Free Enterprise

By definition, a free enterprise economy (also known as: capitalism or a free market economy) is an economic system controlled chiefly by the individuals and private companies instead of the government. Characteristics of a free-enterprise system include economic freedom, voluntary exchange, private property, and the freedom of profit motive. Capitalist societies generally achieve a higher standard of living because of the incentive to work: capitalism prefers harder and more efficient workers. Economic freedom is a principal of a free market economy, which allows people to decide how they will earn and spend their income.Economy The meaning of private property is those within a capitalist society have the right to buy and sell what they own or produce through market applications. This gives both what they want without the need of government regulation of how much they can trade and at what costs. ic freedom also yields to companies so they may choose which goods and services to prod uce and how much to charge for them based on the wants, or demands of the people. Competition between producers is permitted and this leads to better quality products.The hardest workers are the ones who remain employed t for it raises standards and the level of production. Through this engagement, both the buyer and the seller are free to trade with one another and make economical or material gains off the trade. A free enterprise economy is based on the ideals that private citizens own business and production. A voluntary exchange allows buyers and sellers to engage freely and willingly in the market economy. Profit motive can be described as people and factors of productions improve their well being by making money as they see fit.This regulates the amount and kind of products produced to accommodate the population. The government has no control on what one buys and sells, and workers can work for whomever they wish with no restrictions. In a wealthy free market economy, consumer s are faced with many options and ‘trade offs', so the best of the bests are the ones that survive. For example, homeowners can sell their homes as and when they please and disagree. This is the basic ideal in a capitalist society, people may control their possessions as they wish. Some topics in this essay: economic freedom, market economy, free market economy, profit motive, free market, voluntary exchange, private property, freedom voluntary exchange, exchange private property, voluntary exchange private, exchange private, buyers sellers, economic freedom voluntary, freedom voluntary, free enterprise, nterprise economy (also known as: capitalism or a free market economy) is an economic system controlled chiefly by the individuals and private companies instead of the government. Characteristics of a free-enterprise system include economic freedom, voluntary exchange, private property, and the freedom of profit motive.Capitalist societies generally achieve a higher standard o f living because of the incentive to work: capitalism prefers harder and more efficient workers. Economic freedom is a principal of a free market economy, which allows people to decide how they will earn and spend their income. Econom | | | | | | The meaning of private property is those within a capitalist society have the right to buy and sell what they own or produce through market applications. This gives both what they want without the need of government regulation of how much they can trade and at what costs. c freedom also yields to companies so they may choose which goods and services to produce and how much to charge for them based on the wants, or demands of the people. Competition between producers is permitted and this leads to better quality products. The hardest workers are the ones who remain employed t for it raises standards and the level of production. Through this engagement, both the buyer and the seller are free to trade with one another and make economical or ma terial gains off the trade. A free enterprise economy is based on the ideals that private citizens own business and production.A voluntary exchange allows buyers and sellers to engage freely and willingly in the market economy. Profit motive can be described as people and factors of productions improve their well being by making money as they see fit. This regulates the amount and kind of products produced to accommodate the population. The government has no control on what one buys and sells, and workers can work for whomever they wish with no restrictions. In a wealthy free market economy, consumers are faced with many options and ‘trade offs', so the best of the bests are the ones that survive.For example, homeowners can sell their homes as and when they please and disagree. This is the basic ideal in a capitalist society, people may control their possessions as they wish. Some topics in this essay: , economic freedom, market economy, free market economy, profit motive, fre e market, voluntary exchange, private property, freedom voluntary exchange, exchange private property, voluntary exchange private, exchange private, buyers sellers, economic freedom voluntary, freedom voluntary, free enterprise, | | Free Enterprise By definition, a free enterprise economy (also known as: capitalism or a free market economy) is an economic system controlled chiefly by the individuals and private companies instead of the government. Characteristics of a free-enterprise system include economic freedom, voluntary exchange, private property, and the freedom of profit motive. Capitalist societies generally achieve a higher standard of living because of the incentive to work: capitalism prefers harder and more efficient workers. Economic freedom is a principal of a free market economy, which allows people to decide how they will earn and spend their income.Economy The meaning of private property is those within a capitalist society have the right to buy and sell what they own or produce through market applications. This gives both what they want without the need of government regulation of how much they can trade and at what costs. ic freedom also yields to companies so they may choose which goods and services to prod uce and how much to charge for them based on the wants, or demands of the people. Competition between producers is permitted and this leads to better quality products.The hardest workers are the ones who remain employed t for it raises standards and the level of production. Through this engagement, both the buyer and the seller are free to trade with one another and make economical or material gains off the trade. A free enterprise economy is based on the ideals that private citizens own business and production. A voluntary exchange allows buyers and sellers to engage freely and willingly in the market economy. Profit motive can be described as people and factors of productions improve their well being by making money as they see fit.This regulates the amount and kind of products produced to accommodate the population. The government has no control on what one buys and sells, and workers can work for whomever they wish with no restrictions. In a wealthy free market economy, consumer s are faced with many options and ‘trade offs', so the best of the bests are the ones that survive. For example, homeowners can sell their homes as and when they please and disagree. This is the basic ideal in a capitalist society, people may control their possessions as they wish. Some topics in this essay: economic freedom, market economy, free market economy, profit motive, free market, voluntary exchange, private property, freedom voluntary exchange, exchange private property, voluntary exchange private, exchange private, buyers sellers, economic freedom voluntary, freedom voluntary, free enterprise, nterprise economy (also known as: capitalism or a free market economy) is an economic system controlled chiefly by the individuals and private companies instead of the government. Characteristics of a free-enterprise system include economic freedom, voluntary exchange, private property, and the freedom of profit motive.Capitalist societies generally achieve a higher standard o f living because of the incentive to work: capitalism prefers harder and more efficient workers. Economic freedom is a principal of a free market economy, which allows people to decide how they will earn and spend their income. Econom | | | | | | The meaning of private property is those within a capitalist society have the right to buy and sell what they own or produce through market applications. This gives both what they want without the need of government regulation of how much they can trade and at what costs. c freedom also yields to companies so they may choose which goods and services to produce and how much to charge for them based on the wants, or demands of the people. Competition between producers is permitted and this leads to better quality products. The hardest workers are the ones who remain employed t for it raises standards and the level of production. Through this engagement, both the buyer and the seller are free to trade with one another and make economical or ma terial gains off the trade. A free enterprise economy is based on the ideals that private citizens own business and production.A voluntary exchange allows buyers and sellers to engage freely and willingly in the market economy. Profit motive can be described as people and factors of productions improve their well being by making money as they see fit. This regulates the amount and kind of products produced to accommodate the population. The government has no control on what one buys and sells, and workers can work for whomever they wish with no restrictions. In a wealthy free market economy, consumers are faced with many options and ‘trade offs', so the best of the bests are the ones that survive.For example, homeowners can sell their homes as and when they please and disagree. This is the basic ideal in a capitalist society, people may control their possessions as they wish. Some topics in this essay: , economic freedom, market economy, free market economy, profit motive, fre e market, voluntary exchange, private property, freedom voluntary exchange, exchange private property, voluntary exchange private, exchange private, buyers sellers, economic freedom voluntary, freedom voluntary, free enterprise, | |

Critical Issues For The United States

Deliberation suggests careful thought or reflection, consideration of alternatives, but may also imply public discussion, processes working toward collective judgments. For different reasons, liberals and their critics would agree that deliberation is central to citizenship. For liberals, deliberation in the public sphere is instrumental to the purposes and interests of free individuals, combining with other private citizens to articulate and pursue common interests. For those with a more communitarian perspective, public deliberation is part of the process through which citizens are socially constituted and democratic participation is thus intrinsically rather than instrumentally valuable. At Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, we have developed a team-taught, cross-disciplinary social science course which emphasizes public deliberation not only on policy issues, but on the meaning of citizenship itself. Our course entitled Critical Issues for The United States – along with its sister-course, The Global Community – originated with a year-long process of intensive discussion and planning among a group of faculty drawn from the various academic departments and programs of the Maxwell School†¦ The courses we developed were first offered during the 1993-94 academic year, and have undergone annual revisions – some modest, some more substantial – ever since. The fundamental ideas underlying the courses have not changed, however: they remain focused upon citizenship, understood in terms of practices of public deliberation. Our courses were designed as multidisciplinary survey courses which would, in the process of discussing issues important to the lives of our students, introduce them to some of the major concepts and modes of analysis employed in the various social science disciplines represented at the Maxwell School. There was from the outset, then, a sense of multiplicity of perspective built into the core concept of these courses. They would not present a single seamless vision of social life or seek to find the one right answer. Rather, they would present multiple interpretations of each issue we dealt with, some convergent, some in direct conflict. We would try to link these interpretations to fundamental assumptions about the nature of social life, and to show how these basic conceptual frameworks were related to different normative orientations and political positions — that is, to different practices of citizenship. We would invite students to ponder the implications of the various perspectives we discussed, to consider the consequences for their lives as citizens, but we would not push for closure or consensus. We would emphasize the process of deliberation, rather than any particular result. We expose students to different ways of knowing social reality: the hypothesis-testing approach of orthodox social science, rudimentary rational choice theory, more interpretive understandings of social action, and critical theory models which seek organic links between knowing the world and recreating the world. We try to underscore the idea that different ways of knowing are associated with different modes of action and, ultimately, with alternative possible worlds. How knowledge is socially constructed is thus a crucial dimension of citizenship, and an important aspect of this course. FormatAs part of our emphasis on processes of deliberation, we wanted to move away from the passive, lecture-based format typical of introductory survey courses at larger universities. In many such courses, if students are involved in smaller discussion sections at all, they are typically led by graduate teaching assistants and are at best an adjunct to the primary, lecture-driven substance of the course. In contrast, the Maxwell courses were designed so that two-thirds of students’ class time would be spent in discussion sections of no more than fifteen, led by members of a team representing a cross-section of the Maxwell School faculty. To underscore for students that these discussion sections were not merely the caboose on a lecture-driven train, but were rather the motor of this course, a substantial part of their final course grade (currently 25 percent) is directly linked to their level of participation in these discussions. Particular faculty members meet twice each week with the same discussion groups so that a sense of mutual familiarity and group identity could develop, fostering candor in discussion and a willingness to think out loud. Once a week, rotating pairs of faculty share the responsibility of lecturing to a â€Å"plenary† in which all the discussion sections meet together. These lectures typically present alternative perspectives or ways of thinking about some general question or issue area. Faculty attempt to â€Å"model† intellectual activity for students, thinking through the strengths and weaknesses of various perspectives, underscoring their implications for politics and social life. Often, faculty will present perspectives with which they do not agree, and will state so at the outset. In this way, they may illustrate for students that there is an intelligible train of reasoning behind each position, and that our fist task as critical thinkers and citizens is to try to understand that reasoning. Implicitly we pose the question: why would reasonable people hold such a view? In the first instance, then, our objective is to help students to feel the attraction which draws scholars and citizens to a particular perspective, its intellectual power, its political promise, its vitality. We then try to explore the tensions or limits of each perspective. Again, the emphasis is on deliberation rather than mastery of a given fund of â€Å"knowledge†, but we do expect students to understand key concepts, arguments and supporting evidence for each of the major positions we deal with, and ultimately to be able to incorporate these into their own critical judgments and deliberations. To deemphasize rote learning, we abandoned conventional exams altogether. Instead, frequent writing assignments are integrated into the course as one more mode of deliberation and discussion. Students contribute regularly to a computerized â€Å"citizenship log† in which they are asked to exchange comments on a particular issue or idea in the course material. To encourage students to come to class prepared to actively discuss the material at hand, we may ask them to write a brief paragraph responding to each day’s readings and perhaps to post this response on the electronic log for other members of the class to see. In addition to addressing regular prompts from the faculty, students may also engage each other on the electronic log, continuing or anticipating classroom discussions. Often, faculty will review students’ e-log entries prior to class and use them to construct an agenda for more focused group discussion. We also employ more traditional forms of writing. From time to time, we ask students to write very brief (1-2 page) response papers which focus their attention directly upon substantive points judged by the faculty team to be especially significant. Frequently these will be concepts or issues which will be important for future deliberative essays. This helps students early on to begin come to grips with key claims or ideas, and enables the faculty to gauge their success in doing so. This may be a useful diagnostic tool: disappointing performance on response papers may then signal to us that particular students need additional help with key concepts, or they may reveal that the entire class needs to spend more time collectively working through some especially difficult points. Finally, each major unit of the course culminates in a somewhat longer â€Å"deliberative essay† in which students are asked to critically assess various perspectives and formulate a position relative to the major theme or issue of that unit. These essays are kept short (typically around five pages) in order to encourage students to be as concise as possible, to make deliberate decisions about what material is most significant, to develop summarization skills and to preclude the â€Å"kitchen sink† approach to paper writing. To aid students in the development of essay writing skills, the faculty have prepared extensive writing guidelines which include such fundamentals as how to construct and support a reasoned argument, how such arguments differ from assertions of opinion, how to use sources and avoid plagiarism. To reinforce our seriousness about the development of analytical writing skills, our grading criteria are keyed to these guidelines and we provide extensive written feedback on essays pointing out where there is significant room for improvement. We also make available to students annotated examples of especially strong essays so that students can see for themselves the kinds of work they are capable of producing and what faculty graders are looking for in student writing. Altogether, students would write 5-8 papers of various lengths, and anywhere from a dozen to several dozen computer log entries. To aid faculty in designing these writing assignments, and to advise students on how to construct them, our faculty team includes an instructor from the university’s writing program who has been involved in course planning from the outset, is familiar with the readings, attends all our lectures, and participates actively in faculty meetings. We have found the writing instructor to be especially valuable in helping us to design writing assignments which balance the open-endedness necessary for real deliberation with the concreteness required to hold student interest. In keeping with this relatively open-ended format, we avoided adopting any standard textbooks, and instead assembled a custom reader which presents students with the challenge of interpreting multiple voices and engaging a variety of perspectives. In addition to our reader, we assign three books representing particular positions on each of the major issues under discussion. To maintain creative tension and space for deliberation, we are careful to include in our reader several counterpoints to each of the books we assign. Our goal is to provide students with enough material to construct a critical and also a supportive position with regard to each major reading. We have also developed a home page on the World Wide Web in order to give students the opportunity to explore the vast array of resources available in cyber-space. Our home page contains all the materials which would be found in a syllabus, together with guidelines for the different kinds of writing assignments students will encounter, annotated examples of strong student essays, information about members of the faculty team, links to computerized discussion forums for each class section, and links to a variety of resources external to the university. Newspapers and magazines, government agencies, political parties, advocacy groups, think tanks, data bases and archives are made accessible through our web page. Our hope is that this array of electronic resources will not just facilitate learning through the classroom experience, but will also prompt students to consider the links between issues and perspectives discussed in class and those they encounter in the media and on the web. To further encourage this, we directly incorporate web materials into some of our class sessions: for example, we used material from the web sites of industry, environmental, and citizens’ groups to facilitate a role-playing exercise in which groups of students were asked to interpret the position of a particular group and to come to class prepared to assume their identity and negotiate with others based upon what they had learned from the web sites we assigned. Substantive VehicleCritical Issues for The United States began as a series of debates on issues which faculty planning teams thought to be important ones for students as citizens. Early versions of the course focused upon such issues as: individual rights and the responsibilities of citizenship; the size and scope of federal government as well as the relative merits of governmental centralization and decentralization; unequal access to quality education; race and affirmative action; and the environment. However, over successive semesters, student evaluations suggested that these issues and the arguments relevant to them were being perceived as separate and disconnected. The course was not providing students with a way to connect these discussions to contested visions of civic life, to see that positions on different issues might be linked by similar understandings of citizenship, to understand that policy debates are also debates about the kind of society we wish to live in and the kinds of citizens we want to be. To provide a substantive vehicle which would refocus the course on contested meanings of civic life and citizenship, and to help students see more clearly the linkages between these visions and particular political positions, we introduced a new integrative theme for the course as a whole: â€Å"the American Dream reconsidered†. We ask students to deliberate on questions such as the following: What has the American Dream meant historically? What meanings does it have for people today? How do visions of the American Dream help us to think about ourselves as citizens, and what difference does it make if we think about the Dream in one way or another? How have issues of race, class, and gender figured in various interpretations of the Dream? Are there nationalist or nativist undertones in some or all versions of the Dream? Can, or should, the prevailing interpretation of the American Dream survive into the 21st century? To engage students on issues where they feel they have some stake and where they already know something, we approach these questions not in the abstract but as they have confronted us in three major areas of public controversy. EconomyWe ask whether the American Dream has been associated with the rise of a large and prosperous â€Å"middle class†, and if that version of the Dream is threatened by economic changes currently underway. What kinds of economic conditions are needed to support the Dream? Who can, or should, participate in such prosperity? What is the meaning of participation in an economy, and how is that participation related to different notions of citizenship and community? This unit of the course introduces the basic market model, emphasizing individual choice and the role of prices as transmitters of both information and incentives. We present the case for the proposition that, in the absence of external intervention, individuals acting in pursuit of their own self-interest will realize through market institutions the most efficient allocation of resources. This implies a limited role for government and a tolerance for the economic and political inequalities which are intrinsic to a system of individualized incentives. We present the classic critique of governmental policies aimed at fostering greater equality: such policies are counterproductive insofar as they distort price signals and undermine incentives for the efficient allocation of resources, and are undesirable since they restrict individual liberty. On this view, then, the American Dream entails the protection of individual rights and liberties and a system of opportunity in which individuals are rewarded in proportion to their hard work and merit. America became a wealthy and powerful world leader through the pursuit of this vision of the Dream and, to the extent that we have in recent decades experienced diminished opportunity, prosperity and power, it is because we have strayed from the original version of the Dream. We also present in this unit a view of the American Dream of individual reward and prosperity as embedded in sets of social institutions which unequally allocate power, wealth and knowledge, and which limit opportunities for meaningful self-government. These inequalities are woven through relations of class, race, and gender, and have intensified in recent years as the American economy has become more polarized in terms of power, income and wealth. This view offers its own vision of the American Dream, one which has markedly different political implications from the first view. The political horizon projected by this vision of the Dream constitutes a community of actively self-governing citizens. To the extent that economic institutions foster inequalities which preclude the realization of this Dream of participatory democracy for all citizens, institutional reforms aimed at equalization and democratization are warranted. We then explore some of the reforms proposed by critics of the contemporary American political economy, as well as the concerns which a more individualistic perspective would raise about those proposed reforms. EducationWe look at education as a pathway to a better life for individuals, or as a prerequisite of an actively self-governing community. What kind of educational system do we need in order to fulfill different versions of the Dream? How are different visions of citizenship implicated in contemporary debates about educational reform? We explore problems of unequal access to quality education, both in K-12 public schools and at the college level. We examine analyses which argue that some Americans receive first-rate education at public expense, while there are entire classes of citizens who are not provided with education adequate to enable effective participation in public deliberations, and thereby become disempowered, second-class citizens. Accordingly, some prescribe a more centralized and uniform administration of public education in order to eliminate the grossest inequalities and insure for all citizens the â€Å"equal protection of the laws† promised by the Fourteenth Amendment. We also explore arguments which locate the problems of public school systems in over-centralized and bureaucratized administrations, and which prescribe institutional reforms which move education closer to a competitive market model based upon consumer sovereignty and choice. Finally, we grapple with the dilemmas of affirmative action in college admissions, and ask how a liberal individualist society can cope with persistent inequalities of race in higher education. EnvironmentWe look at the relationship between the natural environment and the American Dream. Can the prevailing vision of the Dream coexist with a healthy environment? Can we imagine more environmentally friendly versions of the Dream? What would be the broader social and political implications of enacting a more environmentally sustainable vision of the American Dream? We examine the anthropocentric view of nature as having value only insofar as it serves human purposes, and which further suggests that the market mechanism is the best way to determine to what extent humans should exploit the natural environment. Establishing property rights over natural resources creates a direct incentive for their wise management. Further, the price signals and incentives of the market will call forth effective substitutes in response to resource shortages and new technologies which may minimize or eliminate our costliest environmental problems. This â€Å"free market environmentalism† is entirely consistent with the individualistic vision of the American Dream, promising consumers a world in which self-interested market behavior continues to generate high standards of living into the indefinite future. This view is encapsulated in Jay Lenno’s snack chip advertisement: â€Å"Eat all you want; we’ll make more†. In contrast to this market-based view, we also examine the perspective of environmentalists who suggest that our relationship with nature is best viewed not in terms of the instrumental exploitation of an external object, but rather as a necessary aspect of any sustainable human community. On this view, then, our obligation as citizens of the community extends to future generations, and we must make environmental decisions based upon social norms of long-term sustainability. Such decisions cannot be made through the instrumental calculus of the market, but must instead be made through processes of public deliberation. This, in turn, requires institutions to support such processes of democratic deliberation and citizens competent to participate in them, and thus also suggests certain linkages to the other units of our course. In addressing each of these critical issues we hope to lead students to ask: What does the American Dream promise? Does it mean individual liberty? Does it mean democracy? Does it mean equality? Does it mean opportunity for material success? A â€Å"middle class† standard of living for most, if not all, citizens? The freedom to succeed or to fail? Freedom from oppression or poverty? Is it a promise of a better life for individuals? A better society in which all of us can live? Is mass consumption a necessary centerpiece of the Dream, or might it involve a more harmonious and balanced relationship with nature? What can, or should, we expect from the American Dream now and in the future? And what do those expectations mean for our own practices of citizenship? In these ways, we try to encourage our students to see this course as being about themselves, their political community and their future. In that sense, the course as a whole represents an invitation to enter into the public deliberations which are at the heart of various understandings of citizenship. ReflectionsI came to these special courses with some modest experience of teaching discussion-oriented and writing-intensive courses. After an introduction to the teaching profession which involved lecturing three times a week to faceless crowds of 250 or so students, I was fortunate to be able to teach international relations for several years in the Syracuse University Honors Program. These were some of the best students at Syracuse, accustomed to putting serious effort into their education and expecting a more intensive learning experience. It was exhilarating, a whole new kind of teaching for me: the students were eager to learn and it seemed as though all I had to do was present them with some challenging material and prompt them with a few provocative questions and off they went, teaching each other and, in the process, teaching me about teaching. Eventually, though, I began to feel a nagging sense of guilt, inchoate at first, increasingly clear later on. I was doing my best teaching with those students who least needed my help. In that sense, I began to feel that I wasn’t really doing my job. Then I was offered the opportunity to join the Maxwell courses. Reflecting back now on five years of continuous teaching with these very special courses, the thing from which I derive the greatest satisfaction is that we have been able to create for a cross-section of first and second year students a learning experience very much like that which was previously the privilege of Honors students. In that sense, our courses have been about the democratization of education, as well as the education of democratization.

Lit review on'Small Business growth is solely dependent on the skills Essay

Lit review on'Small Business growth is solely dependent on the skills of the entrepreneur and their attitude towards risk.' - Essay Example According to Schumpeter, an entrepreneur identifies and seizes business opportunities then converts these opportunities into viable and marketable ideas. Being one of the factors of production, an entrepreneur combines the other factors of production, that is, land, labour and capital. He or she then assumes the risks involved in order to realize a profit. Small businesses have developed into economy drivers over the last two decades. This is the period when most governments have been liberalizing their previously closed market. Before then, the government corporations were the economic growth agents but since the markets are now freer, many small businesses have spruced up. Their massive number has however, stunted their growth because of stiff competition (Hubbard, 2009). This necessitates possession of an array of special skills and characteristics that are possessed by an entrepreneur. Any person can start a business, but the successful ones persevere to see the business navigate tough times and eventually succeed and grow. Some of these skills are tackled in this paper. It is, however, imperative to note that even though the entrepreneurs are painted as the more successful people when it comes to small business growth, they still experience a high failure rates. The studies conducted by Business Growth Index showed that the failure rate stood at 75% (Shiu et al, 2007). A business failure can be defined as the inability of the business to get the required return on investment. Since the business is small, and most of the time funded through personal savings or through debt financing after leveraging individual’s property, starting a small business with such a high failure rate becomes too risky. However, this is one of the major characteristics separating a business person and an entrepreneur; an entrepreneur is alert for opportunities that an ordinary business person ignores or does not see; most importantly, an entrepreneur assumes risks that an or dinary business person is reluctant to assume (Minniti, 2013). Risk according to many people has a negative connotation, and rightly so because many start up businesses have ended up declaring bankruptcy after assuming unnecessary risks. But to entrepreneurs, a risk is a positive force; it is an opportunity in disguise and a challenge that needs to be tackled. Beneath the risk the entrepreneur sees the rewards which are the profits (Lowe and Marriott, 2006). Being a risk taker rather than risk averse like most business persons does not mean being reckless, it only implies taking calculated risks to realize profits. This requires some expertise in combining factors of production, utilizing innovation and creativity wells of the business, entrepreneurial skills and patience. There are millions of small businesses started every year, but their mortality rate is just as high. Most of those that weather the storms are those that were started by entrepreneurs (Gabardi and Tichy, 2013). Th ese businesses do not just seek to be operational but also, as a main objective, to grow. Entrepreneurs, through their skills, are the agent of small business growth (Minniti, 2013). The following are some of the skills possessed by successful entrepreneurs that have helped in growing of their small businesses. The first skill possessed by

Globalization Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Globalization - Research Paper Example I support the concept of globalization because it helps a company to grow and expand its wings. The various ways by which globalization helps a company to spread widely are cited below. The process of globalization incorporates the regional economies, culture and society, through a global network of execution and communication which helps the company to communicate with a larger group of consumers. It refers to the reduction and removal of national barriers in order to maintain the flow of goods and services which as a result unites different nations It is a trend for the countries to move forward and join together economically. The concept is to view the whole world as one nation Globalization gives consumers an exposure to the world of various goods and services according to their need (Bergen, 2004). Recommendation for John and Deborah’s corporation From the inception of the business in 2002 till 2006, John and Deborah had made good progress. Due to the sub-prime crisis and economic slowdown in US, the housing marketing is facing setback, so the sales of furniture have gone down. They are also threatened from the high end brands that are marketing aggressively and also creating lines for the popular retail stores. Seeing this scenario it would be advisable that John and Deborah’s corporation should think of expansion to other countries. The company should proceed globally as they possess certain strengths such as in house designers, exceptional customer service and superior quality of furniture. As their primary source of revenue is from catalogue sales online, they can expand their business by stating on their homepage that the company welcomes inquiries from any country in the world. They should also mention that they are willing to ship outside United States. The company should diligently deal with the customers by using cash advance, letter of credit or using a freight forwarder. The pricing will be high if they exports as they are already dealing with expensive products. So they can consider alternative way i.e. to have manufacturing unit in the target market to meet their demand. As the company has in-house designer, so they will not face problem regarding the designing and also there is the flexibility of rapidly changing the designs as per the requirement of the market. At the same time they are providing the customers an exceptional service for which they are well known. Impact of globalization Due to globalization, the size and pace of trade and commerce is increasing. This is possible because of the dramatic reduction in communication and transportation cost. The expansion of trade is the one important aspect of globalization. Other major indicators that can be considered in this case are the foreign direct investment and growth of international capital market. The companies and individual have paved the way by which the organizations can cope up with the risks associated with foreign currency and interest rate . They can also make investments speculatively (Lerman & Schmidt, n.d.). Globalization has a positive impact in case of creating employment in different countries by giving rise to emerging industries, but certain demerits are there too. For example the developed countries dominate the developing or under-developed countries. The employees may have to move from one country to another due to globalization. In that case the workers

Reflective paper on Baldridge principles, organizational issues, Assignment

Reflective paper on Baldridge principles, organizational issues, personal and organizational learning - Assignment Example The Baldridge criteria are a results oriented and proven management techniques that feature on the characteristics of organizations that do very well. Whether in the education sector, healthcare, security or business organizations, the Baldridge process importantly helps ensure that organizations that use this model are kept accountable, are managed in a sustainable manner, are properly aligned, improved, rewarded, recognized, while also immensely helping with the organization’s recruitment endeavors. In truth, there are a myriad of different approaches of organizational and personal improvement and management, but the Baldridge criteria stands solidly apart. For one, unlike other approaches, this process offers an improvement framework that is non-prescriptive. Additionally, the techniques are all-inclusive and integrated, addressing all the factors involved within the organization, its workings and outcomes. Moreover, the brilliance of the process resides in its focus on common needs of the set-up, rather than on benign aspects such as techniques, tools and procedures. The technique addresses the desires of all the stakeh olders in an organization and is essentially adaptable and accommodative to various organizational and personal practices and needs. The criteria of the Baldridge allow for organizations to conduct self-assessment and gives insightful feedback to users. The criteria also assist in enhancing the performance capabilities, practices and results while further facilitating proper communication methods/ techniques within the organization. Not only do the Baldridge criteria focus on improving the organization, but it also focuses on personal (individual) learning within these settings of application. This is significantly contributed by its core values and concepts which strongly advocate for visionary leadership (that demands the setting of proper examples from leaders so that ethical behavior, values and expectation are reinforced even as

Communication and Relational Dynamics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Communication and Relational Dynamics - Essay Example Relational maintenance is one thing I have learned that I would use in future. Instead of drawing apart from people who I will come close to in the workplace, I would rather maintain the relationship. Discussion on managing dialectical tensions has enhanced my understanding of my communication style. In the face of tension and confusion, I have learned how to go to one side by denying the other. Balancing is another way I can manage tensions; by partially responding to both parties. Recalibration can also help to avoid any opposition from one party. Reaffirmation is yet another way that relates to being positive about a situation. These ways have enlightened me how I can respond to tensions in different circumstances.I am going to use metacommunication as a way to resolve conflict in a more constructive manner. We can resolve the conflict between my coworker, and I through this. What I like most in this discussion are the characteristics of relationships. It is interesting how relati onships turn out to be. You can be romantically involved with someone you will end up marrying you, but it reaches a point where disagreements come in making the relationship to come to an end. They keep on changing and are affected by culture. The least liked discussion was of the types of relational messages which I did not grasp how they occur. I suggest the topic on types of relational messages should be done individually to enhance my understanding and feature in YouTube for easier access.

Real Estate Law Week 9 Individual Work Research Paper

Real Estate Law Week 9 Individual Work - Research Paper Example ving Merchant Wholesalers against Nathan Lane associates created a precedent in which the Supreme Court ruled that it is the duty of a lessee to pay rent, or periodic compensations to the lessor. However if a landlord evicts a tenant from his property, that is the end of a lease, and the tenant is not obligated to pay any damages, or rent. The following are the needed elements of a lease, description of the property, duration of the lease, terms of the renewal, rent and security payments, use and occupancy agreements, the lessor’s right of entry and inspection. A lease agreement must give a vivid description of the property, and its area of location. This is for purposes of identification. It must also contain the time frame of the lease, from its beginning date, to the exact date that the lease period ends. It must also specify whether the tenant has an opportunity to renew the lease or not and also identify the use of the property under lease by the lessee (Brook, 2009). The agreement must also contain the rights of the landlord to enter the property, and inspect it. Plain English requirement are applicable to leases because leasing is an investment decision to the tenant and the landlord. The process of leasing can be complex, and chances are that problems can occur which may result to a lessor losing his property, or revenue from the lease. On this note, plain English highlights issues that face landlords and tenants in a leasing situation, and what they ought to put in consideration while drafting a leasing agreement. A landlord needs to know what his rights are, and if the lease document meets his or her needs. On this note therefore, the use of plain English will enable a lessor to know in a clear manner what these rights are (Brook, 2009). For a tenant, he needs to understand what the impacts of the lease are to his rights and obligations. For instance the location of a business premise is important for its survival; therefore it is important for the

Freedom vs. Predestination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Freedom vs. Predestination - Essay Example In this context, the supernatural being has unlimited power and knowledge to control all of the human actions. On the other hand, freedom of human actions amounts to their free will that is the ability of an individual to act at his discretion exclusive of the constraints of fate (Thiroux & Krasemann, 2011). The above analysis clearly indicates the incompatibility of the human free will with the idea of an all-knowing supernatural being. Our inborn talent is an excellent example of predestination. The talents and gifts that we have are all the doing of a spiritual or cosmic force that is beyond us. However, we have control over the process of discovering and nurturing those talents. The choice of our backgrounds and families are issues that are beyond our control too. A poor background is the result of predestination but getting ourselves out of the poverty is a conscious decision (Thiroux & Krasemann, 2011). The current capitalist nature of our society increases our individual responsibility to both the state and our fellow human beings. The theory of free will is more applicable in today’s society rather than predestination. State laws, legislations and policies govern our actions and as such we may only exercise our free will to a limited level. Our conscience comes into greater play by constantly reminding us of what is good and what is evil (Thiroux & Krasemann,

Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 122

Essay Example The third contrasting feature according to Berman was the culture. She states that the language is probably the same, except that a few words have a distinguishing accent. Berman goes ahead to add, ‘England for example has a rigid class culture that one does not violate without consequences’. This can be better explained that people in England observe culture more seriously as compared to people in America. The new culture that Berman was exposed to was different and by all means, she had to be well accustomed to it especially knowing that her grandmother was from England. Along with that, the sea side was different with the farm side due to the swimming experience that one was prone to endure while there. Back at the farm, there was no swimming experience in the form of leisure. According to Berman, the farm was hectic. She describes that they used to work extremely hard but little income. According to her statement, the work at the farm involved picking berries, feeding the pigs which apparently ate a lot and were still not adding kilos, the chicken that were there also did not lay eggs, the cows did not produce much milk so the income we got at the farm was quite low. Life at the sea side was quite different. There was not much work to be done that involved farm animals. Thus Berman presumed life at the sea side was more appealing as compared to the farm life. A comparison between the two environments is the existence of school children. According to Berman, â€Å"the sea and country will lose their prominence to the hustle and bustle of school†. This means that both the sea side life and farm side life have the similarity where school children are existent in both environments. Being born in the USA, I think is the best thing because everybody wants to come to the States to make their dreams come true. Well, I was born in the USA and I have lived there with my parents for close to seven years. After my

Biography of Nikola Tesla Annotated Bibliography

Biography of Nikola Tesla - Annotated Bibliography Example Nikola Tesla’s parents had migrated from Serbia to Croatia. His father was a priest, philosopher, and poet. The mental training that Nikola’s father gave him by making him do mathematical calculations without using a pen or paper was his initiation into the field of science. And his mother had â€Å"come from a family of inventors†. Nikola also made his first invention when he was a child of age five when he made himself a fishing hook and caught frogs. When Nokola was seven years old, his family went back to Serbia. In the new town, he became an instant hero as he repaired a newly modeled firefighting equipment which had failed to function on its first demonstration before the public. After his school years, Tesla decided to become an electrical engineer and joined Graz Polytechnic Institute in Austria. During his studies, one of his professors had demonstrated a dynamo which can produce direct current electricity and which was invented by Thomas Alva Edison, in the class. After watching the functioning of a dynamo, when Tesla opined that it might be possible to create an alternate current manufacturing motor, his professor refuted this idea as impossible. After a while, with the support of his father, he joined the University of Prague. But after one term was over, he left this course also and joined the telegraph department. While walking in the city park with a friend, the design of the ac motor suddenly came to his mind like a flash of lightning.

Total Quality Management Definition Essay Example for Free

Total Quality Management Definition Essay Total Quality Management is a set of management practices aimed at meeting and even exceeding needs of customers and organizational objectives. The Japanese Industry started it in the 1950’s but it gained popularity from the early 80’s. TQM seeks to merge organizational functions like production, customer service, design and marketing, and has a strong emphasis on process measurement and controls as a way of continually improving the products or services offered by the organization. TQM describes the culture, attitude and organization of a company in the provision of products and services to satisfy needs of customers. Quality is required with efficiency and effectiveness in operations and reducing losses, minimizing defects and waste. Impact of globalization   As companies get bigger, there is an increasing demand for JIT (just-in-time) management, which TQM embraces. This makes things move faster, further pushing along globalization. This also calls for the removal of bottlenecks in production resulting in high quality. Globalization calls for things to be faster, better (because if youre not good, youre not utilizing your competitiveness), and hence comes TQM philosophy, which embraces that. However, globalization has brought about a demand for high skilled labour, which cannot be found with workers with low-level education, who are the majority. Their employment leads to low quality of work. Similar to that are organizations, which want to cut costs on wages and therefore employ workers with a poor educational background. Competitiveness is characterized by high labor costs; therefore, low labor costs are characterized by lower productivity. Women on the other hand, are unfortunately still engaging in low-wage and low-productivity jobs, especially in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia where womens participation in the global labour market is behind. Application of TQM Both the management and the employees can and should be involved in the process of TQM to improve the production of goods and services. TQM should be driven by a purpose and there should be a clear focus on the future vision of the organization. TQM can also be used as a way of encouraging the potential and creativity of an employee to be displayed as well as improving clients service. TQM calls for organizations to strive to continuously improve its processes through accumulated knowledge of workers and their experience. TQM is easily adaptable, for instance, it was at first an application of manufacturing operations but is now even applied to the service sector. According to Khurram Hashmi (2000), TQM is the foundation for activities, which include: Commitment by senior management and all employees Meeting customer requirements Reducing development cycle times Just In Time/Demand Flow Manufacturing Improvement teams Reducing product and service costs Systems to facilitate improvement Line Management ownership Employee involvement and empowerment Recognition and celebration Challenging quantified goals and benchmarking Focus on processes / improvement plans Specific incorporation in strategic planning This shows that all personnel, in Manufacturing, Marketing, Engineering, Research and Development, Sales, Purchasing, Human Resource, etc, must practice TQM in all activities. TQM is based on continuous improvement, both in strategic planning and in the execution of work. It seeks to avoid mistakes and defects and continually improve results through increasing the organizations resources. The major areas including supply generation, demand generation, technology, operations and people capability. It also maintains that mistakes can be identified and stopped and repetition prevented through change. Implementation of TQM A preliminary test, like a management audit should be done to asses the current state in terms of organizational functioning and establishing where change is needed. There should however be a positive attitude towards change or TQM would be ineffective. Other conditions are stable finances, good administrative systems and managerial skills and optimistic employee morale If these conditions cannot be met, it is advisable to postpone the implementation until when the organization is healthy enough with regard to these. Certain levels of stress, with regard to people feeling a need for change are however needed when implementing TQM. Kanter (1983) described certain building blocks, which should be present in effective organizational change. They include departures from tradition, a crisis or galvanizing event, strategic decisions, individual prime movers, and action vehicles. Departures from tradition are moving from normal operations in an attempt to solve a problem. A crisis, like reduction in finances, may prompt people to act. A strategic decision like a plan acting on the crisis may be implemented by a leader, who becomes the prime mover. The leader takes charge of the new idea or plan and leads people in its implementation. Action vehicles then used and mechanisms put in place to enabling the occurrence of the change.          References International Labour Organization Report (Dec 9, 2005) Globalization failing to create new, quality jobs to reduce Poverty. Retrieved from http://www.globalpolicy.org/globaliz/econ/2005/1209reduce.htm on October 3, 2007 Hashmi, K. (2000) Paper on â€Å"Introduction and Implementation of Total Quality Management† Retrieved from http://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/c031008a.asp on October 3, 2007 Martin, L. (1993). Total Quality Management in the Public Sector, National Productivity Review

Website Evaluation Essay Example for Free

Website Evaluation Essay The creator of the website http://www. nationalmssociety. org/index. aspx is the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS). NMSS was started in order to provide research and resources to those living with multiple sclerosis. Their philosophy is to create a movement inclusive of people with multiple sclerosis in an effort to move toward a world free of multiple sclerosis (NMSS, 2008). NMSS is a credible organization that has been in existence for many years. Since its creation, NMSS has been diligently working towards developing new research to find a cure for multiple sclerosis as well as enabling people with this disease to find quality of life. Proof of NMSS credibility is shown in the constant updating of the website. News releases are posted regularly to update visitors about new progress being made. Additionally, the website includes up to date information about where those living with multiple sclerosis can find services to help them. Finally, NMSS can be considered credible because they include the sources of their information in their news releases. In their multimedia library section of the website they offer additional resources and information about these is provided (NMSS, 2008). The main stated goal of NMSS is to enable those with multiple sclerosis to find quality of life and to continue to work towards a cure. In order to accomplish these two goals, NMSS is committed to excellent service, leadership and teamwork. These noble goals are listed on the website under the core values section and provide visitors with important information about their mission. Unstated goals include details about the importance of research as it is assumed that most people would agree this is important. There doesn’t appear to be any biases or hidden agendas since NMSS isn’t in existence to make money. Instead, they are dedicated to finding a cure for multiple sclerosis and helping people live with the disease. The information presented on the website is useful to students living with multiple sclerosis. The resources provided can give students important tools to enable them to be successful in school despite the presence of a debilitating disease. The content of the website is current as news related to multiple sclerosis is updated often. This information is based on scholarly research so it can be considered accurate. In addition, the resources presented to viewers are based on studies done by experts in the field so it can also be considered accurate. Additionally, the resources available to viewers are appropriate as it includes people of all ages, races, genders and ethnicities. Multiple sclerosis doesn’t discriminate and neither does this website. These resources are presented in an easy to understand way. There is a link on the website to the multimedia library where viewers can research books, journal articles and pod casts. There is also a link to news where viewers can read the latest news about multiple sclerosis as well as search previous news stories. These important issues are presented through additional resources and news stories in a realistic manner that allows all types of viewers easy access to help materials (NMSS, 2008). The website is presented in English but can be translated into Spanish as well. While this doesn’t enable other languages to read the website it does include a large number of additional Spanish speaking viewers access to important information about how to live with multiple sclerosis. To this end, the readability of the website is appropriate for all viewers regardless of language. The links are easy to find and the website is easy to navigate in order to find what one is looking for. The content included is organized among these links in order to make it simple to find necessary information. If a viewer is looking for the latest news they can visit the news link or if they are interested in finding local services they can visit the find a chapter link (NMSS, 2008). The home page is welcoming because it is organized and a viewer can quickly find necessary links. It includes a slideshow of the latest news with encouraging pictures of people living with multiple sclerosis. These scrolling news stories are meant to motivate viewers to find out more about NMSS, either for themselves or for others. It also includes easy to find links for joining the NMSS movement as well as resources for those newly diagnosed, those currently living with the disease as well as information for friends and family of those living with multiple sclerosis. These links motivate all people touched by multiple sclerosis to learn more about finding a cure and creating high quality of life for those living with this disease. To this end, the links are well organized and easy to find and navigate. There are enough links that desired information is easy to find. Finally, NMSS includes a search link to increase the ability of viewers to find what they are looking for (NMSS, 2008). The graphics on the home page are included with the latest news stories so they can be considered accurate. The website doesn’t rely on many graphic but the ones they include are relevant to the different topics being discussed on the different pages. There are many links designed to motivate people to get involved and learn more about NMSS, including stories of those suffering from the disease, â€Å"Walk for MS,† â€Å"Bike for MS† and an MS fact of the day. These activities are designed to provide additional information that can contribute to quality of life as well as educate people about finding a cure (NMSS, 2008). This website is easy to use for anyone, including disabled people. NMSS doesn’t pity those suffering from multiple sclerosis. The entire mission of NMSS is to help people with the disease live a normal life. It is sensitive to the different needs of people with multiple sclerosis but it certainly doesn’t portray any type of pity. In fact, it works to promote independence and dignity for those living with the disease. It offers a wide variety of resources designed to show those with multiple sclerosis how to live normal lives. Different experiences from different people living with the disease are included in the Online Community. This is a place to post and read individual and personal stories of other people living with multiple sclerosis. These real life examples show others how similar these people really are. Individuals with multiple sclerosis can live relatively normal lives for many years before the disease progresses to the point of disabling a person. If a person with multiple sclerosis didn’t tell others that he or she had the disease it would remain a secret, often for a very long time. In this way, people with multiple sclerosis are very similar to everyone else. The education sections of the website provide further information to show students how similar people with multiple sclerosis are but also to educate them about the differences and what they mean (NMSS, 2008). One suggestion for the website would be to increase the personal stories included. There are only a few posted currently and offering more real life experiences would further the motivation of people living with multiple sclerosis. Additional learning activities geared specifically towards students would go a long way towards helping people understand multiple sclerosis and how it affects friends and family members. The current layout is very easy to navigate so change wouldn’t be necessary. In fact, adding more links would contribute to more confusion while navigating the site. There is so much information currently available on the website and it is condensed into a few links so that viewers don’t have to spend so much time trying to find what they are looking for. Additional links are included in each major link to further narrow the focus of a search. This type of layout makes information easily accessible. A final suggestion would be to include translation into more languages as NMSS promotes diversity and providing important information to more people would only further their mission towards finding a cure. NMSS. (2008). National Multiple Sclerosis Society. † Retrieved on December 13, 2008 from http://www. nationalmssociety. org/index. aspx.

Public Engagement A New Paradigm For Public Relations Marketing Essay

Public Engagement A New Paradigm For Public Relations Marketing Essay Engaging with the public has always been a necessity for PR practitioners to succeed. However, due to the web 2.0, engaging with the public has opened up new channels of communication and therefore a new communication strategy needs to be put into place. As Public Engagement is a relatively new term, no studies have been carried out in this area. The author will look into what Public Engagement is and see if its fit into existing Public Relation models, how organisations engage with their audience , due to the digital web, and if a new Public Engagement model is needed. Paradigms of PR A definition of a paradigm in PR is narrow (Burrell and Morgan 1979). It is seen as a sign of discipline maturing and developing a range of different approaches; at the same time the process is not seen as advanced enough for a full blown paradigm struggle, or debate to be able to take place (Botan 1993, p.108). A paradigm can be thought of as a model (LTang Pieczka 2006) or worldviews (Grunig). Kuhn (1969) defined it a model or a way of thinking about and studying a problem. He stated that no paradigm is perfect and that facts and figures that do not fit the paradigm does not necessarily nullify the values of the paradigm. According to Kuhn a new paradigm can provide a perspective from which the subject can move on. ( As the term paradigm is still very much a vague area, the author will use the terminology used by academics to describe a paradigm as a model or theory and will find out whether Public Engagement fits into any of the original paradigms of Public Relations. There have been many communication models put forward and tested over the past 60 years by public relations practitioners. The principal ones being, the Shannon and Weaver model (1949), Shramms Interactive Model (1954) and Grunigs and Hunts 4 Models (1984). It is important to look at communication models to see whether Public Engagement is a new paradigm in the digital age or simply an extension of these. 1.3 Shannon and Weaver model Shannon and Wavers (1949) Mathematical theory of Communication is acknowledged as one of the most important models from which communication studies has grown (Johnson and Klare 1961), albeit biased towards the technical aspects of communication research (John Fiske 1982). This basic model was linear and did not represent reality where senders and receivers have an equal role. In contrast to the above models Schramm went on to create his model which emphasised two-way communication (1954) and introduced the concept of feedback. In problem solving scenarios open ended questions need to be asked in order to gain feedback and results. The model can be criticised as conveying the feeling of equality in communication. This could be rarely seen in practice and communication tends to be unbalanced. While this model was an important breakthrough in PR, it did little to listen to what the public actually needed. System theories / Four step and Excellence model System theorists are PR practitioners who develop a theory from experience/being in the organisation. They are concerned with the public in PR decisions. Grunig. J and Hunt.T (1984) are two of the earliest system theorists. From their observations they developed four models of public relations (Edward 2009). These were press agentry /publicist, public information, two-way asymmetric and two way symmetric communications known as the Four Step Model. 2.2i Four step model Press agentry (one way communication) is a way of communicating a biased message through media channels. (McQuail Windahl 1993) Public information (one way communication) similar to press agentry, but transparency in the message is vital; the message is truthful and informative. (McQuail Windahl 1993) Two way asymmetric (two way communication) is known as a persuasive tool. The purpose of this is to make the public think in the same way as the organisations. Feedback from the public is used to strength communication strategies. (McQuail Windahl 1993). The message is unbalanced , it is all about persuasion and is favoured by some advertising companies. Two way symmetric (two way communication) the two-way symmetric model, (Grunig and Hunt 1984) is probably the most popular and widely used in todays PR industry. This model is one that can build relationships and solve differences. Stakeholders engage with the organisation and can have some power over policies. This model employs research, listening, and dialogue as tools to promote relationships with both internal and external parties. Grunig put ethics the centre of symmetrical communication. (Grunig Hunt, 1984, p.22 and Grunig et al, 1992, p.55-61). According to Phillips and Young (2009), social media is causing a new communication paradigm. They believe that communication is shifting from the traditional hierarchical arrangement to an audience model encouraging horizontal discourse. Edelman in his interview Edelman (2009) agreed with this idea. In a survey of PR practitioners in charge of campaigns winning the 2002 Golden World awards from IPRA, it was found that when asked which of the four Public relations models they preferred, no one voted for press agentry model, 6.3% preferred the public information model, 18.8% the two way asymmetric model and the favourite model was the two way symmetrical model where 56.3% voted for it (Horn Neff 2008 and Okay PR from theory to practise book). 2.2ii Excellence model Gruig went on to complete a 10 year study Pr practice and developing a model for Excellent Public Relations ( Grunig 1992) It was found that the most successful Public Relations departments took part or contributed to the strategic decisions of the company. Once stakeholders had been identified, the study showed that successful Public Relation departments developed programmes to communicate with them. According to Grunig (1992) Excellence is the balance between an organisation and the public. It was seen as the management of communications on a level that aided the strategic management role whilst maintaining the attention and cooperation of the public. As such, the Public Relation role was enhanced and perceived in commercial terms whereby long term relationships could be forged between strategic parties. This model has been challenged by a number of academics. Philip and Younge (2009) argued that the new Public Relations challenges the Excellence model. LEtang (2006) was also critical and stated that the power imbalance between organisation and public was a weakness in the theory of two-way communication. Pieczka (2006) criticised the model as she felt that the study was biased to the two way symmetrical model. Pieczka not only critised his two way symmetry but questioned the and questioned the validity of his model. She believed that inconsistencies were apparent. It is clear that Grunig excluded conflicting viewpoints and academics have questioned the research carried out and pointed out that he chose paradigms to fit his model. Obviously Grunig based his model loosely on the systems theory but he did take on board these criticisms and the model was revised over the years (Grunig L, Grunig, JE Dossier, M, 2002). It is apparent the Excellence theory has had an impact on PR a leadin g body of work has developed around Symmetry/Excellence Theory which has probably done more to develop public relations theory and scholarships than any other single school of thought Botan and Hazleton (2006) (p. 6). As it was a model that was based on practise in a real life situation, it could be said that this is the model that is real to the industry. As PR has progressed and social media has become a large part in most cases, Public Engagement has taken on a new role, but nevertheless a new communication strategy could be easily adapted from the Excellence model. 2.2 Publics As audiences are needed for communication to take part it is necessary to look at different types of publics. Grunig and Repper (1992) propose two types of publics, the passive and the active. Active audiences go out of the way to find information on the company and respond. Passive audience do not want to engage with the company, but may if prompted to. This has led many practitioners to explore what methods of communication will prompt and engage these audiences. Grunig (1983) identified four basic publics: All issue publics: These publics are concerned with the organisation as a whole and are active on all issues. For example the media Apathetic publics: Are not aware or interested in the organisation as a whole (Smith 2005) Single-issue publics : Tend to be active in one area of the organisation Hot issue publics: are active on a issue that has received a lot of issue in the media These models all have uses and, they do not always consider what other factors affect why people engage in communication or how to attract the public who are unaware of their product. A further model is needed which could include attitudes, communication behaviour and personal behaviour which could help to recognise new stakeholders. ( Featherstone,Weitkamp,Ling and Burnet 2009 from journal Public Understanding of Science ) http://pus.sagepub.com/content/18/2/214.full.pdf+html This theory has been criticised by many. It lacks diversity and ignores the power dimensions of organisations and its publics (Lietch and Neilson 2001). Cutlip et al (2000) believe that PR practioneers should operate in an open system, whereby the external environment should be looked at in order for business change to suit their publics. There appears to be a new kind of publics at the moment and these are named the 21st century consumers and forming a relationship with them is crucial. They are more demanding than ever and want to receive information differently and share it with their own communities (Soli Breakenridge 2009) This new breed has been aided by social media. The social web allows people to communicate and share information and it is important for organisations to be aware of this and monitor conversations, if not, the public will still carry on talking and organisations may miss out . They have come to realise that listening is important. The relationship paradigm leads to trust It believes that two-way communication that attempts to accommodate both parties, while not abandoning the objectives of the initiative, will result in a much greater understanding of the needs and resources available to target publics (Martinez, Jr., Belio, n.d) (http://www.allacademic.com//meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/1/7/2/1/7/pages172179/p172179-10.php ) 3.5 Rhetorical perspectives Rhetorical theory is based on persuasive through discussion. It is a two way conversation between groups with a common purpose and deals with choice. ( Nichols1963)Ethics goes hand in hand with it. Aristole, a Greek philosopher, wrote The Art of Rhetoric, which was the first formal book to define persuasion and the Greek society was governed by the principle of debate and persuasion. Agreement between parties is the ultimate aim but communication and agreement between both parties is necessary. More recently Heath (1980) ( Heath 1980 ; à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã‚   Rhetorics: New Rhetorics ; Rhetorical Studies ; Organization-Public Relationships said that rhetoric was at the front of an organizations relationship to its surroundings. Since then he has argued that it is the good organization communicating well ( Heath 2001 , 39; à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã‚   Public Relations Ethics ) Heath believes that PR practitioners and public are engaged in discussion and that rhetoric could be compared to G runigs symmetry model(Heath 2002 p49). Audiences can assess the credibility of all speakers by considering the values on which the message is built. Public relation practitioners role in the past has been seen as one that is there to persuade the public and change their attitudes. This has been common in PR and has been categorised as Grunigs asymmetrical model. Grunig argued that his model be best described as a way of getting what an organisation wants without changing its behaviour or without compromising leads to actions which are unethically, socially irresponsible and ineffective ( Grunig 1992 p39-( Public Relations Ch 18). Rhetorical Theory assumes multiple voices and if one view is acknowledged and preferred then others may not have the opportunity to put their opinion forward. Rhetoric can be seen as a way of asking individuals to think about different points of views (Bryant 1953) (from CH 13 Public Relations theory to practice) Rhetoric is not needed if there is agreement but as Heath (1992) points out communi cation is a wrangle of voices and not in isolation. It helps informs the public how to communicate and engage with each other but ultimately for organisations to be ethical. LEtang ( 1996) and Cheney and Dionisopoulos(1989)( Exploring Public Relations) http://www.prismjournal.org/fileadmin/Praxis/Files/Journal_Files/issue1/refereed_articles_paper3.pdf Heath 2002 pg 49 http://www.blackwellreference.com/public/tocnode?id=g9781405131995_yr2010_chunk_g978140513199523_ss94-1 Postmodernists believe that because of their exsisting power, businesses and government will always enjoy a more profitable outcome than their publics when the two are in dialogue. Postemodernists recognise that the pr industry is changing due to audience segmentation, uncontrolled media due to the digital age, globalisation and a diverse audience. 3.6 Sphere of influence The sphere of influence was first put forward by Habermas ( 1989) He promoted the idea that a just society was at the centre of his theory and that discussion should be free and equal and defined it as the social space that mediates between the political sphere and the private sphere by providing space for discussion and negotitation . ( Weaver, Motion and Roper.- in Public Relations Critical Debates and Contemporary Practice 2006) However it seems that this approach could be seen to be too idealistic. It is more likely that communication is part of a strategic plan to control what the public listens to and the way in which it is disseminated. Jensen (2001) (Jensen I Public Relations and emerging functions of the public sphere. An analytical framework . Journal of Communication Management 6 :133-147). Moloney (2006) maintains that we do not live in a public sphere but a persuasive sphere and that Habermas utopia ideal does not exist. Again it appears that some scholars see his theory of public interest to be very similar to Grunig and Hunts (1984) model of two way symmetrical public relations. 1.2 Conclusion Although Grunigs fourth model is possibly the most well-known and the one that PR practitioners use in their day to day work, there appears to be a gap in communication models in regards to Public Engagement as a result of the digital age. It is now evident that a new model of Public Relations is needed. Public Engagement Public Engagement is a modern paradigm in the Public Relations context and sets out how professionals should be listening and engaging with their stakeholders in this digital age. Marshall Manson, Director of digital strategy at Edelman UK, describes Public Engagement as advancing shared interest moving from an influence pyramid to a world of cross-influence (Manson 2009, pg5). According to Edelman there are four attributes of Public Engagement; it aims to be democratic and decentralized, inform the conversation, call for engagement with stakeholders and finally make it clear how reputation is important. Public Engagement has to work in all four areas (Richard Edelman, 2008). Trust building both internally and externally, reputation management and transparency are the hallmarks of successful Public Relations initiatives. The term Participatory Democracy, a the precursor of Public Engagement was used by John Stuart MillsMills . Mills supported a representative government which included public participation of some kind but on a limited scale. It was apparent that participation could endanger political decision making and therefore democracy (Pateman 1970). Engagement in politics had been regarded as reactive but it is now perceived as proactive. Dialogue and engagement with all parties is important to prevent loss of public trust (Edward Andersson, Simon Burall Emily Fennell, Involve 2010). The Big Society introduced by David Cameron 19 July 2010 sought public dialogue and involvement in decision making. It is true that business and government rely on Public Relations to establish trust and dialogue and that Public Engagement, like any conversation, is all about listening. The world can be compared to a conversation and in order to be successful we need to listen (Richard Edelman 2008). The onset of the digital world has provided the public with means to engage in these conversations as never before. http://www.essex.ac.uk/ecpr/events/jointsessions/paperarchive/edinburgh/ws22/zittel.pdf Arthur W Page Societys White paper(2007)is a good example of how Public Relations practitioners and company leaders must alter their approaches and business goals to be more trustworthy in todays world. The study looked at how CEOs saw their roles change with the culture of the environment. The environment is changing because of the advent of all things digital, a worldwide economy and a new class of stakeholders. However, it failed to provide a clear way to develop the role of the communication department in the future. The paper went on to say that some communication departments need to change their working practises. In order to move forward they must familiarise themselves with new technologies, publics and engagement models. Ivy Lee developed the first press release in 1906 after a train crash occurred in Atlantic city. He used a press release to invite journalists and photographers to the crash, as a way of promoting open dialogue with the media. He believed that Public relations was two way communication, and that PRs were responsible for making organisations listen to their publics and in return to communicate messages to them and engage with them. (Solis Breakenridge 2009). Prior to current publications on Public Engagement, the term was mainly linked to the scientific world. Demos (2009) stated that the UK was now perceived as a forerunner in Public Engagement within the science world. It argued that Public Engagement would only work when interest groups were included. Matthew C. Nisbet Dietram A. Scheufele (2007) argued that communication must be accessible to all sections of society. Advocacy, a term used by Public Relations Company Weber Shandwick, has been used as an alternative to PE and is defined as Public relations caught the first wave, the adoption of new technology to spread information   But that first wave, sharing information with more segmented audiences, is cresting.   A new one, a fundamental transformation of communication from information to advocacy, is rising (Jack Leslie, Chairman, Weber Shandwick Worldwide, n.d). It argues that engagement is necessary if communication with audiences is to take place. It is now evident that universities are becoming involved with the term Public Engagement. The National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) is part of the Beacon for Public Engagement project. Their aim is to support and encourage universities engage with the public and their stakeholders. According to response source (2010) the ten most engaging brands in the UK are Google, Cadbury, amazon, BBC, facebook, MS, sony , Microsoft, the Olympics and Dove. Case studies- Olympics 2012 London 2012 logo was designed to attract and engage with the young. The aim of the project is to build community engagement and to bring people together through a national event; this would in turn go hand in hand with David Camerons Big Society. Campaigns have already begun, such as the Inspire programme, which has led to projects which have engaged the community. 1,000 projects have now been giving the 2012 Inspire brand to go ahead and is estimated to have reached over 10 million people in the UK with more to be expected (DCMS 2010). The Olympics will coincide with the big society by creating up to 70,000 game makers, who will volunteer around the game sites and will help out in their communities but during the games and after. The Olympics other aim is to change the perception of the disabled. TV broadcasting will be issued throughout the Paralympics games. Other areas of engaging with the community consists of: The new Sports Leaders programme this will train 40,000 sports leaders across the UK, they will have to volunteer 10 hours of their time to teach in the community. Engaging with the next generation of performers A London 2012 festival will be held with over 1,000 events to be released in the summer of 2011 Inspired by a project which helps disadvantaged young people around Britain http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/201210_Legacy_Publication.pdf Facebook In the run up to the 2010 UK election, facebook reminded their UK audience to register and vote and held online live debates between the candidates. They used a live tool on Facebooks democracy tool UK page, where the audience could say whether they liked or disliked what the politicians were saying. Facebooks intention was for their audience to engage with the tool. Facebooks Director of European Public Policy, Richard Allan said: 2010 is the UKs first ever social media election, and the dial test shows how voters can get involved on a scale never seen before. The dial test will provide a true barometer of the public mood and will define how the impact of the debates is interpreted. The tool gave facebook vital statistics on finding more information about their audience. (Wired article) More recently Face book was blamed by the Egyptian government for rallying Egyptians to meet and demonstrate against the President. The web proved so powerful a tool to engage the public that the internet was closed down by the government( The Telegraph 28th Jan 2011) The Police Gordon Scobbie a senior police officer wants to see police using social networks to engage with the public. He says that forces in Scotland should adopt virtual community policing, with officers going online and directly engaging with the public about local issues (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-11828502 ) BBC The BBC Trust set up Audience Councils in The British Isles to engage directly with their audiences and get their viewpoint on the programmes and services that the BBC offers. They represent all sections of society and as recently as the end of January 2011 invited viewers to join their organisation through the web and BBC TV Channels. They also hosted events for the youth and made home visits to gain an insight to the needs of the public. A Public consultation was carried out by the BBC Trust in 2010. They held three working lunches and invited organisations who had theory and practise in Public Engagement. They found that although the BBC website was very good at engaging with their audience, there is still a large population who do not have access to the internet. Face to face communication was seen as crucial to meet those with limited access to the internet. http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/assets/files/pdf/consult/audience_engagement/interest_groups.pdf http://www.mediawatchuk.org.uk/index.php?option=com_contenttask=viewid=309Itemid=92 http://www.bbc.co.uk/england/ace/what/ Social Media in Public Relations Social media, a new paradigm for PR can be defined as being centred around the concept of a read-write Web, where the online audience moves beyond passive viewing of Web content to actually contributing to the content (Sweetser and Lariscy p. 179). From a communication viewpoint, social media creates an available access point for messages to be communicated to the public. Social media messages can be strategic and have many communication aims for organisations e.g. marketing and customer service (Avery, Lariscyb, Sweetser, 2010) Social media has developed over the past years and now consists of forums, message boards, pod casts, photo sharing, search engine marketing, video sharing, Wikis, social networks, professional networks and micro blogging.( Wright and Hinson 2002). Web 2.0 engages with consumers, new and old through these social media platforms and it has let organisations put the Public back into PR'(Solis Breakenridge 2009) Old style PR skills are still helpful in bringing about transparency when communicating with stakeholders (Schlesinger 2010) but the introduction of Web 2.0 technologies has changed the world of communications for Public Relations bringing individual relevancy to communication efforts and at the same time fulfilling marketing criteria and legal obligations. (Pavlik 2008, Philips Young 2009) Rubel (2008) also agrees that there is still a role in public relations for traditional media pitching in certain establishments. Web 2.0 had a great effect on public relations. Whereas before, the web was a place to find information, it is now a place for symmetrical communication (Phillips and Young 2009). According to Phillips and Young Web 2.0 is an evolution. It was observed that digital media has the potential to make the profession more global, strategic, two-way, interactive and socially responsible Grunig, J.E (2009, pg1). However, he adds that the new media is being used ineffectively by some practitioners. Some are using it, as they did with the old media, as a place to write messages rather than using it to interact with the public strategically. Grunig (2009) concludes that it can only be used effectively if social media is used to its full capacity. 1.1 Social media and stakeholder engagement From the eCircle 2010 the European marketing social media and Email marketing study of 1,045 Consumer in the UK, some interesting results showed: Fans and Followers are the new email subscribers. To successfully engage in digital dialogue, marketing experts must convert consumers into subscribers as fans and followers. Users of social networks want to be engaged by companies: 13% of fans and followers of company / brand profiles want to be called upon to do something. These should be used better by brands. When information is shared, it can have a wide reach: 43% of users of social networks have more than 100 friends of followers. On average, each shared message reaches 77 people. But companies only achieve this multiplier effect if the brand or product becomes part of the users private communication. Public Engagement has produced new networks of influences and online forums leading to a way of communication through Blog, Twitter and Facebook among many, which impacts on all walks of life (Edelman, 2009.) In 2009, 625 million people worldwide had access to the internet, and as a result many people are now choosing to share their content on popular social network sites, such as Facbook and My Space, rather than choosing a service which allows only one means of purpose such as Blogger (McCann 2009). In one of the most recent surveys across numerous industries, 78% of organizations reported using blogs, 63% online video, 56% social networks, and 49% podcasts (Gillin, 2008). A further research by PR company Burson-marsteller 2010 confirmed that major international companies were using all four media platforms twitter, facebook, youtube and corporate blogs to engage with the public . Wight and Hinson carried two research projects that were five years apart, into the impact of new technologies on PR. It concluded that although more people used these technologies between 2009-2010 there were fewer new media opportunities available, for example this was borne out in the fact that facebook had been the most used social network site and that twitter was the most popular micro blogging site. It was obvious from their results that technology was continuing to change public relations. In 2008 it was reported that 61% of those who answered their survey believed that blogs and social media had changed the way their companies had communicated. By 2010 this figure had increased to 75% and many believe that social media worked alongside traditional media. Many of the open ended questions from the study showed that technology was having a huge impact and moving PR into a two way communication by opening channels between companies and publics. It is evident that Public Relations practitioners are using social media tools, especially blogging, in recent years within the workplace. It was seen as a way of competing against others in the PR world (Porter, Sweetser Trammel, Chung, Kim, 2007). According to Rowse (2007) practitioners are actively using blogs. Engaging and starting a conversation with stakeholders through social media a very powerful tool(PR Week 4th Feb pg 20) It offers practitioners and journalist a means to have two way communication and great opportunities. According to McCanns Wave 4 report (2009), social media platforms are so common these days that it is the place where the public share and create. In his study he noted how they presented unique opportunities to listen and observe. One way messaging is now outdated and anyone understanding this new communication world will only succeed (Weber Shandwick n.d). There is a need to understand and integrate social media platforms to PR initiatives (Flanagan 2010) and organisations have to think carefully on how they are going to engage various stakeholders on problems and in the planning process in the changing technological environment (Goodman 2010). But not everyone has access to the internet. The elderly find it hard to learn new skills and the poorest of our society may not have access to a computer or the internet. As a result their ability to engage with each other or society can be limited and certain groups of society may be excluded (Warschauer 2003). It seems that Prs need todo more that just have use of the web. They need to be aware of conversations happening online, and they know that they should engage in a fully transparent dialogue with openness and honesty. This will help to develop relationships with their customers. One section of society that has been affected by the introduction of the digital world is PRs relationship with journalists. (Sweetser, Porter, Chung, Kim, 2008) Instead of the old means of PRs contacting journalists for pitching news stories, the roles are changing slightly. Media catching is increasing in popularity. Journalists are now contacting a number of PRs at one time and others looking for stories and information. One third of Americans constantly use blogs as a means of gaining information (Smith 2008). At this point it is necessary to understand that social media is vital within organizations, encouraging employee engagement. Enterprise 2.0 is a form of web 2.0 which is used for businesses only. They provide services such as Yammer, a corporate version of Twitter, and Chatter- a social-networking service (Economist 2010). According to Mashable (2010) the top five engaged brands in social media are Starbucks, Coca- Cola, Oreo, Skittles and Redbull. Starbucks has developed a digital platform solely so that the public can

Ethnographic study at McDonalds Essay -- globalization

This essay focuses on the topic of globalization, taking along several other factors with it. Increasingly in the world, it becomes obvious that the globalization is affecting almost all the businesses of the world. Every market in some way or the other is following the principles of globalization. For example, McDonalds is a chain of restaurants working in collaboration to deliver their customers with the best product and to achieve this McDonalds follows the concepts of globalization. This essay will discuss anc ethnographic study at McDonalds examining whether it confirms or denies the claims made about globalization. The ethnographic study took place at McDonalds’ shop, Leeds, local market in the afternoon of Monday, 17th January 2011. From away I could observe the huge logo of McDonalds. I stood at the entrance and stared at the shop for few seconds. The shop was far more elegant than the average McDonald’s. The interior has a minimal style with posh chairs, tables, black art deco fixtures, beautiful paintings and attractive lights and draperies. There were large windows so it was impossible for customers to see into the Harvey Nichols store. Also, outside were window boxed filled with flowers or greenery. I could hear some relaxing music. At first glance, I noticed that customers were people with different age groups, genders, ethnic classes, social classes and cultural backgrounds. The language which was more spoken was English. [Without thinking, I was moving towards the counter, I faced] the girl behind the counter [; she] was wearing a red t-shirt with a cap and a hut. She see med to be in a rush to handle the orders. Despite that, she was friendly and with a smile on the face to welcome the customers. The most co... ...International Economics. Krishnan, R. (1996). The first revolt against globalization. Monthly Review, vol.48, no.1. Krugman, P. (1994). Does Third World Growth Hurt First World Prosperity? Harvard business review Oman, C. (1994). Globalisation and regionalisation: the challenge for developing countries. Paris: Development Centre studies. Osland, S.J. (2003). Broadening the Debate, the Pros and Cons of Globalization. Journal of Management inquiry, Vol. 12 no. 2, pp.137-154 Rodrik, D. (1997). Has Globalization Gone Too Far. Washington: Institute for International Economics. Rosenau, N. J. (2006). The Study of World Politics: Globalization and governance. Abingdon: Routledge. Valaskakis, K. (1998). The challenge of strategic governance: Can globalization be managed? Optimum, vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 26-40. http://www.mcdonalds.co.uk/ (accessed 15/01/2011)