Spirit Bound Chapter Twenty-Two Free Essays

I DIDN’T TAKE THE GUY’S advice and tear off out of there, though I didn’t exactly sit on the front step either. I lingered nearby in a cluster of cherry trees, figuring it would only be a matter of time before the assembly ended and people spilled out the doors. After several minutes passed and nothing happened, I flipped into Lissa’s mind and discovered things were still in full force. We will write a custom essay sample on Spirit Bound Chapter Twenty-Two or any similar topic only for you Order Now Despite Tatiana declaring twice now that the session was over, people were still standing around and arguing in groups. Tasha was standing in one such group with Lissa and Adrian, making one of the impassioned speeches she was so good at. Tasha might not be as coldly calculating as Tatiana was when it came to political moves, but Tasha did have a keen sense of ripples in the system and recognized opportunities when they came. She was against the age-lowering decree. She was for teaching Moroi to fight. Neither of those was getting her very far, so she jumped on the next best thing: Lissa. â€Å"Why are we arguing among ourselves about how best to kill Strigoi when we can save them?† Tasha put one arm around Lissa and one around Adrian, drawing them both forward. Lissa still wore her serenely confident look, but Adrian looked ready to bolt if given half a chance. â€Å"Vasilisa–who, by the way, is indeed being denied her fair voice here, thanks to an archaic law–has shown that Strigoi can be brought back.† â€Å"That hasn’t been proven,† exclaimed one man in the crowd. â€Å"Are you kidding?† asked a woman beside him. â€Å"My sister was with the group that brought him back. She says he’s definitely a dhampir. He was even out in the sun!† Tasha nodded in approval at the woman. â€Å"I was there as well. And now we have two spirit users capable of doing this for other Strigoi.† As much as I respected Tasha, I wasn’t entirely with her on this. The amount of power–not to mention effort involved in the staking–that Lissa had required with Dimitri had been staggering. It had even temporarily hurt the bond. That didn’t mean she couldn’t do it again. Nor did it mean she wouldn’t want to again. She was just naively compassionate enough to throw herself into the line of fire to help others. But I knew the more power a spirit user wielded, the quicker they’d travel down the road to insanity. And Adrian†¦ well, he was almost a nonissue here. Even if he wanted to go staking Strigoi, he didn’t have the kind of healing power it would take to restore one–at least not now. It’s wasn’t uncommon for Moroi to use their elements in different ways. Some fire users, like Christian, had skilled control of flame itself. Others could only use their magic to, say, warm the air in a room. Likewise, Lissa and Adrian had their strengths with spirit. His greatest healing triumph was mending a fracture, and she still couldn’t walk dreams, no matter how much she practiced. So, really, Tasha had one spirit user capable of saving Strigoi, and that one could hardly transform legions of those monsters. Tasha did seem to recognize this a little. â€Å"The Council shouldn’t be wasting time with age laws,† she continued. â€Å"We need to sink our resources into finding more spirit users and recruiting them to help save Strigoi.† She fixed her gaze on someone in the crowd. â€Å"Martin, didn’t your brother get turned against his will? With enough work, we could bring him back to you. Alive. Just like you knew him. Otherwise, he’s just going to get staked when guardians find him–and of course he’ll be slaughtering innocents along the way.† Yeah, Tasha was good. She could paint a good image and nearly brought that Martin guy to tears. She didn’t really mention people who’d turned Strigoi willingly. Lissa, still standing with her, wasn’t sure how she felt about the idea of a Strigoi-saving spirit army, but she did recognize how this was all part of several other plans Tasha had–including one to get Lissa voting rights. Tasha played up Lissa’s abilities and character, scoffing at what was clearly an outdated law from an era that never could have foreseen this situation. Tasha further pointed out that a full Council of twelve families would send a message to Strigoi everywhere about Moroi unity. I didn’t want to hear any more. I’d let Tasha wield her political magic and talk more to Lissa later. I was still so agitated about what had happened when I’d yelled at the Council that I couldn’t stand to see that room anymore. I left her mind and returned to my own, yelping when I saw a face right in front of mine. â€Å"Ambrose!† One of the best-looking dhampirs on the planet–after Dimitri, of course–flashed me a gleaming, movie-star smile. â€Å"You were so still, I thought maybe you were trying to be a dryad.† I blinked. â€Å"A what?† He gestured to the cherry trees. â€Å"Nature spirits. Beautiful women who become one with trees.† â€Å"I’m not sure if that was a compliment or not,† I said. â€Å"But it’s good to see you again.† Ambrose was a true oddity in our culture: a male dhampir who had neither taken guardian vows nor run off to hide among humans. Female dhampirs often chose not to join the guardians in order to focus on raising families. That’s why we were so rare. But men? They had no excuse, as far as most people were concerned. Rather than skulk off in disgrace, however, Ambrose had chosen to stay and simply work for the Moroi another way. He was essentially a servant–a high-class one who served drinks at elite parties and gave massages to royal women. He also, if rumors were true, served Tatiana in physical ways. That was so creepy, though, I promptly put it out of my mind. â€Å"You too,† he told me. â€Å"But if you aren’t communing with nature, what are you doing?† â€Å"It’s a long story. I kind of got thrown out of a Council meeting.† He looked impressed. â€Å"Literally thrown out?† â€Å"Dragged, I guess. I’m surprised I haven’t seen you around,† I mused. â€Å"Of course, I’ve kind of been, um, distracted this last week.† â€Å"So I’ve heard,† he said, giving me a sympathetic look. â€Å"Although, I actually have been away. Just got back last night.† â€Å"Just in time for the fun,† I muttered. The guileless look on his face told me hadn’t heard about the decree yet. â€Å"What are you doing now?† he asked. â€Å"This doesn’t look like punishment. Did you finish your sentence?† â€Å"Something like that. I’m kind of waiting for someone now. Was just going to hang out in my room.† â€Å"Well, if you’re killing time, why don’t you come see Aunt Rhonda?† â€Å"Rhonda?† I scowled. â€Å"No offense, but your aunt didn’t really impress me with her abilities last time.† â€Å"None taken,† he said cheerfully. â€Å"But she’s been wondering about you. And Vasilisa. So, if you’re just hanging around†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I hesitated. He was right that I had nothing better to do right now. I was stuck on options with both Dimitri and the Council’s idiotic resolutions. Yet Rhonda–his fortune-telling Moroi aunt–wasn’t someone I really wanted to see again. Despite my glib words, the truth was that in retrospect, some of Rhonda’s predictions had come true. I just didn’t like what they’d been. â€Å"Fine,† I said, trying to look bored. â€Å"Make it fast.† He smiled again, like he could see through my ruse, and led me off to a building I’d been to once before. It housed a luxurious salon and spa frequented by royal Moroi. Lissa and I had had our nails done there, and as Ambrose and I wound our way through it to Rhonda’s lair, I felt a strange pang within me. Manicures and pedicures†¦ they seemed like the most trivial things in the world. But on that day, they’d been wonderful. Lissa and I had laughed and grown closer†¦ just before the school was attacked and everything fell apart†¦. Rhonda told fortunes in a back room that was far from the busy spa. Despite the seedy feel of it, she did a pretty brisk business and even had her own receptionist. Or, well, she used to. This time, the desk was empty, and Ambrose led me straight through to Rhonda’s room. It looked exactly the same as before, like being inside a heart. Everything was red: the wallpaper, the decorations, and the cushions covering the floor. Rhonda herself sat on the floor, eating a cup of yogurt, which seemed terribly ordinary for someone who allegedly wielded mystical powers. Curly black hair cascaded around her shoulders, making the large gold hoops in her ears gleam. â€Å"Rose Hathaway,† she said happily, setting the yogurt aside. â€Å"What a nice surprise.† â€Å"Shouldn’t you have seen me coming?† I asked dryly. Her lips twitched with amusement. â€Å"That’s not my power.† â€Å"Sorry to interrupt your dinner,† Ambrose said, gracefully folding his muscled body as he sat down. â€Å"But Rose isn’t easy to catch hold of.† â€Å"I imagine not,† she said. â€Å"I’m impressed you got her to come at all. What can I do for you today, Rose?† I shrugged and sank down beside Ambrose. â€Å"I don’t know. I’m only here because Ambrose talked me into it.† â€Å"She didn’t think your last reading was very good,† he said. â€Å"Hey!† I shot him a chastising look. â€Å"That’s not exactly what I said.† Last time, Lissa and Dimitri had been with me. Rhonda’s tarot cards had shown Lissa crowned with power and light–no surprise. Rhonda had said Dimitri would lose what he valued most, and he had: his soul. And me? Rhonda had bluntly told me that I’d kill the undead. I’d scoffed at that, knowing I had a lifetime of Strigoi-killing ahead of me. Now I wondered if â€Å"undead† meant the Strigoi part of Dimitri. Even if I hadn’t driven the stake, I’d certainly played a major role. â€Å"Maybe another reading would help the other one make more sense?† she offered. My mind was putting together another fraud psychic joke, which was why it was so astonishing when my mouth said, â€Å"That’s the problem. The other one did make sense. I’m afraid†¦ I’m afraid of what else the cards will show.† â€Å"The cards don’t make the future,† she said gently. â€Å"If something’s meant to be, it’ll be, regardless of whether you see it here. And even then†¦ well, the future is always changing. If we had no choices, there’d be no point in living.† â€Å"See now,† I said flippantly, â€Å"that’s the kind of vague gypsy response I was hoping for.† â€Å"Roma,† she corrected. â€Å"Not gypsy.† Despite my snark, she still seemed to be in a good mood. Easygoing attitudes must have run in their family. â€Å"Do you want the cards or not?† Did I? She was right about one thing–the future would unfold with or without me seeing it in the cards. And even if the cards showed it, I probably wouldn’t understand it until afterward. â€Å"Okay,† I said. â€Å"Just for fun. I mean, last time was probably a lucky guess.† Rhonda rolled her eyes but said nothing as she began shuffling her tarot deck. She did it with such precision that the cards seemed to move themselves. When she finally stopped, she handed the deck to me to cut. I did, and she put it back together. â€Å"We did three cards before,† she said. â€Å"We’ve got time to do more if you’d like. Five, perhaps?† â€Å"The more there are, the more likely it is that anything can get explained.† â€Å"If you don’t believe in them, then it shouldn’t be an issue.† â€Å"Okay, then. Five.† She grew serious as she flipped out the cards, her eyes carefully studying them. Two of the cards had come out upside down. I didn’t take that as a good sign. Last time, I’d learned that it made seemingly happy cards†¦ well, not so happy. The first one was one the Two of Cups, showing a man and a woman together in a grassy, flower-filled field while the sun shone above them. Naturally, it was upside down. â€Å"Cups are tied to emotions,† Rhonda explained. â€Å"The Two of Cups shows a union, a perfect love and blossoming of joyous emotions. But since it’s inverted–â€Å" â€Å"You know what?† I interrupted. â€Å"I think I’m getting the hang of this. You can skip that one. I have a good idea what it means.† It might as well have been Dimitri and me on that card, the cup empty and full of heartache†¦. I really didn’t want to hear Rhonda analyze what was already tearing my heart up. So she went on to the next one: the Queen of Swords, also upside down. â€Å"Cards like this refer to specific people,† Rhonda told me. The Queen of Swords looked very imperious, with auburn hair and silver robes. â€Å"The Queen of Swords is clever. She thrives on knowledge, can outwit her enemies, and is ambitious.† I sighed. â€Å"But upside down†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Upside down,† said Rhonda, â€Å"all of those traits get twisted. She’s still smart, still trying to get her way†¦ but she’s doing it through insincere ways. There’s a lot of hostility and deception here. I’d say you have an enemy.† â€Å"Yeah,† I said, eyeing the crown. â€Å"I think I can guess who. I just called her a sanctimonious bitch.† Rhonda didn’t comment and moved on to the next one. It was facing the right way, but I kind of wished it wasn’t. It had a whole bunch of swords stuck in the ground and a woman tied and blindfolded to one. Eight of Swords. â€Å"Oh, come on,† I exclaimed. â€Å"What is it with me and swords? You gave me one this depressing last time.† It had shown a woman weeping in front of a wall of swords. â€Å"That was the Nine of Swords,† she agreed. â€Å"It could always be worse.† â€Å"I have a hard time believing that.† She picked up the rest of the deck and scanned through it, finally pulling out one card. The Ten of Swords. â€Å"You could have drawn this.† It showed a dead guy lying on the ground with a bunch of swords driven through him. â€Å"Point taken,† I said. Ambrose chuckled beside me. â€Å"What’s the nine mean?† â€Å"The nine is being trapped. Unable to get out of a situation. It can also mean slander or accusation. Summoning courage to escape something.† I glanced back at the queen, thinking of the things I’d said in the Council room. Those would definitely count as accusations. And being trapped? Well, there was always the possibility of a lifetime of paperwork†¦ I sighed. â€Å"Okay, what’s the next one?† It was the best-looking one in the bunch, the Six of Swords. It had a bunch of people in a boat, rowing off over moonlit water. â€Å"A journey,† she said. â€Å"I was just on a journey. A few of them.† I eyed her suspiciously. â€Å"Man, this isn’t, like, some kind of a spiritual journey is it?† Ambrose laughed again. â€Å"Rose, I wish you’d get tarot readings every day.† Rhonda ignored him. â€Å"If it were in cups, maybe. But swords are tangible. Action. A true, out-and-about journey.† Where on earth would I go? Did it mean I was traveling to the Academy like Tatiana had suggested? Or was it possible that, in spite of all my rule breaking and calling her royal highness names, I might actually get an assignment after all? One away from Court? â€Å"You could be looking for something. It may be a physical journey combined with a spiritual journey,† she said, which sounded like a total way to cover her ass. â€Å"This last one†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Her eyebrows knitted into a frown at the fifth card. â€Å"This is hidden from me.† I peered at it. â€Å"The Page of Cups. Seems pretty obvious. It’s a page with, um, cups.† â€Å"Usually I have a clear vision†¦. The cards speak to me in how they connect. This one’s not clear.† â€Å"The only thing that’s not clear is whether it’s a girl or a boy.† The person on the card looked young but had hair and an androgynous face that made the gender impossible to determine. The blue tights and tunic didn’t help, though the sunny field in the background seemed promising. â€Å"It can be either,† Rhonda said. â€Å"It’s the lowest in rank of the cards that represent people in each suit: King, Queen, Knight, and then Page. Whoever the page is, it’s someone trustworthy and creative. Optimistic. It could mean someone who goes on the journey with you–or maybe the reason for your journey.† Whatever optimism or truth I’d had in the cards pretty much disappeared with that. Given that she’d just said about a hundred things it could be, I didn’t really consider it authoritative. Usually, she noticed my skepticism, but her attention was still on the card as she frowned. â€Å"But I just can’t tell†¦. There’s a cloud around it. Why? It doesn’t make sense.† Something about her confusion sent a chill down my spine. I always told myself this was fake, but if she’d been making it all up†¦ well, wouldn’t she have made something up about the Page of Cups? She wasn’t putting on a very convincing act if this last card was making her question herself. The thought that maybe there was some mystical force out there blocking her sobered up my cynical attitude. With a sigh, she looked up at last. â€Å"Sorry that’s all I can tell you. Did the rest help?† I scanned the cards. Heartache. An enemy. Accusations. Entrapment. Travel. â€Å"Some of it tells me things I already know. The rest leaves me with more questions.† She smiled knowingly. â€Å"That’s how it usually is.† I thanked her for the reading, secretly glad I didn’t have to pay for it. Ambrose walked me out, and I tried to shake off the mood Rhonda’s fortune had left me in. I had enough problems in my life without letting a bunch of stupid cards bother me. â€Å"You going to be okay?† he asked when we finally emerged. The sun was climbing higher. The Royal Court would be going to bed soon, ending what had been a turbulent day. â€Å"I†¦ I wouldn’t have brought you if I’d known how much it would upset you.† â€Å"No, no,† I said. â€Å"It’s not the cards. Not exactly. There’s a bunch of other things going on†¦ one you should probably know about.† I hadn’t wanted to bring up the decree when we’d first run into each other, but as a dhampir, he had a right to hear about what had happened. His face was perfectly still as I spoke, save for his dark brown eyes, which grew wider while the story progressed. â€Å"There’s some mistake,† he said at last. â€Å"They wouldn’t do that. They wouldn’t do that to sixteen-year-olds.† â€Å"Yeah, well, I didn’t think so either, but they were apparently serious enough about it to throw me out when I, um, questioned it.† â€Å"I can just imagine your ‘questioning.’ All this’ll do is make more dhampirs drop out of the guardians†¦ unless, of course, being that young makes them more open for brainwashing.† â€Å"Kind of a sensitive area for you, huh?† I asked. After all, he too was a guardian drop-out. He shook his head. â€Å"Staying in this society was nearly impossible for me. If any of those kids do decide to drop out, they won’t have the powerful friends I did. They’ll be outcasts. That’s all this’ll do. Either kill off teens or cut them off from their own people.† I wondered what powerful friends he’d had, but this was hardly the time to learn his life history. â€Å"Well, that royal bitch doesn’t seem to care.† The thoughtful, distracted look in his eyes suddenly sharpened. â€Å"Don’t call her that,† he warned with a glare. â€Å"This isn’t her fault.† Whoa. Cue surprise. I’d almost never seen sexy, charismatic Ambrose be anything but friendly. â€Å"Of course it’s her fault! She’s the supreme ruler of the Moroi, remember?† His scowl deepened. â€Å"The Council voted too. Not her alone.† â€Å"Yeah, but she voted in support of this decree. She swayed the vote.† â€Å"There must have been a reason. You don’t know her like I do. She wouldn’t want this kind of thing.† I started to ask if he was out of his mind but paused when I remembered his relationship with the queen. Those romantic rumors made me queasy, but if they were true, I supposed he might have legitimate concern for her. I also decided it was probably best that I didn’t know her the way he did. The bite marks on his neck certainly indicated some sort of intimate activity. â€Å"Whatever’s going on between you is your business,† I told him calmly, â€Å"but she’s used it to trick you into thinking she’s someone she isn’t. She did it to me too, and I fell for it. It’s all a scam.† â€Å"I don’t believe it,† he said, still stone-faced. â€Å"As queen, she’s put into all sorts of tough situations. There must be more to it–she’ll change the decree, I’m certain of it.† â€Å"As queen,† I said, imitating his tone, â€Å"she should have the ability to–â€Å" My words fell off as a voice spoke in my head. Lissa’s. Rose, you’re going to want to see this. But you have to promise not to cause any trouble. Lissa flashed a location to me, along with a sense of urgency. Ambrose’s hard look shifted to one of concern. â€Å"Are you okay?† â€Å"I–yeah. Lissa needs me.† I sighed. â€Å"Look, I don’t want us to fight, okay? Obviously we’ve each got different views of the situation†¦ but I think we both agree on the same key point.† â€Å"That kids shouldn’t be sent off to die? Yeah, we can agree on that.† We smiled tentatively at each other, and the anger between us diffused. â€Å"I’ll talk to her, Rose. I’ll find out the real story and let you know, okay?† â€Å"Okay.† I had a hard time believing anyone could really have a heart-to-heart with Tatiana, but again, there might be more to their relationship than I realized. â€Å"Thanks. It was good seeing you.† â€Å"You too. Now go–go to Lissa.† I needed no further urging. Along with the sense of urgency, Lissa had passed one other message through the bond that sent my feet flying: It’s about Dimitri. How to cite Spirit Bound Chapter Twenty-Two, Essay examples

Woolworths Strategic Management Multinational Companies

Question: Discuss about the Woolworths Strategic Management for Multinational Companies. Answer: Introduction Investing in foreign countries is one of the most successful strategies utilized by multinational companies in the expansion of their market and growth. It helps a company to enjoy a large pool of skilled and talented workforce from the host country. Also, the company may benefit from low-cost operations and availability of raw materials at a cheaper cost. Many factors influence the entity to invest or move some of its business operations offshore. These factors may be internal or external (Sirmon et al. 2011, p. 1392). Internal environment includes factors such as business structure, organizational culture, the level of technology used in production, employees as well as products and services of the business organization. On the flipside, the external environment involves political, legal, demographic factors that affect business operations. As such, this paper will provide a detailed strategic management analysis of Woolworths Limited and how it has influenced its decision to move its business operations offshore. Woolworth Business strategies Woolworths Limited Company is a major Australian business organization with a great retail interest in Australia. It is rated as the second-largest business enterprise in Australia based on revenue generation. The company specializes in the provision of groceries, home supplies, liquor, petroleum products, insurance services, real estate investments, electronics as well as seasonal goods. The company runs a chain of supermarkets and food stores in Australia. To manage the retail stores effectively, the company pushes its goods and services to the consumers. However, the business enterprise is trying to get a competitive advantage in the market by cutting the operational costs and selling a variety of products in different volumes. The key source of its products is fresh produce from suppliers. As such, the Woolworths management has put in place mechanisms of empowering suppliers and established inventory management (Hitt, Ireland Hoskisson 2012, p. 1). To ensure that the business ha s a constant supply to all its supermarkets and chain stores, which are spread throughout the country, Woolworths have developed strategically positioned distribution centers that facilitate easier and efficient delivery of products to the stores. The company has contracted logistic companies that transport its products to various stores. The current business strategy of Woolworth is based on product differentiation. This strategy helps the company to focus on diversification of its products and also venturing into different markets. It has made the company to concentrate on developing highly differentiated marking program and product line so as to become the leading company in this competitive industry. By using the Fresh Food People as its vision statement, the firm has been successful with its outstanding product differentiation technique. Through orienting the business operations around the fundamental value of food products being fresh, Woolworths has attracted a significantly large percentage of consumers in the market and thus, getting the lions share of the market (Collins, Roper Lawrence 2010, p. 479, p. 18). Woolworths operations in New Zealand Apart from Australia, which is the parent country, the company has also moved its business operation in New Zealand. Most of the Woolworths stores in New Zealand are rebranded and operate under the business name referred to as Countdown. However, the operations of these stores in Australia fall under Woolworths management. The company made this major decision of investing abroad as a mechanism of enjoying the benefits of foreign direct investment, which allows it to explore offshore markets by utilizing the resources and infrastructure of the host country. Foreign direct investment has various benefits to both the investors as well as the host country (Sornarajah 2010). The host country benefits from direct investment through taxation and job creation. Being the second largest chain company in New Zeeland, Woolworth has created employment opportunities for citizens and residents of New Zealand. There are more than 100 full-service supermarkets of Woolworths Company in Australia opera ting under the brand name Countdown (Sornarajah 2010). Also, 20 supermarkets operating in Hamilton, Auckland as well as Tuiaranga under the Foodtown brand name were rebranded to Countdown in 2012, and they form part of Woolworths stores established in New Zealand. The stores provide employment opportunities such as shop attendants, suppliers, distributors and managerial positions to the citizens of the host country. Also, the taxation policies of New Zealand require these countries to file their tax returns each year and as such, the government of the host country gets revenue from these stores through taxation. On the other hand, Woolworth companies have gained many benefits from its direct investment in New Zealand. The large population of this country serves as a market for the companys fresh products, and other non-food products. The business enterprise has increased its market share by investing in this country. Besides, Woolworth has benefitted from the vast agricultural resources of New Zealand (Kumar, Jones, Venkatesan Leone 2011, p. 21). The fresh vegetable products and meat from farmers serve as sources of products for Woolworths Company. The enterprise depends on the agricultural supply from farmers for its chain stores in New Zealand and Australia. The favorable climate of New Zeeland has helped the company to have a continuous supply of fresh products for its store in both New Zealand and Australia. Moreover, the company enjoys a large pool of workforce from the host country. New Zealand has highly qualified, skilled and talented young professionals who serve in managerial positions for various Woolworths supermarkets in both Australia and New Zealand (Collins, Roper Lawrence 2010). The company can also get non-skilled or semi-skilled labor force at a low cost and hence, reducing its operational costs. Internal issues Internal factors played a crucial role in influencing the Woolworths Company to opt for foreign direct investment in New Zealand. One of such internal factors is the business structure of the Woolworth. The companys structure is based on chain stores that operate as franchise. As such, venturing into offshore tends to be cost effective. The entire supply chain of Woolworth is aligned to its business structure. Also, the companys business structure is based on the efficient consumer response as the key driving force of its operations. Therefore, the companys structure has helped Woolworth to get a competitive advantage by opening more chain stores and supermarkets in New Zealand. Another internal factor that has influenced the company to invest in offshore is the market. The firm offers diversified products to its consumers. Fresh products such as groceries have high demand in New Zealand. Also, the electronic industry of this country is characterized with low competition. Since the company provides high-quality electronics, it offers stiff offers competition to other companies offering the similar products in the host country and thus, expanding its market share (Hitt, Ireland Hoskisson 2012). The company has heavily invested in market research such helps it to understand the trends in tastes and preferences of customers in the Australian market and thereby, developing products that suits the demands of its customers in the offshore markets. Moreover, the management strategy of the Woolworths has played a significant role in its foreign direct investment strategy. The company has a management team of qualified, talent and ambitious staffs. The management offers the company with most efficient strategies and business plans that have helped it to expand its operations abroad. The management utilizes transformative leadership style which provides the opportunity for the management to develop a class of future leaders. Also, the presence of effective management has helped the company to reduce its cost of production by ensuring that the Workers are very productive and make optimum utilization of available resources with the objective of maximizing profits as pointed out by Kum ar (2014, p. 244). Labor is another factor that has motivated the company to take part in foreign investment in New Zeeland. In the modern business environment, which is characterized by technological changes and stiff competition in the market, the company requires having employee with diverse skills and exceptional talents (Reuter et al. 2010, p. 46). Employees play a crucial role in the success of any business organization. The presence of creative and innovative workers helps the company to discover various new ways of business operations and new products that give it a competitive advantage in the market (McWilliams Siegel 2010). Also, hardworking and skilled workers are more productive and deliver quality and great output which contributes to the success of the business. The access of skilled and competitive workers at a low cost in New Zealand has helped Woolworth company to reduce its operation costs in the host country. A comparison of the economy of Australia and that of New Zealand shows th at Australian economy majorly depends on minerals while that of New Zealand is based on agriculture. Therefore, the company can access to cheaper fresh agricultural products from host country than in the parent country due to the favorable climatic conditions in New Zealand. The availability of low-cost products and labor in New Zealand helps the company to maximum profit as a result of low operation costs (Kumar 2014, p. 249). External issues External factors have also contributed foreign investment move in New Zealand by this company. Such factors involve social, political, economic and demographic factors which make up the external environment in which Woolworths Company operates. Under political viewpoint, New Zealand is peaceful and politically stable country and thus, it has attracted the many multinational companies including Woolworths. The stability of this nation provides a favorable working environment for this company. Keller (2010) notes that the company is likely to encounter low level of risks that arises of unstable governments Also, the New Zealand government provides favorable business regulatory policies that are favorable for investors. The bureaucracies involved in the registration of foreign business enterprise are very few. Besides, the taxation policies for foreign investors are very flexible and favorable thus attracting more multinational companies in New Zealand (Hill, Jones Schilling 2014). The economic environment includes factors such as inflation, market structure and level of completion. New Zeeland has a stable current which is not adversely affected by the global economic crisis. As such, Woolworths is not likely to incur heavy losses which arise from high levels of inflation. Since Woolworths has diversified products, it is less likely to face stiff competition in the foreign market. Provision of a variety of high-quality products in the market has given the Woolworths Company a competitive advantage and thus becoming one of the leading companies in New Zealand. The demographic structure of New Zeeland plays a crucial role to the expansion of Woolworths Company in New Zealand market Sirmon et al. 2011). The country is characterized by a high population that consists of high, middle and low-class income earners. The large New Zealand population offers a ready market for the variety of products offered by this company. Besides, Woolworths Company offers that are de signed to suit both high-end and low-end segments of the market and thus, all citizens in this country can afford to purchase and consumer Woolworths products irrespective of their economic status (Freeman 2010). Effects of Offshore Activities on Stakeholders The key stakeholders of Woolworths Company include employees, shareholders, and suppliers. The employees of Woolworths Company enjoy benefits that result from the companys offshore activities. The company is experiencing a significant expansion which will guarantee job security for its employees. The likelihood of the company sacking some workers is very low since it requires a large workforce as it expands its operations. Also, the workers are likely to get salary increment as the company expands. Any company pays its employees depending on its revenue returns. Therefore, Woolworths Company will continue to offer a good pay to its employees as long as it continues to make good profits. Similarly, shareholders of this company will be one of the beneficiaries of offshore activities. High-profit returns from the companys activities will result in high dividend rates among the shareholders (Swayne Duncan, Ginter 2012). Also, their shares will gain value due to the companys high revenue (Frank Freeman 2014). On the other hand, customers both in the parent country and the offshore country will benefit from by purchasing products at relatively low cost. Foreign invest will help the company to expand and thus benefiting from the economies of scale. Therefore, it will sell its products at a lower price than its competitors in the market. Similarly, the suppliers in both the parent and host countries are likely to benefit from the companys business strategic as a result of increased demand for products. The suppliers will sell more units of their products to the company and thereby increase their income. In a nutshell, offshore activities will economic benefits to all stakeholders of Woolworths Limited Company (Reuter et al. 2010, p. 51). The future of job opportunities in Australia Since Australia is the parent country of Woolworths, the company will still continue to create more job opportunities in this country despite expanding its operations in abroad countries. The headquarters of the company which is based in Vista, New South Wales, will still attract more employment opportunities at various job levels (Cederberg, Henriksson, Ledgard 2011, p. 421). The expansion of the company means that the company will expand its management team by recruiting more managers. Also, the home brands of Woolworths Company such as Big W, Maters Home Improvement, and ALH Groups are popularly in the Australian market and therefore, the company will have to recruit more workers who will continue to provide quality its customers in all states of Australia. Conclusion Woolworths Limited Company is an Australian business firm whose operations are based on diversified products. It offers products ranging from fresh foods, electronics, liquor, insurance services, and real estate investment to petroleum products. The companys strategy of product diversification has given it a competitive advantage to become the largest company in both Australia and New Zealand. The companys decision of moving some of its operations in Australian has played a crucial role to its success and thus, benefiting all its stakeholders. References Cederberg, C, Henriksson, M, Ledgard, S, 2011, How does co-product handling affect the carbon footprint of milk? Case study of milk production in New Zealand and Sweden, The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 16(5), pp.420-430. Collins, E, Roper, J Lawrence, S, 2010, Sustainability practices: trends in New Zealand businesses. Business Strategy and the Environment, 19(8), pp.479 Frank, R, Freeman, R, 2014, Distributional consequences of direct foreign investment. Academic Press. Freeman, R, 2010, Strategic management: A stakeholder approach. Cambridge University Press. Hill, C, Jones, G, Schilling, M, 2014, Strategic management: theory: an integrated approach. Cengage Learning. Hitt, M, Ireland, R, Hoskisson, R, 2012, Strategic management cases: competitiveness and globalization. Cengage Learning. Keller, W, 2010, International trade, foreign direct investment, and technology spillovers. Handbook of the Economics of Innovation, 2, pp.793-829. Klapper, L, and Love, I, 2010, The impact of business environment reforms on new firm registration. World Bank policy research working paper, (5493). Kumar, N, 2014, Internationalization of Indian enterprises: patterns, strategies, ownership advantages, and implications. Asian Economic Policy Review, 3(2), pp.242-261. Kumar, V, Jones, E, Venkatesan, R, Leone, R, 2011, Is market orientation a source of sustainable competitive advantage or simply the cost of competing?. Journal of marketing, 75(1), pp.16-30. McWilliams, A, Siegel, D, 2010, Creating and capturing value: Strategic corporate social responsibility, resource-based theory, and sustainable competitive advantage. Journal of Management, p.0149206310385696. Reuter, C, Foerstl, K, Hartmann, E, and Blome, C, 2010, Sustainable global supplier management: the role of dynamic capabilities in achieving competitive advantage. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 46(2), pp.45-63. Sirmon, D, Hitt, M, Ireland, R, and Gilbert, B, 2011, Resource orchestration to create competitive advantage breadth, depth, and life cycle effects. Journal of Management, 37(5), pp.1390-1412. Sornarajah, M, 2010, The international law on foreign investment. Cambridge University Press. Swayne, L, Duncan, W, Ginter, P, 2012, Strategic management of health care organizations. John Wiley Sons.

The Handmaids Tale Essay Paper Example For Students

The Handmaids Tale Essay Paper As I reading the novel, The handmaid s tale, I recognized the Republic of Gilead, is a country, which is not only under the religious theoretic rule, but also dominated by the masculine power. All the men in the Republic have various of privileges that the women do not have. In the first 100 pages of the novel, I realized handmaids have think about using their bodies to make a deal with those Angle in order to escape from the red center, therefore, it hints from the beginning, men have greater power in the Republic. In the Republic, everybody has been ranked. The ranks of women, like Aunt, Martha, and Wife are specifically gendered words that mark the status of women. Therefore, regardless of her rank, a woman’s central feature is her sex. Even a Wife, the highest-ranking woman in the republic, is defined in relation to a man, her husband. Words such as Commander, Guardian, and Angel name men’s various ranks of power, but the words themselves do not reduce individual men to their sex alone. We will write a custom essay on The Handmaids Tale Paper specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now In the novel, we always see those words like unwomen, unbabies but we never see the word like unmen, it means there are no sterile men in the Republic s ideology and only women have defective in the eyes of the Republic s law. Moreover, men in the Republic are not defining through their bodies functions, but women do, the major purpose of women in the Republic is to reproduce baby. If those women fail to produce baby, they will declare as unwomen, and will be sent to the colonies and die in there. In the novel, we can see that all aspects of women s life were being highly regulated, their speech, writing, reading, job, economic independence or even their name. Those handmaids are never given individual names; the Republic regards them as objects or rather as state property and if giving them individual, unchanging names, those will undermine their position as state property. Therefore, the Commander names every Handmaid. (For instance Offred to Of Fred ) The Handmaid s names mark them as the property of the Commanders in whose homes they in currently. Their names will be change again when they move to another new households. I have no experience of living a country like the Republic of Gilead and I think there is no such regime existing on the earth. Nevertheless, indeed, the privilege is existed in all now day societies. Not only between two different genders, but also between dual/multiple groups/classes of people, for instance, rich people dominate the whole state economic and made a bad influence to middle/low classes people; a political party dominated a state, which provide benefit to those who are willing to bound with them and persecuted the other.

USSR.

USSR. In the 1930's, change was a key part of the USSR, as radical changes were taking place in every aspect of peoples lives. In this essay, I will be looking at the extent of the changes that Stalin imposed on the USSR.The driving force behind all of the changes taking place in the USSR was the second revolution or 'the revolution from above', where instead of the population revolting, the top of the hierarchy implemented the revolution by imposing big changes throughout the country, the major change was the removal of capitalism and the re-introduction of socialism through the collectivisation and industrialisation processes, whereby all production in agriculture and industry was made by the population as a whole in collective factories and farms, with all produce going to the state to be 're-distributed'.Here I will examine the first set of changes made by Stalin, economic change.English: Joseph StalinAs I have talked about already, the really major economic change was the switch from capitalism back to socialism. Originally the NEP was still in effect as the remains of Lenin's reign at the top, but Stalin disliked this as it was capitalism which went against his beliefs and policies, so he set about modernising the USSR. He put this plan into practice by collectivising the agricultural industry, by claiming state ownership of all rural land and property, then merging several small privately owned farms into a one large collectivised farm, in these farms, everyone in the local area would work together to create a large amount of produce, which would then be sent away to a headquarters for redistribution and for export.In the industrial sector, socialist ideas were also in place, as in more urban areas, collective factories were established where large scale production took place, similarly...

A Step Up Speech For a 14 Year Old (Student Government) Essay

A Step Up Speech For a 14 Year Old (Student Government) - Essay Example But it never perturbed me because I had amazing mentors around me. They always guided me and encouraged me whenever I consulted them. With each passing year I am becoming more responsible and confident and this is due to the support of the teachers of my school. I will never forget the efforts and love of Ms. Miller and Mr. Neilson who have always been there whenever I needed them. They have always been appurtenance to me who give strength and bring out the best in me and improve my capabilities. Respected Sir and Madam I respect you and will always admire your efforts. Thank you for your love for all these years. My mother has always been hortative. It is due to her support and kindness that I have been able to come this far. Now that I am being promoted to the next and higher level, I am sure that whatever I have learned from the competent faculty I will utilize it effectively in the next four years. I hope by running for the post of President in high school I will be able to make all of you proud of

FDI in Sudan agriculture Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

FDI in Sudan agriculture - Research Paper Example However, in subsidiaries, more than 50% of the voting rights must be controlled by the parent company. Foreign direct investment in which the parent enterprise cannot exercise control over the affiliate enterprise is basically termed as a portfolio investment (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2009, pg 17). Moreover, FSI stimulates economic growth in host countries of the affiliate companies. Host countries therefore undertake to attract foreign investors by introducing tax breaks, specific grants and incentives, investment regulation relaxation and enforcing low interest rates on loans to foreign investors. Foreign Direct Investment in Developing countries, Africa and Sudan Foreign direct investment has in the past few years grown considerably, particularly in developing countries’ agricultural sector. Foreign investors view developing countries to have exceptional potential of economic growth. Primarily, multinational companies have significantly increa sed foreign investments in developing countries because of the competitive advantage in their investments. Currently, foreign direct investment in developing countries constitutes sixty one percent of total foreign investments. ... In a move to promote foreign investment in agricultural sector, African governments have undertaken structural adjustment and liberalization of policies to sourcing and marketing inputs and outputs of agriculture both locally and internationally. The governments have also introduced export-processing zones in targeting foreign investors in the agricultural sector (Basu, et al, 2002, pg 12). FDI and Development: Review of the literature Forms of International Investment in Developing Countries International investors may enter foreign markets through trade, foreign direct investment, or international licensing of technology and intellectual property such as copyrights and patents. Each of the above forms is characterized by different levels of involvement, managerial requirements, and commitment in a foreign market (Schaffer, Agusti, and Earle, 2008, pg 6). Trade in foreign markets usually has the least political and legal risks due to its limited involvement in the foreign economy es pecially in the case where a transnational corporation is maintaining sales agents over seas. Trade is used by investors to import items not readily available in the country and export items that are in plenty or not needed. In addition, foreign governments may regulate trade by enacting laws, policies, and import duties. Licensing of technology and intellectual property are substantial assets with legal rights to artistic or written works, name and government grants owned by domestic and international firms. Lastly, foreign direct investment refers to ownership and active control of productive assets by an investor in a foreign country with the expectation of making profits both in the short run and in the long run. Land and environmental

Project Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Project - Literature review Example Ennis, (2005) in his journal claim that a range or approaches or theories have been developed concerning attribution, self-efficacy and self-esteem. Self-efficacy is described as the judgment of how well a course of action that is needed in dealing with the eventual situation can be executed by an individual. Kleinbeck, Quast, Thierry, Hacker, & Forschungsgemeinschaft, (2005) expound on Ennis’ definition, by describing it as the confidence of a person in his or her aptitude to the organization and execution of a particular course of action to deal with an issue or execute a job. On the theory of self-efficacy, the writers argue that the major determinant of effort, setting of objectives and persistence is efficacy. The conception suggesting that people with higher self-efficacy are inclined to be more accomplished and motivated on a particular work is supported by empirical research. In addition, self-efficacy has been linked to the application of the cognitive strategies the perceptions of self-efficacy project triumph over the real or actual levels of ability Kleinbeck, Quast, Thierry, Hacker, & Forschungsgemeinschaft, (2005). Moreover, another concept in the motivation field is about the locus of control (Denton, 2002). In this concept, people should be more motivated in a manner such that they are made to feel like they are in control and ownership of their failures as well as successes. In addition, in one formulation of the theory of control, we find that one of the three fundamental psychological requirements, together with relatedness and competence is independence. It is within this structure or context that the personal differences in the degree to which these fundamental requirements are accomplished are in compliance with the variation with the motivation levels. Nonetheless, the locus of control has a close relationship with the attributions concept. Attributions are the beliefs of a person as regards the causes of a bad or good performance. There are numerous kinds of attributions, and these include ability, lack and effort (Denton, 2002). In the ‘Motivation in the real world’ text by Gellerman (1992), we are told that the most effectual systems of motivation in flourishing and successful organization in the United States are benefit programs and good pay, selectivity in the process of hiring, as well as the encourage of employment on long term basis. Some other means are flexible policy implementation, cooperative groups or even none at all, as well as a rational policy that puts the motivation of employees above any other thing Gellerman (1992). However, in the ‘Understanding Employee Motivation’ a research by Lindner (1998), factors of motivation are put or arranged in order or importance. The first one is interesting work, followed by good pay and lastly full appreciation or recognizing of the job done. Coming next is job security or assurance, good conditions for working, growth and prom otions in the corporation. Ranking low on the list is individual loyalty to the workers, sympathetic help with individual problems and considerate disciple. Some other ways that can be used to increase the motivation of workers is promotions, enlargement of jobs, external and internal stipends, rewards and job enrichment. To make work more interesting to the workers, job enlargement is the best approach as it increases the variety and number of