Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Movie review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 8

Movie Review Example One of the aspects of the Iranian society that has been shown in the documentary is the anti-U.S protests. The highly-educated society has demonstrated against the U.S government on several occasions. It is vital to note that the anti-U.S protests are not aimed against the U.S people, but against the U.S policies on the Middle East and Iran. In addition to the anti-U.S protests, the film show the functioning of Iranian propaganda (Omaar, 2012). Iranian propaganda is different from the U.S propaganda because it is strict. Iran has blatant censorship of media content. This differs from the subtle censorship used by U.S media. The BBC documentary on Iran highlights the misrepresentation and misunderstanding of the Iranian society and Islamic culture. The aim of the documentary is to use local Iranians to give their stories and perceptions about different issues. The documentary helps in the understanding that Iranians are picking up elements of Western societies. Most of the people outside Iran think that Iranians are against American citizens. All the same, the documentary succeeds in showing that they are against the policies of the American

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Home Work # 6 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Home Work # 6 - Assignment Example Therefore, an economy undergoes a rapid recovery period which is accompanied by technological advancement. Resources are allocated towards the reconstruction of the damaged capital stock such as foreign aid and human capital. In the short run the aggregate output will grow at a higher rate than the growth rate of the labour force due to the increased savings and foreign aid which pushes the recovery of the capital growth rate back to normal. d) After world war two, the real GDP in Germany and Japan grew steadily due to the period of technological advancement and reconstruction. During the recovery period, the technology in these countries grew at a faster rate leading to the faster growth of effective labour which is translated into their real GDP. 6. With the rise in depreciation, the equilibrium steady-state capital-labour ratio declines.as a result, output per worker becomes lower and that leads to lower consumption of the same worker. This is based on the assumption that the capital-labour ratio is not very high in that an increase in k can reduce consumption of the worker. On the long run, there are no effects on the growth rate of the total capital stock. This is due to the fact that, in the long run, the capital stock should grow at the same rate as the labor rate growth is and therefore the capital-labour ratio remains constant. 7a) The government purchases per worker are indicated by IS at the inintial time, as the government purchases more, the IS curve shifts to IS2 curve which goes up and further to the right of the curve. This shows the increase in both the government spending and also the increase in the interest rate of the government revenue. b). if the government increases g, it will lead to reduction in the savings of the government and therefore capital per worker increases due to increased savings, output per

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Show manliness Essay Example for Free

Show manliness Essay How does A View from the Bridge show manliness, hostility and aggression? In the play A View from the Bridge Eddie Carbone plays the protagonist. Eddie has a very particular view of what it means to be a man and in this sense is the main example of manliness, hostility and aggression in the play. Manliness, hostility and aggression are a big part of existence and of living in the play. Arthur Miller creates this by using the characters against each other, always challenging each one then the other. Throughout the play the audience are reminded of Eddies manliness and what he believes to be manly. The audience are fed an idea of what Eddie presumes to be manliness right from the start of the play. Catherine has just told Eddie that she has got a job as a stenographer, but Eddie thinks that she should stay at school. Catherine then uses the argument that shell be earning $50 a week. Eddie reacts angrily to this look did I ask you for money and then claims, I supported you this long I can support you a little more this gives the indication that Eddie believes that a man should be supporting the family and should go out of his way to make sure his niece doesnt need to go to work. Eddie then gives his views of manliness by judging Rodolfos way of living in an argument with Beatrice about Rodolfos friendliness with Catherine. Beatrice thinks he is a nice boy but Eddie doesnt like him because he sings on the ships, didja know that he then goes on to say that the other men think the same way as him because theyre callin him paper doll, theyre callin him Canary. Hes like a weird Beatrice then argues with Eddie that he is adjusting to American life but Eddie begins to compare him to his brother Marco why dont his brother sing Marco goes around like a man; nobody kids Marco. This is showing that Marco is what he views as a man and Rodolfo isnt. Later Eddie talks to Alfieri, his lawyer, about what he can do to stop Rodolfo seeing/marrying Catherine. He tells Alfieri the guy aint right he claims that the fact that Rodolfo is a blond guy and if you close the paper fist you could blow him over This is saying that to be manly a man should not only act like a man but must look like a man. This is backed up when he says that Rodolfo sings like a woman sometime he hits a note I mean high and if you came in the house you wouldnt be lookin for a him you be lookin for her Eddie keeps on complaining about how Rodolfo makes dresses and a man shouldnt be making dresses he should be buying them he takes the dress cuts it up; one-two-three he makes a new dress. In Act two Eddie shows again what it means to be a man. He fights Rodolfo and pins his arm. Catherine is watching and he is trying to show her that Rodolfo isnt a man because he cant break Eddies grip. He then tells Alfieri about it and explains why Rodolfo isnt a man Im tellin you I know he aint right. Somebody that dont want to break your grip can break it he didnt give me the right kind of fight Mr Alfieri the guy aint right. This is showing that Eddie believes that a man should be strong and if he wants to protect his woman he should fight for her. Eddies views on manliness cause a lot of conflict throughout the play. The first instance of this is when Eddie criticises Catherines new dress I think its too short he then goes on to say that Catherines walkin wavy. This is showing that Eddie doesnt want men to be perving over her and this causes conflict as Catherine is young and immature and doesnt realise that the men are like that. The next instance of Eddies views causing a conflict is when Catherine tells him shes got a job. Straight away Eddie is on the offensive, or what could be called an offensive defence, when he says NO-NO you gonna finish school Catherine tries to calm him down but Eddie continues, You cant take no job. Why didnt you ask me Eddie begins to calm down when he finds out she hasnt accepted the job yet, but becomes strangely nervous and continues to cause conflict with abrupt answers and repudiating any attempt to sway him. This again shows that his views that a man should provide for his family and woman should do what there told causes even more conflict. It is not only Catherine that Eddie causes conflicts with; he can even cause a conflict with Rodolfo when hes not there. This happens when Rodolfo is at the pictures with Catherine and Beatrice makes a comment that Rodolfo is a nice kid Eddie reacts aggressively to this he gives me the heebie-jeebies and starts insulting the way Rodolfo acts and that its not manly he sings on the ships theyre callin him, Canary this is showing that when someone doesnt conform to his views on masculinity he wont hold back in saying so. Throughout A View from the Bridge Rodolfo fails over and over again to conform to Eddies image of masculinity a pivotal moment of this is when he starts to sing paper doll just minutes after arriving. Eddie thinks that your clothes, the way you look, music and seeing sites isnt that important where as this is all Rodolfo seems to spend his money on. This leads to a pivotal and dramatic event in the play when Eddie comes home drunk to find that Catherine and Rodolfo have been in the bedroom together he immediately thinks the worst and tells Rodolfo to get out of his house. Catherine argues with him and then decides that she has to leave as well but Eddie grabs her. Rodolfo reacts angrily to this and flies at Eddie in attack. To this Eddie pins him to the floor and unexpectedly kisses him. Eddie gets up with tears rolling down his face and laughs, mocking Rodolpho. This is a big moment as it is the first time Eddie as acted to back up his displeasure of the way Rodolfo has acted but it evidently hasnt helped his cause of getting Catherine to split up with him and has in fact caused more of a friction between himself and Catherine. Marco, Rodolfos brother, is the complete opposite of Rodolfo and portrays a conventionally masculine appearance. For this reason Eddie is more partial to Marco than Rodolfo and quite often ignores Rodolfo and addresses Marco even when the two of them are together. Arthur Miller uses Marcos manliness as a climatic moment on more than one occasion. For example at the end of Act One Marco and Eddie have a test of strength. One may presume that Eddie would be the one to challenge Marco but on the contrary it is Marco who initiates the challenge as a show of strength, power and masculinity. He does this because Eddie had taught Rodolfo how to box as an excuse to fight him and therefore proof his manliness. Marco does the same thing with the test of strength because after Eddie cant lift the chair Marco doesnt laugh or rub it in his face and just lifts the chair without emotion and then again without emotion looks Eddie in the eye chair raised above his head and gives a defiant warning for Eddie to keep away from his brother. Arthur Miller uses Marcos manliness again to as a climax to the play. The play ends with Marco pressing a knife into Eddies chest and without emotion lets him fall to the ground still clutching the knife that has ended his life. This gives a dramatic end to the play and shows that although Eddie was always critical of others when they werent manly and strong, the fact that he wasnt man enough and strong enough ended his life.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

The Fall of the Roman Empire Essay -- Ancient History

The Fall of the Roman Empire A reason that leads to Rome's inability to remain self-sustaining as an Empire was its lack of technology. Technological advance did not increase at a rate proportional to the increase of the people per square mile. This lead to the inability of the Romans to become self-sustaining. Once again the slave trade was a reason that their technology levels failed to increase. The bulk of work done in the Roman Empire was always carried out by the slaves. This provided very little need or incentive for new discoveries. By neglecting the important technological advance, there was no increase in the efficiency of running Rome. Therefore, it was left behind from the start. What then started out small grew to a life threatening wound. With all of these stumbling blocks stacking up, the Roman juggernaut began to falter. The epitome of this problem rests in the Roman economy, which was now staggering drastically. As the Roman rulers of the time noticed this problem they slowly but increasi ngly moved back to their country estates. One of the main causes of disunity was the tension between the Emperor and his generals (Grant-1978-pg.437). By doing so, they left the offices of business in the city which out of this neglect began to disappear. This trend, although very strong in the west was comparably weak in the east, where the cities were older and more schooled and prepared to deal with economic recession. The final action of the Roman rulers to retreat to the country, resulted not only in the empires economy being weak, but moreover a general failure to function. A major reason for a weakening in the Empire was the inability to resist its invaders (Grant-1990-pg.60). It was the combination of these a... ...e. New York: Time Incorporated, 1965. Grant, Michael. The Fall of the Roman Empire. Pennsylvania: Annenberg School of Communications, 1976. Grant, Michael. The History of Rome. New York: Charles Scribners Sons, 1978. Nardo, Don. The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. California: Lucent Books, 1998. Roberts, J.M. A History of Europe. New York: Penguin Books, 1996. Starr, Chester. A History of the Ancient World. New York: Oxford University Press, 1974. Stobart, J.C. The Grandeur that was Rome. New York: Frederick A. Praeger Incorporated, 1961. The Roman Empire. Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin, 1967. Boak, Arthur. A History of Rome to 565 AD. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1947. Gibbon, Edward. The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. New York: Random House Publishing, 1952. Hadas, Moses. Imperial Rome. New York: Time Incorporated, 1965. Grant, Michael.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Love You Forever Analysis

Love You Forever Book Analysis By: Matthew Strong Love You Forever is a classic heart-warming story by Robert Munsch built around a simple, but eternally meaningful commitment from a mother to a child to love him forever. Robert Munsch has become a world-renowned author of children’s books for his unique use of exaggerated expressions that produce sounds that are very appealing and fun for children. In Love You Forever Munsch uses words like â€Å"crazy† and â€Å"zoo† to add the effect of comedy but the overall theme of the story strikes chords that are much deeper than exaggerated expressions (Munsch np).Robert Munsch started Love you Forever as a song: â€Å"I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living my baby you’ll be† after he and his wife had two stillborn babies (Munsch, â€Å"The Books: Love You Forever†). However, the story surrounding the song was not developed until sometime later. Un derstanding where Munsch is coming from while writing Love You Forever really emphasizes the meaning of unconditional love that is so prevalent within the story, as well as, highlights the underling theme of gender stereotypes. The love that a parent has for their child is an unrestricted love that never wavers.Love You Forever presents the unconditional love that parents are expected to have for their children, despite all the mistakes they may make. In the story, when the boy pulled all the food out of the refrigerator and flushed his mothers watch down the toilet Munsch displays the mothers frustration with â€Å"this kid is driving me crazy† (Munsch np). Yet, despite the mothers obvious irritation she continually crawls into the boys room every night to pick him up and rock him back and forth while she sings â€Å" I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living my baby you’ll be† (Munsch np).In many cases this unc onditional parental love is the first and most important love a person will ever receive in their lifetime. In the future when developing relationships a person is able to recognize and respond to the love shown by others because of the understanding of love that was first introduced by their parents. As a person progresses from a child into an adult the understanding of the meaning of love helps them comprehend the importance of reciprocating love and compassion towards others.Munsch does a wonderful job of displaying the young boys progression through the different stages in life. And even though there is no initial indication that the boy reciprocates the love given to him by his mother when he was young. It becomes very clear that as an adult he understands the importance of reciprocating love when his mother becomes elderly and sick, and he returns the love she has unconditionally shown him by picking her up and rocking her back and forth while singing their song (Munsch np).Mu nsch shows how the reciprocation of love is crucial in allowing love to continue to exist when the man returns home to his newborn daughter and sings the same song that his mother sang to him (Munsch np). The original relationship developed by Munsch in Love You Forever is between the mother and son. Coincidently this relationship closely follows the stereotype predominately set in place by society. Society often sees women as more affectionate and nurturing than their counterpart gender, which widely leads to the assumption that women are naturally better suited for the process of raising a child.This stereotype is made obvious essentially through the entire story as neither Munsch nor the illustrator, Sheila McGraw; make any indication that the father of the boy is playing a substantial role with the mother in his upbringing. However, at the end of the story this stereotype is completely contrasted following the passing of the mother. When the boy, who is now a grown man and fathe r, returns home to his newborn daughter it is he who displays a nurturing and affectionate relationship between a father and his daughter.This role reversal developed by Munsch effectively casts aside the stereotype that women are better suited to raise a child, and demonstrates that affection and the ability to nurture are not qualities that are able to be defined by a persons gender. Munsch instead shows how these qualities are learned by a person and are displayed as they mature with age. Munsch effectively represents this progression though maturity when showing, the love the boy has for his mother is not absent during his childhood, but simply something he does not display as well as he does when he becomes an adult.Love You Forever is a wonderfully constructed story that can be enjoyed by adults and children of all ages. Although the comprehension of all the concepts within the story may not be extracted by the majority of the children, the tuneless song of â€Å" I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living my baby you’ll be† is fun for young children to sing along to (Munsch, â€Å"The Books: Love You Forever†). Munsch uses Love You Forever to address some very basic yet very powerful concepts.Love You Forever shows the existence of unconditional love and how important of a role the reciprocation of love plays in the development of future relationships. Furthermore, Munsch addresses the underling theme of stereotypes towards gender roles in the upbringing of a child by completely contrasting the stereotype, effectively displaying how irrelevant of a role gender plays in the ability to show affection and nurture a child. Instead it is shown that these qualities are learned by a person and are displayed as they mature with age.Love You Forever is known to raise a lot of emotion in its readers, but it is Love You Forever’s ability to connect readers to powerful heartfelt concepts t hat has ultimately made it a children’s book classic. Works Cited Munsch, Robert. Illus. Sheila McGraw. Love You Forever. Willowdale. Firefly Books Ltd. 1986. Print Munsch, Robert. The Books: Love You Forever. Official Robert Munsch Website. Barking Dogs Studios. n. d. n. d. 2012. Web. 12 October 2012

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Mabe Case Essay

Internationalization Strategy MABE has a good internationalization strategy with widely spread manufacturing plants in Mexico and Latin America, such as Venezuela, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador. It relies highly on acquisitions and JVs with local brands to lower manufacturing cost and increase its market share by entering different markets. This strategy is valuable as it decreases net costs and increases net revenues. It is rare because one third of all gas, electric ranges and refrigerators sold in the U.S. are manufactured by MABE. It is also hard to imitate as MABE spent many years to develop its plants in Mexico and Latin America, thus, competitors would face a cost disadvantage in developing similar strategy. Its products can be easily substituted as GE is still one of the largest competitors. However, MABE has exploited the full potential of this strategy in the international market. Research & Development In the early stage of development, MABE formed alliance with GE and took advantage of the foreign technology and penetrated new market. Later on, it developed higher and more sophisticated technical skills and decreased reliance on GE and developed its proprietary technology. It has used its R&D capability to exploit opportunities in the electric stoves, refrigerators, dish washing machines and clothing dryers markets. Thus, its R&D skill is valuable. Also, it is rare and non-substitute because very few competitors possess these skills and it will be costly for competitors to duplicate. MABE exploits its R&D by constant adaptation and innovation to ensure success in the growing appliance market. Organizational Culture MABE has a well-established multinational organizational culture. It hired engineering graduates and assigned them with seasoned MABE and GE executives. It used GE’s methodology of â€Å"action learning† so that multidisciplinary teams of executives can work together to recommend ways to enter into new markets. This organizational culture is valuable as it plays an important role in shaping management and employees’ values, expectations, behaviors, and experiences. It is not rare as many multinational firms have good organizational culture. Notwithstanding, it is non-substitutable because organizational structure is set up by many years of business experience and every organization has its own typical organizational  culture, so it is hard to imitate from one to another. MABE is organized to fully exploit its resources and capabilities. Summary: MABE has a sustainable competitive advantage in the international market because it takes advantage of all of its uni que resources and capabilities and continue to expand its market and remain competitive. External Analysis Porter’s five forces Degree of Rivalry — Moderate to High In the Russian appliance industry, majority of the market share is shared among Indesit, Bosch-Siemens and LG. MABE occupies less than 1 percent of market share and falls far behind 9 other major competitors. Due to the market size (i.e. $3 billion) and profitability (i.e. two times the average operating margin), the appliance market is attractive to foreign investors. Thus, the degree of rivalry is moderate to high. Threat of Substitute — Low to Moderate Before entering the appliance industry, initial capital and technologies are required. MABE has existed for a while now and has continuously produced good quality appliances, therefore, no better substitute for stove, freezer and washing machine are available. However, due to weather conditions, living habits and customs, the consumption of canned food may substitute the freezer sales as it is convenient and easy to store. Hence, the threat of substitute is low to moderate. Threat of New Entrants — Moderate to high The threat of new entrants in Russia is moderate to high. On one hand, new entrants need to consider Russia’s culture, low foreign acceptance, trust issues, economic environment and unstable political position before entering Russian market. All these factors may result in potential risks in business. Conversely, the profitability of the appliance market in Russia attracts new entrants to the industry. Bargaining power of Buyers — Moderate to high Customers have many options in the Russia appliance industry. They can select products based on their preferences as there are nearly 9 strong brands to satisfy buyers various needs. Thus, the bargaining power of buyers is  moderate to high. Bargaining power of Supplier — Low to Moderate Suppliers have low to moderate bargaining power. When production is done by the JV, the supplier will have low bargaining power but when production is outsourced, supplier tend to have moderate bargaining power. Conclusion: Based on the analysis, the Russian economy is favorable with growing potential for the JV to exploit. Nevertheless, they have to pay more attention to the intensified rivalry and political and economic status and learn about customers’ needs as well as strive to increase economy of scale in order to achieve competitive advantage and increase profit and market share. PESTEL Analysis Political Russian State has high involvement and enormous influence over business activities and decision making. Moreover, there is political instability, weak legislative and enforcement regimes as well as immense corruption and bribery at all level. Therefore, it is vital that MABE understand the political risk when entering the market as it could have negative impact on their business as well as their reputation. Economic In 2008, the Russian economy was devastated by the recession which affected its monetary system. Among the BRIC countries, Russia has the highest FDI, per capita and discretionary incomes. It is also the world’s largest gas reserve and the second largest oil reserve. However, Russia economy offers low entry to small and medium size companies and its financial system is monopolized by one big bank resulting in a rather small domestic investment by locals and loan difficulty. Notwithstanding, there are still numerous opportunities for development that MABE can take advantage of if they can implement a method to handle these issues. Sociocultural Russia has a collective culture with informal social orientation and considers trust as a prominent factor in doing business especially with foreigners and it takes a considerable amount of time for foreign firms to earn the trust of locals. Therefore, the adaptation of MABE to the Russian cultural cues is essential. Furthermore, Russia is facing comparative  problems of population abatement, human capital deterioration, high mortality, low level of life expectancy, health and knowledge. In spite of the Russia’s vast natural resources, their declining human capital, low level of knowledge and other related issues have limited its social and economic development which will pose a problem for MABE to extract high skilled and competent workers. Technological Technological innovation and improvement is one of the main success factor to achieve competitive advantage in the appliance sector. In a merging market like Russia, with increasing competition, it is imperative that MABE invest more in technology improvement, innovation and development so as to stay abreast with the rapidly changing technological environment and improve their business efficiency, performance and competitiveness. Environmental Russia environment can be quiet hostile for foreign investment with several laws and regulations pertaining to environmental protection. For instance, doing AIDS test to obtain work permit and also, the hiring of several local work force in order for business to successfully operate in Russia. Additionally, there have been energy consumption regulations imposed by most government including Russia. Thus, MABE has to take into consideration these requirements and conditions. Legal Russia has had weak legislative and enforcement regimes with increasing corruption and bribery. Its biased legal and judicial systems, corrupt law enforcement, weak capital market institutions and poor private property right protection has relatively formed and increased the volatility and instability of its economy. This will lead to the loss of interest of existing and potential foreign firms to do business there. C onclusion Russia has an attractive and profitable appliance market with high technical innovation capabilities. However, the poor legislative and judicial system with a corrupt government that highly influences business practices makes it quite challenging and risky for entry into the country. Despite its social impediment and structure, there is still opportunities for successful entry in the market and for the joint venture to achieve its goal, it must adjust  itself to the Russian environment. CAGE Analysis Cultural Distance Administration and Political Distance Geographical Distance Economical Distance Attributes creating distance -Different languages, -Different religions, -Different ethnicity, Different social norms -Absence of colonial ties, -Different monetary system & currencies -Government policies -Different country size -Different climate -Limited sea access -Difference in customer income Cultural distance: Russia and Mexico have very distinct cultures. They have different languages, ethnicity, social norms and religions, hence, there is a huge cultural difference between them. Administration and Political Distance: Both country’s government have high influence on all aspect of business and other operations in the country. Although they suffer from the same poor political and legislative system as well as corruption and bribery, some administration and political differences still exist. Geographical Distance: Due to the large geographic distance between Russia and Mexico, goods can be exchange via transportation and most communication through information system. Economical Distance: Russia and Mexico are developing countries with similar economic situations such as average salary, GDP and population size. In this regards, the economic distance is little. Conclusion Russia and Mexico are somewhat similar in term of their political, economic and administrative situations while very different in term of culture and geography. However, as many factors need to be considered to adjust to the changes, the JV must adapt to the Russia environment. Alternative and Recommendation Decision Criteria Mabe has to make a decision based on its business objectives and these will be discussed below: International expansion Whether or not MABE decides to stop or continue with the JV, it will most likely still seek to go to other markets in the world since the JV was a result of its aim of wanting to explore new regions of the world and expand to other markets. If it decides to stay, it may partner with a local manufacturer in Russia as discussed in our third alternative or if Mabe decides to leave Russia, it may seek to enter into other markets in other regions of the world but these markets will also have their potential threats in addition to their opportunities and benefits. Business growth The major aim of Mabe wanting to expand operations to other regions of the world is to grow its business. In order to ensure that this happens, Mabe will have to tailor its next step on what to do about its JV in Russia to something that not only helps it expand to other countries, but one that also increases the growth of the business. Other factors Whether or not Mabe decides to continue with its present JV, go into another JV in Russia or go to another region of the world, it has to consider the current market situation there and the major market players to see if it can gain adequate market share that will sustain its business there. In addition to this, it also has to consider the business culture in the region and see  if its business can fit into their ways of doing things there. The available opportunities in those regions also matter but this may not be a huge problem in emerging markets unlike under developed regions. Even in the midst of these available opportunities, Mabe has to see if it has the resources that will enable it benefit from these opportunities. Another important factor is the threats in the region since they can serve as a major hindrance to not only taking advantage of opportunities, but also the growth of the business as a whole. The environment in which a business operates in goes a long way in determining how well it will perform. More on the external environment has been discussed in our external business analysis section. Alternatives Pros Cons -Strong customer purchasing power -Low economic and financial risk -Relatively lower cost of manufacturing -Transportation system is well established -Large number of potential business partners and investors -The level of price sensitivity is high. Thus, how to set up proper price becomes critical -Faces intense competition, i.e. Haier, Midea, Mitsubishi -A high level of government regulation and business requirements -Relative a high level of local bribery Recommendation According to the internal and external analysis, MABE should form a new joint venture with a Russian company for growth. Russia have one of the largest appliance market in the world with an impressive profit margin. However, it is relatively difficult and challenging to do business in Russia due to its political structure, sociocultural and economic environment. It’s best for MABE to work with a local Russian partner who knows the system and has extensive line of network in order to reduce the various connected risks. Furthermore, by entering the Russian market, Mabe will fully exploit its  resources and capabilities and will achieve its objectives of international expansion, business growth and increase in market share. Therefore, Alternative 3 is recommended. Implementation In order to resolve the above issue, it is important for MABE’s executives to comprehend and gain extensive knowledge of Russia’s business system and environment in order to be competitive. To implement the recommended alternative, a short and long term plan is discussed below. Short-run implementation Plan (See Exhibit 1) Phase 1 (day 1-7): A board meeting need be held to discuss and form a research team. A professional market analysts and few expatriates of MABE should travel to Russia on an exploratory visit to understand Russia market and find a reliable Russian manufacturer. At the same time, the research team should also hire local employees who are acquainted with the appliances market in Russia. In addition, the expatriates and executives should begin to learn the language and gain more knowledge about Russian culture because it helps to communicate with local manufacturers and employees in order to effectively operate the JV. Phase 2 (day 8-12): The research team should be divided into several groups to collect more information and make sure every aspect is considered. The groups should regularly meet to exchange information and insights to ensure that the current situation in Russia is updated. In this case, the advantage and disadvantage of each potential Russian company could be listed orderly by professional market analysts. Meanwhile, expatriates should keep learning. Phase 3 (day 13-19): Presentation should be well prepared for board members to show the knowledge and analysis about potential Russian partner. Board members will analyze and negotiate with these manufactures based on what is on the list. Phase 4 (day 20-31): With the help of lawyers, a contract will be drafted and negotiated with local partner about the business model, routine, strategy and management structure. Negotiation should not be stopped until the two companies are satisfied with the details. Phase 5 (day 29-38): The final contract should be prepared and signed by MABE and local partner. Then, the new Joint Venture would be set up and operation would begin. Long-run  Implementation Plan MABE should focus on the fastest growing segment, that is, the small and middle end products to increase profit and should show concern for the local employees and society by increasing salary, offering employee benefit and donating to the society. With extensive knowledge of Russia economy, MABE could forecast on the future trend of the Russian market and develop new strategies to compete in future situations There should be vast and continuous investment in R&D, technical innovations and process improvement in order to increase efficiency and competitiveness After fully develop in Russia, MABE could expand their reach in larger international markets like China to take advantage of the numerous growth opportunities. Contingency Plan If the recommended alternative does not work out, we would recommend that JV be dissolved and Mabe should exit the Russian market to another emerging market like South Africa. This is because it is relatively easy to do business there; it will help Mabe gain more presence in Africa as a whole which is politically and macro-economically stable with competitive labor costs. In addition, the country has better patent and copyright laws that will protect its innovations and designs from knockoffs as opposed to some other emerging markets like China.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Using the Spanish Word Todo

Using the Spanish Word Todo Todo is a common Spanish adjective and pronoun that typically means all or every. Like most other adjectives, todo must match the noun it refers to in number and gender; when used as a pronoun, it also changes with number and gender according to the noun it replaces. Using Todo As an Adjective As an adjective, todo can come either directly before the noun or frequently before the definite article that comes before a noun. In this usage, todo is typically the equivalent of the English all before a plural noun and every before a singular noun. Vamos a tomar todas las medidas apropiadas para eliminar la discriminacià ³n. (We are going to take all appropriate means to eliminate discrimination.)Tenemos zapatos de todos tipos y colores. (We have shoes of all types and colors.)Todo el tiempo estoy pensando en ti. (I am thinking about you all the time.)Todas las personas son iguales, pero unas son ms iguales que otras. (All persons are equal, but some are more equal than others.)Hawi es el estado con mayor porcentaje de gente asitica de todo Estados Unidos. (Hawaii is the state with the highest percentage of Asian people in all of the United States.)El papa ha afirmado que toda persona tiene derecho a emigrar. (The pope has stated that each person has the right to emigrate.) Using Todo As a Pronoun As a pronoun, todo and its variations typically have the meaning of all, although the context can require other translations: Todo es posible. (Everything is possible.)Todos fueron a la playa. (They all went to the beach. Or, everyone went to the beach.)Todas estamos bajo mucha presià ³n. (All of us are under a lot of pressure.)Todo puede cambiar de un segundo. (Everything can change in a second.)Todo est bien. (All is well.)No todos quieren hacer negocio en Internet. (Not everyone wants to do business on the Internet.)A pesar de todo tenemos algo que festejar. (Despite everything, we have something to celebrate.) MiscellaneousUses for Todo Sometimes, todo can be used to add emphasis: El corazà ³n latà ­a a toda velocidad cuando te vi. (My heart was beating at a high speed when I saw you.)Te lo mostramos con todo detalle. (Were showing it to you in great detail.)Visitar Manzanillo es toda una aventura. (Visiting Manzanillo is quite an adventure.) Todo and its variations are used in various phrases and idioms: ante todo - primarily, principally, above everythinga pesar de todo - in spite of everythingasà ­ y todo - nevertheless, in spite of everythinga todo color - in full colora todo meter - at full speed, at full forcea todo pulmà ³n - with all ones might (a pulmà ³n is a lung)casi todo - almost everythingcon todo - nevertheless, in spite of everythingdel todo - entirely, without exceptionde todas todas - with absolute certaintyde todo en todo - absolutelyen todo y por todo - under all circumstancespor todo, por todas - in totalsobre todo - primarily, principally, above everythingtodo el mundo - everyone Using Todo With a Plural Form of Ser It is common in Spanish for a sentence of the form todo conjugated ser plural predicate to use a plural form of ser. The phenomenon, which contrasts with English usage, can be seen in these examples: No todo son millonarios en el bà ©isbol profesional. (Not everyone is a millionaire in professional baseball.)Todo son problemas. (Everything is a problem.)Todo son buenas noticias. (Its all good news.)Todo eran mentiras. (It was all lies.)