AIDS Social Workers free essay sample

Looks at the dangers, relationships with clients, treatment, socioeconomics, diagnosis, at-risk behavior, prevention, and public perceptions. This paper is an examination of the problems that the rising epidemic of HIV infection and AIDS poses to social workers, both as a direct issue in providing service to infected clients and as an indirect part of the overall job of social work. The prevalence of this devastating illness has had a profound effect on society as a whole. The consequences for social workers, however, are even greater, since the field services many of the patients most profoundly affected, either those who are suffering from advanced stages of the disease or those who are closely involved with the ailing. In order to provide the most effective service possible, social workers need to understand the stages of HIV and AIDS, the most current medical understanding of the ways in which HIV can be transmitted, some of the current treatments, and funding and other resources that are available to diagnosed. We will write a custom essay sample on AIDS Social Workers or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page .

Heaneys careful Essay Example

Heaneys careful Essay Example Heaneys careful Essay Heaneys careful Essay The use of words here is effective as these words as the use of the word vacuum in the beginning of the third stanza and the use of the word calm to end the previous stanza calm the reader down from the preceding stanzas expressive instability. Heaney makes use of the words collapsed and hunting to make the heart seem as though it is something that has been searched for once before but has now perhaps been shot down thanks to some external force. The use of the letter h in hunting heart can also be heard as a rhythm similar to a heartbeat. This notion is further expanded with the word hawk, hanging and held in the before and after line 14. This effect is added to the rhythmic impression given by the rhyme scheme throughout the stanza. The rhythm scheme Heaney uses again puts emphasis on the vacillation of the couples feelings.  From lines 15 to 22, the reader is told that the couple:  Preserved classic decorum,  Deployed [their] talk with art  And this exemplifies the manner in which they act given their indecision. It is almost a skill or a game that has to be learnt, where talk needs to be strategically and promptly organized with art. The next few lines:  Our juvenilia  Had taught us both to wait,  Not to publish feeling  And regret it too late  reaffirm the fact insinuated by the title, Twice Shy, that the couple are being cautious to avoid repeating mistakes in the past. Even though this may be uncomfortable for the reader, the characters are deserving of sympathy as they both are thinking the same way. This is also ironic. It is charming for the couple to be working so collaboratively together in order to prevent their relationship from going wrong. Lines 23 to 28 are, indeed, more pleasant-sounding than the earlier stanzas and perhaps this is alluding to how thrilled the couple were at the beginning of their embankment walk but have come to calmly accept the fact that all they can and will do is share nervous childish talk. Heaney carefully chooses to use the old proverb, still waters running deep, to conclusively condense the couples patience and satisfied appearance, and the anxious, excited mood they are in as they walk. I found this poem to be very captivating thanks to Heaneys careful choice of words, use of similes and intended subject, that is, the feelings of adolescent affection. I think that this poem can relate to many people and not just teenagers, for it is a poem that does not take any particular perspective in terms of opinion or viewpoint. With the tranquillity in the first and last stanza, and the swift action and plentiful techniques to look out for in between, although a little short in my opinion, this poem was concise, relevant and an enjoyable read.

The Watergate Scandal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Watergate Scandal - Essay Example The Watergate Complex includes several administrative and hotel building located on the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., but unlike hundreds other complexes of similar caliber the Watergate is known to almost any adult citizen in the US and abroad. In fact, the event was so important that the term 'Watergate' is more commonly associated with a series of political scandals that culminated in constitutional crisis than with the hotel. The Watergate Scandal occurred during the presidency of Richard Nixon and began with arrest of five burglars at the Watergate hotel complex in Washington, D.C. and ultimately resulted in dramatic resignation of President Nixon on the 9th of August, 1974.In the months preceding the Watergate break-in, Nixon and his administration had been extremely preoccupied with their public image, and took every possible step to avoid negative publicity. The preoccupation was reasonable: Nixon's policies regarding the Vietnam War generated much criticism, and the lea king of the documents concerning the US involvement in the Vietnam War submitted to the New York Times by Daniel Ellsberg in 1971 only fueled the criticism (Bernstein and Woodward 165).In order to prevent further leaks, Nixon established a special unit nicknamed the "Plumbers". The unit led by G. Gordon Liddy and E. Howard Hunt (both of them were close to Nixon) took advantage of the situation to get involved in investigation of the private lives Nixon's critics justifying their actions with national security consideration. Evidently, the true motives underlying many actions of the Plumbers had more to do with protecting the President's public image from criticism and preparing the base for the forthcoming elections (Bernstein and Woodward 207). The Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP) was established in 1972 and in December the same year G. Gordon Liddy, one of the Plumbers, was appointed as general counsel to the Committee. This appointment made CREEP a powerful weapon in the hands of Nixon with Liddy behind most of CREEP's activities. In 1972, Liddy designed a serious intelligence operation against the Democrats. One of the steps within the framework of that operation was a small-scale burglary of the Democratic National Headquarters in the Watergate office complex (Westerfeld 35). On June 17, 1972, five burglars were arrested by police inside the Democratic National Headquarters in the Watergate office building in Washington DC. Four of the burglars were Cuban anti-Communists and one White House employee: they were caught during an attempt to bug the office. The Washington police convicted James McCord, Virgilo Gonzalez, Bernard Barker, Eugenio Martinez, and Frank Sturgis of 2nd degree burglary (WHT 820). The burglars had an impressive amount of tools and materials, namely a walkie-talkie, two 35-millimeter cameras, lock picks, pen-size teargas guns, advanced bugging devices, and 40 rolls of unexposed film. Besides, they also had $14,000 in hundred dollar bills that could be traced directly to CREEP (Bernstein and Woodward, 15-16). Therefore, it immediately became clear that those people had links to Nixon's Committee to Re-Elect the President. Thus, McCord was a former CIA officer employed by the CREEP as a security director. However, despite charges filed against Liddy and Hunt for their role in organization of the burglary no serious damage was done to CREEP's reputation. There were at least two reasons for that: firstly, the information disclosed at that moment was too incomplete which resulted in huge underestimation of CREEP's role; secondly, Nixon's leading positions during the pre-election period allowed him to successfully avoid any further investigations and accusations at that time (Westerfeld 45). Nixon read about the break-in on the 18 of June and the whole thing seemed so weird to him that he did not believe it and initially dismissed it as a political trick (Nixon 625-626). Charles Colson, a

The Balanced Scorecard Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Balanced Scorecard - Essay Example The Balanced Scorecard Though the balanced scorecard system was originally developed by Kaplan and Norton to be implemented as a technique for performance management and evaluation, the technique is now used extensively by the organizations as a framework for implementation of new strategies in the business by the identification and deployment of the value drivers in the business with an aim to create strategic advantage. The Balanced Scorecard is a management framework comprising of the performance measurement system as well the process of meeting the key strategic objectives for the business. But there are several deficiencies associated with the original Balanced Scorecard framework as designed by Kaplan and Norton. These may be recognized as: The framework does not have a sufficiently codified mechanism to enable the organization to take decision regarding the inclusion and sustainability considerations in the design of the scorecard. Also, the balanced scorecard framework seems to lack the appropriate processes to evaluate risks that are beyond the client related risks. Other drawbacks of the balanced scorecard technique include the dependence of the scorecard on the performance and control features that do not originate from within the organization, the lack of rationality in the original framework of the scorecard model and the validity of the identified objectives based on which the cause and effect mappings are formed. (Banker and Chang, 2004). Also, the balanced scorecard technique does not take into account the effects of external competitive forces and the new technological necessities which are critical in deciding the performance of the organization and play a major role in deciding the risks and future strategies associated with the business. These shortcomings of the balanced scorecard framework can be addressed by including a wider array of people like social and environmental managers effectively in every critical step of the design and implementation of the balance d scorecard and considering the explicit social and environmental risk factors in the different perspectives involved in the building of the scorecard framework (Hoque, 2012). To effectively address the strategic issues created by both the external and internal factors affecting the performance of the organization, a number of techniques should be included in the balanced scorecard building and implementation processes (Merl, 2007). These may include encouraging the collaboration levels between the operations management unit, financial controllers, marketing management and the social or environmental management within the business, integrating a number of innovative strategic indicators into the balanced scorecard which are related to the social and environmental concerns and result in more value creation by the use of these activities and lastly, the identification of the critical strategic concerns related to the operations of the environmental and social wings of the organization . These strategies can be implemented by the use of mapping models and cause and effect diagrams (Kaplan and Norton, 2008). The balanced scorecard is often unsuccessful in meeting its objectives when there

Literature Review on Nursing Home Quality Essay

Literature Review on Nursing Home Quality - Essay Example This website contains a study on quality improvement programs in nursing homes in various states. The site claims that the purpose of this "study is to inform state and federal policymakers about state-initiated quality improvement programs, with the particular goal of providing information to states that may wish to develop similar programs in their state." An independent site that provides information on various medical facilities including nursing homes. The site contains information on quality efforts by IPRO in the state of New York alone. The site claims that "IPRO has entered into the 8th Scope of Work (SOW) as the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) for New York State. IPRO's Nursing Home Quality Improvement (NHQI) team works with nursing homes throughout the state to help improve the quality of care for nursing home residents by providing facilities with complimentary clinical resources, quality improvement materials, and, where indicated or requested, 1:1 technical support." This site provides legal information concerning nursing homes in the US. The site deals particularly with the NURSING HOME REFORM ACT OF 1987 and any information pertaining to that can be accessed on this site. It is an excellent site containing important information on elderly abuse in nursing homes. This site helps consumers identify signs of elderly abuse and directs them to seek legal help in their states. This article addreArticles The Extent of Quality Improvement Activities in Nursing Homes -- Lee and Wendling 19 (6): 255 -- American Journal of Medical Quality This article addresses the problem of quality of nursing home care, which it recognizes as a cause of concern. The article discusses in detail the Nursing Home Quality Initiative launched by the federal government, which is meant to improve quality (QI). In order to assess the effectiveness of this initiative, the article examines the preparation done for the implementation of QI. The data comes from surveys of two Kansas nursing homes and it is found that most answers are

Globalization In The Automotive Industry

Globalization In The Automotive Industry Globalization is one of the most controversial phenomenons of the modern business world. Today, the world map still includes the national borders; however national borders have just stayed in order to signify the political lines. Except politics, national borders have eroded between countries. In business life from finance to marketing, from economics to technology, a great degree of globalization is experienced. However, in order to make sound analysis about globalization, first of all, it is crucial to define what globalization is. There are numerous different definitions in the literature but one of them uses a humorous manner in order to define globalization through an event we all know well. According to this short story, globalization is the situation in the death of Princess Diana. It is so because an English princess with an Egyptian boyfriend crashes in a French tunnel, driving a German car with a Dutch engine, driven by a Belgian who was drunk on Scottish whisky, followed closely by Italian Paparazzi, on Japanese motorcycles; treated by an American doctor, using Brazilian medicines. (http://www.nowcwc.com/activities/globalization.htm) The story is very effectively pointing out the fact that todays life has become globalized rather than being national. In literature, many authors from all around the world with diverse backgrounds and diverse disciplines have studied about globalization and tried to define it from different perspectives. Globalization, in its contemporary meaning, has emerged in after 1980s despite the fact that it was used earlier before in different meanings. The famous American sociologist, Saskia Sassen, who has been noted for her studies on globalization, has defined it as a variety of micro-processes that are denationalizing all that has previously been constructed as national. (Sassen, 2006) Furthermore, United Nations Economic and Social Commission have asserted that in the context of economics, globalization refers to the reduction or elimination of the barriers and borders between the nations and countries in order to facilitate the free flow of; Goods and services Capital Labour Technology Despite the stronger globalization for the goods services and the capital, there have still been barriers for the flow of labour because of the imperfect mobility due to its nature. However, it is never possible to have perfect mobility for labour. (UNESC, 2002) Another author, Thomas Friedman, has defined the situation in todays world as the flattening of the world. He asserts that the changes in trade, outsourcing, and supply chain and even in politics that we all name as globalization have changed the world permanently and that the pace of globalization is accelerating. (Friedman, 2008) The emergence of globalization dates back to 80s. In the past 30 years, the changes in science and technology have brought up globalization. Flow of goods, services and capital is the key for globalization and this has been enabled by the virtue of technological advances and their application in both business life and daily life. Advances in the telecommunication have first of all permitted the flow of information across far distances. Advances in computer technologies and the rise of Internet have led to the digitalization of business. It has only, by these advances, been possible to move to a globalized economy all over the world. As a result of these advances, global companies have emerged. For example Xerox is a global organization with offices and locations in 160 different countries and 54.700 employees. Different offices in 160 different countries are connected to each other and by the virtue of the technological advances 54.000 employees in 160 countries can work in harmony. (www.xerox.com) As another example, Ford Motor Company is a global company with operations in North America, South America, Europe, Asia / Pacific and Africa. Ford manufactures cars and trucks in more than 100 plants throughout the world. (www.ford.com) As an example from financial sector, HSBC bank, the worlds largest bank, operates in 86 countries from United States to Hong Kong and Kuwait, from Mexico to France and Brazil. Furthermore, the shares of HSBC Holding are owned by 220.000 shareholders from 119 different countries. (www.hsbc.com) As it can be seen, the degree of globalization for a company may differ. One company may only have sales and distribution operations in abroad countries. Another may also have production capacities in different countries but is managed by only local executives. (Robert, 2004) Analyzing globalization becomes more meaningful as long as the analysis is conducted within a specific industry because the dynamics of different industries may require different degrees of integration among its international operations. (KPMG Global Auto Executives Survey, 2008) This report is aimed to analyze the automotive industry from the perspective of globalization. Automotive industry is a very distinct industry with many global players and a cut throat competition. The report, firstly, tries to examine whether the automotive industry and its players operate in a single global market or not. In order to do this, it is crucial to define what is meant by a single global market and what indicators could be used to measure the extent of globalization. Furthermore, these indicators are to be applied to the automotive industry where international data is available. Secondly, the factors that have contributed to the globalization for the automotive industry are to be analyzed. It is important to successfully define these factors and furthermore evaluate their importance. Lastly, the impact of globalization on levels of trade and employment is to be stated in the United States. To do this, national and international statistics on trade and employment are to b e utilized. Before proceeding to the report, it would be useful to depict a current picture of the automotive industry in general, in order to be able to set the frame and background of the analysis. Automotive Industry Automotive is a very broad industry with very different operation areas. The industry covers operations like design, sales, after- sales support, spare parts and marketing. This makes it difficult to differentiate these different operations just by naming the as automotive industry. However, the core operation areas in the automotive industry can be summarized as follows: Design of the vehicle Engineering of the designed vehicle Production and manufacturing of the vehicle Marketing and communication of the brand Sales operations through the retailer After sales and spare parts support Another important classification emerges between the different product types of the vehicles. This depends on the primary usage aim and the size of the vehicle. So, motor vehicles can be classified in the following categories: Automobiles or passenger cars LCVs Trucks Buses Light Vehicles (without commercial usage) Commercial Vehicles (McKinsey Quarterly, 2006) In line with this classification of the product types, total number of manufacturing for motor vehicles in 2007 makes up a total of 73 million units. When compared with 2006, the increase is calculated to be 5,4%. Total production in 2006 was 69,3 million units. But 2008 witnesses a rather sharp decrease in motor vehicle production. After 73 million units of 2007, total production in 2008 emerged to be 70,5 million units. (KPMG Global Auto Executive Survey, 2008) This is mainly caused by the effects of the global financial crisis that affected many parts of the world. Many automakers faced serious financial problems in 2008 and some of them even experienced the risk of bankruptcy. Governments prepared support plans for the local automakers of their countries and some merger and acquisition operations are seen in the industry. As it can be seen from the table, the biggest share of production is done in Asia and Oceania which can mainly be attributed to the fact that production costs are considerably lower in these regions. Furthermore, the local governments in these regions also support the investment plans of the automakers by some incentives and options. When production in 2008 is analyzed country by country, it is seen that leading automakers are Japan, China, Germany, USA and S. Korea. (GLG Expert Contributor, 2009) Developed economies of the world have lost production in 2008 compared with 2007. It was also seen in the general production throughout the world. However, it was also striking that emerging countries had increases in their 2008 productions. These countries can be exemplified as Brazil, Russia, China, Turkey, India and Mexico. (www.oica.net) It is an interesting fact that despite the start of the automotive industry in America by Ford Motor Company, today most of the production has shifted to the Asian countries. The main reason for this change is that Asian countries offer cost advantages in production. Making production in these countries affect the financial performance of the automakers and produce bottom line results. (Keller, 2003) This way automakers gain financial advantage whereas the Asian governments attract foreign direct investment and they have employment opportunities for their citizens. (Keller, 2003) They also support this situation by tax exemption and tariffs. The point is that since automotive is a huge industry, there also exists a competition between the governments in order to have production facilities and plants in their countries. It is for sure that the competition between companies is much more fierce compared with the competition between countries. Globalization is a very important aspect in this situation. Companies try to reach for economies of scale in order to gain financial advantages and they increase their production and these forces the companies for mergers and acquisitions. So, an important result of globalization in the industry is consolidation which is forecasted to increase in the future periods. (www.pwc.com automotive industry Analysis) Utilization rates are also important in the industry. In general, utilization rates are below 80% for the automakers which means idle production facilities. (Sturgeon Lester, 2004) Companies try to increase their utilization rates but this fact results in excess capacity when they are unable to sell the vehicles and turn it into cash. In order to sell more, companies go for price discounts and lose profitability. So overcapacity in the industry and the competition cause a price war. Price war is reflected in various forms. It can be either in terms of sales price discount or incentives and promotions to the customer. The total amount of givebacks provided to the customers is guessed to be around USD 45 million for 2007. (Pwc Report) This situation is a reality of the industry regardless of the region. Without the exceptions like a global financial crisis, the growth rate for the automotive industry is forecasted to be around 10 million units for the next 8-10 years. Even these growth rates will not heal the capacity utilization problem in the industry. The utilization rate is expected to rise to a maximum of 85% which is still low for such an investment intensive industry. (KPMG Global Auto Executives Report, 2008) This is one of the most serious problems that the future of the industry faces and needs to tackle with. Another problematic side of the industry is the suppliers. Suppliers are having pressure from the automakers both in order to keep down costs and prices and they are both expected to make innovation. For product differentiation and facing the changing demands of the customers, suppliers are very crucial to make innovations. It is only by this way possible for automakers to address the demands of the customers and the market. (Sturgeon Florida, 2000) The automotive industry is also stretched by the rules and regulations they face from both local and international institutions. Many of these regulations are related with financial issues or social issues like environment protection. Some of such regulations are as follows: IFRS Block Exemption Regulation (BER) Sarbanes Oxley End-of-Life Vehicle Regulation (ELV) EU Accession CO2 emissions Regulations These are the key issues regarding the automotive industry and I believe that they are crucial to understand the industry dynamics before proceeding to its relationship with globalization. Globalization in Automotive Industry Globalization is not a new concept for the automotive industry. When the history of the industry is studied, it is seen that automotive industry has began globalization by the start of mass production. Total different number of countries that Ford and General Motors were assembling vehicles was already 24, even as early as of 1928. These countries that Ford and GM were operating were spreading around a huge geography from Japan to Brazil and India. By the end of 1930s, both of these American automakers had plant facilities even in Europe. By 1950s, European automakers were financially recovered from the negative effects of the World War 2 and Europeans started to invest in Australia, Latin America and South Africa. By the decline of communism in the Soviet Russia and the end of the Cold War, new markets were opened to the automotive industry like Eastern Europe, India and China. 1990s witnessed the efforts of the automakers to harmonize their operations on a global scale especially i n design and manufacturing. The timeline in the history already shows that globalization has always been in the spirit of the automotive industry one way or another. (Sturgeon Florida, 2000) When the production in 1975 is compared with the production in 2005, a striking effect of globalization is visible. In 1975, the number of different countries that make up 80% of the total automotive production was 7, however when we came to 2005, the number of countries that make up the 80% of the total automotive production had risen to 11 with the dispersion of geography for the automotive industry. (Sturgeon, 2009) The entry barriers in the industry are very high. This is the reason of such a consolidation as depicted above. The design and development process for a new vehicle is very costly and it takes 3 to 5 years and billions of dollars to complete a project. In such an environment, the competition is fierce and innovation is a key element that automakers need to possess. By the advances in computer and communication technologies, the need for innovation is crucial. The automotive industry is still in a growth trend. When we look at the overall numbers for vehicle ownership, we see that only 12 % of the total population in the world has automotive products. The industry grows about 20% in each decade except the times of economic crisis. The total demand in 2010 is forecasted to be around 65 70 million units of vehicle and the leading countries in this expansion would be both developed countries and both emerging economies like BRIC countries. (Brazil, Russia, India, China) The rise of BRIC countries is a very important reflection of globalization in the automotive industry. As of today, the share of these countries in the total annual sales is not very high but in one or two decades, the global picture is expected to change. Especially, China is forecasted to account for a very large share in the increasing demand of the emerging economies, this is the reason why companies like General Motors has been aggressively working in Chinese market. (Hsu, 2002) In order to analyze the globalization in automotive industry by its todays context first of all we need to understand the current changes in the industry and the effects of globalization in these changes and the reflections in the academic literature about the automotive industry. According to Sturgeon and Florida (2000), globalization is shifting the economic geography of the automotive industry. The industry with all its side industries from spare parts and OEM to electronics is affected by a new wave of assembly and plant constructions among different places of the world. According to this new wave, China, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Brazil, Mexico and East Europe are new locations for assembly and supplier plant constructions. The reasons pushing these developments can be listed as follows: Competition is intense at home markets and as a result of the competition market saturation is reached in many local developed markets. As a result of the end of the Cold War, new investment opportunities have arisen in the countries that are stated above. There are host country requirements for local production which squeeze the automakers. Automakers are trying to benefit from regional trade arrangements. Some familiar examples are NAFTA and EU. These trade agreements provide some opportunities to automakers in order to make cost cuts. (Sturgeon Florida, 2000) The effect of trade agreements is rather important in the industry and it is the newer side of globalization that is experienced in the automotive industry. It had started with the Japanese automakers efforts that resulted in intense competition in the United States and in Europe. Against Japan automakers, Europeans and Americans focused on their cost structure and tried to reduce their operational costs. Through regional strategies of moving production to low cost countries, automakers of Europe and the United States tried to gain cost advantage against the Japanese. Those low cost countries were especially Canada, Mexico and Spain in the 1980s. (Keller, 2003) Globalization in the automotive industry is also experienced in manufacturing. Vehicles are generally designed with common under-body platforms but then they are modified in specific characteristics according to the local needs and conditions. Also through the inclination to global vehicle body platforms, the assembly capacities and skills can be designed more generic or in other words global. This way assembly and manufacturing become less model-specific. Another important issue in the automotive industry is that automakers constantly try to decrease the minimum scale of assembly plants because they have a risk in such emerging market investments since these markets are vulnerable and they possess more risk due to a possible uncertainty compared to developed markets. Thus, automakers strive on to decrease the initial risk they incur on such investments. They try to launch relatively smaller but flexible plants and these plants are designed as expandable in case it is needed. Automakers furthermore share large investments with other automakers who would also like to benefit from the assembly plant. (Sturgeon Florida, 2000) Globalization is also experienced through its impact on the structure of the automotive industry. As a result of the globalization in the industry, the relationship between the automakers and suppliers is changing. This change is much distinct for the first tier suppliers who, day by day, play more importance in the industry. This has also led to the fact that anymore global suppliers have emerged in the automotive industry. These global suppliers have a superb capacity of sourcing components on a global level in different parts of the world, simultaneously and in coherence. So, this both means geographic expansion for the global scale suppliers but it also means a consolidation in the industry as these global suppliers start to reach economies of scale and work with maximum efficiency and minimum costs. It is so striking that for the future of the automotive industry, such global suppliers may be more effective in the automotive industrys future investments. Being more effective in the investments also mean that suppliers will be more and more enjoying the benefits of such investments, either social or economical like employment. It can be asserted that as a result of globalization, the power of the suppliers versus automakers is increasing. This is the most important effect of globalization on the automotive industry and it has led to the rise of suppliers like Bosch, TRW, Magna and Valeo. (Sturgeon Florida, 2000) Sturgeon, T., Memedovic, O., Biesebroeck, J.V., Gereffi, G. (2009) have also studied on globalization of the automotive industry with its main features and the prevailing trends. The authors also accept the boom in the developing markets and emerging economies but they also emphasize on the fact that developed markets still have importance in the automotive industry. In operational levels, regional integrations play an important role but also global value chain links have been created in the industry. Another sign of the globalization on the automotive industry is seen in the change in the job market both in terms of quality of the jobs and the necessary characteristics and both in terms of the number of jobs available in the market. According to the analysis of Sturgeon and Florida (2000), automotive industry has added 103.000 jobs to the job market just between 1993 and 1996. However, later as the globalization started to affect the automotive industry, the job structure has shifted from the automakers to suppliers and this has also affected the pay levels since the pay was lower in the supplier side compared to the automakers. (Keller, 2003) The change in the job market has also been seen through the shift of locations from developed countries to emerging economies like Russia, Mexico, Brazil, India and China. So, it can easily be concluded that job opportunities of the United States and Northwest Europe have gone to other parts of the world. A relaxing factor for this issue could be seen as the fact that still some important parts and components are manufactured in the traditional centers of the automotive industry like the United States and Europe. (Keller, 2003) As production and assembly facilities have shifted from United States and Europe to low cost countries, these traditional centers that have stayed expensive for production have taken more responsibility in other functions like design, research and development and engineering. Another important aspect of globalization in automotive industry is the sharing of technology and know-how. As a result of the competition, innovation has been a key issue in order to sustain competitive advantage in the market for all industries. This need of innovation is far more important in the automotive industry because the needs and demands of customer segments are constantly changing and evolving. In order to meet changing customer needs, automakers have to innovate new product features that are in line with customer needs. One aspect of innovation in the context of globalization is seen in the design and manufacturing. Generally main body parts of the vehicles are designed globally and are used in all different models. Besides, manufacturing processes are planned globally and applied in all different plants. However, another important aspect is valid for recruitment in order to attract talent. In order to meet the need for advanced technology, companies need to attract and recruit most skilled employees wherever he / she reside and whatever nationality he / she are in. For example, General Motors recruits engineers and scientists from a very diverse range of countries and nationalities like from North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, China, Taiwan, India, and Korea. The variety in the backgrounds of the employees makes a leveraging effect in order to create new ideas and perspectives for the company. This is an essential part of the business in order to create competitive advantage through the use of innovation. So, a very important benefit of globalization is the ability to have access to technology and the employees who know and use these technologies. It is also valuable to compare the automotive industry with other global industries like electronics or consumer goods. One of the most important common features between these industries and automotive is that there has been tremendous increase in global production, cross-border trade between the countries and foreign direct investment. These increases have especially intensified after the 1980s up to today and the pace of increase is accelerating. (Sturgeon, T., Memedovic, O., Biesebroeck, J.V., Gereffi, G, 2009) Another important common feature between all these globalized industries is that the level of outsourcing is increasing in the industry and more and more operational work is transferred to the supplier firms. The fact that suppliers became global which we have addressed previously is thus valid for many other globalized industries. (Sturgeon Lester, 2004) However, automotive industry is different for some of its distinct characteristics. First of all, the automotive industry is very concentrated. Very strong small numbers of firms are very powerful against a huge number of smaller firms. Three countries Japan, Germany and the United States are the leading countries and a total of 11 firms from these 3 countries are the most effective companies of the automotive industry. This was especially shaped by the mergers and acquisitions that took place in 1990s. Secondly, another important characteristic of the automotive industry is seen in its proximity between the manufacturing and the sales. Production is generally done close to the market and the notion of build where you sell is very important. (Sturgeon Florida, 2000) Thirdly, regional integration as stated earlier in this report is much more common in the automotive industry compared with other globalized industries. In automotive industry, regional integration is seen side by side with the global integration and this is a differing side of the automotive industry compared with for example electronics where only global integration is seen. Lastly, it must be noted that in the global automotive industry there is a lack of standardization in the parts and components whereas in electronics for example processors are nearly virtually usable in all kinds of computers but the automotive industry lacks such industry standards. We have focused heavily on the globalization of the automotive industry from different aspects and identified the indicators of globalization in the industry and the causal links between these indicators and the extent of globalization. However, in order to be able to draw a complete picture of globalization, we also need to study the national and local elements of the automotive industry. There are many elements of the automotive industry that still retain as national or local. Consumer preferences, the income levels, driving conditions in the highways, regulations regarding the job market in the local countries and public policies like taxation all are subject to differ in different countries. These attributes have thus stayed national despite the fact that they have great effect on the automotive industry. (Sturgeon Florida, 2000) As a specific case, I would like analyze the Turkish automotive market as an emerging market. Turkey is one of the top-20 countries that manufacture automobiles and commercial vehicle. The following table shows the automotive production in Turkey for the years 2005 to 2008. As of 2008, the total automotive production in Turkey is 1.147.110 units. (Findikcioglu, Yildirim, Senol, 2008) When the past data for the previous 4 years is analyzed, it is seen that there is a constant increase in Turkish production in the automotive industry. Source: Findikcioglu, Yildirim, Senol, 2008 The increase from 2007 to 2008 is 4% for the Turkish automotive production. The capacity utilization ratio was 78% and Renault was the largest manufacturer by 286.995 units. (Findikcioglu, Yildirim, Senol, 2008) Source: Findikcioglu, Yildirim, Senol, 2008 Despite the increase in production, automotive sales decreased in 2008 in the Turkish market. This is affected from the recessionary environment due to the reflections of the global financial crisis and as a result of the two forces of sales decrease and production increase, inventory levels increased in Turkey. 2009 was thus a year with high stock levels, however, the government executed a rescue program and decreased the taxes on automotive until September 2009 and this way, and automakers could close the year 2009 with higher sales and lower inventories. (Findikcioglu, Yildirim, Senol, 2008) Source: Findikcioglu, Yildirim, Senol, 2008 The most important indicator concerning the effects and extent of globalization in the automotive industry in Turkey is the number of exports. Turkeys automotive exports have been constantly increasing since 2005 and as of the end of 2008, total automotive exports of Turkey is 910.270 units with an 11% growth compared with 2007. Renault and Ford Turkey were the leader auto exporter in 2008. This shows the integration of Turkish automotive industry with the global automakers industry which can be seen as an indicator for the extent of globalization in Turkey. (Findikcioglu, Yildirim, Senol, 2008) Source: Findikcioglu, Yildirim, Senol, 2008 The table shows the consolidated results for production, retail sales, domestic factory sales, exports and capacity utilization ratios for the previous 4 years. (Findikcioglu, Yildirim, Senol, 2008) Source: Findikcioglu, Yildirim, Senol, 2008 When we look at the sales in Turkey, more than half of the automotive sales are imports. In 2008, total automotive sales are 526.544 whereas the share of local brands is 41.8% and the share of imports is 58.2%. (Findikcioglu, G., Yildirim, B., Senol, B.G., 2008) This is also another indicator of the effect of globalization. However, Turkish automotive industry is weaker in suppliers side. Turkey does not have a global supplier brand. (Teker Felekoglu, 2008) Conclusion This report has aimed to analyze the globalization in the automotive industry and has tried to provide answers to the questions stated in the Post Module Assignment of the Global Business Environment lecture. To sum up, it can be concluded that automotive is an industry that is highly affected by globalization from various aspects. The degree and extent of globalization is different among different countries, however, when considered as a whole, automotive is a globalized industry. Globalization has affected the automotive industry in various business areas from design to manufacturing and from recruitment to investments. Business professionals need to understand the dynamics of globalization in the industry and need to develop appropriate strategies in order to survive in the competitive market.

The Jumping Frog :: Creative Writing Short Stories War Essays

The Jumping Frog Now that brings me by a natural and easy transition to Simon Wheeler of California; a pioneer he was, and in a small way a philosopher. Simon Wheeler's creed was that pretty nearly everything that happens to a man can be turned to moral account; every incident in his life, almost, can be made to assist him, to project him forward morally, if he knows how to make use of the lesson which that episode teaches, and he used -- well, he was a good deal of a talker. He was an inordinate talker; in fact, he wore out three sets of false teeth, and I told about a friend of his one day -- a man that he had known there formerly, and who he had a great admiration for, of one Jim Smiley, and he said it was worth a man's while to know Jim Smiley. Jim Smiley was a man of gift; he was a man of parts; he was a man of learning; he was -- well, he was the curiousest man about always betting on anything that turned up that you ever see, if he could get anybody to bet on the other side, and if he couldn't he would change sides. As soon as he got a bet he was satisfied. He prepared himself with all sorts of things -- tomcats, rat terriers and all such things, and one day he ketched a frog; said he calculated to educate him. And he took him home and never done nothing but set in his back yard and learn that frog how to jump. Yes, sir, and he did learn him to -- he did learn him to. When it came to jumping on a dead level there wasn't no frog that could touch him at all. Come to jump on the dead level, why, he could lay over any frog in the profession, and Smiley broke all the camps around there betting on that frog. Bye and bye he got a misfortune. He used to keep his frog in a little lattice box. The frog's name was Daniel Webster, and he would bring that box down town and lay for a bet. And one day a fellow came along, a stranger in the camp he was, he says, "What might it be that you have got in the box?" "Well," Smiley says, "It ain't anything particular, it's only just a frog," " Well," he says, "What is he good for?