Friday, September 13, 2019

How do religion and culture intersect in the realm of ethics Essay

How do religion and culture intersect in the realm of ethics - Essay Example Religion is more stern and inflexible than culture in the realm of ethics. Religious teachings are established and not prone to change over the passage of time. Most religions are based on the philosophy that their teachings are everlasting and cater for the needs of all societies till the end of the world. The difference between religious beliefs and ethics based on religion is that the former describes the beliefs of an individual whereas the latter proposes a framework of ethics based on the religious rationale (Huntington). Culture, on the other hand, is a more flexible and modifiable factor with the passage of time under the influence of different internal and external factors affecting a nation. Since ethical policies are based on the interplay of religion and culture in a nation, practices that might be condemned by religion find their way into a society from time to time because of the flexibility carried by the culture. While a modernistic society considers many religious te achings and principles outdated and inapplicable, culture is modified to cater for the needs of the advanced society. The role of both religion and culture in the development is prominent in history (Hill). Religion and culture intersect in the realm of ethics in a complicated manner. â€Å"[T]here are three spaces that provide the arenas of performance†¦we identify first a space where power and politics are performed, a second space where ethics are performed, and a third space where aesthetics are performed creatively and in response to the first two† (Hecht and Biondo xvi). A common element between all three of these spaces is that each is a social space that provides room for performance. The pattern of intersection of religion and culture cannot be generalized for all nations as there are a host of factors that make this intersection different from one nation to another. â€Å"Virtually everybody who writes about the topic portrays religion as

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Cross Cultural Managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cross Cultural Managment - Essay Example Globalization has led to progressive diversification where the organizations are filled with diverse workforce belonging to different culture and countries (Dong and Liu 1352-1706). The impact of the cultural diversity is unclear and not unidirectional. The impact of diversified cultural workforce on the team productivity can be rewarding only if the organizational culture and climate is positive and congenial. Culture is an important element which acts as an external source of deep influence on the employee behavior. The impact of culture on an individual creates a change within the organization itself. Members of the organization are coping with uncertainty and ambiguity collectively and individually based on the strategies and attitudes that have a deep influence on the culture. Culture is a collective programming of mind which distinguishes one category of people from another. The type of cultural values and importance given to these values varies from one culture to another and is deeply influenced by the historical, current socio political and ecological context. The cultural values play an important role in shaping the organizational customs and practices that in turn help in shaping the organizational culture. ... For example, the management in Volvo imparts training workshops to the employees regarding their technical skills and soft skills which are also known as â€Å"People Skills†. This workshop lays emphasis on enhancing the non technical skills, which can help in the achievement of the objectives in unification. Presently, the multinational corporations are spreading their business units across the globe for the expansion of activities and achieving economies of scale. The cultural gaps and distance between the host and home country have a significant impact on the selection process, training, development and performance management systems. Companies find the cross cultural networks to be rewarding and equally challenging. The cross cultural management is found to be equally challenging because of the potential rising conflicts which pose as barriers for the development of strategies. Moreover, multinational corporations hire employees from a diverse workforce who all wish to ach ieve the organizational goals in unification. With employees belonging to another culture training is imparted to them with a unique training curriculum that covers all the aspects required for achievement of the organizational objectives. The cross cultural management usually depends upon variables like the ethnicity and culture variations among the employees and thus a systematic approach is required for categorization of various organizational groups, teams and individual levels. Cross cultural management focuses on the difference between the diverse groups and signifies a nineteenth century anthropological perspective of the culture (Fontaine 125-135). Knowledge management approach which lays emphasis on the fact that knowledge is the most valuable asset and methods on how the management can

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Introduction to business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Introduction to business - Essay Example The US retail industry is about $4.13 trillion. Discussion Competition in the Home Improvement Market – both Lowe’s and Home Depot are in effect after the same segment of customers. These are the people who undertake renovations, repairs or major upgrades on their homes. Three likely sources of revenue growth for a retail chain are the following: opening new stores, increase sales revenue per store and expand item offerings. The current recession has ruled out implementing any of these three options and so it is quite understandable that the competition gets tougher with the same set and number of customers. The difficult financial conditions has likewise slowed the demand for items being offered at both stores although they price their products practically the same. More importantly, demand for D-I-Y (do it yourself) home products are waning due to the recession. People are concerned with the values of their home during difficult times and will naturally tend to postpo ne discretionary spending (Quinn, 2009, p. 1). Home renovations, repairs and expansion are generally optional expenses and can be postponed when necessary.

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Strategies Embraced by Williams-Sonoma Company Case Study - 31

Strategies Embraced by Williams-Sonoma Company - Case Study Example The current policies embraced by Williams-Sonoma are increasingly becoming outdated. Till now, these strategies have been successful in increasing the business growth level within the company. Competition keeps growing day by day, and new companies are launched daily within the retail market industry. According to information from the case study, Williams-Sonoma has many market competitors who specialize in similar products(Rouse, 2010). Different companies are also adopting different strategies to distribute their products due to the adoption of new technological advancements. So, it is obligatory for Williams-Sonoma to adopt new strategies if they want to sustain their position in the retail market. If the company decides to maintain its current strategies, business competitors are likely to triumph over them by adopting the latest technologies, and strategies. Competing companies need an adequate competitive advantage in order to outperform each other. Without such strategies, performance may decline due to the various challenges experienced in an extremely competitive business. A company that updates its database regularly to accommodate after sale services attract potential buyers. For this reason, it is necessary for Williams-Sonoma to develop, and implement innovations if they expect to maintain their current market position and attain higher levels of business growth. The strategies used by Williams-Sonoma are very efficient, and I would adopt them if I were the CEO. By implementing these strategies, I would grow and enhance the success of the business. But, I would focus more attention towards expanding the international market rather than the US market alone. At the moment, Williams-Sonoma underestimates the potential of other markets in enhancing their business success. I believe the idea of expanding the market scope would benefit the company. I would also encourage more use of the modern telecommunication systems, and the Internet to broaden the market scope to other parts of the world.     

Monday, September 9, 2019

Paraphrasing Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Paraphrasing Practice - Essay Example a woman who is not physically and psychologically ready to have a child would lead to many complications that may be hazardous to human community as well, because a child who is not needed/accepted by his mother/parents can pose more threat to the world than a fetus that is medically removed before it becomes a living organism/individual. a. My understanding of the statements of friend changed drastically after I used active listening. At first, I was prejudiced against his view and thought that he was arguing for free sex, without taking into account the serious problems that it would create. However, once I slowed down to paraphrase his statements, I began to see how I misinterpreted some of his views, and could have argued against those in an infuriated state of mind. He got sufficient time to explain his point of view clearly because I held my views until his argument, my paraphrasing, and his corrections/approval of how I comprehended them. I came to know that he had formed a perception regarding the topic on the basis of careful observation, and not on impulse. He did not want to promote irresponsible man-woman relationships, but was adamant that one has to take into account the present state of affairs when discussing a serious issue that dealt with it. I understood his points of view regarding the situations where a woman gets pregnant our of rape or incest, and the cases where a pregnant woman is not mature enough to deal with becoming a mother, or where the failure of contraceptive measures fail even among married couples who have decided that their family is complete. If I had voiced my views vehemently without trying to understand his point of view, we would just have argued for a long time with no use at all, as if speaking in entirely different languages. b. The wide gap that existed among the views of my friend and me narrowed to a great extent as a result of active listening. Both of us took quality time to pause, understand the other’s

Sunday, September 8, 2019

Diversity Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Diversity Paper - Essay Example The supportive personality is more introverted and team-oriented. They are supportive and helpful and thrive in interpersonal relationships. The cautious personality is also reserved and seeks consistency, value and is task-oriented. Their primary focus is on being accurate and correct in their assessments (Rohm, 2004). In addition to these underlying personality traits, many other factors play a role in determining a person’s personality and behavior such as gender, socioeconomic status and sexual orientation. Studies have shown, not surprisingly, that boys are quicker to openly display their temper than are girls. This is because girls are taught from a young age that angry displays are inappropriate and proper control of their emotions is a societal expectation for which they are rewarded. Socially acceptable behavior for girls includes being soft of voice at all times while vocal, outward displays of anger are intolerable. They are taught not to cause hurt feelings or be the cause of another’s anger. Gender stereotypes which are taught from a very early age reinforce to girls the importance of avoiding conflicts and to always act pleasantly, especially in a social setting. Females are expected to be attractive. The less physically attractive she is, the more the girl must take on a subservient role. Girls are also taught to manipulate a situation for their own benefit, but not to control it by being overbearing. There are those examples of girls who actively discard this stereot ype by rebelling against it often by means of intimidating those girls who fall under the ‘normal’ stereotype of which they are rebelling against. The abuse of sex, alcohol and drugs are common aspects of this rebellion. Males who adhere to society’s typical stereotype for suitable behavior and appearance believe they are masters of their own universe. If males are athletic and good-looking, they assume and society confirms that they are

Saturday, September 7, 2019

General Aviation - Marketing Role Models Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

General Aviation - Marketing Role Models - Essay Example The onus of the growth and maturity of the aviation industry lies on four significant individuals – Clyde Cessna, Walter Beech, Lloyd Stearman and Russ Meyer. Clyde was the pioneer in designing and building monoplanes while Stearman concentrated and manufactured biplanes. Stearman is responsible for the Boring Aircraft manufacturing Company that still serves the nation and the world today. Cessna and Beech had only rudimentary education up to fifth grade while Stearman and Meyer received formal education. Meyer, apart from being a pilot, was a good administrator and leader and is responsible to revive the light aircraft industry. An inner urge and quest for designing led Cessna, Beech and Stearman to create, design and build airplanes. The fact that this was possible without formal education demonstrates the technical acumen that existed in all of them. Beech and Stearman have been enshrined in the Aviation Hall of Fame for their invaluable contribution to the aviation industr y. All of them had a very humble beginning and could rise in life due to their dedication and creative abilities with which they were endowed. In the last 50 years the airlines industry of US has experienced reasonably profitable to devastatingly depressed periods. The US was the first major market to deregulate the industry in 1978 and it has experienced more turbulence than any other airline or region (Wikipedia). Deregulation led to higher competition and drop in airfares. This can be a major constraint for established carriers which tend to have a higher cost base compared to the new entrants. The global aviation industry is expected to grow at Compound Annual Growth rate (CAGR) of 5.6% in the period between 2004 and 2024 (Zinnov LLC, 2007). Air travel is correlated to wealth and has increased over the years with the increase in the GNI. The markets in the US and Europe are growing at a slower pace that the rest of the world. This is demonstrated through a fall in their global share