Parental Power And Adult Authority - 1473 Words

â€Å"Control reflects the center of power or the source of decision making in the relationship and has a continuum that ranges from parental to child control. Types of parental power indicate the methods parents use to exert their influence on the child† (Vargas, Busch-Rossnagel, Montero-Sieburth, and Villarruel, 2000). However, a recent study found that Hispanic children who are between the ages of four and six often struggle with depression, anxiety, and somatization due to common parenting styles within Hispanic culture (Cohen, 2015). Hispanic parents tend to control by teaching their children to be obedient and show absolute respect for adult authority. They also control their children by clear rules, high standards, strict†¦show more content†¦Baptism and Confirmations are major religious celebrations for Hispanic families that contribute the main part of the Hispanic culture and traditions. In fact, there are many Hispanic children are still baptized as Cat holics (Social Issues Reference, 2010). Hispanic families have strong and supportive family relationships and genuine parenting practice. Most studies found that family cohesion helps to maintain adolescent’s behaviors, decrease negative outcomes, and promote psychological well-being. â€Å"For example, family cohesion has been found to decrease the risk of conduct problems and rule breaking among Mexican-origin adolescents† (Marsiglia, Parsai, Kulis, 2009). Typically, Hispanic adolescents who associate with higher levels of family cohesion reduce the rate of consuming alcohol and illicit drug as well as depress symptoms. In fact, the higher level of family cohesion may decrease family problems such as parent-adolescent conflict and improve family’s well-being. Another study found that Hispanic adolescents who associate with lower and higher levels family cohesion were great risk for alcohol use because high cohesion might be caused controlling rather that s upportive (Lee Warner, 2015). Moreover, many studies found that Hispanic adolescents in immigrant families have more parent-adolescentsShow MoreRelatedThe Importance Of Education In Education744 Words   |  3 PagesIn a democratic education system, there is a balance of authority between the state, the parents, the individual, and the educators. While each group has their own claim to power over the education of children, there is still the question of who should have the most. This question often comes down to the state or the parents because they are the most complicated and influential. The primary goal of democratic education is to equip children with the knowledge and moral character needed to find successRead MoreSummary Of Childhood From The Novel Keywords For Children s Literature1571 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Childhood† from the novel Keywords for Children’s Literature, she explains how the attitudes and atmosphere surrounding childhood have vastly c hanged throughout history to yield the general, modern conception of childhood. Children have been deemed adults in the Middle Ages and childhood has been a vaguely regarded concept. However, as society has become more progressive and developed, an interest in distinguishing the young from the older individuals has evolved. Childhood has become regarded as anRead MoreThe Issue Of The Medical Treatment1549 Words   |  7 Pagesstate may order medical treatment against the parents’ autonomy. Between 2007 and 2011 more than 350,000 children and their parents had their legal relationships severed through a termination of parental rights proceedings based either on a parent not participating in services or on a lack of change in parental behavior (Halloran, p. 53, 59-60). Furthermore, â€Å"in 2010 it was found that nearly 40 percent of children who had been removed from their homes – more than 85,000 children that year – were laterRead MoreGive Examples of/Describe Current Legislation, Guidelines; Policies and Procedures Within Own Uk Home Nation Affecting the Safeguarding of Children and Young People.1027 Words   |  5 Pagesseveral new key principles that included: †¢ The concept of Parental Responsibility; †¢ The ability for unmarried parents to share the responsibility of caring for the child by agreement with the other parent (predominantly the father getting agreement from the mother), though joint registration at birth and a court order; †¢ The local authority to provide support and services to the children and their families; †¢ The local authority to return a looked after child to their family unless it is againstRead MoreParenting Styles and Their Effects on Children1545 Words   |  7 Pagesauthoritarian style of parenting originated in the Pre Second World War Era. This method was developed by behaviorist, John Watson. Children were viewed in a strict, robotic, unfeeling manner, due to the harsh times of this era. Adults expected the children to be molded into adults early on in their lives and be useful to society through stern tactics. This form of parenting developed due to the high demands in this period of time. The children were strictly taught manners and obedience. The relationshipRead MoreCurrent NI legislation, guidance for safeguarding children (CYP3.3 AC1.1)1140 Words   |  5 Pagespiece of legislation that marked a major shift in the way children were dealt with by courts and social services. Parental responsibility was central to the Children Order and it reasserted the significance of children’s welfare as the paramount consideration in disputes concerning their upbringing. It gave courts wide-ranging and flexible powers to regulate the exercise of parental responsibility and introduced procedural and jurisdictional changes. It established a wholly new basis for compulsoryRead MoreMinor s Rights Of Health Care936 Words   |  4 Pagesterminate or continue with Mike’s chemotherapy. The situation described above is an ethical dilemma due to the conflicting principles (Burkhardt Nathaniel, 2008). If the nurse refuses to give Mike the chemotherapy, he or she is violating the legal power parents have to give informed medical consent for their children. However, if the nurse gives the chemotherapy they lose the trusting relationship between nurse and patient. The purpose of this paper is to explore the ethical principles and legal issuesRead MoreThree Categories of Discipline Essays1023 Words   |  5 Pagesdiscipline is extremely diverse in nature. These various forms of discipline can be classified into three larger categories: power-assertion, love withdrawal, and induction. The most controversial and publicized of these categories is power-assertion. Described initially almost forty year ago, power-assertion is defined as the discipline methods that assert parental power. This form of discipline uses control and manipulation, manifesting in many different forms. Though most commonly associatedRead MoreAdolescent Relationships with Parents and Peers Essay examples1380 Words   |  6 Pagesskills mediated the effects of some parental practices, such as responsiveness, autonomy, cohesion, as well as parental attachment on the degree of peer activity, the attachment to peers and perceived social support from peers to some extent. Nonetheless, direct parental influence on peer relations remained apparent after controlling for the effects of social skills. The overall picture is that social skills of adolescents as well as parenting factors, parental attachment and family climate are associatedRead MoreThe Effects of Unconventional Guardians on the B ehavior of Adolescents900 Words   |  4 Pagesspectrum are important to address because many adults don’t recognize the long-term effects of a marriage. Some people talk down about gay marriage being detrimental to the health of children, and yet a leading factor in adolescent delinquents rests in divorce, which predominantly exists in heterosexual marriages. Parental Divorce For any child, parental divorce can be an extremely traumatic event. In young, egocentric preschoolers, they might view parental conflict and eventual divorce as something

Policy Analysis Paper copy - 1430 Words

Executive Summary In recent years, our nation has seen an increased number of transgender students demanding to be included in activities and facilities they have been excluded from in the past. This has introduced a growing number of events that contradict the norms and labels our society has in place regarding gender and sex roles. The very definition of what it means to be female or male is being challenged by this small portion of the population. In their fight for gender autonomy and gender equality in the education field, they have made great strides to be acknowledged and treated as the gender they identify with; instead of the gender that our society’s norms place on them because of their birth certificate sex. In several†¦show more content†¦Fast forward to present day and we see transgender students are claiming gender stereotyping based on their gender expression is causing discrimination against them because they are non-conforming to gender identities . Within the United States alone, the transgender community makes up a whopping 2% of our LGTB population, which makes them a minority of the LGTB community. According to Jacob (2013), over 87% of transgender students claim to be verbally harassed and 53% say they have been physically harassed. A 2007 study showed a bully will target transgender students 66% more than they target a student who has conforming gender identity (Transgender Issues). Johnson (2010) writes the Education Department warned schools about being legally liable, after an influx of teens committing suicide for having non-conforming gender identities. The schools were informed that Title IX covers equal treatment for boys and girls in school programs that are federally funded and insisted schools begin to implement anti-non gender conforming bullying at a local level (Johnson 2010). With those statistics, it is supported that majority of transgender students are at risk to some type of discrimination on a da ily basis in our schools. Policy Description In regards to my paper and how Title IX is expected to work in favor of transgender students, it will be used to enforce the de-segregation of transgendered students in the schools. It will allow for transgenderedShow MoreRelatedComm 215 Syllabus Essay1466 Words   |  6 Pagesand a case study analysis, and learning teams will prepare an applied research paper. The course offers exercises for review of the elements of grammar, mechanics, style, citation, and proper documentation. 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Coca-Cola Management Strategy Free Essays

string(113) " trademark immediately signal that they are committed to serving the most preferred soft drinks in the industry\." Assessment 1 Case Study Report of Coca Cola Company Hang LU S81293 Executive Summary The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:  KO) is the world’s largest beverage company, largest manufacturer, distributor and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups in the world and is one of the largest corporations in the United States. The company is best known for its flagship product Coca-Cola, invented by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton in 1886. The Coca-Cola formula and brand was bought in 1889 by Asa Candler who incorporated The Coca-Cola Company in 1892. We will write a custom essay sample on Coca-Cola Management Strategy or any similar topic only for you Order Now Besides its namesake Coca-Cola beverage, Coca-Cola currently offers nearly 400 brands in over 200 countries or territories and serves 1. 6 billion servings each day. [4] The company operates a franchised distribution system dating from 1889 where The Coca-Cola Company only produces syrup concentrate which is then sold to various bottlers throughout the world who hold an exclusive territory. The Coca-Cola Company is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Its stock is listed on the NYSE and is part of DJIA and S 500. Its current chairman and CEO is Muhtar Kent. CONTENTS Introduction Company Background Mission and Vision Goals The Competitive Advantage of Coca-Cola Brands Five Forces Analysis Intensity of the Competitive Forces Generic Business Strategy Conclusion Introduction Coca-Cola has sold more than one billion servings every day. More than 10,450 beverages are consumed every second. It is present on all seven continents and is recognized by 94% of the world population. Coca-Cola grow from its humble roots as a home-brewed Georgia-based patent medicine to be the international soft drink powerhouse today. Coca-Cola used many technologies to achieve its rise to the top of the soft drink industry, defining new technologies and establishing paradigms that popped the status quo like a cap from a soda bottle. Through technology, Coca-Cola perfected Coke as a beverage and spread it throughout the world. Even today, the US soft drink industry is organized on this principle. â€Å"The Coca-Cola Company† is now the largest soft drink company in the world with products that include Coca- Cola, Diet Coke, Sprite, and Fanta etc.. It is employing about 71,000 people worldwide in over 200 countries. Coke produces about 400 brands consisting of over 2. 600 beverage products, such as water, juice and juice drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, teas, and coffees. Coke products are distributed though restaurants, grocery market, street vendors, and others, all of which sell to the end users: consumers, who consume in excess of 1. 4 billion servings daily. Company Background The Coca-Cola Company is now the largest soft drink company in the world. Coca- Cola became the largest manufacturer, distributor, and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups which operate in more than 200 countries. Coca- Cola was invented on May 1886 by Dr. John Stith Pemberton in Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia. The name Coca-Cola was suggested by Pemberton’s book-keeper, Frank Robinson. He penned the name Coca-Cola in the flowing script that is famous today. Vision Mission Coca-Cola has been marketed with catching marketing themes such as â€Å"Drink Coca- Cola† and â€Å"Delicious and Refreshing†. After years of globalization and brand building, Coca-Cola proudly pronounces its Mission Statement â€Å"The Coca-Cola Company exists to benefit and refresh everyone who is touched by our business†. And their goals: The basic proposition of our business is simple, solid and timeless. When we bring refreshment, value, joy and fun to our stakeholders, then we successfully nurture and protect our brands, particularly Coca-Cola. That is the key to fulfilling our ultimate obligation to provide consistently attractive returns to the owners of our business. Indeed, it was! Coca-cola’s mission â€Å"our people and our promise† mainly focuses in Coca-Cola world is to celebrate, refresh, strengthen and protect. Coca-Cola feels that they should offer a soft-drink to the entire global community, which is environmentally safe and accepted. The company’s mission is directed towards its soft drink business and the strategy management changes that will be forthcoming. Coca-Cola appeals to the long term interests of stakeholders particularly shareowners, employees and customers. This helps to support the local populations by offering job opportunities, and it also helps out the local and global economies in which the employees live. Woodruff’s vision that coca-cola to be placed within â€Å"arm’s reach of desire† came true from the mid 1940s until 1960, the number of countries with bottling operations nearly doubled. It is so feasible that the company can reasonably expect to achieve in due time. Coca-Cola strives to find new innovations to better its products and to stay a step ahead of its competitors as what is mentioned in the mission â€Å"the action we will take†. This is a key element in the company’s drive to be number one in the industry. Also it is constantly looking for improvements in everything that it does, both in the production and the manner in which the company is run daily. Goals â€Å"That combination infuses all the elements of the strategy that we are implementing to deliver value to our share owners in the year to come, and well into the future: a) Accelerate carbonated soft-drink growth, led by Coca-Cola; b) Selectively broaden our family of beverage brands to drive profitable growth; c) Grow system profitability and capability together with our bottling partners; ) Serve customers with creativity and consistency to generate growth across all channels; e) Direct investments to highest potential areas across markets; and f) Drive efficiency and cost-effectiveness everywhere. † The Competitive Advantage of Coca-Cola Brands The company’s sharp focus on its business also gives it a cost advantage. Although Coke earned less than five cents per 8oz serving last year, it did manage to sell about 380 billion servings! That kind of volume has advantages. The Coca-Cola Company has invested in building its trademark for over 113 years. Consumers worldwide recognize the Coca-Cola trademark and icons as symbols of quality and refreshment. Because Coca-Cola is the â€Å"ideal† soft drink that sets the benchmark for consumers’ expectations, businesses that display and associate with the trademark immediately signal that they are committed to serving the most preferred soft drinks in the industry. You read "Coca-Cola Management Strategy" in category "Management" The advantages of coca cola in adopting globalization trends are first of all with the economic scale that is bigger (talking about the whole entire world instead of one country, as mass marketing) it help coca cola to actually reduce the cost of producing adjusting to the country where the product is manufactured and price (cutting the cost of transportation, export and import cost as well as tax). It also helps coca cola to gain competitive advantages of a high quality product. The localize system or management help the company to expand the loca l network with the value creation functions and also established in low cost markets, instead of the country of origins. They also can have a tight bound of long term contract with the low cost supplier in each country. Five Forces Analysis Today, soft drink industry is a very competitive industry to be in. Porter’s five forces model shows us that there is already a strong barrier to entry established by the traditional concentrate producers such as Coca-Cola, suppliers’ bargaining power is strong, buyers’ power is weak, substitutes for beverage products are easy to produce, and the intensity of rivalry is strong since the industry is already facing a slow growth and high industry concentration. †¢ Suppliers’ Bargaining Power Suppliers’ bargaining power in this beverage industry is strong. For example, the soft drink ingredient producer – NutraSweet who specializes in producing concentrate sweeteners. Since there is a rising concern in health and safety issues in the soft drink drinking within the consumer market, the healthier sweetener, aspartame, that NutraSweet markets allowed it to have a high impact and input on costs of each bottler’s product costs. Since NutraSweet was the only marketer that marketed the standard aspartame the costs of using NutraSweet’s aspartame is relatively high compare to other substitutes such as sugar. Buyers’ Bargaining Power The Buyers of the soft drink industry are the concentrate bottlers. Bottlers of the soft drink industry have a low bargaining power since they form the largest base (the greatest number) of all the elements of Porter’s five forces. Most of the bottlers are Coca-Cola owned before 1980, and almost all of them are under some sort of contractual agreement stating that bottlers must ac commodate the programs set up by the concentrate producers’ for the products that they have franchised. High fees are required of the bottlers re such as high start-up costs ranging from $100,000 to several million dollars, paying for two-third of promotional costs, while costs were typically split fifty/fifty for doing consumer promotion and trade. It is also hard for bottlers to identify their own brand identity since their products are made of concentrates and the names that they use are the names of the concentrate manufacturer . Coca-Cola, hence discouraging their own product differentiation. †¢ Rivalry Among Competing Sellers There is a strong barrier setup by the traditional concentrate producers. For new rivalry to enter into the market is extremely difficult since the two soft drink giants such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola have already created a soft drink tradition and branding. Also since the soft drink giants have already created their bottler network and also owned majority of them, it is even harder for new entrants to be gain an absolute cost and competitive advantage. Governmental policies also create obstacles to the new entrants in the cola industry since the word â€Å"Coke† is strictly mean Coca-cola. Current rivalry within the soft drink industry is mainly evolved around the two giants who are Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. The two giants owned most of the spacing for the vending machines, developed most the flavors for the popular products within the market, and occupied most of the soft drink market shares within the industry. They are able to utilize and plane well ahead of other smaller companies within the industry. Other smaller firms are mainly there for competition between the two firms. One example would be PepsiCo’s purchase of Seven-Up’s to expand its product line. Once Coca-Cola is aware of PepsiCo’s expansion, readily they are also willing to purchase Dr Pepper. However since the buyout of Seven-Up’s domestic operations was blocked by the Federal Trade, Coca- Cola also dropped its pursuit on Dr Pepper. In the current soft drink industry, there is a constant battle between Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. †¢ Substitute Products Threats of substitutes are high since soft drink industry is a highly unstable industry. Switching costs for the consumers are extremely low since the pricing of soft drinks is cheap and consumer’s taste is ever changing. There is no tradeoff for the consumers to switch to other products so it is easy for consumers to change their loyalties. One example would be the Pepsi Challenge rose by PepsiCo over the states. The challenged had blinded people over the states tasted different brands of soft drinks and found out that majority of them liked Pepsi over Coke, thus PepsiCo’s Pepsi-Cola was able to gain market share and attracted a larger market share. †¢ Potential New Entrants The soft drink industry is an extremely difficult industry to get into. The existing soft drink industry is already dominated by experienced dominant players with over century-long experience, new entrants would have to be truly unique to be able to gain an absolute competitive advantage within this industry. If their products are unique, they would not have to worry about the fear of product substitution. Once the new entrants have gained an absolute advantage within the industry, they would have to deal with the suppliers who may have a strong bargaining power over pricing on the ingredients they need. Apart from that, they would need buyers, which are bottlers in this case. Once they have a base of bottlers with them, then only they have a chance of success in this industry. Intensity of the Competitive Forces Coca-Cola created a very strong barrier to entry for its competitors. New entry into the market is extremely difficult. The two soft drink giants, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo controlled the whole market. In addition, Coca-Cola has already created its bottler network and also owned majority of them, it is even harder for new entrants to gain an absolute cost and competitive advantage. The threats of substitutes are high since soft drink industry is a highly unstable industry. Switching costs for the consumers are extremely low and there is no trade-off for the consumers to switch to other products so it is easy for consumers to change their loyalties. Generic Business Strategy In order to gain competitive edge in the consumer market, other than responding quickly to the external forces and its internal environment, Coca-cola also looks into its position within the industry. The generic competitive strategies pursued by Coca-Cola are: Low Cost Strategy Broad Differentiation Strategy Coca-Cola is seen to have employed these two competitive strategies: Focused Low Cost and Broad Differentiation. The company has chosen to serve the consumer drink market and achieved cost savings by means of: ) Achieving economies of scale in the mass production of all Coca-Cola products lowers its unit cost. ii) Long learning, knowledge and experience in production and process, as the company existed more than a century. iii) Efficiency and effectiveness in manufacturing and distribution network. iv) Sharing of research and development, advertising and promotions cost among the brands carried by Coca-Cola has enabled to achieve economies of scope. Co ca-Cola uses Broad Differentiation strategy on the basis of: i) Offering of wide range of its drink products . round 230 brands are currently being offered in the global market. ii) High brand image and recognition have resulted in superior product perception among consumers. iii) Packaging and bottling . The use of contoured shape bottle and the slim curly font have made Coca-Cola an easily recognized symbol. Conclusion Nowadays, Coca-Cola is not just a brand. It’s already a part of people’s life. It leads carbonated soft-drink industry growth. The company is monopolize the beverage market over a century. However, People are becoming increasingly health conscious, this has led to a decrease in the consumption of soft drink. It is the big challenge for coca-cola company in the future. References 1. ^ â€Å"Board of Directors Elects Muhtar Kent Chairman†. The Coca-Cola Company. April 23, 2009. http://www. thecoca-colacompany. com/presscenter/nr_20090423_muhtar_kent. html. Retrieved 2009-05-02. 2. ^ Coca-Cola Products: New Coca-Cola Products, Brands of Beverages More 3. ^ â€Å"2009 Form 10-K Annual Report†. Form 10-K. The Coca-Cola Company. 2009. http://www. thecoca-colacompany. com/investors/form_10K_2008. html. Retrieved 2009-08-31. 4. Cola Wars : Five Forces  Analysis October 18, 2007 How to cite Coca-Cola Management Strategy, Essays

Coca-Cola Management Strategy Free Essays

string(113) " trademark immediately signal that they are committed to serving the most preferred soft drinks in the industry\." Assessment 1 Case Study Report of Coca Cola Company Hang LU S81293 Executive Summary The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:  KO) is the world’s largest beverage company, largest manufacturer, distributor and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups in the world and is one of the largest corporations in the United States. The company is best known for its flagship product Coca-Cola, invented by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton in 1886. The Coca-Cola formula and brand was bought in 1889 by Asa Candler who incorporated The Coca-Cola Company in 1892. We will write a custom essay sample on Coca-Cola Management Strategy or any similar topic only for you Order Now Besides its namesake Coca-Cola beverage, Coca-Cola currently offers nearly 400 brands in over 200 countries or territories and serves 1. 6 billion servings each day. [4] The company operates a franchised distribution system dating from 1889 where The Coca-Cola Company only produces syrup concentrate which is then sold to various bottlers throughout the world who hold an exclusive territory. The Coca-Cola Company is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Its stock is listed on the NYSE and is part of DJIA and S 500. Its current chairman and CEO is Muhtar Kent. CONTENTS Introduction Company Background Mission and Vision Goals The Competitive Advantage of Coca-Cola Brands Five Forces Analysis Intensity of the Competitive Forces Generic Business Strategy Conclusion Introduction Coca-Cola has sold more than one billion servings every day. More than 10,450 beverages are consumed every second. It is present on all seven continents and is recognized by 94% of the world population. Coca-Cola grow from its humble roots as a home-brewed Georgia-based patent medicine to be the international soft drink powerhouse today. Coca-Cola used many technologies to achieve its rise to the top of the soft drink industry, defining new technologies and establishing paradigms that popped the status quo like a cap from a soda bottle. Through technology, Coca-Cola perfected Coke as a beverage and spread it throughout the world. Even today, the US soft drink industry is organized on this principle. â€Å"The Coca-Cola Company† is now the largest soft drink company in the world with products that include Coca- Cola, Diet Coke, Sprite, and Fanta etc.. It is employing about 71,000 people worldwide in over 200 countries. Coke produces about 400 brands consisting of over 2. 600 beverage products, such as water, juice and juice drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, teas, and coffees. Coke products are distributed though restaurants, grocery market, street vendors, and others, all of which sell to the end users: consumers, who consume in excess of 1. 4 billion servings daily. Company Background The Coca-Cola Company is now the largest soft drink company in the world. Coca- Cola became the largest manufacturer, distributor, and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups which operate in more than 200 countries. Coca- Cola was invented on May 1886 by Dr. John Stith Pemberton in Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia. The name Coca-Cola was suggested by Pemberton’s book-keeper, Frank Robinson. He penned the name Coca-Cola in the flowing script that is famous today. Vision Mission Coca-Cola has been marketed with catching marketing themes such as â€Å"Drink Coca- Cola† and â€Å"Delicious and Refreshing†. After years of globalization and brand building, Coca-Cola proudly pronounces its Mission Statement â€Å"The Coca-Cola Company exists to benefit and refresh everyone who is touched by our business†. And their goals: The basic proposition of our business is simple, solid and timeless. When we bring refreshment, value, joy and fun to our stakeholders, then we successfully nurture and protect our brands, particularly Coca-Cola. That is the key to fulfilling our ultimate obligation to provide consistently attractive returns to the owners of our business. Indeed, it was! Coca-cola’s mission â€Å"our people and our promise† mainly focuses in Coca-Cola world is to celebrate, refresh, strengthen and protect. Coca-Cola feels that they should offer a soft-drink to the entire global community, which is environmentally safe and accepted. The company’s mission is directed towards its soft drink business and the strategy management changes that will be forthcoming. Coca-Cola appeals to the long term interests of stakeholders particularly shareowners, employees and customers. This helps to support the local populations by offering job opportunities, and it also helps out the local and global economies in which the employees live. Woodruff’s vision that coca-cola to be placed within â€Å"arm’s reach of desire† came true from the mid 1940s until 1960, the number of countries with bottling operations nearly doubled. It is so feasible that the company can reasonably expect to achieve in due time. Coca-Cola strives to find new innovations to better its products and to stay a step ahead of its competitors as what is mentioned in the mission â€Å"the action we will take†. This is a key element in the company’s drive to be number one in the industry. Also it is constantly looking for improvements in everything that it does, both in the production and the manner in which the company is run daily. Goals â€Å"That combination infuses all the elements of the strategy that we are implementing to deliver value to our share owners in the year to come, and well into the future: a) Accelerate carbonated soft-drink growth, led by Coca-Cola; b) Selectively broaden our family of beverage brands to drive profitable growth; c) Grow system profitability and capability together with our bottling partners; ) Serve customers with creativity and consistency to generate growth across all channels; e) Direct investments to highest potential areas across markets; and f) Drive efficiency and cost-effectiveness everywhere. † The Competitive Advantage of Coca-Cola Brands The company’s sharp focus on its business also gives it a cost advantage. Although Coke earned less than five cents per 8oz serving last year, it did manage to sell about 380 billion servings! That kind of volume has advantages. The Coca-Cola Company has invested in building its trademark for over 113 years. Consumers worldwide recognize the Coca-Cola trademark and icons as symbols of quality and refreshment. Because Coca-Cola is the â€Å"ideal† soft drink that sets the benchmark for consumers’ expectations, businesses that display and associate with the trademark immediately signal that they are committed to serving the most preferred soft drinks in the industry. You read "Coca-Cola Management Strategy" in category "Management" The advantages of coca cola in adopting globalization trends are first of all with the economic scale that is bigger (talking about the whole entire world instead of one country, as mass marketing) it help coca cola to actually reduce the cost of producing adjusting to the country where the product is manufactured and price (cutting the cost of transportation, export and import cost as well as tax). It also helps coca cola to gain competitive advantages of a high quality product. The localize system or management help the company to expand the loca l network with the value creation functions and also established in low cost markets, instead of the country of origins. They also can have a tight bound of long term contract with the low cost supplier in each country. Five Forces Analysis Today, soft drink industry is a very competitive industry to be in. Porter’s five forces model shows us that there is already a strong barrier to entry established by the traditional concentrate producers such as Coca-Cola, suppliers’ bargaining power is strong, buyers’ power is weak, substitutes for beverage products are easy to produce, and the intensity of rivalry is strong since the industry is already facing a slow growth and high industry concentration. †¢ Suppliers’ Bargaining Power Suppliers’ bargaining power in this beverage industry is strong. For example, the soft drink ingredient producer – NutraSweet who specializes in producing concentrate sweeteners. Since there is a rising concern in health and safety issues in the soft drink drinking within the consumer market, the healthier sweetener, aspartame, that NutraSweet markets allowed it to have a high impact and input on costs of each bottler’s product costs. Since NutraSweet was the only marketer that marketed the standard aspartame the costs of using NutraSweet’s aspartame is relatively high compare to other substitutes such as sugar. Buyers’ Bargaining Power The Buyers of the soft drink industry are the concentrate bottlers. Bottlers of the soft drink industry have a low bargaining power since they form the largest base (the greatest number) of all the elements of Porter’s five forces. Most of the bottlers are Coca-Cola owned before 1980, and almost all of them are under some sort of contractual agreement stating that bottlers must ac commodate the programs set up by the concentrate producers’ for the products that they have franchised. High fees are required of the bottlers re such as high start-up costs ranging from $100,000 to several million dollars, paying for two-third of promotional costs, while costs were typically split fifty/fifty for doing consumer promotion and trade. It is also hard for bottlers to identify their own brand identity since their products are made of concentrates and the names that they use are the names of the concentrate manufacturer . Coca-Cola, hence discouraging their own product differentiation. †¢ Rivalry Among Competing Sellers There is a strong barrier setup by the traditional concentrate producers. For new rivalry to enter into the market is extremely difficult since the two soft drink giants such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola have already created a soft drink tradition and branding. Also since the soft drink giants have already created their bottler network and also owned majority of them, it is even harder for new entrants to be gain an absolute cost and competitive advantage. Governmental policies also create obstacles to the new entrants in the cola industry since the word â€Å"Coke† is strictly mean Coca-cola. Current rivalry within the soft drink industry is mainly evolved around the two giants who are Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. The two giants owned most of the spacing for the vending machines, developed most the flavors for the popular products within the market, and occupied most of the soft drink market shares within the industry. They are able to utilize and plane well ahead of other smaller companies within the industry. Other smaller firms are mainly there for competition between the two firms. One example would be PepsiCo’s purchase of Seven-Up’s to expand its product line. Once Coca-Cola is aware of PepsiCo’s expansion, readily they are also willing to purchase Dr Pepper. However since the buyout of Seven-Up’s domestic operations was blocked by the Federal Trade, Coca- Cola also dropped its pursuit on Dr Pepper. In the current soft drink industry, there is a constant battle between Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. †¢ Substitute Products Threats of substitutes are high since soft drink industry is a highly unstable industry. Switching costs for the consumers are extremely low since the pricing of soft drinks is cheap and consumer’s taste is ever changing. There is no tradeoff for the consumers to switch to other products so it is easy for consumers to change their loyalties. One example would be the Pepsi Challenge rose by PepsiCo over the states. The challenged had blinded people over the states tasted different brands of soft drinks and found out that majority of them liked Pepsi over Coke, thus PepsiCo’s Pepsi-Cola was able to gain market share and attracted a larger market share. †¢ Potential New Entrants The soft drink industry is an extremely difficult industry to get into. The existing soft drink industry is already dominated by experienced dominant players with over century-long experience, new entrants would have to be truly unique to be able to gain an absolute competitive advantage within this industry. If their products are unique, they would not have to worry about the fear of product substitution. Once the new entrants have gained an absolute advantage within the industry, they would have to deal with the suppliers who may have a strong bargaining power over pricing on the ingredients they need. Apart from that, they would need buyers, which are bottlers in this case. Once they have a base of bottlers with them, then only they have a chance of success in this industry. Intensity of the Competitive Forces Coca-Cola created a very strong barrier to entry for its competitors. New entry into the market is extremely difficult. The two soft drink giants, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo controlled the whole market. In addition, Coca-Cola has already created its bottler network and also owned majority of them, it is even harder for new entrants to gain an absolute cost and competitive advantage. The threats of substitutes are high since soft drink industry is a highly unstable industry. Switching costs for the consumers are extremely low and there is no trade-off for the consumers to switch to other products so it is easy for consumers to change their loyalties. Generic Business Strategy In order to gain competitive edge in the consumer market, other than responding quickly to the external forces and its internal environment, Coca-cola also looks into its position within the industry. The generic competitive strategies pursued by Coca-Cola are: Low Cost Strategy Broad Differentiation Strategy Coca-Cola is seen to have employed these two competitive strategies: Focused Low Cost and Broad Differentiation. The company has chosen to serve the consumer drink market and achieved cost savings by means of: ) Achieving economies of scale in the mass production of all Coca-Cola products lowers its unit cost. ii) Long learning, knowledge and experience in production and process, as the company existed more than a century. iii) Efficiency and effectiveness in manufacturing and distribution network. iv) Sharing of research and development, advertising and promotions cost among the brands carried by Coca-Cola has enabled to achieve economies of scope. Co ca-Cola uses Broad Differentiation strategy on the basis of: i) Offering of wide range of its drink products . round 230 brands are currently being offered in the global market. ii) High brand image and recognition have resulted in superior product perception among consumers. iii) Packaging and bottling . The use of contoured shape bottle and the slim curly font have made Coca-Cola an easily recognized symbol. Conclusion Nowadays, Coca-Cola is not just a brand. It’s already a part of people’s life. It leads carbonated soft-drink industry growth. The company is monopolize the beverage market over a century. However, People are becoming increasingly health conscious, this has led to a decrease in the consumption of soft drink. It is the big challenge for coca-cola company in the future. References 1. ^ â€Å"Board of Directors Elects Muhtar Kent Chairman†. The Coca-Cola Company. April 23, 2009. http://www. thecoca-colacompany. com/presscenter/nr_20090423_muhtar_kent. html. Retrieved 2009-05-02. 2. ^ Coca-Cola Products: New Coca-Cola Products, Brands of Beverages More 3. ^ â€Å"2009 Form 10-K Annual Report†. Form 10-K. The Coca-Cola Company. 2009. http://www. thecoca-colacompany. com/investors/form_10K_2008. html. Retrieved 2009-08-31. 4. Cola Wars : Five Forces  Analysis October 18, 2007 How to cite Coca-Cola Management Strategy, Essays

Effectiveness of Transport Management Aspects

Question: Discuss about the Effectiveness of Transport Management Aspects. Answer: Introduction Transport management is constrained between different aspects that need to be managed properly to ensure that there are effective operations. In a company, the transport manager is responsible for different tasks that cover transport and logistics sector. One of the main responsibilities is to negotiate with customers on the terms and conditions of delivering the products. In these case, the Incoterms to be selected is agreed upon at the benefit of the business-customer relationship. Therefore, this paper will discuss the effectiveness and efficiency of the transport management aspects in Sony Company. The Incoterms selection, carrier selection, and carrier relationship management will be considered in this paper. Sony is a company that focuses on the production of various electronics for personal, home, and commercial use. Sony is among the leading producers of electronics in the world, thus dominating the professional and consumer markets. Sony Group focuses on different investments such as professional gaming, electronics, entertainment and financial services. It has been ranked the fourth world television manufacturer after Samsung, LG and TCL indicating that it delivers most of its products to different parts of the globe. Due to its diversity, it has developed different outlets and branches in various countries across the world to cover the markets effectively. Through its business strategies, it has reached more customers effectively to the end users by delivering quality products. Despite being a large producer of TVs and video games, it also is known for its audio devices productions such as home theaters and car systems (Sony, 2016). Also, it has ventured into mobile production sector, and Sony Xperia has been the most famous gadget that has been produced. Therefore, Sony Xperia smartphones have been competing with other gadgets from other companies such as Samsung, Apple, and LG in the marketplace (Cavusgil, K night, Riesenberger, 2012). The main objective of Sony Corporation is to produce and deliver quality products to the numerous customers around the world. Incoterms Selection Consideration The efficiency of transportation through the 3PLs is directly connected to the type of Incoterms selected by the company. Therefore, a manufacturing company or any other firm involving 3PLs should be considerate in determining the best Incoterms for the business. Some inconveniences might be caused by investing some incoterms like in cases when the importer has to undertake full responsibility for the carrier payment (Blanchard, 2010). Some people might delay payments thus affecting the trust between the company and the Third-party logistics company. The type of transactions between the importer and exporter determines the best incoterm(s) to be selected. In situations where it is a relationship between companies, an importer can be entrusted with full responsibility by paying on delivery. Learning the differences between the Incoterms will be important for both parties. The following is a figure showing the Incoterms. Figure: Incoterms diagram (Lundesjo, 2015) Sony manages its relations with the 3PLs by employing type C and D forms of Incoterms to ensure that there are inconveniences with the payments. It does not mean that incurs much cost in payments of the carrier cost, rather the prices of the products are standardized to cater for those expenses (Sony, 2016). In some situations, the company requests the customers to pay the products price together with the importation fees so that they can pay the carrier before they are delivered. Most importers of Sony products are an end-user individual who is importing for either personal or commercial use. Therefore, Sony includes the exportation fee in the price to ensure that the products are delivered effectively. Therefore, the carrier is objected to delivering the products and claiming the payments from the company and not the customers. Sony should be considerate of the type of Incoterms being selected to ensure that the customer trust and relationship is managed and at the same time the 3PLs feel comfortable. For instance, if Sony subsidizes the importation fee for the customers may raise the trust, thus boosting the relationships. Therefore, type E and F will be the best Incoterms to fit in Sony logistics. On the other side, the logistics company need efficient payment channel that does not require extended relationships. Due to this reason, Sony should stick to its chosen Incoterms to maintain the relationships with the customers and the 3PLs involved. The payment process should be done after delivery to ensure the safety of the products. Also, this will make the logistics company much keen about the transportation process. Therefore, after the confirmation of the cargos safety and wellness, the payment is then credited to the company (Chopra Meindl, 2007). Carrier Selection Criteria Sony Corporation has chosen two amongst the best Third-party logistics firms to undertake their external outsourcing. The 3PLs selected had to be eligible for the transportation of high-tech products, with great care to avoid demolitions that might lead to great losses. ModusLink Global Solutions and Penske Logistics are the companies working with Sony to ferry their production to different parts of the world (SupplyChainBrain, 2013). There are several factors that companies consider before selecting a 3PL company for their logistics. Therefore, the factors that led Sony to select ModusLink Global Solutions and Penske Logistics are discussed in the subtopics below: - Accessibility Sony is a global company, whose products are targeting markets in different parts of the world. Therefore, the transportation of the products has to be linked to a 3PL that has offices accessible to the main branches of the company and others in different continents. For instance, the manufacturing company for Sony in North America should access the logistics firm effectively. ModusLink Global Solutions is a logistics Company that is oriented to international business, and it has branches in various continents such as North America, Asia-Pacific, and Europe (ModusLink, 2016). Also, Penske Logistics has extended its business by opening offices in China and India, which are areas contributing to a significant percentage in Sonys markets (Penske, 2016). Capacity Penske Logistics is a company that has been focusing on providing services to General Motors, tier-one, and Daimler firms (Penske, 2016). This indicates that it has enough capacity to transport large cargo across the globe. Also, it has extended its logistics services to other companies such as Samsung and Emerson among others. Because of the large capacity of ModusLink Solutions observed for owning eight warehouses in the United States and five in Europe, two in Mexico and fifteen in Asia Pacific, Sony selected the Logistics firm to undertakes its outsourcing services (ModusLink, 2016). These 3PLs have enough capacity to serve Sonys logistical requirements. Transit Sony products have to be transported from the manufacturing companies of stores to their specific outlets. Since it is an international company, 3PLs involved must be having the capability to transport goods internationally. Based on the fact that ModusLink Global Solutions and Penske Logistics have warehouses in different continents, they are capable of transporting Sony products effectively to different places around the world. Reliability The companies selected have been reliable to their other customers by ensuring that the deliveries are made in time. Also, Sony checked the reliability of deliveries by evaluating the rate damages for their services based on the previous works. Therefore, it was discovered that Penske and ModusLink are reliable companies in the logistics sector. Due to their reliability, they were offered the job of working closely with Sony by undertaking the outsourcing activities. Safety The products manufactured by Sony are delicate and have to be transported by an individual who has the capability of carrying fragile materials. Also, the products are of high-value that needs to be kept in safety throughout the transportation process. ModusLink and Penske have been identified as a logistical company that has been transporting high-value cargo, thus being entrusted by producers of expensive products. Therefore, these companies are capable of transporting high-tech and high-value cargo without any doubt of delivery. Carrier Relationship Management Carrier relationship needs to be long lasting to enhance the businesses between the two companies. A more firm business relationship between the carrier and Sony Company will raise the trust between the two parties and renewal of the contracts can be extended or revalidated if the business is satisfied with the services. Companies that do not have firm or predictable relationships will not be willing to engage in the deep business transaction because there is not security and assurance. The logistics cost to be expected from a new company should be benchmarked with previous companies to avoid losses. Also, the services provided should be of higher quality to ensure that the company is achieving its developmental strategies (Rushton Walker, 2007). Relationship Chosen by Sony: Partnership Type II The type of outsourcing relationship that was considered by Sony is the partnership type II for their logistical business transactions. There are several advantages why type II relationship was chosen by Sony to maintain the 3PLs. for instance, Type I is characterized by short-term contractual relationships, which will be between the third-party logistics firms and Sony thus making the business relationships ineffective. (Wood, Barone, Murphy, Wardlow, 2012). Reliable business relationships need to be long-term to raise the level of trust between the parties. Therefore, an agreement made will be profitable to both businesses because they will run for a longer term that benefits Sony and the Logistics firms such as Penske (Monczka, 2010). Sony Corporation will be more advantaged in signing a contract with 3PLs by embracing type II partnership that is characterized by long-term contractual business relationships. In such cases, the company is secure to conduct extended business activities, thus having the assurance of their completion within the perceived period. The company can also invest in such relationships and expect to acquire a payback a time before the contract expires. Several transport services are offered in long-term contracts such as vendor certification programs, dedicated freight lanes, guaranteed annual volumes and incentives for cost reduction. Just because the parties will be involved in a business relationship for a longer time, the carrier can offer cost cuts for the services offered within their period of offering services (Monczka, 2010). Recommendations The Sony Corporation is supposed to undertake analysis towards the best-fitted form of 3PL relationships to be employed. It is not a must to create similar relationships on all the 3PLs involved in the outsourcing activities. Rather, cost analysis can be undertaken to evaluate which of the relationships will be cheap and effective and the desired length of the transactions. Therefore, all the decisions made pertaining the 3PL relationships should be for the benefit of Sony Corporation. Conclusion In conclusion, the effectiveness of transport management strategy is determined by the decisions made by the logistics manager in the company. The methods of delivering the products to the customers can be profitable depending their efficiency and reliability. Sony Company needs to hire a carrier that is competitive and reliable. The reliability of transport and logistics services will highly depend on the type of relationship perceived between the parties. The most effective partnership is having a long-term contractual relationship, which builds up trust on conducting business activities. The company should always have a contingency plan to cater for the cases of inconveniences and misfortunes with the carrier firm. Therefore, the business operations will be undertaken in a balanced and secure ground. References Blanchard, D. (2010). Supply chain management best practices. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley Sons. Bowersox, D., Closs, D., Cooper, M. (2007). Supply chain logistics management. Boston, Mass.: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Cavusgil, S., Knight, G., Riesenberger, J. (2012). International business. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall/Pearson. Chopra, S. Meindl, P. (2007). Supply chain management. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall. Lundesjo, G. (2015). Supply chain management and logistics. Kogan Page. ModusLink, (2016). Supply Chain Logistics Solutions - ModusLink Global Solutions. Retrieved 5 August 2016, from https://www.moduslink.com/ Monczka, R. (2010). Purchasing supply chain management. Andover, Hants. South-Western/Cengage Learning. Penske, (2016). Penske Logistics - A Leader in Logistics Services. Penskelogistics.com. Retrieved 5 August 2016, from https://www.penskelogistics.com Perret, F. (2007). The essentials of logistics and management. Lausanne: EPFL Press. Piltz, B. (2011). Incoterms 2010. Internationales Handelsrecht, 11(1), 1-7. https://dx.doi.org/10.1515/ihr.2011.11.1.1 Rushton, A. Walker, S. (2007). International logistics and supply chain outsourcing. London: Kogan Page. Sony, (2016). Sony USA - Electronics, PlayStation, Movies, Music, Product Support. Sony.com. Retrieved 3 August 2016, from https://www.sony.com/ Special Topic Forum on Supply Chain Management in Emerging Markets: Critical Research Issues. (2013). J Supply Chain Manag, 49(1), 116-116. https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jscm.12017 Stadtler, H. Kilger, C. (2005). Supply chain management and advanced planning. Berlin: Springer. Sudalaimuthu, S. Raj, A. (2009). Logistics and management for international business. New Dehli: Prentice Hall of India. SupplyChainBrain, (2013). North America's 50 Most Successful 3PLs. Supplychainbrain.com. Retrieved 5 August 2016, from https://www.supplychainbrain.com/content/logisticstransportation/reverse-logistics/single-article-page/article/north-americas-50-most-successful-3pls/ Taderera, F. (2010). Principles and practice of international logistics. SaarbruÃÅ'ˆcken: LAP LAMBERT Academic Pub. Wang, X. (2015). Operational Transportation Planning of Modern Freight Forwarding Companies. Wiesbaden: Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden. Waters, C. (2007). Global logistics. London: Kogan Page Ltd. Wood, D., Barone, A., Murphy, P., Wardlow, D. (2012). International Logistics (5th Ed.). Boston, MA: Springer US.

International Management Organisation vs. National Culture

Executive Summary Corporate cultures are important since they aid in streamlining the operations of organizations in a given environment. Corporate cultures are established over a long period of time and are dependent on the environment in which an organization is operating.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on International Management: Organisation vs. National Culture specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The introduction of this paper expounds on corporate culture and cross-cultural management. The second part brings out the aspects of management that characterize national cultures in London, Tokyo, and Singapore. The third part explores the issue of corporate culture and national cultures in international management. Introduction One of the most critical challenges in international management is the conflict between established corporate cultures of multinationals and the corporate cultures that prevail in different re gions where firms establish their operations (Ogunmokun Ling, 1999). This paper explores variations in regional cultures and the corporate culture of an organization originated from the United States. The regions that are touched upon in the paper are Tokyo, London, and Singapore. This paper argues that organizations make adjustments to corporate cultures as a way of adapting to corporate practices in the global business environment. Overview of corporate culture in the context of managing in the four regions Most of the aspects of dynamism in international management come from the variation of corporate cultures in this environment (Schneider Barsoux 2003). Multinational companies often establish corporate cultures that help them thrive in different markets across the globe (Oberg 2004). They often adopt a hybrid system of management which aids multinational firms to bridge the cultural gap that prevails between their corporate culture and the established corporate culture in the given region (Pagell, Katz Sheu 2005). According to the Hofstede Centre (2013), there is a close cultural relation between the United States and the UK. Both countries adopt quick reporting of organizational activities. There is also an emphasis on creativity in the discharge of organizational functions in the two countries. However, there is a wide gap between the national culture of Japan and Singapore in relation to the culture of the United States. Individual relationships are given a lot of emphasis in Japanese transactions.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Nonetheless, the uniting factor in as far as integration of the national cultures of the four countries is concerned is the preference of economic or organizational growth through application of strategy. Contrary to the Schein model, most of the attributes of culture in the regions presented in this paper are more visible and easy for the organization to adjust to the culture in London, Tokyo and Singapore. Fard, Rostamy and Taghiloo (2009) ascertain the value of understanding the attributes of national cultures by eliciting the Hofstede model of cross cultural management. According to this model, the national culture of management is established through the prevailing systems and structures of management in a given country (Berg van den Wilderom 2004). This means that multinationals often replicate their corporate cultures from the attributes of management that are embraced in the parent country (Morschett, Schramm-Klein Zentes 2010). The rooting of organizational culture in the practices of management embraced in a country makes it quite daunting for a firm to effectively deal with the variation in culture when it enters foreign environments (Jones 2007). Corporate success depends on the ability of a firm to master its operational environment and stage its operations in a way that appeals the culture that is established in the given environment (Wursten Fadrhonc, 2012). It is worth noting that corporate cultures cannot be totally exported in foreign environments (Puffer 2004). Exploring organizational corporate culture in cross-culture management Lloyd and HÃ ¤rtel (2004) observe that there is a universal embrace of human resource management across the globe. The US values a total quality culture in the management of both people and other organizational resources. This is also embraced by most of the leading economies in Europe, like the United Kingdom. The recent managerial era in Asia has also seen a shift towards the embrace of quality in human and strategic business management. This can be traced back in the early 1990s where Asian countries realized the need for promoting a quality culture as a way of increasing their competitive force as far as competing with the western quality culture is concerned (de Mooij Hofstede 2010). This factor has promoted a desir able business environment in most Asian countries like Japan and Singapore. Thus, it can be viewed that it is easy for an organization from the United States to adapt to the corporate culture that is embraced in most European countries, as well as the emergent economies in Asia.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on International Management: Organisation vs. National Culture specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The main areas that have to be given attention to is positioning of human resource as secondary or reactive, as far as the operation of a firm and the discharge of human resource practices by multinationals that operate in Asia are concerned. This contradicts the human resource culture in the United States and Europe, where human resource practices are strongly embedded in business practices (Wilcoxson Millett 2000). Firms in the United States are widely known for embracing high standards of employee management, e specially in the service sector. Therefore, it becomes easy for a service firm from the United States to adapt to the regions that are ranked lower than the United States in terms of service offering. This can also be attributed to total quality management, which is a critical factor in business positioning in the United States. Total quality culture is an aspect of management that is highly embraced in western firms (Cayla Arnould 2008). Emerging economies like Singapore have also focused on quality as they seek to exert competitive pressures on western firms that have dominated the international market scene for a long period of time (Hennig-Thurau et al. 2005). The antecedents of brand quality and preference are other critical aspects of culture, especially for the US firms that operate in the Asian region (Deleersnyder et al. 2009). Research has shown the tendency of customers in the Asian region to give preference to local brands. So, success of the firm in Singapore and Tokyo requires the company to incorporate local business attributes in its services and products (Delong et al. 2004; Fletcher n.d). Singapore, Tokyo and London present ethnically diverse regions in the world. The ethnic diversity in these regions comes from the fact that they have active and well developed business environments. Tackling the problem of expatriate management is vital towards efficiency and effectiveness of subsidiary firms and effective positioning of the company in the foreign business environment (Pires, Stanton Ostenfeld 2006; Lizardo n.d.). Conclusion Managing a United States based multinational company in Tokyo, Singapore and London requires the organization to focus on cultural variations in the region. The financial services firm in the United States focuses on service quality and strategic human resources. Managing in Singapore and Tokyo requires the organization to adjust its activities due to the tendency of customers in the region to focus on local brands. Th e score matches presented by the Hofstede centre denote that there will be a greater need to embrace cross-cultural communication for firms that will be established in Tokyo and Singapore, due to the embrace of business models that vary from those embraced in New York and London.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Reference List Berg van den, PT Wilderom, CPM 2004, ‘Defining, measuring, and comparing organisational cultures’, Applied Psychology, vol. 53, no. 4, pp. 570-582. Cayla, J Arnould, EJ 2008, ‘A cultural approach to branding in the global marketplace’, Journal of International Marketing, vol. 16 Issue 4, pp. 86-112. de Mooij M Hofstede G, 2010, ‘The Hofstede model applications to global branding and advertising strategy and research’, International Journal of Advertising, vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 85–110. Deleersnyder, B, Dekimpe, MG, Steenkamp, JEM Leeflang, PSH 2009, ‘The role of national culture in advertising’s sensitivity to business cycles: An investigation across continents’ Journal of Marketing Research (JMR), vol. 46, no. 5, pp. 623-636. Delong, M, Bao, M, Wu, J, Chao, H Li, M 2004, ‘Perception of US branded apparel in Shanghai’, Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, vol. 8 no. 2, pp. 141-153 . Fard, HD, Rostamy, AAA, Taghiloo, H 2009, ‘How Types of Organisational cultures contribute in shaping learning organisations’, Singapore Management Review, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 49-61. Fletcher, R n.d., ‘Country of origin’ and ‘psychic distance’: Separate constructs or two sides of the one coin? Web. Hennig-Thurau, T, Gwinner, KP, Gremler, DD Paul, M 2005, ‘Managing service relationships in a global economy: exploring the impact of national culture on the relevance of customer relational benefits for gaining loyal customers’, in K. de Ruyter and P. Pauwels (ed.) Research on International Service Marketing: A state of the Art (Advances in International Marketing, volume 15), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Bingley, pp. 11-31. Hofstede Centre 2013, National cultural dimensions. Web. Jones, ML 2007, Hofstede- Culturally questionable?, Oxford Business Economics Conference, Oxford. Lizardo, O n.d., Globalization and culture: A soci ological perspective. Web. Lloyd, SLL HÃ ¤rtel, CEJ 2004, ‘Predicting IHRM strategy and practice decisions: development of the IHRM orientation typology’, Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal, vol. 11 no. 4, pp. 60-76. Morschett, D, Schramm-Klein, H, Zentes, J 2010, Strategic international management: Text and cases, Gabler, Wiesbaden. Oberg, K 2004, ‘Culture shock and the problem of adjustment to new cultural environments’, Worldwide Classroom. Web. Ogunmokun, GO, Ling, YL 1999, ‘Globalization versus adaptation strategy in international marketing: A study of exporting companies in the People’s Republic of China’, AAM Journal, vol. 4, no 2, pp. 24-41. Pagell, M, Katz, J Sheu, C 2005, ‘The importance of national culture in operations management research’, International Journal of Operations Production Management, vol. 25 no.3/4, pp. 371-94. Pires, G, Stanton, J Ostenfeld, S 2006, ‘Improving expatri ate adjustment and effectiveness in ethnically diverse countries: marketing insights’, Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal, vol. 13 no. 2, pp. 156-170. Puffer, SM 2004, International management: Insights from fiction and practise, M.E. Sharpe, New York, NY. Schneider, S Barsoux, J 2003, Managing across cultures, 2nd ed., Prentice-Hall, Harlow. Wilcoxson L Millett B 2000, ‘The management of organisational culture’, Australian Journal of Management Organisational Behaviour, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 91-99. Wursten, H Fadrhonc, T 2012, International marketing and culture. Web. This essay on International Management: Organisation vs. National Culture was written and submitted by user Cain Bradford to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Ict and Socia Media in Tourism Essays

Ict and Socia Media in Tourism Essays Ict and Socia Media in Tourism Essay Ict and Socia Media in Tourism Essay Topic: Evaluate the effects (positive and negative) of user generated data on tourism decision making. The tourism industry is a rapidly thriving industry that accounts as the main source of revenue for many regions worldwide. As the industry grows, more and more attention is being paid to the use of user generated data to enhance the decision making process in a tourism perspective. The use of user generated data in a tourism discipline is somewhat interesting as many organizations utilise user generated data for a vvariety of motives, however the central focus being for decision making. In the ollowing paragraphs, an evaluation of both the positive and negative impacts of user generated data on decision making will be addressed with particular consideration to the tourism industry and a take on social media influences. User generated data encompasses a different vvariety of media content in the scope of modern communications technology that is used in a series of applications (Ayeh, Au, Law, 2013). User generated data is also gathered via ddigital media technologies and open source free software. Nevertheless, research by Hvass and Munar (2012) suggest that in the last decade there has seen a huge shift in user generated data nd content towards an interest in social media. Social media is now more than ever a vital marketing tool for tourism operators as it acts as a gateway for tourism organizations to interact directly with consumers via internet. Due to the fact that technology is a rising and fundamental resource today with more people gaining access to the internet through technology devices, it is reasonable that social media have been adopted by consumers to seek recommendations and references of tourism based products and services. The greatest benefit of user generated data xtracted by tourism organizations is the for the primary use of conducting and creating tourism products and services based on user generated data (Law, Leung, Buhalts, 2009). Big data is a valuable asset to any organization within the tourism industry as well as outside of tourism based operators. As study (Ye, Law, Gu, Chen, 2011) indicates, each individual will generate an immense amount of data each day over communication and interaction to the extent that the information generated becomes useful and even sometimes beneficial to businesspersons especially to the tourism industry, with regards to decision making. This great deal of data is also referred to as user generated data in the sense that each individual is a user whom generates data eltner Tor a speclTlc purpose or Vla stanaara communlcatea information. Furthermore a positive impact of user generated data on tourism decision making is the fact that the huge amount of personal data is used to improve on services and enhance product for consumers. In addition to this, user generated data is unique for creating opportunities for visitors to produce memorable tourism experiences, involving other tourism businesses to build significant destination mages and better engagement with social media. However, other study (Law Xiang, 2013) too shows that big data can also be regarded as a liability for many tourism organizations. User generated data at most times can be counted as misleading and untruthful data that can be time consuming and costly for many tourism operators. Thus the importance of tourism based operators to take into consideration the level of accuracy of user generated data and whether or not the data gathered is relevant to the subject of matter. Social media is a suitable example of this as many people tend to generate data via the internet. As mentioned previously, social media is a major case in point of user generated data whereby the bulk of tourists seek for suggestions and ideas through social networks such as facebook, twitter, or travel websites that include expedia, trip advisor and many more (Leung, Law, van Hoof, Buhalis, 2013). Besides this, other study by Hudson and Thal (2013) imply that social media is used as a strategic approach for tourism operators and in the last decade there has seen a dramatic change of consumer preferences and decision process of engaging in tourism products and services due to social media information. Hudson and Thal (2013) further point out the benefits tourism marketers are gaining in social media engagement and the costs that come with it. To illustrate, additional research (Tham, Croy, Mair, 2013) suggest that social media spreads word of mouth automatically. This is drawn from users attempting to make public all the wholesome and poor experiences an individual consumes with a product service or at a destination. Despite this, the study concludes with the fact that word of mouth can get the worse of tourism operators whom primarily seek the development of roducts and services mainly though social media and user generated data which possibly will result in an inadequate expansion. To conclude, user generated data like any other source of information, contains both its benefits and costs to any tourism organization and its decision making process. The matter of the fact is, it depends on the liability of the data consumed that could possibly make or break a tourism operator.

DQ 10 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

DQ 10 - Essay Example Procrastination simply refers putting things off to another time. Instead of someone doing what they know they are able to do at the moment, they prefer to leave it for another day. This leads to slow changes in our lives hence lack of personal development. Poor time management is another leading factor that inhibits proper personal growth and development. A person who is unable to manage his time is also a poor planner. Both time wastage and lack of planning means that a person has a schedule does not know how to manage his time. Disorganization and lack of goals also contributes to poor personal development as one has no specific goals that drive him. The lack of discipline to achieve the goals that a person has set for himself or those set at the work place leaves a person stuck in one place hence poor personal growth. As a professional journalist, I have learnt that it is important to conduct myself in a professional manner at all times. First, I have adapted the skill of always been up to date with the changing technology that is used to gather and disseminate information. Through this, I am sure that I will be up to date with the current events, not only in my country but also in the world. This also puts me in a better position to disseminate the information I have gathered to the people who need urgently. I have also acquired the art of confidentiality, especially when it comes to interviews. Most people do not wish to be known publicly yet they still give me very helpful information. For this reason, I have learned to maintain their anonymity at all costs. Professionally, I am able to relate to my colleagues without getting too personal or creating unnecessary conflicts amongst us. To improve my proficiencies, I know I can always refer to my bosses for help whenever the need arises. My colleagues are also in a position to help me in case i ask for their advice. I can also use the internet to improve my

International financial management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International financial management - Essay Example Forward contracts can be traded on recognized markets, whilst futures contracts can not Ans-9) (a). Enter into a 90-day forward contract to sell US Dollars for Euros Ans-10) (e). Insufficient data given to enable the calculation to be made Section B Q1 a) The political risk refers to the scenario where the economic yield would be influenced and undergoes due to the uncertain changes in political environment that cause volatility in the state (MCKELLAR, Robert, 2012, pp. 36). Any uncertain circumstances directly impact the investment returns that could be ranging from switching the governments, change in regulation bodies, amendments in foreign policy or military state of affairs (OVERHOLT, William H., 1982, pp.74 ). It is a common consensus that political risk cannot be measured but it can be assessed. This particular statement is quite right as political risk cannot be measured, because there is no method or tool available from which one can assess the level and proportion of risk f ound under political uncertainty (BRINK, Charlotte H, 2004,pp. 152). Political uncertainty has a definite has a definite effect over the long and short term strategy of the companies as a whole and this particular component is quite essential for the companies as far as generating net income is concerned (HOWELL, Llewellyn D., 2002, pp. 84). Number of time, it has been assessed that political problem is like to initiate soon but there is no tool which could be used in the assessment of the same. If we talk about United States of America (USA), then it is found that the internal politics of the company is quite safe and the proportion of any sort of political risk is quite minimal, while the external threats are quite high like the War on Terror (WOT) and the terrorist attack like 9/11 (THEODORE HARVEY MORAN, Gerald Thomas West, 2005, pp. 142). Analysts, even the individuals assessed this particular problem in total, but this particular problem cannot be measured quantifiably because of unavailability of any sophisticated method and tool of the same (HARMS, Philipp, 2000, pp. 186). b) Political risk can also be referred as â€Å"geopolitical risk† a factor, because of the longer the time span of the investment. On account of the inadequate sample size or case study in order to confer the political risks of the individual countries is disreputably difficult to enumerate (HANS SIEGWART, Ivo G. Caytas, Julian I. Mahari, 1989, pp. 69). Hardly any of the political risk could be indemnified alongside by means of international institutions or other government agencies. As a result of political risks may directly have an effect on return on investment, and also restricted to eliminate the withdrawal of funds from investment capacity (O'LEARY, Michael Kent, 2004, pp. 37). Alternatively to this, there are many anti political risk strategies which are being considered to minimize the explicit threats and by implementing these strategies will cause greatly to meet t he expectation and demands of overseas projects, find management and different contracts (WAGNER, Daniel, 1999, pp. 102). There are number of forms of political risk that could affect over the productivity of a company

Vietnams Declaration of Independence Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Vietnams Declaration of Independence - Case Study Example April 27, Captain Patti requested Ho Chi Minh to allow the OSS team work with the Annamites with the intention of gathering intelligence on the Japanese. Ho agreed to the Captain’s request and set up a camp in the jungle that would later be Viet Minh’s headquarters. It is worth noting that all requests made to Ho by the United States, he agreed to. In his DoI speech, Chi Minh used the second paragraph of America’s 1776 Declaration of Independence to assert his point. He states that Vietnam’s wish to be a sovereign nation is in agreement with the principles of humanity and equality. He further states that all Vietnamese, like any other sovereign citizens, have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. According to Ho, this statement means that all men, irrespective of any differences, have a are all born equal at birth and that freedom cannot be taken away, meaning the rights at from birth are inalienable. In emphasizing these principles, Ho st ates that the same principles were used by the United States in the 1776 Declaration of Independence. Ho goes on to point out that the same principles were the foundation of the 1791 Declaration of the French Revolution on the Rights of Man and the Citizen. The French declaration mainly states that all men are born free, have equal rights, and must at all times be free with equal rights. If these principles were reasserted in the Declaration of Independence and the Declaration of French Revolution, then they should be applied to Vietnam’s Declaration of Independence as well.

Political Structure Of The Roman Empire Theology Essay

Political Structure Of The Roman Empire Theology Essay The public sphere of Rome, which included religious norms, social settings, as well as some other cultural divides, has been known to greatly affect the Roman political system throughout, from its inception to its fall. Our world has seen many great empires and perhaps the most popular one by name is the Roman Empire. A great number of books have been written on this subject, many movies have been made, and the Roman Empire remains rich in our minds to this date. The Roman history involves some great moments as it recounts such great leaders as Julius Caesar (see Picture 1), the birth of Christ and his exploits, and then the setting up of the Church and the Vatican by Constantine. Just like any other state or empire, the Roman Empire was also much affected by the people that were its subjects. These people had their own religion throughout the various epochs of the Empire, and these people had their own norms and practices. The Roman citizen was instantly recognized by his toga (See Illustration 1) and the Roman army by his uniform (See Picture 2) The political structure of the Roman Empire was affected by the way that its citizens had behaved during the various times, including their religion, their social structure, gender relations and economics. This paper shall follow the course of the Roman Empire through history, from its inception to its decline and fall and relate how the various factors were able to influence the Empire in different ways. It is also important to realize that the Roman public was able to influence the political structure of the Roman Empire. The culture of the Roman Empire was influenced by many factors. The Roman Senate declared Augustus (See Picture 3) as the Emperor of Rome in 27BC. This was the beginning of the Roman Empire that was destined to last for the next five hundred years, adding more and more territories to its name. The diversity in the Roman Empire came because of the number of regions that it was able to incorporate into its boundaries. The Roman Empire included ancient Britain, Arabia, and Romania. Augustus was a good ruler and he was able to stabilize Rome both politically as well as socially. A lot of development in the areas of art, literature, and philosophy took place in the Roman Empire, as it continuously borrowed from various civilizations and cultures. Among the most important of things that came out of the Roman Empire include the religious and ethical elements of Judaism, the teachings of Christianity, the study of astronomy and astrology, and so much more information from other Eastern count ries like Persia and Egypt. This spread of information gave power to the Roman politics since they were able to use this knowledge to introduce new reforms in their political structure, as well as add some mystery to it. The Romans left such a mark of their culture on the world that people and artists, centuries later, such as Michelangelo in the 16th century A.D, This is how the Roman culture was able to spread its architecture and literature all over Europe, and we can still find their elements in various Western traditions today. One of the areas where we see the most of Roman influence is that of mathematics. Many of the theories and principles that are employed in mathematics have been the product of Greek/Roman minds such as Archimedes and Pythagoras. Their ideas have formed the basis of what we call geometry. Many innovations and inventions have been made based on these ideas and hence we see a large influence of Roman mentality in things like weapons and architecture. Much of theoretical as well as practical science has also been laid down by the Romans. They established the field of botany and many of the early Roman scientists worked to collect a horde of information about many of the plants that existed in the region. Aristotle and his Theophrastus (often referred to as the father of botany) classified and named these plants. Although no apparent connection exists between the advancement in mathematics and the political structure, we find that as more and more mathematical concepts were introduced and adopted in Rome, the politicians also were able to adopt their versatility. One of the concepts that arose out of mathematics was economics and the Romans were able to carry out trade on a better level. This gave a boost to the Roman Empire and the politicians were able to use mathematics to their advantage. Many of the ideas of economics and politics that the Western world follows toady have also been derived from Ancient Romans. The Romans system of the senate is still employed by many Western countries today. In addition, the Romans were the first ones to introduce the ideas of interest in business and loans and we all know that the whole economic arena of the world today works on the principles of interest. Many of the Greek/Roman philosophers, such as Aristotle and Socrates, also played their role in Roman influence and we see that many Western countries have their contemporaries who are always building upon the original ideas and concepts. The Roman influence on art is phenomenal. We find that many of the artists of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment era used to follow the art techniques of the Romans. Many of the sculptures and murals painted by Michelangelo (See Illustration 2) are evidence of the fact that he was motivated and inspired by Roman art. These theories, aspiration s, and ideas were passed from the Greeks to the Romans and then to other nations in Western Europe. The most comprehensive aspect of the social life and the Empire that the Romans were able to develop and spread to the rest of Europe includes the details of the Roman Law. The Romans were able to take the basic framework provided by the Greeks and transform it into an extremely sophisticated and scientific legal system. The history of Roman law spans almost a thousand years from the law of the twelve tables (449 BC) to Justinians codes (aroung 530 BC). The twelve tables still reflect a relatively primitive and pre-scientific legal system. However, from the 2nd century B.C, the Romans began to apply the methods and categories of Greek philosophy to legal problems (which the Greeks themselves had never thought of). A legal profession began to emerge and the production of scholarly treaties on Roman law started. It was in the second century AD that the Roman legal science was able to reach its peak. This happened when the economic and political conditions of the principate became favor able to the scholarly activity of Roman jurists. However, this classical age of the Roman jurists ended in the 3rd century and no one has been adequately able to explain that. The following centuries saw a general decline of Roman legal culture, which was not stopped by the efforts of emperor Justinian to revive classical Roman law in the 6th century. Justinian did manage, however, to preserve a great part of the literary legacy of the classical jurists by incorporating their writings in his codes. The Digest, which is the most important part of the codification and was published in 533, is a gigantic collection of fragments from classical text books and commentaries. While it was unknown in Western Europe in the early middle ages, it was rediscovered around 1070 in Italy. From that time onward, Roman law and especially the teachings of the classical jurists preserved in the Digest became the basis of continental European. It has been said quite rightly, that the Digest is one of the most influential books in European . Perhaps the most important aspect of the Roman culture that was able to affect the political structure the most was religion. Rome had grown up to be a formidable empire by 120 AD (See Map). The history of Rome is embedded with wonder. Much of what Rome was to become in the later stages of its life was due to the ancient yet colorful religion, one that is now known as Roman mythology. The Romans had gods and goddesses for every element, and for every occasion. These gods were in a continuous state of tension, balancing the good and evil, while keeping the humans happy as well. It is in this religion that we find the basic impetus for the Roman Empire, its political structure, and its social environment. Perhaps Ovid was best able to present this relationship between the gods and humans in his Metamorphoses. The first story of a human involves a sinner, punished for his offence against the gods. Lycaons case represents one example of the wickedness of all humanity in the Iron Age. Lyc aon (wolf man in Greek) is the reason for the flood, Jupiter explains, but not the origin of evil (Ovid does not mention the famous story of Pandoras box). Lycaons metamorphosis into a beast reveals his true nature; the description translates literally, his mouth gathered savagery from the man himself. The reaction of the other gods to Jupiters punishment of Lycaon resembles a senate of yes-men; at first it sounds as if the gods feel pity for humanity, but soon their selfish motives are revealed: without men they will lose their sacrifices. Jupiter claims that he wants to make the world safe for lesser divinities, nymphs, fauns, satyrs, but as we will soon see in the stories to follow, the biggest threat to pretty young nymphs are the amorous gods themselves After the ancient religions in Rome, came the slightly modern ideas that pertain to cynicism and stoicism. One of the most famous of the Stoics was Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (See Picture 4). His whole political system was dictated by the Stoic way of life as he was in favor of the human being devoid of all emotions, where things like envy, fear, etc were all thought to have come out of false judgments of the human minds. The focus of much of Aureliuss philosophy had to do with the ethics that were involved in the Stoic way of life. These ethics involved the four basic virtues of wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance. Aurelius was also an advocate of going through continuous meditation and exercises in order to keep the mind and the body in a state of togetherness. In Meditations, Book II, part 1, Aurelius writes: Say to yourself in the early morning: I shall meet today ungrateful, violent, treacherous, envious, uncharitable men. All of these things have come upon them through ignorance of real good and ill I can neither be harmed by any of them, for no man will involve me in wrong, nor can I be angry with my kinsman or hate him; for we have come into the world to work together This is not just him making a statement; rather it is giving the reader a practical technique of reminding oneself every day, repeatedly, of the problems that the person might face, and how they can be solved. This is somewhat reminiscence of what later became to be known as the self-fulfilling prophecy. This Stoic way of life was greatly reflected in Aurelius political structuring of Rome. But perhaps the one religion that had the most impact on the Roman empire and its political structuring is Christianity. The fall of the Roman Empire brought about a rise of Christianity and the Christian Church and this affected many changes in the view of the world. Some of the rulers of Christianity, like Saint Augustine (354-430 AD), upheld that the Bible should be considered the only legitimate source of information about important questions and this led to a great devotion to the Bible as the main source of intellectual reserve for the Western civilization for many years to come. Many of the Christians fell into the dark ages right after the fall of the Roman empire as well and only a few found salvation in the religion. The evolution of the Christian church in terms of contributions by various rulers are discussed herein. Constantine I (See Picture 5) was one who helped contribute a lot to the rise of the Christian church as he was one of the most advantageous advocates of the Orthodox Church. He was a Roman emperor who legalized Christianity and founded Constantinople, and by doing so he single handedly laid the foundations of the Greco-Christian Empire of Byzantium. He adopted Christianity as the religion of his state and gave freedom to the priests and bishops to practice Christianity without bounds. Another emperor who was instrumental in the expansion and vital to the race of Christianity was Theodosios I (born 347 AD). In 380, he proclaimed Christianity as the official religion of the state. He also convened the second Ecumenical Council and finalized the Articles of Faith. As with these two aforementioned Emperors, there was many who ruled Byzantine and helped it progress in terms prospective growth as well as religious development of Christianity. By the 11th and 12th centuries, Christianity saw a divide into the East and the West sections due to the vast land distances that the religion covered. There was hardly even any contact between the Christians of the East and the Christians of the West because of the great geographical distances between them. They did, however, remain to be the same religion, and were only kept apart in their cultural and historical upbringing by imaginary lines of directions. Thus were born many different independent and self-governing churches that answered to either the Western or the Eastern Orthodox Church. All these churches were in contact with each other and were bind together by the canon law and followed the same traditions, literature, ecclesiastical calendar, and customs. The Roman Empire remained a powerful one for more than 300 years, but it also met its doom when it disintegrated into two parts, the Western and the Eastern empire. No one is quite sure exactly when the division occurred but everyone agrees that it was a gradual transformation. It all started because of power struggles between the rulers of the area. There were many times in the history of Rome when the rulers were undecided as to the determination of successors to their thrones. After 330 A.D, Rome was often engaged in civil wars between martials, all of whom wanted to be the rulers of Rome. The Roman economy aslo played a vital role in its division. Eastern Rome found better uses for its slaves and there was a change in the social and economical system of that region. The Eastern part of the empire developed a different political system, one that resembled the fuedal system of today, and this gave a boost to their economy. The Western part, however, stuck to conventional norms and soon their middle class disappeared in the wake of excessive taxing and the Western Roman Empire fell. Since Byzantine was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, the region came to be known as the Byzantine Empire. The Eastern Empire survived because it had a more developed urban culture and it was not invaded as much as the Western one was. Since the Byzantine Empire had been a part of the grander Roman Empire, it retained much of the Roman laws and its heritage, although the legal code was updated. The official langiage of the region remained as Latin in the beginning and was changed to Greek later on. Many new churches, including the famous Church of Agia Sofia (Holy Wisdom), were also contructed. Some of Byzantiums contribution to Western Europe include great works of literature and art, a framework for an extremely efficient and highly centralized administration, and trading norms and regulations. Perhaps the biggest contribution comes out of the setup of the Orthodox Church that defined the cultural, political, social, and religios life of the region and its people for many a years to come. The Orthodox Church originated with Christ himself and can be said to be as old as Christianity itself. The Orthodox Church is geographically considered to be an Eastern Church because it is basically a creation Middle Eastern, Hellenic, and Slavic history and culture. Most of the growth and progress of the Orthodox Church, whether it is historical or spiritual, has been done on its own, almost entirely with segregation from Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. The divide between the two parts, the East and the West, cannot be easily identified, but this divide occurred mostly in the 11th and 12th centuries. There was hardly even any contact between the Christians of the East and the Christians of the West before this and because of the far greater distances of those, these two, however same religions, were kept apart in their cultural and historical upbringing by imaginary lines of directions. There are many different independent and self-governing churches that answer to the Easter n Orthodox Church. All these churches are always in contact with each other and are bind together by the canon law The Orthodox Churchs administration was directed over managing the people around the land, people, which were known as a community. There were many such communities all over the ancient Russian and Greek regions of the land and each city of the era had a community that served the Orthodox Church. The highest rank amongst the governors of these communities was the bishop, who was assisted in his duties by priests (or presbyters) and deacons. The idea of martyrdom was common to the people of the Orthodox Church as it attracted much persecution from the other forms of governments that were in operation in those times. The administrative ideas about holding a council were always very important to the Orthodox Church and they believed that the council was the only able body to administer the laws and rules of the Church unto the people of the area. These councils were setup so that any problem that could not be solved by one person alone was put to the vote and many able heads were put together to work out the will of God on the problematic issue. The first council was converged in Jerusalem and it was convened so that the Apostles could come to a decision upon a serious issue. Many different types of council were setup, local ones and the famous Apostolic Council. It was only in the fourth century, when an Emperor of Constantine embraced Christianity that the Christian Empire was founded. Another important aspect of religion that greatly affected the Roman Empire were the Seven Ecumenical Councils. The Seven Ecumenical Councils were the most important councils of the Orthodox Church. The first one was convened in Nicea in 325 A.D. By Constantine the great and the last one again in Nicea in 787 A.D. The main topics that the Councils addressed were mostly on the nature of Jesus advent on Earth. The first Council was very sure in its decision and it described the nature of Christ as being the same as of God Himself. The Father and Son image of God Jesus was discussed in the second Ecumenical Council held in Constantinople in 381 A.D and it decreed the Trinitarian ideology that there were three states of God: Father, Son and Spirit. The Macedonians were condemned as heretics in this second Council. The third Ecumenical Council was held in Ephesus in 431 A.D. Nestorians were deemed as heretics and Jesus was proclaimed to be both complete God and complete man in one person and thus Mary became theotokos, or God Bearer because she gave birth to both God and Man. The Third Council also declared that both the parts of the Creed were final and complete. The Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Councils were all on the debate of whether the Christ was God or man and all of them declared him as being both occurring in the same form. There were some ideas by the Monophysites and the Monoethlites that Jesus humanity dissolved in the presence of his divinity. So Jesus was only divine. There was vehement condemnation of this theory and all the Councils announced that Jesus is complete God and complete man. There was an intermediate council between the Sixth and Seventh one and it was called the Qinisext Council (Trullo) and was held in Constantinople 692 A.D. This council was held for the completion of the fifth and sixth one and it was held for purely administrative reasons from where the canons were ratified. The seventh Ecumenical Council was held in Nicea in 787 A.D and is also called The Sunday of Orthodoxy. The main debate of this council was what to do with all the images of God and Jesus. So, we find that just like any other political regime is affected by the way that the people orient themselves in it, so was the Roman Empire affected by the various cultural and social aspects of its citizens. And as it is with most of the states, we also find that religion had the biggest part to play in determining the political structure of the Roman Empire. This religious intervention had been instilled in the Roman culture and politics ever since the prehistoric times, where the ancient religions governed the way that the emperors would rule the empire. These religious undertones were also responsible in setting up the social structure of Rome, as it differentiated between the men of different classes. The elites in Rome enjoyed a privileged class where they were free to engage in artistic and intellectual ways of life. Some of the Romans, those who could afford to, would import slaves from distant land and would flaunt them as being more talented than the average Roman slave. This sophistication of the Roman citizens allowed for many other innovations in the social, and hence, the political system of Rome. It was required to make special laws for the foreigner and the slaves, and the elites also enjoyed some special rights. No slaves were allowed to enter the government, while it was the elites birth right to be a Senator. Thus, the more sophisticated the Romans became, so did their political structure. The reason for the public sphere being so much effective in influencing the political realm in the Roman Empire is because it was a very sophisticated empire. We tend to think of those times as being the ancient ages, yet the Romans were very ahead of their time and they were able to live a life that was essentially very different from those people who lived all over the rest of the world. The Romans had confidence, they had ability, and they had their pride, all of which made them into a culturally and socially strong nation. This strength of their nation was also reflected in their political sphere as their citizens were very closely tied up to the government (the senate was elected democratically from the common citizens). Thus the public sphere was greatly able to affect the political structure of Rome, as discussed above in this paper. Picture 1 Julius Caesar, perhaps the most famous Roman of them all Illustration 1 The Roman toga: dress sharp to be a politician Picture 2 The gladiators suit, a soldiers uniform Picture 3 Augustus, the first Roman Emperor Illustration 2 Michelangelos Ceiling of the Sistine Vault Map The Romans had conquered most of Europe by 120 A.D. Picture 4 Marcus Aurelius, the Stoic Picture 5 Constantine I, the Christian Roman Work Cited Aurelius, Marcus, Meditations Book II, Part 1, London: Modern Library, 2003 Ovid, Allen Mandelbaum, The Metamorphoses of Ovid, New York: Harvest Books, 1995 MacMullen, Ramsay, Romanization in the Time of Augustus, Yale University Press, 2000. Veynw, Paul, editor, A History of Private Life: I From Pagan Rome to Byzantium Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1992 Wikipedia, Culture of Ancient Rome, Online, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_culture (Accessed November 28, 2005) Pictures and Maps Portrait Gallery, Online, http://www.roman-empire.net/republic/laterep-gallery-index.html (November 21, 2005) Reenactment Event at Corbridge, Online, http://www.cavazzi.com/roman-empire/diverse/reenactment-corbridge-2002.html (November 21, 2005) Rome: Map of the Empire, Online, http://intranet.dalton.org/groups/Rome/RMap.html (November 20, 2005) Wikipedia, Caesar Augustus, Online, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus (November 21, 2005) Wikipedia, Constantine I, Online, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_I_%28emperor%29 (November 22, 2005) Wikipedia, Marcus Aurelius, Online, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Aurelius (November 22, 2005) Wikipedia, Roman Culture, Online, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Toga1.png (November 21, 2005) Web Gallery of Art, Frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, Online, http://gallery.euroweb.hu/art/m/michelan/3sistina/1chapel.jpg (November 22, 2005)