Hamlet vs Gladiator essay Essay

When watching the movie Gladiator, one might notice how very similar this story is to the Shakespearean play, Hamlet. In Gladiator the main character seeks vengeance for the loss of his son and wife, as does Hamlet for the loss of his father. The vengeance sought out in Gladiator is a result of treachery involving loved ones as is the vengeance sought out in hamlet. Finally, both Hamlet and Gladiator are examples of dramatic tragedy where the main character ends up dying. Along with these similarities there are also many differences. There are the difference in characters, the difference in when these stories take place, and the difference in the endings. By comparing and contrasting a modern tragedy, Gladiator, with an ancient tragedy, Hamlet, it shows why dramatic tragedy has survived throughout the ages. In the beginning of Hamlet King Hamlet’s ghost pays a visit to Prince Hamlet. The ghost tells Hamlet that while â€Å"sleeping in [his] orchard, a serpent stung [him].† He then tells Hamlet â€Å"the serpent that did sting thy father’s life now wears his crown.† Hamlet, who already suspected his father’s death to be murder, is furious upon learning that it was not only murder, it was his father’s uncle that committed the act of treachery. In a rage of fury Hamlet swears to the ghost of his father that he will seek vengeance on Claudius, for his sake and that of his father’s. This is very similar in Gladiator when Commodus kills his father, the Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Maximus, a Roman General, was very close with Marcus who told Maximus â€Å"he [was] the son [he] should have had†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and wanted Maximus to carry on as Emperor instead of his son Commodus. Maximus seeks vengeance on Commodus not only for murdering Marcus, but also because he murdered Maximum’s wife and eight-year-old son. In both cases Claudius and Commadus wanted to reign, to have power; in both cases they were not meant to have it. Hamlet was the â€Å"heir to the throne,† and Aurelius wanted Maximus to take his place as emperor. Both Claudius and Commadus wanted power so badly, that they killed in order to get what they wanted. ———————————————————————————————– These stories are both similar in treachery because the men that they had trusted and confided in had murdered them. Claudius betrayed his brother by poisoning him then marrying his wife; Commadus betrayed his father by suffocating him after learning Aurelius did not want his only son to rule. Another example of the similarities between these two stories is that Hamlet and Maximus both had to change themselves in order to seek their vengeance. They both went from being looked highly upon in society, to being looked down on. Hamlet fooled people by acting like he was crazy. This way his stepfather could not suspect Hamlet of knowing that he had murdered Hamlet’s father. Following the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, Maximus finds himself an enemy of the new Emperor Commadus. He is reduced to the status of a slave and eventually falls into the hands of a gladiator trainer. He then begins to forge a new life for himself as a ruthless killing machine that entertains the fickle crowd, as the behind-the-scenes politics of second century Rome stand to make him a hero of the people. By fighting as a gladiator he seek revenge on the new Emperor of Rome. Hamlet and Maximus want to avenge those who have been killed so badly that they undergo obstacles with courage and their heads high as well as they both risking their lives for what they believe in. Throughout Hamlet, one might also notice they have taken similar ideas from â€Å"Hamlet† and used them to help make their story a (better one). Towards the beginning of the story before Aurelius is killed, Commadus tells the senators that â€Å"they’ll be pouring honey potion in people’s ears†¦Ã¢â‚¬  in order to make the country republic. What is similar is that Claudius poured â€Å"potion† into King Hamlet’s ear, in order to kill him. Another moment in Gladiator that makes you think of Hamlet is towards the end when Commodus tells his nephew, Lucius, about their ancestor Emperor Claudius. He tells Lucius that â€Å"[Claudius] was betrayed! By those closest to him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This is similar to Hamlet because Gertrude betrays Claudius and Lucilla betrays Commodus. This is ironic because both Claudius and Commodus betrayed loved ones in order to gain power. Along with these similarities there are also many differences. For instance Hamlet was born a prince while Maximus was the general for Aurelius’s army. Also King Hamlet was killed by his brother and Aurelius was killed by his son, and Hamlet’s mother dies in the end while Commadus’ sister survives. The main difference, however, is in the end of these stories. In Hamlet, he never lets on to Claudius that he knows how his father died. Instead he acts as if he is crazy. It is not until a theatrical group re-enacts how King Hamlet was murdered that Claudius realises that Hamlet knows†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. In Gladiator, as soon as Maximus sees Commadus in the Coliseum he tells Commadus that he will kill him for the murders he has committed. In the end Maximus kills Commadus while all of Rome watches this form of â€Å"entertainment† take place. Maximus, badly wounded dies soon after giving the Empire to the senators to become republic. Even though these two stories have their differences, they are both dramatic tragedies. The emotion that a tragic character portrays helps us to relate and become more entranced with the story. Up until the heroes have died they have got to know that person. They have understood the character, their motivations, and reactions. When they die, they have died courageously for what they have believed in. In life we are always looking for an â€Å"idol† hero-worshipping. Our fascination for dramatic tragedy has survived throughout the years because man in his inadequate ways needs to have someone whom they can look up to, so to speak. Lets face it we are often intrigued by human suffering especially if it is for noble causes. People often carry the same beliefs as these leaders, and fully support them. These heroes are the epitome of what we believe in, willing to die for causes. We love to believe that someone is willing to go to that extent for our beliefs. Their deaths often accomplish what could not be done while they were alive. This is illustrated when Maximus says â€Å"what we do in life, echoes in eternity.† The similarities and differences in Hamlet and Gladiator are what help make dramatic tragedies survive through the ages. However, it is not only in movies or plays, it is also in real life. These heroes have died for what they believed in and have made a difference in our lives. It gives us strength to face the world we live in today, and it gives us understanding as to why these leaders are fighting. This is why dramatic tragedies have survived throughout the ages, and this is why they will continue to survive for years to come.

Case Study †An Ethical Dilemma Essay

Jackie, a young star with a prominent voice who gets picked up by a professional recording label after performing at a national talent competition. Overwhelmed with excitement, thinks it is a dream come true to start a career with a lucrative contract. Meets and has an intimate encounter with her soon to be manager, Kevin. Months go by as their relationship begins to flourish but soon she starts to hear rumors that Kevin has helped a new girl in the legal department get her position threw their own personal relations. Jackie has suspicions that Kevin may be having other deeper interactions with this new girl. Jackie’s suspicions turn out to be true and she is devastated. She obviously breaks off the relationship with Kevin but cannot afford to lose him as her manager. Time goes by with awkward silence between the two but eventually Jackie decides to be professional with her career and continues to keep Kevin on as her manager. This lasts awhile until Kevin starts to make inappropriate sexual advances towards her. She tries to laugh it off but as he continues she threatens to make a formal complaint to legal. He does eventually stop but has stopped all efforts to promote her music thus making it very difficult for her to continue on with her success. She eventually does decide to make a complaint with legal, there is where she runs into Leslie, the girl that Kevin had got the position for in legal. She tells her, â€Å"even I believed you, you didn’t report this relationship which goes against our superior-employee ethics code†. So either she had the choice to let the matter go or to make a complaint which would in turn have her also reprimanded. She is forced with  an ultimate decision and eventually decides to do nothing. Summarized Ethical Issue at Heart The unethical issue at heart is the manager, Kevin, making inappropriate gestures towards Jackie after they had broken up. Doing so with Jackie’s vulnerable position of whether or not to report the issue which would do more harm than good. Or to leave the matter alone and just hope that Kevin would leave her alone. Neither option are better suited for Jackie who in this case is the victim, which leads to the question of appropriate ethical responsibility of the company. Details that are missing in the case A 3rd party perspective on the details of both parties. More detail as to what accusations were being made towards Kevin and Jackie. Whether Kevin had proper ethical training. List of all stakeholders who would be involved with this ethical dilemma. Employees Other artists Board of Trustees Investors Legal Department Customers Community Media Three stakeholders and the concerns they may have. Employees Don’t like how they are working for an unethically sound company. Thinking how it could happen to them if they were put in the same situation If the  problem was ever made public how would my job security look? Would this company’s name stain my resume? Investors How will my portfolio look if this artist is to become successful with another producer? Will this story become public? Will my shares plummet from this company’s bad publicity? What would happen to the company outlook if the entire company was to go thru proper corporate ethical training? Could it be a success? Board of Trustees This will look bad if the story was to made public How must will it cost to perform proper corporate training on proper ethical behavior? Do the managerial levels need to be reevaluated? Could the company be looking at a lawsuit? Five solutions. Perform corporate training at all levels reviewing proper ethical conduct Fire the manager Workout an undisclosed settlement See if another manager is available to take her on Leave and try to find successes elsewhere Top three solutions with possible consequences. 1. Perform corporate training at all levels, monitor it and have employees sign off on regulating polices that are being implemented regarding superior-employee relations as well as all other common ethical practices. Doesn’t really solve the problem at hand, may be good for the future but doesn’t help Jackie Company sets public perception that their ethical standards are in question Very timely and costly Risk of employees losing interest/possible turnover of employees 2. Fire and Replace the Manager May get sued by Kevin for wrongful termination Jackie’s verbal threats may continue Incident is likely to be made public Board of Trustees would have to look over all management positions Loss of all positive profits that Kevin may have acquired 3. Workout an undisclosed settlement Costly Sets a standard for future wrong doings May not stay quiet Fellow employees and/or artist may exercise more scrutiny as they mature on with their job Three Stakeholders and Top Three Solutions with two pros and two cons effects on the Stakeholder. Make company employees take corporate training on proper ethical behavior Will benefit the company’s overall performance Give the media something different to talk about with regards to the company Very costly Employees may decline to take it/possible employee turnover Fire and Replace the Manager Jackie would be satisfied The company would have a bad employee released Fellow artists may lose that label Manager could sue for wrongful termination Workout an undisclosed amount Jackie would be happy and the problem would be resolved Stays quiet Costly Solves no future problems Two ethical principles upheld or violated by the top three solutions. Make company employees take corporate training on proper ethical behavior Provides positive integrity to the company As long as the training provided was paid hours it shouldn’t be seen in any way of being unethical Trust and Communication Fire and Replace the Manager Fails to meet ethical standards simply because not enough information is known Unethical towards the employees as some could suddenly be put into a disadvantage Work out an undisclosed amount Completely unethical from the rest of the company’s standpoint as this option would be odd and serve no purpose towards the rest of the company Financially unethical to use funds to serve as a settlement rather than other purposes of the company Performing corporate training at all levels, monitoring it and have employees sign off on regulating polices that are being implemented regarding superior-employee relations as well as all other common ethical practices will provide positive integrity to the company. If the training hours were paid and it didn’t have an effect on daily routine then it doesn’t seem to be unethical to request training hours. Firing the manager Kevin would solve Jackie’s problem but only hers alone. To be fair which is a principle of  ethics would be to implement a code that would benefit the company as a whole. Although what Kevin is accused of doing is warranted of being fired there just isn’t enough information for the company to let him go. Her words against his wouldn’t be enough to fire him. This is why a revamp of full corporate training probably stands to be the best possible solution for this situation. Decision and Implementation Identify the best solution. Implementing corporate training throughout the entire staff of the company maybe specializing in specific areas would be most likely to be the best possible solution. There are a lot more benefits to educating employees on proper ethics. A workplace in which an ethics code has been instilled is a naturally pleasant place. Employee morale rises in an atmosphere that promotes good behavior and honest interactions. Reasons why this is the best solution. It creates a better atmosphere in the workplace, teaches an office how to work as a team, promotes personal responsibility, and has always shown to boost staff morale. A work ethics training program promotes teamwork by instilling trust in co-workers. People are more likely to be amenable to working together when they appreciate and respect one another. Why the other solutions were rejected Firing the manager Kevin as well as making an undisclosed settlement were found to be unethical towards other members of the company. It would not be a good example to set if the company were to single out an incident and act in an irregular way towards that issue. There also wasn’t enough facts to the case to make the decision to fire the manager, Kevin. Especially doing so knowing full well it would affect other stakeholders. Possible objections to the solution The company may find that employee may complain that they do not need to take part in training. A mandatory requirement may need to be implemented for all employees. A turnover rate within the employees may be seen. Investors or Board of Trustees will look at all avenues of the cheapest method of implementing training. How would you overcome these objections? Make it a requirement to attain a certain number of ethics training hours. Find other avenues of funding that can contribute to the program to make sure that employees are receiving the best training. Self-inflicted training from the managerial level is a cheaper method to instruct employees. References Ethical Dilemma. (n.d.). Forbes. Retrieved , from http://www.forbes.com/2004/06/23/cx_da_0623topnews.html Advantages of Training Employees About Work Ethics. (n.d.). Small Business. Retrieved , from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-training-employees-work-ethics-44472.html Ethics Training in the Workplace. (n.d.). Ethics Training. Retrieved , from http://www.rctm.com/ethics.htm Institute For Ethical Awareness. (n.d.). Institute For Ethical Awareness. Retrieved , from http://www.instituteforethicalawareness.org The Online Business Ethics Training Program | Ethics Training Guide. (n.d.). Ethics Training Guide. Retrieved , from http://ethicstrainingguide.org/

Baseball History

Baseball is the oldest and oldest professional group sports in North America. Of course, even after years of existence, baseball fans of all ages still have many moments to remember. I remember catch in the first game of the home run of the 1954 World Series and the 1960 Bill  · Mazero Ski World Series. Players like Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson surpass them. These players remain in the mind and head of the country for a long time after the game. In my opinion, the lack of baseball history is the last five letters. Since baseball's history is a historical department of a toy shop rather than the average writing history of the United States (baseball is called a toy division in the newspaper), it is moved by the event, moved by the character, the cargo train I will move the story. Like a novel, there must be a wise truth illuminated by the truth and wisdom of the truth. In other words, you can not precisely ignore speculative and aesthetic possibilities in the history of baseball. Problem-driven baseball history is simply unread for baseball history But the history of baseball may begin and the history of baseball history starts with most of us from Henry Chadwick. He remembered the first experience of playing baseball in 1848 - his comment showed that Nick Bock's rule did not wipe out everything before - if it is true - England cricket What is ~? Today, most people think that Father Chadwick and Nick Bock are playing together at Irisian battlefield. Just to invent scoring system and box score, or to sneak into the bad impact of gambler and tire. However, as Rankin pointed out during the first few years of the next century, Chadwick has been on for decades. Campaign on est moi's platform. I remember that subsystem trust is not Chadwick, but Herald's Michael Kelly.

Annotations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Annotations - Essay Example The article attempts to drive businesses closer to the social media so as to unleash underlying potentials in the social media. Business communication scholars are urged to include social media in their courses so that exclusive research can be done. Including social media in business communication course may prove to be vital amongst students and industries. Businesses may communicate to their clients and various stakeholders via social media through sharing. Social media is very interactive and booming thus making it the best media for every business to invest in. This article is very relevant especially considering the real increase in and widespread use of social media. It addresses very relevant matter and an issue which can be considered as a current affair. Just like all other articles it dresses an issue regarding business communication. Cheng, S. S., & Seeger, M. W. (2012). Lessons learned from organizational crisis: Business ethics and corporate communication. International Journal of Business and Management, 7(12), 74-86. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1022986453?accountid=45049 This article attempts to analyze collapse of HIH Company in Australia which grew so quickly but did not have sufficient tools to support her growth. Sophy and Mathew assert that lack of operational protocols to sustain the organization’s faster growth and that lies and deceptions can deeply injure the image and function of the company. They examined that HIH’s management did not pay much attention to their stakeholders. Communication strategies used by the management during the crisis as it involved a lot of blame game and denial. No one wanted to own the problem especially the executive. It is apparent that the management put their personal interests above the corporate’s interest thereby revealing the

Religion and Theologyy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Religion and Theologyy - Essay Example Theology helps to learn religious traditions; this is a system of theoretical principles that derives the religious practices. According to H. Dermot McDonald, religious experience does possess a sense of adequacy and completeness. Theology has facilitated Christianity towards human values to the fullest. The impact of Jesus in the lives of people since ages has never passed by with absolute positives like none before. History talks about many skeptics and critics whose lives have also been transformed completely. Different factors that facilitate the Christian values into human lives, it is quiet important to analyse and understand certain aspects about Jesus if he had claimed to be God ever, if the Bible had the authority in human life, and if a person is a Christian, does it in any way matter as to how a life is lead. These factors have always been the focal areas of interaction many times. According to John 10:30 Jesus says â€Å"I and the Father are one†, but Jesus never said the words precisely as â€Å"I am God†. This means that Jesus never said that he was God ever; in fact he referred to the Father and him as equals, with Father, Son and the Holy Spirit in the form of Trinity. Secondly the point if Bible has authority over human life; Bible is the essence of timeless truth rather than an authority. According to N.T Wright, the question posed is how the Bible could be authoritative; he brings up the views that most of the Bible does not consist of rules and regulations or a list of detailed commands that are to be obeyed, nor does it have creeds in it. There is no such Biblical doctrine of having authority of Bible and rather it is the root path to human beings towards reformation of life. The scriptural values one could follow to have an intimate relation with God. Thirdly, leading the way of life as a Christian emphasizing on the way life is lead. It lies in the works that one does in his life, where his reward comes from. Obedience and faithfulness are very essential to lead life close to God. Did Jesus claim to be God? To understand more precisely about the aspect of Bible, did Jesus ever claim to be God, when Jesus declared as per John 10:30 â€Å"I and the Father are one† his statement meant that he and his father were of similar nature and essence. John in his context reiterates the in-depth truth and concept linked to Jesus, wherein he says â€Å"the word was God† and â€Å"the word became flesh† according to John 1:1, 14 from the scripture. The verse elucidates that Jesus is God in the Human Flesh. In the book of Revelation, an angel instructs the apostle John to worship only God; on the other hand Jesus in the Bible receives worship at various instances. People have been worshipping him at different phases. Jesus never opposed the people not to worship him. Jesus never claimed himself to be God. But the point that could be emphasized is that if Jesus were not God, he would have certainl y told the people who worshipped him, not to do the same. Jesus was the word, a word which was with God, a word which was God himself. A primary aspect that could be observed is that Jesus had sacrificed his life for human kind, in a way where people could repent and come back to the righteous life. His death has paid the penalty for the sins of this world. Jesus has given an infinite penalty for human beings for the sins of people. This shows that Jesus was God and such an instance could happen only from an infinite entity as a whole. Jesus life on earth has been a journey that changed the lives of many. The scriptural verse as per 1 John 2:2 says â€Å"He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world† It can be stated that only God could take the sins of

Shareholder Wealth Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Shareholder Wealth - Assignment Example Such claims are limited by the proportion of ownership derived from the amount of the investment. Shareholders who invest have one common goal: maximise the value of invested wealth. Every investment decision is made with the expectation that its value would increase over time. Shareholders do not necessarily manage the business, so they hire managers as their agents to increase the value of their (shareholders') wealth such that there would be enough profits for everybody. A portion of these profits is given back to owners through dividends whilst the balance may be re-invested to create more wealth. The agency theory describes the dynamics of the relationship and potential conflicts of interest between shareholder-owners and manager-agents. How shareholder wealth is measured indicates how managers can maximise it. For any business with more than one shareholder, the ultimate measure of shareholder wealth is the share price, the value of one share of ownership in the business. Share valuation follows a systematic process based on the value of the corporation's assets, which equal its liabilities plus stockholders' equity, all information available from the balance sheet. At start-up, the value of a share is derived from dividing equity by the number of shares offered. Once the business generates profits, cash can be distributed as dividends to shareholders or re-invested in the business. Profits increase assets and the value of the shareholders' equity, thereby increasing each share's value. Or, assets can increase with debt, but it does not automatically follow that stockholders' equity would stay the same, decrease, or increase. The effects of debt depend on what managers do with it, and whether or not borrowing allows the corporation to generate more cash. At some future time, when a shareholder decides to sell the shares, both buyer and seller only need to analyse the balance sheet to agree on the price. However, a single share of stock is not only a claim on the assets the corporation owns today, or the value of the shareholders' equity now. It is also a claim on future profits and the future selling price of the share. Neither is the investment totally risk-free, since the share's value could drop because of mismanagement and bankruptcy. Risk is part of valuation because of the risk-return relationship. Therefore, a share's value today is calculated by getting the present value of: 1) Cash dividends until the shares are sold; 2) Proceeds from selling the shares; or if the corporation ceases operations, 3) The firm's break-up value after selling assets to pay off liabilities. Financial analysts simplify share valuation by focusing on the present value of cash dividends, making the convenient assumptions that shares would not be sold and the business would not be closed. Since cash dividends are equivalent to the free cash flow (FCF), the value of a share now is the present value of the FCF stream discounted at the rate of return investors expect to receive on comparable investments. FCF is not profits, which can be re-invested or given out as dividends. Rather, FCF is the cash not retained nor

Supply chain management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

Supply chain management - Essay Example In this regard, the essay helps in developing a better understanding of the various concepts related with the SCM and lean manufacturing through the effective analysis of the advantages as well as disadvantages related with the system. The current issue that are identifiable within the business is to enhance the efficiency of SCM that is operating within an organization. Organisations operating in the present domain are having different set of SCM processes and needs to be handled in a separate manner to enhance the ability of the same. The issues arising from operations of SCM is even different based on the varied organisational perspective. Some common issues faced within the domain of SCM are identified within the operational area of an organization. The major issues identifiable within an organisation are mostly in the operational areas related with the configuration of distribution network, inventory control and outsourcing. The effective maintenance and handling of the different processes of production is noted to be affecting the needs of the business and further hindering the operations of an organisation (Womack, & Jones, 1994). Lean manufacturing process includes a series of steps that are involved with value creation for the customers, continuous improvement as well as eliminating waste among others. Lean SCM could effectively handle specific issues related with production as well as other operations within the domain of SCM. Through the effective management of the production, cycle lean would help in developing the SCM that is operating within the domain of organisational operations (Holweg, 2007). To enhance the efficiency of lean, it should focus on the waste management of over effective production to ensure a sustainable development for organizations practising lean manufacturing. An organization needs to maintain its level of consumers and ensure the timely production of goods this could be effectively handled by

Globalisation and Challenges of the Muslim Religion on Its Influence Essay

Globalisation and Challenges of the Muslim Religion on Its Influence to the Family and Its Function in the Middle East - Essay Example This essay declares that majority of the humans all over the world follow one religion or other. Even the non-believers might have followed some religion, before becoming non-believers. However, religion is not a static concept or entity, which will be contained in one place or in a particular period of time, but it could spread to various places, and importantly could evolve and change based on certain world events. One of the events, which is having impacts on religions, and thereby in the way that religion impacts lives is globalization. Globalization is the process, in which the geographical and other social boundaries are broken, with interaction happening between people in various spheres of life, including economics, social, cultural etc. Because of this interaction, and its impacts on various ‘spheres’, the religion also gets impacted. As the report stresses family is also an omnipresent concept followed in all the countries and cultures of the world. Humans will not normally exist or thrive in isolation, he/she will be in the midst of others, and family is something, which majority of the humans are born in. That is, with biological connection established, when they are born, families get formed naturally. However, in the current times, the definition of family has had some competing definition due to the nature of change in family dynamics and composition. In general, it can be defined as a thing, in which group of individuals will live collectively particularly in a house or home, preferably under the control of one head. â€Å"A family is group of two people or more (one of whom is the householder) related by birth, marriage, or adaptation and residing together; all such people (including related subfamily members of one family)† (Mather 2004, p.2). When one focuses on family from the perspective of Func tionalist theory, it is clear that the institution of family plays many key roles. As a vehicle of socialization of individuals with the family from birth throughout the life stages. Functionalist acknowledges the socio-emotional support. As a means of production Family as a means of regulating sexual activity. Transmits social identity and social status of individuals within a given family, community or society. However, with the rise of single parent families, families with same sex couples and even families where the partners live together outside of marriage, traditional definitions of family are being broken, particularly in the Western world. Dhami and Sheik (2001, p.57) ascertain that, â€Å"We live an era in which the nature, function, and structure of the family have been thrown into question. Many, for example, would consider an unmarried couple, a single mother, and homosexual couples as equally legitimate expressions of the family unit.† At the same time, when one focuses on the family from the perspective of Islam, the family is defined as ‘divine institution’. That is, Dhami and Sheik (2001, p.57) further argue that, â€Å"Islam takes a more conservative stance, arguing that the family is a divinely inspired institution, with marriage at its core.† Thus, when religion or particular religious beliefs are focused, it interprets family differently. Religion

LEGAL REASONING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

LEGAL REASONING - Essay Example The state offers tax exemptions on property left to spouses after the death of their partners (Wood, 2011). However, the state denied her request on realizing that she was married to a person of the same sex. There was a federal law in force in the US, the marriage act that defended marriage, DOMA, which failed to include a same sex partner in its definition of the term ‘spouse’ (Leonard, 2013). She decided to file a suit in court challenging the constitutionality of the federal law provision after agreeing to pay the taxes. Both the US Courts of Appeal and the US District Court delivered a ruling that the provision in the statute law was not constitutional and as such ordered the State of New York to issue a refund for the sum paid by Windsor in taxes for her property (Boies & Olson, 2008). The Supreme Court, in a similar case pitting the Governor of Utah and the Salt Lake City Clerk, in their capacities against Derek Kitchen, Kate Call, Kody Partridge, Moudi Sbeity, Laurie Wood and Karen Archer, did not uphold the decision by the state of Utah to ban marriages by same sex couples in 2004. The plaintiffs complained of abuse of their rights by the state of Utah, since it failed to recognize such marriages and accord them the recognition accorded to marriages between heterosexual partners (Engdahl, 2009). One of the reasons given by the Supreme Court to justify their decision in the appeal was that the provision of that federal law encouraged the curtailment of the right of all American citizens to marry any person of their choice (Leonard, 2013). Further, it would deny this section of the population their right to establish a family as they may will, raise their children as well as enjoy the unconditional protection offered by the laws of the State concerning marriages (Fredericks, 2009). Justice Kennedy posited that the Fourteenth Amendment in the US Constitution protected these rights. It has always been a

Kevin Stevenson retires as AASB Chair Essay Example for Free

Kevin Stevenson retires as AASB Chair Essay This article is concerned with the accomplishments and achievements of Kevin Stevenson upon his retirement as the Chairman of the Australian Accounting Standards Board on 30th June 2014. During his tenure, Kevin Stevenson ensured that the long traditions of financial reporting were upheld both internationally and domestically and also provided counsel on issues concerning the FRC. Mr. Stevenson was an example of pioneer standard setters for generations down the line as he was among the founding members of the Accounting Standards Advisory Forum of the International Accounting Standards Board. Through his leadership, the AASB’s Research Centre was established as Stevenson served the Asian-Oceanian Standard Setters Group’s chair. His main focus was to work in the interest of the public, as stated by Lynn Wood, the FRC’s chair and trustee of the IFRS Foundation. In concurrence is Ian Mackintosh, the former Chair of the PSASB of Australia and Deputy Chair of IASB. According to Mackintosh, Stevenson largely contributed in the moves by Asia countries like Nepal and Korea to the IFRS. From the onset of the 1970s, Mr. Stevenson’ attention was driven towards setting ‘principal based’ standards and developing a Conceptual Framework to be used in financial reporting. He advocated for accounting regulations as evidenced by his association with the Accounting Research Foundation and later on watched over the growth of the AARF upon being appointed its Director. He was at the forefront of setting the international pace in the development of com mon accounting standards for both the public and the private sectors. Stevenson largely contributed to the formation of the Public Sector Accounting and also played a significant role in the establishment of the stable platform of International Financial Reporting Standards in 2005 for adoption in Australia and the entire Europe. Concepts, ideas and facts                      Teamwork and leadership are two important components that must be in alignment so as to provide effective high quality and efficient accounting services. A strategic human resource management model provides guidance to accounting teams and leaders to deliver high-quality services in a timely manner. Accounting operates within a performance measurement that tolerates no errors. Therefore, a state-of-the-art investigation requires scientific leadership working with major stakeholders as a team to provide the best accounting services to a fraud investigation. The new techniques of accounting are significant steps in the right direction and they require leaders with skills and business tools to apply concepts such as efficiency, cost benefit analysis, economies of scale and cost-effectiveness analysis that will measure continuous improvement on a regular basis. Effective leadership is needed to develop, design and implement a solution that would resolve the core competency of an organization. Strategic leadership in accounting provides quality and timely accounting services to a company. Such leadership like that o Stevenson brings together a fragmented system consisting of thousands of accountants working within a fragmented system of organizations. Effective teamwork and leadership in accounting shows the way through the development of new innovative fraud investigations for the future. Leaders in positions like that of Stevenson are encouraged to consider both the social and moral implications of their decisions with regard to how their decisions will affect the clients and shareholders of the company. It is the ethical responsibility of every employee to ensure their company does not illegally evade income taxes or allow questionable deductions. They should ensure that the company finds are allocated to the appropriate activities based on their importance and determine the important elements of the business. The accounting issue                      One major way of improving the confidence in financial reporting and accounting is to ensure that there is improvement in ethical standards, reporting mechanisms, strengthening of governance and adequacy of financial management. It is ethical to maintain the right to the truth while practicing accounting and financial reporting. Those who use financial statements have the right to accurate and truthful information when engaging in investment strategies. Clients have a legal right to receive competent and professional services from accountants who have a legal obligation to perform their responsibilities within the constraints of their skills. It is often argued that most accountants lack ethical ability to recognize and solve ethical dilemmas. This has necessitated the need to include ethics education as a major component of the accounting profession. The development of professional ethics and values should be initiated early in the accounting profe ssion and be emphasized throughout the career. Major issue of the article                      Stevenson clearly shows that it is the responsibility of management to serve the best interests of the company that they are providing auditing and accounting services for, investors and society as a whole. This can be done by providing truthful and accurate financial records. Ethical guidelines require that management should be honest, concise, accurate and complete while recording financial data to ensure ethics are held to the highest degree. It is also the duty of every employee to make wise, informed decisions about the future of a company. These accounting standards are useful in financial reporting and accounting as they are processes that are currently under a great deal of scrutiny. The two are important functions that organizations should take care of and ensure that they exhibit a high code of ethics. This is because clients and shareholders use accounting and financial reports in their decision making process. Legal and ethical issues ar e important elements of financial reporting and accounting as has been demonstrated by the positions assumed by Mr. Stevenson. These issues prompted Stevenson to establish financial reporting and accounting departments to set up specific sets of rules that govern the functioning of any organization. Relevant topics and theories                      The long traditions of financial reporting applied Positive Accounting theory by focusing on various aspects that are of major interest to accounting techniques and the issues that provided an informative background and the gives in depth details of the functionality of accounting in financial reporting. Positive Accounting gives a holistic description of what is currently unknown and proposes future considerations. Financial reporting and accounting apply to any economic entity relating to the company’s future business. The major ethical elements involved are objectivity, competence, independence and integrity. These ethical elements require that accountants and financial reporters are independent of the clients to whom they provide financial and accounting services. Ethical obligations help to determine the effectiveness of accounting and financial report and redress any imbalance that may alter information symmetry. The move by Nepal and K orea followed the ethical guidelines of financial reporting and never let the desire for a better living and acquiring more possession get in the way of their financial obligations. It is ethical for any employee of the accounting or financial department working in the public or private sector to remain loyal and impartial to ethical obligations when reviewing both individual and financial reports. It is usual for one to encounter various ethical issues and it is therefore important for one to remain vigilant to resist temptations to manipulate financial records that could violate ethical guidelines. Transparency and integrity are important ethical elements of normative accounting theory. Some companies may receive pressure from management to maintain a certain public image. This is because some public companies have the burden of succeeding at high levels and it becomes an ethical issue for them to maintain true reports of the company assets, profits and liabilities without succumb ing to the pressure from management. It is unethical for management to alter the financial records of its company and manipulate the numbers to create a false image of the success of the company. This only leads to prosperity in the short term since such fraud cases are discovered by the Securities and Exchange Commission ultimately spelling the downfall of the company. For these reasons, accounting theories assert that companies must remain ethically vigilant to avoid breaching the code of conduct. High standards of ethical behavior are expected for those people engaging in accounting and financial reporting. These standards provide rules and guidance to employees in the performance of their professional obligations. Poor decision making by management based on faulty or manipulated financial records aimed at deceiving the public about a company’s financial health has negative consequences on the business. It is therefore unethical for management to overlook such behavior. Gi ven how tempting it is for companies to manipulate their financial records in order to portray an image of economic health, management should provide the last defense possible to prevent accounting fraud. In comment letter 1, the Financial Reporting Committee of the IMA wrote to express its views on financial accounting standards on simplification of the income statement presentation through the elimination of the concept of extraordinary items. The FRC is in charge of several accounting books of different companies this in essence means that they are charged with the responsibility of making timely responses to statements, pronouncements, research legislations, proposals and pending legislations. Their main concern in this letter is the complex nature of financial statements in FASB comment letters. They support the simplication initiative adopted by the board as regards to making the financial statements easier to understand by the common folk CITATION Sch l 1033 (Schroder, 2014). Their support is on the elimination of elimination of extra ordinary items as in most times this criterion is not always met. Their proposal thus rids of the tedious work in the preparation of financial documents and whether this requirement is met by auditors in the process of doing their work. Their support is based on the fact that it reduces to a great extending the complex nature of the time for the allocation of the provision of income tax by reducing the occurrence of other income items occurring. They thus advocate for a thorough examination of the details of this suggested proposal CITATION Sch l 1033 (Schroder, 2014). In comment letter number 2, Marcum Accountants and Advisors write to the FASB regarding the proposed accounting standards through the simplification of the income statement by elimination of the concept of extraordinary items. Their letter is generally a response to several questions regarding the process of simplification of the income statement. They support the concept of elimination of extra ordinary items from the General Accounting principles. Their contention is based on the difficulty of application the extra ordinary items in accounting practice CITATION Giu14 l 1033 (Giugliano, 2014). They thus support the application for extra ordinary items in previous accounting periods. A sudden change of the rules would otherwise lead to confusion in the accounting practice. The ease of application of the proposed update makes it easy to make these recommended changes quite easy to adopt. They thus suggest the immediate adoption of the proposed update. They are in agreement with the decision by the board to stick to the principle of separate disclosure of infrequent transactions. Items must thus meet the definition of occurring infrequently in recurrent expenditure. They list the following examples as those that should not be classified as unusual or infrequently occurring: occupancy related expense, routine tax audit returns and losses and gains from reimbursements from insurance CITATION Giu14 l 1033 (Giugliano, 2014). They thus suggest the importance of offering guidance on the determination of unusual items. Proper definitions should thus be provided of the unusually occurring items. In comment letter 3, Ford Motor Company also writes in support of the simplication initiative by FASB. Their agreement is based on the objective of evaluation, identification and improvement of the generally accepted accounting principles CITATION Cal14 l 1033 (Callahan, 2014). This thus means that the reduction of the cost of complexity is possible with the simplification of the income statement. They are also in agreement with the board that such an update would not lead to data loss. The overall benefit would be to the end users of such financial statements. References Callahan, S. (2014). Ford Company. Giugliano, G. (2014). Marcum Accountants. Schroder, N. (2014). Institute of Management Accounting. Source document

Motives of internalization and strategic advantages and traits

Motives of internalization and strategic advantages and traits Internationalization can be defined as the desire to be a member of the international society by satisfying a certain standard, or strengthening the influence of a nation on other nations. It becomes the process where multinational enterprise (MNE) engaging, it is very important for these companies to penetrate international market if they want to be accepted and remain successful. (Sreenivasan Jayashree and Sahal Ali Al-Marwai). The internationalization process helps MNEs in maturate their operation in foreign market and enhance their competitive position abroad. According to Hedman (1993), three main alternatives for distributing the enterprises product exist, that is, indirect export, direct export and alternatives to export. When distributing indirectly, the different distribution activities are assigned to one or several intermediaries in the home market. When distributing directly, the producer itself conducts the distribution activities, such as distribution to a foreign importer, which in his turn forward the products to another intermediary or the end customer. (Molnar, 1990) the third alternative, alternatives to export, can take place through, for instance, own production in the target country, or licensing (Hedman, 1993). The rapid changes in todays business world call for new models of internationalization (Fillis, 2001; Meyer and Gelbuda, 2006), especially to be able to capture the early phase of internationalization in a better manner than the traditional models (Johanson and Vahlne, 2003). In contemporary research, Coviello and McAuley (1999), in line with Leonidou and Katsikeas (1996), have pointed at three theory directions that are preferable for studying internationalization, namely Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)-theories (a.k.a., the theory of the Multinational Firm), Stage models and Network theory. Even though these are different theory directions, they are seen to be complementary views where a combination of views is preferred since it is difficult to capture the internationalization concept using only one theoretical framework (Bell et al., 2003; Bjà ¶rkman and Forsgren, 2000; Coviello and Munro, 1997; Meyer and Skak, 2002). Network theory is increasingly being combined with stage theo ry in order to understand and explain the rapid internationalization of the firm (in Bell et al., 2003; Johanson and Vahlne, 1990, 2003; Meyer and Skak, 2002). The process of internationalization has been the subject of widespread theoretical and empirical research (for example, Johanson and Wiedersheim-Paul 1975; Johanson and Vahlne 1977; Bilkey 1978; Cavusgil 1980; Turnbull 1987; Welch and Loustarinen 1988) and finds a general acceptance in the literature (Bradley 1991; Buckley and Ghauri 1993; Leonidou and Katsikeas 1996). The internationalization process is described as a gradual development taking place in distinct stages (Melin 1992). Internationalization processes in emerging markets, as in international markets in general, take place in a stepwise manner (Jansson, 2007). Companies commit themselves through a gradual learning process. Learning is incremental and takes place by doing. Firms learn about doing business abroad, for example, learning about the conditions in particular markets. Companies tend first to establish themselves in geographically and culturally proximate markets and increase their commitment, starting with agents, and passing through sales companies to manufacturing companies (Johanson and Vahlne, 1977; Johanson and Wiedersheim-Paul, 1975). Within the last decades, the business world has changed drastically through globalization and internationalization -creating a new and fierce business environment for companies. We can now see a third wave of internationalization of firms in which companies domiciled in mature Western markets establish themselves on a large scale in emerging markets such as Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), Russia, China and India (Jansson, 2007). A recent phenomena of firm from Asian capital exporting countries were internationalizing and multinationalizing their business activities and have emerged or are emerging as Asian multinational enterprises (World Bank, 1993). They started the internationalizing activities and investing and setting up operation in other countries since mid-1980. Research interest which focus on these Asian enterprises and their direct investment activities arise in recent years (Ting, 1985; Ulagado et al., 1994; Yeung 1994, 1997). Foreign direct investment (FDI) started on the early 1980s. According to studies done by Lall, 1983;Well, 1983; Kumar and McLeod, 1981; Khan, 1986; Monkiewicz, 1986; Aggarwal and Agmon,1990; Tolentino, 1993, FDI of Third World multinational enterprises (TWMNEs), slightly different with the traditional MNEs from the western developed countries in term of their characteristic. The growth of East Asia (World Bank, 1993) in late 1980 and early 1990, has increased intra-regional direct investment. The directed investment process from Japan , followed by Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore and the activities transferring from one level of economies to another in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand has been depicted as wild flying geese pattern. (Toh and Low,1994; Guisinger, 1991). As a result, these Asian capital exporting countries firm internationalizing and multinationalizing their business activities and have emerged or are emerging as Asian multinational enterprises (World Bank, 1993). Problem Statement During these extremely competitive times, the international business environment is one that is normally full of immense uncertainty, volatility as well as a high rate of failure when it comes to international expansion The research on the nature, organization and operations of these emerging Asian international and multinational enterprises are limited. This is because research in international business and trade has been dependent largely upon economistic and western-centric theories developed predominantly in industrial and institutional economics (Buckley and Casson, 1985; Dunning, 1988, 1993). A study shown internationalization is the crucial factor for a firm to grow and develop economically and technologically (Syed Zamberi Ahmad and Fariza Hashim, 2007). Hence, it is very important for multinational companies to conduct a comprehensive examination of the various important factors that could influence the type of strategy that is to be selected for international market entry. 1.3 Objectives This research is dedicated to all local Malaysian companies who are looking at ways and means to internationalize their operations to a foreign market and would be of tremendous assistance to them in determining the correct strategic path and improve the understanding of the Asian MNEs characteristic. 1.4 Research Question According to the problem statement above, the author has formulated some question to meet the research objective. The question are : What are the key characteristics and success of their foreign ventures? What are the motives for internationalization? What are the entry strategies? What are the strategic advantages and traits? Research Contribution Government: Through this study, government can carry out some government policy to lead more firm success in their international proses in expanding their business. Firms: This study provides information to provide better understand characteristic and strategy for the purpose of internationalization which can increase the net profit of the firm. Economic: This study enable economist to better understand how development of economic on a country can help MNEs in their internationalization process. 1.6 Summary This study proposal consists 3 chapters. Chapter 1 provides the overview of the recent phenomena of internationalization, the problem statement, objectives, and question. Chapter 2 displays literature review by past research, followed by concept and theories, and research framework. Chapter 3 describes the research methodology, sampling technique, data collection, data analysis and research planning that use to analysis the finding in Chapter 4. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction This chapter reviews the past studies about the concept and theory which included internationalization process, entry notes and process, eclectic explanation, foreign direct investment, regional and global internationalization processes, Uppsala model and Asian context. After that it follows by the research framework. 2.2 Concept and Theory 2.2.1 Internationalization processes Internationalization processes in emerging markets, as in international markets in general, take place in a stepwise manner (Jansson, 2007). Companies commit themselves through a gradual learning process. Learning is incremental and takes place by doing. Firms learn about doing business abroad, for example, learning about the conditions in particular markets. Companies tend first to establish themselves in geographically and culturally proximate markets and increase their commitment, starting with agents, and passing through sales companies to manufacturing companies (Johanson and Vahlne, 1977; Johanson and Wiedersheim-Paul, 1975). Research on the exports of mainly North American companies has reached similar results (Bilkey, 1978; Cavusgil, 1980; Czinkota, 1982; Reid, 1981). Such process theories are highly useful especially when studying international 66 H. Jansson, S. Sandberg / Journal of International Management 14 (2008) 65-77 business in CEE. Learning processes are essential s ince the company needs to adapt to an emerging and different business context, such as exists in the CEE (Meyer and Gelbuda, 2006). As noted by Sharma and Blomstermo (2003b) a basic assumption in internationalization process theory is that knowledge accumulation is continuous and dependent upon the duration of foreign operations. The longer firms have been involved in foreign operations, the more knowledge they accumulate about such operations. There is a relationship between knowledge accumulation and risk so that the more knowledge a firm has, the less uncertain they perceive the foreign market to be. Firms that lack knowledge about foreign markets even tend to overestimate risks. This corresponds to what Jansson (1989) found concerning establishment processes in a regional perspective, namely that the pace of investments in Southeast Asian countries accelerated, the more experienced the firms became in an area. Johanson and Vahlne (1990) stated that Uppsala model of internationalization indicated firms reveal an evolutionary process in internationalizing through a series of evolutionary stage. 2.2.2 Entry nodes and entry processes Firms entering emerging markets face several barriers according to Meyer (2001). These barriers include a lack of information, unclear regulations and corruption. According to traditional research on internationalization processes, market entries either take place through intermediaries such as agents or distributors or through a firms own representative in the exporting/importing country, mainly a subsidiary. In terms of research in this area, scholars have found that relationships are at the core of the internationalization process (Axelsson and Johanson, 1992; Ford, 2002; Hà ¥kansson, 1982; Hà ¥kansson and Snehota, 1995; Hammarkvist et al., 1982; Jansson, 1994, 2007; Johanson and Vahlne, 2003; Majkgà ¥rd and Sharma, 1998). According to the network approach to internationalization, entries into local market networks take place through establishing relationships. The international marketing and purchasing of products and know-how through a direct exporter/importer network means that a vertical network in the exporting region (e.g. a suppliers supplier network) is indirectly connected to another vertical network in the importing region (e.g. a buyers buyer network). This large vertical network will, in turn, be embedded in other regional and national networks, such as a financial network (Jansson, 2006, 2007). From a network perspective, establishment points in foreign market networks are defined as entry nodes. There are various routes into these networks, or nodes by which a firm can enter a network. Entries through trade either take place H. Jansson, S. Sandberg / Journal of International Management 14 (2008) 65-77 67 directly with customers or indirectly through intermediaries. Direct relationships, dyads, can be established between buyer and seller in the respective countries. Indirect relationships, triads, involve an outside party or other type of entry node, usually an intermediary such as an agent, dealer or distributor. Dyads can also be established through the entry mode FDI (a subsidiary in the importing country). Entry processes take place by building relationships to form networks in foreign markets. Irrespective of entry node, the development of international buyer/seller relationships tends to follow a five stage pattern (Ford, 1980, 2002; Ford et al., 1998). Each stage of the entry process can be described by a number of relationship factors, such as how the experience, commitment and adaptations of the parties increase across the stages and how the distance and uncertainty between them are reduced across the stages. The first stage includes the taking-up of marketing/purchasing activities before a formal relationship begins. The next three stages show how direct buyer-seller relationships within networks are established: from their beginning and to their deepening. Experience indicates the amount of experience the respective parties have with each other. They will gauge their partners commitment to the relationship, e.g. by the willingness to make adaptations. Distance is multifaceted and it can be split into social, cultural, technological, time and geographic distance. Uncertainty deals with the fact that at the initial stages, it is difficult to assess the potential rewards and costs of the relationship. In the fifth and final stage, the relationship is extensively institutionalized and habitual, with commitment being taken for granted. Based on Terpstra and Sarathy, 1991; and Baek, 2003, joint ventures with host governments and local partners in the host country were among the preferred entry strategies for international operational operation. Petronas in South Africa entered into a commercial alliance with Engen in 1996 as a strategic partner. The acquisition was to enable both companies to implement a shared growth strategy in Africa and the Indian Ocean Rim, while allowing the development of potential operational synergies between the two business entities (Padayachee and Valodia, 2002). 2.2.3 Eclectic Explanation Eclectic Paradigm is a proverbial known explanation of international production. Dunnings (1977, 1988, 1993, 1995). Eclectic Paradigm stated that the extent and pattern of international production is determined by: 1) Ownership advantages (for example, proprietary technology, products, expertise and skill) 2) Internalization advantages (for example, transaction costs reduction, maximize economic return), and 3) Location advantages of host and home countries These OLI (Ownership Location Internalization) variables listed above explain the reason internationalization occurs but overlook the dynamic process of internationalization. The Eclectic paradigm is provided by the Investment Development Path (Dunning, 1981, 1986) with a dynamic dimension, and relates the net outward investment of a country to its stage of economic development. Five stages of IDP ( Investment Development Path) Stage 1: At low level of economic development, there is little inward or outward investments. Stage 2: Inward investment becomes attractive, especially in import substitution projects as the country develops. Some outward investment may take place in neighborly countries which at lower stages of development. Most developing countries with some outward investments are at this stage. Stage 3: With economic development move forward, net inward investment declines while outward investment increases (relative to inward investment). Increasing of outward investment may take place in countries at lower IDP stages in order to overcome cost disadvantages in labour intensive industries and also to seek markets or strategic assets. Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea are said to be at this stage. Stage 4: As production being multinationalized, net outward investment becomes positive. Most developed countries are at this stage. Stage 5: The shift from advantages based more on factor endownment to those based on internalizing international market convergent outward and inward investment flows. Empirical research on Third World (including Asian) multinationals has given general support to the IDP concept (Dunning, 1986; Tolentino, 1993; Dunning Narula, 1996; Lall, 1996). Dunning and Narula (1996) acknowledge that country factors may influence the IDP pattern of a country, such as resource endownment, home market size, industrialization strategy, government policy, and the organization of economic activities. TWMNEs were smaller than their counterparts from developed countries and have limited number of overseas operations. The competitive advantages of TWMNEs were based on cost advantages (particularly labour cost) and greater responsiveness to host country needs which is different from western MNEs. They served market niches which were not covered by the traditional MNEs and so were not in direct competition with them. The major motivation for these FDI was protecting export markets rather than exploiting rent from proprietary technological know-how (or other ownership spe cific advantages characteristic of western MNEs) explained in theories, such as the eclectic paradigm of Dunning (1977, 1995). TWMNEs possessed first or second generation labour-intensive technologies and produced standardized products mainly for the domestic host country market which at stage 4 of IDP. Wells (1983) presupposes a pecking order hypothesis to suggest that the TWMNEs technologies could fill the technological gap between the advanced technology of developed country MNEs and the rudimentary technology of less developed countries (LDCs) in a pecking down order. Lall (1983) emphasized the flexibility and adaptability of TWMNEs technologies to be more suitable or appropriate to LDC situations. 2.2.4 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) It may seem surprising that there is significant number of foreign direct investments by some firms from developing countries because it is usually credited to more developed countries. A number of studies indicate that FDI flows not only from the industrialized or well-developed countries, as well as developing countries. Scholars such as Lecraw (1981, 1993), Wells (1977, 1981), Lall (1983a, and 1983b), Kumar and Lim (1984), Ulgado et. al., (1994) are only some of those who have carried out empirical studies and researched FDI flows from developing country firms in the 1970s and 1980s. Comparisons between the nature of international expansion of firms from developing countries and the nature of those corporations that originated from developed countries are made in most of these studies (Dunning, 1986; Vernon-Wortzel and Wortzel, 1988). In general, it has been depicted that the competitive advantages of MNCs from developed country are derived from advanced proprietary technology or other superior resources (Yeung, 1994). While ability to reduce costs of imported technology through de-scaled manufacturing or smaller scale of production is focus of the competitive advantage from developing country MNCs were derived from their This is a process whereby technologies from industrialised countries are adapted to suit smaller markets by reducing scale, replacing machinery with manual labour, and relying on local inputs (Ramamurti, 2004). Outward direct investment from developing countries started to grow rapidly to a sizeable magnitude during the mid-1980. This became the main tool of developing country multinationals in demanding that their constituent firms prepare for the drastically international competition that they were about to face(Kumar, 1996, 1997). The emergence of new technologies in the late 1980s somehow decreases the interest in outward direct investment from developing countries subsided (Kumar, 1996; Oh et. al., 1998; Pananond and Zeithaml, 1998; van Hoesel, 1999). Pananond and Zeithaml(1998) and van Hoesel(1999) recounted that aggregate analyses of developing country MNEs conducted at the industry level get attention from scholars and yielded interesting results by the early 1990s. They concluded that there were marked differences in characteristics between developing country MNEs in the 1980s and 1990s. Scholars posited that these two groups of MNEs belonged to two different waves of development i n term of their respective historical backgrounds, nature of businesses, extent of the role of government in operations and transactions, geographical direction, and mode of internationalisation activity. MNEs in the 1980s are more concerned with cost competitiveness with their competitors (van Hoesel, 1999). In contrast, developing country MNEs in the 1990s placed greater emphasis on the development and reset business strategies due to the dynamic changing patterns of world business structure brought about by trade liberalisation and economic globalisation (Dunning et al., 1997). Besides this, they put more effort on technological competence as the source of competitive advantage (Pananond and Zeithmal, 1998). They noted that notwithstanding these differences, there existed several significant interrelated points of convergence between the two groups (Dunning et al., 1997; van Hoesel, 1999). 2.1.5 Regional and global internationalization processes In analyzing the early internationalization steps of smaller and less experienced companies, the internationalization process model by Johanson and Vahlne (1977) is regarded as a highly useful tool. In internationalization research, few studies have been conducted on higher level internationalization where companies are established in several countries and have fully-owned businesses (Meyer and Gelbuda, 2006). The more countries in a region a firm exports to, the more extensive is the regional internationalization process. The more regions a firm exports to, the more global is the internationalization process. New stages of internationalization are established when a firm extends its business from one major type of market to another or from one type of foreign environment to another. The main factor behind these stages is experiential knowledge, meaning that firms gradually build a knowledge base through operating in foreign markets. They learn from past experience by transforming this experience to useful knowledge. There are three types of such knowledge (Eriksson et al., 1997). Internationalization knowledge about how to perform international operations is an expression of a firms current stock of knowledge in the form of its resources and capabilities. The more novel the foreign environment, the more difficult it is for the firm to apply its current stock of knowledge to that foreign market. This means that there is a gap between a firms present internationalization knowledge and the knowledge the company has about how to do business in the specific foreign market, i.e. concerning its network experiential knowledge and institutional knowledge (Blomstermo et al., 2004). Based on a firms experiential knowledge process, internationalization processes are often divided into different degrees of internationalization. Johanson and Mattsson (1991) discuss the internationalization process for firms with various degrees of internationalization and propose that the process is mainly valid during the early stages of a firms internationalization: inexperienced firms tend to follow a traditionally slow and gradual pattern, while the internationalization of a more experienced company is less slow and gradual. 2.2.6 Uppsala model The Uppsala model (Johanson Weidersheim-Paul, 1975; Johanson Vahlne, 1977) provides an explanation of the dynamic process of internationalization of individual firms. The Uppsala model emphasize on the importance of gaining knowledge and experience about the characteristics of foreign markets along the internationalisation path, and helps MNEs reduced risks and levels of uncertainty in unfamiliar foreign environments before investing (Wiedersheim-Paul et al., 1978). The successive steps of increasing highly commitment are based on knowledge acquisition. Foreign activities started with export to foreign country through independent representative or agent, after that establish sales subsidiary and finally start production in the host country. The internationalization of the firm across many foreign markets was particularly related to psychic distance which included differences in language, education, business practices, culture and industrial development. Firstly, enter foreign market which closer in term of psychic distance, followed by subsequent entries in markets with greater psychic distances. Same goes to entry mode of foreign market. The incremental expansion of market commitment meant that the initial entry was typically some form of low commitment mode and followed by progressively higher levels of commitment. Obviously, commitment of the level of ownership in different markets was correlated with their psychic distance. The Uppsala model had received general support in empirical research (Welch and Loustarinen, 1988; Davidson, 1980, 1983; Erramilli et al., 1999) and its largely intuitive nature and evolutionary learning perspective made it attractive as an explanatory model. A related view regards learning was that TWMNEs built up their advantages through the accumulation of technology and skills. Lall (1983) emphasized on the localization and adaptation of technology to suit local markets by TWMNEs. Tolentino (1993) focused in term of the accumulation of technological competence in the expansion of firms from developing countries which was consistent with the resource-based view of building competitive advantage in strategic management. The accumulation of knowledge and competence especially its knowledge of developing markets and not so much its technology by the CP Group in Thailand was the key to its internationalization. There are also differences between the CP Group and Western MNEs (Pananond and Zeithaml, 1998). Mathews (2002, 2006) postulated that emerging firms could foster internationalization via leverage of their contractual linkages with other foreign firms to acquire resources and learning new capabilities. He indicated that this explanati on complemented the OLI framework and could be used to explain the rise of such latecomer firms which he dubbed as Dragon multinationals. 2.2.7 Asian Context Yeung (1999); Zutshi Gibbons (1989) portrayed that western theories on internationalization have neglect the active role played by the state and overlooked the institutional or contextual perspective in the internationalization of Asian. Asians state always plays a direct and active role in the internationalization of its MNEs. For example, the Singapore government played a key and direct role in the promotion of outward FDI (e.g., growth triangles, industrial parks in foreign countries), particularly from the early 1990s in its regionalization programs (Pang, 1994; Tan, 1995; ESCAP/UNCTAD, 1997). Incentives and other programs for instance tax incentives, finance schemes, training also provided to foster the rapid development of local entrepreneurship in the regionalization efforts. In Malaysia, the government took a very active role in promoting the internationalization of Malaysian firms. Investment promotion missions abroad were organized and often lead by the Prime Minister. The government provided incentives including tax abatement in 1991 and subsequently full tax exemption in 1995 for income earned overseas and remitted back to Malaysia. An overseas investment guarantee program was instituted. Malaysian government instructed firms to defer non-essential overseas investment in order to reduce the impact of the effects of the 1997 Asian financial crisis. In the Asian context, the state has played a very active and direct role in promoting the internationalization of its national firms. This is much different with the western context, where the role of the state is benign and indirect. 2.3 Summary This chapter first discussed the internationalization process in terms of entry notes and process, eclectic explanation, foreign direct investment, regional and global internationalization processes, Uppsala model and Asian context. The following chapter discusses the research method, survey development, and sample selection CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY 3.1 Introduction This chapter provides an overview of the research method. It starts by explaining the appropriateness of the research method. Then discusses the research design which consists of seven steps: questionnaire development, literature review, proposal, data collection, data analysis, discussion and conclusion, and write-up. Next the data collection and sample selection is discussed with reasons for each of the decisions involved. The next section discusses the statistical methods. Lastly, a Gantt chart will be use to estimate the times use in each activity. 3.2 Sampling Technique A case study approach will be using in this paper. It tends to provide in depth information and intimate details about the particular case being studied. This approach was used to collect comprehensive and holistic data (Eisenhardt, 1989; Internationalization Strategies of Emerging Asian MNEs 491 Yin, 1994) about firms that have internationalized their operations over time. The focus here is on MNEs from Malaysia (a fast developing country). Case studies mean that the research investigates few objects in many respects (Wiedersheim-Paul, Eriksson, 1991). Case studies are most suitable if you like to get a detailed understanding about different kinds of process (Lekvall Wahlbin, 1987). The researches may, for instance, choose a line of business and an enterprise, and conduct an in depth investigation (Wiedersheim-Paul, Eriksson, 1991). Yin (1994) states, that when the form of the questions is why and how, the case study strategy is most likely to be appropriate. The research problem I have investigated was how the internationalisation process of a MNEs when entering to foreign market can be characterised , which was divided into four research questions. 3.3 Data Collection 3.3.1 Secondary data Eriksson Wiedersheim-Paul (1997) points out that secondary data is data, which already has been collected by someone else, for another purpose. Statistics, and reports issued by governments , trade associations, and so on, are some sources of secondary data (Chisnall, 1997). The annual report and the enterprises homepage, are another sources of secondary data (Wiedersheim-Paul, Eriksson, 1991). Secondary data research should always be carried out before doing any field survey (Chisnall, 1991). When I had defined the research area, I started to search for relevant literature. The databases that I have used to find relevant literature are EBSCOhost, Science Direct, Libris, ABI/INFORM, and Helecon. The keywords used when searching the databases were international business, Malaysian MNEs, internationalization, strategies, mode of entry. These words were co

Art of Psychotherapy Essay -- therapeutic relationship

I believe that the art of psychotherapy is more important than empirically validated treatments (EVT). I feel that the art of psychotherapy lies in the common factors, which include the therapeutic relationship, client and therapist factors (e.g., personality), helping clients deal with problems, and hope or expectancy factors (Reisner, 2005). Although I do believe that empirically validated treatments may enhance the therapeutic process, the treatments themselves are by no means the most important or fundamental aspects of therapy. There appears, at least to me, to be much more of an art involved in developing the relationship with the client and understanding the client’s perspective. It takes art and skill of a therapist to examine, explore, or understand the self and another person. I agree with the idea presented by Allen (2008) that scientific knowledge is important, but it is not sufficient for the successful outcomes in psychotherapy. If a therapist cannot develop a re lationship and understand the client, then it is unlikely that individualized techniques could be successfully applied. Psychotherapy could easily exist as an art form if it were not for managed care. Managed care has not completely eradicated the art of psychotherapy at this point in time; however, as more research reveals EVT are applicable to more disorders, then the art of psychotherapy will likely decline in existence. This would occur due to managed care’s preferences for the use of EVT, since there is evidence that they work and likely work quickly, saving time and money. In order to receive reimbursement and compete with psychopharmacology there is a growing necessity for the reliance on empirically validated therapy (Reisner, 2005). Psychotherapy... ...ong with any necessary treatment measures (Scaturo, 2001). All types of therapy approaches are getting at the same problems of the client in an effort to alleviate them. The only real difference is they â€Å"process† that is that is involved. A discrepancy in treatment and the outcome is created if clinical expertise alone, research findings (EVTs) alone, or patient preference alone determines the treatments that the client gets (Reisner, 2005). Therapy involves both science (empirically validated treatments) and art by combining the relationship, knowledge of the client’s needs with the proper treatment techniques. Overall, I do not feel that manualized treatments will ever completely replace the art of psychotherapy; however, it is likely that the combination of manualized treatments and the art of psychotherapy will lead to more successful therapeutic outcomes. Art of Psychotherapy Essay -- therapeutic relationship I believe that the art of psychotherapy is more important than empirically validated treatments (EVT). I feel that the art of psychotherapy lies in the common factors, which include the therapeutic relationship, client and therapist factors (e.g., personality), helping clients deal with problems, and hope or expectancy factors (Reisner, 2005). Although I do believe that empirically validated treatments may enhance the therapeutic process, the treatments themselves are by no means the most important or fundamental aspects of therapy. There appears, at least to me, to be much more of an art involved in developing the relationship with the client and understanding the client’s perspective. It takes art and skill of a therapist to examine, explore, or understand the self and another person. I agree with the idea presented by Allen (2008) that scientific knowledge is important, but it is not sufficient for the successful outcomes in psychotherapy. If a therapist cannot develop a re lationship and understand the client, then it is unlikely that individualized techniques could be successfully applied. Psychotherapy could easily exist as an art form if it were not for managed care. Managed care has not completely eradicated the art of psychotherapy at this point in time; however, as more research reveals EVT are applicable to more disorders, then the art of psychotherapy will likely decline in existence. This would occur due to managed care’s preferences for the use of EVT, since there is evidence that they work and likely work quickly, saving time and money. In order to receive reimbursement and compete with psychopharmacology there is a growing necessity for the reliance on empirically validated therapy (Reisner, 2005). Psychotherapy... ...ong with any necessary treatment measures (Scaturo, 2001). All types of therapy approaches are getting at the same problems of the client in an effort to alleviate them. The only real difference is they â€Å"process† that is that is involved. A discrepancy in treatment and the outcome is created if clinical expertise alone, research findings (EVTs) alone, or patient preference alone determines the treatments that the client gets (Reisner, 2005). Therapy involves both science (empirically validated treatments) and art by combining the relationship, knowledge of the client’s needs with the proper treatment techniques. Overall, I do not feel that manualized treatments will ever completely replace the art of psychotherapy; however, it is likely that the combination of manualized treatments and the art of psychotherapy will lead to more successful therapeutic outcomes.

The Nature of Technology Essay -- Technology Internet Communication Es

A good portion of my life is lived on-line. It might even be said that I live a double life, part of it with family, friends, and co-workers in the immediate, material world, and another part with circles of family, friends, and co-workers on the net. Not only am I connected to other people, but I am also connected to a collection of tools and resources that help me in my day-to-day life. For example, I use hypertext as a thinking tool for producing and developing my ideas; I use the Web as a canvas for mapping and presenting myself and my work; and I use a smart phone not only to keep in touch, but also to manage my time and organize my projects. Yet, as I write, I realize that I must detail the nature of my on-line relationships, both with these people and with these tools, in order to validate them. After all, how can these friendships be true if I never see the people I claim to love? How can I justify exchanging texts with my father when he lives only two blocks away from my apartment? How can I have a successful working relationship with an individual who lives in another country? How can these demanding, maddeningly opaque technological tools help me do anything except waste time? If you feel that these questions are no-brainers, with obvious and unextraordinary answers, then you are at least familiar with the rhetoric behind a now-familiar pro-computing credo. More specifically you will recognize the key ideas of the global village and the use of high technology tools to improve life, to connect people to people, to promote freedom of expression, and to increase learning. Nicholas Negroponte, founder of the MIT Media Lab, neatly sums up every aspect of pro-technology rhetoric in the introduction to his book Being... ...to begin. Neither liberation nor oppression can become living powers in any soil except that of the human heart. As soon as we put the matter this way, however, we can begin to talk about the "nature" of the Net. Not some absolute, intrinsic nature, to be sure, but an established character -- a kind of active willfulness -- that ultimately derives from our character. ...We should not ask, "Is technology neutral?" but rather, "Are we neutral in our use of technology?" (Talbott 127) Works Cited Birkets, Sven. "The Electronic Hive: Two Views." Harper's, (May 2009). Negroponte, Nicholas. Being Digital. New York: Random House, (2011). Postman, Neil. Technopoly. New York: Random House, (2012). Stoll, Clifford. Silicon Snake Oil. New York: Doubleday, (2012). Talbott, Stephen L. The Future Does Not Compute. New York: O'Reilly & Associates, (2011).

The Evolution of Change in Pride and Prejudice Essay -- Literary Analy

Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, is a remarkable story showing the complications between men and women before and during their time of falling in love. The plot is based on how the main characters, Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, escape their pride, prejudice and vanity to find each other; however, both must recognize their faults and change them. Jane Austen follows the development of Elizabeth’s and Darcy’s relationship in how they both change in order to overcome their own vanities and be able to love each other. Mr. Darcy is very proud and vain man. Darcy’s pride occurs because his family allows him to follow his principles â€Å"in pride and conceit† (Austen 310). Elizabeth decides soon after meeting him that he is a despicable man, much too abrupt and overweening, and obsequious to be liked by anyone, and lacking even the most basic social skills of the time he is very laconic with everyone The gentlemen pronounced him to be a fine figure of a man, the ladies declared he was much handsomer than Mr. Bingley, and he was looked at with great admiration for about half the evening, till his manners gave a disgust which turned the tide of his popularity; for he was discovered to be proud, to be above his company, and above being pleased; and not all his large estate in Derbyshire could then save him from having a most forbidding, disagreeable countenance, and being unworthy to be compared with his friend. (58) Not only does Elizabeth see Darcy as prideful, but the other characters do as well. Darcy’s pride results in his alienation from the others. Darcy has such a high opinion of himself that he creates a pariah reaction from Elizabeth. Elizabeth has her issues with her prejudice against Mr. Darcy and hi... ...After the proposal they talk about their past relationship by having a very benign conversation, and many misunderstandings are cleared â€Å"In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings for you will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you† (Austen 179).Their marriage is presented in a positive light because they have had to work hard to achieve it. Pride and Prejudice is an apt name for the book, since these notions permeate the novel thoroughly, especially in the views of Elizabeth and Darcy. Eventually when Elizabeth accepts Darcy’s final proposal we. Even after they both confess their love for each other; they pose and answer questions for each other. This shows that from the beginning to end, Darcy and Elizabeth have gone through major changes by putting aside their pride of themselves and prejudices for others.

Elizbeth Bishop Personal Response Intro Essay

The poetry of Elizabeth Bishop appeals to me because she writes about things which are relevant, in a remarkably vivid and vital way. Bishops misfortune in life has inspired her to write distressing poems in which she describes to us the loss she suffered at an early stage in her childhood. She also tells us about her deepest and darkest moments in life. Out of Bishops troubled life, her poetry was born. Bishop has a painter’s eye and she vividly describes the world around her. She has a keen eye for detail and this is shown in the descriptive language in her poetry. Her strong sense of imagery draws the reader into her poetry. The themes exploded in Bishops poetry have universal appeal. What makes Bishops poetry particularly appealing is her ability to make ordinary everyday objects seem fascinating. Through Bishops poetry we see how close observation leads the poet to have several moments of awareness where she experiences several epiphanies. These moments of awareness are highly dramatic but extremely interesting. The poems ‘Sestina’, ‘First Death In Novia Scotia’, ‘Filling Station’, ‘The Fish’, ‘The Armadillo’ and ‘The Prodigal’ all demonstrate various issues such as nature and childhood memories. What appealed to me most about Bishop’s poetry was her use of striking and powerful imagery. I thoroughly enjoyed ‘The Fish’ for its unusual imagery and detailed description. I was drawn into the poem immediately as she says, ‘I caught a tremendous fish’. She describes the fish as ‘battered’, ‘venerable’ and ‘homely’. Bishop then goes on to compare the fish to everyday domestic items. ‘His brown skin hung in strips / like ancient wallpaper’. I found this statement particularly appealing as it evoked a sense of homely familiarity in me.

Analysis of a Print Advertisement and a Television Commercial

Print advertisements are used by marketers to make advertising appeals with an aim of influencing the manner in which consumers or buyers view themselves. This creates a psychological appeal whereby buyers view buying of certain products as beneficial to them. Print advertisements greatly influence the buying decisions of the consumers. The Tripwire Magazine contains car advertisements that capture the attention of the reader and arouses emotions that make them desire to get more about the cars.The psychological and socials needs of an individual are elicited by an emotional appeal that motivates consumers to make certain purchases (Betonio, 2011). Therefore, advertisers capitalize on the emotional appeal supported with logic in print advertisements to ensure consumers personal and social needs are captured the advertisements influencing the buyers purchase behaviors.The Samsung 46† digital TV LCD (LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY) display appeared in a TV commercial with an emphasis on product features such as the advanced cooling, longer operation, the high, gloss piano black finish, and the quality display resolution capturing consumers emotions through its emotional appeal. The advertisement used a colorful sculpture to show the commercial grade television and its other distinguishing features.In my opinion, they used this colorful art to attract the attention of the costumers and make them believe that they are buying something more than a simple Television; that’s why they mentioned at the end of the advertisement â€Å"is it art or television? † The ad also thrills the consumer when it illustrates how the Samsung 46† digital TV LCD captivates its viewers with professional displays that give a flexible, engaging and an interactive way to channel a message across.In conclusion, print advertisements or TV commercials are powerful advertising tools and are aimed at making a psychological appeal to consumers by attracting, holding as well as m aking them focus their attention on the product arousing an interest to possess it. This creates a positive image to those who purchase the product increasing the need to own one.

John Updike`s A&P Essay

â€Å"A & P† is first-person narrative revealing the delusively ordinary story related by the checkout boy in the grocery store named in the title. In â€Å"A & P† the first-person narrator is defined largely by his tone and vocabulary. Updike molds his protagonist through the use of specific writing style, thus Sammy is casual and colloquial. The customers in his grocery are referred to as â€Å"the sheep† the commonness of which has been one day disturbed by the appearance of a sexually uninhibited, young ladies in bathing suits. Surveying the three girls as they wander the aisles, Sammy describes the girls, and here Updike’s style is prolifically intoxicated with the description of the girls with the flights of slang language, trying to show why these teenagers deserve the sacrifice: chunky with â€Å"a sweet broad soft-looking can†, breasts, on the other hand, become â€Å"two smooth scoops of vanilla†, the shoulder bones become â€Å"dented sheet of metal tilted in the light†. Besides, Sammy’s narration is lard with the discourse markers that make his flow of narration softer and folksy: â€Å"kind of jerk†; â€Å"she kind of led them†; â€Å"she had sort of oaky hair† The colloquial style is expressed not only in the vocabulary of the protagonist but in the violated sentence structures. Updike’s uniqueness lies in his process of detachment. Coming in adjective or adverb modifiers rather than main sentence elements, the ironic posture emerges without affecting plot: â€Å"and a tall one, with black hair that hadn’t quite frizzed right, and one of these sunburns right across under the eyes, and a chin that was too long–you know, the kind of girl other girls think is very â€Å"striking† and â€Å"attractive† but never quite makes it, as they very well know, which is why they like her so much† Not rare are also broken structures like: â€Å"She had on a kind of dirty-pink–beige maybe, I don’t know–bathing suit†, or â€Å"The sheep pushing their carts down the aisle–the girls were walking against the usual traffic (not that we have one-way signs or anything)–were pretty hilarious. † The story is presented through the present-tense narration. Such choice of grammar technique imparts narration the sense of immediacy, makes it a chronicle of one event, so that reader feels as if he himself is a witness of that event. â€Å"IN WALKS these three girls in nothing but bathing suits†, â€Å"The girls, and who’d blame them, are in a hurry to get out, †¦ †, â€Å"Lengel sighs and begins to look very patient and old and gray. † Updike’s striking adjectives appear often: â€Å"kind of dirty-pink–beige maybe†, â€Å"chubby berry-face†, â€Å"long white prima-donna legs†, â€Å"the cat-and-dog-food-breakfastcereal-macaroni-rice-raisins-seasonings-spreadsspaghetti-soft-drinks-crackers-and-cookies aisle†; Their intrusiveness increases and besides literary irony, they produce an ambiguity of intent or author’s attitude (hence diction) in his story, which is matched somewhat by unexpected metaphors or visual comparisons, like â€Å"two smoothest scoops of vanilla†, â€Å"outside the sunshine is skating around on the asphalt outside the sunshine is skating around on the asphalt†, â€Å"his back [was] stiff, as if he’d just had an injection of iron†. All of these figures, although appropriate functionally to the text, often call attention to themselves and piece out Updike’s style. Updike, John (1962) Pigeon Feathers, and Other Stories. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Easy Scholarships for International Students

Easy Scholarships for International StudentsOn this post we will do our best to find some great opportunities for Easy Scholarships for International Students that they can utilize. We will continue to add to this page, so be sure to check it out again. The United States is one of the prime destinations for students who are looking to benefit from a top notch and widely recognized international education. Being a student in USA, you are limited to very few scholarship options. To help you, we have collected information from several resources to come up with a list of Easy Scholarships 2017 for students in the USA as well as few scholarship opportunities granted by US government and institutions.Easy Scholarships for International Students – By the GovernmentForeign Fulbright Student Program The Fulbright Foreign Student Program enables graduate students, young professionals and artists from abroad to study and conduct research in the United States. The Fulbright Foreign Student Program operates in more than 155 countries worldwide. Approximately 4,000 foreign students receive Fulbright scholarships each year. Humphrey Fellowship Program The Humphrey Fellowship Program is for experienced professionals interested in strengthening their leadership skills through a mutual exchange of knowledge and understanding about issues of common concern in the U.S. and Fellows’ home countries. As a non-degree program, the Fellowship offers valuable opportunities for professional development through selected university courses, attending conferences, networking, and practical work experiences.Easy Scholarships for International Students by US Colleges and Universities American University Scholarships American University (AU) awards a limited number of generous partial merit scholarships. American University’s merit awards for international students are partial, not full, scholarships. They are highly competitive and based on a combination of outstanding academic achievement, excellent communication skills in English, leadership, volunteerism, and community service. AU Emerging Global Leader Scholarship Program The AU EGL scholarship covers all billable AU expenses (full tuition, room and board) for one international student who will need a visa (preferably an F-1 or J-1 student visa) to study in the United States. The scholarship does not cover non-billable expenses such as mandatory health insurance, books, airline tickets and miscellaneous expenses (approximately U.S.$4,000 per year). Amherst College Scholarships The award is sometimes called an â€Å"aid package† because it may include both self-help (employment) and gift aid (scholarships and grants). Students with lower financial need will be offered self-help. Students with greater need will be offered a combination of self-help and gift aid. Amherst College has replace all initially packaged, need based student loans with grant assistance and also offers $2,000 in an employment opportunity. Come back soon as we will continue to add to this page†¦ If you need help writing an Essay, feel free to contact us and check out our 6000+ free resources