selection The strategy selection of Apple Incorporated is to establish a base store that strategically reports back sales results and inventory needs to a home base location within the United States electronically. The strategy of the company will be to promote the iPod through lower price cost structures than existing competitors. The company will also launch a marketing campaign to promote this strategy through established marketing structures that exist within the Philippenes. This will assist Apple Incorporated in notifying consumers of company existence in the region while promoting our lower priced product. The mode of entry to develop Apple Incorporated to enter the Phillipenes will be the direct investment mode. Apple Incorporated will be establishing a location within the country and then based on all business results will determine if additional locations within the country are needed to meet customer demand. Advantages of this mode of entry include high sales potential, low political risk, and the company could be viwed as an insider (Quick MBA, 2010). Because of some of the high risk elements that exist within the Philippenes Apple Incorporated will need to be cautious by limiting the amount capital that the company will spend in the direct investment mode. Control and Evaluation Specific measures will be monitored on a weekly basis to track the progress and continous improvement opportunities that exist to set up operations within the Phillipenes. The key characteristics that impact overall business results will be evaltated to establish a proactive approach to issues that will have an impact these results. The key characteristics will include sales, inventory, taxes, and process limitations. This will assist Apple Incorporated in providing a quick responsive action to any underlying problems that need to be resolved. Sales goals and profit margins will also be evaluated to determine the overall success within the Phillipenes. Contigency Plan Apple Incorporated will need a contigency plan to account for risk factors that have some probability of resulting in business profitability not reaching overall expectations. The contigency plan that Apple Incorporated has in place consists of closing the existing store if business objectives are not achieved with leaving options open for changing the mode of entry into the Phillipenes to exporting the product through established distribution channels. This contigency plan still allows the company to establish sales within the Phillipenes while reducing investment risk. Financial Overview Apple has the possibility for a strong financial investment in the expansion into the Philippines. The risks associated with the investment into the Philippines do not outweigh the benefits that can realistically be achieved. After thoroughly researching the Pilipino market, the Ayala Group, one of the largest firms in the Philippines is supposedly involved in a project to put up an official Apple store in the Philippines (Technograph, 2009). This is beneficial because less money will have to be invested in research and development, as well as marketing and advertising since the organization is already known throughout the Philippines. The economy in the Philippines has not shown extreme changes or any sudden implications that the economy is getting stronger. The Philippine GDP for the year 2009 has barely risen 1% but has, â€Å"weathered the 2008-09 global recessions better than its regional peers due to minimal exposure to securities issued by troubled global financial institutions† (index mundi, 2008). Operating Expenses As projected for expenses for one apple store, the budget chart shows total operating expenses at $5, 482 and operating income at $11,740 and other income and expenses at $326. There are many providers that impact operating expenses such as utilities, taxes, and advertisement. Apple has projected a total operating expense at $5,482 for one apple store. When assembling a budget chart, it is essential to take into account all factors to properly manage a business. It is important to trust that focused investments in Research and Development (RD) are significant to a company’s future competitive and expansion position in a foreign market and are directed towards the development of new and improved products that are central to the company’s core business strategy. As such, Apple expects to make further investments in RD to expand and remain competitive in the Filipino market. Other factors of influence that can help expand Apple into the foreign market, is the company’s persistent expansion of its retail division in both international and domestic markets, top stock-based return expenses and higher spending on marketing and advertising (Apple Investor 2010). The chart below shows the estimated monthly general budget of the operation of one store in the Philippines, providing that the decision is made to proceed with the plans to set up and begin operations. This is a rough estimate, because of the many factors that may and will fluctuate either in a positive or negative way can cause a change on the expense side, however the further we proceed the more accurate our budget will become. Financial Overview General Budget Foreign Exchange Risk Studies have found that many Asian-Pacific businesses are exposed to one or more of the world’s major currencies: the Euro, the US dollar, the British pound, and the Japanese Yen. Some of the greatest dangers were produce by fluctuations in the US dollar. This impacted 58 percent in the Philippines, â€Å"currency fluctuations affected the profitability of companies whose financial assets and liabilities (most notably debt) were held in foreign currencies† (Vanderbilt, 2007). When choosing to invest in the Philippines, the foreign exchange risks associated with business ventures are significant because of an Asian financial crisis during (1996-1998), â€Å"more than half of the studied companies in Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines, and about a third of those in Japan and Singapore, were exposed to the dollar, and about a quarter of the firms in Singapore were exposed to the yen† (Vanderbilt, 2007). Risk Management Transaction risk refers to the fact that the cash flow value of foreign currency contracts may change due to exchange rate fluctuations. Additionally, since the organization will be buying and selling goods in foreign currency to a certain extent, the foreign exchange risk increases. The potential negative aspects associated with doing business in the Philippines are significant since the business will be using Filipino Pesos, which has an inflation rate of 4.4 percent. As a result, there is a risk that the exchange rate as with any currency may change unfavorably before the currency is actually exchanged. However, these risks can be counteracted by utilizing forward hedging, which is a way to lock in an exchange rate on an agreed future date. This will allow the organization to be completely aware of future cash inflows and outflows, as well as the value of the organization’s profits in US currency since the exchange rate will not change due to the purchase of forward hedging. Financing Given the current international economic instability, the choice of choosing from domestic or international financing is tough because there are significant risks associated with each. The European Investment Bank (EIB) has offered financing opportunities to the Philippines; currently the EIB has one billion euro allocations in 18 Asian countries including the Philippines. If the company chooses to move forward with the international venture, the company would choose to finance through the EIB. The EIB, â€Å"has provided over 600 million euros in funding for multiple projects in the country coursed through the government and private sector† (European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, 2009). Centralized versus Decentral ized The parent company and its iPod department within the parent company, both works as a centralized organization because having an effective control is essential to the everyday operations for both the domestic and global sectors. It would be essential for the parent company to make the final decisions regarding all aspects of the company’s operation, because every unit and sub-unit such as manufacturing plant located in Mexico and the shipping department located in the U.S. of the company has to report all information of their daily operations to the parent company allowing the parent company to know what the left and right hand is doing basically at the same time and can make an informative decision for whatever situation may arise. Both the domestic and global units and sub-units operate as a decentralize company, because certain situations such as environmental changes, customer needs, or political unrest will cause problems and disrupt a part of the company operations or even all parts of the company operations these problems to be addressed immediately and cannot wait for the parent company on the other side of the world to make an informed decision, even if the problem had happened before at a different location because what may work domestically may not work globally and vice versa. When making an informed decision whether at the unit, sub-unit, or the parent company level there is a need for a communication chain of command, starting with the employee who is out in the field working upwards to the parent company which may be the CEO (chief executive officer) who usually has the authority to make final decisions that will affect the company or the owner if there is no CEO available. The line of communications should always remain open, in the event of a minor glitch or a major emergency. Regardless of the value of the information, if the line is broken then a decision cannot be made in a timely manner or may not be made at all causing a problem to grow bigger or missing a profitable opportunity. The communication chart below shows the chain of command from the field representative to the parent company, not all information will reach the top because some decisions can be made at lower levels, for example; the parent company should not be bothered with whether a field representative needs office supplies. Exit Strategies The future is unknown, even if there is a planned exit strategy years from now does not guarantee it will happen as planned. Depending on the situation that is either planned, forced or requires our business in the Philippines to implement its exit strategy would determine the best strategy to use. In the event of a political uprising or civil unrest that results in raising the level of possible war, then the shutting down procedure would be best since it involve very little (if any) paper work and is the fastest way for U.S. employees and their families to get out of the country. If there is no time at all complete abandonment might be forced, either course of action will involve a monetary loss. If time allows and there is no rush in exiting the Philippines, handing the business over to our joint venture partner would be the best, this exit does involve legal paper work and would minimize loss (if any), it would also leave the path open for possible future ventures back into the co untry based on a friendly and healthy transfer of the business. Recommendation The Philippine iPod risk analysis team recommends proceeding with entering the Philippines market. After the exhausting task of finding the risks of entering the country, we had found that the benefits (profits) do exceed the risks (costs) even during the economic troubles that the U.S. is currently experiencing. Although we are not the first iPod and iPhone Company to enter the Philippines market, we still can become a major player and take a large percentage of the market. With the Apple Company creating a direct store that basically eliminates the middle man and develops a presence in the area that shows the potential customer that they will get the original iPhone without the worry of receiving a fake and less dependable copycat, which is a major problem in this region. Having direct shipping, of iPhones and iPods from the parent company will help with the recovery costs and to make a profit quicker. The company will gain additional profits once the store becomes fully operational and service contracts are purchased by new customers. Finally with the current economic stability of the Philippines, this is a good time for Apple to enter into this market because like our domestic customers love to have the latest technology, the Filipinos consumers also love to have the latest technology too. Because no other local company can offer the security or the guarantee of authenticity of the iPhone products, this gives our company a very unique position in the Philippine market. The company will be experiencing and dealing with many issues brought up by our customer base, because of the one on one contact with the customers this will help our operation on a global level allowing our technical department to learn from these new problems and coming up with new solutions this will make our product better and easier to sale globally. Conclusion In analyzing the risks invoved with Apple Incorporated conducting business within the Philippines the company will be in a better position to achieve the financial success. The process of risk assessment provides a clearer picture of the obstacles that need to be overcome within the Philipines. Strategic marketing plans can assist the company in establishing positive sales results in the target country. Electronic communication to proactively respond to business needs and issues will lead to satisfied customers. The initial mode of entry and an alternate mode of entry detailed in the contingency plan also indicate the company’s preparation. Establishing key business characteristcs to monitor on a regular basis will identify continous improvement opportunities for the company in conjuction with items identified in the SWOTT analysis. The combination of these critical factors will guide Apple Incorporated to make a more informative decision based on all the factual information c ollected. References Andaya, Barbara, 2009. Introduction to Southeast Asia. Retrieved April 4, 2010 from http://www.asiasociety.org/countries-history/traditions/introduction-southeast-asia A.M. Best Company. Ratings and Analysis Center: Country Risk, Retrieved April 4, 2010 from http://www3.ambest.com/ratings/cr/crisk.aspx ASEAN, 2009. ASEAN Member States. Retrieved April 4, 2010 from http://www.aseansec.org/18619.htm Manalastas, J. M. and Guinto, B. L. 2000, Philippines: Types of Business Organizations that Foreign Investors may Establish in the Philippines. Retrieved April 3, 2010, from website: http://www.mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=9340login=truenogo=1 No Author Mentioned, 2009, TDS: Philippines Asia, Economy. Retrieved April 3, 2010, from website: http://www.traveldocs.com/ph/economy.htm No Author Mentioned, 2010, The Philippines. Retrieved April 3, 2010, from website: http://www.everyculture.com/No-Sa/The-Philippines.html Internet World Stats. (2010). Asia Marketing Research, Internet Usage, Population Statistics and Information. Retrieved from http://www.internetworldstats.com/asia.htm#ph Thomas Reuters. (2010). Apple Inc. (AAPL.O). Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/companyProfile?rpc=66symbol=AAPL.O Internet World Stats. (2009). Internet Usage Stats and Marketing Report. Retrieved from http://www.internetworldstats.com/asia/ph.htm Kian, C.C. (2004). Internet market in the Philippines shows full potential for growth. IDC. Retrieved from http://www.idc.com.my/philippines/press/IDC%20Philippines%20-%20Internet.asp A.M. Best Company, Inc. (2009). AMB Country Risk Report. Retrieved from http://www3.ambest.com/ratings/cr/reports/Philippines.pdf Baleva, M. (2007). Philippines Issues Foreign Investment List for 2007-2009. ALBLegalNews. Retrieved from http://au.legalbusinessonline.com/law-firms/philippines-issues-foreign-investment-list-for-2007-2009/1076/23599 Busch, J. (2006), Apple’s Risky iPod Supply Chain. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://www.spendmatters.com/index.cfm/2006/11/3/Apples-Risky-iPod-Supply-Chain Hicks, R. (2009). Philippines launches study on internet use. futureGOV. Retrieved from http://www.futuregov.net/articles/2009/jul/27/philippines-launches-study-internet-use/ HM Revenue Customs. (n.d.). DT15354 DT: Philippines: double taxation agreement, Article 5: Permanent Establishment. Retrieved from http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/dtmanual/DT15354.htm Rubrico, J.G.U. (2010), Philippines power at crisis point. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/LD10Ae01.html Toby C. Monsod, (2009). The Philippine Bureaucracy: Incentive structures and implications for performance (4th ed.). Quezon City, Diliman: Human Development Network. Victoria, E. (2009), Manila’s living costs, wages among the lowest. Retrieved April 8, 2010, from http://www.asianjournal.com/dateline-philippines/headlines/2767-manilas-living- costs- wages-among-the-lowest-.html No author mentioned (2009), Centre for intercultural learning: Cultural Information – Philippine. Retrieved April 11, 2010, from http://www.intercultures.ca/cil-cai/ci-ic-eng.asp?iso=ph No author mentioned (2010), Experts Call for Stringent Laws against Cyber Crime in Philippines. Retrieved April 11, 2010, from http://www.spamfighter.com/News-13688- Experts-Call-for-Stringent-Laws-Against-Cyber-Crime-in-Philippines.htm No author mentioned (2010), Index Munbdi: Philippines unemployment rate. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from http://www.indexmundi.com/philippines/unemployment_rate.html No author mentioned, Foreign Market Entry Modes, Retrieved April 12, 2010 from http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/global/marketentry/ No author mentioned (2010) What is Apple’s Mission Statement. Retrieved April 12, 2010 from http://www.apple-history.com/?page=faq#1500 Index mundi. (2008). Philippines Economy Profile 2010. Retrieved from http://www.indexmundi.com/philippines/economy_profile.html Technograph. (2009). Official Apple Store to Supposedly Open in the Philippines. Retrieved from http://technogra.ph/2009/05/05/official-apple-store-to-supposedly-open-in-the-philippines/ Apple Investor Relations Annual Reports. (2010). Investor Relations. Retrieved from http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=107357p=irol-reports Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. (2005). Philippines-Central Bank of Philippines. Retrieved from http://www.bsp.gov.ph/ Vanderbilt. (2007). Foreign Exchange Risk of Firms in Asia-Pacific. Retrieved from http://mba.vanderbilt.edu/vanderbilt/About/faculty-research/featured-research

Disabled Non-disabled Differences

Disabled Non-disabled Differences Evaluate the social model of disability as an adequate account of the ‘differences between disabled and non disabled people It has been said that the differences between disabled people and non-disabled people in western society is based on the ideology of ‘normality, implying that disabled people are ‘abnormal. Morris statesthat â€Å"disabled people are not normal in the eyes of non-disabled people.†(1991: 16) Two different models have been coined to explain how society judges disabled people. Historically, the ‘individual or medical model was composed, which implies that it is the individual who is disabled, thus it is the individual who needs to change and adapt to society through medical methods, such as surgery or rehabilitation. Critics of this model such as Oliver (1990), conclude that it was not an adequate model, as it is society who has created disability, rather than a medical condition or physical attribute. Since the ‘international disability movement in the late 1960s this ‘traditional paradigm (Watson, 2002) of disability therefore became archaic, as society has evolved into modernity, and it was seen as an inadequate account of understanding disabled people, and why they are excluded from mainstream society. Therefore expanding on the critique of the ‘individual model; a new model, based on the Marxist foundation was shaped, known as the ‘social model, which stated that it is society who imposes the disability, by creating social barriers for people with impairment. Developing on this idea that we should be able to distinguish oppression that impaired people experience and the impairments they have, thus rather than defining disability as an impairment, it is seen as a ‘social expression. (Shakespeare, 2002) The social models key element, is that it ‘distinguishes between impairment and disability; implying that an impairment is part of the individuals identity it is â€Å"nothing less than a description of the physical body† (Oliver, 1996:35) but disability is something which is socially constructed : â€Å"It tends to relocate the ‘problem from the individual to society. Disability can then be viewed as a social problem caused by social processes.† (Priestley, 2003:13) This became an adequate account because disabled people stopped viewing themselves as ‘the problem†. It has been noted that the main progression in the research for the social model supports the idea that there is no ‘causal relationship between impairment and disability (Crow, 1992). The social model states that the primary cause of ‘disabled peoples marginalisation (Barnes, 1999: 2) is the cultural and environmental structures of society. However as Crow (1992) and Shakespeare(1993) have argued that even if social barriers are removed, the impairment still remains an important aspect of disabled people lives and identities and if we fail to recognise this then we are failing to recognise the ‘subjective reality of disability. The social model has avoided the issue of impairment because: â€Å"†¦it is much better to say people are disabled by society but not their bodies, than to say people are disabled by society and their bodies† (Shakespeare, 2002) Nevertheless the social model has had some positive outcomes, it has been one of the â€Å"major catalyst for the increasing politicization of large numbers of disabled people and their allies throughout the world† (Barnes, 1999: 4). Thus giving disabled people a stance in the world of politics, with this brought about many disability movements that aided towards equality within society. Supporting this model helped society dismantle many social barriers and introduce the ‘Disability Discrimination Act (1995) to gain equality and consequently protect people with accredited impairments from unfair treatment. Barnes (1999) saw this social change a solution to eradicate discrimination and prejudices against disability. It helped explain disablement in terms of ‘social oppression, similar to that of other concepts within society: sexism and racism. This led to less exploitation and more inclusion; a noticeable difference took place in the workplace and educational system. Schemes were set up, under Blairs reign, such ‘welfare to work scheme. Introducing less demeaning benefits, this was the result of the ‘administrative model of disability, which contained a rigid definition of disability affecting the benefits that were received meaning that: â€Å"†¦it would not be uncommon for a severely disabled person being denied benefits because their impairment or disability did not fit the criteria† (French, 1994: 6). This supports the sceptical view that societys response to disability is understood through the medical model, ‘a cure or care theory. Similar to the reaction that created the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act, using the medical model of disability to create its policies, in other words Society has accepted that it was the individual who had the problem, rather than a non-accommodating environment. French (1994) further argued that it was a ‘depressing fact that structural obstacles still remained a prominent part of a disabled person daily routine; ‘built environment, transportation and the communication system. This is reiterating the theory that ‘social barriers result in ‘social oppression. â€Å"Thus it is not ‘disability that non-disabled people fear but impairment, as ‘disabled people remind non-disabled people of their own mortality† (Barton, 1997:11) This gives evidence that oppression is not only a constant struggle with the built environment, but also a relentless struggle to gain inclusion within mainstream society. Due to discrimination and prejudices that have been formed, in large part due to the medical model, it has resulted in the ‘personal tragedy theory, which gives the notion the non-disabled people feel those with impairment should be ‘pitied as they have not got a ‘fulfilling life. It is important to note here that the ‘social oppression stance does not believe that disability is the result of limitation caused by chronic illness, impairment or trauma, but the way in which we as a society categorise individuals into such groups (Barnes, 1996). A debated argument states that the difference between disabled people and non disabled people is not that we are impaired, but that we are a minority oppressed by a disabling society. (Shakespeare, 2002) The ‘labelling theory, or ‘social reaction theory as it is sometimes known (1960), is closely linked as it stated that as a society we ‘categorise individuals into certain groups and treat them accordingly. Therefore as a result to these labels, disabled people will self-prophesise to the non-disabled peoples prejudices and it will become part of their identity. This was an important issue for disabled people, as a main obstacle for both disabled and non-disabled people is ‘inclusion within society. Our society Barnes (1996) states, seems ‘pre-occupied with peoples abilities, and thus we tend to segregate both disabled and non-disabled people. This theory has a massive impact on disabled peoples life, as it has appeared to be the case that historically they are excluded from the workplace and education. With the ‘disabled peoples movement, emerged the independent living era. Normality is linked with the perception of independence and thus binary to this, abnormality must be connected to dependence (Barnes, 1999). However Barnes (1999) continues to state that even by basic necessities we are all interdependent, that is we need to rely on each other in some form, for our society to function positively. â€Å"There is no qualitative difference between disabled and non-disabled people with respect to basic human needs† (Barnes, 1999: 20). The ‘social model was widely accepted amongst disabled people as an adequate account that identified the differences between disabled and non-disabled people. Using the ‘social model, Finkelstein, 1981 argued that if non-disabled people were to be confronted with ‘social barriers then they would become ‘equally disabled, as society is not accommodating to their needs. Plus another view of this is that it is impractical to remove of social barriers from society to accommodate all, as removing obstacles for certain impairment may create more obstacles for others. Furthermore it is not possible to dismantle all barriers created, as some of them are ‘inextricable aspects of impairments and thus were not constructed by the environment. A question asked by Tom Shakespeare â€Å"if someone has an impairment which causes constant pain, how can the social environment be implicated?† (2002) An issue that has been raised is even if we take away the social obstacles to disability, the impairment and the pain still remains dominant as the social model â€Å"does not attempt to deal with the personal restrictions of impairment but the social barriers of disability† (Oliver, 1996: 39).Crow (1996) explained how the model lacks the personal experience of pain which is intrinsic with certain types of impairments. Thus from this stance society, and the environment cannot be blamed for imposing difficulties on all impaired people, because some impairment contain difficulties in their own right and these should not be ignored. For if they are, it may in fact, do more harm than good, and cause more problems for the individual. This critique of the social model does not make it an inadequate account or invalidate the paradigm, but simple states that there is need for improvement. It is not possible for our society to ignore impairments, the same as we should not be causing more problems through social barriers; Crow (1992) debates that full integration of ‘experiences of impairment, with the experiences of disability is the way forward for the social model. The fact that the model did not address the issue of ‘multiple oppression was also as a critique of the ‘social model, other social groups such as feminist have argued that the ‘social model does not take in to account other forms of oppression; sexism or racism, and thus cannot be generalised, as it does not reflect the experiences of all disabled people. Cashling (1993) seems to think that postmodernist thinkers will explain the concept of oppression within disability simply as a manifestation of societys hatred; however this ha s yet to be seen. Some sociologist has explained that the social model needs to be refined, noting that both social disability and medical impairments coexist; thus noting that people are disabled by both social barriers and their bodies. Oliver â€Å"has argued that an adequate social theory model of disability must contain a theory of impairment† (Oliver. 1996: 42) Others have stated that the ‘British social model is outdated and is no longer useful within our society and instead of redeveloping the idea â€Å"supplying alternatives to compensate for the inadequacies of the social model† (Shakespeare, 2002) it should be abolished creating space to begin again. The reason for this radical approach Shakespeare (2002) continues to state that the social model is causing more problems than it is solving and he wishes to construct a â€Å"more adequate approach to disability politics, based on materialist ontology of embodiment† (Shakespeare, 2002) . By more adequate it meant that it needs to take into account every aspect of a disabled person to truly understand and begin to eradicate discrimination and oppression, which is still an important issue for society in all aspects of social categories. For this to happen as Crow (1992) has previously stated, an understanding of pain needs to be produced and not ignored; considering tha t physical attributes of impairment and social construction of disability can coexist and that for the fight towards equality to be successful it needs to be explain that â€Å"normality† should not be classified as the majority. In conclusion it has been noted that the social model of disability has increased awareness and introduced many positive aspects to society. Such as the explanation of oppression for disabled people, giving them a stance within the political society, enabling them to create policies which help ease the problems of certain issues that have been social constructed, through previous models such as the medical model. However neither the medical nor social model creates a complete adequate account of the differences between disabled and non-disabled people because they both have flaws. Thus it would not be a positive direction for society to abolish both models, it would be more successful if they conjoined the important aspects of both models, to form a model that is able to evaluate and explain disability, impairment, and oppression in terms of discrimination, prejudices and structural characteristics of society. Creating a model that makes it possible and plausible to eliminate as much inequality for disabled people as possible. However as Shakespeare (2002) states it is evermore difficult to achieve a complete model of disability, mainly because there is no clear cut definition of disability. Shakespeare (2002) argues that we should focus more on the relationship between impairment and embodiment, rather than the ‘definitional link between impairment and disability. Therefore our main focus for the future should be to eradicate the dichotomies, and encourage more integration within society through changing architecture or benefits. It is an illusion to imply that in post modernity the possibility for all impairments to be ‘barrier free, however if we take the view that no one can do everything, everyone, even non-disabled people have flaws, but if we take into account all impairments and try to eradicate as many barriers as possible, both economically and socially, then we will be heading in the right direction for an equal society, and thus will be able to create an adequate account of disability. References: Barnes, C (1999). ‘Disability at Work in the 21st Century. In journal of ‘Critical Social Policy (Vol 20, No. 4: Pp 441-457) Barton, L and Oliver, M (eds.) (1997). ‘Disability Studies: Past Present and Future. (Pp 3-24). London: Fulton Crow, L (1996). ‘Renewing the Social Model of Disability. In Barnes, C and Mercer, G (eds) ‘Exploring the Divide.(Pp 55-72). Leeds: Disability Press Darring, T, et al (1981). ‘A life Together: The distribution of Attitudes around the Disabled. London: Tavistock French, S (1983). ‘Disability, Impairment or something In-between?. In Swain, J; Finelstein, V; French, S and Oliver, M (eds) ‘Disabling Barriers: Enabling Environments (Ch 1.2). London: Sage French, S (1991). ‘What is Disability? In French, S (ed), ‘On Equal Terms: Working with Disabled People(Ch: 1). Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann Finkelstein, V (1981). ‘To Deny or not to Deny Disability. In Brechin, A; Liddiard, P and Swan, J (eds), ‘Handicap in a Social World. Sevenoaks: Hodder and Stoughton Morris, J (1991). ‘Pride against Prejudice: Transforming Attitudes to Disability. London: Womens Press Oliver, M (1996). ‘Understanding Disability: from Theory to Practice. London: Macmillan Oliver, M (1996). ‘Defining Impairment and Disability: Issues and Stake . In Barnes, C and Mercer, G (eds) ‘Exploring the Divide (Ch 3, Pp 29-54). Leeds: Disability Press Priestly, M (2003). ‘Disability: a life course approach. Cornwall: Blackwell Silburn, L (1983). ‘A social model in a medical world: the development of the integrated living team as part of the strategy for younger physically disabled people in North Derbyshire. In Swain, J; Finelstein, V; French, S and Oliver, M (eds) ‘Disabling Barriers: Enabling Environments (Ch 1.2). London: Sage Shakespeare, T(2002). ‘The social model of disability: an outdated ideology?. In journal of ‘‘Research in Social Science andDisability.(Vol 2: pp. 9-28) Stone, D (1984). ‘The Disabling State. London: Temple

Samuel :: Short Stories War Violence Essays

Samuel He looked into her eyes and proceeded to tell her how beautiful she was to him. He had to her many times before, and every time she would smile and look away. Sometimes he wasn’t really sure how things came to be. No-matter how bad things had become, he always found strength in her. Now there was a baby on the way, his whole life was turning around. The child was born in a place where war and hardship had become a commonality. He was given the name Samuel by his mother. Before Samuel was even born, his father was killed while fighting on the outskirts of town, and in his mother’s heart there was left a hole that was kept from consuming her only by the hope and anticipation of her son that would soon be born. Still, she could not imagine bringing a boy up in such a war ravaged place, and without a father. However, she loved her son enough to keep them both alive, and for twelve years they held strong against the harsh cold, bullets, and starvation. Like Samuel’s father, death and war would soon claim Samuel‘s mother. The inevitable occurred when Samuel’s mother was hit by gunfire in the market place. Now he was alone. His mother, the only person who loved him, had gone. He ran to her that day and held her head and prayed for her life. She was gone before she even touched the ground. Still the boy held her. He felt sick and cold on the icy asphalt but he could not move. However, he did not cry. Maybe he could not cry. He was strong, and naturally he would stay strong through the tough times, but this was different. He felt something he had never felt before. He quickly learned the ways of war and learned to fight. He could no longer find forgiveness or wholeness in his heart. For the next part of his life he was driven only by his vengeance and passion for his dead mother. Nothing anyone could say or do could mend his broken heart. He was too consumed by the void in his life that the kind words of friends and cousins had become little more than echoes in an endless gray space.

International criminal court Essay -- essays research papers fc

ICC and America   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Over the past few years, the International Criminal Court (ICC or â€Å"the Court†) has been igniting controversy the world over. As more countries rallied behind it, more objections have been made, particularly from Americans, regarding what many view as fundamental flaws. I have chosen two papers to compare and contrast the different viewpoints taken by the authors when reflecting upon America’s involvement with the ICC. One calls for total rejection of the ICC, the other weighs the risks and benefits and calls for revision but acceptance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first article, entitled â€Å"National Constitutional Compatibility and the International Criminal Court†, is written by Helen Duffy and published in the Duke Journal of Comparative and International Law. The second article, entitled â€Å"Reasonable Doubt: The Case against the Proposed International Criminal Court†, is written by Gary T. Dempsey and published online at the Cato Institute website. Duffy’s article was published late in 2001, a contrast to Dempsey’s article which was published in 1998, just one day prior to the International Rome conference on July 17th that resulted in the establishment of the ICC. Many of the incongruencies in the ICC treaty that troubled Americans three years ago have yet to be brought into balance with American values. These two papers give similar, although at times slightly different, viewpoints on the issue. Dempsey criticizes the ICC before it has even been birthed into existence. â€Å"Specifically, the court threatens to diminish America’s sovereignty, produce arbitrary and highly politicized ‘justice,’ and grow into a jurisdictional leviathan.† He expresses his lack of faith in the Court’s ability to complement national governments and their respective judicial systems while refraining from infringing upon their sovereignty. He is explicitly clear in his position, stating in his paper that, â€Å"For those and other reasons, the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives should have sufficient grounds to†¦refuse to ratify and to fund the International Criminal Court.† Duffy brings the issue up, adding pertinent information concerning other government’s constitutions and how some other nations have gone so far as to amend their own constitution to accommodate their acceptance of the ICC’s regulations. â€Å"A small number ... ...ntradiction of terms. If the Court finds it unsatisfactory, doesn’t that imply that the Court already believes the authorities are not doing justice? How much â€Å"convincing† would they need? Duffy again points out the need for revision in the treaty.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both papers share a similar overview from remarkably different viewpoints. Many of the somewhat extremist views that Dempsey takes are tempered through Duffy’s call for consideration and revision. As the ICC moves forward with the trial of Slobodan Milosevic and others to come, it is important to cooperate harmoniously with the rest of the world’s nations, seeking justice and guidance. At the same time, we must not lose sight of those rights and responsibilities that make us one of the greatest nations on earth. Works Cited â€Å"National Constitutional Compatibility and the International Criminal Court.† Duke Journal of Comparative and International Law. Helen Duffy. 2001. http://www.law.duke.edu/shell/cite.pl?11+Duke+J.+Comp.+&+Int'l+L.+5 â€Å"Reasonable Doubt: The Case against the Proposed International Criminal Court.† Gary T. Dempsey. 16 July. 1998. http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-311.html

The Search for Happiness in Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë :: Jane Eyre Essays

Jane spends her first 10 years of her life at Gateshead Hall, a lavish mansion. She lived with her Aunt, Mrs Reed, and three cousins, Eliza, Georgina and John. During her time in the mansion she wouldn't dare argue with the mistress, and fulfilled every duty. Jane is deprived of love, joy and acceptance. She is very much unwanted and isolated. "Eliza, John and Georgiana were now clustered round their mama in the drawing-room... Me, she had dispensed from joining the group" (chapter) Mrs Reed keeps Jane only because of a promise she made to her husband on his deathbed. This abuse and neglect from her relatives forces Jane to be resentful and full of hatred. Later on Jane begins to stand up for herself. Once Jane begins to rebel to the abuse done by John and Mrs Reed, it is as if an uncontrollable beast had been unleashed inside of her. "Something spoke out of me over which I had no control" (chap) She rebelled because she was long deprived of freedom, and her imprisonment. From this isolation Jane manages to learn independence and learns to really only on herself for much needed comfort and entertainment. The most important lesson Jane learns at Gateshead is self independence. Jane is soon sent away to Lowood school. Lowood school has high walls and strict rules which holds the freedom of students. Lowood eats away at her body (inedible food, bad conditions), but Gateshead ate away at her soul (isolation). Life at Lowood is extremely harsh, the pupils are very often given inedible meals, horrific clothing, and extremely cold conditions. It is through miss Temple and Helen that Jane receives her first taste of love and acceptance. Helen is Jane's best friend at Lowood. Helen is a religious role (angelic, and talks about God), in shaping her character. Helen believes everyone should love their enemies. Although Jane does not take to Helens good heart and good nature, with her wie word, Jane respects her for them and listens very passionately to what Helen has to say. Mr Brockleurst is the head teacher of the school. He is another extremely religious figure that Jane comes across. He talks about the deadly sins Jane has commited, yet he does not see his own actions are far worse. Mr Brocklehurts is a harsh and dishonest man, forcing the school to live in squallid conditions, so he can support his own lavish lifestyle. "My plan is bringing up these girls is, not to accustom them to habits of luxuary and indulgence, but to render them hardy, patient, self-denying.

Human resource Essay

1. In which ways does trader joe’s demonstrate the importance of each responsibility in the management process- planning, organizing, leading, and controlling? Traders joe’s outlet mangers are highly compensated, because they are trained on the traders joe’s system inside and out. The managers are hired from within the company’s already employed employees. Trader joe’s also writes job descriptions by desired soft skills. There employees are friendly and customer oriented. Trader joes have been using competitive advantages because trader joe’s has been doing extremely well and have been giving some advantages over there competitors in the marketplace. 2. Traders joe’s is owned by a German company operating in American. What are the biggest risks that international ownership and global events pose for trader joe’s performance effectiveness and performance efficiency? Trader joe’s would have to become a global management. This means that they would have to attract and hire a truly global manager who has a strong global perspective, are culturally aware, and always stay informed with the international developments. Trader joe’s would have to also become more in touch with global economy in which supplies, product markets, and business competition are worldwide and not local or national. 3. Given trader joe’s casual and nontraditional work environment, what should she do and what should she avoid doing in the first few days of work to establish herself as a skillful manager of this team? She should enroll in the traders joe’s training program so that she could learn the ends and outs of the company and there polices. She tries to make sure that she keeps a friendly crew. She should also make sure that her employee’s under her are well trained and knows the company polices and their expectations. 4. Are there any internal weaknesses or external competitors or industry forces that might cause future problems? Trader Joe is a perfect example of a Niche market store that has a very successful product differentiation strategy by focusing on their customer needs, taking care of their employees and continuing to provide great quality products. Today world whole and organic foods are in high demand, but it can be very expensive. Trader Joe has made this possible by bringing together healthy choices that does not hurt the customer’s pocket. If Trader Joe should continue to operate with this strategy they certainly have brighter horizon to see.

Global Assignments:Pre-departure Training Program Essay

Introduction Global assignment of managers has been a traditional method of operating far flung commercial empires since the days of Robert Clive and the British East India Company. The importance of transferring knowledge, upskilling remote or local managers and instilling best practice throughout a multinational organization has long been recognized as a source of competitive advantage for those firms able to expand successfully. The failure of rate of global assignments, and indeed international expansion, has throughout history been nothing less than fantastic. The vast majority of firms have been unable to master operations across multiple cultures, political systems or levels of economic development. The need to simply find out what is going on has, in the past, been the major motivator for global assignment. The advent of modern communication and travel technology has arguably reduced the need for â€Å"inspection† style assignments; however this role has been upgraded to the â€Å"mentoring† vocation of international managers whose primary purpose is to transfer knowledge. The plethora of technological marvels that enable cooperative endeavor expanding around the globe do little to change the fact that knowledge is â€Å"person bound† – acquired overtime through interaction with either tacit or explicit sources. Firms must transfer people between host and home countries because it is arguably still the only effective way to exchange culture, knowledge and experiences. A number of issues arise for those individuals who are selected for, or who  choose to embark upon international assignment. These issues may include practical, emotional/psychological or professional hurdles that limit the employee’s effectiveness on assignment, or lead to early repatriation. Options for reducing the risks these potential dangers pose are only limited by finance and imagination, and extend to careful selection of employees for expatriate assignment, pre-departure training, and familiarization visits, mentoring from both the home and the host country, post-arrival training, regular return home visits, repatriation training and extensive communication between home and host. The focus of this training program is on pre-departure training; i.e. preparing potential expatriate candidates and their partners for the experience of global posting before they embark on assignment. Pre-departure training is important because it is at this stage that candidates must determine their personal objectives within the context of the assignment and the firm’s overarching goals. Training at this stage can equip expatriate candidates with the questions they need answered to ensure both the employee and the firm gain from the assignment. The advantages of pre-departure training lie in the safety of the home culture training environment, the ability to catch misapprehensions or poorly formed perceptions before they become costly mistakes. Pre-departure training provides those candidates who do go on to expatriate assignment with a point of reference between their new environment and their home culture – a way to recognize the totally unfamiliar. The Training Program The devised program has been designed for potential expatriate candidates and their partners, to be conducted by independent consultants for multiple firms simultaneously. It is culturally non-specific because it seeks to provide tools that can be applied in a range of cross-cultural situations. Clearly there are limits to the range of non-specific instruction; however the aim is not to provide lists of norms or stereotypes, but rather to teach recognition of unfamiliar cultural circumstances, no matter the national, ethnic or religious environment. The program is intended to be starting point for those employees and firms contemplating global assignment. As such, the program will lay the foundations of service policies, employment contracts and job descriptions, as well as remuneration and repatriation agreements. The program will also provide practical advice for both firms who must manage from afar, and expatriates who must deal with local situations whilst keeping the home office happy. An inescapable factor in global assignment is a change in cultural environment for the expatriate, and the inevitable feelings of unease or stress commonly associated with coping with this change. There is arguably little any course can do to offset this hurdle, yet pre-departure training allows opportunity to raise the candidates awareness of this problem, arguably increasing their ability to cope. The program is not intended to be intensive, nor is it intended to be long. It is structured for 15 to 20 candidates with their partners and will be conducted over the course of a day. The program is divided into three, 2 hour sessions; therefore the participants will also be divided into three equal groups and rotate through each session in turn. Partner’s well be kept together within groups to ensure they gain the same insights. Sessions will be divided as follows: ï ¼Å'Candidate selection and firm / expatriate expectations ï ¼Å'Culture Shock and Practical Problems ï ¼Å'Relocation, on-going support and repatriation. Session A: selection and expectations Part A: Country Briefing The development of overseas business, markets and customers requires multinational companies to adapt to the unique demands of each country. As no two countries are alike, the ability to understand the language and culture of a country can invariably make the difference when building profitable relationships. In contemporary business environment, it is not unusual that an employee mainly based in China has more connections with his colleagues in Paris or Washington DC. The globalization makes the constant transfer of staffs from a culture to another necessary and essential. Not surprisingly, if a company is planning to send staffs overseas, they will find the whole working style not like the one they are used to. In a study of Elizabeth Marx in 1999, approximately 14.3% England and 25% American expatriate managers were not as successful as they used to be. (Elizabeth Marx (1999) Breaking Through Culture Shock) How to prepare for a totally different culture is crucial to an expatriate manager’s performance. Any stereotypical and inaccurate preconceptions may lead to the international assignment a disaster. That means at corporate level, it is important to prepare the expatriate managers for their new, unfamiliar business environment. This training program is aiming to challenge those managers with the culture and social environment they are going to face. The following is a list of the areas our training course may cover: 1.Background of the country History Political System 2.Current Economic System 3.People and Society 4.Population Profile 5.Current Economy Data 6.Working Relations 7.Language 8.Media and Communications 9.Religion 10.Trade and Industry Part B Candidate Assessment Program Source: Pappas Stanoch Will global trotting help your career (http://www.windowontheworldinc.com/pps_1.html) In this part, we are going to help the employee to evaluate their potential for success on an international assignment. By accepting this part of training, it will help to promote assignment success by supporting a candidate and partner in determining their suitability for living and working internationally. The self assessment is important to the business performance as well as the personal life of the expatriate. For many executives, though, whether to take an international assignment boils down to three key issues: personality, timing and motivation. Personality Doing business in a new setting, under different rules and possibly in a different language, requires flexibility. Frequently, employees with Type A personalities are chosen for these kinds of assignments because they’re ambitious, vocal and successful. However, Type B personality are often more adaptive and relaxed about the challenges they’ll encounter abroad. Timing Families adjust better to the difficulties of an expatriate move at certain times in their life cycles than others. A single person might seem ideal for such a transfer because he or she doesn’t have a family to consider. However, single people lack the emotional support other family members provide, which can be important to facing the stresses of working and living in another country. You have to consider the possibility of your children’s education and your spouse’s career before the decision to move abroad. Motivation How strongly do you want to go, and will you be adequately compensated? Given cost-of-living issues, the assignment may not provide a significant monetary gain. Also ask yourself how your company treats returning expatriates? What types of positions are offered? Is their experience valued? Re-Entering Successfully Many repatriates have difficulty readjusting and maintaining career momentum after their return. As a result, 25% leave their original companies within two years of returning from an overseas assignment, according to a survey by Windham International, a New York-based relocation firm, in conjunction with the National Foreign Trade Council Inc. and the Society for Human Resource Management. To avoid problems, planning your re-entry before you leave for an international assignment is essential. Establish ways to stay in touch with your home office while you’re overseas. This can help you to combat â€Å"out-of-sight, out-of-mind† syndrome. Also, find a company mentor to keep an eye on your career path while you’re out of the country. Be flexible about the timing of your re-entry, since the ideal position may not be available when your assignment is scheduled to end. This part of the training will take about one hour. And firstly the tutor will present the four factors affects the decision to relocate. After that, the following questionnaires are handed out to the trainee. Let them discuss the 10 questions in 4-5 people group for 30 minutes. At this stage, tutors will attend the group discussion and try to lead the group discussion to the points mentioned in the bold words following each question. At the end of the discussion, each member will be asked to present the necessity to be relocated. 1 Do I handle stress constructively? Some people feel frustrated, confused or lonely when surrounded by people from other cultures. Expatriates need to manage these sometimes negative and stressful emotions as well as any job-related stress they experience. 2 Do I rebound quickly from disappointments? It’s common to make mistakes and cultural missteps and experience failures in a foreign country. Being able to laugh at yourself and remain focused are important characteristics of successful expatriates. 3 Am I open to risk? Trying new things is inherent in an international experience. Every day there are new people to meet, new foods to try and new places to explore. 4 Am I comfortable during periods of uncertainty? You can’t learn all the new social and business norms immediately. Accept that you’ll learn as you go and that you can’t be expected to figure out everything as quickly as you would in your home culture. It’s estimated that expatriates operate at 65% of their normal level of productivity during the first three to six months of an assignment. This may disappoint or frustrate you, but it’s perfectly normal. 5 Am I flexible and open to new situations and relationships? You’re certain to encounter ways of thinking and behaving that differ from your own. Being open and flexible will help you enjoy interacting with people who think and operate differently. 6 Am I curious about differences in other cultures, and am I discriminate and accepting of other types of people? While on an international assignment, you need to maintain a positive attitude toward the unfamiliar. While living in a host country, you’ll encounter many people unlike yourself. Learn to understand where they’re coming from and try to interact with them in an effective manner. 7 Do I have a strong sense of self, and am I self-directed? As an expatriate, you may not get the reaction and reinforcement you’re accustomed to. During difficult times, your identity needs to come from within. You must maintain a strong sense of self, especially when others aren’t reinforcing your values. Recognize your personal power and set your own goals, so that you can feel at home in any culture. 8 Am I sensitive to how others interpret my behaviour, and do I appreciate others’ feelings? When communicating in another culture, you need to have confidence in your ability to accurately perceive the feelings of others. Verbal language is sometimes a cultural barrier, and another culture’s subtle, nonverbal cues aren’t always obvious. 9 Does my family support accepting this international assignment? Having the support of family members helps you to focus on whether the move will be good for your career and them as well. 10 Is this a good time in my life to be far away from family, friends and my career network, and can I maintain ties with my home office while on assignment? Living away from your native country can be stressful. It’s helpful to be at a phase in life when important relationships can withstand unusual and challenging circumstances. Having a company mentor in the home office to help you stay abreast of any changes and remain visible also is important. Coming home can be harder than leaving, since you’ll have changed a lot, but your company may have stayed much the same. Session B: Preparing expatriates and their families Purpose: To prepare selected expatriates and their families before going overseas. The program is aimed at building trainees’ recognition of culture shock, and providing them with basic knowledge of living and working in a new environment of cultural difference.