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

Analyze - Research Paper Example According to the article, the US possesses inclusive free-trade agreements with nearly 17 nations comprising both Canada as well as Mexico. The article emphasized that the different service providers that encompass law as well as bank firms to reap maximum benefits from the idea of international trade of the US with other various nations (The New York Times Company, 2013). Government Influence The governmental interventions in global business provide significant implications upon different significant aspects that include employment and inflation among others. From the viewpoint of the aspect of employment, the governments influence global business by encouraging the business procedures of different organizations as well as by generating ample job opportunities. In relation to inflation, the governments influence global business by ensuring that there does not lay any sudden rises especially in the prices of the products (The New York Times Company, 2013). ... order to combat particularly against corruption, terrorism and different cross-border criminal activities like drug smuggling (The Washington Post, 2013). 2. Important aspects of Global Business in relation to Foreign Exchange and Rates Foreign exchange rates are fundamentally regarded as an imperative determinant in the business activity of any nation in the global context. It can broadly be stated with foreign exchange rates, it is possible for a nation to conduct its business transactions nationally as well as internationally by a considerable level. The major significance of foreign exchange rates is that the exchange rates extensively enhance the trade level of a particular nation. There are numerous factors that influence foreign exchange rates by a significant degree. In this connection, the factors comprise dissimilarities in the interest charges, public debt and financial performance among others. In accordance with the reports of a recently published article, it has been vi ewed that Egypt adopts a latest system by which they can purchase as well as sell foreign currencies. The prime objective of the nation i.e. Egypt to introduce a new system of transacting foreign currencies is to provide an active support particularly to the finance related policy makers while facing problem linked with foreign-exchange reserves. The country strongly believed that by introduced such system it can safeguard the reputation of Egypt as a business nation in financial international markets (The Wall Street Journal, 2013). 3. Important aspects of Global Business in relation to International Business Strategy and Country Evaluation and Selection In the context of providing a global strategy for pursuing various business transactions, it has been viewed in a recent article that a

Improved Ethical Conduct Essay Example for Free

Improved Ethical Conduct Essay Improvement of ethical conduct is influential for the realization of sustainable social and economic development in any organization. Ethical conduct serves the important purpose of strengthening the reputation of an organization in the marketplace. In addition, improving ethical conduct is crucial in mitigating liability costs incurred by the organization. According to some economic and business management analysts, ethical business behavior in a company is instrumental in enhancing cooperation among its stakeholders, a move that functions to enhance the decision making process. This is also important in improving efficiency of executing business objectives. This paper is written in support of the thesis that companies should choose to understand, report on, and improve their ethical conduct as a crucial tool in ensuring sustainable competitive advantage in the market economy. Ethical conduct in an organization is important in protecting and strengthening the reputation of the company (Barnum, Richter, 1994). According to assertion by many people in the community, reputation of a firm is the most important marketing tool for its products. Numerous research findings have provided sufficient evidence linking the purchasing behavior of customers with the perceived reputation of the producing organization. Such findings have been explained by the fact firm reputation is closely attributed with quality and reliability of services, a factor that serves to enhance customer loyalty. In addition, reputation of an organization is important in protecting and enhancing investor confidence (Barnum, Richter, 1994). As an example is the financial scandal of Enron and WorldCom corporations in 2002. these scandals did not only lead to the collapsing of these two giant American corporations, but caused loss of billions of investor capitals, a move that compromised investor confidence in the firms. All these have the indication that enhancing ethical conduct in a company functions to ensure its competitive advantage. Still on improving ethical conduct in an organization is that it enhances the reputation of its individual employees. It has been evidently established that employee recommendations from some companies are highly recognized in the job market. This factor is driven by the fact that such companies have a strong corporate ethical code of conduct, a crucial element in defining the reliability and integrity of the individual. On the other hand, engaging in unethical business practices by individual employee serve both to enhance liability costs and compromise the reputation of the employee in the external job market. Another importance of improving ethical conduct in an organization is that it eliminates liability costs in the organization. According to the provisions of the American as well as international business laws, unethical behaviors by investments are subject to legal proceedings. This is because the law functions the purpose of protecting not only the interests of the firm but also those of the general public, a purpose that is negated by unethical business practices (Barnum, Richter, 1994). Based on this reasoning, it means that organizations engaged in unlawful practices serve to hurt the interest of customers and investors. As an example on improving ethical conduct to mitigate liability is the legal implications brought by the ZZZZ best carpet company. According to available information, the ZZZZ Company was involved in fraud activities to enhance its competitive financial position. However, following the revelation of the scandal, it management were subjected to legal justice and the worth of the organization auctioned to compensate investor who lost in the scandal. In addition, it is not uncommon to hear of customers filing damage cases against companies for falsified advertisements of products. Ethical business conduct is vital in ensuring efficiency of services provision in the organization. Instilling a corporate culture in an organization has it crucial function in ensuring commitment by employees serving in the organization. Just to be appreciated is the fact that the ultimate success of any organization is defined by its effectiveness in meeting the demands of its customers. On the other side, effective ethical conduct dictates for commitment of all stakeholders to the vision, mission, and objectives of the organization. Therefore, improving ethical conduct in an organization is important in improving it service provisions, thus ensuring sustainable competitive advantage of the organization in the marketplace. Improving ethical business practices promotes the decision making process in the organization (Barnum, Richter, 1994). Ethical business behavior serves to mitigate unfair dealings in an organization. It is worth noting that the decision making process of an organization is mainly driven by the financial stand of its investment. This is because such are the defining force of the measures necessary to enhance its economic expansion. This means that, without reliable financial accounting practices, the organization’s decision making process is deemed ineffective. Such practices are to be blamed for the downfall of the big corporations like WorldCom. Thus promoting ethical financial practices is crucial in enhancing the decision making process of an organization. In conclusion, business ethical practices are important component for the realization of long term competitive advantage of an organization in the marketplace. This is because they function to protect and strengthen the reputation of the firm as well as mitigating liability costs to the company. Thus companies should choose to understand, report on, and improve their ethical conduct as a crucial tool in ensuring sustainable competitive advantage in the market economy.

Representations Of London Life In Brick Lane Cultural Studies Essay

Representations Of London Life In Brick Lane Cultural Studies Essay Monica Ali brings humour, grace and the special qualities of the best of Asian fiction to a narrative concerned with acceptance and denialWry and intelligent, subtle and graceful in its mix of formal prose, blackly despairing humour and fabulous characterization, this is a rich human novel'(The Sunday Express, India).Ali was not born in England but in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and moved to England at the age of three, where she was raised. She has never lived in Brick lane where the novel was focused on and she was from a middle- class family and eventually attended higher education at Wadham Collage, Oxford. Therefore, some people are starting to question how she managed to recreate the lifestyle of a Bangladeshi family living in the inner city of London. Firstly, she was born in Bangladesh which gave her a sense of attachment with her origin. Secondly, with the help from Naila Kabeer, whose study of Bangladeshi women garment workers in London and Dhaka, Monica Ali drew inspiration.(Brick Lane, P493). Moreover, her inspiration of the story was supported by many people whose have a strong social identity of Bangladeshi people in London and British immigrant experience. E.g. Nicole Aragi and Shofiur. The book follows Nazneen and Hasina, living very different lives in very different places, but finally daring to hope that they may have found a similar sort of happiness. The themes are the big ones identity, self-determination, the freight of family and they are kept afloat by the buoyancy of Alis characterisation, which occasionally verges on the Dickensian without ever resorting to caricature. In Nazneens world, everyone is convincingly governed by their own individual logic.(Harriet Lane ,The Observer Sunday 1 June 2003) The book exposes many features of London and its peoples daily life to the reader, which included issues like: Race tension, Cultures, Estate life, gender relation and the landscape of the city of London. However, I will be more focusing on the representation of Race tension and changing cultures in London. In due course, I will link some of these representations with the theory of place and identity (Tim Cresswell) , Robert Park and Mumford idea of City and Postcolonial London (John Mcleod). Since the end of Second World War, the urban and human geography of London has been irreversibly altered as a consequence of patterns of migration from countries with a history of colonialism , so that today a number of London s neighbourhoods are known primarily in terms of the overseas populations they have nurtured. Whitechapel and Tower Hamlets boast significant Bangladeshi communities. (John Mcleod) According to Mcleod , the multicultural London was developed during the postcolonial period and people from the ex-colony were flooding into the heart of the Empire -London, looking for a new life and opportunities. The story of Brick Lane was a direct product of postcolonial London, which is about change, cultural, social, and political and conflict. It was Black and Asian migrants who have together played a major role in creating Londons multicultural society and Brick Lane highlighted the levels of poverty and discrimination had on them. In other words, postcolonial London does not factually denote a given place or mark a stable location on a map. It emerges at the intersection of the concrete and the noumenal, between the material conditions of metropolitan life and the imaginative representations made of it. It is as much a product of facticity as a creation of the novels. ( John Mcleod) According to Lewis Mumford and Robert Park, city should not only defined by its physical for m. Whatever it was that makes a city a city (London), it had more to do with its social processes.(Doreen Massey) Decolonization has speeded up Londons heterogeneity, intensity of social interaction and contrasts. In order word, London as a World city is a city produced, experienced and lived imaginatively and also incubating new social relations and cultural forms which conflict with the advocacy of a national culture or the pursuit of cultural nationalism. (John Mcleod) With Vast numbers of people living in the city, there are bound to be wide range of variations amongst them. This should give rise to the spatial segregation of individuals according to colour, ethnic heritage, economic and social status, tastes and preferences. (Louis Wirth) In Brick Lane, Monica Ali portrayed the conflict between Race and culture of the inner city remarkably well. In Chapter two and three, she has focused on describing the culture of London and migrants in conversations between different characters. Two in one week! But now our children are copying what they see here, going to the pub, to nightclubs. Or drinking at home in their bedrooms where their parents think they are perfectly safe. The problem is our community is not properly educated said by Dr Azad (P.31, Chapter two), this short conversation between Chanu and Dr Azad clearly described the problem of inner city migrants whose have not educated enough to teach their offspring what is right or wrong, they neglected their children because they were busy working to earn money .Also the second generation migrants are generally copying the drinking culture but not controlling themselves. In Page 40, Monica uses the eye of the main Character Nazneen to describe the rotten anti social behavior by teenagers in council estate, She looked down into the courtyard. Two boys exchanged mock punches, feinting left and right. Cigarettes burned in their mouths. She opened the window and leaned into the breeze.(P.40). She also use the Tattoo Lady who did not get named to describe the working class white who lived in council housing and gave them a stereotype features She scratched her arms , her shoulders, the accessible portions of her buttocks. She yawned and lit a cigarette. At least two thirds of the flesh on show was covered in ink.Nazneen had never been close enough to decipher the designs.Chanu said the tattoo lady was Hells Angel. (P.18 Chapter one.) Monica once again uses conversation between characters to deliver the message to the reader, Three point five people to one room. Thats a council statistic ,Chanu told Nazneen. All crammed together. They cant stop having children, or they bring over all their relatives and pack them in like little fish in a tin. Its a Tower Hamlets official statistic: three point five Bangladeshis to one room. (P.49 Chapter. 2) , But the main thing is education. The parents are so ashamed they dont know what to do. Sometimes they send the child back home, where the really cheap.(P248 Chapter 12), We need two things .More drugs counselors and more jobs for the young people said the Doctor.(P249,Chapter 12)Up to here, she already given enough information for the reader to create own imagination of the rotten down and packed inner city estate area with high density of migrants ,working class white , second generation migrants ,drug problem and uneducated parents. Place is how we make the world meaningful and the way we experience the world. (Tim Cresswell) Place is about stopping and resting and becoming involved.While space is amenable to the abstraction of spatial science and economic rationality, place is amenable to discussions of things such as value and belonging. (Tuan 1977,149) Place is hard to define but Tuan and Cresswell had done its definition perfectly well. London is a Place, even Brick lane and Nazeens flat are also a place where everything is interacting with each other. It was the sense of place that creates the unique social structure of immigrant communities and London. Nazneen stared at a notice on the wall, printed in five languages. No smoking, no eating, no drinking.( P64, Chapter 3) In this passage, it was place which create this unique features of Brick lane as it has got all sort of foreigners lived in and they are interacting with each other within the same place. Moreover, In Chapter 14 , Monica describe the Chanu family have never left Brick lane or areas around it ,although places like the Houses of Parliament ,Buckingham Palace and Hype-Park are very close to Brick Lane. In a sense , she use the family tour day as a Metaphor to describe the immigrant family do not go out their own neighbourhood , a sense of isolation with other part of the city and an intense sense of localism. In the other hand, place had a profound effect on changing people e.g. Chanu (The educated), Mrs Azad and second generation migrants (Tariq, bibi and Shahana.). For example, Place has turned Chanu to mix into the English culture and eventually accepted it in order to survive in the society- its part of the culture here. Its so ingrained in the fabric of society. Back Home, if you drink you risk being an outcast. In London, if you dont drink you risk the same things.( P110, Chapter 5) ,another example from Mrs Azad during the conversation with Chanu Listen, when Im in Bangladesh I put on a sari and cover my head and all that. But here I go out to work. I work with white girls and I am just one of them.(P114, Chapter5) and also when Nazneen refers to Bangladesh as our country, Karim makes it clear that he considers England to be his country in page 212. (Bookrags) and Shahana spoke in English during the conversation with Chanu about intern et and technologies. -This little wire that goes into the telephone socket-do you see it ?- it all comes down the wire. We go on the internet at school,said Shahana, in English. (P200,Chapter 9) Home obviously means more than a natural of physical setting . Especially, the term cannot be limited to a built place. A useful point of departure for understanding home may be not its material manifestation but rather a concept : home is a unit of space organized mentally and materially to satisfy a peoples real and perceived basic biosocial needs and, beyond the , their higher aesthetic-political aspirations. (Tim Cresswell) There is a clear connection made between place and second generation migrants, they already regard London as the place they belong to, whereas Bangladeshi and the language of Bangladeshi (Bengali) are just memory and heritage of their parent. In a sense these second generation migrants were trying to produce a new type of social memory and eager to get out from the bottom of social hierarchy and mix in with the dominant social group within the place- London. Rootedness and authenticity .In Harveys discussion of place this meaning is retained but becomes a symbol of reactionary exclusivity. As long as place signifies a tight and relatively immobile connection between a groups of people and a site then it will be constantly implicated in the construction of us (people who belong in a place) and them (people who do not). (Tim Cresswell) In this way the rootedness and authenticity of place will create tension between different race groups, especially the working class white who are most threaten of their social and employment position to be taken out by the migrants. Therefore, conflict is inevitable. The following 2 extracts described the reason of racial tension perfectly well: It is the white underclass, like Wilkie, who are most afraid of people like me. To him, and people like him, we are the only thing standing in the way of them sliding totally to the bottom of the pile. As long as we are below them, then they are above something. If they see us rise then they are resentful because we have left our proper place. That is why you get the phenomenon of the National Front. They can play on those fears to create racial tensions, and give these people a superiority complex. The middle classes are more secure, and therefore more relaxed. Chanu said. (P38, Chapter two). Leaflet from Lion Heart (a white working class organization) HANDS OFF OUR BREASTS! The Islamification of our neighbourhood has gone too far. A Page 3 calendar and poster have been removed from the walls of our community hall. How long before the extremists are putting veils on our women and insulting our daughters for wearing short skirts? Do not tolerate it ! Write to the council! This is England! (P257 Ch12) These two extracts allow us to think how weak of the bond between national majorities and minorities. There are two main outcomes for migrants; they either become economic migrant which suggests that people enter the country just for the sake of money, making as much money as possible before returning. The other outcome is -Hyphenated British which indicates a movement from outsider to insider, from temporary resident to permanent settler and from a predominantly homogeneous to an increasingly heterogeneous society. (John Eade) However, the White majorities are the ones that feel most threaten, afraid of migrants taking out all of the available jobs within the City and also their living space, culture and social benefits. Linking back to the introduction, Monica Ali was not raised in the area of Brick Land and had never been in a working class family. The novel is completely a work of the imagination influenced by her fathers story of Mymensingh countryside and her friend Naila Kabeer who study about the lives of Bangladeshi women garment workers. Although this essay had only focused on the issues of changing culture, place/identity, and race tension ,there are still a lot more issues reflecting Londons life and the city of London itself e.g. Gender relations, Landscape of London and economic environment. This optimism about England as a land of possibility is linked to a more general feminist politics of liberation which may help to partly explain the books success in both the UK and the USA. (John Eade). In terms of the essays main theme- Culture, place and race, many conversations with in Brick Lane represent the changing of the newcomers and they are becoming one of the key forces of a changing Br itish nation. Their Britishness is mediated through the social and cultural heritage of their country of origin which produces a hyphenated identity through the interweaving of class, gender, generation, religion and language. (John Eade) Finally, Monica Ali uses the event of 9/11 as an opportunity to describe the Bangladeshi or Islamic communities seek to show how their true color is and representation to the outside world, especially the National Majority.

A Comparison of the Portrayal of Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird :: English Literature

A Comparison of the portrayal of Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird and Miss Havisham in great expectations. In 'To Kill a Mockingbird' the author uses a retrospective narration, this means that we can see events through the eyes of a child, yet also has the intelligence of an adult to explain the events thouroghly. Because narrator has personal experience of what happened we have a closer insight into the details. This method of reflection means that we can understand other characters feelings more easily, and the settings and ways of Maycomb. 'Great Expectations' is similar to ' To Kill a Mockingbird' it also has shows the events of a person from childhood to becoming an adult. The story follows Pip, who is the main character in this novel; it shows him as a child, being introduced to Miss Havisham, then later on as a main person in Miss Havisham's life. Pip and Scout help us to understand the feelings of other characters.. 'To Kill a Mockingbird' is set in the 1930s, in a town called Maycomb. It is a small town with a close-knit community, it has a deserted feel to it, however it is very tense, with a lot of families and rumours and gossip. Maycomb is also a claustrophobic place to be, with the identical houses, the grass on the sidewalks (unkempt), and also it is very dusty, hot and humid. The neighbours are known to be very suspicious and judgemental. It is a reserved community and it can get very dull. In 'Great Expectations', in the chapters that we have read, rather then it being concentrated on a town, it is mostly concentrated on Miss Havisham's House. Satis House, which stand for very big and satisfactory. Within this house everything is kept the way it was at the time of the wedding. With cobwebs, and dust on all the furniture. Even the surrounding of the satis house was dying; "there was a large brewery, no brewing was going on in it", this shows that everything around miss Havisham was a symbol of what was within her. It shows that she is dead within. Both Boo Radley and Miss Havisham live in seclusion, this means they prefer to be cut off from the outside world, a quote that show this is' "some of the windows had been walled up" However they both have someone to help them with life, Boo Radley has his brother Nathan, and Miss Havisham has her adopted daughter Estella. Miss Havisham acts this way because of what happened to her earlier in her life; she was left at the altar.

Current Issues in Athletics Essay

Deviant behaviour is defined as behaviour which does not adhere to widely-accepted social or cultural norms. Deviance in sports is not something that has just begun; rather, it has been portrayed and, at times, exaggerated to the extent where there are reflections of obvious problems in professional sports, if not society as a whole. Deviance in sports began as soon as sports became an important competitive lifestyle for the individuals participating and witnessing the events. The athlete is often the most scrutinized individual in terms of sports deviance. This is especially true today as many cultures have embraced individuals who want to live out their childhood dream to become a professional athlete as they have viewed top athletes as role models. With this constant pressure to perform well and the agenising lifestyle of constantly being in the spotlight, many athletes find themselves doing anything it takes to win. This article will look at the type of deviance associated with athletics for example: Drugs, gamesmanship etc. Playing sports brings out the competitive sides of many athletes. To most athletes, winning is everything, and they will do absolutely anything to make sure they win, including the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Performance- enhancing drugs include: 1. Anabolic Steroids 2. Hormones including: 1. Erythropoietin (EPO) 2. Human Growth Hormone (hGH) 3. Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF-1) 4. Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (HCG) 5. Adrenocorticotropic Hormone (ACTH) 1. Beta-2-Agonists 2. Hormone Antagonists and Modulators 3. Diuretics 4. Even recreational drugs These substances are banned at ALL times. Using drugs to cheat in sport is not new, but it is becoming more effective. . The problem of drugs in athletics is that as fast as scientists devise new tests for detecting traces of drugs in the body, there are other scientists that are devising more new products that enhance performance. According to the Us Anti- Doping agency, if an athlete tests positive for doping of any of the banned substances there is a range of measures taken as punishment: 1. Loss of sponsorship deals 2. Loss of income 3. Wiping out of previous achievements 4. Damage to future career prospects Under their Code, if an athlete tests positive for a prohibited substance they are usually liable for a one-year ban. An athlete may be eligible for a reduced sanction if they can prove they bore ‘no significant fault or negligence’. Substances and methods used to dope have health consequences. Many can be lead to severe health issues or even death. The use of recreational or social drugs is banned in sport. Whilst an athlete can be in a compromising situation with peers outside sport, it’s important for athletes to recognise that social drugs such as cannabis can be detrimental to sporting performance and result in a positive test result weeks later. An example of drugs use is European champion sprinter Dwain Chambers. Who tested positive for a banned anabolic steroid in 2003. The allegation was strongly denied by his coach. He was one of Britain’s best hopes for a gold medal at following year’s Olympic Games, Chambers allegedly failed a test for the newly discovered drug tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) which was thought to be undetectable. Traces of the drug were found in a urine sample that the European 100 metres champion and record holder provided during an out-of-competition test at his training base in Saarbrucken, Germany, on August 1, the Guardian newspaper reported. At this time if Chambers failed the test and was banned from athletics for two years and from the Olympic Games for life. Though in 2008 he returned to athletics and competed in the European championships running the 60m to win silver. In the same year he also launched a High Court appeal against his lifetime ban from the Olympics but the decision of the British Olympic Authority (BOA) was upheld. Though in 2012 The Court of Arbitration for Sport over-ruled the BOA’s lifetime Olympics ban for drug cheats, freeing Chambers up to compete at London 2012. He won the 100m at the UK Olympic trials with a time of 10.25sec and was selected for Team GB despite not running under the Olympic ‘A’ standard. Another example of doping is female GB sprinter Bernice Wilson. She was banned by Uk athletics this year as she tested positive for the anabolic steroid testosterone and Clenbuterol. Clenbuterol, similar to the asthma drug salbutamol, is used to treat breathing disorders as a decongestant and bronchodilator. It causes an increase in aerobic capacity, blood pressure and oxygen transportation, and speeds the rate at which fats are burned. It is officially classified as a sympathomimetic steroid. She was given a 4 year ban from athletics by the court of appeal and she will not be allowed to compete until 2015. In my opinion I think athletes should be given lifetime bans from their sport because when their stories come out about them doping it doesn’t give them a good image towards the younger generations that look up to and idolise these athletes. Linford Christie who served a two year drug ban from athletics competeion, said that atheletics â€Å"is so corrupt now and I wouldn’t want my child doing it.† The world Anti-Doping agency has launched the campagin ‘Say NO to doping’ which aims to educate people on theeffects of performance enhancing drugs on both their health and sporting career. I believe more of these programmes should be set up and more people made aware of the consequences faced when taking drugs. Gamesmanship: Another form of deviance is Gamesmanship. There is a fine line between cheating and gamesmanship. What you might consider cheating simply could be â€Å"part of the game† to another. Gamesmanship is defined as the use of dubious methods to win or gain a serious advantage in a game or sport. It has been described as â€Å"Pushing the rules to the limit without getting caught, using whatever dubious methods possible to achieve the desired end.† A form of gamesmanship in athletics is a false start. An athlete can choose to abort the start after the â€Å"on your marks† and â€Å"set† commands and before the firing of the starting device by raising his hand or standing up. Thiscan intimitate the other competetiors on the starting blocks as once in the starting blocks the competetiors are not allowed to move until the gun has been sounded to signal the start of the event. The athlete may also be warned for improper conduct by the referee if the action was determined to be inappropriate. Sometimes competitors can disturb other athletes at the starting line and this may be considered a false start. If a starter isn’t satisfied that all competitors are ready to proceed with the race, he will order the competitors to â€Å"stand up.† The most famous example of a false start was Usain Bolt in the 100m final at the World Championships in Daegu. Bolt reacted, 0.104 seconds before the gun was fired. A second gun crack confirmed his his disqulification. Though in recent studies and slow-motion replays of the start of the race show how Blake’s left leg twitched in the instant before Bolt pushed off from the blocks. Some commentators have suggested that Blake himself could, and maybe should, have been disqualified. The IAAF rules state that once the athletes are in the â€Å"set† position, they must not move, and Blake’s leg clearly twitched. It was that rule which caused Dwain Chambers to be disqualified in his semi-final. Another example of a false start was Christine Ohuruogu who was disqualified from the 400m in the worldchampionships in 2011. Such events are extremely rare in the 400m, but Ohuruogu came out of her blocks way ahead of any of her rivals. She told Channel 4 that, â€Å"I knew it was me straight away. I can’t believe it. I just wanted to get a good start as I knew it was going to be a fast round.† Under the new false-start regulations brought in by the IAAF at the start of 2010, she was allowed no warning nor second chance and was shown a red card by officials before being ushered off the track in a state of shock she commented to the BBC that, â€Å"I’ve just wasted all that hard work, it’s just wasted.† Gender issues and equality: Gender issue take two different forms in athletics. The two forms: 1. Gender equality- The number of men and woman in sport 2. Gender issues- Verifying the eligibility of an athlete to compete in a sporting event that is limited to a single sex. Gender issues are a rare occasion in athletics. The issue arose a number of times in the Olympic Games where it was alleged that male athletes attempted to compete as women in order to win. The first mandatory sex test issued by the IAAF for woman athletes was in July 1950 in the month before the European Championships in Belgium. All athletes were tested in their own countries. Sex testing at the games began at the 1966 European Athletics Championships in response to suspicion that several of the best women athletes from the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe were actually men. At the Olympics, testing was introduced at the 1968 Olympic Winter Games in Grenoble. While it arose primarily from the Olympic Games, gender verification affects any sporting event. However, it most often becomes an issue in elite international competition. The most famous example is Caster Semenya, a South African middle-distance runner and world champion. Semenya won gold in the women’s 800 metres at the 2009 World Championships with a time of 1:55.45 in the final. She was scrutinized because of her masculine appearance and it raised concerns and complaints to the International Association of Athletics Federations, the governing body for all international athletic competitions outside the Olympics. She was banned from competing as gender tests where carried out on her. It took until July 2010 for the IAAF cleared her to compete. The main issue is gender inequality in sport. In the past, and still to an extent today, many women have been stereotyped into domestic roles, leaving fewer opportunities or activites available for them to participate in as sports where viewed to be male dominant. It wasn’t until the 1980’s a more enlightened and equal approach began to emerge which allowed womans sports to blossom in the UK. For the first time in the 2012 London Olympic Games, every country that was competeing had women in their teams. Women this year made up approximately 45% of the atheltes whereas in 1948 in Los Angeles only 24% of those competing were women. Only 16 years ago, in Atlanta, 26 countries did not send any women at all, according to website Muslim Women in Sport. Lord Coe, the London 2012 chairman, said: â€Å"We’ve had more women competing in these Games. Some of the big, high-profile moments have focused on women. It’s really moved the agenda on.† But Jowell said the ongoing gender imbalance was â€Å"symptomatic of wider discrimination against women in sport†. Sport England has an aim to get more women back into sport. Sport England’s most recent figures, published last month, showed that one in eight women play sport in regularly England compared with one in five men. Among disadvantaged communities, the number of women drops to one in 10. They will invest  £10 million into 20 projects to reduce the gender gap. Racism: Racism in sport is a problem which is manifest around the world. It has led to a wide range of controversial incidents which have been reported in the media. The sport itself does not induce racism. The people that participate in the playing, organization, and implementation of sports bring racism into sports. One of the most notorious examples of racism in an international sporting event occurred in the 1936 Olympics, which were held in Berlin, Germany, in the Nazi era. German Chancellor Adolf Hitler hoped that the Olympic events would display the superiority of the Aryan race—that is, he hoped that the white athletes would greatly surpass athletes of other racial or ethnic backgrounds. When black American track and field athlete Jesse Owens (1913–1980) won four gold medals, a stunned Hitler angrily left the stadium. German fans, however, received Owens well and cheered his accomplishments. Though in more recent events Greek champion triple jumper Voula Papachristou has became the first athlete banned from competing at the London 2012 Olympic Games for posting racist and offensive comments on Twitter. Papachristou a supporter of the far-right political party Golden Dawn, posted the offensive tweet, which she now claims was a joke. The tweet said: â€Å"With so many Africans in Greece, at least the West Nile mosquitoes will eat home made food!!!† This was to be her first Olympics where she was to be recognised for her triple jumping but instead she was recognised for all the wrong reasons. Another example of racism in athletics was the Australian athlete John Steffensen. He claims he was racially abused by Athletics Austrailia by not being selected for thr 4X400m relay event in the London Olympic Games. He commented in a Channel 9 interview saying, â€Å"I’ve put up with being racially vilified by this federation, being discriminated against on many teams,† he said of AA’s decision to name the 19-year-old Solomon ahead of him for the one-lap race.† â€Å"†¦You think I waste my time running at training for fun? For this?† â€Å"No, they can have athletics. I don’t need to do this no more.† â€Å"I don’t think it helps the legitimacy of our sport or the selection criteria, and I think it only makes our sport look stupid. Athletics Austraila chief Dallas O’Brien says John Steffensen’s claims of racism are â€Å"regrettable† but no disciplinary action will be taken against the 400m runner. Education and sport in schools: Physical education and sport in schools has become a key issue involved in education. Targets have been set for schools to create more time for sports. It is said that in primary schools pupils should have 75-90 minutes of physical education and in secondary school; the amount of time and range of activities can become mnore flexible. They must aim though for minimum of two hours of sport per week. According to the British government: Every secondary school will receive funding up to the end of the academic year in 2013 to pay for one day a week of a PE teacher’s time to be spent out of the classroom, encouraging greater take-up of competitive sport in primary schools and securing a fixture network for schools to increase the amount of intra- and inter-school competition. Lottery funding from Sport England will also be deployed to build a framework of competitions as part of the new School Games. Though in recent surveys, doctors found 17 per cent of boys and 16 per cent of girls between 12 and 15 are classed as either overweight or obese and nearly three quarters of children are not getting their recommended 60 minutes of daily activity. But with the recent London Olympics the number of children regularly taking part in competitive sport has gone up, a new government report shows, but it’s still less than half of all pupils – increasing from 28% last year to 39% this year. This shows major events have had an impact on younger children but as it states there is still not enough young peole taking part and there is a many of excuses for avoiding it. Even when people leave school at the age of 18 involvement in sport drops dramatically as they have no longer sport as a complusory part of their acedemic cirriculum. The British government along with Sport England have launched their campaign ‘Sport; a habit for life’ this will focus mainly on the youth, facilities and physical education in schools all over the UK with the aim of increasing participation.

Case Analysis: the Bribery Scandal at Siemens AG

The Siemens bribery scandal brought to light a strategic dilemma facing multi-national firms attempting to gain a competitive edge by operating abroad; specifically, how can they balance adherence to their own ethical and legal standards with the customs required to do business efficiently, or perhaps at all, in foreign markets? Germany’s Co-Determination law has since drawn intense criticism as hampering competitiveness and creating untenable situations for management, rife with conflict-of-interest issues, not only because of Siemens, but also because of the number of other German-based companies accused of bribing labor union representatives. The forced resignation of CEO, Klaus Kleinfeld, despite the resulting success during his tenure, illustrates the predicament international managers face with regard to conflicting operational methods, and leads us to larger questions about accountability within an organization. As the case study author states, the Siemens scandal is representative of what many firms believe is the inevitable â€Å"ethical cost of intense competition in global markets†, particularly emerging markets, where payments for contracts are described as common place and perhaps even required. ?Perhaps the most glaringly problematic observation remains that the Siemens AG top management claims that they failed to notice rampant, and arguably conspicuous embezzlement leading to lucrative foreign contracts. Are there flaws in the German System of Corporate Governance? The 2007 scandal resulting in charges against Siemens’ Chief of Information Technology, Johannes Feldmayer, and Chief of Finance, Karl-Hermann Baumann, was rooted in illegal payments designed to work around German corporate governance laws. In this instance, IG Metall complained that Siemens was illegally funding smaller, rival union, AUB, in an attempt to grow and cultivate it as an ally against IG Metall in the bargaining process. This scandal marked the beginning of the unearthing of unethical behaviors in other German-based firms that have since lead to criticism that the Co-Determination law is antiquated and hampers competitiveness. The Co-Determination law was designed to provide a mechanism for worker participation in management decision-making via a two-tiered system with a supervisory board having oversight of the management board. Critics, however, argue that the law, in fact, limits the management board’s ability to make strategic decisions due to the control exerted by labor holding 50% of the seats on the supervisory board. I agree with the author’s statement that this creates, â€Å"a suspicious alliance between the management and the labor representatives†. The end result was often agreements made prior to the official meetings to facilitate outcomes favorable to management. Although the law was meant to bring balance to the corporate governance structure, I would argue that the potential for corruption of the labor representatives, or on the other end of the spectrum, obstruction of the management board, has a destabilizing effect likely to manifest in questionable and dysfunctional partnerships, such as was the case with Siemens. Another component of the Co-Determination law prevents selection of supervisory board members who are non-German, regardless of the expertise or perspective they could bring to the table. Naturally, the result is a limited, often recurring, and potentially like-minded pool of candidates, which the author points out, may have contributed to the ousting of Kleinfeld. The facts presented indicate that the lion’s share of the bribery scandal took place under Heinrich von Pierer, who was the CEO from 1992 until 2005, and the supervisory board chairman from 2005 to 2007. Kleinfeld took over in 2005 and, within a period of only two years, had accomplished a remarkable and profitable restructuring, as evidenced by a 26% increase in the stock price. This was not without growing pains, however, as it is speculated that Kleinfeld’s aggressive management style, often described as â€Å"American†, did not meet with the approval of the more conservative supervisory board. As such, analysts opined that the bribery scandal was used as an opportunity to remove Kleinfeld, citing the need for a â€Å"new beginning†. I agree that this is likely the case. The growth under Kleinfeld was impressive, particularly given the timeframe. Furthermore, the timing of the actual instances of bribery put them squarely during von Pierer’s tenure as CEO; and he had already stepped down from the supervisory board. Nevertheless, under the power granted by the Co-Determination law, the supervisory board opted to bring in a new CEO, Peter Loescher, indicating, in my opinion, that its issue with Kleinfeld was not performance based. Why Such Risky Business? The history of Siemens AG paints a picture of a successful and arguably dominant multi-national firm, with a reputation for a war chest of competencies and innovative products. The obvious question, then, is why would a firm with this resume and list of global achievements become involved with corruption and criminal behavior? The author recounts the opinions of analysts who believe the answer is simple; many firms view the types of payments at the heart of the Siemens scandal to be the necessary cost of doing business in the current global environment. At first glance, the facts of this case may seem to support this theory. There were â‚ ¬420 million of questionable payments made over a seven year period from 1999 to 2006. Official Siemens records showed the payments as having gone to external consultants. It was determined, however, that they were actually paid to foreign purchasing officials and that the expenditures coincided with the procurement of â€Å"fixed line telecommunications business in various international markets†, including Italy, Puerto Rico, Greece, and the United States. By March of 2007, two former Siemens managers were convicted of embezzlement of company funds for the purpose of bribing foreign officials. The employees argued that their actions did not violate any laws, resulted in no personal gain, and were taken solely for the purpose of improving Siemens’ positioning. They argued that they worked, only to secure a lucrative deal in which the payments were required by Enel management as part of the standard bid process. In fact, Siemens AG argued that the court order requiring forfeiture of earnings from the contract, prior to 2002 when the German government instituted a law prohibiting bribes to private officials abroad, specifically, had no basis in law. As previously stated, these events may appear to support the case in favor of questionable payments and loose ethical boundaries as a necessary cost of business. It is my opinion, however, that these events illustrate a flawed management culture and strategy. They are evidence of a system where a focus on true technological innovation has given way to a focus on unfettered expansion, and the unnatural duplication of the monopolistic type control over infrastructure in developing countries that was enjoyed during previous decades in other parts of the now industrialized world. If Siemens had bolstered their technologically competitive strength, they would not need to rely so heavily on their financial strength to gain entry into markets. Is this the New Cost of Doing Business? The fact that Siemens top management continue to take the official position that, despite the scope, depth, and intricacies of the bribery scandal, they had no knowledge of it remains difficult to explain. Further, they take no responsibility, save acknowledgement that they lacked adequate internal compliance systems. I find the truthfulness of this position to be of remote possibility due to the conspicuousness and magnitude of the payments, as well as their direct correlation with the securing of highly lucrative contracts. Moreover, the idea that entire sections of Siemens’ managers were of the character that they would be comfortable blatantly committing criminal acts for the sole benefit of their employer, but not themselves, I find to be quite counter-intuitive. The debate over whether events such as those unearthed at Siemens are part of the usual and customary cost of doing business abroad must be framed in terms of the complete denial of culpability by the top management. A legitimate, above-board expense is accounted for, tracked, and justified; this is the case even when it is outside the norms of the firm’s home country. It is not hidden from shareholders. A buffer of scapegoat-able employees need not lie between it and top management. If a light cannot be readily shown upon it, I believe it is without question, unethical. Whether or not it is illegal, however, depends upon the laws in the countries the firm is operating in. I could conceive of a situation where a firm could distribute cash â€Å"incentive† payments openly, on the books, as well as legally. In addition, firms have other options. They could improve their offerings to increase the competitiveness of the bid, and/or structure them with above-board incentives. They could operate with a clear and unwavering zero-tolerance policy for bribery; recognizing that it will be necessary to educate those conducting bid processes in markets where it is believed to be common to expect questionable payments. A firm could also exercise patience, and restraint, and be willing to walk away from markets requiring participation in corrupt processes. The Kleinfeld Conclusion. The Siemens AG supervisory board did provide adequate justification for the decision not to renew Kleinfeld’s contract, due to the scandals breaking during his time as CEO; yet, I believe that they were wrong in doing so in light of his track record of impressive and expedient accomplishments. Though his termination clearly pleased the board, unless Mr. Loescher is able to maintain the growth trajectory set by Kleinfeld, I believe his departure will not inspire confidence from management or shareholders. This is of concern because confidence has a direct impact on value, which could make it harder to move beyond the bribery scandal. Was it Worth It? One question still remains: was Siemens really at fault, given the apparent prevalence of these sorts of issues among other German companies; or was their only sin gett ing caught? It is my opinion that the magnitude of the â€Å"bribing† which took place at Siemens made it highly unlikely that knowledge of it would stay buried. I believe Siemens had to have anticipated this, hence the buffer between top management and the â€Å"bribers†. I believe they made a calculated business decision that whatever the consequence may ultimately be, it was a greater benefit to get a foot hold in the infrastructure of those markets. In short, yes, Siemens is to blame, and yes, they are okay with it.