Analytical Paper-Investment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Analytical -Investment - Research Paper Example With this regard, the possession of adequate resources along with growing trade opportunities in the developing economic prospects of South Africa have been considered as a vital concern for the global companies to increase their investment portfolios. Additionally, the diplomatic association between Kuwait and South Africa signifies growth prospects for both the countries. One of the significant opportunities can be identified as the increasing importance attained by South African mining industry within the world economy. Stating precisely, Kuwait investing in South Africa shall be rewarded with significant opportunities facilitated with continuous development of the host nation. Fundamentally, steered by such developmental opportunities, the Gulf economies have been focused on creating a trade relation with Africa in the recent phenomenon which shall also benefit Kuwait when investing in South African mining industry. ... Therefore, an increasing practice of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is often observed, which enables both the recipient and investor countries to efficiently practice their range of industrial activities. Correspondingly, the discussion of the paper has been emphasized on the emerging trend of FDI and its significance towards improving the present economic and political relation between Kuwait and South Africa. In order to clearly recognize the significance of FDI in the current phenomenon, the paper highlights the major advantages that can be availed by Kuwait through its investment in the South African mining industry. The paper also tends to elaborate on the major motivational factors in South Africa which can facilitate Kuwait to efficiently perform its varied range of trade activities along with support the credibility of both the nations in the present world economy. Focusing on this particular aspect, the paper also recommends few effective measures for Kuwaiti investors when building trade relations with South Africa through direct investment in the mining industry. Introduction The emergence of South African mining industry has been observed as a major resource for the country which enabled it to attract global investors such as Kuwait. The mineral development sector of the country is highly focused on increasing the efficiency of the mining and mineral industry which has enabled the country to experience a radical economic stabilization (South African Embassy, 2013). Although the trade relation between Kuwait and South Africa has recently come into the limelight, these two economies have been into a distinct global trade relation since past few decades. The political relation between

Art Humanities class Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Art Humanities class - Assignment Example Apparently, one location shows the connection of the statue with the government and the power that it wishes to convey. In addition, the author performs visual analysis through taking photographs of the statue and commenting on its physical structure and movement, as well as its facial expressions. The language focuses on the action and energy of the sculpture, and this is effective in relation to the author’s thesis, regarding the political implications of David’s location. Moreover, this reading is enjoyable because it treats a usual art placement meeting as a decision that affects the meaning of the statue through the goals of the decision makers. Response to Thucydides’ â€Å"Funeral Oration of Pericles† Thucydides records the Funeral Oration that Pericles delivered after the beginning of the first campaign of the war. During this speech, Pericles gives tribute to the fallen heroes of Athens. He praises the virtues of Athens first through extolling the virtues of the people. For him, the Athenians have built a great city because of their virtues and love for learning and simple beauty in life. He argues that these soldiers did not die in vain because they died for the greatest people and city in history. He bases his arguments on the social, political, and economic values and attributes of Athens as a city and as a civilization. Pericles can be quite flowery with his words, but it must be because of the nature of the oration. He wants to emphasize that the people of Athens have to be proud of their courage because their courage protects their freedoms. Some of the confusing parts of the speech are when Pericles mentions certain people, places, and events that are unfamiliar. Nevertheless, further research will prove their relevance to the oration. Moreover, Pericles does not conduct any visual analysis on a specific artwork. Nonetheless, he alludes to the architecture of Athens that manifests the people’s power and glory. The descriptive language combines simile, metaphors, allusions, and symbolisms. They are effective because they reinforce the idea that Athens is worth fighting and dying for. The families of the dead should find moral solace in the sacrifices of their loved ones because they died for something meaningful and worthwhile. Aside from these effective uses of description, the reading is enjoyable because of its discussion of the merits of Athens. It reminds readers of patriotism that turns courage into a trait related to one’s national origins. Response to Alberti’s â€Å"On Painting† This writing has a clear identifiable thesis, where Alberti argues that paintings are important because they record important personalities and events, while also remarking on the skills of the painter. He believes that painting is a sacred duty and process, as it serves to replicate reality as it its, and if God made reality, then painting is an act of recreation, and to some extent, creation. Alberti supports his claims with sayings from great artists and personalities and by mentioning painting’s evolution throughout human history. He establishes that painting is part of the essence of humanity. In addition, Alberti explains the composition of painting: circumscription, composition, and reception of light, which offers a form of visual analysis of

Information System Development Blog Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Information System Development Blog - Essay Example The commands available are compiled together in the menu, while actions are performed later. Windowing system deals with software devices like graphics hardware and pointing devices, besides cursor positioning. In a personal computer, these elements are all modeled via a desktop metaphor in order to produce desktop environment simulation where the displays represent a desktop where documents and document folders can be placed. Window managers combine with other software so as to simulate desktop environment with various degrees of realism. The process that takes place in user interface components is, the message is first relayed on the physical component, perceived by perceptual components and then conceived by conceptual components. Though the three components have different functions, their functions are related. Components of user interface that have three dimensions, especially 6hose designed for graphics are common in movies and literature. They are also used in art, computer games and computer aided design. They are important in considering the interaction design because they enhance efficiency and make it easy to use the underlying logical design of stored programs, that is, usability (Marcin, 2009). The user typically interacts with information through manipulation of visual widgets, which allow for appropriate interactions to the held data. Together, they support the necessary actions in order to achieve the objectives of the user. A model view controller ensures a flexible structure, independent from the interface but indirectly linked to functional applications or easy customization. This allows users to design and select different skins at their own will. User-centered design methods make sure that the introduced visual image in the design is perfectly tailored to the duties it must perform. Larger widgets like windows normally provide a frame for the content of the main presentation like web page or email message. On the other

Analytical Paper-Investment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Analytical -Investment - Research Paper Example With this regard, the possession of adequate resources along with growing trade opportunities in the developing economic prospects of South Africa have been considered as a vital concern for the global companies to increase their investment portfolios. Additionally, the diplomatic association between Kuwait and South Africa signifies growth prospects for both the countries. One of the significant opportunities can be identified as the increasing importance attained by South African mining industry within the world economy. Stating precisely, Kuwait investing in South Africa shall be rewarded with significant opportunities facilitated with continuous development of the host nation. Fundamentally, steered by such developmental opportunities, the Gulf economies have been focused on creating a trade relation with Africa in the recent phenomenon which shall also benefit Kuwait when investing in South African mining industry. ... Therefore, an increasing practice of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is often observed, which enables both the recipient and investor countries to efficiently practice their range of industrial activities. Correspondingly, the discussion of the paper has been emphasized on the emerging trend of FDI and its significance towards improving the present economic and political relation between Kuwait and South Africa. In order to clearly recognize the significance of FDI in the current phenomenon, the paper highlights the major advantages that can be availed by Kuwait through its investment in the South African mining industry. The paper also tends to elaborate on the major motivational factors in South Africa which can facilitate Kuwait to efficiently perform its varied range of trade activities along with support the credibility of both the nations in the present world economy. Focusing on this particular aspect, the paper also recommends few effective measures for Kuwaiti investors when building trade relations with South Africa through direct investment in the mining industry. Introduction The emergence of South African mining industry has been observed as a major resource for the country which enabled it to attract global investors such as Kuwait. The mineral development sector of the country is highly focused on increasing the efficiency of the mining and mineral industry which has enabled the country to experience a radical economic stabilization (South African Embassy, 2013). Although the trade relation between Kuwait and South Africa has recently come into the limelight, these two economies have been into a distinct global trade relation since past few decades. The political relation between

Information System Development Blog Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Information System Development Blog - Essay Example The commands available are compiled together in the menu, while actions are performed later. Windowing system deals with software devices like graphics hardware and pointing devices, besides cursor positioning. In a personal computer, these elements are all modeled via a desktop metaphor in order to produce desktop environment simulation where the displays represent a desktop where documents and document folders can be placed. Window managers combine with other software so as to simulate desktop environment with various degrees of realism. The process that takes place in user interface components is, the message is first relayed on the physical component, perceived by perceptual components and then conceived by conceptual components. Though the three components have different functions, their functions are related. Components of user interface that have three dimensions, especially 6hose designed for graphics are common in movies and literature. They are also used in art, computer games and computer aided design. They are important in considering the interaction design because they enhance efficiency and make it easy to use the underlying logical design of stored programs, that is, usability (Marcin, 2009). The user typically interacts with information through manipulation of visual widgets, which allow for appropriate interactions to the held data. Together, they support the necessary actions in order to achieve the objectives of the user. A model view controller ensures a flexible structure, independent from the interface but indirectly linked to functional applications or easy customization. This allows users to design and select different skins at their own will. User-centered design methods make sure that the introduced visual image in the design is perfectly tailored to the duties it must perform. Larger widgets like windows normally provide a frame for the content of the main presentation like web page or email message. On the other

Pressure Gradients Essay Example for Free

Pressure Gradients Essay The atmosphere is composed of a mixture of gases. Air has weight which is directed towards the centre of the earth. The force (weight) of air per unit area acting on object on the earth is called the atmospheric pressure (Diane, 11). The atmospheric pressure is measured by an instrument called a barometer. On a map, regions of equal pressure are linked by lines called isobars. These lines are drawn in such a way that they never cross each other. The drawing of these lines is based on the average sea level pressure reports. It is true that majority of the weather stations are situated some heath above sea level. Therefore the pressure measured at a particular place has to be converted into sea level pressure before the isobars are drawn. This is due to the fact that pressure decreases with increase in height and the pressures on maps should be as a result of weather conditions and not due to changes in height(Integrated Publishing). According to Diane, Pressure differences occur due to differences in the heat absorbed by the land or water. When air is heated, it expands reducing its density and rises. A partial vacuum is therefore created. Cold denser air flows to take up the space left by the rising air. Basically wind flows from a region of high pressure to a region of low pressure. Therefore, as the pressure changes from place to place, the speed of wind also changes. Diane defines pressure gradient as the rate of change of pressure at a particular time in a particular place. The force that pushes air from a region of high pressures to the region of low pressure is called the pressure gradient force. The force is greater when the pressure gradient is high. Eady notes that the speed of wind depends on the pressure gradient, being higher with greater pressure gradient. It could be expected that the wind will flow perpendicular to the isobars. However the pressure gradient force is somewhat circular as it depends not only on pressure gradient but also on Coriolis Effect, centrifugal force and frictional force (Eady, 142). Coriolis force is brought about as a result of the rotation of the earth. All particles at the surface of the earth rotate once every day. Since the radious is greater at the equator than towards the poles, an object rotates faster at the equator than at higher latitudes. If air moves northwards due to pressure gradient force, it maintains it horizontal motion; in accordance to Newton’s first law of motion (Ferrel, 98). The air therefore moves in a North Easterly direction. In actual sense, wind flows in a circular path (integrated Publishing). For a body to maintain a circular path, centripetal force must be provided. In accordance to Newton’s third law of motion an equal and opposites force called centrifugal force acts on the body (Eady, 139). This force tends to push winds out of their paths and it increases with speed of wind. As wind flows over objects over the earth’s surface it experiences fractional drag. This drag results to wind flowing at an angle to the isobars near the earth’s surface. At higher altitudes air flows parallel to the isobars (Joseph). Diane Fisher contends that in some cases, air cools at a particular place in the troposphere. The cooling results into contraction of air which in turn leads to increase in mass per unit volume of air. This leads to increased pressure directed downwards. This air then attempts to flow outwards towards regions of low pressure. But due to Coriolis force, the air is made to rotate clockwise in the northern hemisphere and anticlockwise in the southern hemisphere. This is referred to as an anticyclone. On the other hand, Diane tells us that a region of rising air of low pressure is called a cyclone. This occurs at the boundary of cold and warm air. It is caused by warm air rising and cools air descending which creates of reduced pressure. An inward pressure gradient is created and in addition to Coriolis Effect causes air to circulate in anticlockwise direction in the Northern Hemisphere and Clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. The cyclone usually moves upwards and it contributes to the circulation of air in the atmosphere. Works Cited Diane Fisher. â€Å"Become a weather wizard†. In The Technology Teacher, Vol. 61, 2002:11 – 15. Eady, E. T. â€Å"The general circulation of the atmosphere and oceans. † In: The Earth and Its Atmosphere, ed. D. R. Bates. New York, Basic Books, (1957):130-151. Ferrel, W. The influence of the Earths rotation upon the relative motion of bodies near its surface. Astron. J. , Vol V. No. 109, (1858):97-100. Integrated Publishing . http://www. tpub. com/content/aerographer/14312/css/14312_16. htm Joseph E Van Riper. Mans Physical World. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc. 1962.

The Business Culture In China

The Business Culture In China Culture is a complicated concept to define due to its multi-dimensional attribute and the existing disparity in evidence on diverse cultural facets. Understanding culture is a key issue in the development of cross-cultural relationships and is one of the main issues facing multi-national enterprises (MNEs) both internally within the human resource team and externally such as relationship with buyers suppliers from different countries. Culture is also a vital factor that needs to be considered when a firm is expanding internationally, mode of entry to a foreign market, foreign direct investments and also during international mergers acquisitions. In this essay we will discuss first about culture in general, then we will discuss about various dimensions of culture proposed by Hofstede and Trompenaars and then highlight about the business culture of china as per Hofstedes cultural dimensions. Further to this we discuss about a couple of US MNEs international behaviour in Chinese marke t and conclude by discussing on the implications of Chinese business culture on doing business in China Review on culture Culture is a very complex topic and has many definitions. Kroeber Kluckhohn (1952) were able to collect more than 160 definitions of culture. Hence, it is vital to comprehend culture in different perspectives. Its impact on business has been discussed from various perspectives (MÃ ¶ller Svahn 2002). Goodenough (1971) sees culture as a set of beliefs or standards, shared by a group of people, which help the individual decide what is, what can be, how to feel, what to do and how to go about doing it. Hofstede (2001) defines culture as the collective mental programming of the mind which distinguishes one group or category of people from another. Culture has also been defined as a multifaceted and organized set of elements, comprising understanding, beliefs, values, arts, law, manners and morals, and all other kind of skills and habits acquired by a human being as a member of a particular society (Usunier 1996). Culture is the system of shared values that differentiates the members of one group from another (Hofstede, 1980; Mueller Thomas, 2001). Thus, national culture acts as the common frame of reference or logic by which members of a society view organizations, the environment, and their relations to one another (Geletkanycz, 1997). The sources of culture have been divided into the following categories: language, nationality, education, profession, ethnic group, religion, family, sex, social class and corporate or organisational culture (Usunier 1996). A vital component in culture is language, especially for international business. But not only verbal communication is of significance, also the messages given through non-verbal communication; gestures, gesticulations and attitudes are significant. Eye contact, touching, space and privacy are understood and used differently in different cultures. At least 75% of all communication is non-verbal (Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner 1997). Nationality and national culture is often considered a cornerstone of culture. Dimensions of culture Hofstede (1980, 1984), Hofstede and Bond (1988) and Trompenaars (1994) all proposed cultural dimensions by which diverse national cultural patterns can be evaluated. In this essay, we will be discussing more about the Hofstedes Cultural dimensions as they are extensively cited in the literature. Cultural dimensions simplify the judgment practice by highlighting the core elements on which national culture can be compared. These elements are universal across all national cultures. National culture pertains to the culture of a sovereign country not to the different sub-cultures that exist within each sovereign country. Trompenaars (1994) proposed seven cultural dimensions and clustered them beneath three major headings: those arising from relationships with other people, those involving the passage of time and those emerging from our attitudes towards the environment. The seven dimensions are: attitudes to time; universalism vs particularism; individualism vs collectivism; emotional; specific/diffuse; achievement/ascription and internal environmental control/external environmental control. Hofstede (1980) highlighted four cultural dimensions: power distance; masculinity/femininity; individualism/collectivism; and uncertainty avoidance. In addition to the original four cultural dimensions, Hofstede (1990) suggested the fifth cultural dimension, called Confucian Work Dynamic. The Chinese Culture Connection (1987) conducted a Chinese Value Survey (CVS) based on traditional Chinese cultural values and recognized this non-Western cultural dimension. Three of the four factors were concurrent with Hofstedes (1984) work-related cultural dimensions. Only one factor, Confucian work dynamics, was not related with Hofstedes (1984) cultural dimensions. Hofstede (1990) espoused this eastern cultural dimension as the fifth work-related cultural dimension in his book, Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind. Hofstede (2001) renamed this cultural dimension as Long-Term Orientation (LTO). Power distance (PD) This dimension states the level of reception of inequality in a society. Inequality is found in all societies, and is visible at all levels: physical, social, material, political and legal. PD also indicates to the power disproportion between superiors and subordinates. Uncertainty avoidance (UA) This dimension conveys the outlook towards anxiety over the unknown. Some societies show more anxiety than others in their ways of handling with uncertainties. In high UA organizations, there are more written set of laws in order to lessen uncertainty, whereas in low UA firms, there are smaller number of written regulations and practices. In countries high in UA, employees are expected to abide by the leaders without inquiring leaders intentions and judgments (Hofstede, 2001). Individualism/Collectivism This dimension refers to the socialization an individual receives, either as an individual who stands on his or her own merit, a person whose well-being and happiness will result from his or her own doing, or, as an individual who primarily stands as a member of a group. Masculinity/Femininity Masculinity/Femininity conveys the tendency for some countries to practise qualities conventionally ascribed to women, and which are the quests of social concord, quality of life, and nurturing of relationships. Societies putting more stress on the pursuit of such qualities are called feminine. In contrast, masculine societies, stress the pursuit of qualities often related to manly conduct, such as valuing work over social pursuits, and the accrual of material wealth, over social harmony and quality of life (Hofstede, 2001). Confucian dynamism or Long-term orientation (LTO) According to Hofstede (1991), long-term orientation relates to a positive, dynamic, and future oriented culture linked with four positive Confucian values: persistence (perseverance); ordering relationships by status and observing this order; thrift; and having a sense of shame. This dimension has not been well received by the researchers globally. Business Culture of China The most vital depiction of Chinese culture is its high collectivism and power distance. The majority Chinese leaders have a high power distance, and only rely on the one they know or who are close to them. They wont give the power to anyone not in their group or party, and its hard for subordinates to gain high levels of trust from their leaders (Casimir et al 2006). Various Chinese original concepts, such as face, harmony, guanxi (interpersonal links), renqin (kindness), and paternalistic leadership, can be sketched to these two broad cultural dimensions. Chinese are reasonably low in Uncertainty avoidance, which means that they are not worried by uncertainty and ambiguity. Chinese are also recognized for their stress on hard work and thrift, an attribute explained as Confucian dynamism by Bond (Chinese Culture Connection, 1987) or long-term orientation by Hofstede (2001). Fascinatingly, China is considered as high in Embeddedness (e.g., protect my public image and social order), H ierarchy (e.g., humble and authority), and Mastery (e.g., successful and ambitious) based on Schwartzs values at the culture level (Schwartz, 2006). Embeddedness and hierarchy appear to match to collectivism and power distance, respectively, but Mastery is a comparatively novel depiction of Chinese people in the cross-cultural literature. The Chinese Culture Connection study (1987) depicted 40 values that can be ascribed to Chinese culture. These Chinese values are shown in table 1. Table 1: The 40 Chinese values in the Chinese value survey (Source: The Chinese Culture Connection 1987) Lets discuss about Motorola and Microsoft, both are US MNEs and their journey to enter Chinese market (Gao Y 2007). Motorola entered China in 1987 and now it is one of the most successful foreign companies in china. Microsoft also entered China in 1992 but its journey to China has been bumpier compared to Motorola. The presidency of Microsoft China has been changed five times after the establishment. Various methods used by these firms to make a smooth sail in China were: 1) Lobbying or Gongguan in Chinese and to lobby, a firm should build high-quality guanxi (relationship) with the government. Here lobbying means like building guanxi with Chinese government officials. The president of Motorola visited dignitaries of the Central Government of China to assemble their views on the entry of Motorola before they entered China. In order to get a constructive impression from Chinese government, Motorola donated cell phones to Chinese government officials. Microsoft also used the ways that Motorola adopted but has not been enough successful. Firstly, Bill Gates came to China for the first time almost a year after Microsofts entry into China, Chinese government officials believed that Gates looked down on the Chinese market. 2) Code of conduct Every MNE has its own code of conduct, but China also has its business game rules and amalgamation of the business game rules of China with the codes of conduct of MNEs decides the victory or collapse of MNEs in China. Motorola demonstrated an excellent fit between its own codes of conduct and the business game rules of China. Firstly, it abides by the laws and regulations of China, and makes substantive deal and sets up joint ventures with Chinese enterprises as per the request of Chinese government. Secondly, it respects Chinese culture, and tries to acclimatize its organisational culture to Chinese culture. Thirdly, it shows an excellent understanding of Chinese political context. In 1992, Motorola went ahead to set up branch es of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Motorola also announced that members of CPC have the priority to get jobs from it. Comparatively, Microsoft also has its own codes of conduct, but it doesnt bother about incorporating it with the Chinese business game rules. Firstly, Microsoft was reluctant to set up joint ventures with Chinese companies. Secondly, Microsoft organisational culture is not acknowledged by the Chinese government and NGOs but Microsoft doesnt want to amend it. Thirdly, In 1999 Microsoft also blamed Chinese companies of piracy, which showed that Microsoft didnt comprehend the business game rule in China. Here I also want to bring some personal information about the Chinese culture, my younger brother works for ZTE in India, one of the major telecom firms of china. I was having a discussion with him and asked him about the Chinese culture that prevails in ZTE, he also emphasised that Chinese believe in relationship (guanxi), thats how their business runs. Chinese also expects others to respect their society and culture and they believe in hierarchy and the employees who are old in the organization ought to be respected. Although due to the influence of western culture, Chinese culture is changing towards individualism but overall they are more collectivistic and give more importance to group rather then individual. Culture is perceptibly not stationary. As societies become affluent, the need for interdependence is diminished, leading to individualism. This reckoning suggests that Chinese should turn into more individualistic over time, and Chinese in more affluent regions are expected to be more individualistic. China may be changing toward individualism; it is still on the collectivistic part in the worldwide pitch. Even Hofstede suggested that value transform does happen, but a number of values possibly will change gradually that may take several decades to discover. Chinas hyper economic development has boosted living values upward speedily, leading to a significant change in the social norm about money and materialism and its acceptance by the Chinese society (Abramson Inglehart, 1995; Fang, 2006). A study by Chen (1995) showed that Chinese desire a merit-based incentive scheme even more stoutly than Americans, perhaps reflecting the change in Chinese culture. Implications for International Business in China None of the MNEs can overlook China, because of its massive market potential and its low cost configuration. MNEs need to analyze critically about the Chinese market and the prevailing culture to be successful in China. China is complex and diverse with changing paradigm in culture. Knowing guanxi is definitely useful, but one cannot presume that this information is valid to all the Chinese people that they come across. Multinationals have to be insightful about the dissimilarity between the social and economic apprehensions of Chinese people. Provided the popularity of materialism in contemporary China, many management practices as participative management, empowerment, job enrichment, knowledge management and total quality management may necessitate a high degree of inherent motivation for them to be successful. Regardless of the fact that Chinese may be more long-term oriented, based on the yin/yang principles, Fang (2006) has presented a dialectical outlook of culture, which prop osed an account for an array of ostensibly inconsistent behavioural patterns in various cultures. Thus, it is not astounding that Chinese may be long-term oriented in a few contexts, but are short-term oriented at work.