Strategic Alliance Between Nokia and Microsoft

Business Administration knowledge assists the implementation of the strategic alliance between Nokia and Microsoft from several aspects. To begin with, decisions about leadership are one of the most disturbing problems in the strategic alliance; interim leaders are appropriate solutions to the issue (Werther, 1998). Interim leaders are those haired from a third party, not belonging to the alliance partners. Compared to selecting a leader from one of the partners, interim leaders have their advantages.It eliminates the assumption from both the public and the employees that one party has the domination, which assists to build a neutral image of the alliance (Werther, 1998). Therefore, Nokia and Microsoft are in a fairly equivalent position in the alliance. Moreover, their focus is the success of the alliance rather than the benefits of one of the alliance parties (either Nokia or Microsoft). Compared to outside consultants, interim leaders also have more merits.Werther (1998) suggests that interim leaders have operational or practical authority instead of advising authority owned by consultants, and they are suitable in the start-up stage of the alliance. As the alliance between Nokia and Microsoft has just begun, interim leaders can be helpful. Interim leaders contribute to distinguishing between â€Å"actual values that are ‘in use’ from stated or ‘espoused’ values that are merely touted for internal or external consumption† (Argyriset al, 1985; cited in Werther, 1998, p. 342). Thus, Nokia and Microsoft should select an interim leader from the third party rather from themselves.In addition, information flow management including intellectual property protection is crucial to the success of the alliance. Microsoft is the leading software company in the world, and Nokia has been the leading phone manufacturer all over the world. Thus, the value of intangible information can be even greater than tangible assets companies own. Howeve r, partners are often in a dilemmatic situation where they want to balance the outflow of information to successfully achieve the task and the protection of intellectual asset (Osborn et al, 2001).The careful management of information is of great importance. Firstly, alliance managers need to have a clear understanding of partner’s intention of learning and the extent to which partners are willing to learn from cooperators (Ireland et al, 2002). Then, suitable organizational control like â€Å"integrating mechanisms and use of interest-aligning incentive plans† (Geringer& Herbert, 1989; Kumar & Seth, 1998; cited in Ireland et al, 2002, p. 437) can be used to manage information flow.When it comes to intellectual property protection, both Microsoft and Nokia should think about the value of the company’s intellectual asset and decide the key components that belong to inadvertent transfer. In this case, Microsoft may need to have a consideration of the safety of cor e techniques involved in providing the operating system. Moreover, Gadieshet al (2002) emphasize the necessity to have an intellectual property audit internally before alliance, with companies whose central capital consist of intellectual property.Lastly, building trust between partners also contributes to the success of strategic alliance. Trust means that the partner’s behaviours will meet expectations, and it leads partners to bear risks and produces a positive effect on the alliance (Ireland et al, 2002). Continuing to show the company’s goals for strategic alliance while partners do the same and demonstrate patience are important actions in building trust (Cullen et al, 2000; cited in Ireland et al, 2002, p. 38). As the problems are usually clearer to middle managers and engineers who experience every day alliance activities (Osborn et al, 2001), thus, the trust and communication building between these people from Microsoft and Nokia cannot be ignored. All in all, experts and managers with sophisticated business administration knowledge are required to implement these tasks. The successes of these aspects contribute to the success of the strategic alliance.

Minimum Wage and Nike Marketing Phrase

Nike is in many ways the quintessential global corporation. Established in 1972 by former University of Oregon track star Phil Knight, Nike is now one of the leading marketers of athletic shoes and apparel on the planet. In 2006, the company has $15 billion in annual revenues and sold its products in some 140 countries. Nike does not do any manufacturing. Rather, it designs and markets its products, while contracting for their manufacture from a global network of 600 factories scattered around the globe that employ some 650,000 people. This huge corporation has made Knight into one of the richest people in America. The Nike marketing phrase â€Å"Just Do It! † has become as recognizable in popular culture as its â€Å"swoosh† logo or the faces of its celebrity sponsors, such as Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. For all of its successes, the company has been dogged for more than a decade by repeated and persistent accusations that its products are made in sweatshops where workers, many of them children, slave away in hazardous conditions for less than subsistence wages. Nike's wealth, its detractors claim, has been built upon the backs of the world's poor. To many, Nike has become a symbol of the evils of globalization—a rich Western corporation exploiting the world's poor to provide expensive shoes and apparel to the pampered consumers of the developed world. Nike's â€Å"Niketown† stores have become standard targets for anti-globalization protesters. Several nongovernmental organizations, such as San Francisco–based Global Exchange, a human rights organization dedicated to promoting environmental, political, and social justice around the world, have targeted Nike for repeated criticism and protests. News organizations such as CBS's â€Å"48 Hours† hosted by Dan Rather have run exposes on working conditions in foreign factories that supply Nike. Students on the campuses of several major U. S. universities with which Nike has lucrative sponsorship deals have protested against the ties, citing Nike's use of sweatshop labor. For its part, Nike has taken steps to counter the protests. Yes, it admits, there have been problems in some overseas factories. But the company has signaled a commitment to improving working conditions. It requires that foreign subcontractors meet minimum thresholds for working conditions and pay. It has arranged for factories to be examined by independent auditors. It has terminated contracts with factories that do not comply with its standards. But for all this effort, the company continues to be a target of protests and a symbol of dissent. The Case against Nike Typical of the exposes against Nike was a â€Å"48 Hours† report that aired October 17, 1996. 3 Reporter Roberta Baskin visited a Nike factory in Vietnam. With a shot of the factory, her commentary began: The signs are everywhere of an American invasion in search of cheap labor. Millions of people who are literate, disciplined, and desperate for jobs. This is Nike Town near what use to be called Saigon, one of four factories Nike doesn't own but subcontracts to make a million shoes a month. It takes 25,000 workers, mostly young women, to â€Å"Just Do It. † But the workers here don't share in Nike's huge profits. They work six days a week for only $40 a month, just 20 cents an hour. Baskin interviewed one factory worker, a young woman named Lap. Baskin told viewers: Her basic wage, even as sewing team leader, still doesn't amount to the minimum wage †¦ She's down to 85 pounds. Like most of the young women who make shoes, she has little choice but to accept the low wages and long hours. Nike says that it requires all subcontractors to obey local laws; but Lap has already put in much more overtime than the annual legal limit: 200 hours. Baskin then asked Lap what would happen if she was sick or had something she needed to take care of, such as a sick relative, and needed to leave the factory? Through a translator, Lap replied: It is not possible if you haven't made enough shoes. You have to meet the quota before you can go home. The clear implication of the story was that Nike was at fault here for allowing such working conditions to persist in the Vietnam factory, which was owned by a Korean company. Another attack on Nike's subcontracting practices came in June 1996 from Made in the USA, a foundation largely financed by labor unions and domestic apparel manufacturers that oppose free trade with low-wage countries. According to Joel Joseph, chairman of the foundation, a popular line of high-priced Nike sneakers, the â€Å"Air Jordans,† were put together by 11-year-olds in Indonesia making 14 cents per hour. A Nike spokeswoman, Donna Gibbs, countered that this was false. According to Gibbs, the average worker made 240,000 rupiah ($103) a month working a maximum 54-hour week, or about 45 cents per hour. Gibbs also noted that Nike had staff members in each factory monitoring conditions to make sure the factory obeyed local minimum wage and child labor laws. Another example of the criticism against Nike is the following extract from a newsletter published by Global Exchange:5 During the 1970s, most Nike shoes were made in South Korea and Taiwan. When workers there gained new freedom to organize and wages began to rise, Nike looked for â€Å"greener pastures. † It found them in Indonesia and China, where Nike started producing in the 1980s, and most recently in Vietnam. The majority of Nike shoes are made in Indonesia and China, countries with governments that prohibit independent unions and set the minimum wage at rock bottom. The Indonesian government admits that the minimum wage there does not provide enough to supply the basic needs of one person, let alone a family. In early 1997 the entry-level wage was a miserable $2. 46 a day. Labor groups estimate that a livable wage in Indonesia is about $4. 00 a day. In Vietnam the pay is even less—20 cents an hour, or a mere $1. 60 a day. But in urban Vietnam, three simple meals cost about $2. 10 a day, and then of course there is rent, transportation, clothing, health care, and much more. According to Thuyen Nguyen of Vietnam Labor Watch, a living wage in Vietnam is at least $3 a day. In another attack on Nike's practices, in September 1997 Global Exchange published a report on working conditions in four Nike and Reebok subcontractors in southern China. 6 Global Exchange, in conjunction with two Hong Kong human rights groups, had interviewed workers at the factories in 1995 and again in 1997. According to Global Exchange, in one factory, a Korean owned subcontractor for Nike, workers as young as 13 earning as little as 10 cents an hour toiled up to 17 hours daily in enforced silence. Talking during work was not allowed, with violators fined $1. 20 to $3. 0, according to the report. The practices were in violation of Chinese labor law, which states that no child under 16 may work in a factory, and the Chinese minimum wage requirement of $1. 90 for an eight-hour day. Nike condemned the study as erroneous, stating that the report incorrectly stated the wages of workers and made irresponsible accusations. Global Exchange, however, continued to be a major thorn in Nike's side. In November 1997, the organization obtained and then leaked a confidential report by Ernst & Young of an audit that Nike had commissioned of a factory in Vietnam owned by a  Nike subcontractor. 7 The factory had 9,200 workers and made 400,000 pairs of shoes a month. The Ernst & Young report painted a dismal picture of thousands of young women, most under age 25, laboring 10 1/2 hours a day, six days a week, in excessive heat and noise and in foul air, for slightly more than $10 a week. The report also found that workers with skin or breathing problems had not been transferred to departments free of chemicals and that more than half the workers who dealt with dangerous chemicals did not wear protective masks or gloves. It claimed workers were exposed to carcinogens that exceeded local legal standards by 177 times in parts of the plant and that 77 percent of the employees suffered from respiratory problems. Put on the defensive yet again, Nike called a news conference and pointed out that it had commissioned the report and had acted on it. 8 The company stated it had formulated an action plan to deal with the problems cited in the report, and had slashed overtime, improved safety and ventilation, and reduced the use of toxic chemicals. The company also asserted that the report showed that its internal monitoring system had performed exactly as it should have. According to one spokesman: This shows our system of monitoring works †¦ We have uncovered these issues clearly before anyone else, and we have moved fairly expeditiously to correct them. Nike's Responses Unaccustomed to playing defense, Nike formulated a number of strategies and tactics to deal with the problems of working conditions and pay at subcontractors. In 1996, Nike hired Andrew Young, onetime U. S. mbassador to the United Nations and former Atlanta mayor, to assess working conditions in subcontractors' plants around the world. Young released a mildly critical report of Nike in mid-1997. After completing a two-week tour that covered 15 factories in three countries, Young informed Nike it was doing a good job in treating workers, though it should do better. According to Young, he did not see sweatshops, or hostile conditions †¦ I saw crowded dorms †¦ but the workers were eating at least two meals a day on the job and making what I was told were subsistence wages in those cultures. Young was widely criticized by human rights and labor groups for not taking his own translators and for doing slipshod inspections, an assertion he repeatedly denied. In 1996, Nike joined a presidential task force designed to find a way of banishing sweatshops in the shoe and clothing industries. The task force included industry leaders such as Nike, representatives from human rights groups, and labor leaders. In April 1997, the task force announced an agreement for workers rights that U. S. companies could agree to when manufacturing abroad. The accord limited the work week to 60 hours and called for paying at least the local minimum wage in foreign factories. The task force also agreed to establish an independent monitoring association—later named the Fair Labor Association (FLA)—to assess whether companies are abiding by the code. 10 The FLA now includes among its members the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, the National Council of Churches, the International Labor Rights Fund, some 135 universities (universities have extensive licensing agreements with sports apparel companies such as Nike), and companies such as Nike, Reebok, and Levi Strauss. In early 1997, Nike also began to commission independent organizations such as Ernst & Young to audit the factories of its subcontractors. In September 1997, Nike tried to show its critics that it was involved in more than just a public relations exercise when it terminated its relationship with four Indonesian subcontractors, stating that they had refused to comply with the company's standard for wage levels and working conditions. Nike identified one of the subcontractors, Seyon, which manufactured specialty sports gloves for Nike. Nike said that Seyon refused to meet a 10. 7 percent increase in the monthly wage, to $70. 0, declared by the Indonesian government in April 1997. 11 On May 12, 1998, in a speech given at the National Press Club, Phil Knight spelled out in detail a series of initiatives designed to improve working conditions for the 500,000 people that make products for Nike. 12 Among the initiatives Knight highlighted were the following: We have effectively changed our minimum age limits from the ILO (International Labor Organization) standards of 15 in most countries and 14 in developing countries to 18 in all footwear manufacturing and 16 in all other types of manufacturing (apparel, accessories, and equipment. . Existing workers legally employed under the former limits were grandfathered into the new requirements. During the past 13 months we have moved to a 100 percent factory audit scheme, where every Nike contract factory will receive an annual check by Pricewaterhouse Coopers teams who are specially trained on our Code of Conduct Owner's Manual and audit/monitoring procedures. To date they have performed about 300 such monitoring visits. In a few instances in apparel factories they have found workers under our age standards. Those factories have been required to raise their standards to 17 years of age, to require three documents certifying age, and to redouble their efforts to ensure workers meet those standards through interviews and records checks. Our goal was to ensure workers around the globe are protected by requiring factories to have no workers exposed to levels above those mandated by the permissible exposure limits (PELs) for chemicals prescribed in the OSHA indoor air quality standards. 3 These moves were applauded in the business press, but they were greeted with a skeptical response from Nike's long-term adversaries in the debate over the use of foreign labor. While conceding that Nike's policies were an improvement, one critic writing in the New York Times noted: Mr. Knight's child labor initiative is †¦ a smoke screen. Child labor has not been a big problem with Nike, and Philip Knight knows that better than anyone. But public relations is public relations. So he screen. Child labor has not been a big problem with Nike, and Philip Knight knows that better than anyone. But public relations is public relations. So he have to keep a close eye on him at all times. The biggest problem with Nike is that its overseas workers make wretched, below-subsistence wages. It's not the minimum age that needs raising, it's the minimum wage. Most of the workers in Nike factories in China and Vietnam make less than $2 a day, well below the subsistence levels in those countries. In Indonesia the pay is less than $1 a day. The company's current strategy is to reshape its public image while doing as little as possible for the workers. Does anyone think it was an accident that Nike set up shop in human rights sinkholes, where labor organizing was viewed as a criminal activity and deeply impoverished workers were willing, even eager, to take their places on assembly lines and work for next to nothing? 14 Other critics question the value of Nike's auditors, Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC). Dara O'Rourke, an assistant professor at MIT, followed the PwC auditors around several factories in China, Korea, and Vietnam. He concluded that although the auditors found minor violations of labor laws and codes of conduct, they missed major labor practice issues including hazardous working conditions, violations of overtime laws, and violation of wage laws. The problem, according to O'Rourke, was that the auditors had limited training and relied on factory managers for data and to set up worker interviews, all of which were performed in the factories. The auditors, in other words, were getting an incomplete and somewhat sanitized view of conditions in the factory. 5 The Controversy Continues Fueled perhaps by the unforgiving criticisms of Nike that continued after Phil Knight's May 1998 speech, beginning in 1998 and continuing into 2001, a wave of protests against Nike occurred on many university campuses. The moving force behind the protests was the United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS). The USAS argued that the Fair Labor Association (FLA), which grew out of the presidential task force on sweatshops , was an industry tool, and not a truly independent auditor of foreign factories. The USAS set up an alternative independent auditing organization, the Workers Rights Consortium (WRC), which they charged with auditing factories that produce products under collegiate licensing programs (Nike is a high profile supplier of products under these programs). The WRC is backed, and partly funded, by labor unions and refuses to cooperate with companies, arguing that doing so would jeopardize its independence. By mid-2000, the WRC had persuaded some 48 universities to join the organization, including all nine calmpuses of the University of California system, the University of Michigan, and the University of Oregon, Phil Knight's alma mater. When Knight heard that the University of Oregon would join the WRC, as opposed to the FLA, he withdrew a planned $30 million donation to the university. 16 Despite this, in November 2000, the University of Washington announced it too would join the WRC, although it would also retain its membership in the FLA. 7 Nike continued to push forward with its own initiatives, updating progress on its website. In April 2000, in response to pressure that it was still hiding poor working conditions, Nike announced it would release the complete reports of all independent audits of its subcontractors' plants. Global Exchange continued to criticize the company, arguing in mid-2001 that the company was not living up to Knight's 1998 promises, and that it was intimidati ng workers from speaking out about abuses.

The Baby Boom and the Future of the Economy

The Baby Boom and the Future of the Economy Whats going to happen to the economy as all the baby boomers get older and retire? Its a great question that would need an entire book to properly answer. Fortunately, many books have been written on the relationship between the baby boom and the economy. Two good ones from the Canadian perspective are Boom, Bust Echo by Foot and Stoffman, and 2020: Rules for the New Age by Garth Turner. The Ratio Between Working People and Retired People Turner explains that the big changes will be due to the fact that the ratio between the number of working people to the number of retired people will change dramatically over the next few decades: When most boomers were in their teens, there were six Canadians like them, under the age of 20, for every person over 65. Today there are about three young people for every senior. By 2020, the ratio will be even more frightening. This will have profound consequences on our entire society. (80) Demographic changes will have a major impact on the ratio of retirees to workers; the ratio of the number of people ages 65 and over to the number ages 20 to 64 is expected to grow from about 20% in 1997 to 41% in 2050. (83) Examples of Expected Economic Impact These demographic changes will have both macroeconomic as well as microeconomic impacts. With so few people of working age, we can expect that wages will rise as employers fight to retain the small pool of labor available. This also implies that unemployment should be fairly low. But simultaneously taxes will also have to be quite high to pay for all the services that seniors require such as government pensions and Medicare. Older citizens tend to invest differently than younger ones, as older investors tend to buy less risky assets like bonds and sell riskier ones such as stocks. Do not be surprised to find that the price of bonds rises (causing their yields to fall) and the price of stocks to fall. There will be millions of smaller changes as well. The demand for soccer fields should fall as there are relatively fewer people will the demand for golf courses should rise. The demand for large suburban homes should fall as seniors move into one story condos and later to old-age homes. If youre investing in real estate, it will be important to consider the change in demographics when youre considering what to buy.

Sensory adaptation Essay Example

Sensory adaptation Essay Example Sensory adaptation Paper Sensory adaptation Paper Behavior rests on an understanding of the biological basis of the nervous system – the receptors. Efforts should be made to understand the relations between stimuli and sense organs and the processes associated with sense organs and their connectors, as well as the selective input called perception (Atkinson et al., 2000). While an individual gets his information about the world around him from his sense organs, his interpretation of these stimuli impinging on his senses will depend on his perception (Coren and Ward, 1989). Sensory adaptation is any reduction in sensitivity to stimulus as stimulation persists through time. Sense organs have the capacity to adapt to stimulus when such stimulus persists for quite a time (Coren and Ward, 1989; Atkinson et al., 2000). Sensory adaptation affects all of the individual’s sensing areas. For example in visual adaptation, this is due to the difference in the action between the rods and the cones. After five minutes in the dark, for instance, the sensitivity of the cones decreases. The rods continue to adapt and increasingly become more sensitive. Hence after about thirty minutes, one can distinguish things quite clearly in the dark. After coming from a dark movie theater, one may temporarily be blinded by the glare of the light from outside. Adaptation to light takes shorter than adaptation to the dark. Adaptation to light is called photopia while adaptation to dark is called scotopia (Andreassi, 1989; Atkinson et al., 2000). Theories of color vision include the Young Helmholtz theory which encompasses the Three-fiber theory and the theory of photo-chemical substances. Another is the Hering theory which is also called Opponent-colors theory, Wundt’s theory, the Von Kries theory and the Ladd-Franklin theory which help elucidate the visual phenomenon. The Young Helmholtz theory assumed that colors are but the result of combining three fundamental or primary colors – red, blue and green. Young assumed the existence of three different kinds of nervous fibers in the retina that react specifically to these colors with their corresponding preceptors in the brain center. This theory was further developed by Ludwig von Hemholtz. This was later revised to the theory of photo-chemical substances (Andreassi, 1989). On the other hand, in the auditory phenomena, several theories help explain how this occurs. Loudness for instance, according to the Place theory of pitch, is associated with spread of excitation – a more intense stimulus affecting more of the basilar membrane than a weaker one (Andreassi, 1989). In the olfactory sense aspect, not all gases react with the organ of smell to set up sensation of odor – hence, only those gases that do react are called odors or smells. The stronger the sensation of odor, the more odorous gases comes into contact with the organ of smell. Hence, one has to take a big sniff in order that the odors can penetrate up to the olfactory epithelium (Coren and Ward, 1989). While the sense of smell is highly developed in animals, it is relatively mildly developed in human beings (Coren and Ward, 1989).

Should You Go to College 4 Pros and 3 Cons

Should You Go to College 4 Pros and 3 Cons SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The decision to attend college is a big one. Getting a college degree takes time: at least four years for most people. Getting a college degree also costs money: tens of thousands of dollars for most people. You might be asking yourself, "Is it worth it? Should I go to college?" In this article, I'll explain the benefits of going to college and detail some of the potential drawbacks. Furthermore, I'll give you all the information you need to decide whether or not you should pursue a college degree. 4 Major Benefits of Going to College Going to college can make you richer, happier, and healthier- sounds good to me! Here, we take a look at the four biggest benefits of attending college. #1: There Are Many Financial and Career Benefits Let's start by considering the financial advantages of a college education. In 2015, college graduates with a bachelor’s degree earned 56% more per year than those with a high school diploma or its equivalent. In addition, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median weekly earnings in 2017 for those with a bachelor's degree was $1,173, compared with $836 for those with an associate degree and $712 for those with only a high school diploma. Here's one of the most cited statistics that shows the benefits of a college education: a person with a bachelor’s degree will, on average, earn almost $1 million more over the course of her lifetime than somebody with just a high school diploma will. While I don't think money should be the biggest priority in anyone's life, there's no doubt that a higher salary will give you more opportunities, alleviate stress, and allow you to more easily support a family. Moreover,college-educated Millennials have much lower unemployment and poverty rates. According to a Pew Research study in 2013, 12.2% of Millennials aged 25-32 with just a high school diploma were unemployed, whereas a much lower 3.8% of those with at least a bachelor's degree were unemployed. In addition, those who attended college are more likely to get married and less likely to be living in their parents' homes.Statistics indicate that attending college has more economic benefits for Millennials than it did for previous generations. Going to college might be more important now than ever before! Finally, a college degree is required for many entry-level jobs.According to a study done by the Georgetown Public Policy Institute, by 2020, 65% of jobs will require postsecondary education and training beyond high school, and 35% of jobs will require at least a bachelor’s degree. As you can see, there are tons of financial benefits to getting a bachelor's degree. But what about the professional advantages? In college, you can make connections that will help you land a good job after you graduate. Experts estimate that70%-80% of jobs aren’t advertised publicly.Often, you simply have to know the right people to secure employment. Many companies also offer internship programs to college students that can lead to full-time employment after you graduate. Furthermore,most colleges offer free career counselingand can put you in touch with employers and alumni who can help you find a job. Colleges will often have job fairs as well,where recruiters come to campus looking for qualified students to work for their companies.These fairs give you an opportunity to form relationships with company representatives who can assist you professionally. Lastly, many of your peers will probably go on to professional success. Your college friends might one day be able to offer you a job, refer you for a job, or make a lucrative business deal with you.As a college student,you'll (likely) be surrounded by many motivated, talented people who, in the future, will want to work with those they know and trust- and this could very well include you. #2: You Get to Explore Your Interests College opens up a whole new world to you academically.In high school, you generally only have a choice of a handful of elective classes, but in college you can literally choose from among hundreds of classes and majors. While there are core requirements at most colleges, for the most part, you can decide what you want to study and take classes in subjects you want to learn more about.Many students are able to spark academic passions in college. You could take classes in anthropology, psychology, sociology, microbiology, or osteology.I have several friends and former students who were inspired by college classes that positively changed the course of their academic and professional lives. Also, while in college, you'll have the chance to pursue tons of extracurriculars and opportunities you might not otherwise have done. These activities can become lifelong passions, help you form meaningful relationships, and even prepare you for a future job. For example, you could write for the campus newspaper, or you could be aDJ for the school radio station.You could dance for a hip-hop group, or join acampus organization that provides tutoring to underprivileged kids. You could help build houses for those in need.You could work on political campaigns or join groups that advocate for various social issues. The choice is yours! Howard Stern started his career working at the radio station at Boston University. #3: You'll Have Fun and Make Friends Almost everybody I know thoroughly enjoyed their college experience. Too often people discount the importance of fun when it comes to education, and some of my best memories and most fun times are from my college years. On a college campus, you can attend parties, plays, sporting events, and concerts; you can also create your own random fun with your peers. Most schools bring exciting events and speakers to their campuses, too. Colleges will often host famous musicians and comedians. For example,The Weeknd has performed shows at Syracuse, Northeastern, Lafayette College, and the University of Minnesota, while Drake has performed at numerous colleges, including Howard, SUNY Purchase, and the University of Kentucky. Besides entertainers,world-renowned academics and political figures often give speeches on college campuses.Hillary Clinton made appearances at Philander Smith College in Little Rock and Morningside College in Sioux City, whereas Ben Carson spoke at Alma College in Michigan. Colleges will also sponsor parties and other on-campus events that are just meant to be fun and facilitate social interaction.At Stanford, there’s a tradition known as Full Moon on the Quad. On the first full moon of the school year, students gather in the quad, and the seniors welcome the freshmen by kissing them. There’s a lot of kissing. It might not be hygienic, but it's memorable. Most of my closest friends are people I met during college.In college, you get to befriend people from all over the US and even other countries.A big part of the college experience is having the opportunity to learn from and interact with people from diverse backgrounds. Overall, you have the chance to study, live, party, and participate in extracurricular activities with your peers. There will probably be no other time in your life when you get to spend as much time with your friends, and the amount of quality time you get to spend with them will form the foundation for meaningful lifelong friendships. #4: It Gives You Space for Self-Improvement For many students, college is the first time in their lives they’re not living at home. During college, they learn to be self-sufficient.They learn domestic skills and budgeting- even how to motivate themselves without parental encouragement.At the same time, most college students can still go home or call home if they’re in need of some money or advice. Many of the people I know who didn’t go to college remained at home for at least a couple of years after high school. Though they had more freedom than they did during high school, their routines and mindsets didn’t change nearly as drastically as those of my friends who went to college.In my experience, even students who live at home and commute to college experience more growth than those who bypass college. Whether you go to an in-state or out-of-state school, your college will likely expose you to a new city and environment.I grew up in California, but Stanford (my alma mater) was a six-hour drive from where I lived. I was able to experience life in Northern California and the San Francisco Bay Area, which has a different vibe, culture, and climate from Los Angeles. I enjoyed living in the bay, and I’m grateful that I was able to have the opportunity to live in a different environment. Furthermore, most colleges have study abroad programs that can give you a chance to take classes in countries around the world. At Emerson College, you can spend a semester in a 14th-century medieval castle in The Netherlands.At the University of Chicago, you can studyabroad in Paris, Beijing, Barcelona, Berlin, Kyoto, Bologna, Cairo, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Edinburgh, Hong Kong, London, Oaxaca, Vienna, Milan, and a few other places, too. You can learn about the world by traveling and studying in countries around the world. Finally, people who go to college tend to be healthier.According to a CDC report, people with a bachelor’s degree live about nine years longer than people without one.They’re also less likely to smoke and more likely to exercise. Similarly, according toa study published by the American Journal of Public Health, people who get a bachelor’s degree after 25 years of age exhibit fewer depressive symptoms and have better self-rated health at midlife. College and apples are good for your health. 3 Possible Disadvantages of Attending College Even though attending college can offer you many benefits, there are potential drawbacks. Note that you only get many of the benefits of going to college if you're able to graduate. A 2019 NPR article reported that only 58% of students who enrolled in college as first-time students in the fall of 2012 had earned a degree. Now, let's take a look at the three biggest cons of attending college. #1: There's the Risk of High Costs and Potential Debt College is really, really expensive, with costs continuing to rise, and many college graduates are burdened with astronomical student loan debt. The College Board estimates that the average cost of attendance for an in-state public college for 2018-19 is $10,230, whilethe cost of attendance for a private college averages $35,830. Remember, though, that most students receive financial aid that covers at least part of the cost of attendance if they demonstrate financial need. Unfortunately, many students don’t receive the aid they need to fully cover the costs. As a result, they take on unsubsidized student loansto finance their college education.Sadly,student loan debtincreased from $260 billion in 2004 to $1.5 trillion in 2019. Average debt per student in the class of 2017 was $28,650- that's a pretty staggering amount. Overall, student loan debt can dramatically impact your life after your graduate. It can affect the jobs you take and cause you to delay buying a house or starting a family. #2: The Financial Benefits of College Might Be Overstated The claim that college graduates earn $1 million more in their lifetimes might actually be skewed by graduates from top universities. A 2018 study by PayScale.com found that there are only five schools (out of 1,878 four-year schools) at which earning a college degree can get you a $1 million return on investment. Basically, the reported number that college graduates make $1 million more over the course of their professional lives is not that accurate. Moreover, it's important to note that while most people are in college, they’re not working or only working part-time.So in addition to the financial costs and debts you're incurring while in college, you probably won’t be able to get the salary you could be making from working a full-time job during the four to six years you’re in school. #3: College Might Not Actually Make You Smarter The last con of attending college is that going to one might not actually increase your intelligence. A 2011 studyfoundthat 45% of 2,322 traditional-aged college students studied from 2005 to 2009 made no significant improvement in their critical thinking, reasoning, or writing skills during the first two years of college. After four years, 36% showed no significant gains. Given the cost of attending college, you'd hope that higher education would have a dramatically positive effect on these skills for all students- but this might not actually be the case. Should IGo to College? How toMaketheRight Choice for You Admittedly, I’m somewhat biased because I’ve spent years stressing the importance of attending college to high school students. However, I do recognize that college might not be for everyone. Other than the pros and cons of college I mentioned previously, here are some additional factors to consider when deciding whether or not to attend college. Very Few College Graduates Regret Going to College The vast majority of college graduates are glad they went to college.Many college grads have debt and some have a job they could have gotten without their degrees, but very few people regret going to college. According to 2012 datafrom the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers, only 3% of college graduates from 2006-2011 wish they had not gone to college. You’ll Have More Options With a College Degree You might be planning to enter a trade that doesn’t require a college degree and will provide you with a good salary and benefits.However, if you end up deciding that you don’t like that field after a few years and you don’t have a college degree, your employment options will be limited. Also, if you take up a trade that requires physical labor and you suffer an injury, you might struggle to find work without a college degree. There Are Ways to Pay for College You might be turned off by college because of how much you think it will cost you. But remember that you might not know your out-of-pocket expenses until you get accepted to college and get a financial aidpackage. In reality, there are manygrants and scholarships that can alleviate the financial burden and make college more affordable for you. You Might Not Need College If You’re Already Successful If you’re one of those rare people who has already achieved tremendous professional success before attending college, then going to college might not benefit you much financially. For instance, say you get drafted in the first round of the draft by Major League Baseball and are offered a multi-million dollar signing bonus. Nobody would fault you for bypassing college. After all, you can always take college classes in the off-season or get your degree when you're done with your playing career. If you’re a mini Mark Zuckerberg or starring in your own sitcom, going to college might not lead to a higher income or a better job after you graduate. Bill Gates and Miley Cyrus were able to do OK professionally without college degrees! You Might Not Be Academically Inclined Most people are capable of doing college-level work if they’re motivated and apply themselves. That being said, some people just detest school or don’t have the aptitude to do well in a college environment. Keep in mind, though, that college gives you so much more freedom than high school to explore your academic interests and find the fields in which you can excel. Similarly, if there's a subject that confuses you and that you absolutely abhor, you can probably avoid taking classes in it in college. wecometolearn/Flickr Conclusion: Should You Go to College or Not? There's no denying that college offers many financial, professional, and personal benefits. Numerous studies have shown that college graduates have far better financial and job prospects than those who don't attend college. What's more, few people regret going to college despite the tremendous amount of student debt and the less-than-ideal economy. If you're worried about the cost of attendance, make sure you know about financial aid and how to limit your debt when you graduate. College is an investment that pays off for the vast majority of people who graduate. Admittedly, some people don't need college to achieve their personal or professional goals. While you can of course be successful without a college degree, college graduates tend to fare better. If you're considering college, make the decision that will benefit you the most now and in the future. What's Next? Decided you want to go to college? Then take the first step and find out how to apply. If you don't think you'll be able to get into college, check out these open admission colleges and these colleges with the highest acceptance rates. If you still need to take the SAT or ACT for college,take a look at our ultimate SAT study guide and ultimate ACT study guideto learn more about the tests and what you'll need to know to ace them. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Perception vs Reality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Perception vs Reality - Essay Example Stakeholders need to be informed of the prevalent circumstances irrespective of the nature of the information (Jackson, 2012). Communicating challenges and successes eliminates the negative perception from the stakeholders. Always maintain strict resource observance: Stakeholders are continuously interested in the resources and confusions arise whenever the project management is not strict as it should be. Anything that seeks to deduct from the resources or affects the distribution of resources should be well documented. There are no little requirements in the management of resources, and that perception should be avoided at all cost. The resource management team should communicate to the stakeholders on the efficient utilization of resources and the documentation requirement to access resources emphasized (Jackson, 2012). The project manager is responsible for the management of the resources and decisions made by the other levels of management should be inclusive. Quality supersedes quantity. Resources should be effectively and efficiently used and allocated accordingly to achieve better performance. In any project, stakeholders desire to have it completed quickly and inexpensively (Jackson, 2012). Perceptions of the management of how the outcome can be quickly achieved arise from executives making unrealistic promises to the stakeholders. In most cases the project has to give to receive; completing projects quickly and inexpensively results to low quality projects. Time for all the projects is a limited resource that should be carefully considered. The stakeholders need to realize that more resources need to be utilized to achieve quick results (Jackson,

Entry to a new market Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Entry to a new market - Research Paper Example Making an entry into the existing automobile Indian market should be carefully approached. For example, a company should consider whether to enter into the market through a joint venture, or opening up a subsidiary of the organization as part of the mother branch. The company should be aware of the pros and cons of all the available options and how much they would cost. Entry Modes into the market Foreign direct Investment One of the advantages of a foreign direct investment mode of operation is that the organization would have a large proportion of direct control of the firm that it sets up in India. A foreign direct investment would allow the American company to gain a high tax exemption. The Government of India is bound to view the foreign direct investment as an opportunity that will increase the country’s income through labor provision to its nationals.. A foreign direct investment often includes transferring labor, funds and new technology to the target market (Iyer 272) . A foreign direct investment might involve purchasing of an already existing organization or starting up of a new one. A foreign direct investment into India will require an input of large resources by the automobile company. The resources will go into putting up the organization and marketing services. However, the organization would gain a better understanding of the customer needs and how to reach their target market audience. Joint Venture The organization might also consider a joint venture entry into the Indian market. A joint venture with an automobile company would be strategic if the CEO decides to invest a minimal amount of money into the venture in India. The American automobile company would ideally invest half the money while the India co-venture investor would invest the other half. Both investors would learn from each other for the good of the organization. The Indian investor would guide the American automobile investor on issues such as Indian tax system, best labo r sources, best location, cultural awareness and distribution lines. A joint venture would be highly recommended when the two merging companies have the same kinds of business strategies that they would want to achieve. In order for the joint venture to succeed, both the organizations should be clear on their strategic goals and objectives, and the timelines within which they hope to achieve them. The joint venture organizations should also clarify on the duties and responsibilities of the different personnel that they both bring in to the organization. There are critical issues that might arise in the running of joint ventures (Tsang 218). The companies might have proprietary information that they might be afraid of sharing. Secret business ideas take a lot of resources to develop. Therefore, none of the organizations would take the resources invested lightly. One or both of the organizations’ employees might also develop apathy at the expense of the other joint venture part ner’s employees. If the duration of the organization was unclear, disputes might arise on how and when the company should be closed down. There might also be cultural disputes between the two companies in the joint venture. Each of the companies in the automobile joint venture might want to get the best of the partnership while what they put in is not equal to what they want to gain. Licensing Licensing for the automobile organization would require the organization to license an organization