Family Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Family Business - Essay Example Family businesses are observed and viewed as a crucial part of an economy in any country, as they supply substantial contributions to economic growth and revenue development for those countries. Because of this, family businesses can be seen as part of the reason that the world has developed economically as the same families then sell stocks of the companies, which consolidates the businesses even further. It is as a result that family businesses have become some of the world's largest multinationals and conglomerates. Assessing these businesses is a crucial part for any economy in order to look into how these businesses can be made successful, or even fail based on different criteria as mentioned earlier. Family Governance Family governance is the first criteria through which family businesses relative success is measured, in which the measure lies in how the wealth of a family keeps growing or deteriorating in relation to proper management and poor management respectively. This mea sure manifests itself from one generation to the next, in which case it is based on economic factors of different generations and their prevailing economic conditions, which then allow academics to judge how well the businesses are doing (Davis, 2001). It is as a result of this that every generation is expected to play its own key role in running the family businesses and ensure that it does not regress, and should this regression occur, there should be adequate means to bring it back up. Should this family governance criterion fail, it means that a family is under a relative slump, where the business could never recover or is just in a dormant state. Other than this, the concept of family governance looks into ensuring that there is integration between different familial generations in the management of a business, which is just a measure of how the future looks for the company after the current older generation relinquishes its management rights. Looking along the lines of this fa mily governance concept of success determination brings in an aspect of corporate governance, which is similar to how central and federal governments work. As such, there is the question of authority in the business, where there are family gatherings that are focused on the wellbeing of the business and its expansion. This is aimed at the development of policies that are friendly to expansion of assets and communication, as well as revenues, in which there is another aspect of familial values and beliefs that act as guides towards how different members of the family direct and relate to one another in the business (The Sloan Brothers, n.d). This can be defined as the definition of roles for all family members involved in the business, which primarily serves to ensure that there is harmony in different roles, as well as lowering the possibility of familial wrangles over hegemony and authority. Responsibility is fostered in these aspects of assessment, where all family members are exp ected to reflect on their conduct and how it affects the business, which could be positive or negative, but the main feature of assessment is how the organization of the family works (Walsh 2011, p.7). This is as evident in the

Sophocles Antigone Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sophocles Antigone - Essay Example Like for example stop signs in places that do not warrant them. I have to admit that there may perhaps be occurrences where I have overlooked them. Be no mistake that I recognize the need for safety but there are just those that seem superfluous and unnecessary. The general thought that comes to my mind is the ardent belief that I am doing the right thing and that I was not blinded by personal misconceptions and that fundamentally no one will be hurt. I imagine that people will actually benefit from my acts and others may perhaps be enlightened. I consider that I may not always be right but there are moments when I have to be in the right. In this regard, I identify more with Antigone who has sacrificed herself to uphold what she believes in and refuses to be subjected to any law from the oppressive Creon. Her refusal to be subdued by restrictive orders is admirable in the sense that she honors her independence more than anything, even her life. To be able to live by one’s own virtues properly guided by ethical standards of morality is the greatest law anyone could

Wal Mart Global Expansion Strategy Management Essay

Wal Mart Global Expansion Strategy Management Essay Wal-Mart is the largest retail chain in the world and also the worlds largest corporation. The company started its globalization in the year 1991 when it opened a Sams club near the Mexico City. In the year 1993 the company did set up the Wal-Mart International which was to oversee the growing opportunities of the company worldwide. Consequently, the company has enjoyed the overseas operation growth and also consumer acceptance. Wal-Mart has never changed its brand names, the every day low price and high ethical standards although its approach to competing in the overseas has evolved over time. Due to its entry into the foreign markets it changed its local regulatory frame work and customer tastes. Wal-Mart global expansion strategy The global expansion strategy of Wal-Mart is provision of goods at low prices that could raise the living standards of people around the world. This strategy involves globalization efforts of the company to enter into the overseas markets. According to Troy (1), the bottom line for the Wal-Marts company is bigger and cheaper. This is because the company intends to maintain its low price kind of leadership while at the same time pursuing the aggressive store expansion worldwide. This expansion is facilitated by opening of new stores and clubs world wide. How do they enter into the markets? Wal-Mart realized that if they took too long to enter into the foreign countries they would be allowing the competitors a lead that is too difficult to close. To avoid this end, they ventured into foreign countries to concentrate on their expansion efforts. This means that the main method used by the Wal-Mart Company in entering into new markets is by venturing into foreign countries. This is ensured by either selling the products in other retail stores which in turn distribute to the customers or by opening up its own store which will be used in the distribution of its products. For example as mentioned earlier, by the year 1993 Wal-Mart international operation had only one Sams club in Mexico but it ventured fast into the neighboring counties like Argentina, brazil, Indonesia china and Japan. This countries where perceived to be unique in the retail market in terms of the logistical systems, consumers and relationship between the suppliers and retailers. How do they expand while in the market? While in the market, Wal-Mart Company opened (build) more new stores in the countries it had ventured into thus replicating the domestic operation abroad. The company also expanded its markets by acquiring potential companies. It also picked up new ideas from other countries which helped greatly in the expansion of its markets. This included the gravity wall from Brazil, selling shoes from Canada, selling bike racks from Canada and many more (Deresky 455). Markets where Wal-Mart has been successful and the reasons for the success Wal-Mart Company has been most successful in countries (markets) like Canada, Mexico and the UK. In Canada the company purchased all the 122 Canadian woolco discount stores thus becoming the Canada highest volume discount retailer. The main proponent for the companys success is the low prices of the products and the ability to strip costs from the supply chain which impresses the analysts. The suppliers are strictly authorized to distribute goods at the Wal-Marts center within 15-30 minutes of the stipulated schedules failure to which they would be fined. Again it has a lot of bargaining power to extract price concession from the suppliers. In UK Wal-Mart acquired ASDA stores which were 232 in number thus becoming the biggest retailer in that country (Wal-Mart.com 1). ASDA warded of price competitions which overtook all the other companies in the UK. In Mexico, Wal-Mart Company acquired the controlling interest of the Mexican largest retailer (Cifra) which operated stores through the county. It modified the products so that they could meet the expectations of its Mexican users (Tilly 1). There is one common theme for the success of these three countries. For example they have acquired some of the strongest companies in this countries thus becoming the leading large scale retailers and they have also modified their products to meet the needs of their immediate clients. Markets where the Wal-Mart company has been unsuccessful and the reasons of the failure. Wal-Mart has failed in Germany and South Korea markets in particular. In Germany, the company found it difficult to adapt to the German ways and it therefore exited selling off its store (Knorr and Arndt 23). In South Korea, the Wal-Mart company also exited selling off its store because it also could not localize its operations (Awbi 1). There is a common theme as to why these two countries failed and it was because the two couldnt adapt to the needs of the various citizens (South Koreans and Germany). These failures are specific or relevant in each country and also similar. For example as mentioned above they have failed because they didnt localize their operations. To be specific the reason as to why it failed in Germany is because the Germany customers did not show much concern for the EDLP approach and many people also disliked its relatively low pay and ultra-frugal policy on managers business expenses. In South Korea it experienced operation difficulties due to its merchandise mix and the stores which were too far from the city centers. Another problem was high food prices and lack of food freshness (Deresky 458). How does culture hinder the expansion of Wal-Mart in other countries? Wal-Marts culture is a hindrance to the companys expansion. This is because some of their practices do not go well with some people in some countries (Kitlerphiroj 1). For example in Germany the Wal-Marts expatriate managers were faced with massive cultures clashes which were helped by the refusal to learn the German language. Its culture which involved merchandise departments, supercenters far from town centers and low pries did not go down with the South Koreans who disliked the companies merchandise, the locations and high prices of commodities which led to their closure. The companys culture of acquiring building and companies and low prices helped the company in nations like Mexico, Canada and the UK for they became the largest retailers in these countries. Has Wal-Mart had to change their level and method of political interaction with governments as they have expanded internationally? Wal-Mart had to change the level and method of interaction with some governments in the process of their international expansion. For example the Chinas finance, banking, taxation and insurance organizations were bureaucratic and burdensome because the regional division of finance guidelines and tax rules created problems. For example a corporation with joint ventures in numerous locations served by a single supplier had to make separate payment for each venture to the supplier. Wal-Mart Company worked together with the Chinese administration to put up a holding corporation that could consolidate joint venture distribution and finance. How effective has Wal-Mart been at maintaining their business model as they have expanded internationally? Wal-Mart has been effective in the maintenance of its business model during the international expansion because it has maintained its low price culture towards its customers. Again, it has managed to be the largest retailer in some countries like Canada, United Kingdom and Mexico. The four most important lessons There are some lessons which can be learned from this case. One of them is that companies should target to satisfy their customers so that they can get the opportunity to expand. For example most of the Wal-Marts customers are satisfied with the low prices of commodities. This has not only increased sales but also profits. Another lesson is that companies should consider the opinions, tastes and preferences of the people in a particular country before setting up a company in a foreign country to avoid massive losses. The other lesson is that a company should try to localize or understand the peoples preferences and tastes after a careful study have been carried out to avoid misconceptions that can bring losses. Another lesson is that the companies that have the interest of venturing into business in foreign countries should change and even negotiate with the various governments concerned such that they may have a favorable condition to thrive in businesswise.

Use of Pathos in Writings on Torture Essay example -- Who Walk Away fr

Torture is a loaded word. It conjures images in a readers' mind of any number of horrors, physical and mental. Many writers rely on this reaction and use pathos in their articles to illicit a strong response in their audience. Pathos is an emotional appeal used to gain sympathy and trust from the audience and works for people of all intellectual levels. It often casts the author or characters in a story as an Everyman, easy to identify, and therefore see eye to eye, with. In my opinion, the more an author is able to create a personal connection to torture, the stronger their argument becomes. Strong emotions create a more appealing argument for an everyday audience. Michael Levin's â€Å"The Case for Torture† uses a few moments of pathos to convince the audience of the potential benefit of torture. He poses several scenarios of terrorists planning attacks on large numbers of innocent people and then asks, â€Å"If the only way to save those lives is to subject the terrorist to the most excruciating possible pain, what grounds can there be for not doing so?† Even if you don't agree with him, he urges the reader to â€Å"face the question with an open mind.† By doing this, Levin uses pathos as well as ethos to present himself as a nice guy who's not unreasonable. Though his argument is different from Levin's, Andrew Sullivan tries a similar approach in his article, â€Å"Bush's torturers follow where the Nazis led†. The article demonstrates a clear use of pathos from the beginning. Sullivan begins with some personal information about himself, showing that is is one of the regular people. His imagery is subtle but power ful. By implying that the government's behavior is in some way akin to the Nazis, he conjures up a powerful imagine in the readers min... ...Oct. 2008 . Ortiz, Sister Dianna. "Mr. President, stop the torture!" US Catholic Magazine Online. July 2004. 26 Sept 2008 news_iv_ctrl=1341&abbr=usc_&JServSessionIdr001=anotsvvjc1.app45a> Ortiz, Sister Dianna. "Speak Truth to Power Defender – Interview with Dianna Ortiz." Speak Truth to Power. 26 Sept 2008. . 26 Sept 2008. Sullivan, Andrew. "Bush's torturers follow where the Nazis led." Times Online. 7 October 2007. 23 Sept 2008 andrew_sullivan/article2602564.ece> Porter, Henry. "America's Dirty Torture Secret." The Guardian. 10 Sept 2003. 1 Oct 2008 .

Psych Exam

Psychology is best defined as the science of behavior and mental processes. A cognitive psychologist would be most likely to design a study of the processes involved in decision making. Roy is interested in the details of the relationship between the brain structures and behavior. Roy is most likely a biological psychologist. The tasks of an industrial/organizational psychologist Include Improving supervisors' leadership skills, creating maximum-efficiency work groups, and suggesting other research-based programs designed to Increase efficiency.An Industrial/organizational psychologist doing cross-cultural work finds that In Country Llama, the workers have the highest Job satisfaction when they are rewarded for their accomplishments and quality of work. Country Llama probably has an Individualist culture. Dan performs the same experiment on several different occasions. Each time he performs the experiment, his data suggests different conclusions.The results from Dawn's experiment lac k reliability. Tall Is Interested In how alcohol consumption affects driving ability. He gives college students two, four, or six beers and then assure how many obstacles the students â€Å"hit† when they are in a driving simulator. The dependent variable is the number of obstacles hit. Dry. Summers investigated the influence of snacking on the onset of sleep in preschool children.One group of preschoolers ate a candy bar prior to bedtime, the other group ate nothing. Time until the onset of sleep was recorded for each child. In his experiment, eating or not eating the snack is the independent variable, and the time until the onset of sleep is the dependent variable. Cine operated the telephone switchboard t a large company, answering calls and directing them to the appropriate extensions.Remembering her introductory to psychology class, she decided that her situation was much like that of the dendrites and axons of neurons, because numerous people could call her at one time, but she could send out only one call at a time. Since Gordon sustained sever head trauma, he can no longer perform basic sewing tasks such as treading a needle. When he tries to play the piano, it is as if his fingers do not remember how to make the necessary movements, even for pieces he has known for years. Gordon most likely has damage to his cerebellum.

A Killer At Thurston High

As with any tragedy, the circumstances surrounding Kip Kinkel's murderous rampage leaves one basic question to be answered: Why?   Why would a young man choose to kill his parents, whom he claimed to love, in cold blood?   And why would he then go to school thirteen hours later and commit what appear to be random murders?   It is likely that one can never truly understand what would possess someone to commit such heinous crimes.   However, through the application of certain psychological principles, it is possible to form a hypothetical explanation for his actions.If one were to subscribe to a psychoanalytic view of what caused Kinkel's violent display of hate, the case can easily be made that his hatred for himself, as expressed in journal entries found in his room, caused him to subconsciously transfer his feelings for himself onto his parents (Frontline).   It is not a far reach to speculate that he may have felt that, ultimately, his parents were to blame for his proble ms.   Had it not been for them, he would never have been born.This theory is supported by his written confession, which he left at the scene of his parents' murder, in which he stated â€Å"I wish I had been aborted.†Ã‚   In this same letter, he states that he loved his mom and dad â€Å"so much† (Frontline).   This further lends credibility to the idea that while he felt love for his parents outwardly, he subconsciously harbored blame towards them because they were, essentially, the source of his suffering because they were the responsible for his existence.   Unfortunately, his inner turmoil manifested itself in a violent explosion of emotions, and he committed murders for reasons that even he could not explain.Another common theory that one could consider is that to some extent, Kinkel's behavior can be attributed to peer influence, which would fall under the category of behavior modeling.   According to the chronological time table provided on the PBS Front line website, Kinkel had no obvious behavioral problems during his elementary school years.Although he struggled greatly in school, several sources stated that he worked very hard to attempt to keep up with his classmates.   It would seem that once he entered middle school, he began to associate with young people who were less than upstanding citizens.   It is possible that by acting out, he was gaining acceptance from his peers, as opposed to feeling inferior because of his learning disability.   It is important to note that many of his offenses, particularly during his middle school years, involved friends.   Judging from his behavior, one can easily infer that Kinkel is not a leader, but a follower.It is likely that, at least in the beginning, he very seldom initiated criminal behavior, but rather blindly followed his friends down whatever path they chose. This may have likely set the stage for further misbehavior.   While his friends were not found to have any involvem ent in the murder of Kinkel's parents or classmates, they did attribute to his delinquent attitude and fostered his fascination with guns and other deadly weapons.   So, in his attempt to conform to his friends' ideas and behavior, he himself adopted their ways.His delinquent behavior evolved from so called â€Å"victimless† crimes, for instance, the ordering of mail order bomb books, shoplifting, etc, to increasingly violent acts.   As the chronological timeline found on the Frontline website clearly illustrates, it was not until after the relatively minor incidents occurred that his crimes became violent.   Throwing rocks off of the highway overpass, though it could have potentially caused great injury, was not a blatantly violent crime.   However, approximately three months later he was suspended from school for violent assaults against his classmates.One of the biggest controversies surrounding cases of teenage violence in America is deciding to whom the blame bel ongs.   Some may posit that the child's parents are to blame; after all, they are the ones ultimately responsible for their children.   Others may blame the advent of violent video games, citing that young minds do not possess the discernment to know the difference between reality and fantasy.Still others will claim that the media is responsible; given that most young adults have unlimited access to television, explicit CD's and internet websites, they are likely over stimulated with inappropriate material.   From a psychological viewpoint, we would define the aforementioned opinions as a tendency toward cognitive heuristics, more specifically, the principle of availability.   That is to say, Kinkel may have drawn on scenarios that he had either witnessed or heard about in order to rationalize his behavior.It is also possible that the idea to open fire on his classmates was in some way influenced by the influx of school shootings around the nation.   In theory, the fact th at his solution to his problem was to go on a murderous rampage so shortly after other school shootings, lends credence to the idea that he was influenced by coverage of other shootings.Judging from Kinkel's actions, writings, and confessional utterances, he suffered from a very low self-esteem.   Although some people naturally have a healthier self-image than others, a humanistic view of psychology dictates that negative experiences can contribute to a person's low self-worth.   As described on the Frontline website, Kinkel struggled with school from the very beginning.   Because he started school in Spain, and spoke only English, he was at a great disadvantage.Not only did he miss out on an academic level, but also on a social level.   Even after returning to the United States, he continued to struggle in many areas of schooling.   Having to repeat the first grade likely affected his self-esteem.   Also, by all accounts, he continued to struggle with language problems.    In an interview, his sister admits to teasing him about his deficiency.It is likely that his classmates may have done the same.   Once he was diagnosed with a learning disability, and given the appropriate help, he apparently began to improve academically.   However, one can conclude that his feelings of low self-worth did not completely dissipate.   This may explain why he chose the friends that he did, which ultimately lead to participating in criminal activities.It has become a commonly accepted notion in the United States that puberty is the cause of many abnormal behaviors in young people.   To some extent, it is a reasonable claim; as a child matures into a teenager, they will likely push for more independence and individuality.   Changing hormones can attribute to some peculiar behavior, but in itself is not an excuse for even minor criminal behavior, let alone murdering ones parents and classmates.   However, as Frontline reports, Dr. Orin Bolstad, a psychol ogist who specializes in juvenile killers, stated that Kinkel's behavior is consistent with an early onset of schizophrenia.This form of schizophrenia manifested itself through several delusional beliefs, as well as the apparent voices that told Kinkel to commit the murders.   It is also important to note that the theory that his violent behavior was caused by a biological factor, in this case a chemical imbalance, is substantiated by the fact that the use of Prozac seemed to calm some of his erratic behavior.   One can even tie the biological aspect of his illness to the humanistic aspect by recognizing that the voices that Kinkel claimed to hear, voices that may have been his subconscious thoughts manifested, were dangerous to his self-image.   According to Kinkel, the voices told him he was worthless, which would be consistent with his low self-esteem.Of all the psychological aspects that can be used to analyze Kinkel's behavior, perhaps the hardest to address is society's role.   Are young people being desensitized to gun use through culturally accepted displays of violence?   Are guns too readily available to young people?   In Kinkel's situation, the answer is obviously that yes, guns were made way too available.   Although his father apparently took great care in trying to teach him that guns are a responsibility, he did allow the teenager to purchase a firearm.This likely sent a message to the young man that it is ok to own a gun.   In fact, it was after his father allowed him to purchase a firearm that he continued to buy more from friends.   Once he was caught with possession of a firearm on school property, he claims he did not want his parents to have to be ashamed.   So, in an attempt to solve this problem, he decided to kill his parents.   His solution to the problem is not unlike the plots of many action-adventure movies, thus lending credibility to the culturally inspired aspect of his crime.In conclusion, it is impossible to know exactly what caused Kip Kinkel to murder his parents in cold blood.   Nor is there any real explanation as to why he would then drive to school and open fire on an entire cafeteria of students.   Although modern psychology can, to some extent, offer a glimpse into the diseased mind, it can not afford us a clear and scientific answer as to why people do the things they do.   One thing is certain in Kinkel's case: he is a deeply disturbed individual.When the judge handed down the one- hundred-eleven year sentence, he confirmed what many psychologists already knew: there is no hope of rehabilitation for a young man who committed such heinous crimes.   Even if medication and therapy could alleviate the symptoms of his disease, the knowledge of the pain that he caused will be with him until the day he dies.   Such is the tragic ending of a very tragic situation.Works Citedâ€Å"The Killer At Thurston High.† PBS: Frontline. (January 2000). 20 November 2006.  < http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/kinkel/>