Assignment 1 Career Research Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Assignment 1 Career Research Report - Essay Example The report will hereby contain detailed information about a particular field, wherein I can focus to develop my career in accordance with my acquired knowledge and skills. Section 1 Occupational Research The research is based on the opportunities of a graduate student acquiring the knowledge of business and administration. This research has been conducted with the assistance of primary along with secondary sources. For carrying on the research study relating to the profession of an assistant team leader, first of all the employment news and the websites of the companies providing job opportunities have been followed. It can be viewed that the unemployment rate in the United Kingdom remained much stable at 7.70% from July 2013 till August 2013. This statistical data represents the number of people looking for a job in the UK (Trading Economics, 2013). The current data of the employment rate will provide an opportunity for applying to various companies, wherein desired jobs can be obta ined. During the conduct of the research concerning employment scope for the graduates, it can be apparently viewed that the Careers and Employability Centre has been providing various counselling sessions about the process of direct job hunting (McBride, 2013). In this regard, Carolyn McBride, one of the famous career advisors of the UK is involved in arranging various workshops and presentations in order to identify the employability opportunities as per acquired skills along with knowledge. The workshops provided the individuals with an opportunity to develop their respective skills along with knowledge in a more interactive way. Moreover, various career prospective related programs especially for the graduate students have been made available such as retail managers, public relations and sales managers among others. These programs advise the participants, seeking for jobs to follow the websites relating to job search (McBride, 2013). Section 2 Main Findings From the study of the aforesaid research, it can be affirmed that there are ample chances for the graduate students to work within a company as an assistant team leader. The study of business administration offers an all round study along with delivers ample opportunities of building brighter career (London School of Business & Finance, 2013). In the UK, there are many people who seek for jobs after the completion of their studies. Also, there has been a growing trend of the recruitment of the graduates possessing ample knowledge in the field of business and administration.

Implementing non-discriminatory service related to loss and Essay

Implementing non-discriminatory service related to loss and bereavement - Essay Example This paper intends to implement change in the bereavement process through instilling a counsellor in the ward. My clinical area ensures that services and resources are availed through education, health, voluntary sectors, and social care where each of the sectors comes to fore through different times of the bereavement process making work across providers significant to identify provision overlaps and gaps. The voluntary sector role is substantial in developing bereavement organisations across nations. The contribution is crucial because it provides support at points where contact to statutory services and relations to the deceased are over. Bereavement services of support are available through various voluntary agencies, mostly tailored to address bereavement impacts that result from various forms of deaths including road traffic accidents, neonatal and stillbirth deaths, suicide and murder (Humphrey, 2009). The sole Bereavement Services purpose is provision of services and facilities addressing the human life loss (Grey, 2010). The proposed change is to place a bereavement counsellor in one section of the ward. Continuity is in several cases more important as compared to the provider’s professional background while outside of palliative care and hospice services have a variation in willingness of some staff members towards providing this. The relatives will have an acknowledgement that the respective general practitioners will facilitate relief during the period (Machin, 2009). There are difficulties regarding the costing of volunteers’ contribution. Even though unpaid, these personnel have costs above opportunity costs that are relatively difficult to estimate. In case volunteers perceive counselling as favoured activities, the most appropriate choice is that reflecting leisure time rate. In adults studies, the bereaved have a likelihood of retiring while all other efforts of using wage rates in attending bereavement

The future status of English as the global language is assured Essay - 1

The future status of English as the global language is assured - Essay Example This means that it is a language that is not going to disappear anytime soon because it is deeply rooted among many cultures. The same could be said of Mandarin. However, Mandarin has historically never had the same global appeal of English due to one thing—colonization. The English language originated from England and was exported around the world the England’s colonies. Countries such as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have all had their cultures and language shaped due to the influence of England. Mandarin was never allowed to expand like this because China never ventured far outside its own borders. In addition to England, the United States of America also became a great exporter of the English language. After the United States won independence from England, it did contribute much to world affairs. It was only after the Second World War that America started to influence many different countries around the globe. Because they speak the English language, the United States was, and still does, influence they way people talk. Over the centuries, English has long been the language of trade between countries. Although English is only the native language in a few countries, there are considerably more nations that have established English as their second language. The reason for this is simple—trade. Because many of the native English speaking countries are considered to be first world, it is advantageous for poorer nations to do business with them. To accomplish this, it makes sense to learn English in order to be able to communicate effectively with them. It would be unrealistic for an English speaker to learn a language of another country that wants to engage in trade—because the developing country wants to grow, it must learn to speak the language that will help to get them there. Although English will surely be threatened by other upcoming languages, particularly Mandarin, the future status of the English language as

The impact of globalisation on business Essay Example for Free

The impact of globalisation on business Essay 1. INTRODUCTION. Advancement in transportation and information technologies has opened up the world to lucrative business opportunities. Many companies no longer confine their business domestically but reach out globally in search of better profits. When a company conducts business across national boundaries, it is participating in international business. International business paves the way for globalisation. Ball et al. (2004) found that globalisation can be defined in many ways but broadly globalisation occurs when an entity (government, company, NGOs, etc.) carries out an activity (economic, political, technological, etc. ) in a host country. Globalisation has impacted the way many companies performed their business. New strategies are required to identify the opportunities presented by globalisation. Companies need to understand the forces that drive them towards globalisation. Most importantly, the companies must be prepared to meet the challenges of globalisation. This report presents globalisation in the context of a global strategy. It assesses the impact of the global strategy on the Texchem Group of Companies (Texchem), a company based in Penang. Texchem is founded in 1973 by its current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dato Seri Fumihiko Konishi. Today, Texchem is well diversified into the business of trading, manufacturing and services with divisions in the packaging, industrial, food, family care and venture industries ( 2003). Currently, Texchems globalisation efforts are concentrated around the Association of South East Asia Nations (ASEAN) countries and China (Chiew 2004). The organizational structure of Texchem is shown below. The groups investment holding company is Texchem Resources Berhad.  (source: Texchem Resources Bhd, www.trbgroup.com/business_act_corporate_structure.htm) FIGURE 1: Texchem organizational structure 2. FORCES DRIVING TEXCHEM TO GLOBALISE. Normally, a companys decision to globalise is influenced by a combination of several factors. These factors are the forces that drive a company to expand abroad. Each company has its own unique reasons to carry out oversea business activities since declining trade barrier and technological changes seem to underlie the trend towards greater globalisation (Hill 2003, p. 8) today. Texchem has mainly operated domestically apart from venturing into Singapore a year after its inception. It was not until 18 years later that Texchem started its globalisation exercise aggressively after building up its strength and reputation. Starting with Thailand in 1992, Texchem continued with Vietnam (1994), Myanmar (1997, Indonesia (2002) and China (2002). Now, Texchem is well represented in the ASEAN region (Texchem Annual Report 2002). Like any other companies, there were also unique forces that drove Texchem to globalise. Chief among them were: * Be a US$1 billion company. It cannot be denied that all companies are profit driven. After all the very existence of a company rest on the profits it makes. Texchem is no different in this aspect. However, Texchem is not only trying to make a profit but striving to be a US$1 billion company by 2010. This is Texchem Vision 2010 which is to be achieved with annual sales revenue of US$1 billion (Konishi 2002). Texchem 5 year performance chart below shows that there is still much to do and globalisation is the answer to bigger market opportunities. (source: Texchem Resources Bhd., www.texchemgroup.com) FIGURE 2: Texchem financial performance In order to realise this Vision 2010: Texchem has identified and capitalised on global market opportunities and allowed its growth to be determined by market trends and customers demands. Then it responded to such opportunities with top quality products and services that deliver real value www.texchemgroup.com/aboutus/history.html 2003, p. 1). Furthermore, Texchem has to survive through economic crisis in order to sustain a steady and resilient performance. One way is to prudently invest in growth industries with different market cycles like the food industry (  history.html 2003). * Loss Of Trade Preference. Konishi said Malaysia is treated by Europe under the general system of preferences which imposed an import duty of 14% on Malaysian products entering Europe. Texchem will not enjoy this status when import duty goes up to 20% in 2005 (Tan 2004). In 2003, Konishi said Texchem has estimated a US$25 million export market to Europe, Japan and Australia for its surimi and fishmeal products by 2006 (The Star 2003). The loss of this preference will affect Texchems profit. It may not be feasible to market seafood products in Europe due to price disadvantage. Therefore, to continue capturing the European market, Emmanuel (2004) wrote that Texchem is setting up a RM50 million seafood processing plant in Europe in 2005. Tan (2004) reported that Konishi said, Raw material will be imported from Myanmar as import duty on raw material going into Europe is only 3.5%. Production cost will then be lower giving Texchem the  competitive edge again. * Be close to clients / customers. Interdependency among companies is a norm. When a client is satisfied with the companys products and services, loyalty is attained. Therefore, when a client sets up shop overseas or penetrates a foreign market, it is not surprising that the company normally tags along. Many international companies wanting to market and distribute products in ASEAN have appointed Texchem for the task due to its reputation and international networking. Taking customer support a step further, Texchem even located its operation to be close to its local and multinational clients ( 2003 ; www.texchemgroup.com/stakeholders/customers.html 2004). For instance, Texchem-Pack (Thailand) was established to serve its major Texchem customers like Seagate, Mektec, IBM, etc. in Thailand (Konishi 2003). Its production facilities are located near customers operations to give immediate respond to their needs and to any changes in the local market. This also shorten delivery timings and to provide just-in-time delivery. Reduction in logistics and transportation charges is a cost savings to customers ( 2003). Another example is Texchem-Pack (Wuxi) which was established to serve the hard disc drive industry, the semiconductor industry, the electronics industry and the telecommunications industry in Jiangsu Province and Shanghai, China ( 2003). The establishment in China enables Texchem to be close to and provide more effective and efficient services to its customers in China. * Acquire Technology. Many companies brought along their technologies when setting up shop abroad. As the world become more and more accessible, it becomes possible to team up with these companies in the host country to acquire their technologies. Although Texchem has invested heavily in research and development and use leading edge, in-house facilities both for product enhancement and for new products (www.texchemgroup/business/packaging.html 2003, p. 1), it is continuously seeking out new technologies to gain competitive edge. As such Texchem joint ventures with international leader and creates new subsidiaries often through technology transfer arrangements that enable both parties to net a bigger catch ( www.texchemgroup.com/business/texchem-eng.html 2003a ;  group.com/stakeholders/associates.html 2003). To illustrate, Eye Graphic (Vietnam), a Texchem joint venture with Eye Corporate Planning Co Ltd of Japan, is equipped with advance digital propress system and flexo photopolymer printing plate making equipment ( * Demand. In any business activities, there must be demand. Without demand, a companys product will eventually be rendered obsolete. One of the reasons Texchem chose to expanded into ASEAN and China was because there was a huge demand for its products. And, Texchem is prepared to set up more manufacturing plants to meet the increasing demands of the ASEAN market ( 2003, p. 1). With greater demands from the Chinese market, Texchem now intends to expand its Wuxi plant into thermoforming for the high-tech industry and injection moulding for the computer and semi-conductor industry (Konishi 2003a, p. 2). Also, in line with increasing global demand for surimi, Texchem has set up a manufacturing plant in Myeik, Myanmar (Konishi 2003a, p. 3). Texchem expansion into Indonesia, with its largest manufacturing plant in Kerawang (near Jakarta), is to cater for the need of 206 million people. The  brand name of Fumakillas mosquito coil in Indonesia is distributed under the name Domestos Nomos, a successful household name ( 2003a). Yap (2003) reported Konishi as saying, so far, we have shipped over 400,000 cartons in the first 6 months of operation, equivalent to the total volume that Texchem sold in Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar and the Philippines in the same period. A comparison of the population in ASEAN countries in presented below in order to appreciate the magnitude of the demands in ASEAN. FIGURE 3: ASEAN population breakdown. From the table it is understandable why Texchem has been aggressive in penetrating the ASEAN market to capture the demand. ASEAN has a combined population of 500 million. 3. GLOBALISATION EFFECTS ON TEXCHEM INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS STRATEGY. Before a company expands abroad, it must have a strategy. According to Ball et al. (2004) there are several strategies that could be adopted such as the global strategy, multidomestic strategy, transnational strategy and international strategy. Globalisation has an influence on which strategy to adopt. Careful assessment of the various internal and external business environments is a prerequisite before any decision can be made. In crossing national boundaries, globalisation affects Texchem international business strategies in terms of the following: * Standardisation. Texchem operations are standardised in all the host countries. All packaging plants provide: One stop total packaging solutions equip with state-of- the-art facilities. Furthermore, all Texchem plants support customers through excellent logistics, warehousing and inventory management. This is done via a nationwide network of branches and sales offices ( www.texchemgroup.com/business/texchem-pack.html 2003c, p. 2; www. texchemgroup.com/business/texchem-mat.html 2003a, p. 1; www.texchemgroup. com/business/familycare.html 2003, p. 3). With globalised operations, Texchem would be able to take advantage of business opportunities occurring anywhere in the world and would not be constrained to specific sectors (Khambata and Ajami 1992, p. 43). As product preference and requirements are becoming increasingly alike globally, product standardisation across all cultures would enable companies to manufacture and sell low-cost reliable products around the world without being adapted to individual country preferences (Khambata and Ajami 1992, p. 43). To capitalise on this, Texchem products are also standardised globally. It manufactures and distributes household insecticide such as the Fumakilla mosquito coils under different brand names in Indonesia (Domestos Nomos), Thailand (Chang) and Myanmar (Jumbo) ( 2003b). * Global Decision Making. With globalisation, Texchem decision making covers a wider scope now compared to when it did domestically. Texchem has centralised its decision making in its Penang corporate office. This is where Texchem makes decision on strategies issues such as policy, capital, technology and products. Decisions are global minded taking into consideration the local factors of the host countries. Texchem Design Centre is centralised to tailor-make packaging solutions in the fastest possible time for all its plants across ASEAN countries and China to meet customers demand around the world ( 2003). * Market scope. Globalisation opens up the world as a very big market. Domestic markets, however large, are limited in size and growth and are targeted by domestic competitors (Khambata and Ajami 1992). To continue growing, Texchem sees the world as one market to sell its products. Khambata and Ajami (1992, p. 283) said that: Apart from the fact that the existence of a new, larger customer base would help boost sales, overseas markets often confer additional advantages such as competition from overseas markets may not be strong. When the local market is large and the demand is consistent enough to justify investment in the plant and equipment needed to set up a manufacturing operation, production economies can occur (Khambata and Ajami 1992, p. 284). Also, Texchem can tap the Chinese market to derive economies of scale and scope (Konishi, Texchem annual report 2002). Operational economies of scale allow Texchem to keep prices competitive and deliver exceptional value ( 2003). * Develop skills. Part of the globalisation process concerns developing skills especially multicultural and bilingual ones. Texchem encourages such skills development to communicate and establish rapport with its global clients, staff and customers. Not surprising, Texhem only recruits staff of outstanding caliber and provides training for them ( 2003). In order to develop skills, Texchem formed strategic alliances with agents around ASEAN region with strong domestic knowledge in sales and distribution ( 2003b, p. 1). Texchem has approached globalisation with a global strategy because the above effects have the essence of a global strategy. Ball et al. (2004, p. 6) defined the global strategy as a strategy that attempts to standardise and integrate operations worldwide in all functional areas. Texchem has adopted precisely this strategy. 4. MAJOR OPPORTUNITIES CREATED FOR TEXCHEM. As the world shrinks into a global village because of accessibility, abundant opportunities are available to business organisations. Companies are quick to take advantage of these golden opportunities to further their interests. In other words, globalisation provided avenues for companies to spread their wings into foreign markets. Globalisation presented many major opportunities for Texchem too as it did for others. Texchem management was quick to see these opportunities and swiftly took advantage of them. The major opportunities created for Texchem were: * Tariff Reduction. Tariffs are taxes levied on foreign goods entering the country. Sometimes it can be levied on goods leaving the country as well. According to Hill (2003), tariffs protect domestic products against foreign ones. It is a form of government intervention to shield local companies from international  competitors who have superior technologies to make higher quality products at lower cost. By levying taxes on such goods, it brings up their prices to be on par with local goods. With the exception of Singapore, all ASEAN countries have imposed tariffs on imports. However, ASEAN initiated the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) in 1992, detailing a regional progressive tariff reduction plan. To be implemented in stages, tariffs on goods with 40% ASEAN content shall be progressively reduced to between 0 5% by 2003. There were some exemptions to the implementation year for Vietnam (2006), Laos and Myanmar (2008) and Cambodia (2010) ( 2003). With the reduction in tariffs coupled with the huge population in ASEAN countries, the trading opportunities are very attractive. Texchem acknowledged this fact. It noted that with AFTA in place, the regional exchange in business is expected to further boost various industries ( 2003a, p. 1). Texchem has been anticipating AFTA since 1990s. Knowing the opportunities AFTA presented, it has ventured into ASEAN countries to position itself first while waiting in full anticipation for the implementation of AFTA. This strategy gave Texchem a head start to study the market opportunities of the host country better, build up its reputation, find solutions to lower production costs and sell competitively. This foresight has paid off handsomely as Texchem registered improved sales in all its division for the year 2003 (Konishi 2003b). As quoted in the Texchem investor newsletter (2003, p. 4), the increase in revenue for the Packaging Division was mainly contributed by the successful penetration into new market AFTA region, namely Thailand. This is because: Thailand experienced a substantial increase in revenue from the trade of plastic resins, a direct benefit of reduces impact duties effective Jan 2003, in line with the implementation of AFTA (Texchem investor newsletter 2003b, p. 2). As Konishi (2003b, p. 5) mentioned: Texchem Resources Bhd Group will continue to make the 100% AFTA proof objective its priority. Texchem is indeed in a position to take full  advantage of AFTA as it expands further into the global market. * Strategic Location. Geographical location is another opportunity that can be taken advantage of. According to Ball et al. (2004, p. 263), geographical proximity is often the major reason for trade between nations. Apart from close proximity, the location of a nation also offers other suitable operational advantages for foreign companies. For instance, if the country has sea frontage, companies can make use of ports in the country to export their products. This was what Texchem was looking for when it ventured into Myanmar. Texchem was searching for an advantage in Myanmars location and found it in a town called Myeik (please see map for location). (source: design printing services, www.dpsmap.com) FIGURE 4: Map of Myanmar. The Myeik Archipelago, which includes over 800 pleasant and enchanting islands, lies in the Andaman Sea along the south Tanintharyi coast. Myeik is the port city of this archipelago. It has the potential for industrialisation of marine base products because the Andaman Sea has abundant fish. Texchem joint ventured with Mascot Industries Co Ltd of Myanmar to set up ASK Andaman (Lee 2003). The strategic location of ASK Andaman at a fishing port complement the abundant fresh fish from the Andaman sea has set it as the most idealistic plant for surimi and fishmeal processing ( www.texchemgroup.com/  business/andaman.html 2003, p. 1). The fishing port facilitated the export of Texchems products from Myeik to Japan, Australia and Europe. It also provided an infrastructure for Texchem geographical reach so that it is the ideal partner for multinationals that have operations spread across the region ( 2003, p. 2). * Abundant Raw Materials. Sourcing for cheap raw materials is an important task in any operation. This is where competitive advantage can be sustained. Therefore, many foreign companies flock into ASEAN in search of raw material because they are in abundance. Konishi said Texchem globalisation into Myanmar enables it to tap the countrys natural resources and obtain a reliable supply of good quality and more cost effective raw material (The Star, 2003). ASK Andaman manufactures and market surimi and fishmeal products and provides Seapack Food with a reliable supply of reasonably priced, good quality surimi raw material ( 2003a, p. 1). It requires fresh fish to manufacture and process surimi and fishmeal products. The Andaman Sea has abundant supply of fresh fish to provide ASK Andaman. * Low Labour Cost. Labour cost in ASEAN countries is generally low with the exception of Singapore and Malaysia. Many foreign investors take this opportunity to relocate their operations here so that their production cost can be reduced. The table below provides a comparison of labour cost among ASEAN countries. Texchem has set up manufacturing plants in Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Myanmar because the labour cost is lower than Malaysia. It practices stringent cost controls ( 2003, p. 2) and taking advantage of this opportunity is a prudent strategy. The setting up of manufacturing operations in competitive labour cost countries (Texchem investor newsletter 2003a, p. 2) provided Texchem with a competitive advantage over other domestic competitors. Konishi (2003b, p. 4) was please to note that: The year 2003 was spent building a solid base for Texchem operations in Myanmar and with its competitive labour and abundant natural resources, great returns beckons as Texchem begins exporting its marine products globally. Myanmar Sometimes a company is attracted by just one or two opportunities offered by the host country. However since Myanmar offers all the above opportunities for Texchem, it is only appropriate to provide an opinion of the country in this report. Myanmar has rich natural and human resources. The government is encouraging direct foreign investments to take advantage of these resources. With a market oriented economic system aimed to liberalise its economy, foreign investors would be given the right to enjoy appropriate economic benefits. They would also be safe guarded by the Government against nationalisation of their business. There are tremendous investment opportunities in natural resources such as teak forests, minerals and gems. Historical and cultural attractions offer vast potential for tourism. The labour force is highly literate and trainable. Myanmar has a long coastline rich in fish and other marine life. An estimated one million metric tons of sustainable fishery resources could be exploited annually. Investment opportunities in the fishery industry include setting up of cold storage facilities, fishmeal plants, canning plants and shrimp farms and / or hatcheries ( n.d.). 5. CHALLENGES FOR TEXCHEM AND MEETING THEM. Converting business opportunities into profits is usually never plain sailing. There are challenges to overcome first. These challenges come in many forms i.e. trade barriers, high taxes, corruption, unskilled workers, poor infrastructure etc. Although globalisation created many opportunities, Texchem must overcome the many challenges that came with these opportunities before reaping in the profits. Among the many challenges Texchem has or shall encounter in globalisation are: * Building Brand. Branding is a very important exercise for companies going global. Foreign markets must be made aware of the existence of their products. Irrespective of the large population, if the product is not known then there shall be no demand. When Texchem ventured into Indonesia to market its mosquito coils through Fumakilla, it realised the difficulty in building its mosquito coil brand. Fumakilla is relatively unknown to millions of Indonesian and without awareness the product will be just another product on the shelves. As a solution, Fumakilla has embarked on a RM12 million branding exercise to expose its mosquito coils to the Indonesian market under the brand name Domestos Nomos. Advertising and promotions activities were carried out via PT Technopia Lever (Texchem investor newsletter 2003b). Since the expansion of the Family Care business to Indonesia in September 2002, Domestos Nomos has: Achieved a market share of 6.5% as of Sept 2003. Sales in the 2nd half of 2003 improve due to seasonal trend of the household insecticides market in ASEAN. It has also become the top brand with an average market share of 40% in modern retail outlets located within Jakarta and Medan (Texchem investor newsletter 2003, p.4 2003a, p.3). With such a large market, Fumakillas top priority for 2003 was to build the Domestos Nomos brand so as to achieve further significant market penetration into Indonesia. With a population 206 million, industry  potential in massive (Tan, GH 2002, pp. 30-31). * Sustaining Market. Market penetration is just the first step to a successful globalisation. After penetrating a foreign market another challenge shall present itself. This challenge is sustaining the market. Sustaining a market is difficult because there is no such thing as a perpetual sustainable market. Products come and go frequently because of competition. Texchem success depends on: Keeping its fingers on the pulse of an ever-changing market and on its resourcefulness in responding to customer needs. By constantly updating knowledge of market trends and sharing knowledge with suppliers, Texchem is able to rapidly develop and introduce new products that exceed its customers expectations (  industrial.html 2003, p. 1). Texchem is focused on maintaining its market leadership and is confident of attracting potential partners for help because of more competitive products from China (Texchem investor newsletter 2003b, p. 2). Therefore, Texchem is very selective in its choice of partners, choosing only those whose needs can genuinely be met and who are committed to long term brand building ( 2003, p. 3). * Financial Limitation. Insufficient financial capability is a hindrance to globalisation. Funds are required to invest in foreign soil. Additional plants and equipment have to be procure and employees paid. Normally, capital expenditure can only be recouped after a few years of operation. Sourcing for funds to globalise is a major task for Texchem. One of the ways to overcome the shortage of funds is to list the company in Securities Exchanges. In September 2003, Texchem announced: The listing of its Packaging business on the Main Board of the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (SGX-ST). Texchem is currently awaiting approvals from SGX-ST and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to list Texpack Holdings on the SGX-ST (Texchem investor newsletter 2003b, p. 3). The access to funds shall pave the way for Texchem to take advantage of viable investment opportunities in the international capital market. It also broadens its fund raising capabilities to expand and grow its Packaging Division within the region and on the global arena (Texchem investor newsletter 2003a). * Risk. There are no risk free investments. The same goes for globalisation. In fact, risk assessment for globalisation is considered a delicate task. Unexpected global events such as epidemic, natural disaster and war are some of the risks that are difficult to account for. These unexpected events affect company performance. Texchem Food Division performance could have been better if not for the SARS epidemic and war in the Middle East (Nishida 2003, p. 28). To demonstrate the impact, Kim (2003, p. 18) said that Texchem-Pack (Wuxi) in China suffered losses due to the indirect effect of the SARS epidemic during the first half of 2003 because Texchem sales and marketing team was prevented from servicing the clients due to the outbreak. However, Texchem was able to overcome this challenge with the support from its clients, new business partners, the dedication of the team and the support form the Penang head office'(Kim 2003, p. 18). Apart from that, the risk of lack of basic infrastructure and communications  is another prevailing issue when entering third world countries. Texchem can attest to that because the initial stage of establishing in Myanmar was difficult because of the lack of infrastructure and communication problems (Nishida 2003, p. 28). Nevertheless, Texchem was able to grow and expand its operation in Myanmar due to strategic acquisitions, meticulous planning and the synergizing of all Texchem plants (Nishida 2003, p. 28). 6. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION. Globalisation has changed the way business is being conducted. From being a domestic company in the 1970s and 1980s, Texchem is now a successful global company. Ever since Texchem started globalising its performance has been growing steadily. Apart from a slight drop in revenue in 2001, Texchem has registered an increase in sales and operating profit for the past five years. (source: Texchem Resources Bhd, www.texchemgroup.com) FIGURE 5: Texchem financial performance For the year 2003, Texchems gross dividend payout was a remarkable 8%, much to the delight of its shareholders. Globalisation has also generated sufficient profit for Texchem to be transferred to the Main Board of the Bursa Malaysia (formerly known as the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange) in 2001 after being listed in the Second Board in 1993. This milestone signified the growth of Texchem into a major listed conglomerate in Malaysia. Texchem is now a household name in family care products and its packaging division is well represented in ASEAN. Its food division is also making inroads into Europe, starting with Italy. Overall, globalisation has indeed changed the corporate profile of Texchem. It has provided Texchem a vast market for its products and Texchem has seized the opportunities created well. With six more years to go, Vision 2010 may sound a little ambitious. It is not that Vision 2010 cannot be achieved but it should be scaled down to allow for any unforeseeable economic crisis such as workers strike, war, epidemic or even natural disaster. Also, Texchem should continue spreading its influence in the relatively untapped Chinese market. Aggressive branding exercise is required here to capture a lion share of its 1 billion market opportunity. With AFTA already in full implementation for certain ASEAN countries it may be prudent for Texchem to invest more in Research Development so that it can continuously reinvent itself to stay relevant. Competition is getting keener with more and more companies expanding in ASEAN to take advantage of AFTA. Finally, Texchem may consider a multidomestic strategy in the near future as it strengthens its foothold globally. This strategy is flexible and allows participation from the locals. Furthermore this strategy allows global companies to look beyond costs and product standardisation to think in new ways about world competition (Hamel and Prahalad 1985, p. 139). REFERENCES: 1. Associates 2003, viewed on 14 July 2004, holders/associates.html, p. 1. 2. Ball, DA, McCulloch, Jr, WH, Frants, PL, Geringer, JM Minor, MS 2004, International business: The challenge of global competition, 9th edn, McGraw Hill, USA, pp. 4-6, 263. 3. Chiew, CH 2004, A yen for Malaysia, Asia Inc., 1 May. 4. Customers 2003, viewed on 14 July 2004, holders/customers.html, p. 1. 5. Emmanuel, M 2004, Texchem eyes Europe as seafood processing plant site, The New Straits Times, 28 May. 6. Employment and labour-based technology (n.d.), viewed on 9 August 2004, . 7. Family care division 2003, viewed on 14 July 2004, business/familycare.html, pp. 1-3. 2003a, viewed on 14 July 2004, , p. 1. 8. Food division 2003, viewed on 14 July 2004, , p. 1. 2003a, viewed on 14 July 2004, html, p. 1. 9. Hamel, G Prahalad, CK 1985, Do you really have a global strategy?, Harvard Business Review, July August 1985, p. 139. 10. Hill, CW 2003, International business: Competing in the global marketplace, 4th edn, McGRaw Hill, USA, p. 8, 173. 11. History 2003, viewed on 14 July 2004, history.html, p. 1. 12. History and business 2003, viewed on 20 July 2004, care.com/, p. 1. 13. Industrial division 2003, viewed on 14 July 2004, business/industrial.html, pp. 1-2. 2003a, viewed on 14 July 2004, , p. 1. 2003b, viewed on 14 July 2004, , p. 1. 14. Khambata, D Ajami, R 1992, International business: Theory and practice, Macmillan, Singapore, pp. 43, 283-284. 15. Kim, LK 2003, Countering obstacleschallenging the competition, Texchem Annual Report 2003, p. 18. 16. Konishi, F 2002, Chairmans Statement, Texchem Annual Report 2002, p. 11 17. Konishi, F 2003, Presidents message towards globalisation, Texview, September, viewed 4 August 2004, detailpage.php?Id=147, p. 1. 2003a, Presidents message, Texchem investor newsletter, Inaugural issue 2003, pp. 2-3. 2003b, Chairmans Statement, Texchem Annual Report 200, pp. 2-5. 18. Lee, KF 2003, Texchem gets shareholders approval to buy Sushi Kin, The New Straits Times, 11 December. 19. Nishida, Y 2003, The journey of continued success, Texchem Annual Report 2003, p. 28. 20. Our ASEAN expansion 2003a, viewed on 23 July 2004, care.com/, p. 1. 21. Our ASEAN presence 2003b, viewed on 23 July 2004, care.com/, p. 1. 22. Our history 2003, viewed on 20 July 2004, history.html, p. 1. 23. Our strength 2003, viewed on 20 July 2004, strengths.html, p. 1. 24. Packaging division 2003, viewed on 14 July 2004, business/packaging.html, p. 1. 2003a, viewed on 14 July 2004, , p. 1. 2003b, viewed on 14 July 2004, , p. 1. 2003c, viewed on 14 July 2004, , p. 2. 25. Staff 2003, viewed on 14 July 2004, holders/staff.html, p. 1. 26. Tan, D 2004, Texchem plans Euro processing facility, The Star, 28 May. 27. Tan, GH 2002, Reaching home, Texchem Annual Report 2002, pp. 30-31. 28. The ASEAN free trade area and other areas of ASEAN economic coorperation 2003, viewed on 20 July 2004, , pp. 1-2. 29. The Star 2004, Texchem setting up aquaculture products plant in Myanmar, 21 March. 30. Texchem Annual Report 2002 2002, Corporate History, p. 2. 31. Texchem Investor Newsletter 2003, Higher contribution from packaging, consumer and industrial divisions in first half, inaugural issue, pp. 2-5. 2003a, Q3: Focus on streamlining operations to further improve profitability, 3rd quarter, pp. 2-5. 2003b, Q4: Food division set to spearhead growth for Texchem, 4th quarter, pp. 2-3. 32. To set up business in Myanmar (n.d.), viewed on 6 August 2004, myanmar.com/gov/trade/setup.htm, pp. 1-2. 33. Wages and productivity (n.d.), viewed on 6 August 2004, wdi2000/tab2_6.pdf. 34. Welcome 2003, viewed on 14 July 2004, html, p. 1. 35. Yap, D 2003, Texchem on expansion path, The Star, 7 June.

Experimentalism :: Creative Writing Essays

Writing I find exciting often gets called experimental. In America this is another word for marginal. It's patronizing. Other countries distribute legitimacy in literary culture differently. For example, when in the U.K., Kathy Acker wrote for the Times Literary Supplement. Can you imagine Acker writing for the New York Times Book Review!? Just the experience of reviewing her work in the NYT Book Review caused several reviewers to spontaneously combust. On the other side of the Atlantic, debates on literary aesthetics are part of public — not just academic — life. Not so here, which means the conventions of representation that underlie mainstream fiction in this country can't be effectually critiqued. (I don't consider academic debates to be part of public life.) So what conventions of representation am I talking about? Consider identity. Mainstream fiction tends to assume separate and coherent individuals, each with a single body and character which is built, rather than destroyed, by conflict. I believe it is possible to have one identity in your thumb and another in your neck. I think identities can travel between persons who have an unusual mutual sympathy. Let's not even mention multiple personality. But what I want to talk about today is the manipulation and construction of social distance. Mainstream fiction assumes a position not too close, not too far away. A situation is implied, an entire social horizon, which is speckled with white individuals who maintain distance from one another and from social â€Å"problems". Containment. Segregation. A narrative structure which covertly mirrors the growth of white suburbs since WWII, where there is no discomfort around racism because only white people are present. Breaking this long chain of social convention at any link can easily result in personal and literary deformity, which is another term for experimentation. My sister was older, and kept her drugs and screwing in the basement the same way she kept her jewelry there. Her lovers were thin white men whose trouble was drug-related. When Paul got out of Cook County Jail he carried an odor of rape and had large nerve spots in his eyes. Fear moving like a breeze in a prison yard, I could feel that in my stomach when he was around; otherwise I didn't care. I thought about Monica. Her sharp teeth and brown cheeks. The way her greed slid across my hips could be scary but her palms were narrow as slots, that made it okay to have sex with her.

Mechanical Engineering :: essays research papers

: Mechanical Engineering   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The day to day duties of a mechanical engineer are at first repetitive, but over time and with advancement work varies. The average mechanical engineer works anywhere from thirty-five to fifty hours a week. If the engineer is ahead of schedule the hours may be less. Depending on which type of engineer you want be, you will either wear a uniform or semiformal clothing. Usually mechanical engineers work in an office or at a desk, their clothes are semiformal. Mechanical engineers are mainly designing equipment, so the outside work is minimal.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The outlook for a mechanical engineer is good. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics of the Federal Government reports that the size of mechanical engineers is about 230,725. That number is expected to increase about 19 percent by the year 2005. Because things are constantly being designed and manufactured there will always be a need for mechanical engineers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The average salary for a bachelor’s degree without experience is $37,900, for a master’s without experience is $45,800, and for the doctoral without experience is $56,700. A professor of mechanical engineering at a university is $20,000 to $40,000. The head of a mechanical engineering department of a university makes upwards of $50,000. After many years of different types of engineering one may become independent and reach earnings of $50,000 to $200,000. Presidents and vice presidents may make $100,000 to $200,000.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mechanical engineers must be licensed of they are to do anything that affects peoples’ lives, property, or the environment. A bachelor’s degree is minimal for most companies. A master’s degree assures a better starting salary and opportunities for advancement. High school credits should have good grades in: math, physics, chemistry, biology, drafting, computer and mechanical courses. To become a mechanical engineer you should start at a high school level when you notice curiosity of how, any why things work.

Article Analysis on Marijuana

Medical Marijuana? A young woman has HIV. In fact, she has had HIV for 7 years. She contracted it from her boyfriend after her first sexual experience. Unfortunately, she has taken a turn for the worse. Her body is now deteriorating. She is going through cachexia, what one would refer to as HIV wasting syndrome. Cachexia defined, is the physical wasting and malnutrition of the body that is associated with chronic disease. HIV wasting syndrome causes infected people to lose weight and to suffer from damaging diarrhea, among other things. She is always in an extensive amount of pain, affecting numerous parts of her body. The physicians that she visits have tried countless treatments to alleviate her suffering; however, nothing seems to work. There is an experimental drug, on the other hand, whose efficacy to alleviate HIV wasting symptoms is being tested now. The drug that could help ease this young woman’s pain and suffering is cannabis or, in other words, marijuana. Marijuana, in most states, is said to have no medical benefits. Therefore, it is considered a schedule 1 controlled drug by the national government. This means that marijuana cannot be used as treatment for any medical conditions or ailments. The young girl now faces the grim reality that something out there may be able to lessen her suffering, but because of governmentally mandated laws, she will not be able to obtain it lawfully. Many American citizens face this scenario each year. Whether marijuana is illegal or not is not up for debate in this essay. What is up for discussion is if marijuana can be used as an effective drug to provide medically defined sick individuals with relief from what ails them. As afore mentioned, this essay is to discuss the legalization or continued illegalization of medical marijuana for the sake of the many citizens in poor health. David G. Evans wrote a letter to the Time magazine editor entitled, â€Å"Medical Marijuana: an oxymoron†. David G. Evans argues that the national government should continue the prohibition of Medical Marijuana. His most justified argument is the fact that the Food and Drug Administration has yet to approve medical marijuana for medical use (Evans par. 2). On the other hand, Kevin O’Brien and Peter A. Clark argue for the legalization of medical marijuana in needed cases. They claim that in some instances medical marijuana is the only form of medicine that is effective. They both collaborated to write the case study â€Å"Mothers and Son: the case of Medical Marijuana†. A third article will be used to discredit or reinforce each article’s claims in a judicious indiscriminate manner. The third article is a research paper written by Tia Taylor from the American College of Physicians. The article is regarding medical marijuana. This in-depth researched paper has highly researched and supported arguments. The research paper’s goal is to clarify the Physicians’ intentions for medical marijuana and to argue reasons how medical marijuana could be an asset to the medical field. The two articles are well written as well as principally factual. Notwithstanding, one article is more persuasive and more factually based then the other. The case study â€Å"Mother and son: the case of medical marijuana† has slightly more reasonable claims, therefore it would seem to have the better argument. In an attempt to be unbiased, a comprehensive analysis of both articles is needed. This will be done in a way that discusses each author’s claims and some of their intrinsic worth. The title of the first article is â€Å"Medical Marijuana: an oxymoron. † This article is a letter to the editor printed in Time Magazine and written by David G. Evans. David G. Evans is the executive director of the Drug-Free Schools Coalition, a program that teaches children about the dangers of using drugs. His job qualifications entail knowing information about marijuana and other harmful drugs. As a result, he is well informed about issues of drugs as well as being a stern opponent of anything pro-drug. He makes a great deal of relevant claims. One such claim is that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to approve smoked marijuana as medicine (Evans par. 2). This is because smoked marijuana has yet to meet the clinical trial standards for public use. Many organizations reject marijuana because smoked marijuana is â€Å"crude† or ineffective (Evans par. 4). Marijuana is not a very good choice of medicine when compared to other safer and effective drugs. Evans claims that smoking is not the most effective way to deliver the drug to the body (Evans par. 5). In addition to not being able to calculate the dosage of marijuana effectively, there are harmful side effects that the use of marijuana can create. He claims that marijuana use increases the chances of addiction and drug use among children (Evans par. 7). He also claims that marijuana’s continued mainstreaming is obstructing children’s view of it as a dangerous drug. He goes on to say that, the states with pro-medical marijuana â€Å"initiatives† have the highest amount of drug addictions (Evans par. 7). He goes on to end by saying that he is a cancer survivor and he knows how it feels to have feelings of hopelessness (Evans par. 9). He says that he is not against people who actually need medical marijuana. He is in opposition to the people who will manipulate the system to support their drug habits (Evans par. 8). The following article is entitled â€Å"Mother and son: the case of medical marijuana† from The Hastings Center Report. This second article is a case study done by Kevin 0’Brien and Peter A. Clark. The subject of the case study is a family, a mother and her seven-year-old son JJ. JJ is hyperactive and aggressive; in fact, he has been like this for most of his life (Clark, O’Brien par 1). He has seen numerous physicians as well as had numerous medicines prescribed to help treat his condition (Clark, O’Brien 2). Nonetheless, nothing seems to work very effectively. JJ’s mother began trying to find alternatives that could possibly help her son. In 2001, she discovered that marijuana could possibly help her son (Clark, O’Brian par. 3). With counsel from her son’s physician, she began JJ on a daily regimen of marijuana. Thus far, JJ’s mother has seen improvement in her son’s condition after treating him with medical marijuana. Medical marijuana has helped this young child function. Kevin O’Brien and Peter A. Clark have written their opinions in this case study; however, this essay will only focus on Peter A. Clark’s opinion for the sake of time. Peter A. Clark is an associate professor of health administration and theology at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is also the bioethicist for Mercer Health System in Philadelphia. He supports the use of medical marijuana. He reinforces his opinion by using information from eleven scientists commissioned by the president of the United States and appointed by the Institute of Medicine to study marijuana in 1999 (Clark, O’Brian par. 14). The reports say that the benefits of the medical use of marijuana are limited because of the adverse affect of the smoke. They still recommended the use of it if no other options were effective. They also found that administering the drug to sick people does not influence the drug use of the general public. According to the study, marijuana is not a gateway drug and the fact that the government still has not reclassified marijuana as a schedule 2 drug is jeopardizing the health and well-being of many Americans (Clark, O’Brian par. 14). He says that we are now faced with two good and bad consequences: marijuana can sometimes work better than some conventional methods and marijuana has adverse long-term effects that can lead to addiction (Clark, O’ Brian par. 5). He also talks about the fact that Marinol is an alternative to marijuana; however, it has its shortcomings (Clark, O’Brien par. 17). Marinol is a synthetic form of marijuana. Although it negates the negative effects of marijuana, Marinol is very expensive: $500 dollars for 100 ten-milligram capsules. It is reported by patient s that Marinol is very strong but weakens severely after continued use. He also says that studies show that marijuana works more effectively than Marinol. That is why marijuana is a better choice of drug than Marinol both costliness and effectiveness (Clark, O’Brian par. 17). He believes that the only main concerns about medical marijuana are the chances of long-term complications and the fact that the dosage, sometime in the future, will have to be increased (Clark, O’Brien par. 18). He ends by saying that it is unacceptable for physicians to refuse to offer medicinal marijuana to patients. Some patients are suffering badly and traditional treatments are not working for them (Clark, O’Brien par. 18). The doctor is obligated to help the patient by any means necessary. Both of the articles talk about whether or not smoked marijuana is an effective way to administer cannabis to a patient. I believe that this argument is a very important argument in order to show which author supports their argument with strong, factual evidence. However, to do this effectively another more proven source must be introduced. The third article is a paper written by Tia Taylor from the American College of Physicians titled â€Å"Supporting Research into the Therapeutic Role of Marijuana†. This article is more scientifically based then the other two. The article is a position paper showing the American College of Physicians’ reasons why they believe the government should support the scientific study of medical marijuana. The position paper has very well written arguments; however, to reach a well thought out conclusion for this essay I will only use one authoritative argument. In â€Å"Supporting Research into the Therapeutic Role of Marijuana†, one of the arguments that Tia Taylor writes about is the difference between smoke marijuana and an orally administered form of marijuana (American College Par. 22). She says that when first administered, oral THC is much slower reacting than its counterpart is. According to the article, oral THC also produces adverse symptoms that last more extensively han those created from smoking marijuana do (American College Par. 22). The article says that smoked THC imbibes quickly through the bloodstream; therefore, the effects are felt quicker than orally administered THC. She ends by saying that in some situation smoked marijuana can be a more appropriate approach than the oral form of THC. At this moment, enough is known on the subject of oral THC opposed to smoke THC to make an informed decision on which author comprehensively argued his position. In his article, â€Å"Medical marijuana: an oxymoron†, David G. Evans says that smoked marijuana is an ineffective way to issue THC (Evans par. ). He also says that it is impossible to calculate the medical marijuana dosage this way. He finishes by discussing the adverse effect on health of marijuana. Although Kevin O'Brien does not talk about the efficacy of smoked marijuana, he does discuss the dosage problem of marijuana. He says that marijuana is a drug and since it is self-medicated, it is supposed to be cautiously used and not abused (O’Brien Par. 10). He also talks about the fact that marijuana is, in the long-term, harmful. However, sometimes there are no other options. Although both authors did not complete a very effective argument, David G. Evans’ argument is more plausible. His argument, in some ways, follows the analytical standard set. He talks more about facts than Kevin O’Brien, who uses more of an emotionally backed argument. The articles from Kevin O’Brien and David G. Evans have valid arguments. This part of the essay will examine the approach that each author took to discuss his respective opinion. Kevin O’Brien’s argument is less based on facts and more based upon emotion. He argues more about the fact that we should be sympathetic for those who need medical marijuana (O’Brien Par. 6). He loses a great deal of credibility relaying so heavily on emotion. David G. Evans bases his arguments on facts. He makes a considerable effort to leave emotion out of his article. He is a cancer survivor and he could have written regarding his own personal battle with a debilitating disease. However, he decided to make a more factual based argument. So therefore, in my opinion, David G. Evans article is more effective at getting his point across. Although this essay is about other authors’ opinion on a certain subject, this subject is very significant today. The national government is in dispute over the issue of medical marijuana, and not just medical marijuana; the government is debating whether to legalize marijuana completely. There are issues with medical marijuana that must be resolved before the government downgrades it to a schedule 2 drug. In addition, both authors recognized these issues and discussed them eloquently even though they had their own individual biases. The intent of this article is not to show that one of the authors was right and one was wrong, but just to show which author constructed a better argument. What needs to be taken away from this essay is the fact that the government needs to address the issue of medical marijuana straight out. Works citied â€Å"American College of Physicians. † Supporting Research into the Therapeutic Role of Marijuana. Philadelphia: American College of Physicians; 2008: Position Paper. Evans, David G. â€Å"Medical marijuana: an oxymoron? † Skin & Allergy News 36. 9 (2005): 14+. Academic OneFile. Web. 16 Nov. 2009. . Evans, David G. â€Å"Medical marijuana: an oxymoron? † Skin & Allergy News 36. 9 (2005): 14+. Academic OneFile. Web. 16 Nov. 2009. .