Response Speech of Sotomayors 2012 NYU Commencement Essay Example for Free

Response Speech of Sotomayors 2012 NYU Commencement Essay This speech was not awesome, but more than that. Her tenacious and benevolent appearance was enough to attract the audience’s attention. She made jokes to make the audience comfortable and to keep the speech accessible and fresh. Also, she used various anecdotes from her life that both those in the stadium and I could empathize with. Her speech at the commencement ceremony at NYU struck a chord with me. More especially, there was a hopeful message to the young people starting fresh in life. First, she had the ability to convert her weak points into strengths. Her life story is literally ‘a dream come true’. She was born and raised in the Bronx, New York which is not the greatest place to live. Yet, she grew up and graduated from a prestigious university. Moreover, she became the first Hispanic justice of the Supreme Court and the third-ever woman to hold the post. She is a person of great wisdom, because she embraced her identity as a Hispanic woman, in order to make her dreams a reality. Furthermore, her life story shows that anyone can succeed whatever the obstacles or barriers. As we already know, she grew up in a public housing project in the Bronx and never imagined that she would stand on that podium. However, she finally became a supreme justice after going through so many challenges. There might have been enormous trials and tribulations, but it is obvious evident from her example that we can achieve our dreams despite the challenge we face, if we do exert ourselves enough. Last, the five essential emotions that she had referred to are a further guideline for us. In fact, the current tendency in Korea is to be stable rather than to challenge. People think that it may take too much time to reach their dream, so they choose a job that they can do comfortably, rather than what they really want. However, her speech showed me that I should choose what I truly want to do, and I can do that if I embrace her five emotions necessary for a successful life Her speech made me have second thoughts about and reconsider everything about myself, such as my attitudes or my life. Everyone has disadvantages and hardships, but the matter is whether we overcome those things or not. I believe that we all have the ability to do that. So, now I echo her word, dream big, achieve much and keep asking ‘are you ready to challenge and enjoy the engagement of your own life? ’

Management as the cornerstone of organisational effectiveness

Management as the cornerstone of organisational effectiveness This assignment is mainly focuses on the assessing of the statement of Management is the cornerstone of organisational effectiveness, and the integrating activity that permeates every aspect of the operations of the organisation. To make the background for this assessment it was first studied most important factors that are likely to determine the successful performance of work organisations. In achieving that first it was focused to understand the concept of organizational effectiveness and various approaches for organizational effectiveness and through that study identify the factors. And then the consideration was given to study the main obstacles to effective organisational performance and how to overcome those. Finally attempt was taken to assess the validity of the statement of Management is the cornerstone of organisational effectiveness, and the integrating activity that permeates every aspect of the operations of the organisation, considering with the changing nature of modern work organisations. Important Factors of Effective Organizational Performance What is Organizational Effectiveness Here before assessing the factors of effective organizational performance the consideration was given to understand the concept of organizational effectiveness. According to the view of Jonathan Knee the organizational effectiveness may depend on most essential three key elements. *People Here the people means staff of the organization *Culture A combination of Style, Skills and Shared Values of the organization *Impact This mainly includes the factors like profitability and financial sustainability, not only that but also the value shaped for any stakeholders. It can be shown by the following graph. In this article author say that these elements together have to manage because they are tightly inter-related nature. People create a culture that shapes them in turn. Future generation self-selects into an existing culture that meets their needs. And secondly people implement the organizations plans, and the culture supports and increases. And thirdly this inter-relation is so important because the organizations ability to achieve its goals affects its ability to attract and retain effective people and to sustain a high performance culture. (Info abstracted from: The article of Organizational Effectiveness by Jonathan Knee, 2008) Early studies state the organizational effectiveness is general rests on evolving suitable methods of selection, training, placement, in various steps of the organization. (Info abstracted from: The book of Organizational Behaviour by Indian Institute of Management and Technology, 1997) And also another view of Organizational effectiveness is that OE is always concerned with the unique capabilities that organizations develop to assure that success (Info Abstracted from: The book of The Changing Definition of Organizational Effectiveness, Human Resource Planning, Vol. 27.1. by McCann, Joseph. 2004) Most modern views of the organizational effectiveness say this has to be look in a way of system approach. Accordingly many HR practitioners try to look at the HR process and identify it in system approach. Accordingly they say that by looking at it in system approach organizations can achieve organizational effectiveness. (Info Abstracted from: The book of Measuring Organizational Effectiveness, Canadian Management Centre. 2005) Accordingly we can identify early HR notions have identifies this concept as Only HR function including recruitment, selection, Training and development. With reference to the literature review the identification can be done as that organizational effectiveness is not only depending on the Human Resource of the organization but also it is a integration of both people and the system of the organization. Factors of Effective Organizational Performance Here to identify the factors which effects to the effective organizational performances can be identified as using several case studies. Case Study Alpha Company This is a case study which was done by the Canadian Management centre to identify the effective organizational performance. The main theoretical model that they have use d here is that the system approach. Alpha Test Company is a European Owned small manufacturing company of office furniture. They have three major competitors in the market. Their major three strategic imperatives are as follows. (1) A clearly defined and defensible niche (2) A highly customer-focused culture (3) A lean and efficient manufacturing operation When achieving the strategic initiatives first the company has run in a lost way. The company could not decide whether it wanted to be an industry niche leader or follower and operations managements focus turned inward and away from acceptance of the customer. The most important thing for the driven of the strategic direction is that the intellectual support for that, but in Alpha organization there was more or less act as careful technicians instead of passionate supporters of quality and service. According to the new strategic inputs the manufacturing facility became highly controlled, with job responsibilities narrowly defined, performance measures relatively unclear. The organization became more rigid and inflexible, with employees focused on them, moving at a purposeful speed and indifferent in changing. So as a result of these initiatives the organization became more incapable of doing much more than being a fine place to work. These familiars resulted for this test by the Canadian Management Institute. The test was began by collecting data band sophisticated data analysis, and researching on efforts at creating high-touch customer focus and created a gap between the beliefs of the employees and the companys expectations for performance At the end of the research it was identified several factors to improve the organizational effectiveness through several strategic initiatives as follows. *First one is that as company should be continuously realigned in order to avoid from fluctuations. *In these alignments organizations should maintain their own unique alignment *Thirdly consider on technology in order to see the complexity of the world and competitors and with the predictions be ready to understand and manage the complexity *Then strategic initiatives should be taken to align the people to support the new strategic direction, HR will come in to action in this point. (Info Abstracted from: The book of Measuring Organizational Effectiveness, Canadian Management Centre. 2005) Case Study Competitive Advantage To obtain the effective organizational performance many companies use the sustainable competitive advantages by bringing into line their talent and business strategies. Most of the organizations use the methods like mergers or acquisitions, restructurings or shifts in business strategy can bring many functional effectiveness. Accordingly this article describes that many organizations of their studies brings value to their clients organizations by facilitating the integration and alignment of the business strategy with a workable talent management strategy. And also they mentions as aligning has to be done in the areas of capabilities, processes, attitudes, and talents. And with reference to many of their client organizational experiences they say three major solutions for organizational effectiveness. Organizational Effectiveness Solutions Strategy Implementation This is mainly focusing on structure, people systems and processes, and to deliver great customer experiences. Strategic Workforce Alignment These are the workforce strategies considering employee needs and investment on employee needs. Many HR initiatives could be taken at this stage. Change Management This is the design to support for change at all level of the organization. With the external environmental changes many initiatives can be taken for change management to obtain the sustainable competitive advantages (Info Abstracted from: Right Management consultancy service, www.manpower.org. Right Management Inc.) Accordingly factors of Effective Organizational Performance can be summarised as follows. Continuously realignments in order to avoid from fluctuations *Maintain unique alignment *Use of technology *Develop human resource of the organization to support the strategic initiatives *Sustainable competitive advantage *Change management *Integrating the organizational system according to the system approach Obstacles for effective organizational performance Poor Leadership Organizations are composed to of individuals and groups for achieving certain goals and objectives by means of differentiated functions that are intended to be rationally coordinated and directed through time on a continuous basis. A group within the organization has to select one of their members as a leader/ representative for coordinating their views/ demands and expectations. The leadership as such is an essential part of the organizational life. Leadership is a group process, through which individuals initiate activities for delivering the common objectives of the community by working together simulating each other, supplementing abilities and resources and evolving an effective organizational pattern. So as many of the organizational activities are leading and monitoring by the leadership of the organization, if it is not effective whole organizational process will collapse. Accordingly it can be identified that poor leadership is the main obstacle for achieving organizational effectiveness. To overcome from this obstacle it is needed to identify the role of the leader effectively and appoint a person who has these characteristics or in other hand develop these skills of the appointed leader. Those roles are as follows. *Developing a team work *Representing the members *Appropriate counselling *Exercising power and authority properly for constructive purposes *Time management *Managing and leading the group towards completion a task *As a potential strength for the members work force *Creating a cordial relationship and containing discussions *Continuing the role as a motivator and a source of inspiration (Info abstracted from: The book of Organizational Behaviour by Indian Institute of Management and Technology, 1997) Barriers in Communication It can be taken many strategic initiatives to make the effective organizational performances. But this should be communicated for the people in the organization correctly. If it is not happened it will cause for total failure of the strategic initiatives. As example in the case of Alpha Test Company they made the strategic initiatives by controlling operations in a very tuff manner. Employees also monitored in a rigid manner. This caused for the failure even this can cause for run down from the existing situation also. So it is essential to consider about the effective communication. For that identification of the barriers in communication will be a best method. Even when the receiver receives the message and makes the genuine attempt to decode it there are a number of barriers which disturb the receivers understandings. These obstacles are known as Barriers in communication. They are personal, physical and semantic barriers. The barriers may entirely prevent a communication or filter a part of it or give incorrect message. Poor Group and Inter-group Relationship Groups in organizations have become the subject of much mythology and the target for strong feelings. What then is the truth about the groups? Why do they exist? What functions do groups fulfil for the organization and their members? How should one conceptualize a group, and how does one judge the goodness or effectiveness of a group? What kinds of things can groups do? And what they cannot do? What impact do groups have on their members? On each other and on the organization within which they exist what are the prospects and constrains of Inter-group Corporation and inter-group competition. How does one manage and influence group? These are very important factors which have to be considered for the effective organizational performance, because poor relationship may cause for many destructive things. To overcome from these kinds of obstacles it should be organize to maintain team work among the employees. Assessing the validity of the statement Accoridng to the requirments of the assighnment the statement Management is the cornerstone of organisational effectiveness, and the integrating activity that permeates every facet of the operations of the organisationshould be asessed in terms of its validity considering the changing nature of modern work organisations. Before assess the validity of the statement we should look into the question on what is the changing nature of a modern work organization. In fact today we all are in a changing nature, this is not only for a business, even for a individual and as well for a family we are in a changing nature. The changing nature actually means the rapid transformations of social, economic, environment and political factors. As these factors are highly changing it has created a changing nature in our lives. Also this affect of the changes of these factors has made significant differences for todays businesses. Actually the main reason for these rapid changes is the technological advancement occurred around the worldwide. Today in each and every corner technology has become the driven force therefore every country is using technology for their businesses, and as well as for their individual lives. The extensive magnitude of using technology has created another challenging environment where many more opportunities are opened for further technological advancements. Therefore as a result everything is in a rapid change. Particularly if take a business they face to lot of changes in their businesses. Due to these technological advancements everything is always changing and it affects for the social, political, environment and economic lives of people, as a result of these changes as whole the overall society has become a changing nature. Not only the technology the current worlds economic system is also a main reason for current changing environment. As todays most of the economies are open economies and fewer barriers to entry to the market this has created a huge competition among the organizations, not only in local markets this has created a huge competition among the businesses in the international market. As a result of this today every organizations is trying for innovations and they dedicate much resources for research and development accordingly new developments are introduced to the market and therefore this increase the competition in the free market. As a result the overall nature has become very competitive. Actually there is a link between the technology and the competitive market, because in actual sense the technological innovations lead for the competitiveness. Accordingly we can come to a conclusion in identifying what is a changing nature. The identification of this changing nature is highly important to analyse the validity of the statement. In analysing the validity of the statement we can analyse it as two parts. One is on the first part of the statement which is Management is the cornerstone of organisational effectiveness and the othe part on the integrating activity that permeates every facet of the operations of the organisation. Before asses the validity of the statement Management is the cornerstone of organisational effectiveness we should identfy what is exactly meant by management. One ideology on management informs that Management is the art of getting things done through people, also further it says that management is the process of getting things done through the efforts of other people. Also another set of team informs that the management is an art of problem solving. Through management the problem solving is done effectively and it achieves organizational objectives through the effcient use of scarce resouces in changing enviornment. A comprehensive definition on management elaborates that management is the process or the procedier of planning, organizing, leading and controling an organizations four core resouces which are human, financial, physical and information resource to achieve organizational golas in effective and efficient maneer. (Info- Abstraced from lecture notes of Mr. Weerathunga. G. on Intrduction to management, of Certificate Cousrese in Human Resource Management, Insititute of Personnel Management Sri Lanka) Accordingly through considerting the definitions on management we can conclude that management is the process of planning, forcasting analysing and implementation of organizational activites in order to achive the goals and objectives of the organization. Then it should be important to identify about what is organizational effectiveness, accordingly it can be mentioned that for organizational effectiveness there is two main concepts. According to the traditional view of the organizational effectiveness, it says that organizational effectiveness is the management of recruitment, selection, training and placement; this is directly focused on the human resource aspect of the organization. But according to the modern concept on organizational effectiveness, it says that it should be considered as a system approach and accordingly the system should consider about the both human resources aspect and as well as on the other systems of the organisation. Simply it says that organizational effectiveness means that the effectiveness of all aspect of the business. Accordingly as the statement says it can be mentioned that the management is a cornerstone of organizational effectiveness in todays changing nature. Management means all about planning, and forecasting on organizations activities. Accordingly in todays changing nature always the facts are changing therefore in management it analyses focuses and plans according to the changes of the environment. For an example let say that TESCO which is the best retailer in UK, they are always changing with the nature, they have proper management practices and accordingly they plan, analyse, forecast and implement their business strategies in relation as suits to the changes occurred. Further lets say they clearly forecast the peak business times for them and as well they implement proper strategies targeting the nature of the change, lets say till November there is not a special season but with the beginning of the December the whole super market environment changed by the TESCO to face to the chan ge nature of the business. Through changing their business environment they can attract many more customers for their business. Lets say due to the changing nature there is a huge social trend immerged for using products which are produced in the local market. Accordingly TESCO as a strategic planner have to identify the business requirements according to the social trend and give special consideration on marketing the good which re locally produced. Having proper management is the key indicator to identify the changes in the environment and to ensure organizational effectiveness. Lets take another example from Schuh foot ware. In organizational effectiveness all the parties should be benefited, accordingly the employees and as well the employer should be benefited. The winter season is critical time where it makes several changes in the business nature accordingly there is a huge demand created to the winter shoes. Therefore the organizations all the systems should be ready to cater to the social demand. Accordingly the machinery, the human resource, and the vehicles everything should be ready for the organizational performance, if all these systems are ready to supply to cater to the social demand only the organization becomes effective. So as per to address this organization should be effective and to ensure the organizational effectiveness there should be management where it plan, analyse, forecast and implement according to the necessary requirements. Accordingly analysis the validity of the first part of the statement it can conclude that its a correct statement because there is a strong affect of the management to ensure organizational effectiveness in a changing environment. After analysing the validity of the first part of the statement, we should analyse the second part of the statement which is integrating activity that permeates every facet of the operations of the organisation The second part of the statement merely informs that the organizational activities should be integrated where it covers all the areas of the business. And this statement is linked with the first part of the statement which says management is a cornerstone for organizational effectiveness. Actually this is a very vital and valid statement, because today in modern businesses intergraded approach and integrated management is mostly important for the organizational effectiveness. Integrated approach means the organization takes it all factors and resources as a system. This means in integrated approach all the resources and facts are identified as factors which has an effect on a change of any factor. Simply in integrated approach it identifies if there is a change in the human resource there is an affect for the machinery of the organization. As an practical example lets say that machine operates of an organization engage in a strike, as a result the machines are underutilized or not ut ilized then as the ultimate result the production flow breaks, likewise in integrated approach or in integrated management everything is analysed as a whole. But in traditional approached the resources are taken separately and just analyse the simple affect only. Actually this integrated approach is nothing it is almost similar as the modern school of thought of organizational effectiveness, which is system approach. Therefore integrated approach is a vital part in organizational effectiveness. When take the meaning of both parts of the statement it says that management with a proper integrated approach ensures organizational effectiveness in a modern changing environment. Actually this statement is a highly valid statement because without having management practices there is no organizational effectiveness and without having a integrated approach it is difficult to face to changing nature of todays modern businesses. Lets take an example to validate this statement. The growth and expansion of TESCO Plc indicates how this statement has been affected for them. Tesco is known as the British largest retailer by international sales an also local market. At the same time TESCO is the third main retailer of the world. The company was first established in 1919 by Mr. Jack Cohen. The company first appeared with the Tesco brand in 1924. The first supermarket of TESCO was opened in 1956. Within these 9 decades TESCO has made the horizons of their business and has become a giant in the market. The management of TESCO analysed the total business approach as a whole and implemented the integrated management as a practice in 1997. They understood that to ensure organizational effectiveness the business should be managed as an integrated approach and according to that the management style should be changed. They further analysed without being changed they cannot survive and grow in the business in such challenging and changing environment. As a result of their innovative thinking they introduced a new business strategy to diversify their business and it became the establishment of Tescos success in recent past. Accordingly the Tescos new business strategy addresses, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢To be a successful retailer in the international market à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢While being the leader in the market to ensure that their business core is in UK à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢To hold a strong position in non-food services as in food service. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢To be outstanding retailer in diversification in Tesco Personal Finance, Telecoms and Tesco.com à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Identify the community needs and cater according to that Accordingly currently the Strategies of Tesco is based on five main elements as Core UK, Community, Non-food, Retailing services, International. By considering all these facts and figures it can be concluded that this statement is a highly important and valid statement. Conclusion This report is all about organizational behaviour. The study analyses and provides valuable knowledge in the subject area. As in the first section of the study the student is given the more opportunity to study about theoretical aspect of the organizational behaviour, accordingly the study has been expanded to identify about the most critical factors which affect for organizational effectiveness. After that the student has to work on in identifying the obstacles for successful organizational performance and effectiveness and then to study about how we can overcome these barriers. As in the second part of the study it provides a more consideration for the student to get practical knowledge about the concept and accordingly he is required to critically assess and validate a statement on organizational effectiveness. Validating the statement provided a strong practical background on the study area. The assessment and validating through using examples is many more helpful to study the concept in a more practical manner. And also which has to be assessed is a highly valid statement for the organizational effectiveness. Accordingly as an overall conclusion it can be mentioned that this study covered a vast area of the subject area covering the both theoretical and practical aspect.

Problems For Multinational Cooperations In Host Country Economics Essay

Problems For Multinational Cooperations In Host Country Economics Essay Introduction The existence and the account of the transnational corporations are established and can be founded far early then globalization, which took place in the nineties, but has opened the doors for more distinguished, liberalized the free trade across the globe (Gray 1993). The transnational corporation plays an essential role that holds the main pillars in shaping the dynamics of world trade and the economy of the host country in this current globalized world (Hesketh 2010). Today a large number of crown organizations are the transnational enterprises. These corporations have a fundamental factor that influences trade, concerns with technology, finance and foreign direct investments in the host as well as the home country. These forces regulate frames and direct the economic growth and development of the states in which they operate. (Gray 1993) The transnational corporations are many a time described as the organization with dual face. One side where they are respected and cherished as an model of income to enlarge the local economy by the FDI, and on the other side they are blamed as selfish and hungry organization who aims for only the volume of their income rather than the gains to the economy where they operate. The impact of these factors affects the economy and social interests on the government, demographic factors, businesses as well as on the foreign-owned firms. The power and the influence of the transnational corporation on the government and the marketplace, make the monopolist businesses in an economy go behind them or form an alliance with the transnational corporation and leads to their success and progress in competence in the host countries. (Harrison 2000) Alan. M. (2009) and Andrew. H. (2000) defines transnational corporation or multinational corporation as an enterprise that has its headquarters in one country or home country, but manages production or operation of its services in one or more other countries or the host countries. The transnational corporations are the firm who structures its management, strategy, have ownership, directs geographical diversification and operations globally (John. H. 1993). They influence the economy with potential that are designed with numerous possibilities that are fundamental for developed as well as developing countries. This includes capital, competency or skills, technology or processes, exports, and infrastructure that are deliberate for developing their competitiveness (Worasinchai 2009). For example, Uniliver has its headquarters at Rotterdam in Netherlands the home country and today holds a larger portion of their business of numerous consumer product brands operating throughout the world or in host countries, in foods, beverages and personal care products (Hesketh 2010). They have their brand name also design their products and services according to the market and the trends in that economy. Scope of the activities of the transnational corporations Firms those acquire more than quarter of its revenue from their operations generated outside of its home country can be termed as transnational corporation (Makwana 2006). The transnational corporations are habitually dispersing firms. They have a powerful home country presence and a fine management and authority with a broad and centralized facilitate on their parent firms. They attain this by cost benefit throughout central production plant where cheaper resources are easily accessible; have technical expertise to improve the management system and the productivity. (Gray 1993) The transnational corporations expand and prosper exceptional in an economy with dynamic marketplace that determine the low-priced and superiority of goods with respect to production, price and supply of goods and services in a host country (Karl 2003). The strategies of the multinational corporation brings along the reality that they hide is they indirectly establish an outlook to the economy by dominating government, economists and domestic industrialists to attain their interests (Markusen 1995). The transnational corporation is threat to the sovereignty to the host country in many aspects. Following are some barriers that are currently faced by almost every host country. Transfer of technological or processes- The transnational corporation may be a threat to an economy, as they can bring along a low-grade or incompatible technology in the host country (Makwana 2006). For instance, the transnational corporations brings along with them technology, equipment, approach and expertise that are not required in that host country. The firms do this in order to get the best possible benefits from a host country even if there is no assistance of their operation to that economy. This is done by introducing production methods along with sophisticated machinery that is not of any interest to the host country and may need skillful labor and auxiliary industries that are not available in that country (Passani 2009). Further dilemma with the transfer of the technology will make the transnational corporation to dominate the domestic industry by the means of technological advantage or technological dependency, which may bring a fall in research and development if they are outsourced. This can be anticipated by the transnational corporation through introducing modern tools, knowledge and machinery for creating an obstacle to the local businesses that cannot create or purchase these facilities (Kevin 1998). This might result in eradication of some small businesses in the host country thereby leading to monopoly, which is not fruitful for any economy to thrive. Influence of the trade policy and trade agreements The multinational corporation plays a vital role in shaping the trade policies and trade agreements of the host country. Trade policies are the set of rules and regulations that are concerned to the entire states involved in international trade (Kumar 2008). Trade policy comprise of import and export taxes, inspection regulations, tariffs, and quotas. These policies are framework for a flexible coordination of trade activities to make trade in smooth flow, set clear principles and standards that can be understand by the businesses as well as its clients (Rugman.M. 2009). Although they are not practically always accomplished. The developed nations will always restrict the trade activities with the developing as well as underdeveloped nations to limit and dominate trade (Kumar 2008). The transnational corporations try to take advantage of the trade policies by industrial domination and using this distinctive rights advantage to frame concessions from the government of the host country. The traffic and duties barriers create a restriction and prohibit the trade activities by slowing the process of import or by establishing standards that will exclude the foreign goods (Rugman.M. 2009). Their pressure on the host government may influence the economic as well as the political policies to shape for the more interest of the multinational corporation. This may neglect the domestic industries and make them further more inflexible (Makwana 2006). The trade policies in support of Multinational Corporation may restrict the host country to produce goods only for domestic market and restrict the exports. These corporations may also For example- IN 2007, according to the Boston Globe report, South Korea had exported 700,000 cars to the United States. While U.S. carmakers sold around 6,000 crankshafts to South Korea. This resulted a trade deficit to U.S. of around 80 percent of $13 billion with South Korea. The free trade agreement under which the Balance of Trade to U.S. was deficit and made U.S. to restrict import of cars from South Korea in next year (Moor 2007). Cultural impact on the MNCS In the pursuit of the economies of scale and be a competent organization in every aspect, transnational corporation creates a diversity and clashes in different geographical and local cultures in dissimilar as well as same nations (Harrison. A. 2000). Today transnational corporations have to acknowledge with the reality of cultural diversity in different aspects. The companies bring along with them new technology, work practices and challenging the management beliefs and transmits them in host countries (Gray 1993). Rugman (2009 p. 47) Cultural dissimilarity often makes the multinational organization for merger and acquisitions. This may enforce the new style of management and operations on the economy or the economy may restrict the sovereignty and the independence of the cultural norms and organizational goals on the corporation with their traditional beliefs. (Rugman.A. 2009) For example- McDonalds is one of the leading fast food chains with a worldwide presence. They are operating around 118 countries worldwide. Different countries have a different outlook for the services provided by them (McDonalds 2010). In UK, MacDonald is blamed as an unhealthy food chain that is responsible for rise in obesity and employment without prospects. While in Muslim countries like Malaysia, the bacon is not served in McDonalds burgers as pork is not permitted under Islamic dietary law (McDonalds 1940). This shows the effect on the organization as well as on economy because of cultural crash. The culture diversity may influence on the face-to-face or on company-to-company operations, dealing in different clusters around the globe (Markusen 1995). Cost advantage (e.g. Low cost) North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) agreement designed for liberated trade between the United States and Canada and Mexico made it potential for many U.S. manufacturers to shift their employment to lower-cost countries like Mexico in order to achieve competitive labor-cost advantage (NAFTA. 2010). This restricts the multinational corporation to expand more in their choice of environments where they can make substantial benefits and forcefully invest the resources abroad. Availability of quality goods and services in the host country Many- a-times, businesses in a host country may be chiefly designed for export market. Although in some places the organizations make investments in order to increase their access in the host country market in order to decrease the trade barriers (Gray 1993). For example- Honda, Japanese car manufacturers made investments in UK for their production of cars, has facilitated them to acquire a platform in the EU in order to avoid tariff barriers (Nag 2007). The availability of resources in foreign market has made access to high quality goods at low-prices and the rivalry created, has made the organization to improvements in working practices, prices and quality in other related industries and forced the industries to make huge investments to attain these resources (Karl 2003). Influence of Government regulations and bodies The international business along with it benefits, makes the countries involved to reveal on the rationale for the dreadful effect of the trade activities in their economy. The government does the monitoring of the activities by setting up bodies and agencies that control and monitor the trade activity and the flow of these resources (AFTA). World Trade Organization (1995) acts as a body to liberalize and encourage the world trade. However, there is no transparency of the decisions made by WTO, which has made it complex for the multinational corporation to operate in the nation, which is not a Most Favored Nation (MFN) (WTO. 2010). The free trade through negotiations has always forced the MNCs to face in almost every regional and international clash. The problem of exchange rate also has an essential part for the MNCs in the host countries. The exchange rate may affect the import surplus, inflation or deflation of currency rates and risking the organization many a times in debts (IMF, 2010). Role of Foreign direct investment The foreign direct investment (FDI) involves a long-term contract between the organization and the government and hence has a huge impact on an economy. The FDI bring about transformation and involvement in management, joint venture, modification of technology with expertise with the foreign assets or foreign investment (Markusen 1995). FDI are channels of technology spillover. These leaks may occur as; a firm may hire an employee from a rival firm that has acquaintance about the technology that is used and bond in fraudulent practices (Markusen 1995). For example- Flextronics is worlds leading contract electronics firm, took over C-Mac industries of Canada in order to acquire C-Mac expertise in assembling the components of their new products (WTO. 2010). Economic exploitation Role of freedom and peace plays an dominant role on the organization as well as on the host government. The exploitation of the foreign organization of the government of the host country may influence in terms of trade policies, labor, FDI and exploit the trade activities (Kevin 1998). Restriction but both by the MNCS and the host government bounds the circumstances and limitations to the trade operations and infringe the market principles by making the small firms to operate in that market of go for overseas trade (Kumar 2008). The exploitation has also affected the employment, where the new principles positioned for generating high profits have dominated the salary and the opportunities of the lowest to the highest profession in the number of the employees as well as on their wages. Item B GLOBALIZATION OF UNIVERSITY EDUCATION (Johnson 2008) Introduction What is globalization of education Globalization of education is to pursue, instruct and build a qualified as well as skilled labor work force, while creating awareness to gain know-how and acquaintance from other education institutions around the globe along with global businesses demands (Hamilton 2009). Today globalization has posed a model pursued by diverse cultures to practice superior education; make awareness and expertise the inhabitants to seek for knowledge from other higher education intuitions (Raby 2009). Globalization of education is bring about the creation and alliance and interconnections between states education systems that usually understands the process and structure in which barriers separating different regions of the world education establishment are reduced or removed (Daun 2007). Globalization today is a complex issue for many community universities around the world and is at present observed as crucial to every nations competitiveness to raise their standard of living. These days universally, higher education structure, policies and establishment are being transformed by globalization. This is broadening along with growing and speeding up of global interlinks between the higher universities (Daniel 2010). University education is now more globally open other than most of the sectors because of its transparency and widespread arena immense knowledge along with massive market demand of educated personnel as well as global customers, which now shows significantly more respect between the juridical borders worldwide (Elaine 2010). Evolution of the university education since globalization has transformed and influenced largely on the intuitional schooling techniques as taking into action the challenges with the openings that are primary element of the present global world since they are regularly developing to supply new principle to the rapid changing internationalization and schooling the inhabitants (Hamilton 2009). The Globalization of the education brings about the changing customs in the university education and is concerned to shifting between universities. This brings the idea of how university education will anticipate the future opportunity and bring together in front a mixture of the finest philosopher and bright brains throughout the globe for one intention (Amaral 2009). Globalization of the education can be illustrated at present in the diverse world where the higher as well as the small institutions and universities apply to complex university systems to global online university for new opportunities, modernism forces and trends in higher education on the following aspects. Market globalization The globalization of market, which was earlier, unnoticed during early 1980s, is the foremost concerned subject of every economy worldwide. This has amplified the commerce of the gross world merchandise nearly double when compared in the 1990 of 15% to nearly 37% in the recent years (Daun 2007). The foreign direct investment funds have also increased significantly in the last 20 years (Knust 2009). The recent liberalization of the trade and policies has laid a structure for every economy to develop and react vitally to the volume and competitiveness of the businesses and trade from countries worldwide. In the rapidity globalization of the market, internet has played crucial role in shaping the business worldwide to construct a low cost establishment for communication and businesses activities to draw, persuade and engage the target consumers in a appropriate approach. Market driver Globalization has directed the economies, education and rituals followed by dissimilar states to internationalize and spread of market needs between diverse nations over the globe. This has facilitated the spread of knowledge along with understanding of different practices in the markets and assisted as a principal footstep for the development of the nations (Pamela 2010). The globalization of the market drivers can be categorized under- Similar customer needs and tastes Customer desires depend on how the corporation or institutes segment their markets and demands. In the course of selecting among the rival goods and services, consumers choose the preference that can facilitate and fulfill their requirements and are superior to competitors products (Raby 2009). In the marketing where the consumers search for distinct product or service that have different needs and segments in the same product chain, the trader tries to split the product according to the customers needs by splitting the identical products and requirements into personal preferences. This never-ending demand of dissimilar choices has made the companies to promote and spread their distinctive products worldwide. To capture and establish their presence the companies need trained and skillful workforce (John 2009). The different market demand and requisite make it obligatory for the universities education to gain more knowledge and awareness in their teaching around the world (Amaral 2009). Fresh and towering ideas and inclination of the nations trade and their close partnership between the education and industries makes the globalization of the higher education compulsory universally (Knust 2009). 7. Global customers Today every professor and superior administrators is awake and remain acknowledged about the movement of commerce and advertising into education as the trade activities and the reach of the global consumers is shaping the economy growth (Daniel 2010). The reach of the global teaching hence plays a crucial role in fulfilling the diverse customers needs and more over recognize the different aspiration in different states. The Multinational companies who play a key role in the globalization of trade, for their elastic operation globally involve managing their interactions with international customers in a worldwide-incorporated model where the different preferences in design, taste, color, shape and other dimensions to the product are designed to dissimilar target customers (Daun 2007). Transferable markets Nowadays the infinite market demand in terms of product or services or in the field of education is immense. To fulfill the market demand the trader and intuitions tries to be flexible and make it flexible to relocate from one market into other in order to sustain the market share and meet the rising competition (Daniel 2010). The activities of the 2002 where the enclosure of staff and students in decision-making, the governance deliberated the change toward concern of effectiveness and responsibility emphasized the introduction of New Public Management (NPM). This altered the structure and policy processes of public bodies in an effort to make them more efficient and effective to serve the high market requirements that aided the graduates and the business to interact directly for employment (Grant 1997). Dell recognized as devoted brand for its distinctive market share to supply technology at inexpensive and handy to its customers and intuitions around the world to take advantage of the vast economic and social benefits by, managing the customers demand by using customer direct model and bring low-price in the markets, expand the global employment to meet the diverse ideas and expertise and bring desirable employment worldwide economies. (Dell 2004) 8. Globalization of competition Globalization of the competition plays an important role in the modern education system that is depended on the interdependence between countries, Competitors global strategies, high import exports. Globalization has ultimately led to further Competition within the developed as well as the middle-income countries. This is chiefly in Asia, that has lead to growth and collaboration of the businesses as well as the educations institutes from the OECD countries has led to ease of policy formulation, seeking solutions to the most common problems, recognizing good practices with co-coordinating with domestic and international strategies (Elaine 2010). One evidence for the development of higher education institutions and the increasing competition can be found in the large range of institutional structures where dissimilar small as well as giant universities of applied science to multifaceted university systems to private colleges use internet to spread the prospect now use online and abroad teaching pattern. This has aided the universities to speedily react to the challenging and take advantage of the modern opportunities (Raby 2009). Higher education has now become central to the changes sweeping through the OECD and emerging nations, in which worldwide networking and exchange are reshaping social, economic and cultural life. But has also increased the level of competition (Pamela 2010). 9. Globalization of government policies In global acquainted economies, higher University education has a major significance than ever before as standards of wide range of cross-border relationships and continuous global flows of people, information, knowledge, technologies, products and financial capital is vastly depended on the government policies and regulations that govern the participants of the market (Daniel 2010). The government policies are framed and structured under trade policies, technical standards, host government policies. In practice, the principal objective of such reforms is to begin a process of privatizing education by starving public-sector schools in the name of forcing them to compete.  Ã‚  The Civil Society Network for Public Education in the Americas, a group that brings together South, Central and North American workers in education, notes that in developing countries that apply austerity measures, this system has generally led to the reduction of educational resources for the poorest regions (Knust 2009). Conclusion The MNCs has to face many tribulations in the host countries in the present era of globalised world trade. There are many causes and reasons for the failure of the many global economic programs and the corporations. In focal cause of this failure is the competition or rivalry, profit driven intends, self- interests, and the domination by economic powers. The multinational corporations are the modles of these traits, and they play a key role in sustaining their position through their economic and political influence. The role of MNC plays a significant on the economic formulation of policies and the overall development of the country. The development of the economies and the expansion of the trade has lead to globalization of the university education grow and develop over tall over the globe.

Galileo Essay -- essays research papers

Galileo   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the early seventeenth century, Galileo Galilei began the construction of a device that would transform the scientific world. Galileo did not invent the telescope but his improvements on it made him the most scientifically successful user of this instrument in his time. However, Galileo would not stop at scientific discovery. The father of three successfully marketed the improved instrument to the Senate of Venice and the Grand Duke Cosimo II of Tuscany in hopes of possibly furthering his career. In the telescope’s transitional form, Galileo is able to obtain a salary raise and a permanent position at the University of Padua but he is disappointed with this offer and continues to make improvements on the telescope. He realizes that his ties to Cosimo’s court, he taught the Grand Duke when he was younger, could be used to his advantage. The medium for his objective was The Sidereal Messenger. This treatise gives a direct dedication to Cosimo and his court with the hope that he will gain its favor and â€Å"patronage from the ruler of his native land.† It is also the medium through which he conveys his advocacy of the Copernican system, particularly using his telescopically enhanced observations of the moon’s irregular surface and Jupiter’s moons.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Galileo saw the opportunity to gain a great deal from his telescope from the beginning of its conception. The senate of Venice offered him an increase in salary and a permanent appointment at the University based on Galileo’s first improvement which only magnified objects by ten times . He realized that the telescope could improve his financial situation but he was smart enough to not settle for his first offer. He quickly wrote to the Tuscan court about his discoveries. When Galileo heard that the Grand Duke Cosimo and his three brothers were astonished by his almost supernatural intelligence, he realized that he could use this to his advantage. The brilliant Florentine patrician had ties to Cosimo’s court because he tutored him in math as a child. The courts were also very interested in these dazzling things and wanted them for military purposes . Cosimo’s court did not stray from this generalization and Galileo knew it. It can also be theor ized that this position was much desired and after he attained the posi... ...e fixed stars would have to be at a very large distance from Saturn, the outermost planet of this time, therefore separating the planets from the fixed stars. This supported the Copernican theory. He then goes on to his observations of the moons of Jupiter. In short, he makes almost nightly observations of four heavenly bodies around Jupiter with his telescope and reports that he has found four stars, or Medician planets as he calls them, that travel around Jupiter. This suggests that the Earth is not the only center of motion in the universe and further advocates the Copernican system.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Galileo successfully arranges his observations of the heavenly bodies through a magnifying instrument into an incentive for patronage and a promotion of a revolutionary universal system. He gains the patronage of his former student by dedicating to him his revolutionary work on astronomy while also suggesting that the present universal system is wrong and he can prove it. Although the telescope helped him to observe objects with greater detail than other scientists of his time, it cannot be forgotten that Galileo had a mysterious ability as an observer and scholar.

Smoking: Hazardous to Your Health Essay -- Argumentative Rebuttal Essa

Smoking: Hazardous to Your Health A about two weeks ago I read an essay called, â€Å"Thank You for Smoking†¦?† by Peter Brimelow. This essay’s main point tries to explain how smoking can be beneficial in some ways. Brimelow’s essay claims smoking can help while driving. Brimelow also thinks smoking can help protect personal freedoms along with benefiting health in some ways (141). Nonetheless, cigarette smoking is the single most preventable cause of premature death in the United States (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report). Clearly then, smoking is a very hazardous activity and causes many deaths. Driving and Smoking Brimelow informs his readers that smoking can increase alertness and dexterity which will help when driving (Brimelow 141). It has been confirmed that this is true. Although I do not smoke, should I if I am getting sleepy while driving? Fortunately, it is not necessary. There are many other aids that can help with alertness, such as caffeine. Many popular drinks such as coffee, cappuccino, or pop contain caffeine which can help eliminate tiredness. There are hazardous of smoking while driving also. Cigarettes can be cumbersome and a distraction while driving. If there is anything flammable in the vehicle, a lit cigarette poses a possible hazard. Also, if other people are in the car at the same time, they will be forced to inhale the dangerous toxins floating around. Freedom While talking about freedom and personal choices, Brimelows’ essay notes that we are able to â€Å"†¦judge, as individuals, that the reward outweighs the risk. This is called freedom†(141). It is difficult to provide everyone with their desires associated with smoking. I hate the sme... ...enefit in a few small ways, but has many more negative consequences. Smoking, along with second-hand smoke, has caused many preventable deaths in the United States. Smoking is obviously hazardous, along with being the cause of many deaths in the United States. Works Cited Brimelow, Peter. â€Å"Thank You for Smoking†¦?† The Genre of Argument. Ed. Irene L. Clark. Boston: Thomson-Heinle, 1998. â€Å"Cigarette Smoking-Attributable Mortality and Years of Potential Life Lost—United States, 1990† 19 Sept. 1998 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 18 March 2004 . Clark, Irene L. The Genre of Argument. Ed. Irene L. Clark. Boston: Thompson-Heinle, 1998. â€Å"OMA position paper on second-hand smoke† Nov. 1996 Ontario Medical Association. 16 March 2004 . Smoking: Hazardous to Your Health Essay -- Argumentative Rebuttal Essa Smoking: Hazardous to Your Health A about two weeks ago I read an essay called, â€Å"Thank You for Smoking†¦?† by Peter Brimelow. This essay’s main point tries to explain how smoking can be beneficial in some ways. Brimelow’s essay claims smoking can help while driving. Brimelow also thinks smoking can help protect personal freedoms along with benefiting health in some ways (141). Nonetheless, cigarette smoking is the single most preventable cause of premature death in the United States (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report). Clearly then, smoking is a very hazardous activity and causes many deaths. Driving and Smoking Brimelow informs his readers that smoking can increase alertness and dexterity which will help when driving (Brimelow 141). It has been confirmed that this is true. Although I do not smoke, should I if I am getting sleepy while driving? Fortunately, it is not necessary. There are many other aids that can help with alertness, such as caffeine. Many popular drinks such as coffee, cappuccino, or pop contain caffeine which can help eliminate tiredness. There are hazardous of smoking while driving also. Cigarettes can be cumbersome and a distraction while driving. If there is anything flammable in the vehicle, a lit cigarette poses a possible hazard. Also, if other people are in the car at the same time, they will be forced to inhale the dangerous toxins floating around. Freedom While talking about freedom and personal choices, Brimelows’ essay notes that we are able to â€Å"†¦judge, as individuals, that the reward outweighs the risk. This is called freedom†(141). It is difficult to provide everyone with their desires associated with smoking. I hate the sme... ...enefit in a few small ways, but has many more negative consequences. Smoking, along with second-hand smoke, has caused many preventable deaths in the United States. Smoking is obviously hazardous, along with being the cause of many deaths in the United States. Works Cited Brimelow, Peter. â€Å"Thank You for Smoking†¦?† The Genre of Argument. Ed. Irene L. Clark. Boston: Thomson-Heinle, 1998. â€Å"Cigarette Smoking-Attributable Mortality and Years of Potential Life Lost—United States, 1990† 19 Sept. 1998 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 18 March 2004 . Clark, Irene L. The Genre of Argument. Ed. Irene L. Clark. Boston: Thompson-Heinle, 1998. â€Å"OMA position paper on second-hand smoke† Nov. 1996 Ontario Medical Association. 16 March 2004 .

Modern Racism Essay

Racism is a problem that has characterized the American society from the historical past and has refused to go away. Though at present, racism is not depicted in overt terms but still kept observations reveal that racism still raises its ugly head in an institutionalized manner. The dream as projected by Martin Luther King Junior where he hoped for a society in which individuals would be judged by the content of their character as opposed to the color of their skin has failed to be fully realized. This paper shall aspire to look at the evidence of racism in the modern American society by citing up specific examples from the various incidences in the country. Background: Despite the tremendous achievements that have been realized following the civil rights legislations, racism has remained one of the most pressing social issues in the American society. Racism is often treated as an issue of the past but in reality, racism is still thriving within the American society. This however can be traced not in the overt practices as the case of the Jim Crow laws in the Southern States at the height of the Civil War, but rather in the covert ways (Wheeler, 2005, p 5). The blame campaigns being witnessed in the American society is a clear example of racism in modern times. In the recent times, the victims have been blamed for the predicament that they find themselves. For instance, the unemployed are blamed for unemployment; those who are not educated are being faulted for not accessing education; and the homeless are being blamed for not having the homes (Dols, 2004, para 3). Evidence of Modern Racism: There has been some statistics that were revealed by studies indicating some biasness in events leading to unemployment and lopsided delivery of criminal justice. After the economic booms of the 1990s, majority of those affected by the economic downturn were the blacks. In the early 2000s, the rate of unemployment amongst the blacks was said to be rising at a faster rate compared to the unemployment rate of the whites (Wheeler, 2005, p 75). The lay-offs that were carried in some of the big corporations including Coca-Cola; Sears; and J. P. Morgan reflect on issues of discrimination in modern times. The African American work force in these corporations comprised of 18% at Coca-Cola, 16% at Sears and J. P. Morgan and yet the lay-offs at these corporations had high proportions of the black workforce with percentages given as 42, 54 and 30 for the respective corporations (Dols, 2004, para 5). Another study at the University of Chicago revealed that African Americans applying for a job were more likely to be denied the opportunity than their white counterparts using the name criterion. It is also worthy noting that studies indicate that African Americans are most likely be found guilty of drug offences compared to the whites (Cole and Smith, 2006, p 16). Apart from the examples provided above, the Africa Americans have continued to bear the consequences of the slavery and the Jim Crow rules at the height of discriminative policies in the United States (Smith, 1995, p 6). Conclusion: The incidences of racism are rampant in our society even though most individuals would think that we have advanced from the dark years. The government and the stakeholders need to be proactive in addressing the issue of modern day racism through the enhancement of affirmative policy actions that would bring parity and stop propagation of the racism connotations. Work Cited: Cole, George, F. and Christopher E. Smith. 2006. The American System of Criminal Justice. Cengage Learning, ISBN 0495006017, 9780495006015 Dols, Chris. 2004. Racism lives on in modern America. Retrieved on 17th August 2010 from; http://badgerherald. com/oped/2004/11/18/racism_lives_on_in_m. php. Smith, C. Robert. 1995. Racism in the post-civil rights era: now you see it, now you don’t. SUNY Press, ISBN 0791424383, 9780791424384 Wheeler, Albert, J. 2005. Racism: a selected bibliography. Nova Publishers, ISBN 1594544794, 9781594544798

Employability Skills and Swot Analysis Essay

The UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) define employability skills as ‘the skills almost everyone needs to do almost at any job’. The employability skills term as UKCES defined in 2008 is most often related with the ‘job readiness’ through demonstration of some elements of the personal characteristics such as (time keeping, responsibility, basic social interaction etc.) but less related with creative thinking and problem solving skills. The term ‘employability skills’ is also connected with other backgrounds, especially with Higher Education. The employability skills that identify me and my future career can be categorized in nine major groups of skills. The first groups of skills are the communication skills. The communication skills are the set of skills that allow an individual to transport information so that it is received and understood (Schroeder, A, 2010). The second groups of skills are the team work skills, which can be defined as the process of interacting and working collaboratively with a group of people in order to achieve a goal (Felder, R. M., & Silverman, L. K., 1988). In addition another group of skills are the organization and planning skills. Those types of skills can be defined as the way of working in a methodical approach, prioritizing and using time management, in order to carry out tasks effectively, for either yourself or your team (Felder, R. M. and Soloman, B. A., 2003). Besides the organization and planning skills, another group of skills that characterizes me, are the problem solving skills. We can define those skills as the process by which an individual or a team works through details of a problem, utilizing their creativity, available information and resources, reasoning and past experiences, in order to reach a solution (Gardner, H., 1983). Another important group of skills are the flexibility and adaptability skills which can be defined as the ability to be adaptable and responsive, to change in any given situation or work environment, or in response to the needs, wishes or demands of others (Honey, P. and Mumford, A., 1986). Additionally another important group of skills are the action planning skills. The action planning skills can be defined as the process which will help you to emphasize your ideas, and to decide what steps you need to take or activities that must be performed, to achieve particular goals (Honey, P., 1992). Moreover another important group of employability skills are the self-awareness skills which can be defined as the ability to know and understand yourself, including strengths, weaknesses, achievements, feelings and behaviors, and what you want out of life (Kolb, 1984). Furthermore another group of employability skills are the initiative skills. That group of skills can be defined as the ability to act and make decisions without the help or advice of other people (Honey, P., 1992). The last groups of employability skills are the personal impact and confidence skills. This group of skills can be defined as an approach which allows us to have a positive and realistic perception of ourselves and our abilities (Perry, 1968). SWOT analysis is a structured planning method used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or in a business venture. A SWOT analysis can be carried out for a product, a place or a person. I t involves identifying the objective of the business project or project and identifying the internal and external factors that are positive and negative to achieving that objective. The technique is official due to Albert Humphrey, who led a convention at the Stanford Research Institute in the 1960s and 1970s using data from Fortune 500 companies. In my case I am going to perform swot analysis for each of the nine groups of employability skills that I mentioned above. I am going to highlight the strengths, the weaknesses, the opportunities and the threats for all the groups of skills that I have mentioned before. Communication skills SWOT analysis Strengths: The first of my strengths as far as the communication skills is the process of presenting information in various formats. A strength that I obtained by being a member of my high schools argument team. Another of my strength is the process of motivating and encouraging others, a strength that I gained as a member and a captain in A.S. Aris water polo for seven years. Furthermore by being a secretary at my father’s clinic for the last two years, I gained the strength of questioning, listening, giving and accepting criticism. At last another of my strengths is the process of persuading and negotiating. A strength that I obtained as I was my class president for the last two years of high school. Weaknesses: As for my weaknesses as far as the communication skills are concerned I have to point out that the most of them exist due to the lack of my experience in the workplace. Construct coherent arguments and articulate ideas clearly to a range of audiences is a weakness to my communication skills but I will try to improve it in the future through knowledge and experience inherited by a variety of seminars connected to the subject that I am going to take. Another of my weaknesses is the fact that I cannot easily choose forms of delivery, structure and language appropriate to audience. A weakness that I tend to improve through studying about the subject. At last some other weaknesses of me are, understanding the others body language and my lack to articulate. Opportunities: I can get help from others or from people via the Internet.I can establish a network of strategic contacts that can help, or offer me good advices. If the customers or vendors of my future workplace complain i can create an opportunity by offering them a solution. Threats: I have poor marketing skills. There is a lot of competition in my field. A lot of communication may lead to negative results. Team Work skills SWOT analysis Strengths: The first of my strengths as far as the team work skills is that I can easily work and cooperate with other people from different cultural backgrounds, as I was a reservation manager for three summers (summer 2009-2011) at Spitaki bar-club. Some other of my strengths are the element of leadership, the process of taking a share of responsibility, the process of accepting and learning from constructive criticism, and the process of understanding role in a team . I obtained those skills as a member and a captain of A.S. Aris water polo team for seven years. At last I gained the process of the analysis of problem or task, and the strength of respecting others, as I worked as a bartender to Goldfish Bar for three years (2009- 2011). Weaknesses: My weaknesses as far as the team work skills are, that I am not so good at mediating between people, I have weak develop and maintain networks skill, that I am not working with confidence and that I am not being assertive. I will try to improve those weaknesses in the future by finding a role model and read the biographies of people that i admire. Opportunities: With my teamwork skills and through cooperation my job becomes easier. New innovative ideas are coming to the ‘’table’’ easier after brainstorming. By treating my team with respect any set of targets are achieved efficiently with accuracy. Threats: Differences in the character of the members of the team may lead to arguments and misconducts. My inability of maintaining networks will have a negative result in a team work project. My lack of confidence may lead in a negative result in a team work project. Organization and Planning Skills SWOT analysis Strengths: To begin with, my strengths as far as the organization and planning skills are the ability of good record keeping, the process of assigning priorities and the ability of undertaking good research. Those skills where obtained by attending several university classes. Some other of my strengths are that I am very good at documentation and attention to detail and at the process of setting clear goals that are achievable and measurable. Those were obtained by me as I worked as a secretary at my father’s clinic for the last two years. Weaknesses: My weaknesses as far as the organization and planning skills are, that I am not so good at the process of scheduling resources, managing time effectively and developing processes and procedures. Also I need to improve the processes of reviewing progress, and working to deadlines. Opportunities: Knowledge of new technology can help in my future work. I keep my knowledge up to date by reading regularly the ‘’Economist’’ magazine. Attention to detail will provide me with better employment opportunities. Threats: My lack of experience may lead to mistakes and miscalculations. Since I am not good at time managing i may not achieve my goals on time. Organization may lead to misconducts and arguments. Problem Solving Skills SWOT analysis Strengths: My strengths as far as the problem solving skills are, my ability of setting goals, the process of using initiative and logical reasoning and the element of evaluating information. Strengths that I obtained as I worked as a secretary at my father’s clinic for the last two years. Furthermore some of my other strength are, the processes of the decision making, planning, implementing, delegating tasks and responsibilities and the ability to identify and analyze situations. . I obtained those skills as a member and a captain of A.S. Aris water polo team for seven years. Weaknesses: My weaknesses as far as the problem solving skills are that I am not good at experimenting with new methods, negotiations and the process of resolving conflicts. In addition I do not possess the ability to deal with and implement change. I will try to improve those weaknesses in the future by earning experience from future works. Opportunities: My elements of setting goals and evaluating information will help me be more accurate and efficient at my workplace. I am responsible and mature, elements that will help me to be successful at my field. Threats: My lack of experience may lead to mistakes and miscalculations. The fact that there is a lot of competition in my field. Flexibility and Adaptability Skills SWOT analysis Strengths: My strengths as far as the flexibility and adaptability skills are the processes of managing multiple assignments and tasks at the same time and working either independently or as part of a team. I obtained those skills as a member and a captain of A.S. Aris water polo team for seven years and as I worked as a bartender to Goldfish Bar for three years (2009- 2011). Weaknesses: My weaknesses as far as the flexibility and adaptability skills are, that I cannot easily adapt to changing conditions and work assignments and I find it hard to set parameters. Opportunities: I have a flexible and adaptable character which is a basic element for a work in field. I gained the ability of working either independently or as part of a team, an element which creates a big advantage for my future carrier. I love to travel so a job that includes traveling seems ideal. Threats: Changing work conditions and work assignments can confuse me. Action Planning Skills SWOT analysis Strengths: My strengths as far as the action planning skills are, the ability of identifying objectives, using lists, setting clearly defined steps and prioritizing tasks effectively. The above were obtained by me as I worked as a secretary at my father’s clinic for the last two years. Weaknesses: My weaknesses as far as the action planning skills are, I find hard to work to deadlines, to develop a contingency plan and to develop a timetable or work schedule. I intend to improve those weaknesses by earning experience as I will continue to work as a secretary at my father’s clinic. Opportunities: The job am willing to follow is in a high growing industry. I am watching networking events, educational classes, or conferences so that I will be ready when the time for an interview comes. I am trying to accomplish a new role or project that forces you to learn new skills, like public speaking or international relations. Threats: I find hard to work to deadlines, to develop a contingency plan and to develop a timetable or work schedule, element that create threats for my future work. Self-Awareness Skills SWOT analysis Strengths: My strengths as far as the self-awareness skills are the ability of receiving and using feedback, the ability to reflect on what I have learnt and the ability of understanding my strengths. The above were obtained by me as I worked as a reservation manager for three summers (summer 2009-2011) at Spitaki bar-club. Weaknesses: My weaknesses as far as the self-awareness skills are, that I find hard to understand where the gaps in my knowledge and experience are, how to recognize my motives and how to identify my own training needs. Skills that I tend to improve in the near future through university classes. Opportunities: I can get help from others or from people via the Internet which creates an advantage for my place at the current market. I have the specific skills (like a second language) that could help my future company or workplace for an expansion or acquisition. I will take advantage of my competitors failing to do something important in order to climb up the hierarchy. Threats: I find hard to understand where the gaps in my knowledge and experience are and how to recognize my motives, elements that could risk my potential carrier. My lack of experience may lead to mistakes and miscalculations. Initiative Skills SWOT analysis Strengths: My strengths as far as the initiative skills are, that I have the ability of giving assistance to others, of finding a solution to a problem quickly and effectively, of taking responsibility and of introducing improvements. I obtained these strengths as I worked as a bartender to Goldfish Bar for three years (2009- 2011). Weaknesses: My weaknesses as far as the initiative skills are, that I find hard to generate ideas, to challenge perceptions and to be creative. . I will try to improve those weaknesses in the future by earning experience from future works. Opportunities: I will try to identify the needs of my workplace that no one is filling. If a colleague is going on an extended leave. I could take on some of this person’s projects to gain experience. Threats: My lack of experience may lead to mistakes and miscalculations. There is a lot of competition in my field. Personal Impact and Confidence Skills SWOT analysis Strengths: My strengths as far as the personal impact and confidence skills are, that I own the ability to display a sense of control, to show positive attitude to work, to take responsibility for own learning and reflective practice, and to act as a role model. Strengths that I gained as a member and a captain in A.S. Aris water polo for seven years. Weaknesses: My weaknesses as far as the personal impact and confidence skills are, that I find hard to seek advice and support, I am not able to establish boundaries and I do not have awareness of growth, progress and achievements Opportunities: I have sense of control, an element that will help me to be a vital employ of my company or industry. I am confident as a person, an element that is very important in order to achieve my goals. Threats: My lack of experience may lead to mistakes and miscalculations. The fact that there is a lot of competition in my field. My inability of maintaining networks will have a negative result in a team work project. References Schroeder, A., (2010), The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of using social software in higher and further education teaching and learning. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 26: 159–174. Felder, R. M., & Silverman, L. K. (1988). Learning and Teaching Styles in Engineering Education. Eng. Education, 78(7), 674–681. Felder, R. M. and Soloman, B. A. (2003). Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire Available online at http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html Gardner, H. (1983) â€Å"Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences.† New York: http://ebooksfreedownload.org/tag/gardner-frames-of-mind-pdf Honey, P. and Mumford, A. (1986). Using your learning styles. Maidenhead: Peter Honey Honey, P. (1992). The manual of learning styles: Revised version. Maidenhead: Peter Honey Kolb (1984), Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall (available at: http://academic.regis.edu/ed205/Kolb.pdf ) Perry (1968) Patterns of development in thought and values of students in a liberal arts college. UKCES. (2008). 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