Outsourcing in the Automotive Industry

Outsourcing in the Automotive Industry The global automotive industry continues to grow worldwide at about 2.5% annually, driven by increasing car ownership in the developing economies. In the mature economies, including the UK, growth is much lower or even absent (NGAIT, 2008). Because of market proximity and local content restrictions imposed by the Governments of many developing nations who wish to encourage the establishment of local automotive sectors, the vast majority of new manufacturing capacity in the last 6 years to support this growth has been in the BRIC countries and within the EU, in Eastern Europe. Lower labour costs in these developing automotive economies have also stimulated a shift of production eastwards, but this has to date mainly affected the automotive supply base and less so vehicle assembly sites. The UK automotive industry has transformed itself in the last decade from a sector with turbulent labour relations and a poor reputation for quality and productivity to one that is fully competitive. Independent external reliability surveys put UK built cars at the top of the rankings, and productivity and labour relations are among the best in the world. Until the impact of the global financial crisis, the industry was profitable and self-sustaining in Europe and in the UK. Technology and modern management practices have transformed the shop floor environment, and product technology embraces lightweight materials, cutting edge design analysis and visualisation tools and the extensive use of integrated electronic systems to extend digital control to most functions of the car. The climate change agenda is accelerating technological change at an unprecedented rate, and the industry in Europe and the UK has embraced the CO2 challenge and is investing heavily in people and technology to provide innovative solutions while continuing to offer exciting, safe and satisfying products that people want to buy. In 2008, 1.65 million vehicles and 3 million engines were built in the UK, by a diverse range of manufacturers in car, commercial vehicle, off-road and premium vehicle sectors. The vehicle production levels (until the present recession beg an) were relatively stable for some years, but employment has been declining as productivity improved and there has been severe hollowing out of the supply chain. This is important because about 75% of the value of material in a new vehicle is added by the supply chain (NGAIT, 2008). Literature review: Manufacturing outsourcing continuum: There is much debate in the management literature on defining outsourcing (Gilley and Rasheed, 2000; Harland et al., 2005). The definitions of outsourcing relevant to supply chain management emerge from these elements: Outsourcing implies a business relationship between two parties: the outsourcing subject (also called the principal or the client) who makes the decision of whether to outsource or not; and an external outsourcing firm (Arnold, 2000). The objects of outsourcing are general business processes or processes results which might be outsourced (Arnold, 2000; Kimura, 2002). This can include core (e.g. manufacturing, marketing, RD) as well as support (e.g. maintenance, accounting, IT, logistics) processes (Gilley et al., 2004). Outsourcing is not simply a purchasing decision. While all firms purchase elements of their operations, outsourcing is less common and represents the fundamental decision to reject the internalization of an activity (Gilley and Rasheed, 2000). Thus, outsourcing occurs in two situations. First, is when the client outsources objects that were originally sourced internally, resulting from a vertical disintegration decision (Gilley and Rasheed, 2000). Second, when the client sources objects that, although they have not been completed in-house in the past, are within the clients capabilities and hence could have been sourced internally notwithstanding the decision to go outside (Gilley and Rasheed, 2000; Van Mieghem, 1999). The outsourced objects are specific to the client. That is, the outsourced activities are performed according to a plan, specification, form, or design, of varying detail, provided by the client (Kimura, 2002; Van Mieghem, 1999; Webster et al., 1997). Hence, a firm buying an off-the-shelf, standardized component or a suppliers proprietary part is not considered outsourcing, because no customization is performed for the buyer. The client may outsource all or part of a process or process result (Gilley et al., 2004). For example, the outsourcing of manufacturing processes may take the form of a part, component, or a finished product (Harland et al., 2005). Manufacturing outsourcing: Throughout the 1990s a remarkable increase of outsourcing activities by firms has been observed. It has been hypothesized that this increase results from the decline in transaction costs in connection with the intensified use of information technology (Abraham and Taylor, 1996). Today, activities that used to be performed in-house (e.g. auditing, maintenance, repair, transportation, janitorial and legal services) are usually outsourced to firms in the business service sector. Consequently, outsourcing has contributed significantly to the growth of business-related services during the last decade (Fixler and Siegel, 1999). Moreover, manufacturing firms are outsourcing not only services but also internal production. One prominent example is the automotive industry, where some large car manufacturers only perform the final assemblage of major parts whose production is outsourced to external suppliers. Since this type of outsourcing quite often occurs at an international level, it is als o closely entwined with the globalization process (Feenstra and Hanson, 1996). Various aspects of the trend to outsource have been discussed in the academic literature. A large literature starting with the seminal paper by Coase (1937) and papers by Grossman and Hart (1986), Bolton and Whinston (1993) and Grossman and Helpman (2002) examines theoretically a firms decision of whether to produce in-house or to outsource. At the heart of this literature are issues concerned with transaction costs and, in particular, incomplete contracts leading to either vertical integration or specialisation. Lyons (1995) provides an empirical application to evaluate the importance of transaction costs theory for firms outsourcing decisions. The trade related aspects of outsourcing have also attracted increasing attention in the literature. Trade theoretic models such as Deardorff (2001), Jones and Kierzkowski (2001) and Kohler (2001) examine the effects of trade in fragmented products on countries patterns of specialisation and resulting implications for factor prices. On the empirical side recent papers by Feenstra and Hanson (1996, 1999) and Gorg et al. (2001) have analysed the effect of international outsourcing (or fragmentation) on relative wages and labour demand using industry level data for the US and UK respectively. In line with traditional HOS trade theory these papers find that international outsourcing (moving low skill intensive production to low skill abundant countries) leads to increased demand and increases in the wage premium for high skilled workers in the US and UK. Egger and Egger (2001) investigate the effect of outsourcing on the productivity of low skilled labour in the EU using industry level d ata. They find that increases in outsourcing have a negative effect on low skilled labour productivity in the short run, but a positive effect in the long run. Drivers of manufacturing outsourcing: There have been several studies that have examined the motivations for and benefits of outsourcing. Abraham and Taylor (1996) identified three reasons for outsourcing: Savings on wage and benefit payments, Transfer of demand uncertainty to the outside contractor Access to specialized skills and inputs that the organization cannot itself possess. Kakabadse and Kakabadse (2000) report that the main reasons for outsourcing are: Economic: greater specialization in the provision of services, as outsourcing allows economies of scale and the longevity of demand for the activity; Quality: access to skills, the competency and focus of potential suppliers and geographical coverage is increased; and Innovation: improvements in quality through innovation, and the development of new service products, can lead to new demands. Bendor-Samuel (1998) also asserts that outsourcing provides certain power that is not available within an organizations internal departments. This power can have many dimensions: economies of scale, process expertise, access to capital, access to expensive technology, etc. The combination of these dimensions creates the cost savings inherent in outsourcing, because the outsourcing supplier (the organization specializing in a particular business function) has the economy of scale, the expertise and the capital investments in leading technology to perform the same tasks more efficiently and effectively than the internal departments of the outsourcing buyer . Another possible benefit is that outsourcing provides companies with greater capacity for flexibility, especially in the purchase of rapidly developing new technologies, fashion goods, or the myriad components of complex systems (Carlson, 1989; Harrison, 1994). Companies can buy technology from a supplier that would be too expensive to replicate internally. A network of suppliers could provide an organization with the ability to adjust the scale and scope of their production capability upward or downward, at a lower cost, in response to changing demand conditions and at a rapid rate. As such, outsourcing claims to provide greater flexibility than the vertically integrated organization (Carlson, 1989; Harrison, 1994; Domberger, 1998). Furthermore, outsourcing can decrease the product/process design cycle time, if the client uses multiple best-in-class suppliers, who work simultaneously on individual components of the process (Quinn and Hilmer, 1994). Issues in manufacturing outsourcing: The case against outsourcing is based on arguments such as loss of management control, reduction in flexibility and increased costs. For instance, competitive outsourcing requires a high standard of supplier management to avoid the pitfalls of transferring critical functionality, or becoming too dependent on a supplier for day-today performance of vital business functions. In addition, outsourcing can generate new risks, such as the loss of critical skills, developing the wrong skills, the loss of cross-functional skills, and the loss of control over suppliers (Domberger, 1998; Quinn and Hilmer, 1994). The possible loss of flexibility is connected to the typical long-term contractual relationship that is formed as part of an outsourcing agreement, and that during the contract term, the customers business, the available technology, and the competitive and regulatory environment may change dramatically. Thus, this inflexibility is mostly linked to an unyielding and inappropriate contra ct. Although outsourcing is undertaken by many organizations to control or reduce costs, there is some evidence that it does not decrease costs as expected, and in some cases, costs increase. For instance, when an item is outsourced, the assumption is that the suppliers costs and required contribution is less and will continue to be less than the cost of internal provision. A survey based on 1000 managers worldwide by the PA Consulting Group (PACG) revealed that only 5% of organizations gained high levels of economic benefit from outsourcing (PA ConsultingGroup (PACG), 1996) and that 39% of organizations admitted mediocre economic benefit. Also, as outsourcing leads to a re-definition of organizational boundaries and, by implication, structural adjustments involving human resources, these changes incur social as well as financial costs. Although the social costs are transitory and can be mitigated by facilitating the adjustments through the re-training and redeployment of staff with in the organization, their transfer to the supplier organization and ensuing redundancy payouts can still be considerable (Domberger, 1998; Hall and Domberger, 1995). Also, outsourcing can lead to industrial disputes between employers and employees, which in turn can damage morale, trust and productivity. Experts maintain that global supply chains are more difficult to manage than domestic supply chains (Dornier et al., 1998; Wood et al., 2002; MacCarthy and Atthirawong, 2003). Substantial geographical distances in these global situations not only increase transportation costs, but complicate decisions because of inventory cost tradeoffs due to increased lead-time in the supply chain. Different local cultures, languages, and practices diminish the effectiveness of business processes such as demand forecasting and material planning. Similarly, infrastructural deficiencies in developing countries in transportation and telecommunications, as well as inadequate worker skills, supplier availability, supplier quality, equipment and technology provide challenges normally not experienced in developed countries. These difficulties inhibit the degree to which a global supply chain provides a competitive advantage. Cost benefits of manufacturing outsourcing: In the absence of transaction costs, a firm will decide to outsource when the market price for an outsourced activity is lower than internal marginal cost for that activity (Fixler and Siegel, 1999). It is an unresolved empirical issue whether outsourcing actually has a positive influence on a firms performance as is expected a priori. Some case studies have reported that firms tend to underestimate the transaction costs associated with outsourcing. For instance, it has been documented that some firm have again in-sourced activities that were previously performed by external firms, because they were dissatisfied with the quality or because they have underestimated the amount of asset specific investments (Benson, 1999; Gornig and Ring, 2000; Young and Macneil, 2000). A few studies have analysed the impact of outsourcing on firm efficiency (Heshmati, 2002). Although efficiency is certainly an important aspect of firm performance, it neglects the product market performance of firms. Fo r instance, even if efficiency of firms remains unchanged after outsourcing of internal production, higher quality of intermediate inputs might result in higher quality of final products and hence higher sales and higher margins. The lack of empirical studies on the link between outsourcing and firm performance might be also due to a limited availability of suitable micro data for analysing this subject. Theoretical considerations for manufacturing outsourcing: In theory, efficient firms will allocate their resources within the value chain to those activities that give them a comparative advantage (Shank and Govindarajan, 1992). Other activities that do not offer such advantages will be outsourced to external suppliers. When firms engage in outsourcing, they assess the productivity of their in-house service functions and decide to outsource if others can provide comparable services cheaper. Basically, when firms outsource activities and functions related to producing their products and services, they move towards a business strategy based on core competencies, a set of skills and knowledge that helps maintain their competitive advantage in serving customers (Porter, 1985; Sharpe, 1997). Thus outsourcing is expected to imply cost savings relative to internal production or internal service functions. This will be the case if outside suppliers benefit from specialized knowledge and/or economies of scale (Heshmati, 2002). However, recent work by Grossman and Helpman (2002) shows that the choice between continued internal production or an outsourcing decision means taking into consideration more than just production cost differences. According to transaction cost economics, outsourcing is desirable only when transaction costs incurring from asset specificity, incomplete contracting and search efforts are lower than the production cost advantage (Williamson, 1971). In addition, the attractiveness of outsourcing to a certain producer may well depend on how many firms can potentially provide the inputs it needs. As mentioned above, some case studies have also reported that benefits from outsourcing are quite often not derived immediately and that managers tend to overestimate the resulting benefits and underestimate the involved transaction costs (Benson, 1999; Gornig and Ring, 2000; Young and Macneil, 2000). Earlier works: Wasner (1999) presents a state-of-the-art view on the outsourcing process by combining a thorough literature review with two independent case studies of the Swedish aircraft industry (Saab AB) and the electronics industry (Ericsson Radio Systems AB and one key supplier Swedform Metall AB). The first case concentrates on outsourcing of aircraft sub-systems and subsequent in-sourcing of related software activities, whereas the second case deals with outsourcing of radio base station production. However, he argues that the process of carrying out the transfer of an activity from being internally controlled to becoming externally managed is equally difficult because of interdependencies at the operational level. The effects of outsourcing are far reaching in terms of physical, temporal and organisational reach. Physically, because there is an inherent complication of losing control as an activity is turned over to an external supplier. Temporally, because it is difficult to estimate how conditions will change over time. Organisationally, because outsourcing involves converting decisions at the strategic level into actions at the operational level and transferring functions from one organisation to another.

The United States and the International Criminal Court (ICC) Essay

The United States and the International Criminal Court (ICC) Statement of Purpose This paper will clearly lay out the Unites States concerns with the International Criminal Court and will attempt to resolve them. I will then argue that no country has the right to be above international law, including the United States and that it is in the best interest of America and the world community for the united states to join the efforts of the ICC and sign the Rome Statute. Introduction to the ICC â€Å"In the prospect of an international criminal court lies the promise of universal justice. That is the simple and soaring hope of this vision. We are close to its realization. We will do our part to see it through till the end. We ask you...to do yours in our struggle to ensure that no ruler, no State, no junta and no army anywhere can abuse human rights with impunity. Only then will the innocents of distant wars and conflicts know that they, too, may sleep under the cover of justice; that they, too, have rights, and that those who violate thus rights will be punished.† Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General The Twentieth Century was the bloodiest in record history with over 174 million people killed in mass murders and genocides; more often then not, victims’ cries went unanswered. Following World War II the United Nations realized the need to take action in ending impunity from these horrible crimes against humanity. With one of the primary objectives of the United Nations being to secure â€Å"universal respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms of individuals throughout the world,† the United Nations recognized the need to establish an international criminal court. In 1948, at the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the ... ...xisNexis. November 3, 2003. http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/document? Davenport, David. â€Å"Commentary: New Threat to U.S. Sovereignty. United Press International.† August 2003. Lexis Nexis. December 3, 2003. http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/document? The Roman Statute of the ICC: Jurisdiction. November 3, 2002. Internet. http://www.icc.int/en/ICC_jurisdiction.html PIPA. Americas on Globalization: A Study of US Public Attitudes. International Cooperation. March 28, 2000. Internet. December 4, 2003. http://www.pipa.org/OnlineReports/Globalization/4.html PIPA. Americans on Globalization. All Notes. Question 83. December 2, 2003. Internet. http://www.pipa.org/OnlineReports/Globalization/notes/allnotes_.html Margrethe, Ellen. â€Å"U.S. Peacekeepers Integral and Prosecutable.† August 2002. LexisNexis. November 3, 2002. http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/document?

Marmon Group :: essays research papers

Accountants at the Marmon Group, Inc. act as internal consultants for the company in many different capacities. Jim Smith, Marmon’s prior director of cost management says that â€Å"the role of the management accountant is changing dramatically in most of our companies.† Managerial accountants are not seen any longer as simply clerks working on monthly reports but as valuable assets to senior management. Management accountants at Marmon work closely with managers by helping to analyze cost and operating information. They help in decision making by helping managers relate the operations of the company to the bottom line and company costs. According to Horngren, Sundem & Stratton (2005) management accountants are becoming â€Å"an advisor for managers about what information would be useful, what information is available, and how to get the needed information† (pg. 17). These accountants have become a key part of formulating the financial and business strategies of the company and are an essential part of working toward the overall profitability of the organization.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Effective managerial accountants need a wide range of knowledge from both the accounting and the financial aspects of the business as well as overall general business administrative knowledge. A background in the use of general accounting practices as well as information for planning and control, performance evaluations, decision-making, and the statement of cash flows, along with financial statement analysis are key areas managerial accountants should have confidence in. To be an effective internal consultant it is vital that a strong understanding of the general functions of the company and how they interrelate to the ultimate profitability of the organization is a large portion of the consultant’s background.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Accountants gather information to be used in different kinds of ways both internally within the organization and externally for the general public and outside agencies. Information is produced for stockholders who may review a prospectus or an annual financial report when determining whether or not to invest in the company. Organizations such as banks and suppliers are given information in determining credit eligibility and purchase arrangements for the company.

Psy/265 Sexuality at Different Life Stages Essay

There are changes in every stage of life including sexual changes that follow us as we grow older. With the following scenario’s that talk about the different points of our awareness and stages of sexual relationships, I will suggest from a counselors perspective ways to help each person in the settings presented. The first case is Anna, an adolescent girl, is very much in love with her boyfriend who is three years older than she. He is putting a lot of pressure on her to have sex. At the same time, she is anxious about her parents’ attitude towards her boyfriend. Her mother constantly warns her about dating an older boy and assumes that he intends to take advantage of her. The first thing I would go about is setting a relaxed and comfortable exchange to allow Anna to express her own opinions, in doing so I would simply ask her what she feels about having sex with her boyfriend, not how her parents feel, not how her boyfriend feels, but how does she feel about it. I would then ask her is she was prepared to have sex, has she discussed with her boyfriend what precautions they would take, and what they would be prepared to do if something happened and she became pregnant. Some of the questions would be directed towards her once I could visually observe her, I would ask her if she was feeling peer pressure to have sex, or if her boyfriend was pressuring her to have sex. I would also explain that sometimes it is okay to say no to sex and just because her friends say they have or are encouraging her to have sex does not necessarily mean it is the right decision for her. I would also enter into a discussion of what sex means to her, and bring about the questions to see if she feels if she does not have sex with him she would perhaps loose him. I would recommend to her that she see a gynecologist or her family doctor to further explore all the birth control options and make sure she understands that even though it is a shared responsibility with her and her boyfriend, she should make sure she is practicing safe sex. For me I would also mention that her mother is concerned, because Anna is her daughter. I would ask her if she had any questions for me, and then assure her that what ever we discuss is between us and she can feel free to come to talk with me at anytime. I would also tell her to take all the time she needed to come to her decision, and make it because it is what is right for her. I am a realist, and all we can do is provide the kids with good information and hope that we have given them enough of it for them to make a decision that is right and safe for them. Tom and Susan are an elderly couple. Tom has been retired for several years, and Susan is more recently retired. She has shown a renewed interest in sexual activity. Tom has not reciprocated Susan’s interest as he is anxious about his sexual ability at this age. I feel it would be best to first address some issues with Tom and see if he felt there was a possible physical reason that perhaps he had not brought up prior to this. Several factors may play a role in sexual inactivity including declining activity, physical problems, boredom, and attitudes about sex among older people. If he was having physical issues I would suggest to him that perhaps he should see his physician about some of the things that may help in this area. Many men have problems with erections due to stress and other factors, and when you can get to the cause of it, there is often help for it. I would discuss with them about Susan’s recent retirement and see if that change has triggered her to have some extra energy and less stress from not having a regular scheduled job. I would suggest that they try date night, or think about activities or things that used to make them feel more romantic, and suggest that they try to stop thinking about it and just let it naturally occur. Go out and do things that make you both happy, couple things, individual things, get to know each other again because in a sense that is what they are doing, getting to know each other again. I would encourage them to communicate and talk about things, not turn the television on or the phone on when they go to bed, and discuss their needs openly with each other and figure out what will meet both of their needs. Bill has been paralyzed from the waist down since he was a child. He is involved in a romantic relationship and wishes to be intimate with his partner but is unsure how to express his interest. Bill becomes very nervous and uncomfortable when talking about this subject Sex and the ability to have sex with a partner and have a long term intimate relationship is desired as much by people with a disability as it is with most people. The amount of physical sexual function and ability to feel pleasure or pain sensation is often the first thing they think of, raising fear and anxiety. Yet it is something we all desire because sex enriches our lives and brings us to understanding and closer relationships with our partners. People with a physical disability often have a poor self body image, thinking they are damaged goods, broken, somehow less than. These feelings are normal you should talk about them with your partner, but don’t dwell on them. Healthy love making is about pleasing your partner. Often people in Bill’s situation find excitement and release simply from the closeness of pleasuring their partner. Healthy sexuality involves warmth, tenderness, and love, not just genital contact, so I would encourage Bill to step outside of his comfort zone and talk to his partner about how he feels. I recommend that Bill seek his physician’s medical opinion and assistance to see if one of the clinical treatments for erectile dysfunction, such as Viagra could improve the quality of erections and sexual activity with him. I would also remind him that orgasm after paralysis is possible for some men but it is often not the same as it is usually defined. It can become less physical, less focused on the genitals and more about his state of mind. It is important Bill comes to understand that the loss of sensation does not rule out loss of sexuality. In conclusion, we all experience sexual awareness and activity during all ages of our lives. So we all need to take a moment to just breathe and know we are not alone. Talk to our partners, talk with our physicians/counselors and learn what will work for you in your own situation. Take control of your life and learn to understand your own body. References Rathus, S. A. , Nevid, J. S. , and Fichner-Rathus, L. (2011). Human sexuality in a world of diversity. (8th ed. ) Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Mad Shadows

Compare and contrast. The topic I have chosen to discuss is the function and meaning of dreams and dreaming in fantasy texts. Dreaming, in this context, is an implicit representation of the characters ideals and their wants. I believe the function of dreaming in fairy tales to be a temporary escape from ones reality, a reflection of ones true desires, as well as a tool that gives dimension to the characters, while at the same time allowing the reader to better understand the mind of the characters.This is demonstrated with the characters of Cinderella, in the different versions of Cinderella in the classic Fairy Tales, as well as with Isabelle Marie, in Mad Shadows. In Mad Shadows, the main character Isabelle Marie is deemed â€Å"ugly† by her mother, and for this reason is treated as virtually a slave and made to tend to the needs of her mother and more beautiful brother Patrice, who gets all of their mothers attention for being beautiful. Isabelle Marie then meets Michel, a blind boy with whom she falls in love with, and he with her on the pretense of her lying to him about being beautiful.During scenes where she is running around the meadow with him, temporarily escaping her life, she dreams of being beautiful and accepted by Michel. , almost to the point of delusion. â€Å"Wishing to be beautiful will probably make me beautiful, thought Isabelle Marie, to justify her game. † (p. 42. ), game being her deception of Michel. Her being beautiful would make her situation much different. Her mother would accept her, Michel would accept her, and so she believes her life would be easier and naturally much better would she be beautiful.Dreaming in these texts proves a temporary escape from the situations of these young girls who are in less than desirable positions. Another function of dreaming in these texts would be a reflection of the characters true desires, in this case a longing to be accepted and loved. Isabelle Marie does not feel loved and acce pted. Her mother Louise does not accept or love her daughter because she is not seen as beautiful as her brother Patrice. Michel, the boy she meets and falls in love with, falls in love with her because Isabelle Marie lies and tells him she is beautiful. She wanted to be in love, to be beautiful. Both of them were pure, for in [her] longed a desire for perfect beauty (p. 36). This demonstrates Isabelle Marie’s desperation to be accepted and loved. Both Cinderella and Isabelle Marie’s true desires are to be accepted and loved, one through meeting her prince charming, and the other through becoming physically beautiful. Lastly, dreaming serves as a functional tool in fantasy texts as a way of giving characters more dimension, as well as allowing the reader to comprehend the mind and actions of the characters.In Mad Shadows, the look we are given into Isabelle Marie’s wants allow us to understand why she acts certain ways that otherwise would seem evil and without purpose. When Louise goes on a trip and Isabelle Marie starves and taunts her brother Patrice to the point of illness, we understand why she feels the need to commit such acts: â€Å"By depriving him of food she could make him pale and wan, and this creature who had never known the touch of misery would become her puppet. † (p. 15). -concept of foreshadowing- Cinderella-

Big Spaceship

Big Spaceship feels, as an agency, it should continue to grow while still keeping the boutique culture that brought the company success. There is no clear direction as to how the company should grow. Big Spaceship is unique, so its specific market could soften at any time, which would most likely lead to layoffs. Currently, Big Spaceship is a privately held company. One option would be to open the company up the public to gain capital which would put the company in a good position for sustainable growth.Like other ad agencies that have sold out to holding companies, selling out could help stabilize growth within the ad agency. Big Spaceship could open up a satellite office with key inner circle employees, which would allow for growth, while keeping the small boutique image. Opening Big Spaceship up to the public has a high probability of generating a large amount of capital due to the company's past success. This however, would leave the company open to pleasing shareholders, which c ould move away from Big Spaceship's culture.Selling to a holding company would be beneficial short term. The holding company would provide support and stability during down turns in the ad agency market sector. In the long run, the holding company's ideas may overshadow Big Spaceship's vision. Adding a satellite office with trusted employees at the head, would allow for growth while still keeping the vision aligned with the main office. It would generate autonomy with the satellite office. Big Spaceship tried a satellite office once in Los Angles, but closed shortly due to differentiating cultures.Although it did not work in LA, it could potentially work in another location. The best recommendation would be to find a holding company that fits Big Spaceship's vision well. Although it's not ideal to be under a holding company's control, it provides the best stability for down turns in the market. If the holding company is a good fit, there is great potential for Big Spaceship to keep its vision, boutique culture and continue to be successful.

A specific foreign culture Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

A specific foreign culture - Assignment Example That is to say that the paper will brief us on how different was communication in the past as compared to the present in terms of the reasoning and therefore give the outcome. These and many more will be featured in this research project. Culture can be said to be the communication system. It is the way people relate to one another in terms of customs and values. It is the focal point in terms of peoples’ relationship. What am saying is that culture brings people together and they are able to understand from each other, relate to one another and able to identify themselves from the rest of the groups. And in fact, Eric O. Ayisi in his book: Introduction to the Study of African Culture, defines culture as a sum total of the material and intellectual equipment whereby they satisfy their biological and social needs and adapt themselves to their environment (1). It is therefore the people’s practices and beliefs that differentiate them from others. On the other hand, interp ersonal communication is a close link in terms of passing of ideas between two or more people but within a small group. It is all about passing of information from one individual to the next with the view of enhancing fluent communication. The kisii people have got a culture that defines and give them identity. Their communication systems were arranged in such a way that hierarchical order was the determinant factor; that no information could be passed to the children without first reaching the elders from which the information would pass to the rest of the community members. This was to ensure that respect is in place and that the elders are much more experienced in community issues and any emerging issues can be easily dealt with by the elders than it could be done by women and children. Perhaps it is good to mention different ways through which information was passed for easy communication. First, we will look at how communication was done within the context of the family and the n communication within the community at large. The interpersonal communication within the family was very basic. As Owen Hargie puts it in his book: Skilled Interpersonal Communication: Research, Theory and Practice, communication therefore represents the very essence of the human condition (2). This is where every member of the family was required to keep in touch with one another. All male children were directly linked to their father and their counterparts, the female children linked to their mother. Not at any time one could break such a system. In fact, Scott Loveless and Thomas Holman in their book: The Family in the New Millennium: World Voices Supporting the "Natural" Clan, Volume 1 puts it clearly that the family is the exclusive social unity sanctioned to nurture the inborn, instill human behaviors, and ensure that human rules and laws spinning around emotions and interactions are respected (94). All male children were therefore advised by their fathers and the elders on t he task ahead of them. For instance, getting ready to take care of homestead at large or even getting prepared to be the warriors of the village. On the other hand, female children were advised by their mothers and the grandmothers on how to cook, fetch water and how to behave more especially in front of the elders and men at large. Children were there