Labor Force Effect on International Business Essay

Labor Force Effect on International Business - Essay Example In most cases, wage constitutes a substantial portion of the total production cost of companies. As such, businesses find myriad ways and means in order to reduce labor cost for enhancing their viability. Another way by which labor affects international business is through workers' skills. Especially in the modern times, human resource is considered as one of the most valuable assets of a company. This is because it is the employees of the company that possess the skills and expertise required for the efficient completion of production and other business functions. In this regard, the skill level of labor employed by companies is one of the key ingredients to ensure organizational success. With the advent of globalization, labor becomes a central issue in light of prevailing wage and skill levels. Given the technological advancements, employers have found a way to tap the global labor market (Tristan, 2003). Multinational corporations have benefited from the use of modern ways of communication, like electronic mail and video conferencing, to rationalize their labor factor. With the high-tech gadgets, they have taken advantage of highly-skilled and less expensive labor force available in other countries.

Managing financial resources and development editing Essay

Managing financial resources and development editing - Essay Example The company can also increase or improve on its sales so that however much the payments are, the receipts will still be more in order to for the company to meet its current liabilities Net Present Value is the difference between the present value of the cash inflows and the present value of the net outflows. Project cash flows are discounted using an appropriate rate, which is the minimum rate of return required by the investor. In the case of these two projects; Alpha and Beta projects, the discounting rate is 10% which is used to calculate the discounting factors with the formula 1/(1 + r)n where r is the discounting rate and n is the number of years. The appropriate cash flows are the after tax cash flows, therefore the net cash flows should be estimated on the after tax basis. However, in these projects, there was no tax involved and no project had a residual value after the completion period of 5 years. Computation of cash flows requires a special treatment of non-cash expenses such as depreciation though in these projects, there is no depreciation considered. However, in case of depreciation, it has an indirect effect on the cash flow since it is a tax deduc tion expense. The general criteria for Net Present Value is that the project with a negative net present value should be undertaken since it increases the wealth of the shareholders and a project with a negative net present value should not be undertaken since it reduces the wealth of the shareholders. In a case where the manager is faced with several projects and would like to choose one to implement, then the net present values of all the projects will be calculated and compared. The project with the highest net present value should be preferred to the others with low net present value. Considering these two projects: the project Alpha and project Beta, both the projects will last for 5 years and will have a discounting rate of

Negative Effects of TV on Young People

Negative Effects of TV on Young People As we can see, television is playing a very big role in our life. Television has its good side. It can be entertaining and educational, and can open up new worlds for children, giving them a chance to travel the globe, learn about different cultures, and gain exposure to ideas they may never encounter in their own community. However, parents need to understand the negative influence of childrens TV, even childrens programming, because children are likely to learn things from TV that parents dont want them to learn. Television can affect childrens health, school work and behavior in negative ways. Excess television viewing can influence childrens physical and mental health. On one hand, it could affect badly childrens physical health. It is easy for children to be myopic if they watch TV more than two hours in a day. Children will spend less time on sports and TV time also takes away from participating in sports, music, art or other activities that require practice to become skillful. And they may have high caloric intake if they are watching TV at dinner. A person would burn fewer calories while watching TV than when just sitting quietly, doing nothing (Langholt, 2010). So it may contribute to obesity problems. Children who watch more TV are more likely to be overweight. TV is a bigger factor than diet. Estimates of risk indicate that more 60% of overweight incidence in this population can be linked to excess television viewing time (Dietz, 1996). Many TV ads encourage unhealthy eating habits. Two-thirds of the 20,000 TV ads an average child sees each year are for food and mo st are for high-sugar foods. After-school TV ads target children with ads for unhealthy foods and beverages, like fast food and sugary drinks. On the other hand, watching TV has bad influence on childrens mental health, too. Children who are addicted to TV are hard to communicate with their family members and classmates. One study found that TV viewing before age three slightly hurt several measures of later brain development. Before the age of three, childrens brain develops rapidly, forming connections and pathways that will assist with learning later in life. Studies indicate that exposure to television, with its fast-moving images and rapid actions, actually rewires childrens brain to crave this hyperactive stimulation. The benefits of parent-child interactions are proven, and under age three, talking, singing, reading, listening, to music or playing are far more important to childrens development than any TV show. The American Academy of Pediatrics strongly recommends that pare nts keep their kids away from all TV until after the age of two (Bushman, 2010). Children under age eight cant tell the difference between reality in our lives and fantasy on TV. In this case, children may be frightened or upset by TV stories easily, and the symptoms include bad dreams, anxious feelings, being afraid of being alone, withdrawing from friends, and missing school. TV viewing may replace activities that we know help with school work, such as reading, doing homework, pursuing hobbies, and getting enough sleep. First, it makes children read fewer books and have lower grades in school. Watching TV at age four is one factor to be associated with bulling in grade school. Second, children may become more seeing than thinking. It may prevent children from the development of their imagination and creativity. Finally, one research study found that TVs effects on education are long term. The study found that watching TV as a child affected educational achievement at age 26. Watching more TV in childhood increases chances of dropping out of school and decreased chances of getting a college, even after controlling for confounding factors (Bushman, 2010). Children who watch more sensitive TV may have behavior problems. First of all, they will imitate the violence they see on TV. Programs designed for children more often contain violence than adult TV. Young children may even try to emulate the things they see on TV, not realizing that they risk injuring themselves or others. According to the AAP, Extensive research evidence indicates that media violence can contribute to aggressive behavior, desensitization to violence (Bushman, 2010). Watching violent shows is also linked with having less empathy toward others. A university of Michigan researcher demonstrated that watching violent media can affect willingness to help others in need (Bushman, 2010). Whats more, alcohol advertising, including TV ads, contributes to an increase in drinking among youth. TV ads are a major factor in normalizing alcohol use in the minds of children, adolescents and college students. Alcohol has damaging effects on young peoples developing brains-and the da mage can be permanent. Children who watch TV are more likely to smoke. Even though tobacco ads are banned on TV, young people still see people smoking on programs and movies shown on television. Recent research has shown that exposure to smoking in movie characters increases the likelihood that viewers will associate themselves with smoking (Langholt, 2010). Kids who watch more TV start smoking at an earlier age. The relationship between television viewing and age of starting smoking is stronger than that of peer smoking, parental smoking, and gender. Finally, children get lots of information about sexuality from television. Because most parents dont talk to their kids about sex and most school dont offer complete sex education programs, they get much information about sex from TV. However, watching sex on TV increases the chances that a teen will have sex, and may cause teens to start having sex at younger ages (Bushman, 2010). In summary, television viewing affects childrens physical and mental health, school performance and behavior in negative ways. Therefore, children should replace TV time with creative and physical activities, reading and playing games with positive values and educational content.

A Comparison of On the Road and Crying of Lot 49 Essay -- comparison c

In both Jack Kerouac’s, On the Road, and Thomas Pynchon’s Crying of Lot 49 the characters act in a deviant manner outside of social norms. This in turn leads to a deviant sub-cultural group which competes with the institutionalized authorities for power. Deviance in both novels is usually defined as a certain type of behaviour, such as an inebriated professor babbling on in a lecture hall filled with students or a group of teenagers frolicking naked in a city park on a hot and sunny afternoon. However, deviance can also encompass both ideas and attributes (Sagarin, 1975). The primary understanding of deviance rests in the reactions of observers, something becomes deviant because an individual, group or society takes offense and reacts negatively (Cohen, 1966, Lofland, 1969). These negative reactions occur because onlookers interpret what they see and hear as being bad, insane, strange, immoral, non-conforming, or wrong. Negative responses do more than define deviance; t hey serve as mechanisms of social control and power. In examining these novels from a sociological perspective, both Kerouac and Pynchon examine conflicts between mainstream society and sub-cultural groups. The deviant behaviour, thoughts, and attributes observed from the characters within the novels provide a strong argument for Austin Turk’s conflict theory of deviance, which examines power and cultural conflict as a basis for deviant behaviour. To begin, Austin Turk’s conflict theory of crime divides society into two groups: those with power "the authorities" and those without power "the subjects". In Pynchon’s novel The Crying Of Lot 49, this is realized by contrasting Pierce Inverarity, a California real estate mogul to those of low social economic class... ...sh-Catholic background, and his resemblance to a Fitzgerald hero, with a tragic death and foul dust floating in the wake of his dreams (153).    However, both of the novels express those subjects living by values beyond the social norms as having some power to change societal norms. By examining Turk’s theory of conflict between authorities and subjects, it becomes apparent the deviant behaviour observed from the characters in both novels is an influencing method of power to alter cultural and societal norms.      WORKS CITED Dugdale, John. Thomas Pynchon: Allusive Parables of Power. New York: St.Martin, 1990 Gomme, Ian McDermid. The Shadow Line: Deviance and Crime in Canada. Toronto: HBJ 1993. Kerouac, Jack. On The Road. New York: Penguin books, 1955 Pynchon, Thomas. The Crying Of Lot 49. New York: Harper & Row, 1966   

Creative Spark Talk †Taking Imagination Seriously Essay

Janet Echelman is a self-proclaimed artist who never formally learned the craftsmanship of being an architect, engineer, or sculptor. However, her story is one of determination and perseverance through adversity that fuels inspiration to make imagination a reality. Ms. Echelman was an honored speaker at a 2011 TED Talk conference and the title of her speech was, â€Å"Taking Imagination Seriously†. The focus of her speech is about the ability to utilize numerous inventive methods to bring about the natural beauty of art. Illuminating Stages of Creativity Echelman shares in her talk that she was offered an opportunity to travel to India and host an art presentation. She had been painting abroad for 10 years so she considered herself prepared and had envisaged concepts for the exhibition. However, met with the dilemma of missing painting supplies, Echelman began brainstorming to solve the problem. Recalling that sculpting was esteemed in the area, she entertained the idea of creating bronze moldings but dismissed because the cost, size, and weight would be too great. Stumped in the creative process, a new technique to design aerial sculptures suddenly appears by watching fishermen pile nets on the beach. Acting on her mysterious moment of clarity, Janet Echelman brought into existence with the help of local fishermen, a one of a kind sculpture titled â€Å"Wide Hips†. Captivated by visions of effortless motions and images influenced by every flutter of the wind, Echelman was compelled to master variations of the artistry. Although her beginning works was temporary, they were viewed by thousands and gained her recognition. She was commissioned to erect a sculpture, which challenged a series of actions to achieve lasting results. Her ability to transform the idea of using ordinary material to assemble monumental artwork is stimulating and touching the minds of society. Concepts of Imagination and Curiosity Janet Echelman acknowledged that she required assistance and resources to further the growth of her creations. She began gathering, sorting, and organizing information on what tools or equipment would be needed along with developing relationships with various engineers. This new form of art had not been done before; it was created through the process of connecting visions and absorbing ideas from environment. Janet Echelman was able to put concepts into action by experimenting with existing methods and modifying until reaching the goal. She allowed her imagination to cultivate scenarios of innovations that the world had yet to experience. When presented with the advantage to construct a sculpture in the middle of a city, Janet Echelman’s curiosity was electrified. Future assignments entailed exploring different techniques, learning and understanding how they will work together. With each new project, Janet applied inquisitive thinking skills to explore and investigate how she would accomplish constructing and stabilizing the artwork. Every sculpture took on distinctiveness through color, form, texture, and assembly. As a result of allowing her curiosity to lead her toward additional ideas and perspectives, Ms. Echelman achieved greater knowledge how to use cogitative dimensions. Points Apply to Personal Experience and Beneficial to Society As a culture and in families, people are taught that to pursue dreams or succeed in a career, education is a necessity. However, some people assume a certain path is meant for them but destiny has a different course for them. Janet Echelman shared several points that could be related to personal experiences to find my own creative path in life. As a result of my own adversities with finishing college at a younger age, acceptance into an art institute to study interior design was not achieved. Nonetheless, with encouragement and determination implanted, designing remained a hobby practiced. Nurturing and releasing my imagination to explore various angles, colors, and shapes that correlated or contrasted with one another broadened possibilities. Although interior design is not my career, the creative process of intuitively recognizing issues and formulating questions to solve them, gives guidance in different capacities of life. Janet Echelman referenced topics that are beneficial to society wherein many people struggle with asking themselves questions that are correlated to the core of what drives their thoughts. A person must be  open-minded and willing to visualize the impossible to achieve possibilities. Rejections, loss of supplies, and challenges to create something new and unforeseen, pushed Janet Echelman’s imagination to greater heights. These are attributes that are considerably beneficial to old and coming generations. In conclusion Janet Echelman, an American artist was driven by her imagination to create one of kind sculptures around the world. Her persistence to acquire as much information on the craftsmanship of sculpting shows that the power to create and intuition brings results. Connecting visions sometimes require the assistance of others and in doing so, relationships are formed and the aftereffect is splendor. The finished masterpiece is takes on a form of its own to be enjoyed and appreciated by the magnitude. Janet Echelman’s creations has inspired, mesmerized, and encouraged people to take their imagination seriously. References N.A. (2011). TED Talk. Janet Echelman: Taking imagination seriously. Retrieved from: http://www.ted.com/talks/janet_echelman/transcript?language=en

Opression of African Americans Essay

In the documentary Ethnic Notions directed by Marlon Riggs, illustrates the oppression African Americans have faced during the time of slavery up until the present day. The same forms of oppression blacks faced during slavery is the same type of oppression they faced today, decades after slavery was abolished. These forms of oppression still seen today are evidence that America has not made very little progress in eliminating the inequalities among the white and black Americans. The documentary uses different caricatures to portray African Americans in the wrong light. These characters were suppose to show the way black people looked, and behaved even though none of these characters actually depicted the way black people truly looked or acted. Even though the video focused manly on the way African Americans are perceived by society, it focused on an even bigger issue; the main point of the documentary was to provide evidence that African Americans were better off left in captivity during the times of slavery. Riggs begins the documentary by displaying the images of black caricatures that was introduced during the slavery time period, and explaining how those same caricatures have been seen around the world. Even today those same black caricatures can be seen in people homes, including in the homes of many African Americans. The people portrayed in these characters are all extremely dark with large lips, and very unappealing. Those cartoon caricatures do not in any shape or form bear a resemblance to what black people actually look like. All African Americans do not look exactly the same, but none of them are truly as dark as the caricatures and their lips are not as large and abnormally shaped as seen on the caricatures. Even though black people do not look like these cartoon characters, people still see those old images as a representation of all black people, as if they can not possibly see them looking any different, as if they were meant to look like anything else. The same concept of characterizing a single group of individuals can be observed in the video The Danger of a Single Story. In this video story teller Chimamanda Adichie discusses her experiences as a writer, who only wrote about British and white American people because that was all she knew. She was unaware of people that looked like existed her because she only ever read books about white people so that was all she knew. Then when she moved to America, she experienced the danger of a single story; before anyone got to know they already felt sorry for her and had expected her to act in a certain way. However they were surprised to learn that her life was nothing like the single story they heard about her and all other Africans. Unlike what they expected, Adichie did not live in poverty and she could read and write, and speak English. After arriving in America, Adichie began to really understand the meaning of the dangers of a single story. Instead of her getting angry, she was able to understand why they thought the way they did because just like them she too had developed a single story about a group of people. She understood that if people are only seeing the same images of a group of people over and over again, whether it’s through the media or my word of mouth that eventually that group of people will become what the media writes about them. After showing the images of black people, Riggs further explains the different roles of each of the caricatures. Some of these caricatures and images were during the time of slavery, while others were during the period when slavery had ended. The Mammy caricature was a mother who served the white people. She was portrayed as a fat, unattractive woman who loyally served her white master and his family. She did not complain and she appeared to always be happy, until she went home to her own family. In her own family she was viewed as the controller of males and one who angrily punished her children. The Mammy caricature was nothing like the real mammy, who was actually very pretty and attractive. She was only depicted as fat and ugly, so the she would not appear to be a threat to the white women; who at that time was the only females thought of as beautiful. Just like the Mammy caricature, the Uncle Tom caricature was also perceived as a person who enjoyed working for the white people. He was always seen smiling while playing with the white children, and so helpful to his master. The Mammy and Uncle Tom were never revealed as unhappy people, so people assumed that they were content with being slaves. The Mammy and Uncle Tom figures were not the only people that appeared to be enjoying slavery, but all other slaves seemed to be satisfied with it as well. The images that were being shown all showed the slaves singing and dancing, and smiling but none of those images showed the hardships that slaves faced. Only the positive images were shown to make the outside world believe slavery was okay, and that no harm could come from having slaves. One dance the slaves danced was called the Jim Crow, it was a dance symbolized the way African Americans felt about segregation. The dance was not meant to be any racist term, but yet when the white man came and imitated the dance was when Jim Crow term began a racist statement and when the Jim Crow character was created. A white man named Rice one day so a black man dancing, so he decided to mock this man’s dancing. So Rice put black paint on his face and white paint around his mouth, so he appeared to be a black man impersonating other black people. The use of black paint became known as black face. Black face became the most popular form of entertainment for people to watch. People thought it was funny to watch a white man pretend to be black. Black face became so popular that even black men started participating in black face entertainment. These black men would put black paint on their face even though their faces were already dark, and prance around the stage mimicking their own people. They used black face as a way to make a little extra money since they were not getting enough from the white people. It was not until after slavery ended that these cartoon caricatures started to represent bad images of black people. No longer did the images show slaves as happy people, but instead it depicted African Americans as angry, violent people. Those images were used to conclude that black people were actually better off as slaves, instead of free people. The Pickaninny caricature was a representation of the black children. These kids appeared to be savage like by showing them with no shoes on, and the children were eating by alligators. When people saw these images of the children thought the children were like animals that belonged in the jungle, instead of a part of society. Then there was the Brutal Black Buck caricature that made black people become indentified as brutes. These brutes were savage people who could use any sort of violence to get what they wanted all of people. When different movies were being created, it showed black man looking for a white woman, who was a virgin to raped and abuse. When people kept seeing images like that they started to believe that black people were angry savages; savages not meant to fit in with the rest of society. All of these different caricatures were a representation of all black people. Even though these caricatures were nothing like black people, the rest of society believed these caricatures were an accurate representation of black people. They expected all people of color to act the way those cartoon caricatures did. When people see the happy caricatures that existed during slavery, then to watch the brutal caricatures after slavery ended, they begin to wonder if the abolishment of slavery was really necessary. They start to assume African Americans were the happiest during slavery, so why not resort back to that old tradition.