The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman Essay Example for Free

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman Essay 1st chapter reflections: This chapter which introduced me to Lia’s family was interesting. I was shocked to read that in her mother’s country of Laos, Lia would have been born by her mother squatting on the floor! They also used special created remedies to solve health issues without relying on hospitals or clinics. It was also interesting to read how important the Hmong people believed in sprits and how their life decisions where decided around the sprit actions. For example, they believed that male sprit’s held up their house roof, if the male’s placenta was buried near the central pillar of the house. Lia was even blessed by the elders because her parents believed that it was a way of protecting her from ever getting sick. If anything, reading this chapter quickly gave me a quick preview of the clash that Lia’s cultural beliefs will have with the American doctors when she gets sick in the future chapters. However, I’m hoping that this book will pick up a little faster and have less history moving forward (being honest lol) 2nd chapter reflections: This chapter started in a class at college; it continued to explain how a Hmong student spent extra time on his speech to talk about how people make fish soup in his culture. Once I finished the first page in this chapter, I understood that the young man was trying to explain to his class that we as humans should be more careful about how we select our foods because we are all connected in different ways. However, I didn’t pick up whether his class was interested after he was done with his speech. This chapter preceded to dig deeper into the Hmong history by detailing their live in north China; N. China was were the Hmong people was subjected to wars, because they did not like to be told what to do or how to behave as a people. However, the Chinese did not like the Hmong people and called them degrading names because they wanted to overrule them. In response to this, the Hmong had to migrate many time and the Chinese finally applied enough pressure to overtake them. Even with the takeover, the Hmong people refused to show any respect to the Chinese emperor. Besides all of this history, I have yet to see how this will tie into Lia’s future health issue. 3rd chapter reflections: This chapter starts to now focus on Lia and detail her first epileptic seizure that started when she was three months old. It was interesting to read that Lia’s parents blamed her seizure on their older daughter slamming the apartment’s front door. They believed that the front door slamming caused Lia’s soul to become frightened and lost from Lia’s body which triggered the seizure. I soon realized the book’s title â€Å"The spirit catches you and you fall down† is associated with the word epilepsy. It was also interesting to read that Lia’s parents saw her illness as a high distinction and a sign that Lia will grow up to heave a healing sprit within her. It was sad to read that Lia had over twenty seizures before her parents became scared enough to take her to an emergency room at MCMC. At first this hospital had a hard time communicating with Lia’s parents because they only had a few interpreters and the doctors quickly concluded that Lia’s illness was because her parents were giving her veterinary medicine. The doctor’s conclusion was heighted when the baby came to the hospital twice coughing badly and showing signs of pneumonia during which the doctors prescribed antibiotics. Lia was seen the third time by chance with a visiting doctor named Dan Murphy and during this visit he wrote a report that stated he did not feel that her parents were not that frightened. Dr. Murphy and his wife quickly became interested in the Hmong people and worked on reviewing Lia previous documented visits.  This chapter showed how cultures seen Lia’s illness differently; the American doctors wanted to give medication to cu re or control the issue, while her parents thought it meant something special. 4th chapter reflections: This chapter showed how the Hmong people viewed the American medical system because they did not understand why certain doctor procedures such as blood drawing had to be done. It was funny to read that they asked one Hmong women that returned to Laos about why American doctors ate people livers, kidneys, and brains! If anything, I read and understood that there was a HUGE difference between how American and Hmong people saw medical. The Hmong people believed that doctors done nothing but made people worse by invading their body sprits with all the test and medication. 5th chapter reflections: This chapter returned to Lia’s illness and explained that she was sent to the hospital seventeen times before he was even five years old! It was sad for me to read how worse the illness was getting and how Lia started to become aware of when she was about to experience one. This chapter also highlighted the fact that doctors believed that her obesity contributed to her epilepsy events and it made her intravenous access difficult. However, her parents focused on making Lia fat because they believed that this showed that a child was healthy and extremely taken care of. The hospital staff was also upset because Lia’s parents would move her in the hospital bed when they were previously requested not to for health reasons. The relationship between Lia’s parents worsen because the doctors felt that her parents were not giving her the proper needed medication and felt that they were part of the reason why Lia’s health continued to decline. After many attempts to get the parents on board, to give medication, Lia was placed in a foster care. This chapter was heartbreaking for me because I felt and understood both sides that wanted to care for Lia. 6th chapter reflections: This chapter explained in detail about how the Hmong people living in camps, shared horrible news about living in America and dealing with the medical system. In my opinion, this chapter confirmed how bad the cultural differences split people apart from seeing a common ground and added stress on her US healthcare system because Hmong people only came into the ER when they were gravely ill and not for prevention. 7th chapter reflections: This chapter explained how much of a power trip people had when it came to offering the best option for Lia’s health. It was noted that Lia did not do well in a great foster home and her developmental skills decreased more as she stayed. Her seizures also increased and the only time she started to show so signs of improvement was when she admitted to a hospital in Turlock where the people she was staying with lived. Receiving care in Turlock casued a decrease her medication requirements and her allowed her to return home. However, I felt that if anything, everyone involved in her health care was guessing and using Lia as a test dummy at her expense. 8th chapter reflections: This chapter was interesting because I was surprised to read that the doctors at the MCMC told the author not to look into Lia’s case because her parents were not friendly. I also thought that the hospital was trying to protect themselves by keep the author in the dark about certain information regarding the handling of Lia’s health. For example, the hospital kept a close eye by setting up a community meeting with the author and the Hmong people through their own nurse’s aide (who also was Hmong). If my opinion, the author was doomed to begin with because the Hmong people resented the MCMC and any staff that communicated with them. This is why I believe that the author had such a hard time during this meeting with them and a more welcoming one when she went and was introduced by Ms. Waller. This meeting is where the Hmong people opened up and tried to explain their culture to her without bring angry. This chapter proved that being from a different culture is fine ; people not respecting other cultures besides their own is what causes these deep miscommunications. 9th chapter reflections: This chapter was sad. I thought that Lia’s health was going to continue to improve after the doctor mentioned that the parents were giving her the correct medicine. However, I wasn’t surprised that the Lee’s thought that the doctor’s took Lia because they were angry at them. I was shocked to read that she fell off the swing and went back into having bad seizures. I dont think I would have allowed my child to even be on one if he or she had health issues like Lia. Sad to think that her parents thought that their child’s troubles were over and that she was going to live a productive and happy life up until this fall. Like everyone else in this chapter, after the tubes and everything, I also saw death coming later on. I’m just hoping that she doesn’t suffer. 10th chapter reflections: Ok. This is (again) is one of the things I did not enjoy about the book. I dont understand why this extensive history about the Hmong people and Vietman/ American war has anything to do with the previous chapter on Lia’s health condition. Only thing I learned from this chapter was that the Hmong people really resented the American culture which includes why the Lees has trouble trusting the doctors treating Lia. 11th chapter reflections: This chapter was the saddest part of the book that I have read thus far. I had to stop midway through the pages because it reminded me so much of my mother’s last struggle when lung cancer ( I cried reading this). I felt every page of this chapter because Lia’s parents and everyone else that loved her wanted to try everything instead of allowing her to pass peacefully. I also can relate to how Lia parents were treated in the hospital because I was in their position where I did not understand what was going on with my mom†¦ but the doctors were pressuring me to turn off her breathing machine. I noticed that Lia’s parents got to a point where they did not care that there were â€Å"issues† between them and the American staff†¦ they just wanted their child saved.. I felt the same way during my mother’s last rush to the ER because she couldn’t breathe. This girl wasn’t going to have a long happy life and I’m hoping she did n’t suffer because of everyone else stubbornness! 12th chapter reflections: Another history chapter and after the previous chapter, I was drained. I understand that hardship that this culture had to endure and I hope that our entire health care system has learned from this little girl’s mistreatment amongst all parties involved. 13th chapter reflections: So I started reading this chapter believing that Lia was going home from the hospital in Fresno. I was surprised to read that she was sent back to the MCMC and placed in the pediatric unit. In my opinion, there was nothing left they could do that would not require the poor child to suffer. I wasn’t shocked to read that Lia’s father tried to steal his child out of the hospital; the attitudes of the hospitals staff, nurses, and Lia’s parents were so negative that this craziness was bound to happen. Sadly, even with the little girl not functioning, the doctors and her parents enter another struggle to control the fate of Lia. Even though the doctors said she would die soon after leaving the hospital, I’m glad that the lee had personal time for closure at their own house because she didn’t die yet. I refuse to get into the â€Å"who was more right†. 14th chapter reflections: Another chapter on their Hmong history; This chapter details the issues they had with adjusting to American life and how no one wanted to be on welfare. No comments on my part.. Besides I didn’t enjoy this section lol. 15h chapter reflections: This chapter picked me up, made me sad and made me smile all at the same time. Reading through this made me think how differently her life could have been if everyone around her were open-minded when she first entered the hospital for treatment. Her current condition is considered a â€Å"persistent vegetative state† but how her parents treated her has not changed. This chapter showed that she is highly still loved and cared for even though she is not aware of anything. But she had a lot of potential to be a much healthier child if both cultures (American Hmong) would have been willing to accept each other†¦ her health decisions got lost in their hardheadedness! 16h chapter reflections: This chapter discuses history again but focuses on how the Hmong people ended up living in Merced; I’m not shocked that they created their own community here and cling to each other because I would of done the same thing if I was displaced. 17h chapter reflections: This chapter refocused Lia’s case and talked about how much could have been done differently to change her outcome and I agree. I ashamed of the hospital staff that believed that the lees should be grateful because they allowed them $200,000 of free medical cost( that should never be on a person mind when you talking about saving someone’s life) and I wish the parents would of learned how to be more open after their child’s health issue†¦ I see that people STILL want to place blame on Lia’s condition instead of accepting the fact that everyone placed a role in creating her current health state. 18h chapter reflections: This chapter shared a lot of my own opinions about Lia’s case. I do understand that some cultural difference will never be resolved because of the history of mistreatment that has occurred within that person’s culture. Our race issues in American is no difference, some people will always see things and their interactions with people as a â€Å"race† problem and nothing more. However, if you work in a hospital helping other people, you need to be able to look beyond that, not take things personally, not judgmental, and be open to learn about the different people that enters the doors for help. 19h chapter reflections: This chapter showed that despite Lia’s current condition, her family still believes that she will change and become a full functioning child again once her soul returns. Finishing this chapter, and reading the author notes throughout the book, I now see that Anne Fadiman started the story sort of believing that the doctors at Merced done everything they could to help Lia. However towards the end I felt that the author wanted people to understand the lee family and their hardship with adjusting to living in America and dealing with our health care system.

How does Mrs. Doubtfire change peoples lives? Essay -- English Literat

How does Mrs. Doubtfire change peoples lives? In this essay, we will be analysing the influence that Mrs Doubtfire's personality has on the characters around her. Moreover, we will be able to see how her presence causes a transformation in the behaviour of each member of the family, following their encounters with her. The film which is represented to us as a comedy, actually reveals itself to be of a more serious nature. The film is set in modern San Francisco and shows the break-down of a marriage between Miranda, a career woman and Daniel, a man with Peter Pan type traits. The three kids are pulled emotionally between the two parents, who are continually fighting. The novelty of the film is the "Nanny", Mrs Doubtfire, who is actually the husband in disguise, professionally made up by Daniel's brother. The humour of the situation is taken to the limits but the film leads us to a believable ending. Daniel Hillard, the father, is shown to us in the opening moments of the film, as a person of unusual talent. The gift he has for imitating voices is wonderful, but he won't say script lines he doesn't morally agree with: "Millions of kids see this cartoon do u think its right to promote smoking to the youth of America?" This sequence provides us with a development of the character's inner personality, showing strong morals and consciences. These characteristics are however, incompatible with an actor's job and so he reveals himself as an undisciplined and foolish person. When he loses his job we realise that he is very irresponsible and that losing his job is fairly usual for him and his kids. Although hurt by things going wrong, he is not able to see his own faults and do anything to change. Anoth... ...a finds it unfair that she has to always make sure her little sister and brother get home safely. Mrs Doubtfire gives her someone she can safely rebel against giving her an outlet for her feelings and she slowly grows up. For example she manages to set aside her pride and apologise to Mrs. Doubtfire. She starts to trust and confide in Mrs. Doubtfire. She becomes more helpful and mature. To conclude, the film can be looked at by different age groups and in different ways. As a comedy or a comedy with a moral:- that if parents try hard enough separations an be made less painful. Or as a drama of family life that uses comedy to make it more palatable showing that relationships have to be worked on all the time by both partners. That maybe, we should try to put a little bit of Mrs. Doubtfire's effort into our lives to improve ourselves! A film truly for all.

International Business Entry Modes

Introduction An international entry mode is an institutional agreement necessary for the entry of a company’s products, technology and human capital into a foreign country or market. The reluctance of firms to change entry modes once they are in place, and the difficulty involved in doing so, make the mode of entry decision a key strategic issue for firms operating in today’s rapidly internationalizing market place.The choice of mode will depend on internal characteristics (eg firm size, international experience) and external characteristics (eg the sociocultural distance between the host country and the home country) as well as the trade-off between desired mode characteristics (risk adverse, control and flexibility). The diagram below conveys 3 broad categories of modes of entry, and their fundamental trade offs.Further to the issues discussed above, no matter which of three of the export modes the manufacturer uses in a market, it is important to think about what lev el of ‘mindshare’ the manufacturer occupies in the mind of the export partner, as there has been a strong proven correlation between mindshare levels and how willing the export intermediary is to place on company brand in front of another, or how likely the intermediary is to defect. Good mind share will depend on scoring well across the three drivers of commitment and trust, collaboration and mutuality of interest & common purpose.  Control Key and Word – Text and Graphics.Export Modes Baring in mind the factors discussed above we will now review the different types of entry modes, beginning with export modes, as they are typically the modes used in initial entry to international markets, as they require a lower financial investment than other modes and can be viewed as a ‘toe in the water; for in experienced and smaller firms or where there may be risks (eg political, economic environmental) preventing FDI. The three major types of exporting are indirec t, direct and cooperative.Indirect export modes are modes in which the exporting manufacturer uses independent organizations located in a producer’s country, they include the use of an export buying agent, a broker, an export house, a trading company, or a piggyback. Indirect export modes may be appropriate for firms with limited- rather than long term- international expansion objectives. For example, if international sales are primarily used as a means of disposing of surplus production. The lack of contact with firms abroad will provide limited information to develop a plan for international expansion.In the use of such modes, there is limited control over the marketing mix (other than product). A direct export mode may be more appropriate in gaining a little more control, in which the manufacturer sells directly to an importer, agent or distributor in the foreign target market. The local party will bring the advantage of existing distribution networks, and will provide goo d local market knowledge. However, a company must be careful in entering into contracts as they can be difficult and costly to terminate, and can go wrong when there is a conflict in interests (e. . it may sell rivals goods or competing product lines). Similarly, there is a serious disincentive for the agent/distributor in that if it performs well and develops the market, it risks being replaced by a subsidiary of the principal. Intermediate modes As a firm gradually evolves towards more foreign based operations, Intermediate modes will become more suitable modes of entry. This will likely include firms possessing some sort of competitive advantage that are unable to exploit this advantage because of resource constraints.Intermediate modes take the form of contract manufacturing, licencing, franchising, a joint venture or a strategic alliance. Contract manufacturing- where manufacturing is contracted to an external foreign partner provides a low risk and potentially low cost mode of entry. Benetton and Ikea are a good example of companies who successfully rely on a contractual network of small overseas manufacturers. Benetton has over 80% of its production outsourced to 450 contractors (located in low cost production countries such as India and China).As a result of the money saved on labour, Benetton can sell products 20% cheaper, helping it to maintain a low cost position in comparison to competitors. Of course, this method may not be appropriate for every company as there is a loss of knowledge and intellectual property rights, and the transaction costs involved must also be considered. Licensing differs from contract manufacturing in that more value chain functions have been transferred to the licensee. In outsourcing production and downstream activities a licensor irm can concentrate on its core competences and therefore will remain technologically superior in its product development- for example Apple licenses its brand to manufacturers of accessory prod ucts, and the BBC licenses rights to broadcast TV shows around the world. However a lack of control over licensor operations and therefore quality may lead a company to use franchising (a sub variant of licensing) in which the franchisor gives a right to the franchisee against a payment, EG a right to use a total business concept/system, including the use of trademarks/brands, against some agreed royalty.Franchising not only provides a greater degree of control than licensing, but It can also be seen as low cost and low risk as the franchise are the ones investing in the necessary equipment and know-how. This entry mode has been seen to generate great successes for companies such as McDonalds who now franchises 25000 restaurants globally. However, it should be noted that there is still a lack of full control over franchisee’s operations, which can result in problems with cooperation, communications, quality control etc, and a risk of damage to the company’s internation al reputation if some franchisees underperform (‘’free-riding’’).Another intermediary mode that will allow greater control is a joint venture, in which 2 ‘parent’ companies create a new ‘child’ company. This high degree of control and local knowledge is a clear advantage of such an entry mode. The shared knowledge and resources gained through a JV as compared with wholly owned subsidiaries will bring many advantages such as economies of scale. However of course there is a loss of confidentiality and flexibility, and the use of double management will raise questions about how the company is split- 50/50?If 50/50, it is difficult for the board to make decisions, if at all! Hierarchical modes of entry allow the highest degree of control for a firm, while at the same time, the highest degree of risk as the firm completely owns and controls the foreign entry mode. To have a wholly owned subsidiary a firm can either acquire an existing company (acquisition) or build on its own operations from scratch (greenfield/brownfield investment). An acquisition will provide rapid entry, access to distribution channel, an existing customer base.This may be the only feasible way of establishing a base in the host country in saturated markets, or where there are substantial entry barrier and therefore little room for a new entrant. Of course, as with intermediary modes, there is the issue of contracts, negotiation and the different management styles between companies. If difficulties (eg no appropriate acquisition) are encountered with acquisitions, it may lead firms to prefer to establish greenfield (new facility) and brownfield (existing facilities) operations.Out of the two- greenfield is seen as an advantageous option because the new plant will involve the latest technology and equipment, avoiding the problem of trying to change the traditional practices of an established concern. Although this is a big investment for a com pany involving slow entry into the foreign market, the returns are long term and the firm has control over the entire operation. Conclusion It cannot be stated categorically which alternative is the best.There are many internal and external conditions which affect this choice and it should be emphasized that a manufacturer wanting to engage in global marketing may use more than one of these methods at the same time (Petersen and Welch, 2002). Such ‘mode packages’ may take the form of a concerted use of several operation modes in an integrated, complementary way. Zara is a good example of this- in markets where the hierarchical model is used, there is high growth potential and relative low sociocultural distance between the home country of Spain and target market.The intermediate modes (usually joint venture and franchising) are mainly used in countries where the sociocultural distance is relatively high. For example in 1999, Zara entered into a 50-50 JV with the German firm OTTO Versand, which had experience in the distribution sector and market knowledge in one of Europe’s largest markets, Germany. Whereas franchising is used by Zara in high risk countries which are socio-culturally distant or have small markets which allow sales forecast such as Andorra, Puerto Rico or the Philippines. International Business Entry Modes Introduction An international entry mode is an institutional agreement necessary for the entry of a company’s products, technology and human capital into a foreign country or market. The reluctance of firms to change entry modes once they are in place, and the difficulty involved in doing so, make the mode of entry decision a key strategic issue for firms operating in today’s rapidly internationalizing market place.The choice of mode will depend on internal characteristics (eg firm size, international experience) and external characteristics (eg the sociocultural distance between the host country and the home country) as well as the trade-off between desired mode characteristics (risk adverse, control and flexibility). The diagram below conveys 3 broad categories of modes of entry, and their fundamental trade offs.Further to the issues discussed above, no matter which of three of the export modes the manufacturer uses in a market, it is important to think about what lev el of ‘mindshare’ the manufacturer occupies in the mind of the export partner, as there has been a strong proven correlation between mindshare levels and how willing the export intermediary is to place on company brand in front of another, or how likely the intermediary is to defect. Good mind share will depend on scoring well across the three drivers of commitment and trust, collaboration and mutuality of interest & common purpose.  Control Key and Word – Text and Graphics.Export Modes Baring in mind the factors discussed above we will now review the different types of entry modes, beginning with export modes, as they are typically the modes used in initial entry to international markets, as they require a lower financial investment than other modes and can be viewed as a ‘toe in the water; for in experienced and smaller firms or where there may be risks (eg political, economic environmental) preventing FDI. The three major types of exporting are indirec t, direct and cooperative.Indirect export modes are modes in which the exporting manufacturer uses independent organizations located in a producer’s country, they include the use of an export buying agent, a broker, an export house, a trading company, or a piggyback. Indirect export modes may be appropriate for firms with limited- rather than long term- international expansion objectives. For example, if international sales are primarily used as a means of disposing of surplus production. The lack of contact with firms abroad will provide limited information to develop a plan for international expansion.In the use of such modes, there is limited control over the marketing mix (other than product). A direct export mode may be more appropriate in gaining a little more control, in which the manufacturer sells directly to an importer, agent or distributor in the foreign target market. The local party will bring the advantage of existing distribution networks, and will provide goo d local market knowledge. However, a company must be careful in entering into contracts as they can be difficult and costly to terminate, and can go wrong when there is a conflict in interests (e. . it may sell rivals goods or competing product lines). Similarly, there is a serious disincentive for the agent/distributor in that if it performs well and develops the market, it risks being replaced by a subsidiary of the principal. Intermediate modes As a firm gradually evolves towards more foreign based operations, Intermediate modes will become more suitable modes of entry. This will likely include firms possessing some sort of competitive advantage that are unable to exploit this advantage because of resource constraints.Intermediate modes take the form of contract manufacturing, licencing, franchising, a joint venture or a strategic alliance. Contract manufacturing- where manufacturing is contracted to an external foreign partner provides a low risk and potentially low cost mode of entry. Benetton and Ikea are a good example of companies who successfully rely on a contractual network of small overseas manufacturers. Benetton has over 80% of its production outsourced to 450 contractors (located in low cost production countries such as India and China).As a result of the money saved on labour, Benetton can sell products 20% cheaper, helping it to maintain a low cost position in comparison to competitors. Of course, this method may not be appropriate for every company as there is a loss of knowledge and intellectual property rights, and the transaction costs involved must also be considered. Licensing differs from contract manufacturing in that more value chain functions have been transferred to the licensee. In outsourcing production and downstream activities a licensor irm can concentrate on its core competences and therefore will remain technologically superior in its product development- for example Apple licenses its brand to manufacturers of accessory prod ucts, and the BBC licenses rights to broadcast TV shows around the world. However a lack of control over licensor operations and therefore quality may lead a company to use franchising (a sub variant of licensing) in which the franchisor gives a right to the franchisee against a payment, EG a right to use a total business concept/system, including the use of trademarks/brands, against some agreed royalty.Franchising not only provides a greater degree of control than licensing, but It can also be seen as low cost and low risk as the franchise are the ones investing in the necessary equipment and know-how. This entry mode has been seen to generate great successes for companies such as McDonalds who now franchises 25000 restaurants globally. However, it should be noted that there is still a lack of full control over franchisee’s operations, which can result in problems with cooperation, communications, quality control etc, and a risk of damage to the company’s internation al reputation if some franchisees underperform (‘’free-riding’’).Another intermediary mode that will allow greater control is a joint venture, in which 2 ‘parent’ companies create a new ‘child’ company. This high degree of control and local knowledge is a clear advantage of such an entry mode. The shared knowledge and resources gained through a JV as compared with wholly owned subsidiaries will bring many advantages such as economies of scale. However of course there is a loss of confidentiality and flexibility, and the use of double management will raise questions about how the company is split- 50/50?If 50/50, it is difficult for the board to make decisions, if at all! Hierarchical modes of entry allow the highest degree of control for a firm, while at the same time, the highest degree of risk as the firm completely owns and controls the foreign entry mode. To have a wholly owned subsidiary a firm can either acquire an existing company (acquisition) or build on its own operations from scratch (greenfield/brownfield investment). An acquisition will provide rapid entry, access to distribution channel, an existing customer base.This may be the only feasible way of establishing a base in the host country in saturated markets, or where there are substantial entry barrier and therefore little room for a new entrant. Of course, as with intermediary modes, there is the issue of contracts, negotiation and the different management styles between companies. If difficulties (eg no appropriate acquisition) are encountered with acquisitions, it may lead firms to prefer to establish greenfield (new facility) and brownfield (existing facilities) operations.Out of the two- greenfield is seen as an advantageous option because the new plant will involve the latest technology and equipment, avoiding the problem of trying to change the traditional practices of an established concern. Although this is a big investment for a com pany involving slow entry into the foreign market, the returns are long term and the firm has control over the entire operation. Conclusion It cannot be stated categorically which alternative is the best.There are many internal and external conditions which affect this choice and it should be emphasized that a manufacturer wanting to engage in global marketing may use more than one of these methods at the same time (Petersen and Welch, 2002). Such ‘mode packages’ may take the form of a concerted use of several operation modes in an integrated, complementary way. Zara is a good example of this- in markets where the hierarchical model is used, there is high growth potential and relative low sociocultural distance between the home country of Spain and target market.The intermediate modes (usually joint venture and franchising) are mainly used in countries where the sociocultural distance is relatively high. For example in 1999, Zara entered into a 50-50 JV with the German firm OTTO Versand, which had experience in the distribution sector and market knowledge in one of Europe’s largest markets, Germany. Whereas franchising is used by Zara in high risk countries which are socio-culturally distant or have small markets which allow sales forecast such as Andorra, Puerto Rico or the Philippines.

My Love Affair With Computers - 1100 Words

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE My love affair with computers started in high school when I read about the work of Alan Turing and how he created an advanced computer system to break German codes and thus helped win the war. My fascination grew when I found out that the console games I played at home were essentially pieces of computer codes running on specialized computer systems. When I had Computer Applications as a course of study in my school, I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to find how these intelligent machines ticked. Sensing my curiosity, my family bought me a computer system, which greatly contributed to my knowledge of this wonderful device. I explored every nook and cranny, trying to understand and further deepen my knowledge in this particular field, going as far as sneaking into advanced classes on computers in my school. As I grew up, I observed that Computers find their application in a wide range of fields from high end devices in large scale industries to the smallest appliances used in homes; practically everything can be controlled by computers. So naturally when it came to picking the subject of my choice at undergraduate level, I picked Computer Science as my field of study. During my under graduation, I was exposed to subjects such as Software Engineering, Microprocessor Interfacing and Computer Network. While software engineering cleared my concepts and understanding of the actual software term, computer networks helped me understand howShow MoreRelatedTechnology Is The Reason Why The World Turns Essay1216 Words   |  5 Pagesrequire a computer are easier. The first computer, the birth of the internet, and the history of the first transportable devices are reasons there are many more jobs today and how jobs can be completed more efficiently. The computer was first used to store huge amounts of data instead of writing it all down (Monte Carlo Methods Applications). Later it was first used for the Manhattan Project to give a more accurate execution for the launch (Monte Carlo Methods Applications). Today the computer isRead MoreMy Statement of Purpose: New Networking Trends693 Words   |  3 PagesIve got my head in the clouds, quite literally. No, I havent applied to the wrong academic department. As much as I appreciate the study of meteorology, my clouds are more solid, more concrete. They also have as much of an impact on our daily lives as the clouds that hang over our heads during the day. As a hobby and in fulfillment of my undergraduate studies, Ive started to pick apart the architecture of cloud-based computing. Cloud-based computing is the prevailing trend in computer networkingRead MoreThe Curious Incident Of The Dog1412 Words   |  6 Pagesanything else. 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(Shakespeare 3.3. 411-415) Othello portrays Desdemona as a whore based on the allegations Iago makes of her and Cassio. Before Othello claims this, Iago explainsRead MoreThe Death Of Judge Rusty Sabich1496 Words   |  6 Pagesis a standalone sequel to Scott Turow’s book Presumed Innocent, which recounts the Polhemus trial in detail. Innocent opens with the perspective of Nat Sabich and the following lines: â€Å"A man is sitting on a bed. He is my father. The body of a woman is beneath the covers. She was my mother† (1). Nat proceeds to report about the death of his mother, Barbara. Essentially, Rusty wakes on the morning of September 30, 2008 to find his wife dead. He waits for a period of 24-hours before informing Nat andRead MoreThe Crisp Air By Amy Winehouse1060 Words   |  5 Pagespaper I wrote last year for English- an essay on World War Z. A photo of me and my mother from our vacation to Mexico floats by and then is lifted up, twirling around the white marble on blue satin. Through all of this, soft, fluid music glides. I recognize the song: â€Å"Valerie† by Amy Winehouse. When people talk about iCloud, this is what I picture my â€Å"cloud† looking like — all of my hard work, my memories, good and bad, my favorite songs, that embarrassing video from last Christmas, all hovering acrossRead MoreAdvantages And Disadvantages Of Technology1627 Words   |  7 Pagesout your phone and engage yourself in this world that you have created. Integrated computers can benefit our daily lives, because it allows us to resurface old information that was part of the old conversation allowing a more personal conversation. The downside of this is that it could also resurface old fights that you might have had. All of these positives or negatives can be seen in Black Mirror, Her, Our Computers Ourselves, and Crispr Radiolab. The positive impact that technology plays on ourRead MoreAnalysis Of Celeste Ng s Everything I Never Told You And Mark Haddon s The Curious Incident Of The Dog1733 Words   |  7 Pagesunderlines losses and longing in The Curious Incident when Christopher’s tendencies are disrupted, in â€Å"often I can see what someone is saying†¦ like it is being printed on a computer screen†¦ But I could see [Father’s words] written like [they were] on a big advert on the side of a bus†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The contrasting similes of an unemotional computer and a boisterous advertisement reflect a humanised moment from the mechanical Christopher. The transformative power of his mother’s alleged death in The Curious IncidentRead MoreEssay Online Dating1497 Words   |  6 Pagesor just for young people only. But everyone now can use it to find their dates and meet new people. Love via the Internet is a hot issue which faces many Internet users, and they may have experienced a love story via the Internet. I have heard many stories from my friends and relatives which they experienced. Even, I have experienced it. I was interested in writing my third essay about love via the Internet and the opinions of the experts in this field. So I went to Fenwick library to searchRead More Parents Influence on CHildren Essay829 Words   |  4 Pagesaspects of the child and the way he/she lives out the rest of his/her life. In my life I have both kinds of parents, my mother is the most caring, loving, proud parent I know; while my father is very abusive and hateful towards me and this has had a tremendous effect on me. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Throughout the years my mother has always been there for me and has been the one true positive factor in my life. She left my father with a 7 year old and two 3 year old children making $4.75 an hour at