Italy Country Profile Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Italy Country Profile - Assignment Example . . Italy is a magic. Explore it† (â€Å"Beautiful Italy,† n.d.). With this notion, it can be perceived that Italy must be a paragon of a paradise in the contemporary perspective. The concept of this paper has been created as to depict the PEST-C aspects of the country, including the Hofstede's perspectives of analyzing the culture of Italy as compared to Canada, and depicting the feasible business venture in the country. Lastly, a conclusive remark will be inscribed. 2. PEST-C Aspects Political/Legal. When it comes to dealing with weak pecuniary locus of the country, Italy has announced to cut its budget amounting to â‚ ¬26bn from the period span 2012-14. In accordance with the Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index 2011, the country is placed at 69th among 183 nations (â€Å"Italy Country Profile,† 2012, p. 4). In the context of European Union, Italy is deemed as having the highest aggregate tax rate. In accordance with Paying Taxes 2 012, the nation’s aggregate tax rate was 68.5%, which is notably above the average of EU of 43.4%. Such taxes may comprise of profit and labor impositions. Dismally, the nation’s aggregate piracy rate is 49% that has eventuated to procure detrimental losses of â‚ ¬1.87bn; such piracy issues are associated to business and entertainment softwares (â€Å"Italy Country Profile,† 2012, p. 5). ... Furthermore, non-performing loans, such as substandard, restructured, bad, and past-due loans. In accordance with the International Monetary Fund, these loans have incremented to 11% in 2011 from about 6% in 2008. The debt turmoil has become the triggering factor for organizations to be exposed to short-term debts, which are dependent to the lending institutions. Otherwise stated, organizations are doomed to fail because of the potential risks of high interest rates and be liquidated. The worst case is that forty percent of these organizations are exposed to interest rates that are payable within a period of less than twelve months (â€Å"Italy Country Profile,† 2012, pp. 4-5). Social/Cultural. It is significant to consider the demographic profile of a country when it comes to depicting the generality of its social aspects. Therein, cultural aspects will be delved as well in the light of fathoming the demographic facets. In accordance with the CIA World Factbook, the average l ife expectancy of Italy last 2012 was at 81.86 years--comprising of men ages 79.24 years and women 84.63 years (â€Å"Italy Country Profile, 2012, p. 5). That record is notably one of the highest in the world. In the light of macroeconomics, the nation’s aggregate workforce is mitigating (â€Å"Country Intelligence: Italy,† 2012, p. 16) and such a situation will deem as detrimental. In fact, Italy’s unemployment rate was about 8.40% in 2011, which was considerably higher than that of the developed countries. This implicates that Italy’s work environment may be the cause of weakening social aspects that will lead to impact the economy of the country. As a matter of fact, Italy’s employment rate of 56.9% was lower compared to that of the EU average of 64.2% (â€Å"Italy

How institutional and cultural issues impact International HRM Essay

How institutional and cultural issues impact International HRM - Essay Example This essay will provide an analysis on the literature available on International Human Resource Management and how companies deal with the challenges of globalisation and of managing employees of different culture. International human resource management is an important emerging phenomenon in international business. There is a sudden growth of interest over this due to the rapid growth of industrialisation and globalisation. Globalisation has revolutionized the way organisations function; it has been enhanced by continuous technological advancement, the Internet and Information Technology. Organisations have to expand both as an organisation and as a business. Businesses, which have been internationalized because of intense globalisation, have to introduce more new products and services. Competition dictates these companies to be always changing and innovative. The importance of borders between different countries is reduced, and similar events and phenomena in countries throughout t he world are more easily linked. The identities of cross-border structures are strengthened, and the power of organisations operating only within the nation state is weakened. International human resource management has its origin in the 1980s, as a reaction against the more functional approach embodied in personnel management. McKern stated that during the early years of the post-war development of the modern international corporation, organisational structures evolved slowly in response to geographical and market diversity. It was easy for management to change structures incrementally. But now changes in the organisation are based on complex environmental factors. International HRM was born. Guest (1990 as cited in Cray and Mallory, 1998) says that ‘the apparent novelty of HRM lies in the claim that by making full use of its human resources a firm will gain competitive advantage’. HRM Paradigms Human resource management is the strategic and coherent approach to the ma nagement of an organisation’s most valued asset – the people. Due to the emergence of various forces in globalisation, organisations and businesses have become global as a result of technological innovations, and the introduction of more development in communications and transportation. There are two paradigms focusing on HRM. The universalist paradigm, which is dominant in the United States and widely used elsewhere, assumes that the purpose of the study of HRM is to improve the way human resources are managed strategically within organisations (Harris et al., 2003). In contrast, the contextual paradigm searches for an overall understanding of what is contextually unique and why. Many management researchers find the universalist paradigm ironically excluding much of the work of HR specialists in such areas as compliance, equal opportunities, trade union relationships and dealing with local government. This paradigm is not helpful in regions like Europe, where signific ant HR legislation and policy is enacted at European Union level (e.g. freedom of movement, employment and remuneration, equal treatment) as well as those of particular countries or sectors (Brewster et al, 1996, qtd. in Harris et al, 2003). HRM is now considered the determinant factor in the success or failure of international business. The success of global business depends most importantly on the quality of management in an organisation. There is a shortage of international management talent that constrains implementation of global strategies (Scullion and Paauwe, 2004). There is a lot of challenge placed on the manager in managing an organisation of different culture. Along this line of thought is the concept on comparative human resource mana

Discussion 1 Week 6 Corporate-level Strategies Assignment

Discussion 1 Week 6 Corporate-level Strategies - Assignment Example The merger could increase tendencies for dependencies between the corporate partners. As such, two examples which would illustrate the manner in which each company would avoid risks of dependency are as follows: (1) one company could replicate a successfully implemented business model in new market segments within the industry (Hill and Jones); and (2) the corporate partner could differentiate its products (or services) by focusing on core competencies which appeal to their clientele. For instance, offering exemplary customer service through acknowledging loyal clients by name recognition or provision of perks and freebies. 2. From e-Activity, determine the fundamental drawbacks associated with horizontal integration. Suggest another corporate-level strategy that could redefine the Southwest business model and thus allow the company to increase its competitive advantage within a changing industry environment. Provide a rationale to support your response. The fundamental drawbacks associated with horizontal integration include being exposed to coming into conflict with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for potential violations of anti-trust laws which undermine fair competition. In addition, customers’ interests and purchasing power could also be jeopardized if major companies within the industry engage in horizontal integration and control or dictate market prices. As such, another corporate-level strategy that could redefine the Southwest business model and allow the company to increase its competitive advantage within the changing airlines industry is the application of vertical integration. Southwest could look into improving scheduling (queuing of airline routes to facilitate speed in the number and volume of flights). The strategy would assist in minimizing costs, as well as improving customer satisfaction through speed within which services

Love your enemy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Love your enemy - Essay Example I was on my way to school and came across a group of young men sited on a bench talking animatedly. As I was passing by, one of them shouted offensively at me, making it seem like everyone of my kind was part of the ISIS militia group. The recent killings and beheadings in Syria and the Arab world were making it difficult for ethnical compatibility especially in the United States, which has suffered in the hands of terror groups. The society has turned to condemning anyone looking like a Muslim making them feel unwelcome. Before passing by this group of guys, I had not realized that which was happening in the Middle East was having a ripple effect across the world. I ignored them and walked away without giving it a second thought. However, I remembered that a friend of mine had told me of a similar incident and this all started to add up. We were an enemy even if we were not related to ISIS’s actions in any way. We were labeled terrorists even if people had no evidence to thei r claims. Examining why most of the people were joining such radical groups, I realized it was partly because of what the society was doing to innocent people. The labeling theory was taking shape at the expense of the togetherness expected within the society. Despite the religious animosity across many parts of the world, it is quite simple to make good use of the situation at hand, and this implies having to deal with clouded emotions with sobriety. It will not be easy, but it is worthwhile. If the society did this often, the religious wars and crimes in the neighborhood would be minimized. Like the Holy Book commands, it is critical to be a witness of fair dealings even when people hate you for it. Despite one’s religion, it is easy to extend an olive branch to the other party and feel happy for doing such. I learned that my reactions after this incident would determine whether I could look at my enemies and consider them as my friends. The brewing hatred is

Network Security Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Network Security - Annotated Bibliography Example Jackson’s book takes a very specific approach to computer network security at all levels. It examines the importance of network security in organizations and the importance of protecting data. It further analyses the security requirements of an organization and how to meet the desired customer satisfaction by proving them with solutions that make economic sense and those that help protect their data. The classification of data into several states; confidential, normal priority and critical, gives more light to the importance of having secure networks. The book does for a fact live up to the state of being a comprehensive reference to all issues related to auditing and network security. It covers all key areas around network security and those relevant to information security. By and large this is a reliable source and a current source. It has been published in recent years, precisely 2010, and as such the content is still within the valid bounds. This is because the information technology sector changes so fast and if the book was written any earlier the content therein could be to a large extent obsolete. The book further examines and projects the future of networking and specifically security in networks which gives it an edge over the past publications. The book by Jackson is based on facts and reports directly about network security. The research put into the book is objective and for this reason the author has greatly minimized the personal accounts of the subject and opinion. It has well documented facts on security breaches from the world’s largest security devices manufacturers, for example, VeriSign. The author is highly certified person with specific certifications in CISCO equipment. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and has authored many whitepapers and initiate innovations of his own under CISCO systems. The source fits perfectly into the research and contains very relevant material to the course work. It is a specific source and does not explore the network security field as a general subject but rather squarely focuses on the nitty-gritty of securing computer networks. It helped narrow down my understanding of network security by providing me direction and grounds to be open minded and a lso recognize facts from fiction in network engineering. Harrington, Jan. Network security: A Practical approach. Massachusetts: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 2005. Print. Probably this is the most incisive and educative book about networking security that has been written. In this book Harrington tears a part skills based network security and provides practical examples of network scenarios with security breaches. The constant reference to past security threats to known multinational companies serves as a vivid image of how critical this field is. Harrington gets into the mind of network security professionals and brings out the important role and task of network professionals, in the process she outlines the routine maintenance tasks and schedules necessary and that are required for network administrators. The book is a comprehensive resource for anyone who implements or plans to dive into network security field, including the practitioners and managers. The dual perspective on secu rity: how you need to act in the network inside and how hackers and crackers view your network and want to get inside gives a solid understanding of the subject. Further, readers get hands-on technical advice they need to make it through the field without hustle. The Practical approach used in writing this book makes it a bit subjective since the author writes from his own experiences. However, these experiences have been supported by facts and history information on the subject of network security. The author is also a credible source and has been referenced in numerous books. Harrington has written more than 30 books and has been writing about computers since 1984. She has taught

Love your enemy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Love your enemy - Essay Example I was on my way to school and came across a group of young men sited on a bench talking animatedly. As I was passing by, one of them shouted offensively at me, making it seem like everyone of my kind was part of the ISIS militia group. The recent killings and beheadings in Syria and the Arab world were making it difficult for ethnical compatibility especially in the United States, which has suffered in the hands of terror groups. The society has turned to condemning anyone looking like a Muslim making them feel unwelcome. Before passing by this group of guys, I had not realized that which was happening in the Middle East was having a ripple effect across the world. I ignored them and walked away without giving it a second thought. However, I remembered that a friend of mine had told me of a similar incident and this all started to add up. We were an enemy even if we were not related to ISIS’s actions in any way. We were labeled terrorists even if people had no evidence to thei r claims. Examining why most of the people were joining such radical groups, I realized it was partly because of what the society was doing to innocent people. The labeling theory was taking shape at the expense of the togetherness expected within the society. Despite the religious animosity across many parts of the world, it is quite simple to make good use of the situation at hand, and this implies having to deal with clouded emotions with sobriety. It will not be easy, but it is worthwhile. If the society did this often, the religious wars and crimes in the neighborhood would be minimized. Like the Holy Book commands, it is critical to be a witness of fair dealings even when people hate you for it. Despite one’s religion, it is easy to extend an olive branch to the other party and feel happy for doing such. I learned that my reactions after this incident would determine whether I could look at my enemies and consider them as my friends. The brewing hatred is

Into the World Essay Example for Free

Into the World Essay Into the world shows changes in an individual’s life through their personal experiences. One individual will go through many barriers and obstacles to achieve the change. The prescribed text, Educating Rita by Willy Russell and the related text, ‘The Story of Tom Brennan’ by JC Burke explores different and similar pathways to how the characters in those texts change through their new experiences. In the prescribed text ‘Educating Rita’ by Willy Russell is about a 26 years old woman, hairdresser Rita who starts seeks motivation in education to motivate her and move into a higher educated class leaving her working class behind. Russell uses extended metaphors and imageries throughout the play ‘window’ this symbolises as the physical barrier for the relationship between Rita and Frank and into the world. The colloquial language is a barrier for Rita at the start of the play when she enters Frank’s room ‘I’m comin’ in, aren’t I? which shows Rita’s education level isn’t that high. Also, Rita’s misunderstanding interpreted when Frank’s makes references to literature texts ‘Howard’s end’ Rita’s respond that it sounds ‘filthy’. Rita comes back from ‘summer’ break to the city of London; she becomes more mature as she meets her new flatmate Trish who gave her motivation to reach her goal to have a brighter future. In the related text ‘The Story of Tom Brennan’ by JC Burke is about a family after a brutal car accident their life’s was like chaos and many things in the family fell apart. Tom Brennan adopts a new way of looking at life through the use of first person narrative and visual imagery â€Å"everything I thought I knew about who I was and who the Brennan’s were changed forever† implies Tom’s innocence to alter his feeling of grief towards his recklessness brother Daniel because of the trouble Daniel make in the town. His family decided to move into a different town, Coghill implies a change in community dynamics through the use of colloquial language.