Curbing College Drinking Essay Essay Example for Free

Curbing College Drinking Essay Essay â€Å"Curbing College Drinking†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The consequences of college binge drinking are more destructive and life- changing than students realize. In the article â€Å"Curbing College Drinking Starts with a Change in Attitude,† by Sara Fritz, published in Pearsons The Effective Reader in 2011, the author explains the problems resulting from excessive drinking on college campuses. Due to the seriousness of drinking, colleges find, it will take the combined effort of parents, students, and college staff to accomplish the best end result. Fritz begins her article exploring the issues that arise within college campuses when college students drink in excess. With much time invested as a college trustee and through many long discussions with students, Fritz is discouraged to discover that students arent convinced of the severity stating â€Å"our parents drank† making it seem as just a stage that one goes through. It doesnt stop thereas scientists study the problem, they believe the entire student population must be changed. Also, they believe the college enviroment must be changed in order to revolutionize at risk drinkers. Although Fritz appreciates the efforts of the scientists and commends them on their work, the findings were inconclusive. Fritz provides many facts and opinions in her attempt to persuade the readers of the severity of drinking on college campuses and ways to solve the growing issue. She expresses her disgust when she sarcastically states What a concept!† Clearly frustrated, the reader can then be convinced that its been a long standing battle within the college and within her career. With little to no progress, Fritz remains bitter. After reading this article, I agree that college drinking is a serious issue. Fritz offered many good ideas for finding a solution to the problem. Through her personal experiences as a college trustee, she has witnessed, first hand, the tragic effects of college drinking. Perhaps, as parents, we should focus on explaining the dangers of drinking to our children. It may be helpful if we relate to them on the issue, rather than pretending its something we have no experience with. I hope that one day a solution will be found to this growing problem.

Ecotourism For Development In South Africa

Ecotourism For Development In South Africa The South African government, along with many other governments of developing nations, has recognized the potential economic benefits of tourism. These include job creation, inflow of foreign exchange, and increased gross domestic product (Kaplan 2004: 219). The countrys government has also made ecotourism a priority, updating infrastructure to support the industry (Van Amerom 2006: 115). If it does so with sustainability in mind, South Africa could use tourism to capitalize on the benefits of tourism and successfully boost their development in the long-term. My family and I got to experience South Africas growing ecotourism industry when we moved there six years ago. My memories of living and traveling there sparked my interest in tourisms potential to reduce poverty. This paper will specifically focus on how South Africa could use the growing branch of ecotourism to increase employment and economic growth in some of the countrys poorest areas, which happen to be rich in ecotourism potential. South Africa has the power to use ecotourism in a way that benefits the countrys poor and simultaneously promotes environmental conservation to produce a sustainable profit-generating industry. Before I examine how South Africa could use ecotourism as a means of development, it is important to recognize the massive increase in tourism that the nation and the continent have witnessed in the last ten years, especially since the dismantling of apartheid. The growth in tourism has been truly enormous and is demonstrated by UN World Tourism Organizations statistics. According to the WTO (2010), the continent of Africa saw a total of 46 million international tourists in 2009 (8). 28.1 million of these tourists went to Sub-Saharan Africa, up from 6.4 million back in 1990 (WTO 2010: 4). This figure displays the significant growth that has occurred in the region in just nearly a decade. What is most critical is that, in the past ten years, Sub-Saharan Africa has seen an average 6.3% annual rate of increase in the number of tourists arriving in the region (WTO 2010: 4). This steady rate of growth in the area is promising for South Africas future and its potential to benefit from tour ism and advance development. It is also important to note that South Africa is a major player in Africas tourism, capturing 15.4% of all of the 46 million international arrivals in 2009 (WTO 2010: 9). While is not known what percentage of tourists visiting South Africa are purely there as ecotourists, ecotourism is unquestionably a growing industry and has been credited for some of the growth of tourism on the African continent (Van Amerom 2006: 112). This is why I am going to critically examine how such tourism and ecotourism industry growth can help South Africa to develop. The very nature of ecotourism makes it valuable to examine as a potential means of advancing development in South Africa. The South African government defines ecotourism as environmentally and socially responsible travel to natural or near natural areas that promotes conservation, has low visitor impact and provides for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local people (White Papers 1996 :Definitions). The fact that ecotourism is based in the environment, is supposed to be environmentally and culturally educational, and is environmentally sustainable (Ayotte 2009: 14) means that it can work in South Africa and for the countrys overall development. South Africa is a country that is well predisposed to take advantage of ecotourism (Van Amerom 2006: 115) because it has basic tourism infrastructure coupled with the fact that it is rich in history, culture and environmental treasures- all things that ecotourists seek to experience. These assets give South Africa an advantage over many other countries in the tourism industry, which gives it comparative advantage in the world tourism market. Furthermore, since ecotourism is nature and culture based, South Africans will be capable of and inclined to preserve these treasures that generate revenue. Ayotte points out that, because of its sustainability, ecotourism is an alternative to traditional resource dependent industries which deplete finite resources (2009:2). One such example is the mining industry, which not only depletes limited resources but has also experienced massive job losses (Binns and Nel 2002: 236). Unlike the mining industry, tourism can be sustainable, as in the case of a local community being inclined to want to preserve a certain traditional ceremony of theirs that tourists will pay to experience. Instead of losing this aspect of their culture in any way, they will have the chance to profit off of it and preserve it for future profit. Profits support development of these host communities , especially in poorer rural communities, which ecotourism has the potential to extend to. Again, South Africa is in a superior position to take advantage of ecotourists because of the resources it has. What is more, tourism promotion is considered an inexpensive way to promote economic growth (Binns and Nel 2002:236). These factors make ecotourism a good industry for long-term sustainable profit and sequentially long-term development. Since the fall of apartheid in 1994, South Africa has been in a good position to take advantage of ecotourism for economic development. Since then, Western governments have been eager to provide support politically and economically for the country that it had previously held sanctions against for decades (Van Amerom 2006 :116). Such sanctions were certainly an economic hindrance to development in the country. The international community embraced South Africa after apartheid ended, and the country was allowed to host the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 as well as the Soccer World Cup in 2010. This international attention has boosted the marketing of tourism attractions (Van Amerom 2006: 116) The international attention that south Africa has received does not seem to be going anywhere. President Zuma recently boasted that he has already acquired ninety-five meetings and conferences between 2010 and 2016 (Visas to promote tourism 2011) for the country, which surely adds momentum to its positive international standing. The country is therefore in a position to take advantage of its good image and all of the attention it has gotten. With all of that being said, The West still holds a considerable amount of influence over tourism to the country. Unfavorable media coverage or travel advisories could affect the future of South Africas tourism industry negatively (Van Amerom 2006: 117). That is why South Africa should continue to pursue its positive international image and simultaneously work to promote ecotourism, a form of tourism that also has a positive image. One development issue which South Africa faces that can be alleviated with ecotourism is unemployment. The number of unemployed plus those too discouraged to seek work is currently close to 30% (The Economist 2011: 54). That is why the South African government is presently focusing on creating jobs and reducing unemployment. President Jacob Zuma gave an address to the nation on February10th where he declared that he wants to boost tourism because every sixteen tourists create one job (Visas to promote tourism 2011). Regardless of how precise this statistic is, tourists do create jobs, and South Africa needs jobs. Therefore, the country should do all it can to promote tourism which alleviates joblessness and consequently promotes development. Kaplan elaborates that in addition, tourism typically employs a high proportion of women (Kaplan 2004: 219). Ecotourism as an industry that is capable of spreading around profits and benefits which promote development for more people. Along with providing jobs for women, ecotourism is able to spread development benefits to the poorer rural areas of South Africa, making it a beneficial aid to countrys overall development. These communities often hold unique cultural traditions or are located near natural treasures that are appealing to ecotourists. Ecotourism would bring profit and thus development to rural regions of the country that are excluded from the economic benefits of mass tourism, for instance in Cape Town or Johannesburg. This is what makes ecotourism superior to mass tourism. Binns and Nel explain that the government is anxious to ensure that the benefits [of tourism] are felt in all parts of the country (2002: 236). Ecotourism can do this. Binns and Nel highlight an example of a town called Still Bay, which experienced economic collapse after its fishing industry failed. The area consequently faced a disastrous 85% unemployment rate (2002: 240). The town desperately needed to diversify its economy and create jobs so they began to market themselves as a tourist destination, calling the town The Bay of Sleeping Beauty (Binns and Nel 2002: 241). The leaders of the community also coordinated to build the Jagersbosch Community Care Centre, which managed funds to promote development. The Bay of Sleeping Beauty tourism campaign was remarkably successful because the town is located along The Garden Route, an already popular tourism area. Still Bay was also blessed with incredible natural beauty as well as archaeological heritage sites, whale watching, and an annual town festival. All of these factors helped lower the unemployment rate to almost 0% (Binns and Nel 2002: 242). Binns and Nel examine this case study to prove what a success ecotourism can be for a community, even though it may not work 100% of the time. There are still many areas in South Africa which could benefit from ecotourism and experience a success story similar to Still Bays. Ecotourism as a means of development has its criticisms but these can be alleviated with skills development. One such criticism is that most companies involved in ecotourism have their headquarters in the north, and a large proportion of profits are repatriated (Wall 1997: 488). While this is true, skills development can change this because it can promote entrepreneurship. Fortunately for South Africa, they have already established much of the hardware of the tourism industry such as the necessary airport and road infrastructure. Entrepreneurship gives people in marginalized communities a chance to create products and services which, in their sale, can benefit the whole community. For ecotourism to be truly successful at reducing unemployment and promoting development, South Africa must insure that it puts in place the industrys software of a skilled local workforce (Kaplan 2004: 217). The country urgently needs better skills development for local people, which will not only enhance its competitiveness in the tourism industry but is central to the countrys development as a whole (Kaplan 2004: 217). Skills development and thus the employment of local people will reduce leakage of profits to internationally hired employees. This is because now more and more local people can be hired, sometimes even at a lower cost. Kaplan also highlights the issue of inequality of who is employed in what positions in the tourism industry. Unfortunately, the more significant managerial roles are usually occupied by white males while black South Africans, particularly women, do the unskilled jobs (2004:222). This issue, which is largely rooted in the countrys ugly history of apartheid, can be alleviated with skills development initiatives. Ultimately, a lack of skills undermines the industry and will cripple its positive effect on development in the nation (Kaplan 2004: 225). Therefore , the South African government should invest as much into this software as much as is does in the hardware of the tourism industry to make it sustainable and beneficial to the countrys most underprivileged citizens. One such criticism of ecotourism is that it is merely a marketing-gimmick that people buy into (Wall 1997: 487) and is therefore not superior to mass tourism and will not benefit development. While this would be unfortunate, I think that because one of the fundamental principles that ecotourism is rooted in cultural and environmental education, this cynical critique is sufficiently refuted. With the growth of the industry and as more and more people are exposed to and become educated about ecotourism, people will demand an honest and superior product in comparison to mass tourism. The south African government also has the ability to make sure that ecotourism doesnt become a mere gimmick by enacting laws that restrict the usage of the term ecotourism in marketing unless it meets their definition laid out in The White Papers. Another criticism or paradox of ecotourism that seems to discount its potential as a means of development is that countries who aggressively promote it actually run the risk of killing the industry because large influxes of tourists can easily damage the fragile environments they visit. Fortunately, the South African government can single-handedly prevent this from happening to South Africas special treasures. The government can impose caps and limits on the number of people who visit certain areas and what they are allowed to do in those areas. I know from personal experience that these types of restrictions exist in vulnerable environments in South Africas neighboring country, Botswana. Though caps and limits may seem to limit economic growth in the short term, they are critical for long-term benefits of the ecotourism industry. Fundamentally, the South African government has control over ecotourism and how it is carried out in the country. In order for it to be successful, they mu st help to insure that South Africas resources are not exploited to the point that they no longer exist. As the statistics from the World Tourism Organization demonstrated at the beginning of my paper, tourism in Africa is growing rapidly. More and more people visit the continent each year, even through this current economic recession. But the fact that tourism is inevitable does not dispel all criticisms of it and it does not mean that people should not try to assess its effects. This fact actually makes tourism more important than ever to scrutinize and critique because the industry that has a large impact on economies around the world. We need to understand this force that is tourism and how it can be used as a force for good in development. This paper has argued that ecotourism is a superior form of tourism because it is sustainable, can stimulate the economies of sidelined communities by creating jobs, and can improve South Africas overall development situation. Ecotourism is an industry that South Africa can uniquely take advantage of. For these reasons, ecotourism is a critical i ndustry to examine as a potential method of development. When paired with other development initiatives, ecotourism can be part of a comprehensive development plan for South Africa.

Why Great Men Do Not Become President Essay examples -- Elections Poli

Why Great Men Do Not Become President Over the course of history America has been electing the most popular not necessarily the best-qualified men as president. The office has become a strategic component vital to each political party. Parties sacrifice a great leader for the man that will win the most votes. History is a record of how we have always had had this practice. The office is full of corruption because money and influence run the presidency. The political leaders lie to the people that he is intended to serve. There are many overwhelming reasons that the best man is not always chosen for the job. They all inevitably stem down to the simple fact that a political party in order for its survival must have their candidate elected. In this struggle for dominance, qualities crucial to making a â€Å"great† leader are sacrificed in order to get votes. Location, religion occupation, and track record are all taken into consideration when choosing a candidate. Although these factors have no effect on how a leader will perform in office they are crucial factors in determining a candidate. Presidential candidates can best be described to a form of selective breeding. Similar to how farmers choose the best seeds to plant their crops each season to grow the most food, political parties choose the best candidates in the same respect. In order to survive and have their philosophy be heard in the American system of government, political parties must win elections. To ensure the best chances of winning an election they select the best â€Å"seeds.† Ultimately though sacrifices need to made to ensure a successful election. This is due to the simple fact that a bad president is better then no president in the eyes of ea... ...ar as the last election to be disproved. George W. Bush was a poster child for Republican America. He is not a great man in any sense of the word. Bush is not a genius or scholar. He did work to build himself up but was simply born into the Bush royalty. Just like royalty fittingly enough he was appointed president by having the right connections, image and of course, money. America needs a change from the current standard. We have had men in office who have lied cheated and stole from the very people that they are there to serve. Respect for the office is lost because of their actions. It is clear that corruption runs deep and is not a new addition to the White House. The discerning fact is that this may never change as long it takes money and image to win an election. American elections will always be more an election of popularity then of principle.

Frances Ecconomy :: essays research papers

France is one of the world's richest nations. Industrialization began at the end of the 18th century. Unlike England and the rest of Europe, France failed to maintain the momentum of its early industrial start and was still an agricultural nation at the end of the 19th century. Most growth has occurred since the end of World War II. France now ranks among the world's most economically advanced nations. A distinctive feature of the postwar French economy has been national economic development plans. The first, the Monnet plans named after Jean Monnet who thought of it. Railways were nationalized in 1937, and many other sectors of the economy, including the coal, natural gas, electricity, banking, and transportation came under state control shortly after World War II. Other major industries were nationalized in the early 1980s. In the early 1990s, manufacturing employed between 20% and 25% of the labor force. Many French business enterprises are small to moderate in size, although the competitive business climate created by membership in the EC has forced many companies to be restructured and combined to form powerful corporations. The leading manufacturing industries are metallurgy, mechanical and electrical engineering, chemicals, and textiles. In 1986, France ranked third in Europe in steel production, with an output of 14.8 million metric tons and second in aluminum output. These and imported metals are fabricated into a wide range of mechanical and electrical equipment marketed throughout the world. French locomotives, turbines, electronics equipment, nuclear power plants and submarines, and television systems are famous for their innovative design, as are French automobiles, such as Citroen, Peugeot, Simca, and Renault, and French aircraft, such as Mirage, Concorde, and Airbus. In 1985, France ranked fourth in the world in production of passenger cars and third in output of commercial vehicles. A wide range of chemicals, including perfumes, pharmaceuticals, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, and fertilizers, are also produced. The French textile and garment industry has long been known for its high fashion, alth ough in recent years the industry has lost many former markets to lower-priced imports from countries with lower labor costs. Less than 1% of the labor force is engaged in mining. In 1988 coal production was 14.5 million metric tons. Most of it from two principal coalfields the Lorraine coalfield near METZ, which is an extension into France of the Saar coalfield and the Nord-Pas de Calais coalfield around Lille, which is an extension into France of Belgium's Sambre-Meuse coalfields and is similarly thin-seamed, faulted, and difficult to work.

Plath’s Daddy Essay: Father and Husband as Vampires -- Plath Daddy Ess

Father and Husband as Vampires in Plath’s Daddy   Ã‚   The poem "Daddy" by Sylvia Plath concludes with the symbolic scene of the speaker killing her vampire father.   On an obvious level this represents Plath's struggle to deal with the haunting influence of her own father who died when she was a little girl.   However, as Mary G. DeJong points out, "Now that Plath's work is better known, ‘Daddy' is generally recognized as more than a confession of her personal feelings towards her father" (34-35).   In the context of the poem the scene's symbolism becomes ambiguous because mixed in with descriptions of the poet's father are clear references to her husband, who left her for another woman as "Daddy" was being written.   The problem for the reader is to figure out what Plath is saying about the connection between the figures of father and husband by tying them together in her poem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A clue lies in the final image she uses, the vampire.   In today's movies and books vampires are portrayed as humans who have gained immortality and power in exchange for the need for blood and avoidance of sunlight and crosses.   However, Plath wrote her poem in 1962, and since then our culture's image of the vampire has changed drastically.   Historically, people who were transformed into vampires were no longer the same human beings.   Instead, they became monsters who retained only the physical appearance of their former selves.   Our interpretation of the poem is affected if we assume that when Plath wrote about a vampire she had in mind the older conception of a monster which took over the body of a now dead human.   With this image in mind we will tend to look for ways the duality of father and husband in the poem correspond to the vampire's dual i... ...the memory of her father's equally painful though unintentional abandonment.   Despite the mixing of father and husband in the antagonist of "Daddy" it is obvious which man Sylvia Plath is addressing with the poem's last line, written during the breakup of her marriage and three months before her suicide: "Daddy, daddy, you bastard, I'm through" (80). Works Cited Cam, Heather.   " ‘Daddy': Sylvia Plath's Debt to Anne Sexton."   American Literature 59   (1987): 429-32. DeJong, Mary G.   "Sylvia Plath and Sheila Ballantyne's Imaginary Crimes."   Studies in   American Fiction 16 (1988): 27-38. Ramazani, Jahan. " ‘Daddy I Have Had to Kill You': Plath, Rage, and the Modern Elegy."  Ã‚   Publications of the Modern Language Association of America 108 (1993): 1142-56. Srivastava, K.G.   "Plath's Daddy."   The Explicator 50 (1992): 126-28.               

Martinez Construction Company in Germany

MARTINEZ CONSTRUCTION COMPANY IN GERMANY 1. General presentation of the case study (Summary) Martinez Construction is a well-established construction company in Eastern Spain. Because of a recent decline in contracts in the Spain society, Martinez Construction Company needed to expand to international market in order to survive (expand and grow). After a survey in the international market, the newly formed Democratic Germany seemed the perfect place. Furthermore, the best solution was to acquire an existing firm with the help of Treuhandanstalt (privatization agency).This was a result of the lack of liquidity of the Martinez Company. Therefore, an alliance with another German company would not allow it to establish itself as a serious competitor on the international market. The intermediary for Martinez Construction was THA (Treuhandanstalt), a company created in the former German Democratic Republic, whose main purpose was to find private buyers for some 13 500 business and 15 000 p arcels of real estate that had been owned by the former German Democratic Republic.Their primary job was to sell the companies and match existing companies with buyers. That’s why Martinez Construction used THA’s services to find a new German company to acquire. From the time of his arrival in Germany, Juan felt that he was having a difficult time just getting acquainted with the Germans. . They didn’t seem to have time to get to know Juan personally: rush and urgency to complete the sale was the focus of their approach. Thus, THA found Konstruktion Dreizehn, based in Leipzig.Juan Sanchez was sent to handle the negotiations part of the acquisition in Germany. Juan was accompanied by Diego’s nephew and projected manager of the new German acquisition, Miguel Martinez. His background includes a business degree from a university in the United States, as well as years of employment in the family business, although lacking in practical managerial experience. Du ring the negotiations, there were noticed strong discrepancies between the business styles of the two representatives of the companies, the cultural barrier between the two being noticeable.However, they managed to arrive at a common point by modifying the initial contract, after Juan insisted. The final contract stated that the original price would be reviewed in two years, and the contracted parties would recalculate it based on new and presumably more reliable data concerning the true value of the firm. The company had employed approximately 350 workers inside the German Democratic Republic (GDR). The THA had reduced the workforce to 100. Miguel and his team estimated that 50 employees would be sufficient.Miguel was frustrated by the unwillingness of some employees to actively participate in the formulation of ideas and implementation of new procedures and policies. Six months after Miguel’s triumphant arrival, his optimism was fading fast. He had just received the latest report concerning the company’s financial position, and it was clear that the figures were far from what Martinez Construction had been led to believe. Cash flow problems were beginning to arise, and this threatened the very existence of the company. . Identification of the problem(s), causes and negative effects: 2. 1. Identification of the problem(s): The main problem of The Spanish Company consists of the fact that they were not prepared for the acquisition of a foreign company and further more for the negotiations with the German THA. Companies which operate only in one country are not familiar with all the economic, cultural and political differences between societies because they are not confronted with them on daily basis.In order to do successful business, it is of major importance to acknowledge this differences and to take it into consideration when doing business. A second problem will be that the manager of Martinez Construction Company choose the wrong people in order to complete the negotiations and after words to develop the new business in East Germany. 2. 2. Identification of the causes that led to the appearance of this/these problem(s): The problems arise mainly because the CEO of the Spanish company made his decisions of expansion in Germany on a blue-eyed approach.The idea occur to him when meeting German tourists in Spain that were relax and happy without taking into account that the East Germans were not allowed to travel so far and there are important differences between the mentality of Western and Eastern Germany. Another cause is represented by the Manager’s idea that he can develop a well-established business in the Eastern German because of cheap labor and raw materials. His choice to expand on German marketplace was not based on rational facts or clear developed objectives.Despite the fact that the management of Martinez Company conduct a series of research regarding the different market entry strategies into German markets which ended with the solution of acquiring a company from THA, a market selection can not rely only on information based on secondary sources. There are always certain information that can only be found when visiting the potential marketplace (distributors, suppliers, the existing management and employees). 2. 3. Identification of the potential negative effects that will appear if the problem(s) is/are not going to be solved:Negative effects on the short-run: * Lack of experience in managing a portfolio of business in another market than Spain as well as the lack of knowledge about the personality of German employees and the already existing procedures and policies * Different developed management information systems, governance structures, managerial skills and corporate processes * Lack of initiative coming from the employees because of fear and distrust of management due to the cultural differences between Spanish and German business practices. Exposure to unfamiliar busi ness practices such as strict environmental and employee protection regulations that forced unexpected large investments in plant modifications. * Other costly projects that have not been foreseen during the negotiations process that would have required attention. * Cash flow problems The negative effects in the long run: * Cash flow problems that finally may threaten the existence of the German company or even of the whole company’s * Closing the German enterprise would mean losing the whole investment (money invested in research, development, implementation, the price itself paid to THA and other costs hat incurred over the time). * Inability to achieve the forecasted figures 3. Identification of alternative solutions for identified problems Solution 1: Joint – Venture with a company from Western Germany Joint ventures are the most common method of entering the market, especially in Europe, because it allows companies to gain competitive advantage through access to a partner’s resources, including markets, technologies, capital and people.International Joint Ventures are viewed as a practical vehicle for direct investment along with knowledge transfer, such as technology transfer, from multinational expertise to local companies, and such knowledge transfer can contribute to the performance improvement of local companies. Advantages: * Access to local know-how which will help the company to evolve faster * Sharing development costs and risks, along with   technology and complementary IP assets for the production and delivery of innovative goods and services * Cheaper than acquisition   Reduce political friction and improve local/national acceptability of the company. Disadvantages: * A joint venture would not allow the company to establish itself as a serious competitor * Lack of control over technology * Many joint ventures fail because of a conflict in tax interests between the partners. Solution 2: Licensing Another solution to the above identified problem would be a method whereby Martinez Constructions would agree to permit a company in another country to use the manufacturing, processing, trademark, know-how or some other skill provided by the company.This method may also be used to gain access to new markets that otherwise are inaccessible. Advantages: *   Good way to start in foreign operations and open the door to low risk manufacturing relationships * Provides additional profitability with little initial investment * Low costs to implement * It has an attractive return on investment * A license agreement allows the licensor to retain ownership of the IP and at the same time to receive royalty income from it, in addition to the income from its own exploitation of it in products and services that it sells. Enables a business to reach customers that it normally wouldn’t be able to do on its own. Disadvantages: * A licensee can become the licensor’s competitor. The licensee may â€Å"canni balize† sales of the licensor, causing the latter to gain less from royalties than it loses from sales that go to its new competitor. * The licensee may suddenly ask for contribution, such as technical assistance, training of personnel, additional technical data etc. All this may prove too expensive for the licensor. * Limited participation * Requires considerable fact finding, planning, investigation and interpretation. 4.Selection of the optimal solution: 4. 1. Identify and choose the optimal solution among those presented above We have decided that the optimal solution for Martinez Construction Company to enter the German market would be to form a joint venture with a company from West Germany. 4. 2 Demonstration that the chosen solution is the optimum one. A joint venture is considered to be one of the easiest and safest methods a company could adopt in order to enter on a foreign market. In our case, we consider that the optimal solution would be for Martinez Construction Company to form a joint venture with a company rom the Western part of Germany because this part of the country was not under the communist regime, it is more developed and receptive to changes. In what concerns solution no 2, it suggests that licensing would be the best way for Martinez Construction to expand its business in Germany. Sometimes there are cases where licensing and joint venture methods are similar. They both allow companies to reach customers that it couldn’t reach otherwise; they save market research spending and present an attractive return on investment.By following licensing model, Martinez company can easily and quickly penetrate the German market, using fewer financial resources. But if we take into account the other problems encountered in this case, namely cultural differences between German and Spanish, and lack of knowledge of international management, such a purchase would be a disadvantage. Nevertheless, the licensee can become the licensorâ€℠¢s competitor and the license agreement doesn’t always guarantee the necessary know-how for the licensee who might need technical assistance provided by the licensor. . Implementation of the solution When trying to expand globally through a joint venture strategy, Martinez Corporation must take into consideration three important elements: choice of partner, establishment of a strategic fit and the design of the joint venture organization. As prior mentioned, Martinez Company should choose a partner from the Western Germany as they are more accustomed to the Western style of doing business than the former German Democratic Republic. Thus, the negotiation could be more transparent and easier for the firm.Furthermore, the most important thing that has to be taken into consideration is the field in which the firm with which the joint venture is going to be performing activates. This is because a classic joint venture is the merger of two companies which usually have complementary products or services in order to cover a larger part of the market share. As a result, Martinez Corporation should apply the joint venture strategy by making a partnership with an architecture firm. By joining these two kinds of companies two business segments will be covered.This is a very good strategy because the future clients will have to sign only one contract and not waste time between two or more similar companies. Concerning the strategic fit and the joint venture organization, both the Spanish and the German companies will have to share the same vision in order to make the newly formed company to be profitable. The companies have the major advantage that they can complete each other in the sense of the business environment. This means that the German company will have the experience of working in the German business environment.Furthermore, it could find cheaper and more qualified personnel (as the labor force in Western Germany is more expensive than that in GDR). The jo int venture should be staffed by a full-time joint venture coordinator and other staff – designated by the 2 companies, as may be necessary to carry out the mission of the joint venture. On the other hand, Martinez Corporation comes with the know- how of production and the actual construction knowledge. This way, the structure of the new company shall follow that of the Martinez Company and similar technical prerequisites will be required for hiring of employees.The capital for the new joint venture shall be provided by the two companies in equal shares, as to ensure limited risk exposure and possibilities for further investments. This is also due to the fact that Martinez should vote for an equity joint venture in order to be equal partners and share the same amount of risk. Concerning the organizational structures, this should be a mix between the two companies because, being two companies in two separate business areas, new departments shall arise. In addition, for the com mon departments they should choose the best people after a careful analysis of their skills.

Hedda Gabler Essay

In today’s society we have the privilege of doing as much as we can in order to succeed in life or provide for one self. Hedda Gabler sadly did not have this privilege and neither did any other women throughout the 1800s. The roles for gender, both man and women were set in stone. The man was meant to provide stability and the woman to provide children and preform other household chores. All of Hedda’s life the most she could hope for was to marry into wealth or high stature. She wasn’t able to work or make money for herself without being frowned upon. Yet, Hedda seemed to push as many boundaries as possible and go against everything for her to have a shining moment and try to make her life memorable. This aspect I find extremely significant considering how different life for women and men is in current society. He portrayed every character in a way that each one had some way of going against the world they knew and this scandalous assortment of characters made for an enticing perspective on the role of men and women in the late 1800s. The whole point I feel Ibsen wanted to make was that everyone should analyze themselves accordingly because his view on the society made it clear that he disagreed with what was going on at the time. Practically every critic in the play considered Hedda to be a monstrous creature, yet I doubt that anyone wanted to look past the play and really, what if? What if this way of living is unfair? What if it were different? This outrageous play was put in place to cause a widespread eye opening to all that were willing to watch it. Ibsen tore every piece of society he had a problem with into pieces and carefully morphed them into something that could inspire an entire generation of people to change there ways. There was Hedda with her masculinity and shocking personality that made women uncomfortable in their seats; her character made them overthink about how women act, how they should act, and what is or should be acceptable. Teasmen made the men feel as if he was a complete fool to swoon and beg in order to gain Hedda’s approval. Thea may have seemed to act lady like and her type of personality was what was usually accepted of a women but I feel she did have her weaknesses yet at the same time she had a sneaky way of being manipulative in trying to get out of her situation as well. She was similar to Hedda in that sense, the only difference is that Hedda would always love to be the center of attention which made her more acknowledged. Henrik Ibsen attention to social issues in my opinion brought out all the good, the bad, and the ugly of that times society. He had much attention to detail and an advanced way of thinking which effectively brings all the problems of society into light.