Japanese Multinationals and the Management of Human Resources in Essay

Japanese Multinationals and the Management of Human Resources in United Kingdom Subsidiaries - Essay Example In the present day and age, the conduct of business leans increasingly towards international operations and managing human resources is increasingly critical to the success of business and . However, published research supports the notion that construction of human resource management for a business takes place within strong national boundaries. Thus, although information and communication technologies continue to transform organisational structures and business processes, breaking down organisational and geographic boundaries, national human resource management traditions engrained in the culture of a multinational headquartered in a country often intermingle with culture and traditions of the country in which a subsidiary is located. Although multinationals from a host country retain elements of traditional and cultural values, including those from Japan, United States of America and elsewhere, it is difficult for multinational corporations to exhibit core traditions from Japan, Am erica, etc. in subsidiaries located overseas for managing employees. When expanding overseas, a failure to integrate successfully managers and other key personnel from host countries into the management process of foreign subsidiaries is likely to present severe negative outcomes for a parent company. After all, foreign multinationals must serve clients in a host nation, comply with its laws and compete effectively in a nation with its own traditions, culture, business values and needs. A multinational must have due regard for national culture and organisational culture in a subsidiary, which must cater to the locals while shaping effectively the collective. Material and spiritual culture in a host country together with aspirations of employees, their preferences and tastes influence the treatment of employees and success of a subsidiary. (Keeley, 2001, Pp. 15 – 20). Multinational enterprises must have due regard for local employment laws, industrial relations and ethics

Reflection 9 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reflection 9 - Essay Example Such companies as Walmart, Walgreens and others are proving that healthy and fresh food sales can bring even higher revenue than those of fast or junk one (Obama 116). Gradually, companies start to sell more healthy products, which, as a result, become more affordable to people and the demand grows. Consequently, manufacturers also receive more money. As such, â€Å"healthier food options make good business sense† (Obama 116). On the other hand, the idea of healthy eating and lifestyle should be actively promoted among ordinary people, especially children. The latter should understand its benefits and effects on their general well-being and even future life and success. The idea of cooperation, or as I decided to call it – â€Å"joint efforts†, is related to original complexity of the obesity problem which has nationwide dimensions nowadays. Instead of, for instance, investing into curing diseases caused by obesity (diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, risks of heart stroke, etc.), big companies could monetarily support production and spread of healthy food items so it became cheaper and more available for people â€Å"living in low-income areas† (Khullar 126). Thus, step by step â€Å"good† food could replace â€Å"high-fat, high-calorie, low-nutrient† (Khullar 126) menus of shops and restaurants in preference to fresh and useful meals. Additionally, the reduction of junk and fast food advertising would contribute to the promotion of healthy lifestyle. Hence, in the essay I described the ideas of healthy eating awareness and joint efforts needed to promote it - two most capturing thoughts expressed in Michelle Obamas and Dhruv Khullars articles – directed at resolving not only physical but social problem of

Consequences Of Cell Phone Use While Driving English Language Essay

Consequences Of Cell Phone Use While Driving English Language Essay Cell phone use while driving should be illegal everywhere because 1) it causes major distraction, 2) it can cause harm to the driver and others near the driver, and 3) it shows negative influence on young people. In more ways than one, using a cell phone while driving has been proven to be a dangerous thing for people to do. The cases of fatal automobile accidents, related to cell phone use while driving, have risen dramatically over the past few years. The majority of these accidents are younger people, usually 25 years of age and younger. A new study confirms that the reaction time of cell phone users slows dramatically, increasing the risk of accidents and tying up traffic in general, and when young adults use cell phones while driving, theyre as bad as sleepy septuagenarians (Britt). David Strayer, a psychology professor at the University of Utah says if you put a 20-year-old behind the wheel with a cell phone, their reaction times are the same as a 70-year-old driver who is not using a cell phone. Its like instantly aging a large number of drivers (Britt). The use of a cell phone while driving causes more negative incidents than positive incidents. It causes road rage from other drivers, traffic jams, minor accidents and even fatal accidents: According to the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, the journals publisher, cell phone distraction causes 2,600 deaths and 330,000 injuries in the United States every year. . . . Drivers talking on cell phones were 18 percent slower to react to brake lights, the new study found. In a minor bright note, they also kept a 12 percent greater following distance. But they also took 17 percent longer to regain the speed they lost when they braked. That frustrates everyone. . . . Once drivers on cell phones hit the brakes, it takes them longer to get back into the normal flow of traffic. The net result is they are impeding the overall flow of traffic. (Britt) Now, after looking into more research, it seems that cell phone use while driving is more dangerous than most people make it out to be; teenagers seem to be the worst at this. The cell phone has many applications on them now days and some are more distracting than others. For example, a young girl is driving down the road at 55 miles per hour and her cell phone rings. She reaches across the car to grab it, takes a quick look at the screen to see who it is, looks back up and sees she is about to rear end another vehicle. Even though her reaction time is slowed from normal, she slams the breaks on just in time to avoid a major collision. Only minor damage is done to both vehicles and luckily no one is hurt. This young girl only took a quick look off the road, but still put herself and others in danger. Now, another young girl is driving down a road, in a school zone, doing only 15 miles per hour and her cell phone goes off as well, only hers is a text message from her boyfriend. She lo oks down at the screen, eyes off the road, same as girl number one, only her eyes are off the road for a longer period of time. She takes time to read the text, only to briefly look at the road, and looks back at the screen to send a text message back. With one hand on the wheel, one hand on the cell phone, texting, and her eyes on the cell phone, she hits a young child and her mother walking across the street. This accident just so happens to be a fatal one. Next, let us talk about hands free cell phones. People may and probably will argue these are not dangerous or distracting at all, but in fact, they are just as distracting. Whether a person is texting or just talking, their concentration is broken. People think that if they are just talking and listening, with eyes still on the road, not taking them off, that they are just as alert as a driver not talking on a cell phone. According to Strayer and his colleagues, those people are wrong. This is what Strayer and his colleagues found: In 2001, they found that even hands-free cell phone use distracted drivers. In 2003, they revealed a reason: Drivers look but do not see, because they are distracted by the conversation. The scientists also found previously that chatty motorists are less adept than drunken drivers with blood alcohol levels exceeding 0.08. (Britt) A man named Arthur Kramer, who led an Illinois study, stated these words: With younger adults, everything got worse, . . . . Both young adults and older adults tended to show deficits in performance. They made more errors in detecting important changes and they took longer to react to the changes' (Britt). It was documented by Robert Roy Britt, the publisher of this article, that the impaired reactions involved seconds, not just fractions of a second, so stopping distances increased by car-lengths. A study, done by Strayer, showed the following results: The latest study used high-tech simulators. It included people aged 18 to 25 and another group aged 65 to 74. Elderly drivers were slower to react when talking on the phone, too. The simulations uncovered a twofold increase in the number of rear-end collisions by drivers using cell phones. Older drivers seem to be more cautious overall, however. Older drivers were slightly less likely to get into accidents than younger drivers, Strayer said. They tend to have a greater following distance. Their reactions are impaired, but they are driving so cautiously they were less likely to smash into somebody. But in real life, he added, older drivers are significantly more likely to be rear-ended because of their slow speed. (Britt) Not only is it a problem with the younger people using cell phones while driving, but older people as well. Even though, the older people had better reaction time, it is still dangerous, regardless. No matter how cautious a person is, a distraction is a distraction. It takes away from the important things that need to be focused on and still poses threats and dangers to all those involved. Okay, let us focus on texting while driving. As said before, texting while driving takes a lot more concentration than just simply talking. Not only does it take a persons mental concentration away, but physical concentration as well, also known as the eye site. It takes more time to text someone than it does to simply answer a call. People are killed in fatal accidents due to the use of cell phones while driving and the rise in numbers is just ridiculous. In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, a young girls mother was killed, while driving, but she was not the person using the cell phone, the other driver was. A story, done on this accident, by Doug Warner from News 9, seems to have touched some peoples hearts: Jennifer Smiths mother was killed at a northwest Oklahoma City intersection less than a year ago. You never know how irreplaceable your mother is and how much of you your mother is. The day your mother passes away, youll never be the same, Smith said. Linda Doyle would have turned 62 this past Sunday. But on September 3, 2008, she was hit and killed on Northwest Expressway by a driver who was distracted by his cell phone. Every day I want to yell at people and tell them to put the phone down, Smith said. Now Lindas smiling face is on billboards across the country including one along Interstate 40 near downtown, which towers above drivers who continue to risk Death by Cell Phone. Awareness is always the best approach up front to see if you can get people to change habits, but some youre not going to get to, said David Koeneke with the National Safety Council. Koeneke said the billboards arent the perfect solution but are certainly a step in educating the public to the dangers of mixing cell phones and driving. Smith, who often returns to her native Oklahoma City, hopes to help warn Oklahoma drivers and make a difference in the state by sharing the facts, like how texting and driving is considered worse than drunk driving. I dont want to be on the road with 100 million drunk drivers, Smith said. Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas have all passed some level of cell phone restrictions. Missouri and Oklahoma have not. Smith said she isnt sure what Oklahoma is waiting on. In Oklahoma, I know all the bills have been thrown out or squashed, and Im just hoping when they see the neighboring states are doing this, that theyll jump on board, Smith said. It seems like you have to hear the horror stories before changes will be made, Im afraid. Horror stories like Linda Doyles death by a cell phone. My mother is gone and Im only 35, Smith said. Chris Hill, who caused the crash, never served a day in jail, but he said he now lives with a heavy burden for the rest of his life. Right then, I was screaming, witnesses coming up holding me up because I couldnt handle it. I knew what had happened. I knew right then I had killed her, Hill said. After reading a story like this, one would think it would convince more people to take more caution with using cell phones while driving. Sadly, it does not really do anything. People will show sympathy and say things referring to how awful it is that something like that happened, but just as soon as it is all said and done, the majority of them are already back on the road . . . using their cell phones while they are driving. In addition to the previous statements, what other things are said about cell phone use while driving. For instance, the cell phone use, or as some call it, multi-tasking, has been referred to as aggressive driving. Dr. Leon James says this about it: There is a tendency to think that multi-tasking while driving is the cause of driver inattention or distraction. This belief leads to demands for new laws that restrict or ban the use of in-car communication devices such as phones and computers. But the correct argument is that multi-tasking can lead to driver distraction when drivers havent properly trained themselves to use the new car gadgets. This is true for older devices like the familiar radio and CD as well as the new, like GPS, phones, and e-mail. So its true that multi-tasking becomes the occasion for drivers to make more mistakes, when they fail to train themselves properly. This increased training is a joint responsibility of the individual driver and the government. Multi-tasking behind the wheel is a matter of degree and all drivers are responsible for determining when they need additional self-training activities. When drivers overstep this line, they become socially and legally responsible. Drivers who allow themselves to be distracted by their multi-tasking activities are increasing the risk factor for themselves and imposing that dangerous limit on otherspassengers, other drivers, pedestrians. This increased risk to which others are subjected is thus similar to other driver behavior that are considered aggressive and illegal: going through red lights, failing to yield, exceeding safe speed limits, reckless weaving, drinking and driving, driving sleepy or drowsy, road rage, etc. Even though Dr. Leon James believes this: But the correct argument is that multi-tasking can lead to driver distraction when drivers havent properly trained themselves to use the new car gadgets, the so-called multi-tasking should still become illegal. No matter how well-trained a person thinks they are at multi-tasking while driving, their concentration is still broken and taken away from the road. As soon as a person takes their eyes off the road to answer a call or respond to a text, they are automatically putting their lives and everyone elses lives around them, in danger. How many people are going to have to be seriously injured or even killed before people start to realize how dangerous cell phone use while driving actually is? People run red lights, break speed limits and go all over the road when intoxicated. The same things happen when people use cell phones behind the wheel, so what exactly is the difference? The majority of automobile accidents, mainly during the daytime, are caused by the distraction of the cell phone. Jennifer Claerr published an article in May of 2007 about the dangers and effects of cell phone use behind the wheel. Jennifer found this: A recent study has shown that while dialing was found to be the most common cause of crashes (one has to take his eyes off the road to dial) the simple act of talking on a cell phone, even on a headset, was a proven distraction and caused accidents. Cell phone users are four times more likely than non-cell phone users to be involved in an accident. In these studies, the conversation itself was as distracting as dialing or calling up messages. People who talk on a cell phone while driving develop an extremely narrow focus, and become unaware of many of the things happening around them on the road. (Claerr) After taking a look at just this excerpt, it should make people think. There have been many people that have been either cut off, been hit, or have been close to being hit by a driver using a cell phone. Claerr expresses another opinion of her own that most people should most definitely agree with: A lot of advocates of cell phone use while driving cite that some studies have shown the total number of accidents and fatalities from cell phone use is small. However, they miss the point. Cell phone use while driving is a totally unnecessary activity, and if even only one fatality is caused by it, the practice is unacceptable. As a result of people using cell phones while driving, kids, parents, and people of all ages are being hurt and even killed. How do people expect to drive safely when their attention is focused on other things besides the road and other drivers around them? As a result, many people are hurt badly and even killed, on a daily basis because of the distractions caused by cell phones use while driving. How many fatalities are going to happen before people realize how dangerous their habits can be? How many children are going to have to lose their parents, or for that matter, how many parents are going to have to lose their children before this danger can be stopped? No one will ever know the answer. All that can be done, as of now, is to try the best ways that can be done.

Bosnia and Serbia :: history

Bosnia and Serbia Historically and politically, the Bosnians and the Russians are a perfect match.This history started in the middle of the first thousand years A.D. when the tribes called the Southern Slavs migrated into the southeast area of Europe known as the Balkans. The Slav people as they are known, were separated from the Northern Slavs, that is, related Slavs in Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Russia, by the non-slavic tribes that settled the lands of Austria and Hungary. The Bosnians original ancestors were the Southern Slavs. They raided areas throught the Balkans including what is now modern day Serbia.This tribe eventually split up, mostly for religious and political reasons but also because the geography of the region is such that large groups of Slavs became separated and isolated from one another because of the difficult terrain. When religion came to the Balkans, where you were physically had as much to do with what religion you grew up with as other reasons. The Serbs who were closest to the Byzantine Empire geographically, took up the Eastern Orthodox Religion. The peoples in what is now Croatia, Slovinia and Bosina were infuenced by Rome and took up Roman Catholicisim. However, the Bosnians, who were alwasys being threathned politically by the Orthodox Christian Serbs as well as their Roman Catholic neighbors, by the fifteenth century had made apolitical decision to align themselves with the rising power of the Ottoman Empire, and converted to Islam. Russia, the country where most of the Southern Slavs came from had accepted the Eastern Orthodox religion at around the time the Serbs did. This religious bond between Russians and Serbs was very strong and the two groups supported one another for virtually their entire history up to and including modern times. The Serbs supported the Russians in almost all their wars and helped the Russians gain control of part of the Eastern Mediterraen from the Turks. This is why the Russians are deeply interested in this area and feel they have a special role to play in the current conflict. The Balkans are the reason that World War I had started. The Serbs of 1914 was as determined then, as they were for centuries, of preserving their independence in the Balkans. A wider war in the Balkans could risk the security of Europe, and possibly draw Moslen nations into the war. On a more imeadiate level, the reason for peace in

Community Service Experience Essay

My community service experience was a very interesting experience because I had to work with elderly people at Brookdale Hospital: The Schulman and Schachne Institute for Nursing and Rehabilitation. The Schulman and Schachne Institute are located at Brookdale Plaza. The Schulman and Schachne Institute for Nursing and Rehabilitation is a voluntary, non-profit, residential healthcare facility dedicated to providing the highest quality of medical care in a homelike environment. This supportive atmosphere is created by the Schulman and Schachne Institute’s dedicated team of healthcare professionals, who are devoted to helping each individual regain health and strength while respecting individuality, dignity and autonomy. My duties were taking care of the elderly, Answering phones with proper greeting, and filing reports and certain patient information. From often time to time, they moved me from floor to floor where as I dealt with different people every day. Every day I came in with a good positive attitude. I prepared their meals and gave them their daily supplies. They also showed me the parts to the hospital, they taught me the little things that I can learn how to do now such as, Wheel and Lock a Wheelchair, Take Patients in and out of there wheel cheer, etc. Every day I spent in the hospital I learned something new I learned what community service really is. I have learned responsibilities that it is not easy to do as to what the nurses do on the regular, and trust me there job is not easy. I truly now know the value of community service, which is providing a service to the community. This type of service gives me a chance to gain working experience, so that I can develop and improve on my working skills, something I lack. I am also able to build on my self-confidence. Community service gives me the opportunity to learn more about myself and my abilities. Doing community service makes me feel complete because I’m doing something that is meaningful to my community where I live. In conclusion, I truly believe that doing community service, is not only doing God’s work, but given back to the community and helping someone less fortunate than me. Working with the elderly, is not easy at all it took time and patience. You have to be patient and encourage them that there is a way and God can make it happen. I love to see the smiles on their little faces every day because this gave me a feeling that I was doing something right not just for my community but for myself. Doing this community service, I felt like I bettered myself in so many ways.

Motorcycle & Sweetgrass Journal

Journal 2 â€Å"Motorcycle & Sweetgrass† brought up two major conflicts at the very end of the novel. The first conflict was based on a battle between John and the raccoons (Person vs. Nature) John was in the forest having a talk with the raccoons and giving them food. The raccoons were all surrounded around the bushes, resemble in ready to have a fight with the Nanabush. The animals reproached John and he was so furious. The clash with the raccoons shows the mysterious hidden relationship between them.John even wanted them to disappear, he burnt the forest and the creatures began to melt into the forest background. This conflict appeared the wicked and wild behaviour of the spiritual creature. The second conflict was the combat between John and Wayne. (Person vs. Person) A cousin of Virgil, Dakota, was missing and Virgil believed she went to find John for a talk. He was worried about Dakota since John was a Nanabush, she might fall into trouble. Soon or later, Virgil and Wayn e went to find John and to see if Dakota was with him or not.Meanwhile, they witnessed the fight of the raccoons and the Nanabush. Wayne was fearful that the Nanabush would hurt Dakota and everyone in the community and he was dangerous, so, he decided to have a fight with the creature. Wayne defiled his motorcycle and they started their battle. He was injured so seriously, the Nanabush even threw a raccoon towards his face. Of course, John won the battle. This conflict was the most incredible part of the novel, the writer portrayed every scene of their fight and it showed the courage and confidence of this character.The first significant quote of the novel was (1) â€Å"Who is this man? Nobody in his family was cool enough to know this guy like this, Virgil thought† (p. 47). This was the situation when the white man, John, came to the Otter Lake and visited Virgil’s grandmother, Lillian. John was white and he was different from everyone of them in the community. The wr iter described the word, â€Å"cool† as the character of the white man. This compared the differences of the white community and the native community.The native community was more old fashioned and traditional, but the white community was more modern. This quote shows that the natives believed they had a lower status by comparing the whites. The two communities couldn’t be connected together. John was a symbol of the white man attacking the native community, it was hard to believe that a white man could have a close relationship with a native woman. This quote showed a theme of an interracial relationship. The second quote of this novel was (2)â€Å"He was dancing! He was a blur of movement one minute, and almost still the next.At times John was silhouetted against the almost full moon. Virgil was mesmerized. This wasn’t any type of dancing he’d seen on television, or at powwows. It had an ancient, tribal quality, and yet at the same time, a modern, inno vative style. And just about everything in between. † (p. 130) In this quote, the writer described the unique character of John. He was not only a normal white man, but a man dancing in a strange style. I believed the writer would like to use this as implying the readers that John was not a normal human, but a Nanabush.He used different abnormal behavior and actions of him as well as his style of dancing, â€Å"ancient and modern†, to let the readers predict the character of John. The writer illustrates the creepiness of John, on how perilous he would affect on Maggie and the whole Otter Lake community. The last quote of this novel was (3) â€Å"Dakota might be in trouble, thought Virgil. With John, since nobody really knew his game, that was a strong possibility. Virgil weighed his options and decided Dakota’s situation was the most important. † (p. 85) When Virgil noticed Dakota, his cousin, was lost, he knew the most important thing for him to do was to find his cousin, not to go to school. Although skipping classes was not a good example, he knew that finding his cousin is more important. The writer depicted the matured attitude of Virgil. At the beginning of the story, he was a rebellious kid who always skipped classes, however, after the arrival of John, he started to become a grown up child. I believed John is a symbol to Virgil’s maturity and this quote showed a theme of growth and self discovery.