Thursday, October 31, 2019

Macroeconomics - Inflation, Disinflation and Deflation Term Paper

Macroeconomics - Inflation, Disinflation and Deflation - Term Paper Example The paper outlines that the global financial crisis has led the whole world to think of taking the radical measures through which the financial situation of the globe can be improved. The global recession spread across Europe and US has also caused everyone to become indebted. This situation serious attention and the first thing that the economists need to do are to review the macroeconomic policies in their respective economies in order to reform them. The most dangerous economic ailment that is also considered as a potential cause of economic recession is inflation, which is known as the sustained rise in the general level of prices for the goods and services. Due to the inflation, the monetary value liquidates and although people have same amount of money, but their buying power is reduced. Therefore, the purpose of the report is to make the readers understand some of the basic yet alarming principles of macroeconomics that are leading the current financial situation in to its worst era. Apart from the causes and effects of inflation, the disinflation, and deflation will also be discussed. In the end, the conclusions and recommendations will be made concerning how the inflation and its forms can be overcome. The main conclusion from the study is that inflation and deflation are the two driving forces that drag the prices sometimes up and sometimes down. The rise in the inflation leads to rise in supply and decline in demand, where as the deflation rise will result in the decline in supply and rise in demand, and this cycle goes the same way.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

MBA - business Startegy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

MBA - business Startegy - Essay Example In today’s world, a company can have its head office in London, the main production facility in China, the research laboratories in Germany and the support centre in Pakistan. At the same time, the individuals working for the company in different locations are likely to come from different cultures, have different logistical needs and they may even require different management policies (Hollinshead and Leat, 1995). While it may seem complicated, these elements are just some of the basic concerns of a modern MNE (Johnson et. al., 2005). However, it must be noted that the functioning of the company may be much simpler than comparative companies in the past and the size of the company can actually be tiny compared to the global organisations of the past. The internet is certainly a great tool which allows relatively miniscule companies to come face to face with big players in the market. A company can have less than ten employees, work only with a capital of a few million and yet have a logistics and supply chain system which works better than giants such as BP. Margulius (2006) presents several examples of how companies can use information technology to improve their position in competing with larger companies on the basis of their created supply chains. This certainly complicates the organisation of the company since every individual is a key decision maker but at the same time, it lets the MNE be more agile in terms of conducting business across the world. For example, a very small company such as Oriel wines was the subject of the cast study by Chozich (2005) who showed that a producer and supplier of wine could used the internet to give their clients an image of a company which seems to be much larger than it actually is with a supply chain that runs from California to Germany and as far as Japan. The company is simple in structure, but the organisation of such an effort depends on several very complicated technologies which work

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Comparing Idealism And Realism Philosophy Essay

Comparing Idealism And Realism Philosophy Essay Idealist, idealized, ideal (adjective), and the ideal (noun), all of are derived from the Greek idea which means new thought flashed across the mind. This signifies image, figure, form: it can be used in the sense of likeness, or copy as well as in that of type, model, or pattern: it is this latter sense that finds expression in ideal, and the ideal and the derivatives are mentioned above. When we talk about the ideal or idealism, it is not the copy of a out of the world image or object, but it is only a type which can be a thought. It cannot beyond reality but it can only be a fairer, nobler and the most perfect which exists in reality. [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/idealism (23-Nov-2010)] It is the characteristics of those people who respect the ideas and who pays respect the truth According to Plato, visible world is simply a copy of a super sensible, intelligible, ideal world and consequently things are but the impress stamped on reality by that which is of a higher, spiritual nature. It is just a technical term which was made by Plato and it has a vital and important affect on the task to be attained and it has significance influence on the people. It has a impressive affect on reality which help in obtaining the higher level or we can say spiritual nature. There are two theories which are interrelated to each other, Idealism and other is Realism. Plato is in favour of Idealism and hence known as Platonism while Aristotle is in favour of reality and so called as Realism. Platonism is one of the oldest form idealism and is in favour of the idealist to long extent. Normally, it is the contrast comparison of the both the philosophies of Idealism and Realism. Realism does not support the new concepts and thoughts but it is in favour of the real world and supports the things as they happen which is just the copies of every day life. Plato is in favour of the idealism and therefore it is considered to be more accurate and correct as idealism is more important in teaching and it helps in putting new ideas into art. Both, Aristotle and Plato have a vital influence on the Greek life, their life style, their style of thinking and their actions which carries the deep moral and ethical influence on their life. On the basis of these theories and the ir deep influence, convicted the first and highest principle of all things is the one perfect spiritual which is the transcendental idealism of Plato and with which they call God and by which means of intermediate principles, essence and form, purpose and law, and some of the working individual which obey these principles are the visible world. So, idealism is the doctrine philosophy which leads towards the high spiritual principles and which lowers downs the materialism. On the base of these characteristics, idealism is being called as the dual characteristic philosophy and it is against the single characteristic philosophy which describes as the higher and the lower are same. The principle philosophy of higher is against the philosophy of the lower material and again this philosophy is against the single characteristic philosophy or doctrine. When we talk about the older version of the idealism, it clearly indicates that there is no one which is One- All, but there are different i ndividuals who have some different roles and they have some specific features and there is certainly some alpha and omega i.e. a supermundane cause and end of the world. I affirm without hesitation that the assertion, the existence of the world consists merely in our thinking, is for me the result of a hypertrophy of the passion for knowledge. To this conclusion I have been lead chiefly by the torture I endure in getting over idealism. Whosoever attempts to take this theory in downright earnest, to force his way clean through it and identify himself with it, will certainly feel that something is about to snap in his brain. (Jerusalem, Die Urtheilsfunktion, Vienna, 1886, p. 261). J. Volkelt (Erfahrung u. Denken, Hamburg, 1886, p. 519); It should kept in mind that the term, idea has a lot of contents and should be so far degraded as to signify such aberrations of thought. Geschichte des Idealismus (2nd ed., Brunswick, 1907) has taken the ground that the original meaning of these terms should be restored to them. Realism Realism is the philosophy which can be described as the independent of conceptual schemes, having linguistics practices, beliefs, etc. According to the international business point of view, it is the dominant thinking within the international relations which is interlink with the ideology, security, morality, reconstructions, socialism and political realm. Most of the philosophers who are in favour of the realism, they believe in reality having strict point of view against idealism and they are the speaking to the other minds, their past, present and future as well. Realism deals with the universalism, morality, materialism, thinking, and natural numbers as well. The people who believe in realism, they consider the reality and how approximate is the reality, they also believe that whenever there will be any new observation, it helps the individuals to come closer to each other and they are against idealism and anti realism. The philosopher has been discussing on the realism. While discussing, they have been looking for the true meanings of the realism and the origin of realism. They have been discussing this issue from so long and the history of philosophy is full of this discussion. If we talk about the medieval interpretation and adaptation of Greek philosophy, it clearly signifies that the origin of this term Real is from the medieval period and according to this philosophy, the meaning of this word is some thing different and in present it means opposite. It should also be kept in mind that realism is the contrasting philosophy of conceptualism, nominalism and idealism. The philosophers who have been discussing realism have found out the problems which a universe has been facing and these problems are being called as the problems of universals which is a term that does not describes a single individual but it is being applied on many things and hence it is believed that realism is the thing which really exist and it is associated with other things and also to the world. When we consider it to be associated with the world, we can definitely say that it is linked with Plato. It should also be considered that conceptualism exists in this world but this is the on ly thing which exists in mind and moderate realism say that it exists in some specific things where as philosophers when they start discussion about the nominalism, they say that universals do not exist at all and this is to be believed that realism exists in the world from the centuriesand. In its Kantian sense, realism is contrasted with idealism. In a contemporary sense, realism is contrasted with anti-realism, primarily in the philosophy of science. Conversational is simplicity and oneness with nature. Idealism vs. Realism To make the clear differences, it is necessary to understand the clearly idealism and realism. Idealism is to see things in a way as we want where as realism is to see the things as they happen in a current situation and what they are and how they are. Idealism is the philosophy that describes that the current situation is being shaped into by our thoughts while realism is independent of our thoughts but its the existence. A person, who believes in idealism, always looks for the good and he can be less affective while a person who believes in realism can be more affective. Idealists are more positive where as realists are less positive. Idealists are more goal ambitious as compared to realists.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Common Program Models :: essays papers

Common Program Models There are various forms of year-round education. The program consists of several plans including, concept 6, multi tracks, and single tracks. These options allow schools to provide a better working environment for students. Most calendars are designed to split the school year into periods with vacation time, called intersession. One popular plan that has been proven to be successful is the concept 6 program. Concept 6 plan has been used successfully at both elementary and secondary levels. It is particularly useful when there is lack of space. It requires that students be divided into three groups, with one group always on vacation, thus releasing a considerable amount of space for instructional use. A high school built for 1,600 students can house 2,400 under a Concept 6 three-track plan. It also can be administered in a single-track pattern. The Concept 6 plan calls for six terms of approximately 43 days each. Students attend four of the six terms but must attend two of their four terms consecutively. The plan provides for 160 or more days a year. In states where 175 or more days of attendance are required, additional days can be completed by over-lapping the groups on half-day sessions the first and last day of each term, by independent study and intersession programs, or by creative off-campus group activities. In states that mandate the number of minuets per year in various subjects as a substitute for the number of days, Concept 6 can operate effectively by extending the minuets of instruction each day so that the total accumulation of minutes of instruction each day so that the total accumulation of minutes equals the minimum number of days required by the state. (Ballinger C.E, pp. 23) Standard multi-track schedules include the 60-20 and 45-15 schedule. Both of these calendars can work in the form of single track scheduling, using multi-tracks school facilities get more use because different groups are in and out of the school, allowing the school to cater to more students. There are benefits for the single track plans. Experts say that single tracks improve attendance and the students are more attentive (Rasmussen, 2000). The main difference between the two is that during single-track programs all of the students and staff follow the same calendar, where as the multi tracks have several different tracks that students and staff are divided into.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

A Literature Review About Mecication Errors Essay

Introduction An error rate of 5% is acceptable in most industries, however, in the health care industry; one single error can result in death. (Berntsen, 2004, p5) This paper discusses medication errors in relation to pharmacology and drug treatment. It will summarize three academic peer reviewed journal articles, followed by general information in relation to medication errors, the impact of medication errors on client care, strategies to prevent medication errors  and conclude with the relationship to nursing. Summary of Articles Related to Medication Errors. The first article is by Karin Berntsen, 2004, and is entitled â€Å"How Far Has Health Care Come Since ‘To Err is Human’? Exploring Use of Medical Error Data†. This is a review of what changes have been made since a medication error report written by the Institute of Medicine was published in 1999. This article depicts how the health care system has changed since this 1999 report was written, and how the information was utilized for our benefit. They concluded that in the USA, medical errors were one of the top 8 leading causes of death. They reported the cost for these errors was between $17 Billion to $29 billion dollars. Until a new report is completed, health care providers will be unaware whether their goals in increasing patient safety were accomplished. The article finalizes that there has been progress in regards to prevention of medication errors and health care leaders feel passionate about increasing patient safety. (Berntsen 2004) The second article is by William N. Kelly, 2004, and is titled â€Å"Medication Errors: Lessons Learned and Actions Needed† and highlights the death of a one year old child who was diagnosed with cancer. She subsequently died, not from the cancer, but from receiving an incorrect dosage of a drug that she was being treated with. This report indicates that medications are systematically checked and balanced and errors are usually caught before a drug is administered to a patient. The article states that problems are not being solved in a timely manner since the industry has been â€Å"putting ‘band aids’ on problems that need ‘major surgery’.(Kelly 2004). In conclusion, the article questions whether or not they are taking the right approach in preventing errors. Many people are trying to fix this problem however; errors are still made too frequently. (Kelly 2004) The final article is by Rosemary M. Preston, 2004, and is titled â€Å"Drug Errors and Patient Safety: A Need for Change in Practice†. This article presents that errors continue to happen for many reasons. It concentrates upon calculations errors, lack of knowledge of drugs, over/under dosing drugs,  interactions with drugs and food, and legalities regarding drug administration. It also presents recommendations to minimize the risk of drug errors with good communication and honesty. The article closes by stating that â€Å"nurses should never estimate the skills needed for safe administration of medicines.† (Preston 2004) Key aspects: medication errors and their causes. To understand the impact that medication errors have on a patient, we have to understand what a medication error is. According to Health Canada online, a medication error is defined as: Any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is in the control of the health care professional, patient, or consumer. Such events may be related to professional practice, health care products, procedures, and systems, including prescribing; order communication; product labelling, packaging, and nomenclature; compounding; dispensing; distribution; administration; education; monitoring; and use.† [Developed for use by the National Coordinating Council on Medication Error Reporting and Prevention]( http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/index.html) Medication errors occur for a variety of reasons. An error can affect all areas of a health care facility from health care management, staff, physicians, pharmacy and especially patients. Studies have indicated that errors will usually occur when the staff demonstrates signs of fatigue, stress, are over-worked or encounter frequent interruptions and distractions. When physicians display bad handwriting, ineffective communication with patients, and do not educate staff and patients effectively, a medication error is more likely to happen. Poor management can result in more medication errors when there is an emphasis on volume, over service quality. This results in inadequate staffing and disorganization. Medication errors affect all components of the health care environment. (http://www.napra.org/docs/0/95/157-/166.asp) Impact on client care. As disturbing as it sounds, one miniscule error can result in a patient’s injury or can even lead to their death. According to the American Journal of Medicine, statistics reveal that â€Å"more than two million American hospitalized patients suffered a serious adverse drug reaction in relation to injury within the 12-month period and, of these, over 100,000 died as a result.† http://www4.nationalacademies.org/news) Death and injury is a sad reality to any single error. The government established six rights of drug administration to prevent medication errors and ensure accuracy. These six rights include: Right drug, right dose, Right client, right route, right time and right documentation. (Kozier & Erb 2004) Injuries that result from a medication error are called adverse drug events. Usually, these unpleasant effects can be eliminated and injury can be avoided. However, every drug produces harmful side effects, but the severities of these effects vary from individual to individual. These side effects also depend on the drug and the dose given. (Kozier & Erb 2004) Health care professionals must report all errors and are accountable for their actions. No matter how insignificant, nurses are taught to document and report all mistakes. When statistics show what types of errors are made, an analysis can be done. This analysis can be used to plan ways to prevent them medication errors. (Berntsen, 2004)When a nurse does not report a mistake, the probability that it will happen again will increase. Medication errors have a huge impact on client care. They can result in death, injury, and result in unwanted effects of drugs. It is our responsibility as nurses to comply with the clients’ six rights of drug administration, to prevent errors from taking place. Strategies to prevent medication errors. There are many efficient ways to prevent nurses from making an error. To ensure patient safety in all aspects of client care, nurses are taught to think critically, and to problem solve. Nurses use critical thinking to ensure safe, knowledgeable, nursing performance and they must be able to keep up with updated health facts by constantly educating themselves with new information. (Kozier & Erb 2004) Critical thinking assists in the prevention of medication errors. The six rights in drug administration help prevent medication errors from occurring. It is important to maintain the highest standards of practice of these rights for a drug to be prepared properly. Failure to adhere to any one of these rights will definitely result in a medication error. (Clayton & Stock, 2004) Take your time when preparing medications and research any unknown drugs. Rushing should be avoided when preparing, administering and reading medication labels. Proper research must be done before an unfamiliar drug is administered it to a client. Even when in a rushed emergency situation, drugs should be looked at carefully to know the correct concentration and name of the drug, to prevent injury. (http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/index.html) Labels should be read carefully and accurately. Before a drug is given to a patient, three checks should be done to ensure you are giving the proper drug and dose. In a situation where you are unsure of a drug order, you are expected to refuse the order and clarify it by law. If an individual is unfamiliar with a particular drug, the drug should not be given. (http://www.napra.org/docs/0/95/157-/166.asp) When a label is unclear, do not try not to examine the drug order yourself. Do not ask an associate, or ask for anyone else’s interpretation of the drug. To get the correct information, contact the individual who ordered the drug to clarify the label. In order to decrease the chances of error, verify all unclear hand writing, abbreviations, decimal points, decimal places and dosages. (http://www.napra.org/docs/0/95/157-/166.asp) Use of dosage abbreviations should not be used to avoid drug miscalculations. Dosage abbreviations are misinterpreted more often, than any other type of abbreviation. Using standardized abbreviations, would assist in preventing misinterpretation of abbreviations. (Preston 2004) A drug check should be done three times prior to the administration of a drug. The drug label should correspond with the physician’s orders. The three checks should be done; â€Å"Before removing the drug from the shelf or dosage cart, before preparing or measuring the actual prescribed dose, and before replacing the drug on the shelf or before opening a unit dose container, just before administering a dose to a patient.† (Clayton & Stock, 2004) Do not make assumptions regarding drugs. Physicians, pharmacists, make mistakes and other parts of the health system may be flawed. For example, when documentation shows the patient has no drug allergy, it is wrongful to assume the patient will have no adverse reaction to a new drug. This could result in detrimental results to a client’s health. Therefore no assumptions should ever me made. (http://www.ismp.org-/ToolsAllina-Orientation.html) A quiet environment for preparing medications will prevent prescription errors from occurring. Sometimes, nurses are repeatedly interrupted when preparing a medication. Distractions interfere with processing information and decision making. Errors will least likely occur when preparations are done when there are no distractions. (http://www.ismp.org-/ToolsAllina-Orientation.html) When preventing errors, staff must be certain all dosage calculations are correct and clarified. It may be beneficial to ask a colleague to assist you in checking doses, to minimize the chance of miscalculations. Other suggestions to minimize error include; â€Å"making pre-calculated conversion cards, always use a leading zero before a decimal, never use a zero after the decimal and include indications whenever possible. Miscalculations are preventable if proper methods of inspecting calculations are used.† (Preston  2004, p.72) Assess for the effects of drugs to avoid harming a client. A client must be assessed before and after a drug is given. For instance, before giving an oral medication, assess whether the client can swallow or feels nauseated. An appropriate follow up should be done after a medication is administered. It is important to check if the client experienced the desired effect of the drug. Significant abnormal responses to drug should be reported to the physician. (Kozier & Erb 2004) Conclusion. To finalize this assignment, medication errors are mistakes that can cause harm to patients and can even result in death. The articles that have been summarized illustrate situations where medication errors have occurred and review what the health care industry is doing to prevent errors. A medication error is preventable and errors can be caused by a variety of reasons. This paper has discussed the impact medication errors have on client care and strategies of how to prevent errors from occurring. As a nurse, this knowledge will assist me in keeping beneficence a priority for client care. References Clayton, Bruce D., BS, RPh, PharmD, and Yvonne N. Stock, MS, BSN, RN. Basic Pharmacology for Nurses. 13th ed. United States of America: Mosby, 2004. Government of Canada Online. (2004, Summer). Retrieved July 18, 2004, from Health Canada Web site: (http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/index.html) Kelly, William N. â€Å"Medication Errors.† Professional Safety 49: 35. Academic Search Elite. EBSCO. Assiniboine Community College. 22 July 2004 . Government of Canada Online. (2004, Summer). Retrieved July 18, 2004, from Health Canada Web site: (http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/index.html) Kozier & Erb, Barbara, et al. Fundamentals of Nursing. 7th ed. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2004. Minimizing Medication Errors. (n.d.). In NAPRA: National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities. Retrieved July 17, 2004, from NAPRA: National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities Web site: http://www.napra.org/docs/0/95/157/166.asp Preston, Rosemary M. â€Å"Drug errors and patients safety: the need for a change in practice.† British Journal of Nursing (BJN) 13: 72. Academic Search Elite. EBSCO. Assiniboine Community College. 22 July 2004 .

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Plantaze

INTERNATIONALIZATION OF SEE-FIRMS Final Group Report Table of content 1 1. 1 1. 2 1. 3 INTRODUCTION †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 1 Background Description †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 1 Research Purpose †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Structure of the Report†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 2 2 2. 1 2. 2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 2 Data Collection †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 2 Data Analysis †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 3 3. 1 3. 2 3. 3 CASE STUDY †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 6 Company Description (www. plantaze. com) †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 6 Internationalization Process†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 7 Internationalization Motives †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4 4. 1 4. 2 ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 11 Theoretical Background †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 11 Application of the Uppsala Model †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 13 5 5. 1 5. 2 IMPLICATIONS AND LIMITATIONS †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 4 Implications of the Study †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 14 Limitations of the Study †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 15 6 7 8 CONCLUSION AND FUTURE RESEARCH †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 15 REFERENCES †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 7 APPENDIX †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 19 1 Introduction In this chapter the background of the case study will be presented, as well as the purpose of the study will be stated, before an overview of the structure of this report is given. 1. 1 Background Description Today, many companies take the step to establish themselves abroad. The motives for internationalization are many. Perhaps the home market is saturated, presence in a certain country grants access to strategic resources or there are cluster effects to be explored in a specific region.The decision makers of the companies that are becoming international have different experience, are in different situations and consider different motives before taking the step into the international market. (Masum/Fernandez 2008, 2) For the past few decades researchers have been debating over existing theories and developing new theories of international business to explain why and how companies internationalize. Internationalization theories are explaining different internationalization processes, which are taking place when companies expand across national borders.Ranges of internationalization have been discussed in various investigations with the conclusion that the majority of these frameworks fail to explain internationalization behavior of various companies, however, this doesn’t mean that they are not usefu l at all. (Pett 2008, 1) It is inappropriate to approach the internationalization process without formulating a strategy. Without a proper strategy the firm is about to fail in their internationalization. Formulating a strategy also involves deciding hen, how and which markets to enter. There are several market entry modes a firm can choose from, such as exporting, contractual relationships (licensing, franchising), as well as equity or ownership-based international business activities like FDI or collaborative ventures. (Masum/Fernandez 2008, 2) 1. 2 Research Purpose The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of the internationalization process of a SEE company, particularly the usefulness of the main theory: the Uppsala Model. 1 1. 3 Structure of the ReportThe report is divided into six major parts: Introduction, Research Methodology, Case Study, Analysis and Interpretation, Implications and Limitations, and our Findings and Conclusion. The introduction part conta ins the background description of the general topic and the research purpose. Followed by the Research Methodology part, where the research method, data collection and data analysis is described. Then the chosen company is presented in particular and their internationalization process and their motives for internationalization are discussed.In the Analysis and Interpretation chapter the theoretical background and to which extend the company followed the theory is presented, along with a broad discussion of the gathered empirical data. There are also some implications and limitations mentioned in the next chapter. In the conclusion there is a brief presentation of the findings as well as possible further research on the topic. 2 2. 1 Research Methodology Data Collection The data collected and used in this analysis has been mainly collected from websites and online databases. This means that the method applied was Desk Research.As depicted by name Desk Research is the research techniq ue that is mainly acquired by sitting at a desk. It involves collecting data from existing resources and, compared to Field Research, is the cheapest and quickest option. Nevertheless, there is always the problem of the validity, objectivity and credibility of the data found. There are basically two types of desk research: Internal Desk Research and External Desk Research. Whereas the former is being used only in corporations or companies that possess an internal database, the latter can be done by anyone.External Desk Research is the actual method that was used when gathering information about the company, about the market and about other countries. 2. 2 Data Analysis First of all, it has been decided to go with the company Plantaze. Afterwards, a huge amount of data about the company’s history, strategy and current situation has been gath2 ered directly from their official website, plantaze. com. Moreover, detailed information about their products and production process has been found here.Additional financial and statistical information was found on the website of the Montenegro Stock Exchange (MNSE), montenegrobreza. com, where the company is listed and traded. Normally, looking and searching for data in online databases is very expensive. Fortunately, there has been access to the WU network, where many online databases are available for the research. ‘Amadeus’, ‘Factiva’ and others have given supplementary data about the company’s foreign subsidiaries for example that were not that clear in the places looked before.Actually, the main difficulty was finding data about the company’s operations abroad. For that reason it was necessary to get in contact with the Plantaze company in order to get more accurate data on their internationalization process. The people were kind enough and shared some very important facts and dates that completed the information pool that was needed. In order to work on the Excel sheets , economic, political and geographical data on the countries in which the Plantaze company is directly or indirectly doing business were needed.For this, the official websites of the specific countries governments and other websites of some important international organization like the World Bank or the CIA World Factbook were used. Before starting to write about the company’s past, present and future situation in the company description, articles from the press about the company and its operations were read. Also a look at various customer reports and trade association reviews about the company were necessary, so that an objective and closer insight to the true image of the analyzed company could be provided.Psychic Distance Psychic distance is defined as factors such as differences in language, culture, political systems, etc. , which disturb the flow of information between the firm and the market. Psychic distance chain refers to economic, geographical and cultural distanc e. (Johanson/Wiedersheim-Paul 1975, 308). Hofstede’s model of cultural dimensions from 1970s as one of the first theories that could be used to explain observed differences between cultures, has become an internationally recognized standard and major resource in cross-cultural studies. The original theory identified four cultural dimensions for distinguishing cultures: †¢ Power distance dimension (PD) focuses on the degree of inequality between people with and without power in society; †¢ Individualism dimension (IDV) refers to strength of interpersonal connections and share of responsibility among people; †¢ Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI) measures degree of tolerance towards uncertainty and unknown situations and †¢ Masculinity (MAS) referring to gender differentiations and inequity in society.After some more researches Hofstede added a fifth dimension – long-term orientation (LTO) which relates to how much society values long-term devotion to t raditional values; and in the 2010 a sixth dimension – Indulgence versus restraint defining the attitude of society towards gratification of basic and natural human needs related enjoying life and having fun. (mindtools. com 2012) The following factors were used for this case study: The geographical distance is an important factor to calculate transportation cost from the production facility in Montenegro to the sales markets abroad.The figure was calculated by measuring the air line distance from Podgorica (Montenegrin capital) to the capital of the reference country. It is the most important figure for Plantaze as it is a mainly exporting company. So this factor was overweighed against all the other chosen factors. The cultural distance consists of the above-mentioned dimensions, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism, and masculinity. Regarding to Hofstede the differences of the dimension of country A and the reference country, i. e. Montenegro, are calculate d in a first step.This difference has to be squared and divided by the variance of the whole spectrum of countries. Cultural distance in exporting is important because of the sheer nature of the product. Drinking wine is something that is embed in the national culture, thus making the cultural distance a factor that needs to be taken into consideration. Furthermore for marketing and communication reasons the cultural distance between two countries can make a company change the strategy. 4 It was calculated by using the Kogut and Singh-Formula:When calculating the internationalization process of the company regarding only the subsidiaries and the joint venture the cultural distance variable gains importance. Because entering a market in this way, by greenfield investment, a company has to think and act on a long-term level. The country’s culture can be decisive in whether the own company will be successful or not. The â€Å"wine† distance measures the wine consumption p er capita of a nation compared to Montenegro. This figure is relevant because it would make no sense for a wine producing company to enter a market that scores low.As already mentioned wine consumption is something that is highly linked to the nation’s culture and their drinking habits. That is why this is a relevant figure. To calculate the wine distance, the same formula as above has been used. The economic distance was not taken into account because of the fact, that it is not relevant for this type of industry. To calculate the psychic distance the above mentioned factors have been standardized to numbers between 0 and 1, while 0 stands for Montenegro respectively a country with the same figures than Montenegro and 1 for the country with the highest distance to the reference country.The factors have been weighted according to their importance. In the exporting internationalization process the geographical distance has been weighted with 60%, the cultural and the â€Å"wi ne† distance were weighted with 20% each. In the subsidiary and joint venture internationalization process the geographical distance has also been weighted with 60%, the cultural distance with 40% and the wine distance was not taken into consideration. 5 3 3. 1 Case Study Company Description (www. plantaze. com) ‘13jul-Plantaze’ is a wine-producing company from Montenegro.Its history takes us back more than 100 years, more specifically to 1907 when the Montenegrin wine ‘Vranac’ won its first prize in London. It was but more than 50 years later, when the government of Montenegro decided to invest in the development of agriculture, that the led to the creation of the company Plantaze as we know it today. Between 1964 and 1974, Plantaze expanded the vineyard to 377 ha and the wine cellar capacity to 26. 000 hl. In the 1977-1982 period, the company realized one of its most important projects.Transforming the arid and rocky soil of the ‘Cemovsko†™ field into one of the largest green oasis of the Balkan area is not something to be overlooked. 62 million U. S. dollars cost the creation of the largest vineyard in Europe at that time, covering 2000 ha of orchards and vineyards. The geographical position makes this place so unique. Located at about 30 km from the Adriatic See, on the river Bojana, the ‘Cemovsko’ field has a microclimate of its own, suitable for quality grape production.In 1979 the main processing plant was built near the vineyard. ‘Agrougostitelj’, ‘Agrokom’, ‘Agroekonomski institut’, ‘Uvoz-izvoz’ and ‘Ribnjaci’ merged with Plantaze in 1998. 2005 was the year in which the company established a joint venture with their Italian partners and added the first sparkling wine ‘Val’ to the product range. During the years, they successfully obtained international certificates of quality such as the ISO 9001:2000; HACCAP or the IS O 14000. In 2007, Plantaze invested 2 million euros in the remarkable wine cellar ‘Sipcanik’.Located at 30 meters below the soil, covering about 7000 m2, this completely natural area has the perfect climatic and technological conditions to age over 2 million liters of wine in wooden barrels, oak barriques and bottles. In the last 10 years exports have risen by 530% to 4 million bottles in 2008. The company exports to over 30 countries situated all over the world, from the U. S. A to Canada, to the E. U. countries, Russia, China and Australia. Today, Plantaze still owns and manages Europe’s biggest vineyard at ‘Cemovsko’ field, which stands on 2310 ha and contains three wine cellars with a capacity of 310. 00 hl. They recently announced that the investments made in the period 2003-2009 were over 40 million euros. With an annual production of 22 6 million kilos per year, Plantaze is the biggest producer of wine and table grapes in Montenegro. A quick l ook at their company’s official website will be enough to understand that this company has something special about it. Their mission statement is to produce worldclass quality products with which they can satisfy their loyal customers and gain new ones.It must be added that the company is not just producing and selling wine and grapes. An 85ha peach plantation that averages an annual production of 1. 200 tons is one of their most prized possessions. As of 1957, Plantaze produces and sells about 100 tons of Californian trout. The ‘Mareza’ fish pond covers 6. 000 m2 and is exclusively fed by fresh spring water. The grapevines used are not being bought; they are being grown on a nursery of rootstocks that spreads over 40 ha. Two restaurants complete their portfolio. Mareza’, a restaurant with a capacity of over 400 seats, located 5 km outside of Podgorica and ‘Jezero’, with a capacity of over 300 guests, located along the main road between Podgor ica and Petrovac, on the shore of the beautiful and relaxing Skadar Lake appear in every touristic guide of Montenegro. Coming back to the wine business, we can see that Plantaze offers a great variety of wines. 11 types of red wine and 6 types of white wine are currently in their catalogue. Furthermore, we can find a special rose wine made from red grapes applied in the white wines production. Three types of brandy complete the offer.The Plantaze company is probably one of the most successful brands and businesses in Montenegro. Their incredible attitude towards the environment and their fine attention to detail stands before every product they make. The Plantaze company must be a proud flag-bearer and ambassador of Montenegro because they managed to achieve something that many firms only dream of, and that is to produce traditional goods from your local country and culture at the highest quality possible. For this reason and others, the company Plantaze has been chosen to be analy zed and presented. 3. 2 Internationalization ProcessBecause the company has a history of over 40 years, in which it sold goods on an international level, the need for splitting up the process into more than one period was created. Therefore, the internationalization process was divided into four different phases. 7 These phases are not equal. For example, the first period is twenty years long, whereas the second one is fifteen years long. The reason for this is that the first two periods were slower from the internationalization point of view than the last two. So, in the first period that is between 1964 and 1984, they started selling their products on the Yugoslavian market and in Albania.The argumentation for the fact that Yugoslavia has been added to the internationalization process is actually very easy to follow. Because for the company at stake the cultural distance is of great importance, it was clear that Yugoslavia had to appear on the graph. Although from a political and technical point of view, there was only one single country and one single market, taking the cultural differences into consideration, the situation changes dramatically. The seven entities that are now seven different countries have their own traditions, habits and culture.Therefore, selling products all over the ex-Yugoslavian territory makes the process an international one. Furthermore, if the Uppsala Model is the center point of this presentation, gaining knowledge about different cultures and using it into new markets, like Plantaze did, just proves out argumentation. In the second phase, from 1985 and 2000, numerous other markets were penetrated. Of course, after 1991 and the fall of ex-Yugoslavia, the products sold into these new established countries could officially be called exports. The company entered some Central European countries like the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary.In the east, Bulgaria was chosen to start exporting to. The first countries from the E uropean Union in 8 which the firm started internationalizing were Italy, France and the U. K. , in which they established a wholly-owned sales subsidiary in London. Russia was the first distant market they choose. In the third period, or between 2001 and 2004, the focus remained on Central and Western Europe. Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium and Sweden were the next markets they entered. The third period also meant a development of the internationalization process.Some very distant markets such as China and the United States were submitted to the process. The fourth and final phase takes place from 2005 until the present day, in 2012. Norway and Switzerland are the newest addition from the European continent, while Canada and Australia are another two distant markets to which the company started exporting. 3. 3 Internationalization Motives To figure out the motives for the internationalization of Plantaze a quick look at Dunning’s different categories of motives is necessary. Strategic Asset Seeking Resource Seeking Efficiency Seeking Motives for Internationalization Network SeekingMarket Seeking 9 Dunning (2000) explains how market and resource seeking motives have been the two most recognized categories of motives before. These two categories still correspond to most first time internationalization by firms. Overall, efficiency seeking and strategic asset seeking motives increase in significance and are more common as motives for companies already engaged in multinational activity. He also shows that closer relations with customers and durable relations with suppliers were important motives. Furthermore, he suggests that internationalization was more driven by opportunities rather than threats. Hansson/Hedin 2007, 5) Market Seekers: Companies that invest in a particular country or region with the intention to supply goods and services are called market seekers. This category of motives focuses on demand aspects. (Hansson/Hedin 2007, 6) Plant aze’s home market is limited as Montenegro is a small country and so it brings the firm not enough revenues. This fact and also to diversify the customer base of Plantaze to reduce the dependence on the home market are reasons why they decided to go abroad. Resource Seekers: According to Dunning (1993) resource seeking means to invest abroad in order to obtain resources.This could be resources that can be acquired at a lower comparative cost, or simply does not exist at all in the home country. (Hansson/Hedin 2007, 7) Plantaze is not seen as a resource seeking company, as the conditions for producing in Montenegro are unique. Sometimes skills and capabilities are resources that can be used through collaboration with a business partner. Efficiency Seekers: The purpose is to rationalize structures of established investments in order to gain from common governance. Often those benefits come from economies of scale, but also risk diversification.Therefore, efficiency seeking is s een as gaining from the differences of factor 10 endowments, cultures, institutional arrangements, and economic systems etc. (Hansson/Hedin 2007, 7) Economies of scale and scope as well as the increase of sales and profits are issues that an efficiency seeker often focuses on, and so does Plantaze. Another motive for the company to internationalize is that Plantaze might be able to lower the tax burden. Strategic Resource Seekers: Strategic resources are for example patents, knowledge, the skills of employees, and strategic supplies necessary for developing comparative advantages.By focusing on developing strategic resources the company supports its long term strategic objectives. (Hansson/Hedin 2007, 8) Plantaze’s aim is it to create brand awareness in foreign countries and to transmit the positive image of Montenegro by producing a traditional product from the home country and selling it to other countries. Network Seekers: The network orientation reflects to what extent co mpanies participate in alliances, cooperative ventures and other forms of similar social connections. Networks outside the organization can be very important for the companies.Companies intend to nurse, develop and expand their existing networks. (Hansson/Hedin 2007, 9) Developing useful foreign relationships is an important factor for Plantaze. Their partner have knowledge of the local markets and the necessary skills. 4 4. 1 Analysis and Interpretation Theoretical Background The Uppsala Internationalization Model The Uppsala Internationalization model is a model of a firm's choice of market and form of entry when going abroad. It was developed by a number of Swedish researchers, Johanson, Wiedersheim-Paul and Vahlne (1975, 1977). The model was named after the business 11 chool of the Swedish city and based on the process of internationalization of four Swedish manufacturing companies with operations in more than 20 countries. The model assumes that internationalization is a progre ssive process made of several successive stages. The main aspects of internationalization are market knowledge and level of commitment in a particular host country. The major obstacle to international operations is the lack of knowledge about foreign markets and operations, which can be overtaken gradually by actively engaging in such foreign environments (Forsgren, Hogstrom, 2004; Lakomaa, 2009).The Swedish researchers noticed that observed companies had begun to operate abroad in nearby markets and then slowly penetrated markets far away. They entered new markets through export, and after several years of exports the company could establish wholly owned or majority-owned operations. Thus, the process of progressive internationalization is built on four stages that are: sporadic export, export via independent representatives, foreign sales subsidiaries and production and manufacturing units in foreign markets. Source: Forgren and Johanson 1975, 16 12The figure shows that additional market commitment will be made in small steps, both in the market commitment and geographical dimension. The geographical dimension means that firms enter new markets with successively greater psychic distance, defined in terms of factors like language differences, culture and political system, etc. Therefore, companies internationalize by going to those markets they can most easily understand and where the perceived market uncertainty is low. Criticism of the Uppsala Model There were several critics referring to the Uppsala model.Some of them are that the model is too deterministic (Reid, 1983; Turnbull, 1987) or that the model doses not take into account interdependencies between different country markets (Johanson and Mattson, 1986). Studies have shown that the model is not valid for service industries, situations of highly internationalized companies and industries and that the whole internationalization process has speeded up. Firms also tend to enter ‘distant' markets i n terms of psychic distance at an early stage (leap-frogging tendency), because the world has become much more homogenous and that has lead to that psychic distance has decreased. . 2 Application of the Uppsala Model Only by simply looking at the internationalization process that the Plantaze company followed over the years, it is easy to conclude that the firm followed more or less the theory that the Uppsala Model describes. In the beginning, for example, when the firm started selling their products only on the ex-Yugoslavian territory and Albania without having the need of going to distant markets is clearly the kind of behavior that a newly founded enterprise would have in the Uppsala Model.After learning from this experience (because in from the companies point of view, since culture plays an important factor, it learned a great deal from selling on the whole territory of Yugoslavia, where seven different entities and cultures were mashed together under one flag) they could sta rt and wonder off to other countries and cultures. In the second phase of their internationalization process, countries from Eastern Europe were chosen and some small steps to the Western part of Europe were also made. The first important milestone in the company’s history is the opening of their first sales-subsidiary in the United Kingdom.It is called Monteadria and it is located in 13 London. This particular step can be noted as the exception from the rule since the firm ventured off to a distant market directly by establishing a sales-subsidiary and not starting by exporting and then gradually develop. Nevertheless, it is quite difficult for a company that is active on the market to truly and without exceptions follow the Uppsala Model since it does not take into account other important factors such as market attractiveness, market size and others.The globalization and internationalization effect can be seen in every market and in every country. Because of that, because o f the massive inflow of information and data available in a blink of an eye, companies show leapfrogging tendencies and go to more distant markets earlier. The overall psychic distance between countries has decreased. Plantaze took full advantage of the fast moving business world in which they operate. The company grew rapidly and intensified export activities worldwide. As a result, their export figure has increased by more than 550% since 2003. 5. 1 Implications and Limitations Implications of the Study The main implication of the study would surely represent if whether or not managers that handle the company use the Uppsala Model when entering the internationalization process. Just by looking at the export path explained in the Excel sheet above, it is easy to conclude that the firm applied the model. Of course, the fact that the managers specifically used the Uppsala Model or that the pattern used just randomly fits, is something that needs to be analyzed more in detail.In contr ast, when it comes to the path chosen by the company for entering new markets and countries via wholly-owned or partially-owned subsidiaries or joint-venture, the situation changes. The path chosen is not similar to the Uppsala Model. One argument would be that they chose to enter the British market with a subsidiary in London before opening one in Belgrade or Sarajevo. The logical step, according to the Uppsala Model would be to start with establishment of subsidiaries in neighboring countries and afterwards spread out to other, more foreign countries. 14 5. 2 Limitations of the StudyThe main limitation of this study would be that it revolves around the Uppsala Model and thus making its criticism point, the major liability of the study. The model is old and was not updated to the current economic situation. For example, in today’s business world, companies have the tendency to leapfrog some entry modes and to go directly to more physically distant markets. The world today ha s become more homogenous because of the globalization process that has been going on in the last decades and the psychic distance has also decreased. The company described and used in the study, Plantaze, is not the perfect fit to the Uppsala Model.The point that the company posses enough financial resources leads to the fact that consequences of their commitments won’t have a huge impact on their balance sheets. Moreover, the company is not obliged to go abroad to gain new market knowledge and gain experience because today they can call on other sources for additional information and know-how. Universities, government databases and institutions or other companies from the branch can provide this kind of data. Regarding the limitations of the research, the fact that the findings are closely linked to a specific context is underlying.This research has been confined to a few countries in the European Union. This may not be sufficient to generalize our findings in this paper. Ho wever, this paper points out the direction and may act as an indicator how our company internationalized. Thus, we believe that our findings are useful to better understand the driving forces of the internationalization of Plantaze. 6 Conclusion and Future Research The path chosen by the Plantaze company follows to a certain degree the theory of internationalization that the Uppsala Model presents.No one knows for sure if the higher management of the company intentionally acted in this manner or if the match is just a random one. To better understand their internationalization process, in future studies, interviews with the persons responsible and who took the decisions must be conducted. Only then, only with that data, the study can truly show how the company reacted to the internationalization process and how they proceeded. Nevertheless, without having that data available to be 15 used, and only through analyzing ex-post the steps taken in the past, the Uppsala Model provides a p ossible framework for companies to follow.In addition to future research possibilities arising directly from the limitations, it should be recommended that future research may explore longitudinal research design for further contribution to international business in this context. 16 7 References Publications Birn, Robin J. 2001. The Handbook of International Market Research Techniques, London 2001 Hansson, Anders and Hedin, Kim. 2007. Motives for internationalization. Small companies in Swedish incubators and science parks, Uppsala Hofstede, Geert. 2001. Culture’s Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions, and Organizations Across Nations.Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Johanson, Jan and Wiedersheim-Paul, Finn. 1975. The Internationalization of the Firm – Four Swedish Cases, in: The Journal of Management Studies, 1975, 305-322 Kent, Raymond A. 1993. Marketing Research in Action, New York Kogut, B. and H. Singh. 1988. The Effect of National Culture on the Choice of Entry Mode, in: Journal of International Business Studies, 19(3): 411–432. Masum, Mohibul Islam and Fernandez Alejandra. 2008. Internationalization-Process of SMEs: Strategies and Methods, Vasteras. Pett, Timothy L. 2008.Examining SME Internationalization Motives as an Extension of Competitive Strategy, in: Journal of Business and Entrepreneurship, 2008, 1-13. Internet CIA Factbook n. a. : Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions. Understanding Workplace Values Around the World http://www. mindtools. com/pages/article/newLDR_66. htm, accessed October 15, 2012. 17 Plantaze www. plantaze. com , accessed October 15, 2012. WHO http://www. who. int/substance_abuse/publications/global_alcohol_report/msbgsruprofiles. pdf, accessed October 15, 2012. Worldbank http://data. worldbank. org/indicator/NY. GDP. PCAP. CD, accessed October 15, 2012. 18 8 Appendix 19

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

How Women Became Part of the 1964 Civil Rights Act

How Women Became Part of the 1964 Civil Rights Act Is there any truth to the legend that women’s rights were included in the United States Civil Rights Act of 1964 as an attempt to defeat the bill? What Title VII Says Title VII of the Civil Rights Act makes it unlawful for an employer: to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise to discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individual’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The Now-Familiar List of Categories The law prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex and national origin. However, the word â€Å"sex† was not added to Title VII until Rep. Howard Smith, a Democrat from Virginia, introduced it in a one-word amendment to the bill in the House of Representatives in February 1964. Why Sex Discrimination Was Added Adding the word â€Å"sex† to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act ensured that women would have a remedy to fight employment discrimination just as minorities would be able to fight racial discrimination. But Rep. Howard Smith had previously gone on the record as opposing any federal Civil Rights legislation. Did he actually intend for his amendment to pass and the final bill to succeed? Or was he adding womens rights to  the bill so that it would have less chance of success? Opposition Why would legislators who were in favor of racial equality suddenly vote against civil rights legislation if it also prohibited discrimination against women? One theory is that many Northern Democrats who supported a Civil Rights Act to combat racism were also allied with labor unions. Some labor unions had opposed including women in employment legislation. Even some women’s groups had opposed including sex discrimination in the legislation. They feared losing labor laws that protected women, including pregnant women and women in poverty. But did Rep. Smith think that his amendment would be defeated, or that his amendment would pass and then the bill would be defeated? If labor union-aligned Democrats wanted to defeat the addition of â€Å"sex,† would they rather defeat the amendment than vote against the bill? Indications of Support Rep. Howard Smith himself claimed that he genuinely offered the amendment in support of women, not as a joke or an attempt to kill the bill.  Rarely does a congressperson act entirely alone. There are multiple parties behind the scenes even when one person introduces a piece of legislation or an amendment. The National Woman’s Party was behind the scenes of the sex discrimination amendment. In fact, the NWP had been lobbying to include sex discrimination in law and policy for years. Also, Rep. Howard Smith had worked with longtime women’s rights activist Alice Paul, who had chaired the NWP. Meanwhile, the struggle for womens rights was not brand new. Support for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) had been in the Democratic and Republican Party platforms for years. Arguments Taken Seriously Rep. Howard Smith also presented an argument about what would happen in the hypothetical scenario of a white woman and a black woman applying for a job. If the women encountered employer discrimination, would the black woman rely on the Civil Rights Act while the white woman had no recourse?   His argument indicates that his support for including sex discrimination in the law was genuine, if for no other reason than to protect white women who would otherwise be left out. Other Comments on the Record The issue of sex discrimination in employment was not introduced out of nowhere. Congress had passed the Equal Pay Act in 1963. Furthermore, Rep. Howard Smith had previously stated his interest in including sex discrimination in civil rights legislation. In 1956, the NWP supported including sex discrimination in the purview of the Civil Rights Commission. At that time, Rep. Smith said that if the civil rights legislation he opposed was inevitable, then he â€Å"certainly ought to try to do whatever good with it that we can.†Ã‚  (For more information on Smiths comments and involvement, see Jo Freeman’s â€Å"How Sex Got Into Title VII.†)   Many Southerners were opposed to legislation that forced integration, partly because they believed the federal government was unconstitutionally interfering with states’ rights. Rep. Smith may have adamantly opposed what he saw as federal interference, but he may have also genuinely wanted to make the best of that â€Å"interference† when it did become law. The â€Å"Joke† Although there were reports of laughter on the floor of the House of Representatives at the time Rep. Smith introduced his amendment, the amusement was most likely due to a letter in support of women’s rights that was read aloud. The letter presented statistics about the imbalance of men and women in the U.S. population and called for the government to attend to the â€Å"right† of unmarried women to find a husband. End Results for Title VII and Sex Discrimination Rep. Martha Griffiths of Michigan strongly supported keeping women’s rights in the bill. She led the fight to keep â€Å"sex† in the list of protected classes. The House voted twice on the amendment, passing it both times, and the Civil Rights Act was ultimately signed into law, with its ban on sex discrimination included.  Ã‚   While historians continue to allude to Smith’s Title VII â€Å"sex† amendment as an attempt to defeat the bill, other scholars point out that presumably Congressional representatives have more productive ways to spend their time than inserting jokes into major pieces of revolutionary legislation.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Economic Profits vs. Accounting Profits

Economic Profits vs. Accounting Profits Economic Profits vs. Accounting Profits There are basically two main concepts of presenting financial information in a business: economic and accounting profit concepts. The accounting concept measurement is based on what is actually received by the business while the economic concept analyses and presents what is actually received against what could have been received. These two concepts are affected by several legal, moral, and ethical issues that weigh on their importance in the presentation and effectual consequences the reports will have on the stakeholders. Although the economic profits concept seeks to explain the allocation of company resources in a firm and subsequently reflect the results in illustrating its impact on the shareholders wealth, most state laws mandate companies to provide their financial results through the accounting basis as this information is important in assessing the tax position of companies. Additionally, tax authorities in different state jurisdictions recommend the presentation of consolidated income statements in the accounting concept to make the assessment process straightforward to the authorities and the stakeholders using these statements. Reliable and timely accounting information is very essential in any firm This information should be produced by those who hold high moral and ethical repute in order to allay any form of suspicion on the validity and dependability of information presented. Morality and ethics are likely to be highly unrecognized in the economic concept of accounting as this model provides ample opportunity for fraudulent activity as it deals principally in non cash flow activities but rather economic discernment, as compared to the accounting concept that altogether considers the cash flows registered by the firm. An example of failure registered through difference in the concept includes small businesses that have a high failure and turnover rates. Small firms do not have in place the proper accounting mechanisms that appropriately fit their respective financial structures. This is due to the fact that economic and accounting concepts were primarily designed to fit large corporations (Baker Powell, 2005). The best ways of gauging legal, moral and ethical issues in accounts presentation is through the assessment of the creators and stakeholders of this information in order to determine who exemplifies the best practices. Ethical criteria that could be use in this assessment include assessment of internal control systems, company leadership, reputation and transparency. These issues are representative of the major issues leveraged in economic and accounting concepts of profit accounting.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

An Essay On Leonardo Da Vinci

What do we consider a genius, and who? When studying different definition, and with prior knowledge from speaking to psychiatrists and other mood evaluators, I now have a good sense of the term genius. A genius is someone who has incredible intellectual ability, as well as creative. One who is not only mentally progressed, but emotionally and creatively as well. Mastering a number of different and diverse skills and having all sorts of knowledge would qualify you. Leonardo Da Vinci, is thought to be one of the most intelligent people to ever have lived. Considered a Renaissance man, Da Vinci was not only an accomplished scholar but also a painter, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, anatomist, cartographer, inventor, geologist, botanist, and writer. Da Vinci mastered a number of difficult skills, and had knowledge nobody else had found, especially for his time. His advancements, inventions and art were beyond what you would call good, they were genius. Born April 15th, 1452 out of wedlock, his father Piero and Caterina da Vinci were considered peasants. He was raised by his father, some believed he was not worthy of an education due to this. However, Da Vinci was advanced at the fine arts by age 15 and began his studies in a studio with Verrocchio a Florentine painter. Verrocchio painted for "The Baptist of Christ". He let Leonardo paint with him, though eventually ending his career because he was humiliated that he had been outshone by his student. Da Vinci was accepted into the Painters Guild of Florence. The most famous of Leonardo Da Vinci's art would be the portrait of "Mona Lisa" also known as La Gioconda (wife of Frances Giocondo). You can find it in the Louvre Today. You may have also heard of "The Last Supper", a religious piece of Jesus eating his last supper. Many people still study both these paintings today, still under covering secrets. In the episode "The Da Vinci Conspiracy" on Ancient Aliens, they study both of these paintings. They point out a UFO int the background of the "Mona Lisa". The historians on the show strongly believe that Leonardo Da Vinci had extra terrestrial knowledge, and help due to what he had achieved. He was significantly advanced way before his time, in all subject matters. Da Vinci's had countless inventions, stemming from his engineering knowledge. The most advanced and memorable ones, that we still use today include the helicopter, tank, concentrated solar power, and the calculator. It is hard not to wonder, how was this possible? How did a man of the Renaissance period have this advanced knowledge! It doesn't add up with the rest of his era, or what the rest of the world knew at that point. We still use his notes and mapped out ideas for the inventions he created that we are still using hundreds of years later. Ancient Aliens suggests that Da Vinci had some other wordily knowledge that he some how acquired. Personally, I am open minded but I am not suggesting this is necessarily true, but you have to wonder. I am not opposed to the idea and theories of extra terrestrials, I'm just not set on it either. However, this raises a greg point, how did he acquire this knowledge and intelligence in the era he lived in? Leonardo Da Vinci is by far one of the most, if not the most, interesting and intriguing person to study in history. Da Vinci was known for writing in "code". He had planned to publish a encyclopedia, sharing is knowledge of science and the human anatomy, unfortunately like many other of his plans this one did not get finished. However, 4000 pages of documents have been found from his notebooks and journals of exactly that. The "code" people refer to is his style of note taking. Not only did he spell words peculiarly, but he also wrote form right to left, a mirror image. Another thing that Ancient Aliens covers is this code, it almost seems like he was afraid someone would steal his ideas. There are many other theories about the code but we'll never know the real reason why. May 2, 1519 was the day Leonardo Da Vinci passed away. He lived to be 67 years old, which was a good age to have lived at that time but not for him. He left hundreds of projects unfinished, and the mystery of his knowledge for people to find. Think if he had lived to be eighty, or ninety what other great things he would have discovered. Da Vinci is my, as well as many others, favorite philosopher, scientist, and artists. To this day no one can compare to the way he mastered numerous fields of study and made history for being a genius. It makes you wonder what else is possible in this world if a man as smart as him could of lived. Leonardo Da Vinci is the most studied, interesting and cherished of all the scholars who have lived.

Friday, October 18, 2019

East European and Russian Foreign Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

East European and Russian Foreign Policy - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that in recent years the relations between EU and Russia have been more baffling than we could possibly imagine. Europe has lost its strategic loadstar. Having absorbed 27 countries, Europe is in the state of a dilemma regarding expansion or regarding the issue of dealing with Russia. Russia too realized that its renewed government style was not in a very happy term or relationship with EU which it did not expect and so the relations after EU Enlargement have been more or less a confusing state of affairs. After the formation of European Union, things have changed drastically for the people and governments near them. Russia is no exception. We all know that Soviet bloc was split in 1991 and soviet era republics became independent. Not to mention the fact that some countries which have the Russian flair in its growth and development have suddenly become free and have joined EU. These East European Countries have led to core formation of Euro pean Union. Thus it was soon understood that Russia has lost some of its key allies in the process and that it finds itself in isolation both in terms of geographic and political platforms. Another fact is that these East European countries have displeasure with what the Soviet Union has treated them.   The ideologies were different and there was resentment in these countries over the rule of Soviet Union. Also, the eastern bloc was not too happy with the way military section was withdrawn from those places. Factually speaking as the times moved the ideological differences grew so high that though they had same set of language and culture, they were in fact poles part in government If we talk about relations with Europe then we can say there were issues which actually have affected the relationship between them. The enlargement of NATO, the wars in the Balkan region and more importantly the agenda of the EU were the main issues. Apart from these the internal issues of Russia have become a significant factor of relations between them. In this paper we look at the issue of Russia and EU relations and we will be considering some core issues like EU enlargement and relationship levels among them by considering the security, human rights, political and economic factors which affect both of them May 2004 was historic month of the European Union History when as many as 10 countries joined EU and this included 3 of previous Soviet bloc nations and similarly in 2007 two eastern European nations joined the league, thus the major part of Europe with the exception Russia was part of the league and this was main issue among their relations. The reason for a low relation level with Russia was the different ideologies of the states. Post 1990’s soviet transition government has different perception levels when compared the ideology followed by EU. One thing we need to understand is that EU is Russia’s main partner when it comes to trade and commerce and so let’s look at the impact of this enlargement in terms of economic perspectives of both the countries.We know that Russia is a country, where the contribution of production to the domestic market is fairly high. At the same time, in some EU member states production output directed to domestic market is shrinking drastically. Apparently, these countries chose to be export-driven economies and are successfully trying to integrate into international division of labor by penetrating new markets with competitive goods and concurrently ceding domestic markets to more competitive foreign products. Undoubtedly, they are more dependent on the world economy than Russia.If we look at the economic consequences of the result on enlargement of EU with respect to the relations of EU-Russia we can say that it has two sides of the coin, one which talks from Russian point of view and other form European view. Analysts of Russian view focused on negative implications from custom tariff hikes for separate commodities. They talked about problems associated with goods movement through the newly joined

MY MAJOR (Architecture) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

MY MAJOR (Architecture) - Essay Example responds in some measure to some external or prevailing cultural climates when making their designs, hence overtime it has emerged that architecture is a cultural artifact reflecting the nature of that culture.(Fawcett, 1998) Over the years since Vitruvius writing at the time of the founding of the Roman Empire, Ii has been recognized that an appreciation of the role of architecture is essential to the understanding of the art of architecture itself. Vitruvius in his time identified that there are three basic important components of architecture as firmitas, utilitas and venustas. These three words were later described by Sir Henry Wooton in the seventeenth century to mean firmness, commodity and delight respectively (MacDonald, 1994) Commodity is in the Vitruvian qualities referred to the practical functioning of the building structure. It means the practical functioning of the building will require that the spaces provided for in the structure is actually of use and serves the purpose for which the building was built. Firmness is the most basic quality. It encompasses the buildings ability to preserve a high physical integrity and survive in the world as a physical object. The part of the building involved mostly in firmness is its structure, without structure there is no building and hence no commodity. The final quality is delight, this simply referrers to the beauty of the structure including the beauty of the external environment and the interior design. In order to appreciate fully the qualities of the work of the architecture, the observer or critique should at least know something on its structural makeup. (MacDonald, 1994) The architect as a person should be well conversant with the various disciplines of life; he or she should be well equipped with the numerous branches and the varied kinds of learning, for it is through his or her judgments that all the works of art is put to test (Morgan, 2014). This knowledge then becomes the ‘child’ of

Importance of teaching methods in graduate programs Essay

Importance of teaching methods in graduate programs - Essay Example In the University’s English program, teachers are highly qualified who hold great experience in teaching. They hold majors in English and have the expertise to bring quality education for students. Teachers are mostly native speakers which make them highly presentable and communicable. This is sufficient for international students as they get a chance to learn a foreign language in a native manner. At Guelph University, teachers are well trained in tutoring. They make the best use of text books, training guides and group works to bring comprehensive learning experience for students. Teachers also use the help of multimedia in assisting students to learn visually because students tend to remember and recall things quite well with the visual sightseeing. Collaborative learning practices are exercised in the university which helps them in deeper learning and understanding of a particular subject. The students also feel less isolated and enjoy study in groups which increases their interest tenfold. While performing in the group work the students are less burdened with work and tasks are divided.Teachers organize regular tutorial programs to enhance students writing and verbal communication skills. Moreover, they engage international students with Canadian locals, and this is to improve students’ interpersonal skill and talent. By doing so, international students have the opportunity to practice their vocal skills while communicating with Canadian speakers. It also develops better frequency of speaking in English.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Grupo ABC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Grupo ABC - Essay Example (Pederson, 2007) Nizan also created ties with influential leaders who encouraged on innovation and solutions to worlds pressing challenges ABC involvement in social causes is sustainable and has great benefits to companies. ABC involvement in projects like using creative media that is equipped with talented and creative personnel will help provide a large platform for the company. (Pederson, 2007) ABC engagement in social causes has various impacts on the society. This helped in important issues in the society. It has helped give raise to a better society through mobilization of quality education, change the way people live, and change their relationship. (Berger, 2001)Good education has helped reduce inequality, eradicate social injustices and provide opportunities. ABC considers certain skills in an investor. Investors should be creative and ambitious .they should also be talented in production of quality video and sounds. Selling of shares by ABC to the public through an IPO should be considered since it will propel the company’s financial capabilities to grow at a faster rate. It will also help Nizan senior collaborators to become partners in the parent company. (Pederson,

Economics of Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Economics of Industry - Essay Example buy problem. Therefore, firms and companies can anatomize their Human Resource Management system in order to develop the necessary skills in-house or they can constitute their Human Resource Management to attract the workmen with the obligatory skills on the extrinsic market. For developing consistent as well as competitive manufacturing strategies, the need is somewhat established. This fundamental subject in the development of a manufacturing strategy is the grit of what the company makes and what it buys (Platts et. al, 2000). Chronologically, such decisions have always been made primarily on the grounds of cost, however, in recent years there has been a successive cognizance on the strategic implications of these decisions and the requirement of pondering over a wide range of other factors as well. This paper determines and analyzes the problems related to agency relationships, asymmetric information, and undesirable assortment which are faced by firms who face such decisions. Moreover, it critically evaluates the possible remedies which can address the three problems discussed, which are associated with agency costs. The analysis of effects of the private agents being less than fully rational in their expectations can lead to depletion of the values and position of the firm. In the context of monetary policy, where the Central Bank may possess come uncertain preferences, the innovative characteristic could be the allowance of public to react in two different ways. One of them could be the formation of rational expectations, and another could be the internalization of uncertainty about the Bank's reference in complete. The cost of internalization appears to be the most appropriate guess regarding those preferences. In the progression of framing anticipations or expectations, the assumption of rational expectations enables all the agents involved in sharing the information from the same set. Nonetheless, with the breaking down of the assumption of common information, may be due to infeasibility, or because of the high-cost of acquirement of all the information others have, the agents have to resort to second-guessing the reactions of their counterparts. Agents can seem to be wide off the mark while making educated guesses about the characteristics of others and the consequences to the ideal case of full information and rational expectations could be hazardous. From the point of view of the private sector, a monetary policy can be applied where, for example, the Central Bank has tentative preferences. This could be a matter of choice, since, the bank itself does not unleash certain aspects of what it is cognizant of, or because the Central Bank does not possess firm information itself and, as a result, is unable to commit to one specific set of parameters for all the circumstances (Demertzis & Hallet, 2008). Authors like Geraats and Walsh have analyzed the first case

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Importance of teaching methods in graduate programs Essay

Importance of teaching methods in graduate programs - Essay Example In the University’s English program, teachers are highly qualified who hold great experience in teaching. They hold majors in English and have the expertise to bring quality education for students. Teachers are mostly native speakers which make them highly presentable and communicable. This is sufficient for international students as they get a chance to learn a foreign language in a native manner. At Guelph University, teachers are well trained in tutoring. They make the best use of text books, training guides and group works to bring comprehensive learning experience for students. Teachers also use the help of multimedia in assisting students to learn visually because students tend to remember and recall things quite well with the visual sightseeing. Collaborative learning practices are exercised in the university which helps them in deeper learning and understanding of a particular subject. The students also feel less isolated and enjoy study in groups which increases their interest tenfold. While performing in the group work the students are less burdened with work and tasks are divided.Teachers organize regular tutorial programs to enhance students writing and verbal communication skills. Moreover, they engage international students with Canadian locals, and this is to improve students’ interpersonal skill and talent. By doing so, international students have the opportunity to practice their vocal skills while communicating with Canadian speakers. It also develops better frequency of speaking in English.

Economics of Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Economics of Industry - Essay Example buy problem. Therefore, firms and companies can anatomize their Human Resource Management system in order to develop the necessary skills in-house or they can constitute their Human Resource Management to attract the workmen with the obligatory skills on the extrinsic market. For developing consistent as well as competitive manufacturing strategies, the need is somewhat established. This fundamental subject in the development of a manufacturing strategy is the grit of what the company makes and what it buys (Platts et. al, 2000). Chronologically, such decisions have always been made primarily on the grounds of cost, however, in recent years there has been a successive cognizance on the strategic implications of these decisions and the requirement of pondering over a wide range of other factors as well. This paper determines and analyzes the problems related to agency relationships, asymmetric information, and undesirable assortment which are faced by firms who face such decisions. Moreover, it critically evaluates the possible remedies which can address the three problems discussed, which are associated with agency costs. The analysis of effects of the private agents being less than fully rational in their expectations can lead to depletion of the values and position of the firm. In the context of monetary policy, where the Central Bank may possess come uncertain preferences, the innovative characteristic could be the allowance of public to react in two different ways. One of them could be the formation of rational expectations, and another could be the internalization of uncertainty about the Bank's reference in complete. The cost of internalization appears to be the most appropriate guess regarding those preferences. In the progression of framing anticipations or expectations, the assumption of rational expectations enables all the agents involved in sharing the information from the same set. Nonetheless, with the breaking down of the assumption of common information, may be due to infeasibility, or because of the high-cost of acquirement of all the information others have, the agents have to resort to second-guessing the reactions of their counterparts. Agents can seem to be wide off the mark while making educated guesses about the characteristics of others and the consequences to the ideal case of full information and rational expectations could be hazardous. From the point of view of the private sector, a monetary policy can be applied where, for example, the Central Bank has tentative preferences. This could be a matter of choice, since, the bank itself does not unleash certain aspects of what it is cognizant of, or because the Central Bank does not possess firm information itself and, as a result, is unable to commit to one specific set of parameters for all the circumstances (Demertzis & Hallet, 2008). Authors like Geraats and Walsh have analyzed the first case

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Beijing Sammies Essay Example for Free

Beijing Sammies Essay The AGROVOC Concept Server (AGROVOC/CS) Workbench is a web-based working environment consisting of numerous functionalities for the distributed management and enhancement of the AGROVOC/CS built from the AGROVOC thesaurus. Following the Semantic Web’s vision, that emphasizes collaboration in the development of data and metadata to be shared and reused across the web, the management of AGROVOC will progressively be transferred from a few individuals in FAO to a wider community of international AGROVOC experts. These interested and competent users will share the collaborative maintenance and extension of AGROVOC, one of the most frequently used terminological resources for agricultural information management in the world. Maintenance of the future extended AGROVOC will thus be completely decentralized with people worldwide contributing to its development. This report provides a brief note on the technical aspects of the AGROVOC/CS Workbench. Technical details †¢ Multilingual web interface and content (UTF8). †¢ The software is developed in pure JAVA (version 1. 5. x), with no calls to any third party modules requiring precompiled DLLs or other operating system specific features. †¢ The Google Web Toolkit (GWT) is used with an Eclipse plug-in for development of the system. It is used to build the system as a fully Java based AJAX client browser application that is compatible with all common web browsers. †¢ Where possible the JSP 2. 0 Expression Language (EL) is used for any JSP development within the project (it’s a way of writing script-less JSP pages). Protege OWL api framework is used to connect OWL. †¢ MySQL is used as RDBMS. †¢ The system is DBMS-independent. Additional database abstraction layer for interacting with the OWL backbone and the relational database will be used (e. g. the hibernat e persistence and query service, etc. ). The system follows FAO guidelines for HTML publishing: †¢ Guidelines for Web site development; †¢ File naming convention and file organization guidelines; †¢ Check list for the clearance of Web sites. In summary, the system is based on the following components: Development components †¢ Eclipse 3. 2 †¢ JAVA-JDK version jdk1. 5. x †¢ Apache Tomcat (that supports JSP and JAVA Servlets) Google Web Toolkit (for AJAX framework), version 1. 4. 60 †¢ Google Web Toolkit Incubator, version 1. 4 †¢ Protege OWL API 3. 4 libraries †¢ Hibernate 3. 0 libraries †¢ Hibernate 4 GWT, version 0. 5 RC2 †¢ MySQL version 5 Server side †¢ Windows XP, Windows 2000, or Linux †¢ Apache Tomcat 5. 5. 9 or higher †¢ JAVA-JDK version jdk1. 5. x or higher †¢ MySQL version 5 or higher †¢ Protege OWL API 3. 4 libraries †¢ Hibernate 3. 0 libraries †¢ Hibernate 4 GWT, version 0. 5 RC2 †¢ WAR file with compiled JAVA files and necessary libraries Current Server Configuration †¢ OS : Debian GNU/Linux 2. 6. 22-2 †¢ CPU: AMD 64 bit †¢ Memory: 8GB †¢ MYSQL version: 5. 0. 45 TOMCAT Version: 6. 0. 14 †¢ Java-JDK: 1. 6. 0_04 Required Application 1. MySQL version 5 or above Available link to download: http://dev. mysql. com/downloads/ 2. Apache Ant version 1. 7. 1 or above Available link to download: http://ant. apache. org/ 3. JAVA JDK version jdk. 1. 5. x or above Available link to download: http://java. sun. com/javase/downloads/index. jsp 4. Apache Tomcat version 6 or above Available link to download: http://tomcat. apache. org/download-55. cgi 5. Protege Version 3. 4 beta Build 130 Available link to download: http://protege. cim3. net/download/old-releases/3. 4%20betas/build-130/full/ 6. GWT Version 1. 4 Build 1. 4. 62 Available link to download: http://code. google. com/webtoolkit/versions. html The Step of Configuration 1. Download AGROVOC Concept Server Workbench code from the CVS Server. 2. Download the sql script from CVS Server at folder named sql. Create the database. †¢ Run the sql script file located at your_directorySQLadministrator_agrovocwb _v_0_2_beta. sql This will install administrator_agrovocwb database. †¢ Run sql script file to install the owl model database located at your_directorySQLlank model _v_0_2_beta. sql Here we have provided blank owl model. †¢ You can convert owl file directly to database by using stand alone java program located at: our_directorysrcorgfaoaoscsserverprotegeconvertToDatabaseProject. java †¢ You need the change the variables in the file. |18 private final static String url = jdbc:mysql://; | |19 private final static String table = ; | |20 private final static String user = ; | |21 private final static String password = ; | |22 private final static String uri = file:/c:/; | 3. To add model in the ontology list, go to database and table and insert new row with these values. Ontology id: (Auto increment) †¢ Ontology Name: Blank Model †¢ Ontology Description: AGROVOC Concept Server Workbench Blank AOS Module †¢ Database URL: jdbc:mysql://:3306/? requireSSL=falseuseUnicode=truecharacterEncoding=UTF-8 †¢ Database Driver: com. mysql. jdbc. Driver †¢ Table Name: †¢ Database Username: †¢ Database Password: †¢ Display Ontology on the list: 0 for hide and 1 for Show 4. Use java editor to †¢ Change the configuration of the hibernate file that located in your_directorysrchibernate. cfg. xml Change the property of your connection password instead of â€Å"your_password† and change the property of your connection url instead of â€Å"your_url†. 13 your_password | |14 jdbc:mysql://your_url | †¢ Change the configuration of the database properties that located in your_directorysrcorgfaoaoscsserverowlDatabaseC onnection. properties Change the property of your username of database instead of â€Å"your_username† and change the property of your password of database instead of â€Å"your_password†. |4 userAdminDB = your_username | |5 passwordAdminDB = your_password | †¢ Change the configuration of the mail file that located in your_directory srcorgfaoaoscsutilityMail. properties Change the property of your host name instead of â€Å"your_mailserver_host†, change the property of your port instead of â€Å"your_port†, change the property of your user instead of â€Å"your_user†, change the property of your password instead of â€Å"your_password† and change the property of your from information instead of â€Å"sender_email†. |1 host=your_mailserver_host | |2 port=your_port | |3 user=your_user | |4 password=your_password | |5 from= sender_email | †¢ Run build file to create war file using Apache ANT. 5. Copy the war file to folder of tomcat installation directory. 6. You can use the program by opening your browser and type †¢ http://localhost:8080/your_project_name