Global Warming Essay

Global warming pertains to the increase in temperature of the atmosphere based on the entrapment of gases that are emitted from activities on the surface of the earth. The increase in temperature is a direct result of the greenhouse effect, which involves heat that originated from the sun, which is entrapped within the atmosphere due to several factors. Scientists have determined that the atmosphere’s temperature has increased since the industrial revolution, which has maximized the use of chemicals in manufacturing various kinds of materials in industry. There are four principal gases that have been identified to be primarily responsible for the onset of global warming. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is accountable for approximately half of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (Pearson and Palmer, 2000). This gas is a by-product of fossil fuel combustion, which involves burning of coal, natural gas and oil. It is also generated from deforestation activities, which have increased for expansion of industrialization areas. Trees utilize carbon dioxide in their photosynthetic reactions, but it there are fewer trees in the environment, less CO2 is removed from the atmosphere, leaving the environment with excess amounts of CO2. Another gas that has been determined to be responsible for global warming is chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which are the primary constituent of plastics and aerosols, as well as refrigerants in air conditioners. Chlorofluorocarbons make up approximately 25% of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Thirdly, methane gas (CH4), which comprises approximately 12% of the greenhouse gases, is also accountable for global warming. Methane gas is released during the decay of organic matter, as well as in the stomachs of cattle, sheep and termites, yet, most of the gas is currently generated by industrial companies. Lastly, nitrous oxide (N2O) is responsible for approximately 6% of the greenhouse gases. It is a by-product of industries, as well as nitrogen fertilizers, volcanic eruptions and livestock manure. Global warming may result in regional changes in the weather, which will be more obvious if the weather were compared from one decade to another, and not on a daily basis. However, scientists have hypothesized that when the temperature of the surface of the earth has reached a highly critical level, such high temperature will cause severe and drastic changes to the atmosphere, affecting the oceans and will severely alter the weather patterns in a matter of years. Changes in the weather may include increasingly hot days and less cool days. The water levels will go down, exposing more land surface during the summer. Even higher latitude regions will be warmer by 40%. In addition, the amount the precipitation, be it rain or snow, will also increase, in the form of stronger storms and very intense typhoons and hurricanes. The El Nino events may also be more increase due to global warming. Global warming not only affects the weather, but it will also affect natural habitats. Higher levels of CO2 may facilitate the growth of forests, facilitating them to flourish and bloom. The warmer ocean waters will be helpful to fish and algae in the high seas. However, those organisms in higher elevations will find difficulty in surviving in warmer environments. Higher temperatures in oceans may kill corals, which are the nurseries for fishes and other aquatic organisms. For the human population, global warming may cause more incidents of infectious diseases such malaria, as well as systemic health problems such as heat stroke and respiratory diseases. Currently, the world is confused as society is ignorant of the detailed effects of global warming. Society is aware the summers are now longer and more intense and winters are envious of summer’s wrath, unleashing a fury that rivals the intensity of the heat. This is actually what global warming does. It confuses the world and now currently has also succeeded in confounding scientists. From a scientific point of view, global warming can be understood as a global environmental phenomenon which is characterized by an increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s near-surface air and oceans (Smith and Reynolds, 2005). There is certainly no doubt that global warming has a very detrimental effect on the environment as it causes rising sea levels and alters the amount and pattern of precipitation that areas all over the world get. These environmental changes are also the projected causes of other ecological changes such as increases in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events which in turn creates changes in agricultural yields, glacier retreat, reduced summer stream flows, species extinctions and increases in the ranges of disease vectors. Based on the current scientific projections, the temperature of the world is expected to increase by 1. 1 to 6. 4  °C (2. 0 to 11. 5  °F) between the years 1990 and 2100. While most of the studies and projection models that have been utilized for these estimates cover the period up to the year 2100, global temperature warming and sea level rise are expected to continue for more than a millennium even if no further greenhouse gases are released after this date (Haigh, 2003). This is due to the melting of the polar ice caps which is estimated to continue due to the changes that have already occurred in the world’s temperature. One proposal to answer to the problem of global warming is a lot simpler in theory than it is in practice. Given the rate of economic growth of many of the developing countries and the shift of production to the lesser developed countries, the implementation of any global protocols is easier to imagine than to implement (Torn and Harte, 2006). Greenhouse gases, which are cited as one of the main causes of global warming, are most commonly emitted from the highly industrialized countries and the less developed countries which rely heavily on industrial machinery for production. The problem in this scenario is that by cutting back on the emission of greenhouse gases, a majority of the world’s production of most major goods will be affected. The economic costs not to mention the technological impediments that preventing the shift to more environmentally friendly methods make the reduction of these greenhouse gases extremely difficult (Rudiman, 2005). There have been steps that have been taken to reduce the levels of greenhouse gases. In order to address the situation of global warming, many countries have participated in the world’s primary international agreement on combating global warming which is the Kyoto Protocol. An amendment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol binds signatory countries to reduce their emissions of CO2 and five other greenhouse gases. In the alternative, it allows these countries to engage in emissions trading if they are able to maintain or increase emissions of these gases. The problem with this protocol, however, is that it exempts developing countries from meeting emission standards in Kyoto. Some of the countries that have been excluded from this list are China and India, who are ranked as the second and third largest emitters of CO2, behind the United States. It is clear therefore that even despite these actions much more work is needed in order to address the problem. The implementation of international protocols and requiring countries to meet certain environmental standards is certainly a big step towards addressing this issue. More intergovernmental cooperation is also another prospective answer to this problem. The more developed countries should also take the lead in encouraging the shift away from more traditional methods of production towards more environmentally friendly methods through the award of grants and exchange of technology (Torn and Harte, 2006). The creation of a body that is designed to not only specifically develop policies regarding this issue but also be given the power to enforce these policies will allow for the more efficient reduction of these greenhouse gases. It is unclear just how effective these policies may be but the fact that is clear is that in order to address this issue, each and every person in the world must take part in reducing the emission of these greenhouse gases which is the main cause of this problem (Gore, 2006). Simple steps such as taking the public transport or walking instead of taking carbon monoxide emitting vehicles will go a long way. There are many things that people can do in order to contribute to the improvement of the current environmental condition. It does not take a lot and it all starts with the awareness of the gravity of the situation. While the general scientific consensus is that global warming is real and its overall effects are detrimental, there are still some prominent scientists who feel that the severe effects of global warming have been sensationalized. Certain members of society take the idea of global warming with the normal temperature and that the temperature of the surface of the Earth has not severely increased over the last one hundred years. They claim that the temperature data collected in the 1970’s were taken in urbanized areas using different kinds of thermometers, hence the temperature readings were influenced by human error and do not precisely show drastic temperature changes in the surface of the Earth as well as in the oceans. It is therefore important the satellite data be acquired for the coming next decades in order to generate robust and reliable temperature readings that society and the scientific world will acceptable without any doubts on its credibility and efficiency. It is also of prime importance that scientific and legislative bodies prove that global warming does actually occur as a result of carbon dioxide accumulation in the atmosphere. Geological scientists have gather substantial fossil evidence that prove that carbon dioxide concentrations have increased on the surface of the Earth, which thus results in a warmer surface, but the direct connection between the increase in carbon dioxide and the temperature increase at the actual in situ settings should still be observed. Most of the information and generalizations that scientists have collected were based on laboratory conditions where most of the components of the setup were easily regulated and controlled, such as humidity and temperature. There are currently a number of models that may be used in forecasting average surface temperatures on the Earth, but there is still a need to also design a model that could predict the amount of human-made emissions that could trigger the same features that cause global warming. There is quite a huge number of people in society that still do not understand the climate changes and what triggers such disturbances in our current weather. Every country is now aware of the causes and effects of global warming on the ecosystem. There has been great speculation that global warming is both a natural and a man-made phenomenon. Whatever the cause is, it is imperative that every citizen understands what global warming is and what measures can be taken in order to minimize, avoid or prevent the increase in accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. References Gore A (2006): An inconvenient truth: The planetary emergency of global warming and what we can do about it. Rodale Books. Haigh JD (2003): The effects of solar variability on the Earth’s climate. Philos. Trans. Roy. Soc. A: Math. Phys. Eng. Sci. 361(1802):91-111. Lean JL, Wang YM and Sheeley NR (2002): The effect of increasing solar activity on the Sun’s total and open magnetic flux during multiple cycles: Implications for solar forcing of climate. Geophys. Res. Lett. 29(24):2224. Rudiman W (2005): How Did Humans First Alter Global Climate? Sci. Am. , March 2005 issue. Smith TM and Reynolds RW (2005): A global merged land–air–sea surface temperature reconstruction based on historical observations (1880–1997). J. Clim. 18(12): 2021-2036. Torn M and Harte J (2006): Missing feedbacks, asymmetric uncertainties, and the underestimation of future warming. Geophys. Res. Lett. 33(10):L10703. Global Warming Essay Climate scientists tell us that global warming is a very serious matter and the world has to make firm decisions to try to slow the warming and eventually to reverse it. Some politicians agree, but many lack the political will to press for urgent changes. Many scientists believe it is already too late to stop a 2 degree Celsius rise in temperature. Already there have been changes. Extreme weather events are becoming more common. Heat waves have been happening. Famine is worsening in Africa. Sea levels are rising and the Pacific Island countries are desperate for a solution. Glaciers are melting and the rivers in Asia and South America that rely on the glaciers for a steady supply of water for the millions of people downstream are in danger of drying to a trickle. A: It could (someday) destroy the earth and we would all die and there would be nothing living on the earth! A: Global warming causes an increase and decrease in temperatures in the world. Some cities will experience a hotter climate, some would experience a colder climate. This generally affects the habitat, ecosystem, ocean water levels, etc. In other words, a little increase in temperature would have a disastrous effect for residents living near/on coastal regions. This would mean flooding and also playing an influential factor as to the organisms that survive within a temperature/pH (power of Hydrogen) range, resulting in possible extinction. because polar bears enjoy life not death in the cold ocean†¦.Climate scientists tell us that global warming is a very serious matter and the world has to make firm decisions to try to slow the warming and eventually to reverse it. Some politicians agree, but many lack the political will to press for urgent changes. Many scientists believe it is already too late to stop a 2 degree Celsius rise in temperature. Already there have been changes. Extreme weather events are becoming more common. Heat waves have been happening. Famine is worsening in Africa. Sea levels are rising and the Pacific Island countries are desperate for a  solution. Glaciers are melting and the rivers in Asia and South America that rely on the glaciers for a steady supply of water for the millions of people downstream are in danger of drying to a trickle. A: It could (someday) destroy the earth and we would all die and there would be nothing living on the earth! A: Global warming causes an increase and decrease in temperatures in the world. Some cities will experience a hotter climate, some would experience a colder climate. This generally affects the habitat, ecosystem, ocean water levels, etc. In other words, a little increase in temperature would have a disastrous effect for residents living near/on coastal regions. This would mean flooding and also playing an influential factor as to the organisms that survive within a temperature/pH (power of Hydrogen) range, resulting in possible extinction. because polar bears enjoy life not death in the cold ocean†¦.Climate scientists tell us that global warming is a very serious matter and the world has to make firm decisions to try to slow the warming and eventually to reverse it. Some politicians agree, but many lack the political will to press for urgent changes. Many scientists believe it is already too late to stop a 2 degree Celsius rise in temperature. Already there have been changes. Extreme weather events are becoming more common. Heat waves have been happening. Famine is worsening in Africa. Sea levels are rising and the Pacific Island countries are desperate for a solution. Glaciers are melting and the rivers in Asia and South America that rely on the glaciers for a steady supply of water for the millions of people downstream are in danger of drying to a trickle. A: It could (someday) destroy the earth and we would all die and there would be nothing living on the earth! A: Global warming causes an increase and decrease in temperatures in the world. Some cities will experience a hotter climate, some would experience a colder climate. This generally affects the habitat, ecosystem, ocean water levels, etc. In other words, a little increase in temperature would have a disastrous effect for residents living near/on coastal regions. This would mean flooding and also playing an influential factor as to the organisms that survive within a temperature/pH (power of  Hydrogen) range, resulting in possible extinction. because polar bears enjoy life not death in the cold ocean†¦.Climate scientists tell us that global warming is a very serious matter and the world has to make firm decisions to try to slow the warming and eventually to reverse it. Some politicians agree, but many lack the political will to press for urgent changes. Many scientists believe it is already too late to stop a 2 degree Celsius rise in temperature. Already there have been changes. Extreme weather events are becoming more common. Heat waves have been happening. Famine is worsening in Africa. Sea levels are rising and the Pacific Island countries are desperate for a solution. Glaciers are melting and the rivers in Asia and South America that rely on the glaciers for a steady supply of water for the millions of people downstream are in danger of drying to a trickle. A: It could (someday) destroy the earth and we would all die and there would be nothing living on the earth! A: Global warming causes an increase and decrease in temperatures in the world. Some cities will experience a hotter climate, some would experience a colder climate. This generally affects the habitat, ecosystem, ocean water levels, etc. In other words, a little increase in temperature would have a disastrous effect for residents living near/on coastal regions. This would mean flooding and also playing an influential factor as to the organisms that survive within a temperature/pH (power of Hydrogen) range, resulting in possible extinction. because polar bears enjoy life not death in the cold ocean†¦ .

Advertising, Social and Economic Costs and Benefits Essay

Tesco is in private sector, but it is a PLC, a public limited company, this is an international business, also it is in primary. Tesco is doing service by providing food to its customers. Tesco exist, so people can buy food, they do their own products also, this company exists for making profit. Tesco makes profit by selling its products or making deliveries to customers. Tesco is trying to achieve , to be the best company Our vision is for Tesco to be most highly valued by the customers we serve, the communities in which we operate, our loyal and committed staff and our shareholders; to be a growth company; a modern and innovative company and winning locally, applying our skills globally. Tesco is a global business. Tesco is a public limited company (PLC) this means that the owners of Tesco are the shareholder. North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service- This is a public sector organization, it doesn’t make profit, because it’s service costs more than the amount of money people pay them for fire. This organization exist so when the people have fire or extreme situations they call fire and rescue service and they help them. In 2004 North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority developed a new focused Vision to reflect their broader function within the modernisation agenda. â€Å"Over the 10 years to 2014, in North Yorkshire and the City of York, 125 more people will still be alive through the work of the new Fire and Rescue Service. This will be due to the Service having significantly reduced the likelihood and severity of fire and other emergencies. We will achieve this through the dedication of our staff working in partnership with other agencies in the community†. This is a local company because it is North Yorkshire. Simply summarised as – The term â€Å"125 Alive† captures the Authority’s Vision in one simple phrase. It means that 125 people who might otherwise have died in an accident will be alive because of preventative action taken by the Fire and Rescue Service working in partnership with other agencies. The target will be achieved by a steady reduction year on year in fatalities in road traffic collisions and fires. The aims and objectives of this organization are to help people to rescue them away from dangerous things, and also to remove the fire away, so the people will be in safe. They are trying their best , so they will be the best from their competitors. P2 â€Å"describe the different stakeholders who influence the purpose of two contrasting organisations† M1 â€Å"explain the points of view from different stakeholders seeking to influence the strategic aims and objectives of two contrasting organisations† Stakeholders: A person, group, or organization that has direct or indirect stake in an organization because it can affect or be affected by the organization’s actions, objectives, and policies. Key stakeholders in a business organization include creditors, customers, directors, employees, government (and its agencies), owners (shareholders), suppliers, unions, and the community from which the business draws its resources. Stakeholder Grouping| Interest| Tesco PLC| NY Fire & Rescue Service| Consumers/customers| They want high quality, value for money products. Customers often identify with the brands they buy. They like to see improvements that give them better value for money. | People who want to buy high quality food or other staff| This are the local people in the local area who wants to take the fire out| Employees/workers| The company provides them with a salary/money to live (a livelihood). They seek security, promotion opportunities, job satisfaction and rewards. | This are the workers in the stores, they are interested in security| This are the firemen, their job is to rescue people and to remove the fire for safety. | Suppliers| They want steady orders and payment for supplying stock. They also want to feel valued. People which supply different staff like water, food, drinks etc. They do it because they are sure that Tesco Is a successful business and if they are successful so they have a lot of profit , and suppliers are sure in Tesco and they have more orders cause Tesco has more customers| People, who supply the equipment, like the extinguishers. | Owners| They may be a sole trader or in a partnership. In a company it would be the shareholders. Often thought to be the most important stakeholder. They see themselves as the principal risk taker. They want to see share of profit increasing and the value of the business rising. So the owner of Tesco is the shareholders, they are interested in success of their business, they want Tesco to be the best, as every shareholder does. | The government is the owner of the NYFRS. The government wants to succeed this organization in their job, so people will be in safe. | Trade Unions| They represent the views of the employees of the business. They want higher wages and better conditions. | They want Tesco to be successful, because if Tesco is successful, so workers conditions will be better, because this stakeholder is interested in employees comfort and life. They are interested in firemen success and conditions, wages etc. So if firemen start to rescue people or removing fire more and more, so they could get salary and this is good for Trade Union, this is what they want. | Employer Associations| They are the employer’s equivalent of the TU. They represent the employer’s interests in specific associations. | Basically this stakeholder is equivalent Trade Union, they have quite the same interests, they also take care about the workers, but in specific way. | They are looking for the comfort of the firemen, in specific associations. Local communities| The actions of businesses can have a big effect on communities around them. They want improved facilities and provision of jobs. | Local communities wants Tesco to be considerate about the people who live nearby, considerate about the emotions and feelings. | This are the people who live near by the fire rescue service base, so when they have an emergency call they start to drive fast and a lot of noise etc. People want them to be considerate about them and to think about them, that people could be sleeping now, or doing something different when they can’t be disturbed. Governments| They want successful organisations which contribute to economic growth and provide jobs and tax revenue. They also like businesses that contribute towards the welfare of the country’s society. | Government wants Tesco to succeed, so the economy of the country would improve more and more, and more employees would be needed as the company will grow, so less unemployed people would be. | The government wants to succeed this organization in their job, so people will be in safe, and the country’s level of popularity would increase. Tesco: 1) Owners 2) Workers 3) Supplies 4) Customers 5) Government NYFRS: 1) Government 2) Workers 3) Suppliers 4) Customers 5) Local communities D1 â€Å"Evaluate the influence different stakeholders exert in ONE organization Tesco: 1) Directors – To be as strong in everything we sell as we are in food Directors are the stakeholders which have the most influence of the Tesco, because they can do everything what they want with the business, because it is theirs. They have ultimate control and power. If they want for example they can change the name from â€Å"Tesco† to something else etc. 2) Workers- To build our team so that we create more value Workers are the second most influence stakeholders in Tesco. This is because if there is no workers so the business can’t grow at all and it will fail, no workers, means no job done. But also if the workers would leave the Tesco, it is not such a big problem, because â€Å"Tesco† is well known successful business, and a lot of employees want to work for them. 3) Customers- To grow the UK core Customers are 3rd important stakeholders which have influence on Tesco. So if there would not be customers the business would not be able to make profit at all, so customers are also really important part of each business. If the Tesco loses the customers , so they will go to theirs opponent businesses, such as â€Å"Asda† and â€Å"Sainsbury’s†, and this could be because their would be not enough workers, or the customer service would be at low level. 4) Suppliers- To put our responsibilities to the communities we serve at the heart of what we do. Suppliers are last important stakeholders with influence on Tesco, because if the suppliers wont supply any products so Tesco would have to use its own products, but that wouldn’t make a lot of profit, and won’t be sustainable. If â€Å"Tesco† loses the suppliers, it is not a problem, because there are a lot of suppliers which are free and waiting for their chance, but if the suppliers were too good, this would be sad. P3 â€Å"Describe how two businesses are organised† TESCO: Span of control: The number of subordinates that a manager or supervisorcan directly control. This number varies with the type ofwork: complex, variable work reduces it to six, whereasroutine, fixed work increases it to twenty or more. Chain of Command: The  order  in which  authority  and  power  in an  organization  is wielded and delegated from  top management  to every employee  at every  level  of the organization. Instructions flow downward along the chain of command and accountability  flows  upward. The chart shows that Tesco has a different level of workers in its organization. These shows the mangers and members, whom they control. The managers take responsibility of what their assistants do. Manager of one job can’t control the assistants of other job manager, so everything is equal. The boss of everyone is the store director, after him is regional manager as you can see, and later is the store manager, and only than other managers of different jobs, and on the bottom of the chart are all of the assistants of all of the mangers. So in Tesco and in all other businesses the member of the working team can’t control anyone above him, or anyone or the same line, he can control only the people who are under him. It is very hard to control big organization. So, it will be better to break the organization into smaller parts. There are 4 main ways of breaking a business down into smaller sections: 1) By Function- What is the sense of each section? 2) By Location- Where is the section situated on the map? 3) By Product- Which service does the section belong to? 4) By Process- A customer staying approached on the other customers who are interested in Tesco. There are 2 main types of organizational structure: 1) Tall 2) Flat The difference between this two is that tall has more levels than flat , however in Flat Mangers there are wider span of control. . So, we can say that Tesco has Tall structure, because in Tesco’s Organizational Chart has a lot of levels. North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service: It is really hard to understand who is who, who is controlling whom, the table is a bit messy, and so I created a better one for you: But on Structure of Commission we can see that Director General has two lines. First, is that he should control 3 Directors, Corporate and Forestry, Central Services (HR, IT, Finance), Business Units, Forest Research. The North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service is looking so different comparing to Tesco’s. . In Forestry Commission General Director works with more employees, however in Tesco Director works just with managers. But The North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s type of organizational structure is Tall, because it has many lines. And Forestry Commission is organization by Location, because they are separated on different locations, they have 3 directs in same country. Task 2 1) Finance addresses the ways in which individuals, business entities and other organizations allocate and use monetary resources over time. It helps Tesco with finance. 2) Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. ) The act or process or producing, bringing forth, or exhibiting to view; as, the production of commodities, of a witness. That which is produced, yielded, or made, whether naturally, or by the application of intelligence and labor; as, the productions of the earth; the productions of handicraft; the productions of intellect or genius. 4) Customer S ervice is the commitment to providing value added services to external and internal customers, including attitude knowledge, technical support and quality of service in a timely manner 5) Sales- Total dollar amount collected for goods and services provided. While payment is not necessary for recognition of sales on company financial statements, there are strict accounting guidelines stating when sales can be recognized. The basic principle is that a sale can only be recognized when the transaction is already realized, or can be quite easily realized. This means that the company should have already received a payment, or the chances of receiving a payment are high. In addition, delivery of the good or service should have taken place for the sale to be recognized. ) Human resources- is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations. Human resources is also the name of the function within an organization charged with the overall responsibility for implementing strategies and policies relating to the management of individuals. Task 3 I will tell now, what makes Tesco and Forestry Commission similar an d what makes them different. Firstly, they both have General Director, and he has helpers. But in Forestry Commission General Director has more employees (they are: 3 directors and other staff members), however in Tesco, Director has just one helper. Secondly, this two organizations have two different, smaller parts. Tesco has broken down on process and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service by Location. Last thing which I want to say is that, they have the same type of organization – it’s â€Å"Tall†. They have many levels and lines, which helps them to control their business. P4 â€Å"explain how their style and organization helps them to fulfill their purpose†

Mirror mirror on the wall-cultures consequences in a value test of its own design Essay

The paper offers a critical reading of Geert Hofstede’s (1980) Culture’s Consequences using an analytical strategy where the book is mirrored against itself and analyzed in terms of its own proposed value dimensions. â€Å"Mirroring† unravels the book’s normative viewpoint and political subtext and exposes discursive interests in its research process. Making all this evident in the canonical book’s own terms, this paper communicates critical concerns across paradigm boundaries. It indicates the need to reconsider concepts and convictions that predominate cross-cultural research and to adopt norms of reflexivity that transcend existing notions of â€Å"cultural relativism.† Globalization, there seems to be a need to further these attempts at reevaluating its foundations. To a great extent, the knowledge produced in this field is still firmly rooted in the orthodoxy of functionalist, â€Å"normal† science—its positivist epistemology and objectivist rhetoric (see Burrell & Morgan, 1979). While there are a few interpretive, emically oriented case studies (e.g., Ahrens, 1996; Brannen, 2004), these generally remain a marginalized pursuit (MarschanPiekkari & Welch, 2004); studies are usually nomothetic and quantitative, with researchers posing themselves as discoverers of universal regularities and systematic causal relationships. Cultural relativism, when admitted, is seen to relate to the scientist—not to science Itself—and is accordingly â€Å"corrected† by rituals of confession, (rare) attempts to create crosscultural research teams, or various â€Å"bias control† techniques. In this vein, international management thought is evolving into quite a large body of thought— one that, despite its name, underrepresents many regions of the world in terms of authorship and topics of analysis (Kirkman & Law, 2005). Moreover, like other managerial disciplines that aspire to shape actual workplaces, its influence extends into the world of practice as well.   The book indeed entailed various substantive contributions. Apparently, as globalization progressed into the 1980s, crossing traditional boundaries, national culture could no longer be disregarded. What until then constituted a beast too â€Å"soft† or vague for the positivist epistemology of â€Å"normal† science became a focus of much interest. Hofstede, it can be said, tamed the beast— he divided it, counted it, tabled it, and graphed it. â€Å"Culture† was reduced to â€Å"values,† which were reduced to a limited set of questions on an IBM questionnaire. â€Å"National society† was reduced to â€Å"middle class rather than the working class† (1980: 56), which was reduced to IBM personnel from the marketing and service divisions. Answers were quantified, computerized, â€Å"statisticalized.† Things cultural could finally be said in â€Å"scientific† language. October Subsequently, the book promoted sensitivity to cultural diversity at the workplace (and beyond it). In addition, it undermined the widespread assumption that American management knowledge is universal and thus easily transferable across cultures, and challenged psychology’s long-standing refusal to acknowledge the relevance of culture as anything but an external variable (see Joseph, Reddy, & Searle-Chatterjee, 1990: 21; Triandis, 2004). Culture, Hofstede claimed, is a â€Å"mental programming† instilled in people’s minds—an internal variable, shaping behavior from the inside out. Thus, for organizational practice, management theory, and psychology, national culture is relevant; it does count. And as far as the scientific community of his time was concerned, he had the right numbers to prove it. There were, however, very serious critiques from the outset (e.g., Baskerville, 2003; Eckhardt, 2002; Harrison & McKinnon, 1999; Kitayama, 2002; Merker, 1982; Robinson, 1983; Schooler, 1983; Singh, 1990). In what appears to be one of the most damning critiques of the book, McSweeney claimed that â€Å"the on-going unquestioning acceptance of Hofstede’s national culture research by his evangelized entourage suggests that in parts of the management disciplines the criteria for acceptable evidence are far too loose† . Hofstede never failed to respond to the ongoing stream of criticism, defended his methodological decisions, and clarified the study’s claims and implications (e.g., 1990, 2001, especially p. 73). The debate that evolved was extensive, but it generally focused on a single question: Does Hofstede â€Å"really† capture â€Å"feminine-in-management† meets â€Å"globalization.† Business Horizons, 36(2): 71– 81. Calas, M. B., & Smircich, L. 1999. Past postmodernism? Re ´ flections and tentative directions. Academy of Management Review, 24: 649 – 671. Chandy, P. R., & Williams, T. G. E. 1994. The impact of journals and authors on international business. Journal of International Business Studies, 25: 715–728. Clegg, S. R., & Hardy, C. 1999. Introduction. In S. R. Clegg & C. Hardy (Eds.), Studying organization: Theory & method: 1–22. London: Sage. Cooper, R. 1989. Modernism, post modernism and organizational analysis 3: The contribution of Jacques Derrida. Organization Studies, 10: 479 –502. Cooper, R., Burrell, G. 1988. Modernism, postmodernism and organizational analysis: An introduction. Organization Studies, 9: 91–112. October Foucault, M. 1972. The archaeology of knowledge. (Translated by A. M. S. Smith.) New York: Pantheon. Foucault, M. 1977. Language, counter-memory, practice: Selected essays and interviews. (Edited by D. F. Bouchard.) Oxford: Blackwell. Foucault, M. 1980. Power/knowledge: Selected interviews and other writings 1972–1977. (Edited by C. Gordon.) New York: Pantheon. Frost, P. 1980. Toward a radical framework for practicing organization science. Academy of Management Review, 5: 501–507. Gioia, D. A., & Pitre, E. 1990. Multiparadigm perspectives on theory building. Academy of Management Review, 5: 584 – 602. Harrison, G. L., & McKinnon, J. L. 1999. Cross-cultural research in management control systems design: A review of the current state. Accounting, Organizations and Society. 24: 483–506. Hart, W. B. 1999. Interdisciplinary influences in the study of intercultural relations: A citation analysis of the International Journal of Intercultural Relations. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 23: 575–589. Hofstede, G. 1978. The poverty of management control philosophy. Academy of Management Review, 3: 450 – 461. Hofstede, G. 1980. Culture’s consequences: International differences in work-related values. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage. Hofstede, G. 1983. The cultural relativity of organizational practices and theories. Journal of International Business Studies, 14(2): 75– 89. Hofstede, G. 1990. A reply and comment on Joginder P. Singh: â€Å"Managerial culture and work-related values in India.† Organization Studies, 11: 103–106. Hofstede, G. 1991. Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind. London: McGraw-Hill. Hofstede, G. 1994. Management scientists are human. Management Science, 40: 4 –13. Hofstede, G. 1996. An American in Paris: The influence of nationality on organization theories. Organization Studies, 17: 525–537. Hofstede, G. (Ed.). 1998a. Masculinity and femininity: The taboo dimension of national cultures. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Derrida, J. 1972. Positions. (Translated and annotated by A. Bass.) Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Hofstede, G. 1998b. Masculinity/femininity as a dimension of culture. In G. Hofstede (Ed.), Masculinity and femininity: The taboo dimension of national cultures: 3–28. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Eckhardt, G. 2002. Book review of Culture’s consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions, and organizations across nations (second edition). Australian Journal of Management, 27: 89 –94. Hofstede, G. 1998c. The cultural construction of gender. In G. Hofstede (Ed.), Masculinity and femininity: The taboo dimension of national cultures: 77–105. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Escobar, A. 1995. Encountering development: The making and unmaking of the third world. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Hofstede, G. 1998d. Comparative studies of sexual behavior: Sex as achievement or as relationship? In G. Hofstede (Ed.), Masculinity and femininity: The taboo dimension of national cultures: 153–178. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Ferguson, K. E. 1994. On bringing more theory, more voices and more politics to the study of organizations. Organization, 1: 81–99. Hofstede, G. 1998e. Religion, masculinity, and sex. In G. Hofstede (Ed.), Masculinity and femininity: The taboo dimension of national cultures: 192–209. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research: 463– 477. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Hofstede, G. 2001. Culture’s consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions, and organizations across nations (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Marschan-Piekkari, R., & Welch, C. 2004. Qualitative research methods in international business: The state of the art. In R. Marschan-Piekkari & C. Welch (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research methods for international business: 5–24. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar. Hofstede, G., & Bond, M. H. 1988. The Confucius connection: From cultural roots to economic growth. Organizational Dynamics, 16(4): 4 –21. Hofstede, G., & Hofstede, G. J. 2005. Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind (revised & expanded 2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. Hofstede, G., & McCrae, R. R. 2004. Personality and culture revisited: Linking traits and dimensions of culture. Cross-Cultural Research, 38: 52– 88. Hoppe, M. H. 2004. An interview with Geert Hofstede. Academy of Management Executive, 18(1): 75–79. Jack, G., & Lorbiecki, A. 2003. Asserting possibilities of resistance in the cross-cultural teaching machine: Reviewing videos of others. In A. Prasad (Ed.), Postcolonial theory and organizational analysis: A critical engagement: 213–232. New York: Palgrave. Martin, J. 1994. The organization of exclusion: Institutionalization of sex inequality, gendered faculty jobs and gendered knowledge in organizational theory and research. Organization, 1: 401– 431. McSweeney, B. 2002. Hofstede’s model of national cultural differences and their consequences: A triumph of faith—A failure of analysis. Human Relations, 55: 89 – 118. Merker, S. L. 1982. Book review of Geert Hofstede’s Culture’s consequences: International differences in work-related values. Behavioral Science, 27: 195–197. Meyerson, D. E. 1998. Feeling stressed and burned out: A feminist reading and re-visioning of stress-based emotions within medicine and organization science. Organization Science, 9: 103–118. Jack, G., & Westwood, R. 2006. Postcolonialism and the politics of qualitative research in international business. Management International Review, 46: 481–501. Morgan, G. 1983. The significance of assumptions. In G. Morgan (Ed.), Beyond method: Strategies for social research: 377–382. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage. Joseph, G. G., Reddy, V., & Searle-Chatterjee, M. 1990. Ethnocentrism in the social sciences. Race & Class, 31(4): 1–26. Mumby, D. K., & Putnam, L. L. 1992. The politics of emotion: A feminist reading of bounded rationality. Academy of Management Review, 17: 465– 486. Kirkman, B. L., & Law, K. S. K. 2005. From the editors: International management research in AMJ: Our past, present, and future. Academy of Management Journal, 48: 377–386. Kirkman, B. L., Lowe., K. B., Gibson, C. B. 2006. A quarter century of Culture’s consequences: A review of empirical research incorporating Hofstede’s cultural values framework. Journal of International Business Studies, 37: 285–320. Kitayama, S. 2002. Culture and basic psychological processes—Toward a system view of culture: Comment on Oyserman et al. (2002). Psychological Bulletin, Knights, D., & Morgan, G. 1991. Corporate strategy, organizations, and subjectivity: A critique. Organization Studies, 12: 251–273. Kuhn, T. 1972. The structure of scientific revolutions. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Kunda, Z. 1990. The case for motivated reasoning. Psychological Bulletin, 108: 480 – 498. Kwek, D. 2003. Decolonizing and re-presenting Culture’s consequences: A postcolonial critique of cross-cultural studies in management. In A. Prasad (Ed.), Postcolonial theory and organizational analysis: A critical engagement: 121–146. New York: Palgrave. Lyotard, J.-F. 1984. The postmodern condition: A report on knowledge. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. Manning, P. K., & Cullum-Swan, B. 1994. Narrative, content, and semiotic analysis. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln Nkomo, S. M. 1992. The emperor has no clothes: Rewriting â€Å"Race in organizations.† Academy of Management Review, 17: 487–513. Oyserman, D., Coon, H., & Kemmelmeier, M. 2002. Rethinking individualism and collectivism: Evaluation of theoretical assumptions and meta-analyses. Psychological Bulletin, 128: 3–72. Parker, M. 1992. Post-modern organizations or postmodern organization theory. Organization Studies, 13: 1–17. Prasad, A. (Ed.). 2003. Postcolonial theory and organizational analysis: A critical engagement. New York: Palgrave Reed, M. 1992. Introduction. In M. Reed & M. Hughes (Eds.), Rethinking organizations: New directions in organizational theory and analysis: 1–16. London: Sage. Richardson, L. 1994. Writing: A method of inquiry. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research: 516 –529. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Robinson, R. V. 1983. Book review of Culture’s consequences: International differences in work-related values. Work and Occupations, 10: 110 –115. Said, E. W. 1978. Orientalism. New York: Random House. Schimmack, U., Oishi, S., & Diener, E. 2005. Individualism: A valid and important dimension of cultural differences between nations. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 9: 17–31. Schooler, C. 1983. Book review of Culture’s consequences: International differences in work-related values. Contemporary Sociology, 12: 167. Academy of Management Review Singh, J. P. 1990. Managerial culture and work-related values in India. Organization Studies, 11: 75–101. Sà ¸ndergaard, M. 1994. Research note: Hofstede’s consequences: A study of reviews, citations and replications. Organization Studies, 15: 447– 456. Sorge, A. 1983. Book review of Culture’s consequences: International differences in work-related values. Administrative Science Quarterly, 28: 625– 629. Spivak, G. C. 1988. Subaltern studies: Deconstructing historiography. In R. Guha & G. C. Spivak (Eds.), Selected subaltern studies: 3–34. New York: Oxford University Press. October Van Deusen, C. 2002. Book review of Culture’s consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions, and organizations across nations. Business & Society, 41: 125–128. Vunderink, M. & Hofstede, G. 1998. Femininity shock: American students in the Netherlands. In G. Hofstede (Ed.), Masculinity and femininity: The taboo dimension of national cultures: 139 –152. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Weaver, G. R., & Gioia, D. A. 1994. Paradigms lost: Incommensurability vs structurationist inquiry. Organization Studies, 15: 565–590. Triandis, H. C. 1993. Reviews on cultural phenomena— Cultures and organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly, 38: 132–134. Westwood, R. 2004. Towards a postcolonial research paradigm in international business and comparative management. In R. Marschan-Piekkari & C. 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Price Ceiling and Price Floor Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

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