Define Marketing Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Define Marketing Paper - Essay Example Taken into account these definitions, it is possible to say that marketing is a matching process between the needs and expectations of customers, and the ability and capacity of the organizations to satisfy these needs. Also, the aim of the company is to create high quality products to meet the needs of the customers and attract new clients. Marketing is important to organizational success because it involves sales, purchases, exchange of goods, services and information about these goods. Marketing is supported by such activities as advertising, the publishing of a wide range of information, scheduling, distribution, payment, and service. Also, marketing can be described as the activity that involves product design, manufacturing, and transportation. Without marketing, an organization will not be able properly plan its activities in order to reach a common goal. Marketing helps to coordinate work of "production, research and financial activities" (Appleby, 1994, p.262). The recent activities of Tesco PLC (the

Street Scene Essay Example for Free

Street Scene Essay In the painting Street Scene, Pink Sky, Paris, there are several elements that make the painting a unique piece of art reflecting the contemporary feeling of the expressionistic and post impressionistic movements of the early twentieth century. James Wilson Morrice expresses these movements completely in this painting, which is a masterwork of form, color and balance. In this painting, the first thing the eye goes to s the upper right hand part of the painting. Here there is a series of four buildings that are well lit and in shades of yellow and gold. The roofs are in shades of charcoal and burnt umber. One notices that the buildings grow progressively smaller as thy move down the street. Next, you notice the people. There appear to be three women and a man. The man appears all in black, black overcoat and black hat. Next to him, facing him is a woman in a red dress and hat in brown and umber. She is wearing gloves. One’s eyes then drift to the front left of the painting where the other two women are walking by the cafe. One appears to have brown hair and be wearing a white dress with a matching white hat. The hat has a pink flower on it. The woman next to her, to her left, is wearing a dress of yellow-brown, and a black hat. She also has brown hair. To the extreme left, there is another building that appears to be a series of shops. This building has a dilapidated feel to it and is not as brightly lit as the buildings across the street. It presents a very stark contrast. The eyes then drift to the sky. It is a cacophony of steely blues and pinky mauves. It looks like an evening storm sky, but it is just the settling dusk. One can feel the hurry of the people to get home after a day of social gatherings or work. Finally, one gets to the bottom of the painting. Here one sees the edge of tables and chairs as one sits and contemplates as the world goes by. It is at if the viewer is at a cross street. Looking down one street as they watch people pass by on another. That brings the viewer to another element of the painting—mainly, the street. It is vacant save for the people. There is not a carriage, horse, car, or anything on the street. Everyone is on foot. Though they are walking, there is no sense of urgency in their movements. It is as if everyone is out for a Sunday stroll and the viewer is there watching as they drink their coffee and eat their croissant. This feels like a fairly typical street scene. The final element of the painting is just to the left of center. It is a cluster of trees and shrubbery. It ties the light and dark elements of the painting together, as the trees have dark greens and blacks combine with light greens and yellow-greens to make a unifying element that brings all the elements together. The elements are arranged as if one is looking on a street and down a street at the same time. It is almost like a â€Å"T† intersection. The paining has a balance to it that takes the shape of a triangle. The lighter shaded elements are on the right side, and the darker shaded elements are on the left side. The browns, creams, umbers, and ocher colors confine themselves to the left. The golds reds, and blacks confine themselves to the right. The trees tie the light and dark elements together and blend them into a coherent style and picture of everyday life on a Paris street. The trees also provide a much needed balance. If it were not for the trees, there would be a harshness to the painting that would make it unbalanced and off-center. Morrice picks mostly muted shades for his painting, even the ocres and golds have a slightly muted quality about them. The colors blend one into another, giving the painting a much needed fluidity. Morrice also arranges his larger elements to the back of the painting, forcing your eyes into the aforementioned triangle of the sky and the people. These are his main elements, and the ones your eyes go to after the brightness of the building. He wants the viewer to see the sky and the people and see both as time stopped, a moment that is captured forever. As mentioned before, the people are unhurried, and the sky is unhurried, which are the two elements that are the most important in this picture. Stylistically, the painting is a wonderful example of twentieth century post-impressionism. While it lacks the subtlety of Monet, it generates the same feelings that the impressionists do—that is the sense that you are there, leaving you to interpret the details. That is the very nature of impressionism. The viewer is given an idea, and they have to fill in the details. Post-impressionism at its soul is a revamping of the style without the subtle colors. Where Monet used pales and shades to make his point, Morrice uses muted bolds to bring the viewer to the scene. There is more a sense of making the impression more realistic instead of making it stylistic. This generates the move to the more bold moves of Picasso and his followers. Morrice’s work is in the vein of Cezanne. The use of color and element is similar in form and function, and the overall sense of the move to realism is there. Cezanne and Morrice both fit into the same mold, simply because they are both scene painters that use people as a focal point. The main difference is that Cezanne tends to use darker colors while Morrice uses brighter tones. They both tend to mute their tones, though Cezanne tends to do it more effectively than Morrice. Morrice borrows heavily from Cezanne. He uses blocks of color and focuses on sky, and the traditional views of the plane of the painting become obsolete. Additionally, the conventions between foreground and background begin to become ambiguous. There is also a spatial ambiguity to the painting, as the sky becomes a patchwork of color, flowing seamlessly one into another. Even in the two women walking down the street seem to blend into each other, the only differences seem to be in the distinction of their faces. The woman in brown seems to almost blend into the shops in the background. The woman in white appears to blend seamlessly into the scene. Faces are the only distinctions between people and background. There is only a bit of street and the black hat and face that even distinguishes her as an individual. The blocks of yellow are the only things that distinguish that there are four buildings. This is very much in the style of Cezanne. Even the trees and shrubbery seem to be in a block of color. Though the greens, blacks, and yellow-greens seem to blend, the eye can easily pick out the distinct shades and can see the summer look of the trees against the dusky sky. Looking at the style of both Morrice and Cezanne, one sees incredible talent and gracious style. The overall impressionistic feel that we get from both painters is evident. As both move towards the twentieth century, there is a shift from the previous impressionistic movement to the post impressionistic movement. The movement also shifts to the use of color in blocks to give movement and a sense of fluidity to the painting. Additionally, the focus on sky and people shows a movement away from the still lives and landscapes of the past to a movement of expressing people as the object and main idea of the painting. Thought the movement was not a long-lasting one, it left an impression on the art world that has affected painters and artists for years. The use of texture and color and form and function blend together flawlessly to create a new and exciting use of elements that added to the art world and still give us much to talk about today. The fact that we are able to draw comparisons to the present and the past shows us the relevance of the new art forms and how they still relate to today’s art world. We as art historians cannot forget the contributions of the past as they will and do affect our futures. References Adams, L (1997). A history of western art. Madison, WI: Brown and Benchmark. Art Gallery of Ontario, (2009). James Wilson Morrice, Street Scene, Pink Sky, Paris. Retrieved March 15, 2009, from Art Gallery of Ontario Web site: http://www. ago. net/ago103760 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, (2009). Art History. Retrieved March 15, 2009, from Art History Web site: http://www. unc. edu/depts/wcwebs/handouts/arthistory. html

Human and Aquinas Theories on God

Human and Aquinas Theories on God Can anything of God be known from our knowledge of the world? Answer with reference to Aquinas and/or Hume. Hume concludes in his writings that Gods existence cannot be proved, however he does not explicitly say that God does not exist he merely draws into question the reasons as to why people believe it so. He shows that we can know only discrete facts but not universal necessities. He linked causation to assurance based on the discovery of that relationship between cause and effect but adding that even if two events show a relatively contiguity and succession (Hume, 1739) that is not in itself enough for a causal connection. Therefore by denying that a fundamental feature of reality can be described by the causality principle he rejects a key element purported for the existence of God. Due to the lack of empirical evidence Hume shows his disdain for the cosmological argument. With regard to the creation of the universe he states that there is no direct evidence although in the Bible it states for the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made (Rom 1:20, KJV). Hume felt that it was impossible to prove the existence of something that was unknowable. We can look at the vastness of the universe with its billions of stars and galaxies or peer through a microscope into the minute world of atoms and cells and in both cases we see order, yet the fact that order is seen within the universe is also not enough for Hume to prove Gods existence. There are of course many who claim that such order must have a source in line with the order that we ourselves set in place, and therefore conclude that God must possess similar yet far superior properties. Hume counters that order must come directly from design if this argument is true; and even if there is such design, how can we know the designer?  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   In addition Hume feels that design alone does not explain an omniscient, omnipotent and benevolent God due to the evil we see around us in the world. Though theologians would explain that evil is only temporary due to mans fall and the influence of the Devil whose time is limited. The Bible states; for every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God (Hebrews 3:4, KJV) leading many to understandable feel that if a house needs a designer and a builder then surely something as small but vastly more complex such as a human cell also needs a designer and a builder for the alternative would be that a cell came about due to the blind operation of forces bequeathed from some unintelligent, inanimate matter. Yet no scientist has been able to make something from nothing. The laws of physics state that existing materials can only be transformed giving rise to the conclusion of the Bible writer Isaiah; when using an analogy of a potter and his clay he said, for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? (Isaiah 29:16, KJV). We see a beautiful painting hanging in an art gallery and inwardly marvel at the artists skill; we read a book and recognise that it had an author. When we stop at a red traffic light we understand that a law has be en set forth. We may not understand why certain laws are there, we may not understand what the artist or author was trying to portray in their works yet we do not use that lack of understanding to doubt that they exist. Hume considers that same Bible text in Hebrews 3:4 when he has Philo tell Cleanthes, If we see a house, Cleanthes, we conclude, with the greatest certainty, that it had an architect or builder (D 2.8), yet for Hume the analogy fails arguing that we would need experience in the creation of a material world to justify an a posteriori claim as to the cause of any particular material world. Lacking such experience we therefore lack the needed justification for claiming that the material universe must have an intelligent cause. His argument fails however as we do not need to see a house being built to know that it was constructed by builders following a blueprint given to them by the architect. He further argues that even if the inference is justified between the similarities of the universe and say, a house, it would not therefore follow that there is a perfect God that created it. It may well have been a number of gods for likewise a house takes a number of people to build (D 5.8), nor would the inference justify the conclusion that this God would need to be perfectly intelligent or good. Hume held that the existence of God and other such metaphysical issues should stand up to the same examination as any investigation involving physical sciences. That one cannot assume the existence of God based only the existence of the universe. In his dialogues Hume uses the character of Cleanthes to posit an illustration of a machine that is divided into lesser and lesser machines to prove the existence of a deity yet Demea believes that rather than attesting to a creator the analogy in fact gives rein to the atheists by departing in the least, from the similarity of the cases is so doing he said you diminish proportionably the evidence (D 2.7). Hume feels that the cases of the universe and a house are too dissimilar to support such an inference citing the example of steps on a staircase and human legs that can climb as a certain and infallible inference. Then why not make the house and universe or to a greater extent the Earth itself more comparable as the similarities go way bey ond the fact that both needed a designer and builder. When puzzling over the purpose of the Earth one need look no further than the purpose of a house; somewhere to live that provides light, heat, protection with a source of food and water. Our houses have a plumbing system the earth has the water cycle. Or look no further than a birds nest; these intricate complex structures we see high in trees do not get there by the random collection of twigs that are blown about by the wind. Yet if the nest didnt come about by chance then what of the bird that built it. Can anything of God be known from our knowledge of the world? If were left with any doubt at all then one need look no further than life itself. The principle of uniformity is in effect the same as the analogy criterion. Therefore the past theories that have been postulated invoke similar causes to those we now have, in line with what Hume called uniform experience. Looking at the origins of life what is our uniform experience? It is that information in all its forms is generated by an intelligent agent. Where in the body is a plethora of information stored? In ones DNA. Therefore it is reasonable to conclude that there must have been an intelligent cause for the first, the original DNA code. Whether we are looking at written language as in the example of the book earlier, or at a DNA strand, both exhibit the property and quality of specified complexity. We know of course that there is an intelligent cause for written language subsequently engendering a legitimate reason to posit an intelligent cause as the source of DNA and by extension life itself. David Hume, A Treatise of Human Nature (1896 ed.) [1739]

Emerging HRM issues in China

Emerging HRM issues in China The following essay will discuss some of the emerging HRM issues in China and analyse the implications for multi-national enterprises (MNEs). Initially, a brief overview of the Chinas economic landscape will be given and the role that China plays in the global environment will be highlighted. For the purposes of this essay, in-depth discussion and analysis will be on two of the main emerging issues which are the management of culture integration and HRM knowledge transfer in modern China and secondly, addressing the lack of skills and highlighting the importance of retention in China through modern HRM practices. Background information concerning current issues. Prior to the 1970s, much of the economic landscape in China was dominated by State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) (Liu, 2003). However, reforms concerning the economy, labour relations, ownership and other social systems in the late 1970s through to the 1980s opened the door to an increase in foreign investment, which mainly occurred through the joint ventures with domestic enterprises (Lewis, 2003). Since then, further reforms developed the opportunity for privately owned enterprises, and wholly foreign owned enterprises to exist in China. Due to these significant reforms, the last twenty to thirty years in China has seen its society shift in a number of ways, firstly, from the country being primarily rural farming and agricultural to urban and industrialised, secondly the economy itself shifting from being ‘rigid and centrally planned to very market orientated. Thirdly, the transition of domestic enterprises from being state owned allocations systems to representing private and collective forms of ownership. Next, there was an evident shift in the culture in China moving from being a socialist mentality dominated by Confucianism to a more diverse society with emerging capitalist values and greater openness to the global community (Wang Wang, 2006) These changes according to Selmer (2002) have meant that China has grown into an attractive and important market for international business and this attractiveness has been boosted by Chinas vast population and its entry into the World Trade Organisation. As China has become inevitably linked to the international economy, it increasingly faces the challenges of globalization which mean enterprises have to adapt to a new, fast-changing environment (Warner, 2008). As such, this type of significant growth for China may hold many implications for managers, because aided by the injection of technology and managerial expertise into Chinas economic development, China has experienced a significant economic leap forward with increased complexities in people management that have been strongly influenced by political factors, economic factors, and social systems, as well as national culture (Wang Wang, 2006) .   Managing culture integration and knowledge transfer. The first significant emerging HRM issue that will be discussed is the extent to which cultural differences in China influence the management behaviour of multi-national enterprises(MNEs) and moreover, the importance of cultural integration in a dynamic society. Firstly, organisational â€Å"culture† is defined as the norms, values and shared beliefs by employees and refers to individual behaviours which make up how work gets done in an organisation (Hill, 2007). Essentially, it is how a business outcome is achieved by the behaviours of people, and the drivers which produce desired behaviours. Beechler and Yang (1994) suggests that as the gap between the parent country culture and host country culture widens, the likelihood of the MNE conforming is reduced. However, other research by Gamble (2003) suggests that with a cultural gap, MNEs themselves conform to local customs and practices to bridge that gap. In regards to modern China, through analysis of companies such as Orica who have changed areas like recruiting practices to conform to Chinese cultural influences, it can be said that the latter HRM theory by Gamble (2003) holds true in China. Communist philosophies such as reliance on the government are also still prevalent in China and this combined with other Chinese cultural concepts such as and ‘guanxi and ‘danwei can be a siginificant barrier for MNEs trying to achieve business outcomes (Fan, 2002). Guanxi is a measure which reflects feelings in an interpersonal relationship, the moral obligation to maintain that relationship, and, the idea of being perceived as a morally correct whilst holding ones place in society (Fan, 2002). Whats important to note is that ‘guanxi influences business interactions such as employment represents and financial transactions and not just casual social interactions. The issue for MNEs here is that where in the home-country HR practices such as selection may have been based on knowledge, skills and competencies as well as pay and merit, ‘guanxi influences become a barrier to strategic recruitment and selection as local HR practices are guanxi-based and require th at relationships to be built ahead of time (Zhu, Thomson DeCieri, 2008). Another example of this barrier is that of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) which still heavily rely on state agencies to assign jobs from the labour market. This is due to historical and cultural roots which are derived from communist philosophies and relations of ‘guanxi built over a long period of time (Zhu, Thomson DeCieri, 2008). With such a diverse culture in China, cultural integration becomes a critical people issue for MNEs in China. This was made clear in a global survey conducted by Wang Nishiguchi (2007) that stated 67% of both Chinese and non-Chinese survey respondents agreed that cultural integration is the most important people issue and the most critical success factor for a MNEs in China. In regards to this, differences in culture between firms are also a major source of attrition, especially after mergers, and yet according to research and surveys, these differences are rarely investigated by MNEs. For example in mergers or acquisitions, companies may fail to even identify the nature of the â€Å"culture† that exists in the other company prior to merging (Wang Nishiguchi, 2007). Without defining the type of culture prevalent, it is impossible to deal properly with issues of cultural integration. In more recent times, a significant problem in China concerned company specific culture. For example, there are SOE workers that have communist philosophies that everyone is equal but when MNEs enter the scene, they are often perplexed that managers ask them to focus on customers or implement a system where top performers are rewarded while those falling behind are punished (Bacani Peavy-Sima, 2006). Many of these workers find it difficult to adjust to a culture where their performance is constantly graded against others and this is the modern dilemma for MNEs. Another example is that of Philippine company Jollibee Foods whom setup in China and experienced issues with cultural alignment. Philippine managers and employees were accustomed to a democratic environment and having the freedom to raise concerns with superiors but in China, the culture is more authoritaria n with a greater power distance between workers and superiors so it deemed acceptable for managers to be controlling and for workers not to raise immediate concerns (Bacani Peavy-Sima, 2006). MNEs also need to see some of the implications of failing to address cultural integration issues in China. The coexistence of traditional and reformed economic, institutional, and cultural systems in China has created strong resistance to change so consequently, problems arising for MNEs in human resource areas cover job design, leadership, motivation, performance and productivity improvement, and especially in organizational development through knowledge transfer (Wang Wang 2006). Knowledge transfer according to Saka-Helmhout (2009) refers the movement of knowledge, policies and practices from home countries to host countries and flow can be one-way from the parent to the subsidiary or two-ways between the parent and subsidiary. Employees in a home-country have many sources of power they can use to block the transfer of knowledge, for example, they assumingly have superior knowledge of the language and culture which can be used to promote local culture and restrict MNE impositions on them (Saka-Helmhout, 2009). It is also worthwhile mentioning that expatriates have the ability to facilitate, disseminate and transfer standardized MNE practices and knowledge into host countries. Research by Gamble (2003) suggests that companies with a high expatriate presence will abide by management practices of the MNE and be wary of traditional host country practices to close the cultural gap. This is primarily because expatriate managers play a control function role in area s such as setting overall strategy and transferring much of the administrative heritage. Expatriates also spread explicit knowledge through the adoption of employee handbooks, training manuals and standard operating procedures as well as valuable tacit knowledge of ways of managing the organisation (Taylor et al, 1996). An example of this is evident in the UK based ‘StoreCo who set up operations in China named ‘DecoStore to serve the local market. Expatriate managers for DecoStore participated in and oversaw the entire operation and this allowed for long term dialect with Chinese employees in which cultural values and expectations, on both sides, were negotiated and this set a platform for effective knowledge transfer. Essentially, DecoStore demonstrated that even a few expatriates can have a great impact as they initially operated with two UK expatriates (Gamble, 2003).. Implications of expatriates however are that in China, few expatriates can speak Mandarin and fewer can read it, consequently, some expatriates cannot talk directly to their staff, let alone read legislation in Chinese and this may have a detrimental impact on long term relations and business outcomes (Gamble, 2003). Lack of skilled labour resources and retention issues. The second major emerging HRM issue in China is the growing need for talented managers and the lack of skilled workers. For MNEs, this is stated as by far the biggest HRM challenge in China and this applies for locally owned businesses also (Bacani Peavy-Sima, 2006). According to the China Economic Review (2009), ‘the imbalance between business opportunities in China and qualified executives to manage them will get worse, before it gets better. In a recent survey of US-owned enterprises in China by ‘AmCham Shanghai, 37% of the companies said that recruiting talent was their biggest operational problem and this issue was greater than regulatory concerns, a lack of transparency, bureaucracy, or the infringement of intellectual-property rights which are all deemed as significant issues also (Bacani Peavy-Sima, 2006) . In another survey, 44% of executives at Chinese companies surveyed by ‘ The McKinsey Quarterly stated insufficient talent locally was the biggest barr ier to their global ambitions. With a population of`1.3 billion people, one would assume that labour resources are freely available and skills abundant in China but this is not the case currently and this is due to Chinas history. One reason historically is due to the ‘iron rice bowl approach of managing people in China prior to the reforms of the 1970s. Essentially, from a HR perspective, the ‘iron rice bowl approach involved cradle to grave welfare coverage, no layoff/firing policies, egalitarian pay systems, and group based rewards which coincided with lack of organizational autonomy and discretion due to the centrally planned economy at the time. (Wright, Mitsuhashi Chua, 1998). To add to this, the government controlled all resources and centralized the allocation of the material supplies, filling quotas assigned by the state, rather than improving productivity and quality. Consequently, there was no incentive for organisations to reduce costs, alter work processes for productivity or improve pro ducts. No incentive system in organizations meant that employees were not motivated and this had a detrimental impact on organisational competitiveness (Goodwall Warner, 1997). A second reason historically for the lack of skilled human capital in China was the absence of higher education in general and management training which is primarily linked to the ‘Cultural Revolution from (1966-76) where universities and educational institutions were closed and a whole generation of potential managers were lost (Wright et at, 1998). This action by those in power meant that the cohort of workers entering work came without the benefit of quality education and consequently, created human capital shortages. Therefore, a huge HR dilemma exists in that MNEs in China face a workforce supply that is synonymous with low skills, degraded motivation at both management and employee levels. To coincide with this, the growth of enterprises in China has exponentially increased demand for skills and motivated workers (Ke. et al, 2006). Another implication of these historical events are that many managers existing knowledge, skills and abilities have become obsolete and inadequate to cope with competitive business environments because of the state run systems and their lack of exposure to competitive markets. This is especially true for older managers, particularly in SOEs who hold no education beyond a high school diploma and have been appointed or promoted to existing positions because of cultural reasons or status (Lau Roffey, 2002). Under a market-oriented economy, there would be emphasis on performance, individual accountability and strategic decision making but this was not to be as these managers followed and implemented decisions made by state and local governments (Zhu Nyland, 2004). Evidently, there is a significant gap between organizations requirements and managers competencies and skills, especially in areas such as HR, marketing, and organizational analysis, which appear as relatively new concepts in China. Interestingly, organisations that successfully address the skills shortage in China stand out in a number of ways. According to Shen Edwards (2004), the most effective organisations have a clear strategic view of their labour talent needs four to five years ahead, segment their executives and identify gaps at all levels of the organization. They develop and adopt sophisticated external-recruiting techniques coupled with internal-development and training programs adapted to the local Chinese environment. As such, to address this issue, managers of MNEs in China might need to know more about simplifying products, that is, localise techniques that have worked elsewhere globally and look into finding low-capital solutions, managing strategic alliances and government relations. A higher level of cultural openness may be necessary as well. MNEs in China must therefore be prepared to recognize and address the differences between their talent needs in that country and in the rest of the wo rld which again highlights the importance of cultural integration. At telecommunications company Motorola, employees are provided with tailored offerings such as the ‘China Accelerated Management Program, for promising local managers; the ‘Motorola Management Foundation Program, to train new managers in such areas as problem solving and communication; and the ‘Motorola high-tech MBA program, a partnership with Arizona State University and Tsinghua University, which allows high-performing employees in China to earn an MBA (China Economic Review, 2009). Incentives like these also contribute to the retention of valuable skilled employees and essentially demonstrate that the MNE see â€Å"human capital† as a valuable resource, requiring investment and sound management in order to receive the best possible returns. Another example of an organisation retaining skilled talent is of Lenovo who promote young talent aggressively within, with three of its seven most senior executives are under 40 years old. (China Economic Review, 200 9. Ultimately, China proves to be a juggling act for MNEs that choose to invest into a market of extremes, with imbalances in supply and demand of skilled talent and exposure to frequently changing corporate and social domains that pose distinct challenges. Therefore, MNEs hoping to compete in China need to raise talent to the top of their agenda in order to create a sustainable source of competitive advantage. Essentially, the two of the major HRM issues occurring currently in China include culture integration issues and the problem of skilled labour shortages in contrast to rising labour demands. Ultimately, it can be said that the political and economical changes that have occurred in Chinas past has led to these significant issues and for the modern day HRM manager of an MNE in China, it is imperative not to not assume that home-country HRM practices can be applied to Chinese enterprises and ensure that the global implications of what they can learn in the Chinese context are applied. In a dynamic and ever-changing environment such as Chinas, MNEs must thoroughly analyse this environment in which they are in and look to set long term goals and address each issue through the amalgamation of Western HRM practices and Chinese HRM practices. References Bacani, C. Peavy-Sima, K. (2006), â€Å"The great buy-out: MA in China†, The Economist Intelligence Unit. Beechler, S. and Yang, J.Z. (1994) â€Å"The Transfer of Japanese-style Management to American Subsidiaries: Contingencies, Constraints, and Competencies†, Journal of International BusinessStudies, Vol. 25, No. 3, pp. 467-91. China Economic Review, â€Å" How to address Chinas growing talent shortage†, (2009), viewed 17 Aug. 2009, . Fan, Y. (2002), â€Å"Questioning Guanxi: Definition, Classification and Implications, International Business Review, Vol. 11, No. 5, pp. 543-561. Gamble, J. (2003), â€Å"Transferring human resource practices from the United Kingdom to China: the limits and potential for convergence†, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 14, No. 3, pp. 369-387. Goodall, K. Warner, M. (1997), â€Å"Human resources in Sino-foreign joint ventures: selected case studies in Shanghai, compared with Beijing†, International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 8, No. 5, pp. 569-593. Hill, C.W.L. (2007), International Business Competing in the Global Marketplace, 6 th edn, McGraw-Hill, New York. Ke, J., Chermack, T., Lee, Y., Lin, J. (2006), â€Å"National human resource development in transitioning societies in the developing world: The Peoples Republic of China†, Advances inDeveloping Human Resources, Vol. 8, No. 1, pp. 28-45. Lau, A., Roffey, B. (2002). â€Å"Management education and development in China: A research note†, Labour and Management in Development Journal, Vol. 2, No. 10, pp. 3-10. Lewis, P. (2003), â€Å"New China old ways? A case study of the prospects for implementing human resource management practices in a Chinese state-owned enterprise†, Employee Relations, Vol. 25, No. 1, pp. 42-60. Liu, S. (2003), â€Å"Cultures within culture: Unity and diversity of two generations of employees in state-owned enterprises†, Human Relations, Vol. 56, No. 4, pp. 387-417. Saka-Helmhout, A. (2009), â€Å"Agency-Based View of Learning within the Multinational Corporation†, Management Learning, Vol. 40, No. 3, pp. 259-275. Selmer. J (2002), â€Å"Adjustment of Third Country National Expatriates in China†, Asia Pacific Business Review, Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 101-117. Shen, J. V. Edwards, V. (2004), â€Å"Recruitment and selection in Chinese MNEs†, International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 15, No. 5, pp. 814-835. Taylor, S., Beechler, S. Napier, N. (1996), â€Å"Toward an Integrative Model of Strategic International Human Resource Management†, Academy of Management Review, Vol. 21, No. 4, pp. 959-985. Wang, B.X. Nishiguchi, N. (2007), â€Å" MA in emerging markets a focus on China The human capital challenge†, Mercer Human Resource Consulting, London. Wang, J. Wang, G.G. (2006), â€Å"Exploring National Human Resource Development: A Case of China Management Development in a Transitioning Context†, Human Resource Development Review, Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 176-201. Warner. M (2008), â€Å"Reassessing human resource management ‘with Chinese characteristics: An overview†, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 19, No. 5, pp. 771-801. Zhu, C.J. Nyland, C. (2004), â€Å"Marketization and social protection reform: emerging HRM issues in China†, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 853-877. Zhu, C.J., Thomson, S.B. De Cieri, H. (2008), â€Å"A Retrospective and Prospective Analysis of HRM Research in Chinese Firms: Implications and Directions for Future Study†, Human Resource Management, Spring 2008, Vol. 47, No. 1, pp. 133-156.

art history :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the American wing of the Allentown art museum is a small painting that hits really close to home. It is called the View on the Lehigh River above Mauch Chunk. This is a genre scene that shows a small homestead in the foreground of a landscape of the Lehigh River. It was painted in 1862. View on the Lehigh River shows what life may have been like living along the Lehigh during that time. Critics have said his work â€Å"looks as European as it does American† (Gstavus1).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Down the hall in the European wing a painting by Aert van der Neer called River Landscape by Moonlight. It is a small dark painting that is so faint in contrasting colors that the viewer must get very close to it and squint in order to make out all of the objects in the scene. As the title suggests the painting depicts a river landscape, not common for the time. However, in his depiction the river is only visible as the light from the moon is reflecting off of it. The painting is undated, as are most of his works. It’s estimated that van der Neer was born between 1603 and 1604 and it is known that he died in 1677. Analyzing and comparing the two pieces, the viewer can recognize many similarities with in the two. The differences are evidently due to the amount of time that had elapsed between when the two painting were completed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When the viewer approaches River Landscape by Moonlight by a Dutch artist during the Baroque period, the first impression is made by the artist’s use of light. It is not uncommon to wonder where the faint light is coming from. A closer inspection will reveal that it is the moon peaking out of the cloud filled sky. The moonbeam’s shimmering light directs the viewer down the river, the reflection silhouettes two late night fishermen in the foreground. The river appears to be the brightest as it fades into the horizon underneath by the moon giving the painting great depth. The rivers contours are outlining by the moonlight reflecting off the water, illuminating the river banks ever so faintly. Moving into the shadows on the near bank of the river is a small house; its window pane catches the moonlight and sends it to the viewer. The space hidden in the shadows that contain the house and the wooden are behind it have

Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau as Fathers of Transcendenta

Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau as Fathers of Transcendentalism Transcendentalism was a movement in writing that took place in the mid-nineteenth century. It formed in the early to mid nineteenth century and reached it climax around 1850 during an era commonly referred to as the American Renaissance, America’s Golden Day, or the Flowering of New England. The basic tenets of Transcendentalism involve the relationships between one’s self and the world at large. First, the search for truth in Transcendentalism begins with the individual. The thoughts of Transcendentalist writers must come from themselves and not from others. They could study previous works for inspiration, but they could not take the ideas of others. Transcendentalist writers have complete self-reliance in their ideas. Transcendentalism called for literary, philosophical, and theological independence from Europe, earning the Transcendentalist era the label â€Å"American Renaissance.† Next, Transcendentalism also relates to the rest of the world. It applies individual energies gained through self-reliance to the overall good of society. In Transcendentalism, there is no real evil. For every apparent evil there is a true goodness. Because evil is said not to exist, Transcendentalists believe in the perfectibility of man. One well-known Transcendentalist author is Ralph Waldo Emerson. Ralph Waldo Emerson was born in New England in 1803. He entered Harvard Divinity College where he trained to become a priest. However, he later withdrew from the ministry because he did not share the same ideals that were imposed on him by church authority. In 1832, Emerson sailed to Europe to flee the despair he felt after the deaths of his wife and bro... ...using metaphors and rhythms according to his own style. Literature such as Ralph Waldo Emerson’s â€Å"Nature† and Henry David Thoreau’s â€Å"Walden† reflect the tenets of Transcendentalism. They set the foundation for Transcendentalism because Emerson and Thoreau were the â€Å"fathers† of the literary movement. Both writers searched for truth and the meaning of life on an individual level that fit their feelings. They demonstrated the perfectibility and self-reliance of individuals. For example, â€Å"Walden† tells of Thoreau’s two years of living in the woods relying on himself for food and shelter and trying to simplify his life. He wanted to demonstrate that there was no evil in the simplicity of his forest home. Just as Thoreau’s â€Å"Walden† demonstrated Thoreau’s renewal or refreshing of his own spirit, Transcendentalism was the renewal or rebirth of American Literature.

Is College Worth it Essay

â€Å"What is a College Degree Worth? † by Maggie Gallagher. The overall main idea of this article is that the cost of college is going up and people is taking loans out which are putting them in debt because they have to pay them off. That is the reason why some people don’t go to college, I believe the author wrote the article to inform you about why teens are in debt after they graduate college. According to Mrs. Gallagher the main reason why college debt is increasing is  because loans are available and teenagers are encouraged to borrow money. At least 700 colleges have contract with bad banks to market credit cards to students. About nine in 10 students use credit cards to help pay for their college expenses. The main reason why the increase in college debt is because colleges have taught teenagers bad financial decisions, which has caused the decrease in the worth of a college degrees. The degree I’m pursuing at this moment is my Bachelor’s degree in Culinary Arts. I want a better education other than a high school diploma. Me wanting to become a chef/ Pastry chef, there is nothing Flint nor Michigan for my degree. I want to be up there with the people on the Food network channel and the TLC channel as well. With me having more degrees it will most likely guarantee me a VERY nice job in the near future.