Advertisement Is the Legalised Form of Telling Lies Essay

100% yes. Most advertisements and advertisers make totally false claims which is far from reality. And they call it creativity. It is nothing but lying and society has grown to accept it.If the strict definition of â€Å"cheating† is taken, as is commonly defined in most countries across the world, then most advertisers and the companies would have to be put behindbars for the offence.A great many of the statements that advertisers make are not literally true. Our chocolate is out of this world, it is so delightful that you will forget all your problems and feel like you have gone to heaven. In most countries, actually lying in an advertisement is illegal. The art of the sale is not in lying, but in manipulating the truth to make it sound like you actually need a product you don’t. There is a law against false advertising but people are hardly ever prosecuted for it because it is so easy to get around it. we are constantly being bombarded with advertisements that fill o ur minds with falsities throughout every day of our lives. Advertising is all glitter and little truth.

Japanese and American Business Behavior

Management sciences have long identified that there are many forms of business behaviors. Different organizations from different cultures tend to run their business in different manners, this include decision making activities, problem solving, future forecasting, and other issues within a business.The differences do not stop on the organizational level, managers of different cultures generally has their own personal style of managing their subordinates. These differences are interesting to study because of the increasing phenomena of globalization.II. Research BackgroundII. 1. The Need to Study Business StylesDifferent companies within different cultures previously have no need compare their business styles with those of foreign companies. However, with the rising of globalization and international competition, corporations are derived to take account of business cultures from all over the world. This is necessary in time where they have to make connections with foreign business in order to grow or survive. Furthermore, some business behaviors might be better suited in their local environment but contributes poorly within the global environment.There are times where changes of culture from local to global culture are necessities. Thus, to compare one business style to another is almost a common activity for economist and businessmen today.II. 2 Why Study Japanese CultureAsian economy has always been a matter of intense discussion among American scholars. There are predictions from many economist and observers that Asia will be the center of economic growth once the world has entered the new millennium. Although these predictions have not come through as expected, the rapid development of Asian economy is still an important event in the history of world’s economy.Let us take Japan as a representation of the strength of Asian economy. Japan produces some of the most innovative and highest quality products in the world. Since 1970’s, Japanese automa kers have been intensely competing with US automakers. Some even believed that they have exceeded the US automakers in some respects. The British motorcycle industry, which once considered as the one who brought the’ golden age’ on motorcycle industries has been wiped-out almost entirely by the presence of Japan’s futuristic motorcycles in their local soil.In fact, today, we have seen that Japanese culture is everywhere in the world. Many Americans today are fans of Japanese products since they were children. Japanese products have undeniably infiltrate US social and economic life in the most significant way. The popularity of Kill Bill, Iron Chef, Power Rangers, Hello Kitty, and Anime describes the strong presence of Japanese culture in the United States. Furthermore, American businessmen are today learning Japanese business style, more than just to communicate with their Japanese partners, but also to enhance their efficiency in doing business.The acknowledgem ent given to Japanese culture and their influence is overwhelming in many parts of the world (Palmeri, 2004). The popularity of Japanese culture in most parts of the world brought upon an interesting question for American business people. What are actually the differences between Japanese business behaviors and American business behaviors? Furthermore, the ability of Japanese businessmen to do what Americans cannot bring increasing interest in studying the popular culture. Within this paper, I am comparing two of the world’s most popular business styles, the American style and the Japanese style.There will be discussion on differences, similarities and some comparison of which has the advantage over certain situations.III. Research QuestionAs mentioned above, the strength of Japanese culture astonished economist from all over the world. With the increasing case studies where Japanese businessmen outperform others in international market, there is an interesting question of wh ether Japanese culture could have exceeded the dominating culture of the world (Americans). The implied research questions in the elaboration above are:‘With respect to its Strengths and Weaknesses, is Japanese business culture more suitable for business advancement and development than the American business culture? ’ In order to answer this question, a sufficient elaboration regarding both business cultures is required. The elaboration should lead to a comparative analysis regarding both business cultures. Based on book, journals and articles on Japanese and American business culture, I will divide the comparative analysis into several chapters focusing on different ways to compare the two business cultures.A concluding statement will be made to summarize the comparative analysis in the end of the paper. IV. Organizational Management StylesIV. 1 Roles and DecisionMaking In terms of managerial styles, American companies tend to be financially oriented and value autonom y. In a typical American company, the role of each employee is clearly defined and the employee is fully responsible for the activities assigned to him/her. Decisions generally come from individual authority, and the company usually makes clear definition of who is entitle for making what kinds of decisions (Engel, 2000).The Japanese style of management however, has a rather contrast approach. Japan companies (or Japanese style companies) has a more intuitive approach to management. Most of the employees have undefined roles and they are most likely to be assigned as teams to work together for group goals. Decisions do not come from a single person, but rather as a collective process involving many voices. However, when it comes to managing overseas, Japan companies seem to be more centralized that US corporations.For instance, if a Japanese company has an affiliate in US soil, their necessities focus on detailed communication across the Pacific. Generally, such communication is dom inated by Japanese employees, excluding many of the American employees from the managerial process. Furthermore, the US affiliate will most likely diminish in its ability to act independently. These issues created significant concern for American employees working for Japanese companies.IV. 2 Strategic PlanningIn strategic planning, Japanese companies seem to have a considerably different approach to Americans.For instance, while formulating a strategy, Americans are more-top-driven in their approach. They prefer to design changes and speed up evolution. This is in contrast with the Japanese who prefer to allow things to evolve from the bottom (Fiedler, 1965). American business people tend to finalize strategies quickly, sometimes without taking account of several issues and factors. They generally prefer to spend more time correcting the strategy in the implementation stage. The Japanese, on the other hand, tends to hold more careful discussion of what might go wrong and find their solutions.It is not until an all round agreement is achieved would the strategy be implemented. Many believe that the Japanese take more time to execute a plan and that is simply unacceptable. On the other hand, there are those who believed that the Japanese way is better, because they do not force the process. They allow everything to be in place, and when it does, they implement it quickly. Another argument in awe of the Japanese business culture is the fact that most Japanese managers prefer to look into the roots of the problem before making decisions, judgments and strategies.The American straightforward approach often result casualties of innocent workers being fired because management cannot see the root of the problem. This judgmental behavior is efficient, but not effective. Decisions are delivered in faster amount of time but less accuracy and depth of analysis. Japanese managers prefer to solve the problem first before looking for someone to blame. This culture evolves i n a manner that allows employees to feel shame even before they were even accused of misconduct. Mutual understanding and commitment to corporate goal is what fueled the Japanese strategy-machine to work.IV. 3 Employment and Personnel ManagementIn terms of employment, many writers indicated that Japan companies have distinctly unique system of ‘lifetime employment. Japanese companies are given credit by many for their ability in fostering loyalty and encouragement of their employees. Nevertheless, this is domestic in nature, and the system generally turns weak, once the companies enter international realm. Most of the modern nations found the Japanese employment system demands things that little (except Japanese people) would tolerate.Analysts indicated that these demands come from the lack of external labor market. There is not much choice for Japanese labor and employees in terms of employment. Thus, they tend to go along with every terms of the company, once they have signe d their contracts (Hersey, 1972). In foreign lands, Japanese companies who find that their system of employment is large unacceptable by non-Japanese, generally come up with an unfortunate solution. They would decide that the non-Japanese is to be hired under separate employment categories with little advancement opportunity or job security.IV. 4 Thickness of CultureOpening to new culture has been recognized as one of the popular traits of American business style. Corporations generally have a strong statement of their culture, but with a sense of flexibility and openness for new people and subsidiaries. Many writers consider this as advancement over other developing business cultures around the world. The Japanese on the other hand, develop a very ‘thick’ sense of corporate culture in each of their working generations. This strong sense of culture evolves from the fact that most Japanese employees work together for as long as a lifetime.Even a Japanese new entry would have difficulties in tuning-in to the corporate culture if they join in mid-career. Because of this tendency to form a strong bond among Japanese employees, Americans working within these companies generally experience numerous frictions and frustrations because they fail to understand the ongoing culture in the company (Kopp, n. d).V. Personal Leadership StylesV. 1 Types of LeadershipWithin this chapter, I will elaborate several types of leadership styles. Within each style there is an assessment of how Americans or Japanese favor the style. The types of leadership are: ? Directive LeadershipCompanies whose managers are accustomed to stress direction to subordinates are those of the directive leadership style. This style became famous in the United States, but it is now declining in frequency. Many stated that this style is currently most dominant is Asian countries. However, the Japanese seemed to be excluded in this particular category.Participative LeadershipThis style pursues c lose teamwork as a path to success. The Japanese are the symbol of this particular leadership style. Americans very seldom practice this type of leadership.Empowering LeadershipThis type of leadership is a brand new trend in America.It stresses on delegating responsibilities to subordinates and retain their passion in doing the best for the company. American Giants today are proclaiming themselves to be practicing this type of leadership. However, many Japanese multinationals (like Sony Corp. ) have this type of leadership style within their corporate philosophy. ? Charismatic Leadership Many CEO of multinationals have what is called human magnetism. It is the ability to gain trust from others to do what is needed for the company. These leaders usually exist within national boundaries. Their charismatic power seldom breaks through the limits of their culture.This type of leadership was dominated by Americans; however, their numbers are significantly reduced by as many of US companie s go global. More of them exist within the Japanese local culture now. (Cotter, 2001)V. 2 Family Succession LeadershipAccording to HBS (Harvard Business School) professor, D. Quinn Mills (2005), Japanese and other Asian companies are noted to pass down their line of leadership to family members. This is similar to the conduct of some of the largest American companies. However, it is more popular in American business culture that firms are run by professional managers and replaced by another professional manager.In American business culture, better companies generally have advance programs for developing executives within the firm. The next CEO will be chosen among them. There are also American companies who hire external CEOs without any familiarities of the company. This behavior is generally derived from the need to excel in growth or recovery. Despite the fact that several Japanese companies exceeded the Americans in terms of efficiency and profitability, many scholars still beli eve that the Japanese business style is only a stage of development which will finally lead to the American business style.These scholars argued using the leadership succession styles. They mentioned that the family succession culture was once a common practice among US companies. However, it was then replaced by the professional management succession line which is considered the latest piece of the evolutionary line. These scholars mentioned that it is possible that Asian firms will follow this evolutionary path in the future.V. 3 Political ConnectionsIn Japan and other Asian countries, it is more apparent that the success of a company depends to the intensity of its relations to political and social leaders of the environment.Japan and other Asian countries have developed a belief that connections to important people are crucial for the survival of their business. Quite contrast, the CEOs in America often have no direct connections to top politicians. The government only has autho rity at an arm’s length and business affairs are done by business people. Nevertheless, this does not include exceptions where older and powerful American companies take advantage of their political connections to enhance their success. The percentage of these companies is very low compared with Asian companies (Kopp, n. d).VI. Communication PatternsJapanese and Americans share some of their traits in terms of communication. Both of them are superpowers who held high their own culture. Americans and Japanese are known for their lack of knowledge over other languages. Few Americans speak and read foreign language enough to do business with people who do not understand English very well. Similarly, Japanese businessmen tend to be uncomfortable in detailed business discussion using English and English-language documents. Some other traits they share are their lack of experience in dealing with foreign people.Most of them lack the skills necessary to overcome cross-cultural chall enges (Kenna & Sondra, 1994). Japanese and American communication also has significant differences in their communication patterns. American business people tend to be more direct opened and values discussion. The Japanese style is on the other hand, more vague and roundabout. Much of the meaning is stated in nonverbal cues and subtle nuances of toning and wording. Different from Americans who viewed debate and challenging discussion as a positive trait, the Japanese tend to avoid them and viewed them negatively (Kenna & Sondra, 1994).VII ConclusionThe comparative analysis points out to several conclusions. The Japanese business culture is apparently very strong around its people. However, when their business expands to foreign lands, the power of their culture is either reduced, causing the lost of certain competitive advantages, or tightened, causing lack of collaboration to the surrounding environment. One of the reasons of Japanese rapid expansion into the international world is its unique managerial style. Successful Japanese companies have the ability to generate powerful motivation among its employees, thus, increasing corporate profitability, creativity and quality management.In this respect, the Japanese business culture has a significant advantage compare to the American business culture. The American seems to have superior business philosophy compare to the Japanese. Its ‘opened’ communication pattern and the lack of need for political connections and family ties provide high level of flexibility which supported expansion and business evolution. However, the quick decision making processes, the top-down evolution methods, and the impersonal relationship of its employees created a lack of strength in American managerial structure.Because of these, there are more strategies in the American culture that do not reach their goals, and more employees become left behind by the quick evolutionary stages. In this respect, the Japanese culture al so presents a favorable behavior for business evolvement. As a final conclusion, despite the fact that each business culture has their own strengths and weaknesses, this paper reveals a strong agreement that Japanese business culture has a significant advantage over the American business culture.A further study however, needed to be done over each and every aspects mentioned above in order to provide a more detailed explanation of how each culture excels or diminish within those respects.BibliographyCotter, Colleen. 2001. Lonely Planet USA Phrasebook: Understanding Americans and Their Culture Engel, Dean. 2000.Passport USA: Your Pocket Guide to American Business, Customs & Etiquette Fiedler, Fred E. 1965.Engineer the Job to Fit the Manager. Harvard Business Review. Vol. 43 Hersey, Paul. Blanchard, Kenneth H. 1972.Management of Organization Behavior. New Jersey: Prentic- Hall Inc. Kenna, Peggy. Sondra, Lacy. 1994.Business Japan: A Practical Guide to Understanding Japanese Business Cu lture. McGraw-Hill Kopp, Rochelle. N. d. ‘The Rice Paper Ceiling’. ISBN 1-880656-51-5. Stone Bridge Press. Mills, D. Quinn. ‘Asian and American Leadership Styles: How Are They Unique? ’. Harvard Business School. Retrieved June 2, 2006.Available at http://hbswk. hbs. edu/item. jhtml? id=4869&t=leadership Palmeri, Christopher. 2004.‘Is Japanese Style Taking Over the World? ’. Business Week Online. Retrieved June 2, 2006. Available at: http://www. businessweek. com/magazine/content/04_30/b3893091. htm,

Rayong factory of the Simple Shoes Company Essay

Rayong factory of the Simple Shoes Company - Essay Example A Distinguish between basic, ideal and attainable standards and explain how these may be used in the Rayong factory of the Simple Shoes Company. Standard cost is the pre-determined operating cost calculated from Management’s standards of efficient operation and the relevant necessary expenditure. It is used as a basis for price fixation and cost control through variance analysis.Basically, standard cost reflects;oQuantities of material and labor expected to be used;oPrices expected to be paid for materials and labor during the coming year, and,oFactory expenses applicable to production based on efficient performance and practical capacity operation of the factory.Standard costs are used in the following applications:o Planning & Control: Standards provide a benchmark, which serves two purposes – guiding and directing the activities of the firm (planning) and analyzing whether the actual activities are in proper direction (control).oPricing Decisions: Standard cost facil itates decisions as also in decisions involving submission of quotations, replying to tenders etc. Since cost is pre-determined based on acceptable standards efficiency, decision making process is simplified.oVariance Analysis: Identification and measurement of variances from standards is possible with the use of standard costs, with a view to improve performance or to revise standards, whichever is applicable. Management by Exception: By analyzing the variances, the decision maker can focus on significant deviations from standards and take corrective actions. Managers can concentrate on critical areas of activity where variances are reported. Thus, standard costs facilitate control by exception (Accounting Tools 2008). Characteristics of basic standards (AccountingCoach 2008) Particulars Characteristics Period These standards reflect the costs that would have been incurred in a certain past period (i.e. the base period). Change These standards are used for items or costs which are likely to remain constant over a long period. Short run vs. Long run Basic standards are set on a long term basis and are seldom revised. Effect These costs relate to a base year, which is chosen for comparison purposes, like price indices etc. Basic standards do not represent what should be attained in the present period. Suitability Suited only to businesses having a small range of products and long production runs. Comparison of ideal standards and attainable standards (Accountingformanagemt.com 2009) Particulars Ideal Standards Attainable Standards Conditions These represent the level of performance attainable with the ‘best’ or ‘ideal set-up’, i.e. best quality materials at favorable prices, highly skilled labor, best equipments and layout. These represent the level of performance attainable under normal operating conditions, i.e. normal efficiency, normal sales/production volume etc. Efficiency These standards focus on maximum efficiency in utilization of resources, i.e. maximum output with minimum cost These standards focus on the practical attainable efficiency, after considering normal imperfections, i.e. optimization (not minimization) of cost per unit. Attainment These are generally not attainable; hence such standards may not be taken seriously. These are attainable with reasonable effort and hence constitute a good benchmark for control. Disposition o f variances Variances from the ideals would not indicate the extent to which they could have been reasonably and practically avoided. There is no logical method of disposing these variances. Here, variances are deviations from normal expectations. Hence they are disposed on the basis of the policy of the company in this regard. How these may be used in the Rayong factory of the Simple Shoes Company As is obvious from what has been discussed above a basic standard is more of a historical piece of information without much practical relevance for a new set up. Thus, it is advisable that no effort should be spent on setting up basic standards. Instead it would be much more effective if the

WW2 Japan and China's war AKA the Second Sino japanese war Research Paper

WW2 Japan and China's war AKA the Second Sino japanese war - Research Paper Example The results of the war were that they were displaced from their homes and properties totaling to billions destroyed1. This paper examines into details second Sino-Japanese War and its effects. The second Sino-Japanese War origin is traced back to the incident in Manchurian which took place in September 1931. Japanese being effectively consolidated had occupied different territories and the Kwantung army went ahead to occupy Munchuria. After this, they established their puppet state In Munchuria known as Manchukuo in February 1932. The Chinese were not happy with this change, but the Japanese forced them to recognize the independence of their puppet states. They opposed this by conducting suppressed anti-Japanese activities and in the process forming an autonomous regional government in Northern China. However, the Japanese succeeds in their quest of forming puppet states because between the periods of 1933 and 1935, the Chinese people were forced through their armies to create two demilitarized autonomous areas to border their puppet state2. The break of the Second Sino-Japanese war was traced back to increased internal opposition to the Japanese government by Chinese citizens who saw that the Japanese policy of making their selves stronger before carrying out an attack was a threat to their sovereignty. In 1937, the Japanese soldiers headed for Beijing and Tainjin demanding that the Chinese soldiers were to surrender under their terms. This was because they knew that the military might of the Chinese could not match them as they were advanced weaponry. However, this did not go as planned because the Chinese clashed with the Japanese as they saw that they were slowly loosing their freedom and country to the Japanese who were foreigners in their land3. The Chinese initial response to this was to place their troops outside Shangai an area occupied by the Japanese. This act greatly agitated the Japanese as they saw this as an act of challenge to their

Social responsibility in finance decision making Essay - 2

Social responsibility in finance decision making - Essay Example cture, McDonalds focuses its attention to putting its customers, processes, and practices into place to better the society through better food, people that are more contented, a stronger community, and an improved planet. This report explores McDonalds’ Corporate Social Responsibility approach in finance decision making. McDonalds, the worlds foremost global food service trader, takes its environmental and social obligation to the society considerably seriously, considering the CSR strategies it partakes. The company consults with customers, suppliers, sustainability experts and socially responsible organizations to ensure that its CSR strategies are in lieu with the current century and societal goals. It collaborates with other organizations to develop global principles that support purchase of raw materials from verified sustainable sources. This paper explores McDonald’s practices, their harm to the society, and CSR initiatives it has taken to promote its corporate image. In as much as a company seeks to make profit in a sustainable approach, there are always times when they inflict harm on one or more of its stakeholders for profit making. McDonalds faces criticism for the level of nutrition in its food, which is largely high fat, high cholesterol, low fiber diet. It also receives criticism for the effects of advertisements on the minds of children, and the environmental effects of its restaurants on the environment. Considering McDonalds is among the world’s leading companies it has the financial and legal muscle to silence its critics and limits free speech against its operations (Blasio, 2008). Apart from that, workers claim exploitation in several instances, especially in branches comprised of underprivileged people. Workers receive low wages, and understaffing also occurs, as the company seeks to maximize on profits. Worst of all, its aggressive practices push several small food outlets out of business (Brazelton, Ellis, Macedo, Shader, and Suslow,

American Dietary Guidelines Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

American Dietary Guidelines - Assignment Example The assignment "American Dietary Guidelines" discusses the dietary guidelines for Americans. With an exponentially increasing financial budget on managing diet-oriented chronic diseases, the American dietary guidelines play a crucial role in ensuring Americans focus on promoting health and minimization of disease. Weight management involves regulation of factors contributing to obesity and avoiding it. There are emphasize consumption low sodium and solid fats, sugars, and cholesterol, as well as alcohol as these, contribute to poor diet-related chronic diseases. The guidelines recommend the increase of foods with adequate nutrients, and that prevent diseases like whole grains, low-fat milk and fat-free milk products like lean meat eggs, peas, oils, and unsalted nuts and seeds. With the knowledge of what to eat, what not to eat, and how to balance one’s weight through calories, the guidelines provide information on how to define a healthy eating pattern in order to minimize the ir nutrient requirements.The major recommendations are for Americans to ensure they adhere to consuming balanced calorie intake while incorporating physical activity as a way of managing weight. Another recommendation is on consumption of increased amounts of some nutrients including vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat, and fat-free products. Americans are urged to consume food that constitutes low amounts of saturated fats, sodium like salt, added sugars, cholesterol, trans fats, and refined grains.

Comparing the Vietnam War and the Watergate Scandal to the Film Essay

Comparing the Vietnam War and the Watergate Scandal to the Film Forrest Gump - Essay Example Usually, the involvement is categorized into three phases. First and foremost, there was the covert operations phase that covered the first decade of the entire operation. The second phase is commonly described as the advising phase that covered the subsequent eleven years thereafter. The third phase covered the last years of the war, and this was the time when a direct involvement of the American forces in Vietnam was witnessed. The country escalated the war in this region. However, after the â€Å"1968 Tet Offensive,† the country began the process of disengagement and, five years later the country completely withdrew its troops from the region i.e. after the Paris Peaces Accord. This marked the end of the country’s three-year decade involvement in the war. The Watergate scandal on the other hand took place during Nixon’s presidency. In mid 1972, a group of men armed with certain highly developed eavesdropping devices broke into the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters situated in the Watergate Hotel Complex in the nation’s capital. The following two years were trying moments for the president and his close allies, as the country would be shocked to realize that the Watergate incident that was initially thought to be a â€Å"third rate burglary,† actually had the approval of the state. This was the first time in the history of America that a sitting president was forced to resign due to public pressure. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast these two historical events to the movie, ‘Forrest Gump’. Discussion The movie Forrest Gump narrates the story of an implausibly kind and affectionate individual who is also the kind that some people may refer to as â€Å"mildly retard ed.† The fact that this individual may not be very smart is quite true. However, the fact that he is fortunate is not in doubt. Some would say this is so because he is blessed with a mother and friend who loved him greatly. Forrest is a native of rural Alabama and is raised by his mother who rents out rooms in the family house to tourists visiting the area in exchange of cash (Ciao 17). Even though this character is viewed to be less refined and was raised not any close to the major cities, he manages to become part of some of the most significant events that took place in the American History i.e. from the late 1950s to the early 1980s (Dlugos 88). Among these events are the Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Anti-Vietnam protest movements. He even gets the privilege of personally meeting three American presidents during this time. Other prominent personalities that Forrest is privileged to get acquainted with include Elvis Presley and John Lennon. This film focuses on a period of American history from the perspective of a calm soul who is devoid of skepticism. Generally, the film exposes to its viewers some of the relationships that the character develops through his life. For instance, there is his mother who is committed to ensuring her son’s well-being, his two best friends from the days in the military, Bubba and Dan, and most importantly Jenny who is his true childhood sweetheart. Even though Jenny experiences the changes in the country’s culture from a very different perspective to that of Forrest, she still manages to remain loyal and true to her childhood ally, whose genuineness, compassion, and steadfastness she would find in no other (Dlugos 88). Agreeably or disagreeably to different people, at the end of the day, the disgrace of the Watergate scandal is what the Richard Nixon presidency will largely be remembered for. Over three decades down the line, its effect and how it influenced the