Obesity And Its Effects On America Essay - 2573 Words

It finally came! Ok, well, it was actually in the mailbox since yesterday and I hadn t checked it until today... Nevertheless, it came! Yes folks, I have bought into this recently resurging fad, as I have with many trendy diets, and, as I m sure many of you reading this have, as well. We are always in search of that magic pill that flips a switch in us and makes us shed our flabby shells. This diet plan, strict as it may be, is selling itself as such; I plan to try and find out why. It seems HCG (Human chorionic gonadotropin) is everywhere you turn lately; health food stores, magazine racks, your neighbors blog. If you enter it into the search engine the brand sponsored top ten lists, the many hundreds of venders and the company funded safety review sites come flooding at you by the hundreds of thousands; making an already difficult decision spiral into chaos. For those of you who are of baby boomer and older age, you may recall this being popular when you were younger. Now, to answer a nagging, yet presumably distasteful, question: yes, this is that same diet you heard of when you were younger wherein pregnant women sold their urine to doctors so they could harvest the hormone. This derivative of prego-pee was then injected into hopeful masses of women looking to drop a sizeable amount of weight without having to stick their fingers down their throat or take diet pills, which were then simply over-glorified, medically manufactured, fancy meth by prescription.Show MoreRelatedObesity And Its Effects On America1735 Words   |  7 Pagestopic of obesity in America is not a new one. In fact, the reality of obesity and its effects on America and its population has been mounting by the decade. Currently, more than 1/3 of adults in America are obese. This translates to 34.9% or 78.6 million people. Unfortunately, this number doesn’t even account for the youth of America (CDC, 2014). To call this an epidemic could almost be considered an understatement . This paper will discuss the four major economic impacts linked to obesity: directRead MoreEffects Of Obesity In America1066 Words   |  5 PagesIn America more than 35.7% of the population is obese or overweight. (â€Å"Overweight and Obesity Statistics†). That is nearly around 78.6 million people in America (‘’Obesity in U.S.’’). Americans are drastically becoming more obese over the years. There are a few americans who practice the habit of physical exercise and many who have a habit of super-sizing. Foods in America are available anywhere and people become overwhelmed when they see food ads. The percentage of our economy who have lower incomeRead MoreCauses And Effects Of Obesity In America870 Words   |  4 PagesThe Centers of Disease Control and Prevention defines obesity as having a BMI over 30 (CDC). In the year 2000, roughly 30 percent of 20 year olds in America were obese. By 2003 that number had risen to 32 percent. That is a small win dow of increase. From the 1970s to the early 2000s, the percent of obese Americans doubled. This means that in 1970, only 15 percent of Americans were obese, and in the thirty years following, obesity took a sharp rise. In 1960, 13 percent of Americans were obese. TheRead MoreChildhood Obesity And Its Effects On America1394 Words   |  6 PagesHave you ever wondered what are the major causes of obesity? The CDC (2017) states that one out of every five children in the U.S. are overweight or obese, and this number is continuing to rise. Wilson (2016) states that many children who are obese develop health complications, such as joint, gallbladder, and sleeping problems. The majority of children who are obese as kids tend to be obese as adults. Reason being, many children develop bad eating habits by learning from their surroundings. WhenRead MoreFactors And Effects Of Obesity In America767 Words   |  4 Pagesby crack a few decades ago. The nation is plagued by factors such as obes ity, high sexually transmitted disease rates, tobacco and alcohol use, hard drugs such as cocaine and crystal meth, and prescription drug abuse, such as the ongoing opioid crisis. Factors such as the previously mentioned affect society by affecting large numbers of individuals in society. The United States of America has more recently been plagued by obesity, particularly in children. There has been an increase in the amountRead MoreEffects Of Obesity On America And Is Reaching All Time Heights879 Words   |  4 PagesBradshaw AP Psychology May 7, 2015 Research Paper Obesity has been on the rise in America and is reaching all time heights. Obesity in America is at 27.7 percent and 1 in 5 children in America are obese currently and many will have to deal with it throughout their lifetime. With almost a third of our population struggling with this problem, the increasing obesity rates are becoming a major concern. Even though there isn’t a single answer to why obesity has become so prevalent, there are many contributingRead MoreWeight On Obesity1551 Words   |  7 PagesAll the Weight on Our Shoulders America is in danger; this rising threat is obesity, which is growing as the leading cause of preventable deaths just behind tobacco. Throughout its history, America has seen many different conflicts and threats rise and fall and with each threat. Each generation has risen to the challenge time and time again. Now, it’s the new age generation’s turn to do the same. Obesity is a significant problem and it must be curbed or it will crush us under its weight. As the citizensRead MoreChildhood Obesity Essay examples1472 Words   |  6 PagesForty years ago in America childhood obesity was rarely a topic of conversation. A survey done in the early 1970s showed that 6.1% of children between the ages 12 and 19 were overweight. Eight years later the same survey was done and 17.4% were considered overweight (Iannelli). â€Å"Childhood obesity epidemic in America is now a confirmed fact since the number of overweight or obese children has more than tripled during the last 30 ye ars† (Childhood Obesity Epidemic). â€Å"Over the last 20 years, the prevalenceRead MoreFood Policy Debates : Obesity And Advocates1075 Words   |  5 Pagesbased research information on several topics that relate to obesity. The article gives a lot of information about the battle between for fighting obesity and advocates that want Americans to make their own choices about the food they consume. This article covers a wide range of informative data from food served in schools, to the rise of industrial farming. The author is a freelance reporter that does not seem to have a bias for the obesity subject. Instead this author provides information for theRead MoreObesity And Its Effects On Obesity1637 Words   |  7 Pagesdestructive can effects of obesity be. First of all what is an obesity? Obesity is an abnormal accumulation of body fat, usually 20% or more over an individual s ideal body weight. It is a very serious problem and is becoming very dangerous in today’s w orld. Obesity is now considered to be the second most preventable death in America, with tobacco being the first. As use of tobacco rates continues to decline, the obesity rates continue to rise. With that being said, death numbers of obesity are going

Essay on Liberalism has Helped Shape Western Political...

Throughout history, liberalism has been a key principle doctrine in which has helped shape Western political philosophy. Western liberalism traditionally presents its core values around individual freedom and equality. It is also typically associated with democracy, capitalism, freedom of religion, and human rights. These principles have been highlighted in Europe and the United States for the past three hundred years and has served as the dominant ideology of modern Western society. However, although liberalism provides well-rooted concepts, there has been misconceptions throughout history that needed reevaluation. For example, laws throughout liberal societies have put constraints on racial and sexual equalities. Religious views have†¦show more content†¦They broke out of the theological traditions to open their minds on a broader scope. Religious leaders did not have as strong of an influence in our society as the puritans would have liked. This opened our minds to more s ecular views, the conception of human nature and political relations in our society. But religion is still embedded into our constitution today. We still honor a code that worships one nation under god. But since the signing of the constitution, several new ideas and beliefs were made to truly ensure freedom of religion in our country. Immanuel Kant sheds light on why we need to stand up for our beliefs and how to rid ourselves of immaturity in his article on Enlightenment. In the article What is Enlightenment?, Kant explains that in order for us to succeed as the human race we must rid ourselves from our own self-imposed immaturity. Immaturity, he explained, â€Å"is self-imposed when its cause lies not in lack of understanding, but in lack of resolve and courage to use our understanding without guidance from others.† Basically you must think for yourself in order to achieve Sapere Aude, or in other words, have the courage to use your own understanding to build the life you want to build. This is the precept of enlightenment. Kant’s ideas about taking responsibility in one’s own actions is one of the reasons we have evolved to where we are today. But it has taken hundreds of years to evolve to where we are and theShow MoreRelatedThe Three Areas of Globalization954 Words   |  4 Pagesfrom being small to tiny.† It is not something one can pin point and define as a formal structure of the current international system. Global ization is a notion of the growing interconnectedness of the world categorized into three forms, cultural, political and economical globalization. Much like the quote by Thomas Friedman, globalization gives the conviction of the world being continually smaller and the pace of interaction ever faster. Visualizing globalization as an action that leadsRead MoreAge Of Enlightenment755 Words   |  4 PagesStates of America and France, encouraging the American and French Revolutions. The Enlightenment brought about a new age of philosophical and intellectual thinkers, such as John Locke, which helped shape and influence modern government and politics. John Locke is recognized as the father of classical liberalism, introducing the Two Treatises of Government, Social Contract, and private property, which formed the basis for the constitutions in westernized democratic powers such as the United States ofRead MoreThe Impact Of Romanticism On Science Across Time822 Words   |  4 Pagesdifficult to reconcile enlightenment grounded assertions that the primary focus of science has always been the discovery of natural â€Å"rules† and their applications, through pure logic and reason. Within this paper, the influences and cultural changes that the romantic movement brought to the categorised scientific discipline will be discussed. Reference will be made to how romanticism has (and has not) helped to shape functions and perceptions of science across time. A conclusion will then be made as toRead MoreRomanticism1649 Words   |  7 Pagesmovement illustrated inspiration, bias and predominance of individuals in the nineteenth century. Romanticism has a very small amount to do with events and manners traditionally thought of as romantic, even though love may seldom be the topic of Romantic art. It is rather an international artistic and philosophical movement that redefined the fundamental ways in which people in Western cultures thought about themselves and about their world (â€Å"Romanticism†). Romanticism began near the end of theRead MoreThe French Revolution First Popularized The Words Terrorist And Terrorism 1506 Words   |  7 Pagesviolence, such as surveillance, mobilization, and executions. The massive political, economic, and social changes engendered by the French Revolutionary government began to consume the revolution itself. Initiated to counter-revolutionaries, the government abuses of its institutions and power, has originally for the purpose to introduce the ideals of virtue and democracy. While in July 29th, 1794 Bertrand Barà ¨re states that France has endured a ‘system of terror’ the day after that Maximilien RobespierreRead MoreLiberal Perspective of a State7979 Words   |  32 PagesINTRODUCTION Liberalism has meant many things over the last 400 years and has provided significant benefits to the human race. Basically, liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights and so, the main theme of liberalism throughout the period of its development was that the purpose of state is the promotion and protection of human freedom and equality and ensuring of human happiness. Liberalism meant the removal of traditional distinctions that were imposed on people. Read MoreAfrican Studies : A Large Part Of The Misconception Of Africa2557 Words   |  11 PagesStereotypes play a large part of the misconception that the world has on the massive African continent. Africa is not only one of the biggest continents but has a lot of history behind it, this makes people misunderstand the true meaning of Africa as well as Africans. In order to fully grasp the study of Africa, the culture, origins, experiences, environment, etc. of the continent and its people must be studied and understood. (Azevedo 6). Africa’s history is vast and complex continent when comparedRead MorePunjabi9291 Words   |  38 PagesOF SWARAJ, SATYAGRAHA AND CRITIQUE OF WESTERN CIVILISATION Structure ! I 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 Objectives Introduction The Civilisational Justification and British Rule 19.2.1 Gandhi, Moderates and the Extremists on the Legitimacy of British Rule i I I Gandhis Hind Swaraj 19.3.1 Gandhi, Extremists and British Colonialism 19.3.2 Gandhi, Moderates and British Colonialism 19.3.3 Gandhi on Swaraj 19.4 Gandhis Critique of Modern Civilisation 19.4.1 Western Influences on Gandhi 19.4.2 Meaning ofRead MoreThe Islamic Revolution Of Iran3396 Words   |  14 PagesThe 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran changed the geo-political landscape of the Middle East and ushered in more than three decades of hostility with the United States. In the aftermath, the leaders of the revolution proclaimed their intent to export their vision of political Islam to the rest of the region and help Iran take its rightful place as a regional hegemon. In 1979, the US was embroiled in the Cold War and in the minds of the American public, the Middle East was little more than a Cold WarRead MoreHerbert Spencer Essay13142 Words   |  53 Pages | Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) was an English philosopher, scientist, engineer, and political economist. In his day his works were important in popularizing the concept of evolution and played an important part in the development of economics, political science, biology, and philosophy. Herbert Spencer was born in Derby on April 27, 1820. His childhood, described in An Autobiography (1904), reflected the attitudes of a family which

The Korean War started in the aftermath of World War II Free Essays

The Korean War started in the aftermath of World War II.   When the Great War that ended all wars resulted in the defeat of Japan, a new power arose in the Pan Asian area, the specter of USSR.   Stalin’s tight rein on the country and its quick and vicious rise to superpower status caused Americans to fear that the Soviet Empire would attempt to spread communism throughout the world. We will write a custom essay sample on The Korean War started in the aftermath of World War II or any similar topic only for you Order Now    Eastern Europe had already been engulfed and President Truman was weary of the possibility of the rest of Asia falling into the grasp of communism. Therefore in Korea, America made a stand for democracy (Ridgeway, 15).   The United States called this policy â€Å"containment†, to contain the spread of communism because it attempts to encroach on America’s philosophy of democracy (Ridgeway, 15).   The very policy of containment arose out of fear from Secretary of State Kissinger that the Soviet Union’s eventual plan is to dominate the politics of the Pan Asian Alliance and eventually threaten the rest of Europe. The Korean War rose out of these circumstances as a battle against communism (Ridgeway, 15).   Northern Korea threatened Southern Korea through a series of hostile attacks, and after the South Korean Army with help from the US decimated the Northern Alliance, China’s quick intercession quickly changed the tides of war.   Korea was not an isolated two nation battle; rather it represented a political ideological struggle between westernization and communism (Ridgeway, 15).   Ã‚  China wanted to exert its presence following its own communist revolution as chose Korea as the testing grounds for its new army operations.   When Korea was finally split in half after indecisive battles, its role in history was forever termed as the â€Å"Forgotten War†. Vietnam occurred under similar circumstances.   The Soviet Union’s powers were at its peak during this time, having proved that they were now a nuclear power; this is the first time that these two nations met indirectly (Moise, 130).   Vietnam became the first major war in the post nuclear weapons era and it was motivated by the continuance of the theory of containment. Although large amounts of troop activity was already taking place during the John F. Kennedy era, President Johnson’s term saw the escalation of troops and combat within the region.   The North Koreans were constantly supplied via underground shipments from the Soviet Union and China, thus the war did not seem like it would end (Moise, 130).   The conclusive withdraw of US troops during Nixon’s presidency represented the first major victory and breakthrough for the communists in Asia.   As a result, the specter of the Cold War continued to loom over the world. The Iraqi war placed the United States in a unique position.   Since September 11th, the war on terrorism is very much different from the war on communism in that there are no tangible enemies.   Following unsuccessful attacks on terrorism in Afghanistan, the target of Iraq represented President Bush’s strategy of First strike defense, or preemptive strike (Roberts, 23)   This theory contends that as Iraq has an obvious hatred of the United States and has shown in that past to have harbored and still harbors weapons of mass destruction. Destroying it before it could target the United States either through direct attack or through helping terrorist cells (Roberts, 23),. This philosophy is very much motivated by a number of policies, among them was the previous attack on Iraq in Operation Desert Storm which severely weakened Saddam Hussein’s military power in the region.   However, since there was no eminent threat to the United States, there was no international consortium as large as the ones during Korea and Vietnam (Roberts, 23). Therefore, the war on Iraq is viewed by many in the international community as illegitimate and unsanctioned.   As such the political pressures from around the world are very much negative.   Even in victory, the Iraqi war now seems to have bear consequences that has harmed the United State’s position in the world political circle.   The current negotiations with the United Nations to aid in the Iraqi effort has met with resistance as the world community repeatedly contends they will not help George Bush clean up the scene of his crime.   The political undercurrents of this war may turn negative much like the results of the Vietnam resolution (Roberts, 23). Ridgway, Matthew B. He Korean War. Boston: Da Capo Press, 1988. Moise, Edwin E. Tonkin Gulf and the Escalation of the Vietnam War. North Carolina: UNC Press , 1996. Roberts, Paul. The End Of Oil: On the Edge of a Perilous New World. Seattle: Mariner Books, 2005. How to cite The Korean War started in the aftermath of World War II, Essay examples

Emerging Trends in Training and Development in West Bengal free essay sample

The progressive labor force with dynamic management and responsive government and responsible society are the pillars of the tourism industry. 1 Issues and Constrains in Manpower Supply in Indian Hospitality Industry, P. Srinivas Subbarao, W. P. No. 2008-02-03 February 2008. 50 Traditionally, the employment has been seen as an area that is reactive to changes in the wide business environment. There is a widely accepted assumption that the role of people within organizations is required to change and develop in response to developments in markets, products and technology.Most of the large hospitality companies recognized this assumption and has started organizing work and support human resource functions such as training and development. This is possible only when the external labor market permits employers to adapt these changing dimensions. Human resource in hospitality industry – Supply side 2 Some of the services required in the tourism and hotel industries are highly personalized, and no amount of automation can substitute for personal service providers. We will write a custom essay sample on Emerging Trends in Training and Development in West Bengal or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Human resource development in the tourism industry normally includes manpower training in two main areas, the first being the hospitality and catering sector and the travel trade and tourism sector. 2 Issues and Constrains in Manpower Supply in Indian Hospitality Industry, P. Srinivas Subbarao, W. P. No. 2008-02-03 February 2008. 51 The hotel and catering sector is now highly personalized. Customer satisfaction is the prerequisite for a smooth and successful operation in the hotel industry, requiring professionally trained and highly skilled personnel.According to estimates of requirements for additional hotel rooms, the number of personnel who will need formal training in the hospitality and catering sector would increase by about 25 percent, from 16,000 to 20,000 people a year by 2010 end. The existing training facilities currently produce only about 5,000 to 6,000 trained personnel a year. Different types of jobs are available in the hospitality industry at different levels. The central government and the state governments have collaborated to provide resources in order to train people in the hospitality sector as part of overall development efforts.As per the survey the requirements for trained manpower at each level of employment would focus on general management trainees, trainees in kitchen management, housekeeping management, operational trainees, front office and accounting management, chefs, butlers, captains, bakery, confectionery and other specialized cooking. 52 Middle management positions would be filled by people holding three year diplomas, while other jobs could be filled by craft trainees. Craft institutes could be targeted for expansion in order to meet the needs for lower level skill areas.Working towards this objective, the Government run Institute at the Institute of Hotel Management at Kolkata has increased their seats. Human resources in Hospitality Industry – demand side In India there is a tremendous shortage of trained manpower in the hospitality sector. Tourism sector on an average requires more manpower than what is available from the catering colleges. Thus there need to develop required human resource in various segment of the tourism industry, as a consequence of the rapid growth in tourism, changing technology and markets both national and international level.By the very nature of tourism as a service industry, its efficient administration and successful operation depend largely on the quality of manpower. In the Asian and Pacific region, the shortage of skilled manpower poses a major threat to the overall 53 development of tourism. International tourism is a relatively new phenomenon and therefore the lack of managerial capability exists at all levels of the industry. In particular, the rapid expansion of hotels of an international standard in the region is creating a high level o f demand for skilled and experienced staff. The nature of the decisions facing hotel management is continually expanding. For their business to remain competitive, managers must be skilful in many diverse areas. For instance, they must possess a good understanding of how current events and the economy affect the market and develop skill in marketing their products. They must also strive to keep up with the technological innovations in the operational side of the industry. As part of the service industry, tourism is labor intensive and generally requires well developed social and language skills in a cross cultural working environment.These demands have placed considerable strain on small, independent operators, who cannot rely on the broad management expertise available to their multinational hotel chain competitors. The availability of skilled and trained manpower is a crucial element in the successful long term development and sustainability of a tourist destination. In the 54 ultimate analysis, skilled and trained human resources will ensure the delivery of efficient, high quality service to visitors, which is a direct and visible element of a successful tourism product.High standards of service are particularly important in sustaining long term growth, since success as a tourist destination is determined not only by price competitiveness or the range of attractions available, but also by the quality of the services provided. Repeat visits, a vital factor in maintaining growth, will be deterred if standards of service do not meet expectations. 55 2. Link of Training and Development with Human Resource. 3 Training and Development helps in optimizing the utilization of human resource hat further helps the employee to achieve the organizational goals as well as their individual goals. On the other hand, Training and Development helps to provide an opportunity and broad structure for the development of human resources technical and behavioral skill s in an organization. It also helps the employees in attaining personal growth. Training and Development plays a vital role in inculcating the sense of team work, team spirit, and inter team collaborations and inculcating the zeal to learn within the employees.

Cross Culture Management

Introduction Culture refers to the system of â€Å"shared attitudes, values, goals and practices that characterizes an institution, organization or a group†. Culture varies from region to region, since people tend to hold different beliefs, values and attitudes across the globe. Thus, cross cultural management refers to the process through which people learn about â€Å"variations of culture, practices, and preferences of an organization’s stakeholders†.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Cross Culture Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The increase in globalization and advancement in technology in the last two decades have created growth opportunities for multinational corporations. As competition increase in domestic markets, multinational firms normally join overseas markets in order to increase their sales and market shares. Firms that operate in foreign markets (countries), us ually serve customers with diverse cultural backgrounds. Additionally, multinational firms usually employ individuals with diverse cultural backgrounds. Managing employees from diverse cultures is a challenge since people tend to think, feel and act differently in different cultures. Besides, effective communication is normally difficult to achieve in an organization with a multicultural workforce. Thus, cross-cultural management attempts to facilitate the creation of an organizational culture that every employee can identify with. The concept of cross cultural management will be discussed in this paper by analyzing the Home Furniture case study. Cross Cultural Management Policy Home furniture is a multinational corporation operating in Europe, Asia, India and America. The company has adopted a polycentric approach to recruit its employees. A polycentric approach involves recruiting nationals of a foreign country to manage most of the operations of a subsidiary of a multinational co rporation. Under this approach, the subsidiary tends to be autonomous and develops its own policies. At Home Furniture, nationals of foreign countries normally hold midlevel management positions. An expatriate usually heads a subsidiary of the firm in the early years. The polycentric approach is beneficial to Home Furniture since it facilitates implementation of the firm’s sales and marketing policies. Since Home Furniture’s subsidiaries develop their own marketing policies, the company finds it important to recruit locals who have adequate market knowledge. However, the use of a polycentric approach has also created problems for the company. In particular, there are cultural conflicts between the subsidiaries and the headquarters. For instance, the headquarters and the US subsidiary have different views on teamwork. Solving such cultural conflicts call for the formulation of policies that promote harmony between the subsidiaries and the headquarters.Advertising L ooking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Additionally, cultural conflicts can not be solved through a single policy. Thus, a multi-dimensional approach should be adopted to enhance harmony in a multinational corporation. The new CEO of Home Furniture can consider the following policies as she operates and recruit staff in different countries. Given the autonomous nature of Home furniture’s subsidiaries, the new CEO should consistently follow the polycentric approach in hiring staff. Staff selection is fundamental when forming a multicultural workforce. The human resources department must focus on selecting the right individuals to hold key positions with the company. Thus, it will be important to identify the desired characteristics of the workforce. For example, the firm can focus on hiring managers who can tolerate cultural differences. The identified characteristics should be used to s creen all potential employees during the selection process. Performance evaluation should, generally, be guided by the company’s overall human resource strategy. However, the actual performance evaluation process should be based on local procedures. The managers and the local staff should agree on acceptable targets and the procedure for evaluating performance. Empirical studies reveal that comparability and costs are the main determinants of remuneration and benefits in multinational corporations. The salaries paid to the employees should be comparable, both within the firm and in the industry. Additionally, the salaries should not strain the company’s revenues. A remuneration and benefits policy that reflects the expectations of the local employees is likely to be accepted. In contrary, a remuneration policy that is based on the expectations of the headquarters is likely to be rejected since it might contravene the local labor laws, and the expectations of labor unio ns. In order to promote harmony between the headquarters and the subsidiaries, the new CEO should adopt an open culture policy. An open culture policy encourages employees to accept and appreciate their cultural differences. Formulating an open culture policy requires learning about the cultures of employees in various subsidiaries. This will help the CEO and the management to identify the cultural practices that are valued by local employees. Consequently, it will be possible to adapt the organization’s strategy to the local culture. For instance, staff and unions in the US subsidiary believed in negotiating organizational matters instead of a top-down approach to decision making. In such situations, the CEO should recognize the importance of negotiations to US employees in order to avoid conflicts.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Cross Culture Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More An effectiv e communication system within the organization is fundamental for the implementation of an open culture policy. The norms of communication should be established in advance to guide interaction among employees. According to Hofstede’s culture dimensions, individualism determines the extent to which employees can interact and share information about their cultures. Countries with high individualism scores are associated with little cohesion and interpersonal connection. Countries with a low individualism scores, on the other hand, are associated with strong group cohesion, respect for others and loyalty to the team. In order to promote cohesion among employees in countries with high individualism scores, the New CEO should encourage the management to acknowledge accomplishments of local staff. Additionally, â€Å"debate and expression of personal opinions† should be encouraged in order to promote understanding among the employees. Since perfect harmony can not be achieve d in a multicultural organization such as Home Furniture, the new CEO should adopt a conflict resolution policy to help in solving any conflicts that might arise between the local staff and the headquarters. The conflict resolution policy should address the following issues. First, there should be consensus on how various conflicts should be handled. Second, it must identify the parties to be involved in the resolution process. For instance, in China and Tunisia non-governmental organizations are actively involved in employees’ issues such work conditions and remuneration. In such countries, employees are likely to accept a conflict resolution team that includes members of organizations that fight for their rights. Third, the local employees and the management at the headquarters should agree on the communication channel to be used when resolving a conflict. The selected communication method should reflect the employees’ cultural make-up. Empirical studies revel that c ross-cultural competency can be enhanced through effective employee training and development. Such training programs help in creating organizational cultures that take into account the cultural make-up of the local staff and the perspectives or expectations of the headquarters. A widely accepted organizational culture facilitates consistent implementation of strategy across all subsidiaries. Thus, an effective policy should be put in place to guide cross-cultural training programs at Home Furniture. The cross-cultural training policy should address the following issues. First, the policy should encourage the managers to value the cross-cultural training programs. The top managers at the headquarters should understand that training foreign employees on the parent country’s (Finland) business culture is an important strategy. Thus, accountability and ownership should be promoted in order to effectively implement the training strategy. Second, cross-cultural training should be a team effort that involves all stakeholders.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Outside experts, employees’ leaders, managers from subsidiaries and managers from the headquarters should be involved in developing the training model. Team effort will not only improve the quality of the training, but will also improve its acceptance. Third, cross-cultural training should be bilateral. This means that the employees in overseas subsidiaries should be trained on the business culture of the parent country. The employees from the parent country, on the other hand, should be trained on the business culture in foreign countries where the subsidiaries are located. Fourth, cross-cultural training should be incorporated in the process of employee orientation. New recruits at the headquarters should be trained on the business cultures in overseas subsidiaries. New employees in the subsidiaries should also learn about the business culture in Finland where Home Furniture’s headquarters is located. Finally, cross-cultural training programs should be reinforced wit h mentoring initiatives in order to ensure success. Mangers from both Finland (headquarters) and the foreign countries where the subsidiaries are located should be involved in the mentoring program. Mentoring programs promote high performance through commitment to the organization’s expectations and culture. Thus, it will encourage teamwork and tolerance to cultural differences among employees. Communication Strategy Cross cultural communication is concerned with how individuals from different cultures communicate among themselves and in other cultures. From a business perspective, cross culture communication â€Å"refers to interpersonal communication and interaction across different cultures†. Cross culture communication attempts to overcome cultural differences that prevent interaction in a multicultural workforce. Competency in cross cultural communication can be achieved through training, culture immersion and learning new languages. As a multinational corporation , Home Furniture should have an effective communication strategy to enhance interaction among the employees and to facilitate implementation of its business strategies. In developing a communication strategy for Home Furniture, the new CEO can consider the following guidelines. To begin with, developing a communication strategy starts with the formulation of the organization’s communication objectives. In this case, the objectives describe what the organization intends to achieve through its communication strategy. For instance, Home Furniture’s communication objectives could be to achieve cultural tolerance or to improve performance. The communication strategy should be driven by the needs of the organization rather than the employees’ need to communicate with each other. This means that the communication activities at Home Furniture should be a means of achieving strategic goals and objectives. This calls for aligning the communication objectives with those of the organization. Such alignments form the basis for justifying the need for a communication strategy and facilitate the success of the business. Once the communication objectives are set, the audience must be identified. In this context, the audience refers to the employees that the new CEO and other managers need to communicate with in order to achieve the objectives of Home Furniture. Identifying the correct audience helps in answering the question, ‘who should be consulted with what decisions’? Integration and cooperation in a multicultural workforce requires effective reporting relationships. Such relationships facilitate contribution of every employee towards achievement of the organization’s goals. In order to establish reporting relationships, decision rights should be identified and explained to every employee. Decision rights specify the authorities entrusted with the task of making decisions. The decision rights and reporting relationships should refl ect the cultures of the local employees. According to Hofstede’s power/distance culture dimension, some cultures tolerate inequality while others do not. A country with a high power/ distance score is likely to have citizens who tolerate uneven distribution of power. However, citizens in countries with low power/distance scores prefer equal distribution of power. Thus, in countries with high power/distance scores, decisions can be unilaterally made by the management since consultations are not valued. In this case, the management will be the audience. In countries with low power/distance scores, the management must consult as many employees as possible before making a decision. In this case, the audience may include the management and junior employees. The communication strategy should help the CEO to identify the messages to send to various managers and other employees. Strategic targeting, as well as, consistency should be emphasized when creating and conveying messages wit hin the organization. The message should be comprehensive, informative and sent to the right individuals within the organization. Hofstede developed the uncertainty avoidance index (UAI) to measure the level of anxiety under uncertain situations in different cultures. In the context of a multicultural organization like Home Furniture, uncertainty can arise if messages are not clear to the recipients. According to Hofstede, a high UAI score means that members of the society will try as much as possible to avoid ambiguous situations. Law, order and a collective truth tend to prevail in countries with high UAI scores. A low UAI score implies that citizens appreciate differences, and are less concerned with ambiguity. Thus, in countries with high UAI scores, messages should be planned, prepared and communicated regularly. Additionally, the messages should be communicated to the employees in time in order to avoid anxiety. The messages should be concise and clearly specify the expectatio ns of the management. Societies with high UAI scores tend to prefer formal business conduct and policies. Thus, all messages should be based on existing policies. Additionally, a formal structure will be necessary to convey messages in a country with high UAI scores. Societies with low UAI scores tend to prefer informal business attitudes. Risks and change are also accepted in such societies. Thus, creating and sending messages within the organization should not be based on strict rules and structures. Given the differences in uncertainty avoidance levels, the process of creating and sharing messages should be aligned to the business cultures of the subsidiaries. Appropriate tools and activities for communicating the organization’s messages should be identified. Home Furniture’s new CEO should identify the communication channels and activities that are suitable to convey important messages to the targeted audiences. The selection of appropriate communication channels i s determined by the message to be conveyed and the targeted audience. For instance, audiences from societies with a high UAI score tend to prefer formal communication channels. Audiences from societies with low UAI score, on the other hand, tend to be comfortable with informal communication channels. Understanding and embracing cross cultural differences require elimination of cultural barriers that hinder effective communication. Thus, there should be flexibility when choosing a communication channel or the communication activities to be used to convey important messages. The importance of flexibility is based on the premise that long term commitments to traditions vary across cultures. According to Hofstede, a high long term orientation (LTO) score means that people have long term commitments to their traditions. In such situations, focusing on the traditional communication channel will be beneficial to Home Furniture. However, societies with low LTO scores do not value traditions . In such situations, Home Furniture can easily change the communication channels in order to meet its strategic objectives. The CEO and the managers of Home Furniture should be open-minded and able to adapt their communication channels to prevailing cultures. Adequate resources must be allocated for the implementation of the communication strategy. Additionally, the communication strategy should be implemented within the set timelines. The idea is to avoid overspending in implementing the communication strategy. Finally, the communication strategy should be evaluated and amended accordingly over time. Communication audits should be performed in order to measure the effectiveness of the strategy. Communication audits can be performed through surveys or interviews that involve internal, as well as, external audiences of the firm. An independent or external party can be contracted to perform the audit in order to avoid biases in the evaluation process. The evaluation results should be discussed by the relevant stakeholders and used to improve the communication strategy. Conclusion Cross culture management attempts to enhance understanding and appreciation of cultural differences in organizations. Managing a multicultural workforce is usually a challenge to multinational corporations such as Home Furniture. The disagreements between the management of Home Furniture and its employees in subsidiaries across the globe are attributed to cultural conflicts. Consequently, the New CEO at Home Furniture must develop policies that will help in reducing cultural conflicts. Appropriate employment policies will help the New CEO to select employees who tolerate cultural differences. An effective cross cultural training policy will help in creating awareness about cultures of various stakeholders at Home Furniture. Additional, the training programs will encourage culture tolerance. The new CEO should also adopt an open culture policy in order to promote integration and coopera tion among employees. Promoting harmony and achievement of the organization’s objectives requires implementation of an effective communication strategy. In order to achieve success, the objectives of the communication strategy should be aligned to those of the organization. References Holden, N., 2002. Cross-Cultural Management. New York: McGraw-Hill. Johann, R., 2008. Cross-Cultural Management. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Majur, K., 2010. Positive Organizational Culture as a New trend in Cross-Cultural Management. Journal of Positive Management 1(2), pp.65-74. McCalman, J., 2009. Lateral Hierarchy: The Case of Cross-Cultural Management Teams. European Management Journal 14(5), pp.509-517. Shimoni, B., 2011. The Representation of Culture in Interactions and Cross Culture Management. Journal of International Management 17(1), pp.30-41. Thomas, D., 2008. Cross-Cultural Management. New York: Cengage Learning. Tjosvold, D., 2003. Cross-Cultural Management. New York: Ashgate Pu blishing. Usanier, J., 2011. Lenguage as a Resource to Access Cross-Cultural Equivalence in Quantitative Management Research. Journal of World Business 46(3), pp.314-319. This case study on Cross Culture Management was written and submitted by user Giovani I. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here. Cross Culture Management

what is modern music1 essays

what is modern music1 essays The most important thing that was expressed about the definition of modern music is that the degree of modernism depends on the experience and taste of those whom are listening. This means that each person can have vastly different views on which musicians and what styles are considered modern, because the critique of all arts is merely opinion. The definition for modern in a dictionary is anything within the present. When discussing music the essay emphasized that modern music has other qualities than newness alone. To be considered modern music, it needs to alter in a varying degree from the traditions in material and in the style; it departs from previous conventions. In much of the essay, it is shown that modern music often experiences opposition. In the past, and even still the present, society and the music world initially reject modern music. In the essay music is described as a living language. When modern music is born it can also be considered as new way of expressing a new language. Music evolves just as language does. In the context of music, the grammar used in modern music is its harmony, melody, and rhythm that break all rules. Modern music uses foreign words and expressions that portray the ever-changing environment. There are many styles of music today that can fit the description of modern music. New Age, which often uses sounds of nature to create a melody, clearly has an original style. Hip-hop music is a fairly new form of expression, and when it first began it was rejected and misunderstood by the public. More recent, as it has become more accepted in society and the pace of rhythmic change is quickly altering, for the demand of the listeners. The style of jazz music has also changed a great deal compared to when first born. I feel that modern Jazz as opposed to old jazz is a good example of a new expression of a society in which we live. Lastly, techno, which is a fairly n...

International Business Promotion Research Paper

International Business Promotion - Research Paper Example Reliance on websites for health information has grown steadily given the increase in international trade. Different hospitals have employed different strategies when developing their websites to meet the needs of their clients. Texas hospital website has two distinct sections, patients and families section and a section for the health professional (Texas Children’s Hospital, 2012). The website carries popup messages where the purpose of the hospital is described as ‘to heal the child’. Moreover, the pop up messages advertise the services offered by the hospital and describe its commitment to superior services ‘now delivering miracles’. The websites give a guarantee to the clients that its specialists are always advancing their pediatric care daily to ensure their services are up-to-date to emerging medical concerns. On Texas Children Hospital website, patients can find a specific doctor, view their professional qualifications and book an appointment ( Texas Children’s Hospital, 2012). Moreover, customers can view all the departments or services offered and the time one can assess such services. Additionally, the specific location of such services well described and the professionals working in that department. This gives assurance to the customers that they receive quality services from accredited care givers. Given that previous health record is important for future visits to Texas Children Hospital or another hospital. Texas Children’s Hospital has an account for parents to access the health record of the children. Stanford Hospitals and Clinics have developed a website to serve its international customers. Under the international medical services section, Stanford Hospital describes that it offers superior services to its customers pointing out that patients from different parts of the world travel to the hospital annually (Stanford Hospitals and Clinics, 2012). This is a strategy to give confidence to a patient in a dilemma either to go treatment at Stanford or seek treatment in their local country where the hospital assures them that it is worthwhile to make a trip to Stanford Hospital. The hospital promises its international visitors individualized care that is able to meet the needs of the patients and their families before and after treatment. The hospital has a personal patient coordinator who in addition to arranging for a patient’s visit to the hospital organizes for their stay at in San Francisco Bay Area (Stanford Hospitals and Clinics, 2012). This demonstrates a commitment to customer service. The hospital website outlines the services offered by hospital including identifying a specific doctor to meet the medical needs of the patients and interpretation of languages which is a strategy to ensure that some patients do not feel left out. To ensure that patients prepare themselves for the visit, they are given an estimate of their medical bills. Patients can book for appoint ments online thereby reducing time wastage when travelling for treatment. At Phuket International Hospital, offering services to patients from diverse backgrounds has led the hospital employ international staff. At this hospital, the management recognized importance of effective diagnosis and, therefore, language barrier is dealt with by ensuring that the employees speaking a variety of languages. The hospital helps its patients make insurance claims and liaises with the embassy,

Nursing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Nursing - Case Study Example Similarly, the individual level performances of the organizational members are satisfactory enough as the employees are happy and satisfied with their jobs. They do not find any hardship during the course of action in completing their tasks. Every employee is happy and satisfied with his/her job. Employees do have decent relationship among each other. All these employees do respect each other. They do share things with each other including work related information. They also assist each other in completing their tasks. In trouble times, they get together and work on ideas and strategies to get out of those troubles. They have good communication mechanism among each other. The orders and instructions of Joe, the president, are highly respected and taken care of, in a good faith. His instructions are obeyed. The leadership skills shown by Joe are also pretty much acceptable to the subordinated working under him. He is respected, and he respects others too. He gives chances to the subor dinates to have their say. He gives and instructions and in response, he is reported by the subordinates. Group Level – No Signs at all Besides all these good things happening in the metric division, yet there is some serious lacking that can be observed quite easily. This is lack of groups and teams working in the division. There are no signs of groups or teams working together. There finds no image of project based teams. What really missing in this division is the group level that is not found anywhere in the organizational system. Overall, it looks as if every person works for himself and the organization, nobody is interested in working under a team. Teams do have their advantages and disadvantages, but their advantages are far more than their side effects. Teams normally work under a leader on certain projects within specified deadlines. They have a formal goal to achieve. That goal gives team members a sense of motivation, identity and a charm to work more and good for themselves, for their teams and ultimately for the organization. The team structure provides the synergy effect such that the efforts of all individuals working under a team are magnified to produce a better resultant in the end. More brains give more ideas and techniques of performing the tasks in a more efficient way. Thus, under the leadership of a sensible individual, team workings can bring advantages to the organization. Feedback The feedback method that should be used in this case is one on one Interview with each employee. The problem which is arising in this organization is that they are good in working at individual level and organizational level but while working as a team, there are numerous problems which they experience. They face problems especially in Group Functioning. It is essential for every organization to have such group members which coordinate and cooperate while working in teams. But in this case, coordination and willingness of participation is lacking. Af ter doing one on one interview, it is essential to take a group interview as well. In group interview, a specific number of team members must be allocated and a group discussion should be commenced in order to find what problems are arising while working as a team. At the end of the discussion, there are chances of reaching to a particular conclusion and

Opportunities & Threats in Gold & Oil Investments Research Paper

Opportunities & Threats in Gold & Oil Investments - Research Paper Example According to the research findings with the ever increasing uncertainties regarding the overall global economic and fiscal outlook, the investment strategies have also experienced some major changes. It is actually belief and confidence of the people that changes as the time and situation changes. As a result, the real value of the investment changes with the perception of the people. The real worth or substance remains the same, however, the other party to the transaction perceives it to be either on a higher side, lower side or at a stable level. In short, the substance of the investment remains the same but what actually changes is the worth of that investment in the eyes of other person as per his/her perception, belief and confidence. The change in the perception of the people leads to the change in the worth of the investment as a result the investors actually face a risk that their investments can experience significant fluctuations associated with the unpredictable behavior o f the people. Over the years, there have been different patterns and trends that represent the psyche of the people regarding the riskiness of different types of investments. From bonds to stocks, commodities to metals, currencies to real estates, each different class has different sorts of risks associated with it. The risk appetite of individual investors also varies which in turn contributes significantly in the variation of the values of the investments. (Fabozzi, Gupta & Markowitz, 2002). The above mentioned asset classes can be broadly split into two categories namely as paper money investment and real substance based investment. For instance, currencies, bonds, stocks are considered as paper money as the investor ultimately do not acquire a physical substance or matter when he or she purchases investment. For example, by buying some shares of a company cannot actually allow a common stockholder towards entitling a specific asset of the company. Similarly the bonds or other pa per money instruments do not allow entitlement to the investors on a particular asset of the issuer of that instrument. On the other hand, the non-paper money instruments provide a possession of the investment in the form of goods, property or any other physical substance. The term â€Å"physical delivery† for these kinds of investments is vastly associated as they entitle the investor for the taking the actual physical delivery of the form of their goods (Shefrin & Statman, 2000). For instance, in case of metals, gold, silver or platinum, the physical delivery is possible and the investor can keep the possession of the metals with himself. Similarly, in case of real estate property, the investor can actually take the possession of a particular property after transferring the property documents. The above two categories of investments have some specific risks associated with them due to which the non-paper money based investments are considered as safe heavens for the investo rs as the investor enjoys the possession of those investments and later on can make the use of those goods for his/her personal needs unlike paper money investments which are intended to be returned to other investors or the issuers of those investments because they cannot be used for personal needs. On the basis of usage or consumption as well as holding the possession of those investments, this particular assignment deals with the opportunities and threats that rest with the investments that are movable in nature (FinanceSpain, 2012). Particularly the investment in gold and oil are highlighted in the discussion. Gold is a precious metal which is the most highly recognized and consumed metal especially used in the jewelry and ornaments. Oil is the commodity which is used as an energy resource for varieties of different purposes. Both of these investment classes have distinct opportunities and threats which are discussed separately in further sections. The first section emphasizes o n the opportunities

Colgate-Palmolive PEST and Porters 5 Analysis

Colgate-Palmolive PEST and Porters 5 Analysis Jump to: PEST Analysis of Colgate |Â  Porters 5 Forces Analysis of Colgate Introduction Companies seeking to gain a competitive advantage in todays environment, where competition is very tough where technological improvement have pushed major companies forward are in need of a strategy development process. By using several capabilities like creativity and originality, companies can come up with a number of options and possibilities that can be used while building a strong strategic plan. Today, Companies should develop the sense of controlling and monitoring of processes, nothing should be left at random, because important losses can incurred. Many thinkers have argued that a strong strategy should consider three important factors (3C): Customers, Competencies and Competition. To begin with customers, companies should be able to distinguish between existing customers and potential customers; in addition, they have to understand customers needs for a better profitability. Competencies are perhaps the most important tool in this chain, it can raise the companys stock index or lead it to bankruptcy, and its by recognizing multi-skilled peopleÂÂ  trained and capable in a large variety of skills or activities that companies can carry on the adventure. Finally, competition is no longer a concept to be defined or explained, its becoming a double-edged sword for companies in a world where the number of firms is growing exponentially. Analysis of the areas cited above is interconnected. Who you select as your target group will have consequences on capabilities you require, which will have an impact on what the competition policy which will pressure who you choose as your target group.ÂÂ   Furthermore, a well structured strategic analysis will induce to brighter more significant goals, and a more safe future as companies are better aware of possible threats that may happen. They may be also known as (External Environmental analysis), its may be seen as the connection between going in the right track and making the appropriate decisions, a kind of trade-off established by the company. Its through strategic analysis that organizations are capable of encouraging funders for future perspectives. Funders are more likely to go for donations or loans, in case of strategic analysis environment, to enlarge the gap between the organization and its competitors. In the other hand, not considering at least a little amount of strategic analysis means losing opportunities called also (opportunity cost). A left behind status can be reached in case of ignoring strategic analysis. BNET Business Dictionary defines the strategic analysis as the way of conducting researches on the external environment or business environment where the organization performs and on the organization in the purpose of drawing a strategy. In the other hand, Professor Les Worrall thinks that strategic analysis is a fair understanding of organization surrounding, it takes into consideration the interrelation between the firm and its environment to improve organizational efficiency and effectiveness, by increasing the organizations capacity to deploy and redeploy its resources intelligently. Many studies have been conducted in this field, they may have suggested different definitions of strategic analysis but three important characteristics are commonly linked with it: Identification and evaluation of important data to strategy elaboration. Recognition of both external and internal environment to be considered. Multiple analytical methods that can be used in the analysis. Examples of analytical methods used in strategic analysis include: Value chain analysis Four corners analysis Early warning scans War gaming PEST analysis and Porters five forces analysis Analytical tools are meant to ensure the sustainability and reliability of the analysis proposed. Analytical methods are worldwide used and understood, they have reached a mature state where every organization can use them to better work However, while dealing with the analytical methods, companies should keep in mind some considerations: The tool or method should be able to answer question that may be raised by the organization. The benefit coming from using any tool or method should be clearly defined and stated. To ensure a successful analysis, organization need to go forward a great understanding of the tool used. The tools proposed are empowered if there is collaboration as input with other people surrounding the company, in addition, time should be allocated to people concerned so they accommodate the analysis. Every member of the organization must be aware that the use of any analysis tool is time and effort consuming, decision-making board and stockholders ,in the implementation phase, should be flexible and provide the necessary to complete the project. The objective of using an analytical tool is to go deeply in the analysis and to ensure a better approach more balanced and methodical. In addition, all analytical tools are using historical data, they rely on past data to better understand futures wants. Moreover, results coming from the analysis should be interpreted with caution or the analysis may lead to an influenced result, due to pressures, which look for a particular strategy. One of the important competencies of an analyst is to understand which tool or technique is most appropriate in the context. Colgate Palmolive Nature of Business Colgate-Palmolive is generating benefits from manufacturing and selling shampoo and toothpaste , 80% and 15% respectively. The remaining is shared between home care products (softeners).Colgate-Palmolive is the leader in the domestic market on the shampoo and the second on the toothpaste.ÂÂ  The battle for market share with competitors is at:ÂÂ   Shampoo with brands such as: Head shoulders / Pantene Toothpaste with brands such as: Signal CPM Company is present in several markets of consumer goods. Indeed its wide product range covers both Personal Care as the Home Care. Colgate-Palmolive operates in the market of Oral Care through Tonigencyl and Colgate toothpaste and Colgate toothbrushes. In addition the Company has a strong presence in the market with shampoo brands:ÂÂ  Cadum, Alert and Palmolive. Colgate History In 1806, Mr. Colgate William, a soap and candle maker, opened a shop where he sold candle and soap and multiple cosmetics in New York under the name William Colgate Company. In the 1840s, the company started to sell energetic bars for uniform weights. In 1857, His son took over,, when his father Samuel Colgate passed away , the company was renamed as Colgate Company under the management of Samuel Colgate, his son. In Milwaukee, B.J. Johnson Company was producing a special and famous soap by mixing only palm and olive, the formula used was developed by B.J. Johnson in 1898. The soap was very popular, thanks to the recipe originality, and took the name of Palm-Olive (Palmolive) Between 1928 and 1953 many changes occurred, they are summarized below: The merging of Peet Brothers with Palmolive to become Palmolive-Peet. Palmolive-Peet bought Colgate company form Samuel Colgate to create the Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Company.(1928) In 1953, the company changed its to the current name Colgate-Palmolive Company. Colgate-Palmolive has been competing with the worlds largest soap and detergent producer for decades. After the World War II, PG had decided to a launch a diversified range of products under the name of TIDE, many consumers turned to this new products when they used to buy Colgate-Palmolive Products. Moreover, the company faced another challenge when PG decided to add Fluoride in the toothpaste an achievement never done before, due to this fact, Colgate-Palmolive lost his first place in the toothpaste market. To compete with Procter and Gamble, CP(Colgate-Palmolive) have used television(new invention at that time)and decided to sponsor some shows so they can regain their market share against PG. In 2006, Colgate-Palmolive has intended to acquire the major part of Toms of Maine, a pioneer in the natural toothpaste maker, for US $100M. Today, Colgate-Palmolive has a number of plants and subsidiaries around the world, more than 200 countries are using Colgate-Palmolive Products. Colgate Palmolive Values Our three fundamental values-Caring, Global Teamwork and Continuous Improvement-are part of everything we do Valuing Colgate People Becoming the Best Place to Work Colgate strategic analysis PEST Analysis: Nowadays, to ensure a sustainable, competitive and successful company, managers and board of executives has to cope and operate within a rigorous macro-environment that is shaped by influences of different factors. These factors can emerge from many sources: The overall economy, population, governmental legislations and regulations, societal values, new technologies. All of these represent relevant factors that can have a gigantic impact on all the decisions the company makes concerning its direction, business model, objectives, strategy and thus, the ability to impact on the companys overall situation. Now that we have understood the importance and the impact that an external environment can have on a businesss situation, its compulsory to sort those factors into categories and assess their importance to the business. After assessing their importance, external factors can be categorized into 4 major assemblies by using the PEST or PESTLE Analysis. (P)olitical Factors The first letter in the acronym refers to Political factors and they are issues that affect the way of doing business. They can be trading policies imposed by the government or the political stability of the country in which business is conducted. Political issues can also be related to taxes and labour laws imposed by the government and labour unions. They can also be regulations directed to maintain a fair competition on honourable basis between rivals in any industry and prevent abusive actions. Moreover, the political factors can also be regulations put by the government to protect the environment in which the company is operating. This type of regulations can for example be linked to pollution issues or standard quality of their products or services that will be directed to their clients. (E)conomical Factors The second letter in the acronym refers to Economical factors and they are subjects related to the overall situation and stage of growth of the economy. These factors need to be taken into consideration for the impact they can have on the operations of a business. Managers need to assess the home economy situation and trends. Furthermore, they need also to keep an eye on changes in taxation of products services. They also need to look at the driving forces of the economy such as the purchasing power of their target market and consumer preferences and also to unemployment and wages levels. If the company is involved in foreign trade, managers have to consider the tariffs and exchange rates as well as the import and export ratios applied in that country. (S)ocio-Cultural Factors The third letter of the acronym refers to Socio-Cultural factors that any company has to consider the point of view of the general public. The publics opinion and attitude toward the companys products is also important because it plays a core role in building the image within the different constituencies. Companies also have to be in permanent contact with the media by writing press releases or opening its doors to build brand image that is known by everybody. Socio-Cultural factors can relate also to issues raised in advertising campaigns and publicity or by participating in major events to show their part of social responsibility. Social factors also include diversity of their work force employed. Companies hire disabled and elderly people to get them integrated within the society. Finally, companies need to respect and take into account ethical issues no to offend any minority in the society. (T)echnological Factors The last letter of the acronym refers to Technological factors. These factors have changed the way businesses operate. By introduction of all these technologies, companies are able to conduct their operations much easily with a better performance. Technology participated in the improvement of many aspects since it was introduced at all levels of the business, from selection process to productivity and research and development. (Jana F. Kuzmicki, 2007) Porters five analysis: Gaining Power of Suppliers One of the five forces which Porter formulated for an organization to look into in order to form a competitive advantage is gaining power of suppliers. The global reach and diverse portfolio of assets attract numerous investors. Colgate-Palmolive and other major competitors are both viewed by investors as home and oral care companies which have considerable positive investment strengths. Most often the comparison is always with PG. Although, Colgate-Palmolive is viewed by many as at par with its competitors, yet, what was lacking in their management is the lack of perceived differentiation which somehow impaired the investment decision-making process. Moreover, even though Colgate-Palmolive has no strategy that is unique or differentiating relative to the other companies, the threat of bargaining power of suppliers is low due to partnership, supply chain management, training, and dependency. Bargaining Power of Customers Customers are the lifeblood of the business. The existence and growth of a business company is dependent on customers. CP (Colgate-Palmolive) is serving globally with 25 million customers a day in over 200, 000 plant around the globe. There is a cohesive loyalty among buyers and sellers of energy in Colgate-Palmolive for several reasons like the attractive incentives and value added, partnering and supply chain management. Moreover, investors and stakeholders expressed their satisfaction on the services offered by the company. Again, this can be reflected on the 2001 case study interview which was recorded verbatim, in which two elements emerged fundamental to the satisfaction of customers technology and its diversified presence. One owns Colgate-Palmolive because of its strong diversified presence and good technology while another one noted that it is because it is cheaper, yet with a high quality of products and high returns over the course of the cycle compared to other major com panies. Moreover, significantly noted were two comments. On one hand, the reasons why many were satisfied with the performance because of its huge asset base, financial and political clout that was why they successfully covered operations in places like China, Russia, and the Middle East. On the other hand, CPs management restructuring that reduced costs focus on profitability, financial discipline and its way for shares repurchase. Threat of New Entrants In the home and oral care industry primarily on the soap and natural products and reserves, the companies management strategy reduced the friction of threat among its new competitors in the business by increasing minimum efficient scales of operations, its cohesive and good status with suppliers/distributors, retaliation tactics, protection of property and establishing a competitive and trustful image to its customers. Moreover, the role of advanced technology set them at par with other entrants in the business. In 2001, technology had differentiated CP from its competitors. Leadership in promising toothpaste from solid to gel technology that delivers new brushing sensations. There reputation was leveraged in order to establish a solid foundation against threats of the new entrants. The leverage of their reputation is build solidly on their total strengths both tangible and intangible like technology, products, adherence to business ethics, code of conduct, and corporate social responsibility that encourages consumers to brand loyalty. Threat of Substitutes The threats of substitutes in which customers switch product references are primarily caused by several external and internal factors. One of the factors in which customers tend to switch their preferences is the price cost of a product. If a product raises its cost value, customers may have a second thought of sticking into as his/her preference; therefore, the tendency is that the shift and switch of preference occurred. Most often, in this kind of business like marketing an energy reserves, the threat of substitution of customers come in the instability of a price. The price cost of a product if it increases due to social and political factors, it stand to be a threat for the company. However, the Colgate-Palmolive good strategy like increasing switching costs, alliances, customer surveys to learn about their preferences, accentuated differences and the entrance of substitute market, these reduced the threat of substitutes. Competitive Rivalry between existing players In any business price competition is significant because it attracts customers, the less you price a product, the more customers you gain, yet, in competitive rivalry, in order to reduce it, avoidance to price competition is necessary in which the Colgate-Palmolive observed. Their competition is not on price but on how to manage strategy that would best leverage a product. CP uses different strategies to market their product and be competitive. Their differentiation and different segmentation of their products set an edge for them, moreover, their healthy communication with competitors contribute positively to the competition. The competition should not be taken personally but a matter of business and professional work. Colgate-Palmolive has a competitive advantage not only due to the facts mentioned above but on the ability of managing the whole process of the business. Good financial management and diversified course of business bring them enormous customers and stakeholders.

Benvolio vs. Mercutio in Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet :: William Shakespeare

It was a hot summer day in the town square of Verona when the two households came face to face, both feeling and showing their emnity. In the play of Romeo and Juliet, written by Shakespeare, Tybalt wishes to fight Romeo and since Romeo is refusing to battle him, Mercutio steps up and takes Romeo's place. Benvolio is, like always, begging and pleading for them to keep the peace. All through the tale, Romeo's best friends, Benvolio and Mercutio, try to help Romeo with their own particular methods. Surprisingly, there are no characters that differ from each other more than Benvolio and Mercutio. Although Benvolio and Mercutio are alike because they are both very loyal to Romeo, they are different because Benvolio is calm, level-headed, and honest and Mercutio tends to be a sarcastic, wild person who follows his emotions more than his common sense. Mercutio and Benvolio express loyalty and companionship toward Romeo. Mercutio battles Tybalt in order to defend Romeo's honor, when Romeo has already made it clear that he doesn't want anyone to fight. Mercutio bravely faces the furious Tybalt and says "O calm, dishonorable, vile submission! Tybalt you rat-catcher will you walk?" (Scene Five). Benvolio also shows he is faithful to Romeo when he devises the brilliant plan of crashing the Capulet's ball, in an attempt to cure his friend Romeo's depression. When he says "... Supper is done, and we shall come too late." (Scene Two), he's convincing Romeo to go to the ball to have some fun or else it'll be too late and he'll stay heart broken. Mercutio and Benvolio are different because Mercutio is a wild person that likes to pick fights even though they aren't "his" battles. When Tybalt is looking for Romeo, Mercutio steps up and declares "... Here is my fiddlestick, here's that shall make you dance." (Scene Five), thus making Tybalt even angrier and causing a fight. You can see Benvolio is a peace-keeping person especially when he states "I do but keep the peace: put up thy sword..." (Scene One). He says this mainly because he doesn't want anyone to get hurt or get in trouble with the law. Although Mercutio and Benvolio are really close to being antithesis of one another, they are also similar because they are both incredibly loyal and faithful to Romeo. Though they are an oddly matched pair, they somehow combine to add their own unique flavors to Romeo and Juliet.

How Enzymes Work in the Home and in Industry Essay Essay

This essay aims to explore the ways on how enzymes are used in home and in industry, and it aims to explain the advantages and disadvantages of using enzymes in the home and industry. An enzyme is a protein that is formed by the body that acts as a catalyst to cause a certain desired reaction. Enzymes are very specific. Each enzyme is designed to initiate a specific response with a specific result. Firstly, the AQA Science Biology textbook published in 2011 by Nelson Thornes Ltd suggests on page 172 that â€Å"in the past, people boiled and scrubbed their clothes to get them clean – by hand! Now we have washing machines and enzymes ready and waiting to digest the stains.† This is telling us how people now use enzymes at home and it is much easier from the past. This is an example of how enzymes are used in homes. Enzymes are used to get rid of the stains that are on the clothes in washing machines. Enzymes are used to break down proteins and fats that are in the stains. This is evident in the same textbook on the same page number mentioned above when it says, â€Å"many people use biological detergents to remove stains such as grass, sweat and food from their clothes. Biological washing powders contain proteases and lipases.† Proteases and lipases are those enzymes that are used to break down the proteins and fats that are in the stains. In addition, it is better to use biological detergents instead of non-biological detergents at lower temperatures because that is when the enzymes work at their best, if the water is too hot then they are denatured and this also means that you use less electricity. The edited book version called ‘Enzymes in Industry’ written by Dr Wolfgang Aehle published in 2007 suggests that â€Å"in the food industry enzymes are used to improve dairy products like cheese or to supply us with breads that have the right crumb structure and give us the right mouth feel while eating.† This is showing how and why enzymes are used in industry. They are used to improve dairy products or to supply with breads that are good enough for us. Protease enzymes are used to make baby foods. In the book ‘Chemistry at a glance’ published by Roger Owen and Sue King it says on page 116 â€Å"proteins in baby foods may be pre-digested by proteases (enzymes which digest proteins). Babies are not very good at digesting the food when they first begin to eat solid foods. By using protease enzymes in the food, makes it easier for a baby’s digestive system to cope with it and then the babies can also get the amino acids that need from their food more easily. There are more enzymes used in industry like carbohydrases to convert starch into sugar (glucose syrup). There are many advantages and disadvantages of using enzymes. Enzymes can be good to use. In the AQA Science Biology textbook published in 2011 by Nelson Thornes Ltd suggests on page 173 that â€Å"in industrial processes, many o the reactions need high temperatures and pressures to make them go fast enough to produce the products needed. This needs expensive equipment and requires a lot of energy.† The good thing is that by using enzymes it would solve industrial problems like these. On the same page, it says the enzymes â€Å"catalyze at relatively low temperatures and normal pressures. This is why the enzyme-based processes are cheap to run. This is an advantage showing that by using enzymes it is cheaper and easier. There are also disadvantages of using enzymes. This is evident in the same book on the same page as it mentions, â€Å"one problem with enzymes is that they are denatured at high temperatures, so the temperature must be kept down†. This shows that by using enzymes they can be denatured so you would have to be careful and keep an eye on the temperature. In addition, the pH needs to be controlled and it costs money to control these conditions which means it is bad. You would have to pay to control theses conditions and if you do not then the enzymes would denature which is not good. The original BBC Bitesize GCSE website in the science section suggests that there are many enzymes, which are expensive to produce. This is evident on the website as it says, â€Å"In industry, enzymes allow reactions that normally need expensive, energy-demanding equipment to happen at normal temperatures and pressures. On the other hand, most enzymes are denatured at high temperatures.† This shows that many enzymes are quite expensive to produce and this is a disadvantage of using enzymes. In conclusion, enzymes are used in many places like homes and in the industry because they can be good in ways such as using them in baby food, which would help the digestive system of babies. However, there are also some disadvantages of using enzymes for example some enzymes can be very expensive to produce. I believe that enzymes should be used in some places and should not in others, this way I think that there would not be trouble caused.

Jurassic Park essays

Jurassic Park essays Jurassic Park is divided into seven sections, each with a quote from Ian Malcolm. He was a mathematician who specialized in the field called chaos theory, which based itself mainly on nonlinear equations. The first section follows the paths of several scenes, where in each one, there is evidence pointing to the appearance of dinosaurs. One of these scenes included in the very beginning, where a man was flown in to a doctor with mortal wounds surrounding his body. One of his last words was "raptor", which meant "bird of prey." Another was when a young girl was bit by a so called lizard, but the lizard fit closely to the description of a dinosaur. The second section ties in with the first one, but now the reader is presented with scientific evidence of living dinosaurs. Here the reader is given a little insight of the background to the situation, as Bob Morris, part of the EPA, reveals information that InGen had three Cray XMP's shipped to Costa Rica, which were very powerful superco mputers, and 24 Hoods, which were automated gene sequencers. Later on, the carcass of a dinosaur, which was found near the sight where the young girl was bit, was sent to a lab to be examined, and it was identified as a Procompsognathus, thought to be extinct for millions of years. The scientists who witnessed the evidence, Ellie Sattler and Alan Grant, both foremost in the fields of paleontology, were soon requested to fly down to a private island off of Costa Rica by John Hammond, founder of InGen. A little later on in the second section, the story unfolds somewhat, when the scene shifts to a meeting of the Biosyn Corporation of Cupertino, where they explain that InGen was cloning dinosaurs. The Biosyn company then hires Lewis Dodgson, an scientists who worked at InGen, to help them steal dinosaur embryo's for them. He starts off toward Costa Rica as Ellie and Grant arrive in Jurassic Park, and get their first glimpses of the dinosaurs. The third section...

Fitzgeralds Symbolic Use of Color

Fitzgeralds Symbolic Use of Color Free Online Research Papers â€Å"If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away† (6). Even before he was Mr. Gatsby, when he was still referred to as James (Jimmy by his father) Gatz, Jay had a sense of life’s infinite possibilities. From his yellow car to his pink suit, everything about Gatsby portraits his idealism. Fitzgerald’s many references to color play a key part in making Gatsby the iconic character he has become. The first time the reader sees Gatsby he is staring into the night. At first Nick believes Gatsby is looking at the sky, peppered with silver stars. In fact, Gatsby is enthralled by a green light in the distance. The light, coming from the end of Daisy’s dock, symbolizes how close Gatsby is to his dream. In the United States, a green light means go (Wikipedia), which is perhaps the easiest way to summarize what Gatsby is thinking to himself as he stares into the green light. Gatsby had spent five years building himself up to the position and location he is now located in. With all the effort and illegal activity Gatsby ahs put into his transformation, he is, no doubt, telling himself to just go for it. Daisy is only inches from his grasp. Green is also a symbol of wealth, especially in the United States (Wikipedia). It is fitting that Daisy’s light should be green. Daisy weighs everything in her life on its financial value. Thus the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock also symbolizes her greed and superficial values, which Gatsby embraces, just as he reaches out to embrace the green light. â€Å"He stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (25). Not only does it resemble the wealth which is a crutch for all of Daisy’s decisions; the light also resembles the wealth that Gatsby worked so hard to obtain, in order to please Daisy. The first time Nick and Gatsby go to New York together, Gatsby is dressed in a caramel suit. Brown, in many cultures, resembles poverty (Wikipedia). Despite all his efforts to reinvent himself, Gatsby will always have a little bit of James Gatz in him. Even though he had long ago left his family behind to find a better life for himself, Gatsby travels back to visit his father and buy him a house. Brown can also represent wholesomeness, friendliness, and dependability (Wikipedia), all of which are characteristics of Gatsby. Finally, brown can be used to mean simplicity (Wikipedia). This is especially fitting after we see Gatsby’s personal bedroom. â€Å"His bedroom was the simplest of all – except where the dresser was garnished with a toilet set of pure dull gold† (97). Gold is another color often associated with Gatsby, whether it is in the form of his toiletries or his clothing. As cold is a precious and expensive metal, it is used to symbolize something that is precious or costly (Whyte). For Gatsby, gold represents the great wealth he has obtained. Everything he has earned is precious to him only based on Daisy’s reaction. She adores his rich clothes and gold hairbrush, so they mean that much more to Gatsby. While Gatsby now wears gold suits, he once wore a blue coat given to him by his mentor Dan Cody. His chauffeurs too wear uniforms of robin’s egg blue. This is fitting because blue often represents idealism (Wikipedia), a virtue with which Gatsby is very familiar. In fact, the entire book is formed around Gatsby’s attempts to achieve his ideals. Further, it is symbolic that Cody should be the one to give Gatsby the blue coat, because it is Cody who teaches Gatsby how to obtain wealth, and therefore reach his goals. Blue also appears in the form of a dress which Gatsby buys for a guest. It is â€Å"gas blue with lavender beads† (48). The dress comes into the story after a party. One of his guests accidentally rips her dress, so Gatsby replaces it with the blue one. Blue can also symbolize peace (Wikipedia) which Gatsby hoped to keep by purchasing the dress for $265. Gatsby not only buys rich clothes but also for himself, including a white suit which he wears on the day he is finally reunited with Daisy. White was a wise choice because it represents security (Wikipedia). During their first romance, Daisy leaves Gatsby because he lacks the money needed to guarantee her security. Now, however, Gatsby has an abundance of wealth and is perfectly capable of offering her the security she needs. Aside from his luxurious attire, Gatsby also has a fancy yellow car. Yellow often symbolizes optimism, as well as idealism (Wikipedia). Not only is Gatsby the epitome of idealism, he also very much embodies the practice of optimism. Ever since he was a child, Gatsby has believed in the potential of his life and his ability to better himself. â€Å"‘Jimmy was bound to get ahead. He always had some resolves like this or something. Do you notice what he’s got about improving his mind? He was always great for that’† (182). However, yellow can also stand for dishonesty (Wikipedia). Gatsby’s dishonesty is a critical aspect of who he is. Displeased with his poor upbringing, James Gatz creates an entirely new identity (Jay Gatsby). When he first meets Daisy he lies about his background to gain her attention and make her believe he is worthy of her. Among all of his ‘friends’ Gatsby is dishonest about where he obtained his wealth, claiming inheritance. He is also well-known throughout the novel for his white lies. Gatsby likes to stretch the truth, for example, saying that he is an Oxford man, when he only attended for five months. Aside from his yellow car, Gatsby is most characterized by his pink suit. His pink suit seems to deny the credibility of some of his claims, such as being an Oxford man. â€Å"Like hell he is! He wears a pink suit† (129). However, pink often tends to symbolize admiration (Wikipedia). Despite the fact that no one really knows anything about Gatsby (mainly because there isn’t anything to know, since Jay Gatsby isn’t actually a real person), he is still extremely admired and respected by his party guests and acquaintances. Fitzgerald uses color symbolism to set up the array of characteristics of Gatsby. These colors play a key role in establishing Gatsby’s strong personality. Throughout the entire novel Gatsby is an idealistic and optimistic young man with an incredible ability to realize life’s infinite possibilities. He truly is the great Gatz. Research Papers on Fitzgerald's Symbolic Use of ColorThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationMind TravelDefinition of Export QuotasThe Spring and AutumnThe Hockey GameHip-Hop is Art

New Perspectives in Entrepreneurship - Avril Kennedy and Harlequin Essay

New Perspectives in Entrepreneurship - Avril Kennedy and Harlequin - Essay Example Mary Jesselyn Co (2006, p. 45-46) lists several characteristics of a successful entrepreneur, including a passion for business, internal locus of control, risk-taking, commitment, dedication, perseverance, a need for achievement, initiative, feedback/advice-seeking, creativity and innovation. Zeelie et al. (1998, p. 12) add, "In order to achieve entrepreneurial success, personal, internal development and the development of good interpersonal skills are essential." Steven Brandts (1996, ch. 4 p. 4) list includes applicable business or technical experience, verifiable integrity, the ability to communicate ideas, and a propensity towards team work. Evan Douglas (eds Carsrud & Braanback 2009, p. 19) wrote that "successful entrepreneurship is likely to provide societal benefits as well." Finally, Chris Steyaert and Daniel Hjorth (2004, p. 269) wrote that entrepreneurs emphasized the importance of alertness and timeliness. "Timeliness in taking action was critical because [the entrepreneur s] goal was to grab the (quickly) passing opportunity. Opportune times, they stressed, do not last long in fast-changing environments." Avril Kennedy had exhibited many of these characteristics from the time she started Harlequin. Applicable business and technical experience. Avril had experience selling as a demonstrator of products; therefore, she was exposed to a retail environment. She knew about the potential of making a profit at Barras because her ex-husband had rented a stall there in the past. Alertness and timeliness. As the business grew, Avril stayed abreast of news that would offer opportunities to expand the business, particularly with regards to the availability of more desirable real estate. Risk-taking. Co (2006, p. 46) noted that entrepreneurs "take calculated risks, not high or wild risks," and Avril built her business slowly and expanded purposefully. In an interview with Carmen Nobel (2011, n. p.), Tom Eisenmann, a professor in the Entrepreneurial Management Unit at Harvard Business School, said, "Lean startups don't try to scale up the business until they have product-market fit [PMF], a  magical event — more easily recognized in retrospect than in the moment — when they finally have a solution that matches the problem.  

Compare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Compare - Essay Example In this paper, two passages are taken from two different writers namely Elie Wiesel and Cynthia Ozick. The aim of the paper is to undertake a comparative discussion on their writings namely â€Å"Night† and â€Å"The Shawl† respectively. This means that any major similarities or differences that are noticed in the two passages selected shall be discussed from the perspectives of the themes used by the writers, style of writing, themes covered in the writings, as well as any identified problems. Style of writing Reading through â€Å"Night† and â€Å"The Shawl†, readers get a sense of feeling that two different forms of writings are presented. This is rooted in the general approach used by the two writers, manifesting in the style of writing they used to present their work. Generally, â€Å"Night† is presented by Elie Wiesel from a more juvenile perspective of wording, making the whole style of writing easy to read and understand. There are not much use of literary devices and other technical literature terms. Rather, the reader to have a smooth flow of the storyline with no meandering of ideas entertained. The advantage that this had on the text was that it made it very easy for the reader to get along with the ideas being portrayed by the writer without any difficulty in understanding. Indeed, events were described in a down to earth approach making statements like â€Å"I decided to give my father lessons in marching in step, in keeping time. We began practicing in front of our block. I would command: ‘Left, right!’ and my father would try.† (PAGE 55). On the other hand, â€Å"the Shawl† is presented in a more classical manner, disbanding the use of naive and juvenile techniques to making the theme of the story flow. This was seen through several perspectives of the writing including the use of complex sentence structuring, idiomatic expressions and a number of literary devices. Along the way howev er, Ozick gets comic just as Elie had been throughout his writing by stating that of Stella who wanted to be in the shawl like Magda that â€Å"A thin girl of fourteen, too small with thin breasts of her own, Stella wanted to be wrapped in a shawl, hidden away, asleep, rocked by the march, a baby, around infant in arms† (PAGE 3). Themes The family as an agent of socialization Throughout both stories, the role of the family in society is clearly defined as both Ozick and Elie make statements that suggest that the family is an agent of socialization. By this, reference is being made to the larger concept of family and how the family plays its role in ensuring that the people that are born into it fit in perfectly. In â€Å"Night†, socialization is depicted as a bilateral responsibility between children and their parents. That is, parents socialize children and children socialize parents. The relationship between Elie and his father is shown to reflect the popular saying that if your parents take care of you for you to make teeth, you also take care of them till they loss their teeth. From another perspective, it could be said that the marching training that Elie gives to the father represents a reverse of role because it is fathers who are normally expected to teach their kids to walk. In â€Å"The Shawl† also, the role of family in socialization is resounded as Rosa makes frantic efforts to cater for her two daughters, Stella and Magda. Stella was 14 years and Magda was only 15 months. Due to economic