Early Childhood Education Essay Example for Free

Early Childhood Education Essay After obtaining a bachelors degree in marketing five years ago I never imagined myself going back to school and trying to pursue a masters degree in early childhood education. Every since I can think back to my childhood I have had so many great teachers. I have always value them not only as an educator but as a strong and compassionate individual. My interest in education began with my daughter, and spending a great amount of time as a parent volunteer in her classroom. In the classroom is where I developed a passion for working with kids, and helping them learn in a creative manner. I feel that children bring out the best in me. As a parent and educator I find myself not just a person who nurtures and cares for children, but someone who is excited to see children learn. I have taught my children how to be someone with good morals and ethics. I have helped them view education in most positive way. I strong believe that the early years of a childs life are crucial when it comes to education, and this is a time at which information can most effectively be absorbed. In order to ensure that our children the future of our society get the best education possible, it is vital that appropriately qualified, skilled, and knowledgeable educators are available to provide this knowledge and development. Two factors have contributed to my decision to pursue my education at the graduate level. First, by attending graduate school, I would have the opportunity pursue a position as director or admistative coordinator at a preschool. In addition, I seek further education in order to refine and improve my level of knowledge and skills educating young children. I feel that graduate school will enable me to discuss and research contemporary issues that are of chief importance to an educator practicing in todays society. 2. How do you perceive the process of graduate study in early childhood education helping you attain your personal and professional goals? The process of graduate study in early childhood education will strengthen my ability to lead as a director in quality programs in early childhood education. It will provide me with the tools and skills need to provide leadership and manage the day-to-day activities in schools, preschools, day care centers. Secondly, the process of graduate study will help me understand and perseve the importance of theories used in early childhood education. It will give me a chance to explore and apply those theories and practices used in a classroom setting. Third, the process of graduate study will help me gain knowledge so I can effectively conduct research studies pertaining to young children. Some studies which I am egger to conducted are studies concerning the long term benefits of children who attend preschool, how preschool can help in the development of children, and how teaching children though play can help children enjoy learnering. My personal benefits that I will gain from graduate study in early childhood education are, it will help me be able to understand and perceive social and cognitive development of my own children. It strengthen my relationship with my children and with children in general and, make it easier to perceive there way of thinking. 3. In what ways do you plan to make a contribution to the profession of early childhood education? As a profession of early childhood education a plan to make a difference though committing to enhancing the education, development, and well-being of young children. I will educate others about the importance of well-rounded preschool and the long term benefits it can have on a child. I plan to use what I have learned though graduate program and apply into the preschool environment. After completing graduate studies I plan to continue researching how we can continue to improve our early childhood education programs for the future generations. 4. What are your expectations from the Masters program in Early Childhood Education at California State University, Long Beach? First of all I think it would be not only an honor but a privilege for me to attend a graduate school that is so highly recognized professionally. My expectations from the Masters program in Early Childhood Education at CSULB are it will give me an opportunity to effectively communicate about theories and practices I have learned though out the program. It will give me a chance to conduct research and implement my research and incorporate that research into a preschool setting. It will broaden my understanding about the importance of cultural diversity in a classroom setting. It will give me a chance to further explore other areas which I can possible specialize in. The masters program will give me a chance to be a well recognized individual among peers and colleagues within my profession. Thinking back to my childhood, I have had many great teachers. I have always valued them not only as educators but as strong and compassionate individuals. I have helped them view education in the most positive way. I strongly believe that the early years of a childs life are crucial when it comes to education, and this is a time at which information can most effectively be absorbed. In order to ensure that our children, the future of our society, get the best education possible, it is vital that appropriately qualified, skilled, and knowledgeable educators are available to provide this knowledge and development. First, by attending graduate school, I would have the opportunity pursue a position as director or administrative coordinator at a preschool. It will provide me with the tools and skills needed to provide leadership and manage the day-to-day activities in schools, preschools, and day care centers. Secondly, the process of graduate study will help me understand and perceive the importance of theories used in early childhood education. Some studies which I am eager to conduct are studies concerning the long term benefits of children who attend preschool, how preschool can help in the development of children, and how teaching children through play can help them enjoy learning. The personal benefits that I will gain from graduate study in early childhood education include understanding and perceiving social and cognitive development in my own children, strengthening my relationship with my children and with children in general and, making it easier to perceive their way of thinking. This sounds rather repetitive; you are overusing perceive and being a little too general here. As a professional in early childhood education, I plan to make a difference though committing to enhancing the education, development, and well-being of young children. I will educate others about the importance of well-rounded preschool and the long term benefits it can have on a child. I plan to use what I have learned through my graduate program and apply it to the preschool environment. After completing graduate studies I plan to continue researching how we can continue to improve our early childhood education programs for the future generations. Again, this is rather vague. First of all, I think it would be not only an honor but a privilege for me to attend a graduate school that is so highly recognized professionally. My expectations from the Masters program in Early Childhood Education at CSULB are that it will give me an opportunity to effectively communicate about theories and practices I have learned throughout the program. It will give me a chance to conduct research and implement my research and incorporate it into a preschool setting. It will give me a chance to further explore other areas in which I can specialize. The masters program will give me the chance to be a well recognized individual among peers and colleagues within my profession. Try to come up with some more specific goals. When you are vague, it makes it sound as if you really dont know much about the field you want to specialize in. You might want to read some articles about issues in early childhood education what is controversial in the field? what is cutting edge? and include some information you have gained from your reading, to show that you are well-versed in this area.

Globalization In The Automotive Industry

Globalization In The Automotive Industry Globalization is one of the most controversial phenomenons of the modern business world. Today, the world map still includes the national borders; however national borders have just stayed in order to signify the political lines. Except politics, national borders have eroded between countries. In business life from finance to marketing, from economics to technology, a great degree of globalization is experienced. However, in order to make sound analysis about globalization, first of all, it is crucial to define what globalization is. There are numerous different definitions in the literature but one of them uses a humorous manner in order to define globalization through an event we all know well. According to this short story, globalization is the situation in the death of Princess Diana. It is so because an English princess with an Egyptian boyfriend crashes in a French tunnel, driving a German car with a Dutch engine, driven by a Belgian who was drunk on Scottish whisky, followed closely by Italian Paparazzi, on Japanese motorcycles; treated by an American doctor, using Brazilian medicines. (http://www.nowcwc.com/activities/globalization.htm) The story is very effectively pointing out the fact that todays life has become globalized rather than being national. In literature, many authors from all around the world with diverse backgrounds and diverse disciplines have studied about globalization and tried to define it from different perspectives. Globalization, in its contemporary meaning, has emerged in after 1980s despite the fact that it was used earlier before in different meanings. The famous American sociologist, Saskia Sassen, who has been noted for her studies on globalization, has defined it as a variety of micro-processes that are denationalizing all that has previously been constructed as national. (Sassen, 2006) Furthermore, United Nations Economic and Social Commission have asserted that in the context of economics, globalization refers to the reduction or elimination of the barriers and borders between the nations and countries in order to facilitate the free flow of; Goods and services Capital Labour Technology Despite the stronger globalization for the goods services and the capital, there have still been barriers for the flow of labour because of the imperfect mobility due to its nature. However, it is never possible to have perfect mobility for labour. (UNESC, 2002) Another author, Thomas Friedman, has defined the situation in todays world as the flattening of the world. He asserts that the changes in trade, outsourcing, and supply chain and even in politics that we all name as globalization have changed the world permanently and that the pace of globalization is accelerating. (Friedman, 2008) The emergence of globalization dates back to 80s. In the past 30 years, the changes in science and technology have brought up globalization. Flow of goods, services and capital is the key for globalization and this has been enabled by the virtue of technological advances and their application in both business life and daily life. Advances in the telecommunication have first of all permitted the flow of information across far distances. Advances in computer technologies and the rise of Internet have led to the digitalization of business. It has only, by these advances, been possible to move to a globalized economy all over the world. As a result of these advances, global companies have emerged. For example Xerox is a global organization with offices and locations in 160 different countries and 54.700 employees. Different offices in 160 different countries are connected to each other and by the virtue of the technological advances 54.000 employees in 160 countries can work in harmony. (www.xerox.com) As another example, Ford Motor Company is a global company with operations in North America, South America, Europe, Asia / Pacific and Africa. Ford manufactures cars and trucks in more than 100 plants throughout the world. (www.ford.com) As an example from financial sector, HSBC bank, the worlds largest bank, operates in 86 countries from United States to Hong Kong and Kuwait, from Mexico to France and Brazil. Furthermore, the shares of HSBC Holding are owned by 220.000 shareholders from 119 different countries. (www.hsbc.com) As it can be seen, the degree of globalization for a company may differ. One company may only have sales and distribution operations in abroad countries. Another may also have production capacities in different countries but is managed by only local executives. (Robert, 2004) Analyzing globalization becomes more meaningful as long as the analysis is conducted within a specific industry because the dynamics of different industries may require different degrees of integration among its international operations. (KPMG Global Auto Executives Survey, 2008) This report is aimed to analyze the automotive industry from the perspective of globalization. Automotive industry is a very distinct industry with many global players and a cut throat competition. The report, firstly, tries to examine whether the automotive industry and its players operate in a single global market or not. In order to do this, it is crucial to define what is meant by a single global market and what indicators could be used to measure the extent of globalization. Furthermore, these indicators are to be applied to the automotive industry where international data is available. Secondly, the factors that have contributed to the globalization for the automotive industry are to be analyzed. It is important to successfully define these factors and furthermore evaluate their importance. Lastly, the impact of globalization on levels of trade and employment is to be stated in the United States. To do this, national and international statistics on trade and employment are to b e utilized. Before proceeding to the report, it would be useful to depict a current picture of the automotive industry in general, in order to be able to set the frame and background of the analysis. Automotive Industry Automotive is a very broad industry with very different operation areas. The industry covers operations like design, sales, after- sales support, spare parts and marketing. This makes it difficult to differentiate these different operations just by naming the as automotive industry. However, the core operation areas in the automotive industry can be summarized as follows: Design of the vehicle Engineering of the designed vehicle Production and manufacturing of the vehicle Marketing and communication of the brand Sales operations through the retailer After sales and spare parts support Another important classification emerges between the different product types of the vehicles. This depends on the primary usage aim and the size of the vehicle. So, motor vehicles can be classified in the following categories: Automobiles or passenger cars LCVs Trucks Buses Light Vehicles (without commercial usage) Commercial Vehicles (McKinsey Quarterly, 2006) In line with this classification of the product types, total number of manufacturing for motor vehicles in 2007 makes up a total of 73 million units. When compared with 2006, the increase is calculated to be 5,4%. Total production in 2006 was 69,3 million units. But 2008 witnesses a rather sharp decrease in motor vehicle production. After 73 million units of 2007, total production in 2008 emerged to be 70,5 million units. (KPMG Global Auto Executive Survey, 2008) This is mainly caused by the effects of the global financial crisis that affected many parts of the world. Many automakers faced serious financial problems in 2008 and some of them even experienced the risk of bankruptcy. Governments prepared support plans for the local automakers of their countries and some merger and acquisition operations are seen in the industry. As it can be seen from the table, the biggest share of production is done in Asia and Oceania which can mainly be attributed to the fact that production costs are considerably lower in these regions. Furthermore, the local governments in these regions also support the investment plans of the automakers by some incentives and options. When production in 2008 is analyzed country by country, it is seen that leading automakers are Japan, China, Germany, USA and S. Korea. (GLG Expert Contributor, 2009) Developed economies of the world have lost production in 2008 compared with 2007. It was also seen in the general production throughout the world. However, it was also striking that emerging countries had increases in their 2008 productions. These countries can be exemplified as Brazil, Russia, China, Turkey, India and Mexico. (www.oica.net) It is an interesting fact that despite the start of the automotive industry in America by Ford Motor Company, today most of the production has shifted to the Asian countries. The main reason for this change is that Asian countries offer cost advantages in production. Making production in these countries affect the financial performance of the automakers and produce bottom line results. (Keller, 2003) This way automakers gain financial advantage whereas the Asian governments attract foreign direct investment and they have employment opportunities for their citizens. (Keller, 2003) They also support this situation by tax exemption and tariffs. The point is that since automotive is a huge industry, there also exists a competition between the governments in order to have production facilities and plants in their countries. It is for sure that the competition between companies is much more fierce compared with the competition between countries. Globalization is a very important aspect in this situation. Companies try to reach for economies of scale in order to gain financial advantages and they increase their production and these forces the companies for mergers and acquisitions. So, an important result of globalization in the industry is consolidation which is forecasted to increase in the future periods. (www.pwc.com automotive industry Analysis) Utilization rates are also important in the industry. In general, utilization rates are below 80% for the automakers which means idle production facilities. (Sturgeon Lester, 2004) Companies try to increase their utilization rates but this fact results in excess capacity when they are unable to sell the vehicles and turn it into cash. In order to sell more, companies go for price discounts and lose profitability. So overcapacity in the industry and the competition cause a price war. Price war is reflected in various forms. It can be either in terms of sales price discount or incentives and promotions to the customer. The total amount of givebacks provided to the customers is guessed to be around USD 45 million for 2007. (Pwc Report) This situation is a reality of the industry regardless of the region. Without the exceptions like a global financial crisis, the growth rate for the automotive industry is forecasted to be around 10 million units for the next 8-10 years. Even these growth rates will not heal the capacity utilization problem in the industry. The utilization rate is expected to rise to a maximum of 85% which is still low for such an investment intensive industry. (KPMG Global Auto Executives Report, 2008) This is one of the most serious problems that the future of the industry faces and needs to tackle with. Another problematic side of the industry is the suppliers. Suppliers are having pressure from the automakers both in order to keep down costs and prices and they are both expected to make innovation. For product differentiation and facing the changing demands of the customers, suppliers are very crucial to make innovations. It is only by this way possible for automakers to address the demands of the customers and the market. (Sturgeon Florida, 2000) The automotive industry is also stretched by the rules and regulations they face from both local and international institutions. Many of these regulations are related with financial issues or social issues like environment protection. Some of such regulations are as follows: IFRS Block Exemption Regulation (BER) Sarbanes Oxley End-of-Life Vehicle Regulation (ELV) EU Accession CO2 emissions Regulations These are the key issues regarding the automotive industry and I believe that they are crucial to understand the industry dynamics before proceeding to its relationship with globalization. Globalization in Automotive Industry Globalization is not a new concept for the automotive industry. When the history of the industry is studied, it is seen that automotive industry has began globalization by the start of mass production. Total different number of countries that Ford and General Motors were assembling vehicles was already 24, even as early as of 1928. These countries that Ford and GM were operating were spreading around a huge geography from Japan to Brazil and India. By the end of 1930s, both of these American automakers had plant facilities even in Europe. By 1950s, European automakers were financially recovered from the negative effects of the World War 2 and Europeans started to invest in Australia, Latin America and South Africa. By the decline of communism in the Soviet Russia and the end of the Cold War, new markets were opened to the automotive industry like Eastern Europe, India and China. 1990s witnessed the efforts of the automakers to harmonize their operations on a global scale especially i n design and manufacturing. The timeline in the history already shows that globalization has always been in the spirit of the automotive industry one way or another. (Sturgeon Florida, 2000) When the production in 1975 is compared with the production in 2005, a striking effect of globalization is visible. In 1975, the number of different countries that make up 80% of the total automotive production was 7, however when we came to 2005, the number of countries that make up the 80% of the total automotive production had risen to 11 with the dispersion of geography for the automotive industry. (Sturgeon, 2009) The entry barriers in the industry are very high. This is the reason of such a consolidation as depicted above. The design and development process for a new vehicle is very costly and it takes 3 to 5 years and billions of dollars to complete a project. In such an environment, the competition is fierce and innovation is a key element that automakers need to possess. By the advances in computer and communication technologies, the need for innovation is crucial. The automotive industry is still in a growth trend. When we look at the overall numbers for vehicle ownership, we see that only 12 % of the total population in the world has automotive products. The industry grows about 20% in each decade except the times of economic crisis. The total demand in 2010 is forecasted to be around 65 70 million units of vehicle and the leading countries in this expansion would be both developed countries and both emerging economies like BRIC countries. (Brazil, Russia, India, China) The rise of BRIC countries is a very important reflection of globalization in the automotive industry. As of today, the share of these countries in the total annual sales is not very high but in one or two decades, the global picture is expected to change. Especially, China is forecasted to account for a very large share in the increasing demand of the emerging economies, this is the reason why companies like General Motors has been aggressively working in Chinese market. (Hsu, 2002) In order to analyze the globalization in automotive industry by its todays context first of all we need to understand the current changes in the industry and the effects of globalization in these changes and the reflections in the academic literature about the automotive industry. According to Sturgeon and Florida (2000), globalization is shifting the economic geography of the automotive industry. The industry with all its side industries from spare parts and OEM to electronics is affected by a new wave of assembly and plant constructions among different places of the world. According to this new wave, China, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Brazil, Mexico and East Europe are new locations for assembly and supplier plant constructions. The reasons pushing these developments can be listed as follows: Competition is intense at home markets and as a result of the competition market saturation is reached in many local developed markets. As a result of the end of the Cold War, new investment opportunities have arisen in the countries that are stated above. There are host country requirements for local production which squeeze the automakers. Automakers are trying to benefit from regional trade arrangements. Some familiar examples are NAFTA and EU. These trade agreements provide some opportunities to automakers in order to make cost cuts. (Sturgeon Florida, 2000) The effect of trade agreements is rather important in the industry and it is the newer side of globalization that is experienced in the automotive industry. It had started with the Japanese automakers efforts that resulted in intense competition in the United States and in Europe. Against Japan automakers, Europeans and Americans focused on their cost structure and tried to reduce their operational costs. Through regional strategies of moving production to low cost countries, automakers of Europe and the United States tried to gain cost advantage against the Japanese. Those low cost countries were especially Canada, Mexico and Spain in the 1980s. (Keller, 2003) Globalization in the automotive industry is also experienced in manufacturing. Vehicles are generally designed with common under-body platforms but then they are modified in specific characteristics according to the local needs and conditions. Also through the inclination to global vehicle body platforms, the assembly capacities and skills can be designed more generic or in other words global. This way assembly and manufacturing become less model-specific. Another important issue in the automotive industry is that automakers constantly try to decrease the minimum scale of assembly plants because they have a risk in such emerging market investments since these markets are vulnerable and they possess more risk due to a possible uncertainty compared to developed markets. Thus, automakers strive on to decrease the initial risk they incur on such investments. They try to launch relatively smaller but flexible plants and these plants are designed as expandable in case it is needed. Automakers furthermore share large investments with other automakers who would also like to benefit from the assembly plant. (Sturgeon Florida, 2000) Globalization is also experienced through its impact on the structure of the automotive industry. As a result of the globalization in the industry, the relationship between the automakers and suppliers is changing. This change is much distinct for the first tier suppliers who, day by day, play more importance in the industry. This has also led to the fact that anymore global suppliers have emerged in the automotive industry. These global suppliers have a superb capacity of sourcing components on a global level in different parts of the world, simultaneously and in coherence. So, this both means geographic expansion for the global scale suppliers but it also means a consolidation in the industry as these global suppliers start to reach economies of scale and work with maximum efficiency and minimum costs. It is so striking that for the future of the automotive industry, such global suppliers may be more effective in the automotive industrys future investments. Being more effective in the investments also mean that suppliers will be more and more enjoying the benefits of such investments, either social or economical like employment. It can be asserted that as a result of globalization, the power of the suppliers versus automakers is increasing. This is the most important effect of globalization on the automotive industry and it has led to the rise of suppliers like Bosch, TRW, Magna and Valeo. (Sturgeon Florida, 2000) Sturgeon, T., Memedovic, O., Biesebroeck, J.V., Gereffi, G. (2009) have also studied on globalization of the automotive industry with its main features and the prevailing trends. The authors also accept the boom in the developing markets and emerging economies but they also emphasize on the fact that developed markets still have importance in the automotive industry. In operational levels, regional integrations play an important role but also global value chain links have been created in the industry. Another sign of the globalization on the automotive industry is seen in the change in the job market both in terms of quality of the jobs and the necessary characteristics and both in terms of the number of jobs available in the market. According to the analysis of Sturgeon and Florida (2000), automotive industry has added 103.000 jobs to the job market just between 1993 and 1996. However, later as the globalization started to affect the automotive industry, the job structure has shifted from the automakers to suppliers and this has also affected the pay levels since the pay was lower in the supplier side compared to the automakers. (Keller, 2003) The change in the job market has also been seen through the shift of locations from developed countries to emerging economies like Russia, Mexico, Brazil, India and China. So, it can easily be concluded that job opportunities of the United States and Northwest Europe have gone to other parts of the world. A relaxing factor for this issue could be seen as the fact that still some important parts and components are manufactured in the traditional centers of the automotive industry like the United States and Europe. (Keller, 2003) As production and assembly facilities have shifted from United States and Europe to low cost countries, these traditional centers that have stayed expensive for production have taken more responsibility in other functions like design, research and development and engineering. Another important aspect of globalization in automotive industry is the sharing of technology and know-how. As a result of the competition, innovation has been a key issue in order to sustain competitive advantage in the market for all industries. This need of innovation is far more important in the automotive industry because the needs and demands of customer segments are constantly changing and evolving. In order to meet changing customer needs, automakers have to innovate new product features that are in line with customer needs. One aspect of innovation in the context of globalization is seen in the design and manufacturing. Generally main body parts of the vehicles are designed globally and are used in all different models. Besides, manufacturing processes are planned globally and applied in all different plants. However, another important aspect is valid for recruitment in order to attract talent. In order to meet the need for advanced technology, companies need to attract and recruit most skilled employees wherever he / she reside and whatever nationality he / she are in. For example, General Motors recruits engineers and scientists from a very diverse range of countries and nationalities like from North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, China, Taiwan, India, and Korea. The variety in the backgrounds of the employees makes a leveraging effect in order to create new ideas and perspectives for the company. This is an essential part of the business in order to create competitive advantage through the use of innovation. So, a very important benefit of globalization is the ability to have access to technology and the employees who know and use these technologies. It is also valuable to compare the automotive industry with other global industries like electronics or consumer goods. One of the most important common features between these industries and automotive is that there has been tremendous increase in global production, cross-border trade between the countries and foreign direct investment. These increases have especially intensified after the 1980s up to today and the pace of increase is accelerating. (Sturgeon, T., Memedovic, O., Biesebroeck, J.V., Gereffi, G, 2009) Another important common feature between all these globalized industries is that the level of outsourcing is increasing in the industry and more and more operational work is transferred to the supplier firms. The fact that suppliers became global which we have addressed previously is thus valid for many other globalized industries. (Sturgeon Lester, 2004) However, automotive industry is different for some of its distinct characteristics. First of all, the automotive industry is very concentrated. Very strong small numbers of firms are very powerful against a huge number of smaller firms. Three countries Japan, Germany and the United States are the leading countries and a total of 11 firms from these 3 countries are the most effective companies of the automotive industry. This was especially shaped by the mergers and acquisitions that took place in 1990s. Secondly, another important characteristic of the automotive industry is seen in its proximity between the manufacturing and the sales. Production is generally done close to the market and the notion of build where you sell is very important. (Sturgeon Florida, 2000) Thirdly, regional integration as stated earlier in this report is much more common in the automotive industry compared with other globalized industries. In automotive industry, regional integration is seen side by side with the global integration and this is a differing side of the automotive industry compared with for example electronics where only global integration is seen. Lastly, it must be noted that in the global automotive industry there is a lack of standardization in the parts and components whereas in electronics for example processors are nearly virtually usable in all kinds of computers but the automotive industry lacks such industry standards. We have focused heavily on the globalization of the automotive industry from different aspects and identified the indicators of globalization in the industry and the causal links between these indicators and the extent of globalization. However, in order to be able to draw a complete picture of globalization, we also need to study the national and local elements of the automotive industry. There are many elements of the automotive industry that still retain as national or local. Consumer preferences, the income levels, driving conditions in the highways, regulations regarding the job market in the local countries and public policies like taxation all are subject to differ in different countries. These attributes have thus stayed national despite the fact that they have great effect on the automotive industry. (Sturgeon Florida, 2000) As a specific case, I would like analyze the Turkish automotive market as an emerging market. Turkey is one of the top-20 countries that manufacture automobiles and commercial vehicle. The following table shows the automotive production in Turkey for the years 2005 to 2008. As of 2008, the total automotive production in Turkey is 1.147.110 units. (Findikcioglu, Yildirim, Senol, 2008) When the past data for the previous 4 years is analyzed, it is seen that there is a constant increase in Turkish production in the automotive industry. Source: Findikcioglu, Yildirim, Senol, 2008 The increase from 2007 to 2008 is 4% for the Turkish automotive production. The capacity utilization ratio was 78% and Renault was the largest manufacturer by 286.995 units. (Findikcioglu, Yildirim, Senol, 2008) Source: Findikcioglu, Yildirim, Senol, 2008 Despite the increase in production, automotive sales decreased in 2008 in the Turkish market. This is affected from the recessionary environment due to the reflections of the global financial crisis and as a result of the two forces of sales decrease and production increase, inventory levels increased in Turkey. 2009 was thus a year with high stock levels, however, the government executed a rescue program and decreased the taxes on automotive until September 2009 and this way, and automakers could close the year 2009 with higher sales and lower inventories. (Findikcioglu, Yildirim, Senol, 2008) Source: Findikcioglu, Yildirim, Senol, 2008 The most important indicator concerning the effects and extent of globalization in the automotive industry in Turkey is the number of exports. Turkeys automotive exports have been constantly increasing since 2005 and as of the end of 2008, total automotive exports of Turkey is 910.270 units with an 11% growth compared with 2007. Renault and Ford Turkey were the leader auto exporter in 2008. This shows the integration of Turkish automotive industry with the global automakers industry which can be seen as an indicator for the extent of globalization in Turkey. (Findikcioglu, Yildirim, Senol, 2008) Source: Findikcioglu, Yildirim, Senol, 2008 The table shows the consolidated results for production, retail sales, domestic factory sales, exports and capacity utilization ratios for the previous 4 years. (Findikcioglu, Yildirim, Senol, 2008) Source: Findikcioglu, Yildirim, Senol, 2008 When we look at the sales in Turkey, more than half of the automotive sales are imports. In 2008, total automotive sales are 526.544 whereas the share of local brands is 41.8% and the share of imports is 58.2%. (Findikcioglu, G., Yildirim, B., Senol, B.G., 2008) This is also another indicator of the effect of globalization. However, Turkish automotive industry is weaker in suppliers side. Turkey does not have a global supplier brand. (Teker Felekoglu, 2008) Conclusion This report has aimed to analyze the globalization in the automotive industry and has tried to provide answers to the questions stated in the Post Module Assignment of the Global Business Environment lecture. To sum up, it can be concluded that automotive is an industry that is highly affected by globalization from various aspects. The degree and extent of globalization is different among different countries, however, when considered as a whole, automotive is a globalized industry. Globalization has affected the automotive industry in various business areas from design to manufacturing and from recruitment to investments. Business professionals need to understand the dynamics of globalization in the industry and need to develop appropriate strategies in order to survive in the competitive market.

Comparing Oedipus Rex and King Lear Essay -- comparison compare contra

Comparing Oedipus Rex and King Lear   Ã‚   Oedipus Rex and King Lear are, as their titles announce, both about kings. These two plays are similar in theme and in the questions they pose to the audience. The kings in each play both fall from the pinnacle of power to become the most loathed of all classes in society; Oedipus discovers that he is a murderer and committer of incest, and Lear becomes a mad beggar. Misjudgments occur in both plays, and the same questions about the gods, fate, and free will are posed. In spite of these similarities, however, the final effects of these two plays differ greatly.    For me, as I read Oedipus Rex again this fall, I experienced a sensation nearly of agony. Because I had already known the myth as well as read the play, I was in the Greek's position of foreknowledge. This caused me to feel acutely the irony of Oedipus' confident declarations that the murderer of Laius should be "driven from every house, / Being, as he is, corruption itself to us," and again on the next page,    As for the criminal, I pray to God- Whether it be a lurking thief, or one of a number- I pray that that man's life be consumed in evil and wretchedness. And as for me, this curse applies no less If it should turn out that the culprit is my guest here, Sharing my hearth. (13-14)    Oedipus has absolutely no idea that the murderer he is denouncing so vehemently is, in fact, himself. The fact that the reader knows that, and he does not, becomes increasintly painful, especially in the line where Oedipus says, "And as for me, this curse applies no less...." Oedipus means only that he will not protect the guilty, even under the constraints of hospitality; he has absolutely no ... ...n has already occurred, is concentrated fully on them. King Lear comes to a much more acceptable resolution.    At the end of Oedipus Rex, I felt nothing but relief that the worst was finally over. King Lear also made me sigh heavily with relief, but it was more cathartic than the other. There is less agony in the experience of the play, and the ending is more resolved. While Sophocles leaves the audience with a burden of unresolved issues, Shakespeare, though not resolving them, makes them less cumbersome. In this way, King Lear, though no less a tragedy than Oedipus Rex, seems less ponderous and sad.   Works Cited: Shakespeare, William. King Lear. Ed. Russell Fraser. Newly revised ed. New York: Penguin Group, 1998. Sophocles. "Oedipus Rex." Trans. Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald. The Oedipus Cycle. New York: Harcourt Brace and Company, 1939.

Bacterial Resistance Essay -- essays research papers

Bacterial Resistance   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bacterial resistance is a problem that has profoundly impacted the medical community. Bacterial resistance results when bacteria become resistant to individual antibiotics through the development of specific defense mechanisms which render the antibiotic ineffective. This problem has become evident in recent years as numerous cases have been reported in which antibiotics are not effective against the bacteria that they have fought off for years. The recent troubles with bacterial resistance have caused panic throughout the United States. The pharmaceutical industry hasn’t been producing many antibiotics because they thought that the antibiotics they had created had solved many of the problems resulting from bacterial infections. An increasing amount of attention has been given to antibiotic resistance with each passing year and experts are optimistic for the future; however, the threat of bacterial resistance exists today and is a major cause for concern.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The discovery of penicillin the 1940s proved to be the dawn of the antibiotic era. In less than two decades, major advancements had been made in the development of antibiotics. There were so many different antibiotics developed that doctors and scientists focused their attention on other problems plaguing the nation. Doctors prescribed antibiotics frequently, often when they were not even needed. According to a 1998 report by the Institute of...

Top 5 Inventions for Economic Growth :: essays research papers

The ultimate engine of economic growth is new technology. According to economists, the growth of output per capita is a fairly recent phenomenon. This can be attributed to all the new technology people have discovered in the past few centuries, causing output growth to surge and accelerate faster than ever before in history. The result of all these ingenious, innovative inventions has been a total revolution in the way people live their lives. After examining the multitude of invention descriptions on the four websites and considering from other sources, I have concluded that the telephone, printing press, automobile, airplane and the computer have contributed most to economic growth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First and foremost, the invention of the telephone is ranked number one among my five choices. From my own judgment, this would seem to contribute the most to economic growth. Until the invention of this magnificent device, messengers often had to be sent long distances to deliver information. Intercontinental and overseas communication would take months or even years. From an economic standpoint, companies could relay information between themselves and others instantaneously and make decisions and react to internal and external factors extremely quickly. Essentially, it accelerated the world economy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Now, the second among my choices was the printing press invented during the Renaissance period by Johannes Gutenberg. This item revolutionized printing, â€Å"making it simple and more affordable† (http://www.enchantedlearning.com/inventors/indexp.shtml). This would enable information to become widely available among the populace. Although it may not have occurred right away, this would increase the education among a society and harvest more educated people with more potential. Number three on the list is the automobile. This invention would enable people to traverse large distances in dramatically less time than ever before. Companies could deliver goods and services much quicker, people had much more control of where to go then previously with the steam engine. Also with the invention of the automobile, the horse and carriage and other modes of primitive transportation have become obsolete. This new technology ultimately would accelerate the speed of the economy and increase economic growth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The invention of the airplane by the Wright brothers changed the world, so number four would be the airplane. Again, like the automobile, people would be able to travel great distances in so much less time, and eventually intercontinental travel would be possible. The invention of this enables companies expand across the globe and people to travel with more ease.

House Waife

†¢ What kind of job are you looking for? â€Å"I’m looking for a position that is going to help make a company better and challenge me based on my experience and background. † †¢ What are you looking for in a job? â€Å"I’ve enjoyed the challenge of learning in just about every job I’ve had† and, again, â€Å"I’m looking for a position that’s going to help make a company better and challenge me. † †¢ What do you look for in a job? â€Å"Well, I’d like the work to be challenging. I enjoy being challenged every day.By being challenged I’m going to grow personally and professionally, and I find if I’m growing personally and professionally, the economics, benefits and many things like that will always take care of themselves† †¢ How do you define success? When I contribute to a successful organization, I am successful. We both grow. † Then perhaps relate a story about how â€Å" successful† you were in your last one or two jobs. Remember, people love stories, and they remember them long after they remember most everything else. You really don’t have as much experience as we would like; why should we hire you? You know, it’s very interesting, and every job I’ve ever had I never went in to the job having all of the experience that my previous employers wanted. In fact, I went into three of them where I was hired simply because I had more potential than any other candidate. As you can see, I have been successful in every position that I’ve been in even though I had no experience before I started.Some people catch on to things more quickly than others and I happen to be one who is blessed that way. I’m a quick learner and I’ve been able to pick up the things that I didn’t necessarily have any experience with and do extremely well. † †¢ Have you ever â€Å"failed† in a job? â€Å"Well, Iâ €™m like a ballplayer that never really lost—he just ran out of time. Even the very few things that I look back on and others might see as ‘failures,’ I really see as setbacks.Like most people, not everything that I’ve ever done has turned out as perfectly as I would have liked. But even when it didn’t, I’ve learned from it. † †¢ If you could choose any organization to work for, whom would you go to? â€Å"Unequivocally, this company is absolutely the one I would go to work for, †¢ Describe a major project that you have worked on and how it contributed to the overall good of your employer successful project Salary Transfer to Banks

Obesity and Technology Essay

Obesity is a widely spread disease in America that plagues small children, teenagers and adults. Obesity is a serious matter and could cause fatal harm if it isn’t taken seriously. Obesity can affect the mind, body and spirit of a person and if you have low self-esteem it could potentially make the situation worse. Silverstone and Teatum (2011) noted the following: According to the Mayo Clinic staff (n.d), â€Å"Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition that affects children and adolescents. It occurs when a child is well above the normal weight for his or her age and height. Childhood obesity is particularly troubling because the extra pounds often start kids on the path to health problems mat were once confined to adults, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition that affects children and adolescents. Childhood obesity can also lead to poor self-esteem and depression. (Technology: The Problem Or the Solution To Childhood Obesity, para. 14) Many people can argue that there are many other factors that can lead to this such as inheritance, thyroid problems, eating disorders, mental illnesses and many others. Studies show that while this information is correct that there are still ways to overcome something like this. Silverstone and Teatum (2011) briefly touched upon this saying: According to the National Institute of Health (NIH) (obesity research.), â€Å"Obesity has risen to epidemic levels in the U.S. It causes devastating and costly health problems, reduces life expectancy, and is associated with stigma and discrimination. A multitude of factors contribute to obesity, from inherent biological traits that differ between individuals relevant to body weight; to environmental and socioeconomic factors; to behavioral factors that may have both molecular and environmental influences. (Technology: The Problem Or the Solution To Childhood Obesity, para.10) Although some people believe that obesity is one of those diseases that are very tough to cure, there is still a potential long term solution to rectify this situation. We can start by focusing on a generation known as generation Z includes children born between the years of 1990-2004. This generation of children is very important because they were born during a time where technology was hitting its peak. They are very technologically centered and most of them focus their daily routines around technology. Silverstone and Teatum (2011) go on to explain the different qualities this generation exhibits for example: *All their communication takes place on the internet. * They show very little verbal communication skills. * Most of ttieir formative years are being spent on die World Wide Web. * They are used to instant action and satisfaction due to internet technology. * This generation has embraced technology and is also highly dependent on it. * They are more inclined to the virtual world and are less likely to take to extreme measures. (Technology: The Problem Or the Solution To Childhood Obesity, para.10) This is all important because we can use the fact that they are technically inclined to get them to exercise and have fun at the same time. A few gaming companies have developed some systems and technologies to harness this idea. For example Nintendo Wii has a console known as the Wii Fit which is geared towards general fitness. It includes things like jogging where you can jog on a path with a buddy, obstacle courses where you have to run and jump over items and it’s good for your heart rate and even biking which is pretty simple but still gets you going. Nintendo also offers yoga, rumba, and all the latest workout crazes to promote good health. I believe that this can be a start of something good for society. People of all ages can participate in these games and feel comfortable doing something they love with something that’s good for them. Some people prefer to use a different gaming console and that is perfectly fine because Playstation and Xbox also offer a variety of interactive games. One that has recently become popular is the Xbox Kinect which also allows you to use interactive games minus all the extra controllers. The Kinect is geared towards a younger audience but later on down the line people of all ages will be using this just like with any other system. A few years back, society was able to blame technology and video games for obesity rates being high because it contributed to their lack of physical activity. Now not so much because of all these new advances in technology and new innovations in the gaming world. We should take control of what once was a negative situation and turn it into a positive. Meaning we should take advantage of the fact that these generations thrive off of technology and use it as a well to help them out. Even though it probably wouldn’t be a dramatic decrease in obesity, it can be a start to something great. This is only the beginning to what we can do with technology. Obesity is something that needs a combination of things to help the rate decline such as eating healthy along with the proper exercise. Eating healthy is not as easy as it sounds for some people but if you add playing rumba for Wii or just dance for Xbox some people may take a liking to it. Later on down the line I believe that game developers will start focusing more and more on physical interactive video games and this can spark an increase in healthy lifestyle promotions. One day society will realize that technology and living healthy can go hand in hand with the right products and a little extra push. References Silverstone, S., & Teatum, J. (2011). Technology: The Problem Or The Solution To Childhood Obesity. American Journal of Business Education, 4(1), 37. Retrieved April 6, 2011, from the ProQuest database.