A Commentary or Analysis on Recent Economic Issues Essay

A Commentary or Analysis on Recent Economic Issues - Essay Example As the report declares the higher growth in 2004 reflects, that there has been collective progress in economic conditions except in the South Asian and Common Wealth Countries, where growth slowed down, yet remained at 6 and 7 percent. The growth in majority of the developing countries occurred in the manufacturing, with continuous growth in 2005. In the developed countries the economic performance remained mixed. North America growth was strong, with moderate growth in Japan, however pace remained slow in Europe, with the exception of new EU members. This essay stresses that the world economy has slowed down due to a number of reasons, with basic reason being the sudden and un-expected shocks in 2004, such as Tsunami in Asia and the latest stun is the increase in oil prices by 60 percent in first ten months, although it eased at the end of year. A much greater surprise was the fluctuating exchange rate among difference currencies with Euro and Yen appreciating by 14 and 11 percent respectively. And the last surprise was the increase in commodity prices due to increase in oil prices, especially in developing countries. However the picture of world economy is not as rosy as it seems in figure. One major problem in today’s world economy is unemployment and the under employment which is prevalent in developing counties. Unless unemployment is reduced, it is hard to reduce poverty. The East Asia, the fastest developing region is facing the problem of un-employment.

Why Ask Why the Pyramids Were Built By Marcel Graeffe Essay

Why Ask Why the Pyramids Were Built By Marcel Graeffe - Essay Example However, this seems to be untrue because of three possible claims: the Egyptians’ superior knowledge of geometry (qtd. in Lemesurier), everything could simply be coincidences (qtd. in De Jager), or Piazzi Smyth was biased in correlating British measurements with those of the pyramid (qtd. in Mendelssohn). Another theory surrounding the pyramids is that â€Å"pyramids are sources of tremendous energy† (Graeffe). Antoine Bovies theorized this when he thought garbage in the pyramid did not smell like usual garbage. Karel Drbal also added that dull razors sharpen when placed in the pyramid. Nevertheless, results were contradictory when the same situations were repeated in experiments (qtd. in Stiebing). Another famous theory about the origin of the pyramids is that, according to Erich von Daniken, â€Å"since dump trucks did not exist in Egyptian times, aliens must have aided in their construction† (Graeffe). However, Mark Lehner concluded that â€Å"with common sen se and practice, the building of the pyramid with low technology was even easy† (qtd. in Hadingham). . ... This implies that Egyptians should carry out religious procedures everyday â€Å"with perfection† for the eternal nature of life and the cosmos seems to depend on this discipline (Graeffe). Secondly, the building of the pyramids came with the invention of technology necessary for their construction. This marks an era of the building of huge edifices to act as funerary complexes, replicas of the royal palace, and places for religious rituals and festivals. Full cooperation among the farmers behind the construction was also expected since the building fostered a sense of pride and community among the workers as well as for the fulfillment of religious duty (qtd. in Mendelssohn). Lastly, the pyramids were built perhaps simply because â€Å"the form is spectacular [and that it] contrasts beautifully with the intense horizontality of the Ghiza† (Graeffe). This is the author’s point of view as an architect. Summary: â€Å"Treasures from the Royal Tombs of Ur† by Richard L. Zettler British archaeologist Leonard Woolley discovered something interesting the late 1920s: 1,850 intact burials in Ur in Mesopotamia, or present day Basrah in Southern Iraq (â€Å"The Royal Tombs†). The excavated burial ground had an area of 70 by 55 meters. Each tomb measured around 10 by 5 meters. Woolley determined that 660 of the burials belonged to the Early Dynastic Royal Cemetery. The earlier burials were â€Å"not uncommonly cut and undisturbed† while later burials were â€Å"commonly overlaid† (Zettler). Materials used in the construction of the tombs. The sides were made from earth hidden by reed matting. The floor was also covered by reed matting. A door,

Market entry plan for Walmart Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Market entry plan for Walmart - Essay Example The firm that is analyzed in the paper is Walmart that was founded in 1962 by Sam Walton. Over the years, it has expanded to become one the US’ largest chain of retail stores, growing into almost 300 stores by the end of the 1970s, and now with over 10,000 stores globally. Its first foray into the international market was in the early 90s, when it entered into a joint venture with Mexico’s largest retailer Cifra to operate Sam’s Club. This move was to be considered its most successful entry into foreign trade, having conquered the Mexican market and contributing approximately 30% of all food sales in the local market. To date, it has not really matched its tremendous success in Mexico. Walmart now has global presence in Mexico, Germany, China and the United Kingdom, among others. It has 5,651 stores and approximately 780,000 associates in 26 countries outside the continental US. It has acquired stores, co-branded or actually brought the Walmart brands into these new locations. However, its market entry strategy has always been perceived as weak, primarily because the company has applied the same market entry strategies in majority of the locations it ventured into. Management failed to take into consider the idiosyncrasies of each country that the company has tried to penetrate, and understand the unique market needs within each culture and social setup per location. (This is not America. Why Walmart left Germany 2012). In fact, Walmart was even described as among the several retailers that have â€Å"underestimated the role of conducting cultural due diligence prior to foreign market entry†, resulting to massive pullouts in strategic locations such as Germany and South Korea, and losing of billions of dollars in the process (Retail Internationalization 2012). Taking into consideration historical hits and misses in global market penetration, this paper aims to discuss and recommend appropriate market entry strategies to ensure that t he company’s next international venture will promise more success than failure. II. MARKET ENTRY STRATEGY Australia is considered to be one of the strongest economies in the world. The country has been highly praised by various international organizations like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for its ‘brilliant macroeconomic management and consistent economic reform’. The Australian government has created a stable and strong base for economic growth. Its current GDP growth rate is 3.8% with an inflation rate of 2.5%. It is considered to be the second easiest economy for new businessmen and the third easiest place to get credit for a business, and has few restrictions in the field of Trade and Investment (Australia Business and Economy 2012). Australia has a reliable banking system and has fast and friendly regulatory procedures. It is known for having little restriction of product markets. This country is best fit as venue for global expansion as far as Walm art is concerned. Walmart entered various locations through several entry strategies. The company entered the Mexican market through a 50-50 joint venture with Cifra, Mexico’s strongest retail company. It counted on home grown Cifra to provide operational expertise, something that is needed by Walmart considering the cultural difference between the two countries, and the economic and political situation of Mexico. This bold move to partner with a local company proved to be highly successful for Walmart considering that this is their most successful foreign partnership to date. In Canada, Walmart acquired local company Woolco to be able to penetrate the Canadian market. This decision is brought about by the fact that the Canadian mark

Final report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Final report - Essay Example In my capacity, I was entitled to: evaluate the effectiveness of the payment methods provided by the Al-Rahal Auto & Finance, Inc.; Set solutions to lack of payments by customers as scheduled; and to Simplify techniques of sending and/ or receiving clients’ insurance information. # A description of key projects or assignments completed All the above assignments actually formed the basic functions of the organization. This means therefore that the organization had to ensure their completion through ensuring simplicity of the systems to be used but keeping them very secure to deter possible hacking; sensitizing the organization on the need to set up a customer care unit to offer assistance to the clients in case of any problems; and using both e-mail and physical addresses for the attainment of both soft and hard copies of the same information. # How the work completed relates to the domain of International Business By carrying out all the mandates and plans of the organization, as set to meet the needs of the local and international clients efficiently and with ease recommended, the international business domain will obviously be achieved. Besides, the services of this organization are never restricted to any particular region/ country but for everyone interested. # Lessons in relation to the domain of international business The domain of international business requires operations within clients’ expectations and the internationally stipulated guidelines. To keep by this, the organization generates multilevel frameworks of its specific aims for the international business, leading to proposition, which in return broadens the focus and compares this firm to related disciplines. This strategy provides pathways that maintain the organization’s international business richly relevant for a high number of communities affected by the international business. It is therefore true that this experience has exposed me to the modern practices of business in a global context. # New skills/knowledge acquired As an international intern I was able to gain a sound investment portfolio that is broadly diversified and consistent with the main investment objectives of growth, income, or a combination of both, for the purpose of ensuring business and economic growth for the organization and its local and international customers. In this respect therefore, I was at a position where there were effective strategies for learning organization’s values, analyze globe’s current financial situation, and successfully understand my feeling about managing financial resources – the Dream-Plan-Track approach to financial planning (Sheldon, K.M. and Kasser, T., 1998). # What strengths and weaknesses have you discovered The international organization, Al-Rahal Auto & Finance, Inc., has a mission of being a strategic dealer partner that has the intense intension of specializing in providing personalized finance department for customers with less than perfect credit, through helping them to establish either from a position of no credit or subprime credit to a prime or near prime credit rating in a period of 36 months or less. Al-Rahal Auto & Finance, Inc. experienced team of managers which focuses largely on educating their customers about credit and thereafter providing adequate financing for an automobile with everything

Floating Exchange Rate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Floating Exchange Rate - Essay Example Since, it is largely dependent on the working of supply and demand, it is said to be self-correcting. The value of the currency will depend on the factors that affect the supply and demand, similar to a simple commodity. If the demand for the currency is high, its value (which is reflective of its a price) will increase. On the other hand, a low demand for the currency in the world market, perhaps brought by a decline in the demand for the domestic products, will cause a depreciation of the currency. Examining the supply side, an increase in the supply of the currency will cause its depreciation while a decline in supply will work the other way. The terms "appreciation" and "depreciation" are used to mean increase in value and decrease in value respectively. However, these terms are only used in the floating exchange rate regime as in the fixed exchange rate; they use the terms "evaluation" and "devaluation". We say that it is "largely", but not "entirely" dependent on the workings o f the private market through the supply and demand because it is not entirely free from government intervention. "In a floating regime, the central bank may also intervene when it is necessary to ensure stability and to avoid inflation", although this is much less often than in a fixed exchange rate regime (Investopedia).One way for the central bank to intervene in a floating exchange rate regime is through "buying and selling of its own currency reserves in the foreign exchange market

Bringing People With You Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Bringing People With You - Research Paper Example A leader with better communication abilities can easily influence his audience and make them focused on the firm’s mission. By doing so, the leader can ensure integrated efforts from the part of his followers to achieve the firm’s short term as well as long term goals. Similarly, the paper maintains that a leader has to influence and persuade his audience so as to find the success quickly. Primarily, the leader should make certain that his followers (workers) hold a positive view of the organization, because employee perceptions about the firm determine the firm’s worksite culture. Hence, the leader should specifically try to convince his subordinates that the organization is particularly obliged to ensure its employees’ wellbeing. In addition, the leader has to influence other stakeholders including shareholders, investors, creditors and banks. The leader must make certain that those stakeholders are actively involving in the firm’s business activi ties. By influencing the audience thoughtfully, a leader can keep his organization’s stakeholder groups well coordinated in order to reach the business goal(s). Introduction For an organization of any size, active support and participation of employees and other key stakeholders are necessary to achieve long term goals and objectives. Communication is the most important factor that assists a leader to get his people focused on the firm’s mission. Hence, leadership communication plays a notable role in promoting business growth and changing the way the organization operates. In order to be a successful leader, one should influence perception, habits, and values of his audience. This paper will identify the most major factor that will enhance an organization’s growth. In addition, the paper will also explore the key stakeholders and their actions influencing the long term sustainability of a business. Leadership Communication Although a wide variety of factors pla y a crucial role in growing a business, communication is the most important element that greatly influences an organization’s market share growth. This element is also essential to bring meaningful changes to the organization’s day to day business activities. In order to influence his audience effectively, a leader should possess better communication skills and capabilities. Therefore, the conventional management concept of leadership communication is of considerable importance still in modern days. â€Å"Leadership communication is an interactive process in which a leader intentionally influences, and is influenced by, followers employing a range of verbal strategies and a variety of non-linguistic models† (Charteris-Black, 2007). Some old studies point out that a leader spends nearly 70 to 90 percent of their working time on communication activities every day. If the same studies are conducted today, the result would be much higher than this because nowadays l eaders (or managers) widely use modern communication channels like e-mail and text messaging. A leader may adopt different communication strategies such as active listening and managing the conversation so as to identify his audience’s problems and thereby pass information to them on time. The active listening communication strategy maximizes the effectiveness of communication. Under this

Fast food Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Fast food - Research Paper Example They are usually served in package form that is ready to be taken and brought out of the store, which is also known as takeout or takeaway. Fast food have gone a long way, since their start and rise to popularity in the early 1900s. According to the article entitled the History of Fast Food written by Tracy Wilson in TLC Cooking, their beginning goes a long way back since the time of the ancient Greek and Romans, as well as the people from the Middle East, India and in East Asia, which was usually served and provided to travelers and traders as well as the local people in the towns and villages. All over the ancient world, the fast food industry was just beginning. In Wikipedia, it can be observed that in the pre-modern city of Rome, there were several stands that sold various types of bread and wine to the local people. At the same time, in the East Asian parts of the world such as in China, Japan and Korea, there were shops and small stores that sold noodles. India also had fast fo od like restaurants and shops, which sold a lot of the Indian favorites such as Vada pav, a popular vegetarian dish that is still eaten widely, panipuri, a bite size crisp dipped in sauce and dahi vada, a yogurt like dish. Other parts of Europe also started serving these types of food that were served quickly such as in France and London. As the popularity of fast food started to rise in the eighteenth century, the drives in restaurants were introduced after the First World War. Based on the article from TLC Cooking, the first hamburger chain was not created until the early 90s when the very first meat grinder was invented to make burgers. White Castle, which is considered to be the second fast food restaurant and the very first hamburger chain, was first created in 1921 in the United States of America. However, at that time, people thought of fast food as street dishes that were dirty and of low quality so the creators and the founders of White Castle came up with different ways in order to change the mindset and the thinking of the people at that time. They changed the way the restaurant prepared and served their food, by making the preparation process of the different fast food dishes such as burgers seen by the customers themselves. This was to show how the food was being prepared and cooked for the different people who bought from their place. In addition to that, they painted the whole building white and even chose a name that would suggest cleanliness. Since the hamburger was White Castle’s main dish to serve, it became more and more popular in some parts of America, particularly in the Midwest and the East. After this breakthrough of the fast food industry, McDonalds, a very popular and famous fast food restaurant today, was created two decades later, in 1948. After this, more fast food chains that are widely known and loved today, also made their first opening. Some of these fast food restaurants that began their business in serving fast food d ishes were Taco Bell, Wendy’s and Burger King. From then on, fast food became increasingly popular throughout the country and then, after making several branches worldwide including Europe, Asia and the rest of the world, the popularity skyrocketed and the industry made hundreds of billions, attracting teenagers and adults, but most especially to kids and little children. These fast food chains such as