Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Gambling Essay Example The Case for Legalized Gambling

Everybody Wins: The Case for Legalized Gambling Mention the word Casino and it can conjure up images of underworld figures with bags full of laundered cash waiting to be paid to the next hit-man. Decades ago there may have been some truth in that vision. However, todays gaming industry is the most heavily regulated and scrutinized business in the country (Fahrenkopf 2002). Casinos offer a vacation atmosphere that includes everything from family entertainment to high stakes poker. These centers of entertainment have a lot to offer the local communities where they are located. They lower the local tax rate, reduce crime, finance education and should be legalized in all 50 states. When anyone gambles, they always want to win. Of course, thats not realistic and thats why its called gambling. However, casino gambling can make everyone a winner. The amount of tax revenue that they can generate is phenomenal. Deadwood South Dakota built its first casino in 1989 when its city budget was $1.5 million. Just six years later the local budget had swelled to $11 million thanks to casino revenue (Ackerman 1999). That additional $9.5 million could be for needed improvements or local tax relief. Either way when Deadwood played everybody won. Critics of legalized gambling will contend that the crime rate increases when a city builds a casino (Kearney n.d.). This belief does not prove to be true. In fact, the increased revenue and law enforcement visibility makes crime more difficult to commit. The inside of a casino is some of the safest places in the world. The area has constant surveillance and monitoring. Outside the casino, the increase in scrutiny has actually resulted in a lower crime rate in many areas with legalized gambling. According to the American Gaming Association, Statements by law enforcement agents in gaming jurisdictions across the country also refute critics’ claims that gaming causes crime (Does the introduction). The stories of a higher crime rate are an old myth used by critics to discourage support for the gaming industry. Those that are discouraging gambling are taking money away from our educational system. Gambling has been one of the biggest sponsors of education and in some states it is the sole support of some programs. In Georgia, pre-kindergarten programs and the HOPE scholarship program are totally funded with gambling revenue (Ulbrich 1998 p.5). Clearly, when you gamble in Georgia, the children win. This scene plays out all across the country. Education is the biggest beneficiary of gambling in the US, and in 13 states all lottery proceeds go to education (Ferro 2007). Gambling is not just a game, its an investment in our childrens educational future. So the next time you hear the word Casino, dont think of the dark shadowy past. Imagine a future where taxes have decreased and services have increased. The gambling of today is one of safest pastimes there is. It not only provides needed taxes for the community but gambling also contributes to a lower crime rate for the area. Sure there will always be losers in gambling. But now, the big winners are the kids through education and scholarships around the country. In the world of gambling today, everybody wins and it should be legal everywhere. References Ackerman, W. V. (1999). Casinos have proven beneficial to Deadwood, South Dakota [Electronic version]. Legalized Gambling. from Thomson Gale. Does the introduction of legalized gaming increase the level of street crime in a community? (2003). Retrieved February 22, 2007, from http://www.americangaming.org/industry/faq_detail.cfv?id=63 Fahrenkopf, F. J. (2002). Legalized gambling benefits local economies [Electronic version]. Gambling. from Thomson Gale. Ferro, J. (2007, January 28). Nationwide, lotteries pay for far more than education. Poughkeepsie Journal. Retrieved February 22, 2007, from http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070128/NEWS05/701280386/1021 Kearney, B. (n.d.). Gambling Basics. Retrieved February 22, 2007, from http://www.ncalg.org/Gambilng%20Inside%20Story.htm Ulbrich, H. H. (1998). Gambling in South Carolina. Retrieved February 22, 2007, from http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:FdVGMs-nk-cJ:www.strom.clemson.edu/insight/gambling.pdf+gambling+supports+educationhl=enct=clnkcd=20gl=us Let Us Help You with Your College Essay Remember, that essay you need written, it has a deadline! The more you procrastinate, the more the risk you will not be able to deliver the final essay within the deadline. You don’t want that; right! So simply trust our custom college essay writing company. Place your order now.

Friday, March 6, 2020

ECO2103 PRINCIPLES OF MICROECONOMICS Essays - Microeconomics

ECO2103 PRINCIPLES OF MICROECONOMICS Essays - Microeconomics ECO2103 PRINCIPLES OF MICROECONOMICS INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT (30%) The assessment for this course comprise ONE essay of up to 1800 - 2000 words in length. This word limit includes footnotes (if any) but exclude references, tables or diagrams. Essay: Choose one from the following 6. 1)Currently, most of the world adopted mixed economy as a mean of resource allocation. Before that, different economy system was proposed in the 16th- 19th century such as pure capitalism and communism. Explain why the latter two economy system fail to become dominant in today economy? 2)Theoretically, price is determine by the force of market demand and supply. However, does it really applicable in today economy, given that information is imperfect in the market? 3)In Adam Smith famous paradox of value: Water has less value in exchange while it is important for survival. On the other hand, diamond has less value in use but greater value in exchange. Explain your reasoning for the above statement. 4)In theory, when demand is inelastic, increasing price will increase firms profit. However, when demand is elastic, decreasing price will increase firms profit. Does this case necessary to be true in practice? 5)Does perfectly competitive markets exist in real world? Explain. 6)From economic point of view, what are the main causes of market failure? Requirement 1)You are required to submit your work to Turrnitin to prevent plagiarism. Your similarity should not exceed 25%. Penalty will be impose for works that exceed 25% similarity. Candidate with serious plagiarism could be charge for academic dishonesty. 2)Referencing style: Harvard Referencing. 3)You must submit a hardcopy of your write-up together with turnitin report and assessment rubric. 4)Submission after due date (Within 1 week after the due date), maximum marks will be 50% from the total. 5)No mark will be credited after the 1 week maximum limit or after any extended date where an extension has been granted. Final date for submission The final deadline for essay submission is: WEEK 11

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Old Operating Theatre in London Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Old Operating Theatre in London - Essay Example The essay "Old Operating Theatre in London" explores historically significant Old Operating Theatre in London and gives a review of Pierre Nora’s theory of ‘sites of memory’ and postmodernism. â€Å"Architectural phenomenologists have been particularly active in advocating a born-again power of places, which includes their symbolic and memorial functions†. Tensions characterize the transitions in the last twenty years, related to the Postmodernist renaissance of monuments, and are evident in the preface to the first volume of Pierre Nora’s seminal Les Lieux de Memoire translated as ‘sites of memory’, which envisioned a collection of ‘memory places’ ranging from concrete structures to abstract intellectual constructions. On the other hand, in the last volume of Nora’s series written eight years later, the author complains that his formula ‘memory places’ has not been comprehended as the dematerialization o f ‘places’ intended as symbolic instruments. Nora’s memory places were conceptualized as places within the mind, as in the conventional and Renaissance art of memory. These ‘sites of memory’ have displaced real environments of memory or Milieux de Memoire. ‘The Old Operating Theatre’ in London dating back to 1822 has been preserved in the form of an unusual museum. â€Å"It is the oldest in Europe and found in a unique space in the Herb Garret of St. Thomas Church, and was a part of old St. Thomas Hospital. The consciousness of a break with the past is linked to the quintessence of memory.

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Nature of Work Groups in respect to organizational behavior Essay

Nature of Work Groups in respect to organizational behavior - Essay Example The current business practices involve better management and handling of organizational projects. At present, we are seeing that training within organizations is transforming along with knowledge management projects, in hopes of enhancing corporate profitability. The enhancement of the business and corporate culture depends on the establishment and improvement of the workgroups. Organizations often pay less attention to individuals playing key roles in business and are more interested in how particular workgroups can effectively enhance performance, with a view toward establishing a better corporate culture. This outline establishes how this can be accomplished. This paper will present a comprehensive analysis of the work groups with respect to organizational behavior via an assessment of the role and contribution of work groups and a thorough analysis of their operational structure. This paper will also assess the diverse structure of work groups within business organizations. Most work groups share external and internal information, exchange data and expertise, discuss current trends, and provide information and feedback to organizational experts, customers, and others outside of the group. A structurally diverse work group is one in which the group members, through virtue of their dissimilar organizational roles, affiliations or positions, can elevate the group beyond the norm to serve as an exceptional sources of business knowledge. It is assumed that if group members of structurally different work groups connect in outside knowledge sharing, their expertise will be enhanced because of this dynamic sharing of information (Cummings-2, 20 01). Groups always play an important role in the development of an organization. However they have recently increased in significance as an essential component of organizational structure. In an effort to become accustomed to quickly varying environments, many work organizations have granted teams augmented independence

Sunday, January 26, 2020

Child Language Disorder Factors and Treatments

Child Language Disorder Factors and Treatments What is Language Disorder? Difficulties associated with communication can be identified as language disorder. Child language disorder can be classified by language production skills that are lower than the age-appropriate level, which can be seen if the child is behind their peers in their progress of language skills. A language disorder is defined as the inability to utilise words to express thoughts (expressive language) and/or understand (receptive language). Expressive language disorder disturbs the childs written and oral language, which validates age-appropriate understanding of language. On the other hand, receptive language can be witnessed when the child is unable to comprehend language at an expected level and comprise complications with being able to answer questions, follow directions as well as understand words and sentences. There is also a possibility where the child can have expressive and receptive language disorder, which can be characterised by the complications with comprehension as well as production of language. Exchange, C. (2017). Language Disorders (Child Language Disorders) | International Encyclopedia of  Rehabilitation. Cirrie.buffalo.edu. Retrieved 16 March 2017, from http://cirrie.buffalo.edu/encyclopedia/en/article/31/ What is Language Disorder? Children diagnosed with language disorder are unable to: Use the precise grammar when speaking or writing Send the correct message to others when they are trying to communicate Identify the variances between likenesses and differences Breakdown words into sounds and syllables Recognize pronouns To repeat what happened in a story in order Start conversations Understand what others are saying through their facial expressions and body language Use gestures when speaking Exchange, C. (2017). Language Disorders (Child Language Disorders) | International Encyclopedia of  Rehabilitation. Cirrie.buffalo.edu. Retrieved 16 March 2017, from http://cirrie.buffalo.edu/encyclopedia/en/article/31/ Speech Pathologists role The first significant stage in understanding the childrens language requirements and strengths is comprehensive assessment. Expressive and receptive language, stuttering and phonological awareness are some of the areas that are assessed. Speech therapists can tailor suitable interventions appropriate to the childrens learning style and deliver beneficial tactics for the home and school environment. Whereas the screening assessment is utilised to deliver an effective way of detecting children who may be diagnosed of language disorders. Speech pathologists work cooperatively with a crew that involves parents caregivers and educational professionals (i.e. educators, teachers, and psychologists). Language-Based Learning Disabilities (Reading, Spelling, and Writing). (2017). Asha.org. Retrieved 26 March 2017, from http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/LBLD.htm Rosenbaum, S., Simon, P., Disorders, C., Populations, B., Board on Children, a., Medicine, I. et al. (2017). Treatment and  Persistence of Speech and Language Disorders in Children. Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 26 March 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK356271/ Speech Pathologists role The role of a speech pathologists in working with pre-school children: Collect some information about the experience of literacy at home (are there any books or reading materials around the house? How often does the child witness their family members read or write?). Observe the children throughout their classroom activities. Assess if the child is able to comprehend directions. Observe if the child is able to recognise signs and is they can write their name. Determine if the child is able to tap out the different syllables in words. The role of a speech pathologists in working with older children: Assess if the student can read and comprehend information in books. Observe if the students can play with and hear sounds in words. Help the students connect syllable and sounds to form a word. Observe the childs memory by having them repeat words and numbers. Speech pathologists role is to prevent communication disorders by working cooperatively with family members and education professionals to diagnose children and help them to communicate with others and express their thoughts and feelings in words. Language-Based Learning Disabilities (Reading, Spelling, and Writing). (2017). Asha.org. Retrieved 26 March 2017, from http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/LBLD.htm Rosenbaum, S., Simon, P., Disorders, C., Populations, B., Board on Children, a., Medicine, I. et al. (2017). Treatment and Persistence of Speech and Language Disorders in Children. Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 26 March 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK356271/ Impact on daily life Studies and research revealed that diagnosis on its own will not predict functional outcomes, length of hospitalisation, service needs and level of care. Therefore, relying on medical classification of diagnoses alone we will not provide the information that is required for health arrangement and management purposes. ICF is able to assemble those essential data in a reliable and internationally comparable manner. 4 Ways Language Disorders Can Affect Your Childs Social Life. (2017). Understood.org. Retrieved 26 March 2017, from https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/communication-disorders/4-wayslanguage-disorders-can-affect-your-childs-social-life Language Disorders OTFC. (2017). OTFC. Retrieved 26 March 2017, from http://occupationaltherapychildren.com.au/we-have-skills/my-childs-condition/language-disorders/ Impact on daily life- case scenario James, a seven-year-old, is diagnosed with Aphasia was referred to a speech pathologists by his parents during second grade, as well as receiving speech therapy at his public school. He began speaking at the age of three, which is below the age-appropriate level. Throughout kindergarten to second grade, he was consistently making grammar mistakes (referring to both females and males with the pronoun he and misusing past tenses of verbs). Furthermore, James had an issue with precisely articulating his thoughts and feelings to form accurate words and phrases. This had a significant impact on his word retrieval, organising his thoughts and choosing precise words to form sentences to express his intentions. In response to that issue, he experienced difficulties at school with spelling and reading comprehension. It gradually began to affect his social life as he found it difficult to understand the rules of polite conversation. Additionally due to him being literal-minded, he had difficul ties interpreting tone of voice and furthermore became shy due to his inability to express his thoughts into words. His speech pathologists and parents work cooperatively to diagnose, support and motivate him to deal with the issue in a positive way and ensure that he is able to work through these issue in the correct manner. 4 Ways Language Disorders Can Affect Your Childs Social Life. (2017). Understood.org. Retrieved 26 March 2017, from https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/communicationdisorders/4-ways-language-disorders-can-affect-your-childs-social-life Language Disorders OTFC. (2017). OTFC. Retrieved 26 March 2017, from http://occupationaltherapychildren.com.au/we-have-skills/my-childs-condition/language-disorders/ Bibliograpgy References 4 Ways Language Disorders Can Affect Your Childs Social Life. (2017). Understood.org. Retrieved 26 March 2017, from https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learningdisabilities/communication-disorders/4-ways-language-disorders-can-affect-your-childs-social-life (2017). Retrieved 26 March 2017, from http://ischsa=Xved=0ahUKEwja9L2E4fPSAhUP82MKHeuzBTAQ_AUIBigBbiw=1094bih=645#tbm=isc hq=child+language+disorder+and+speech+pathologist*imgrc=hf6KDI5yzjNOsM: child language disorder Google Search. (2017). Google.com.au. Retrieved 26 March 2017, from https://www.google.com.au/search?q=child+language+disordersource=lnmstbm=ischsa=Xved= 0ahUKEwja9L2E4fPSAhUP82MKHeuzBTAQ_AUIBigBbiw=1094bih=645#tbm=ischq=child+language+d isorder+and+speech+pathologist*imgrc=hf6KDI5yzjNOsM Exchange, C. (2017). Language Disorders (Child Language Disorders) | International Encyclopedia of  Rehabilitation. Cirrie.buffalo.edu. Retrieved 16 March 2017, from http://cirrie.buffalo.edu/encyclopedia/en/article/31/ Language Disorders OTFC. (2017). OTFC. Retrieved 26 March 2017, from http://occupationaltherapychildren.com.au/we-have-skills/my-childs-condition/language-disorders/ Language-Based Learning Disabilities (Reading, Spelling, and Writing). (2017). Asha.org. Retrieved 26  March 2017, from http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/LBLD.htm Rosenbaum, S., Simon, P., Disorders, C., Populations, B., Board on Children, a., Medicine, I. et al.  (2017). Treatment and Persistence of Speech and Language Disorders in Children. Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 26 March 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK356271/

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Martinez Construction Company in Germany

MARTINEZ CONSTRUCTION COMPANY IN GERMANY 1. General presentation of the case study (Summary) Martinez Construction is a well-established construction company in Eastern Spain. Because of a recent decline in contracts in the Spain society, Martinez Construction Company needed to expand to international market in order to survive (expand and grow). After a survey in the international market, the newly formed Democratic Germany seemed the perfect place. Furthermore, the best solution was to acquire an existing firm with the help of Treuhandanstalt (privatization agency).This was a result of the lack of liquidity of the Martinez Company. Therefore, an alliance with another German company would not allow it to establish itself as a serious competitor on the international market. The intermediary for Martinez Construction was THA (Treuhandanstalt), a company created in the former German Democratic Republic, whose main purpose was to find private buyers for some 13 500 business and 15 000 p arcels of real estate that had been owned by the former German Democratic Republic.Their primary job was to sell the companies and match existing companies with buyers. That’s why Martinez Construction used THA’s services to find a new German company to acquire. From the time of his arrival in Germany, Juan felt that he was having a difficult time just getting acquainted with the Germans. . They didn’t seem to have time to get to know Juan personally: rush and urgency to complete the sale was the focus of their approach. Thus, THA found Konstruktion Dreizehn, based in Leipzig.Juan Sanchez was sent to handle the negotiations part of the acquisition in Germany. Juan was accompanied by Diego’s nephew and projected manager of the new German acquisition, Miguel Martinez. His background includes a business degree from a university in the United States, as well as years of employment in the family business, although lacking in practical managerial experience. Du ring the negotiations, there were noticed strong discrepancies between the business styles of the two representatives of the companies, the cultural barrier between the two being noticeable.However, they managed to arrive at a common point by modifying the initial contract, after Juan insisted. The final contract stated that the original price would be reviewed in two years, and the contracted parties would recalculate it based on new and presumably more reliable data concerning the true value of the firm. The company had employed approximately 350 workers inside the German Democratic Republic (GDR). The THA had reduced the workforce to 100. Miguel and his team estimated that 50 employees would be sufficient.Miguel was frustrated by the unwillingness of some employees to actively participate in the formulation of ideas and implementation of new procedures and policies. Six months after Miguel’s triumphant arrival, his optimism was fading fast. He had just received the latest report concerning the company’s financial position, and it was clear that the figures were far from what Martinez Construction had been led to believe. Cash flow problems were beginning to arise, and this threatened the very existence of the company. . Identification of the problem(s), causes and negative effects: 2. 1. Identification of the problem(s): The main problem of The Spanish Company consists of the fact that they were not prepared for the acquisition of a foreign company and further more for the negotiations with the German THA. Companies which operate only in one country are not familiar with all the economic, cultural and political differences between societies because they are not confronted with them on daily basis.In order to do successful business, it is of major importance to acknowledge this differences and to take it into consideration when doing business. A second problem will be that the manager of Martinez Construction Company choose the wrong people in order to complete the negotiations and after words to develop the new business in East Germany. 2. 2. Identification of the causes that led to the appearance of this/these problem(s): The problems arise mainly because the CEO of the Spanish company made his decisions of expansion in Germany on a blue-eyed approach.The idea occur to him when meeting German tourists in Spain that were relax and happy without taking into account that the East Germans were not allowed to travel so far and there are important differences between the mentality of Western and Eastern Germany. Another cause is represented by the Manager’s idea that he can develop a well-established business in the Eastern German because of cheap labor and raw materials. His choice to expand on German marketplace was not based on rational facts or clear developed objectives.Despite the fact that the management of Martinez Company conduct a series of research regarding the different market entry strategies into German markets which ended with the solution of acquiring a company from THA, a market selection can not rely only on information based on secondary sources. There are always certain information that can only be found when visiting the potential marketplace (distributors, suppliers, the existing management and employees). 2. 3. Identification of the potential negative effects that will appear if the problem(s) is/are not going to be solved:Negative effects on the short-run: * Lack of experience in managing a portfolio of business in another market than Spain as well as the lack of knowledge about the personality of German employees and the already existing procedures and policies * Different developed management information systems, governance structures, managerial skills and corporate processes * Lack of initiative coming from the employees because of fear and distrust of management due to the cultural differences between Spanish and German business practices. Exposure to unfamiliar busi ness practices such as strict environmental and employee protection regulations that forced unexpected large investments in plant modifications. * Other costly projects that have not been foreseen during the negotiations process that would have required attention. * Cash flow problems The negative effects in the long run: * Cash flow problems that finally may threaten the existence of the German company or even of the whole company’s * Closing the German enterprise would mean losing the whole investment (money invested in research, development, implementation, the price itself paid to THA and other costs hat incurred over the time). * Inability to achieve the forecasted figures 3. Identification of alternative solutions for identified problems Solution 1: Joint – Venture with a company from Western Germany Joint ventures are the most common method of entering the market, especially in Europe, because it allows companies to gain competitive advantage through access to a partner’s resources, including markets, technologies, capital and people.International Joint Ventures are viewed as a practical vehicle for direct investment along with knowledge transfer, such as technology transfer, from multinational expertise to local companies, and such knowledge transfer can contribute to the performance improvement of local companies. Advantages: * Access to local know-how which will help the company to evolve faster * Sharing development costs and risks, along with   technology and complementary IP assets for the production and delivery of innovative goods and services * Cheaper than acquisition   Reduce political friction and improve local/national acceptability of the company. Disadvantages: * A joint venture would not allow the company to establish itself as a serious competitor * Lack of control over technology * Many joint ventures fail because of a conflict in tax interests between the partners. Solution 2: Licensing Another solution to the above identified problem would be a method whereby Martinez Constructions would agree to permit a company in another country to use the manufacturing, processing, trademark, know-how or some other skill provided by the company.This method may also be used to gain access to new markets that otherwise are inaccessible. Advantages: *   Good way to start in foreign operations and open the door to low risk manufacturing relationships * Provides additional profitability with little initial investment * Low costs to implement * It has an attractive return on investment * A license agreement allows the licensor to retain ownership of the IP and at the same time to receive royalty income from it, in addition to the income from its own exploitation of it in products and services that it sells. Enables a business to reach customers that it normally wouldn’t be able to do on its own. Disadvantages: * A licensee can become the licensor’s competitor. The licensee may â€Å"canni balize† sales of the licensor, causing the latter to gain less from royalties than it loses from sales that go to its new competitor. * The licensee may suddenly ask for contribution, such as technical assistance, training of personnel, additional technical data etc. All this may prove too expensive for the licensor. * Limited participation * Requires considerable fact finding, planning, investigation and interpretation. 4.Selection of the optimal solution: 4. 1. Identify and choose the optimal solution among those presented above We have decided that the optimal solution for Martinez Construction Company to enter the German market would be to form a joint venture with a company from West Germany. 4. 2 Demonstration that the chosen solution is the optimum one. A joint venture is considered to be one of the easiest and safest methods a company could adopt in order to enter on a foreign market. In our case, we consider that the optimal solution would be for Martinez Construction Company to form a joint venture with a company rom the Western part of Germany because this part of the country was not under the communist regime, it is more developed and receptive to changes. In what concerns solution no 2, it suggests that licensing would be the best way for Martinez Construction to expand its business in Germany. Sometimes there are cases where licensing and joint venture methods are similar. They both allow companies to reach customers that it couldn’t reach otherwise; they save market research spending and present an attractive return on investment.By following licensing model, Martinez company can easily and quickly penetrate the German market, using fewer financial resources. But if we take into account the other problems encountered in this case, namely cultural differences between German and Spanish, and lack of knowledge of international management, such a purchase would be a disadvantage. Nevertheless, the licensee can become the licensorâ€℠¢s competitor and the license agreement doesn’t always guarantee the necessary know-how for the licensee who might need technical assistance provided by the licensor. . Implementation of the solution When trying to expand globally through a joint venture strategy, Martinez Corporation must take into consideration three important elements: choice of partner, establishment of a strategic fit and the design of the joint venture organization. As prior mentioned, Martinez Company should choose a partner from the Western Germany as they are more accustomed to the Western style of doing business than the former German Democratic Republic. Thus, the negotiation could be more transparent and easier for the firm.Furthermore, the most important thing that has to be taken into consideration is the field in which the firm with which the joint venture is going to be performing activates. This is because a classic joint venture is the merger of two companies which usually have complementary products or services in order to cover a larger part of the market share. As a result, Martinez Corporation should apply the joint venture strategy by making a partnership with an architecture firm. By joining these two kinds of companies two business segments will be covered.This is a very good strategy because the future clients will have to sign only one contract and not waste time between two or more similar companies. Concerning the strategic fit and the joint venture organization, both the Spanish and the German companies will have to share the same vision in order to make the newly formed company to be profitable. The companies have the major advantage that they can complete each other in the sense of the business environment. This means that the German company will have the experience of working in the German business environment.Furthermore, it could find cheaper and more qualified personnel (as the labor force in Western Germany is more expensive than that in GDR). The jo int venture should be staffed by a full-time joint venture coordinator and other staff – designated by the 2 companies, as may be necessary to carry out the mission of the joint venture. On the other hand, Martinez Corporation comes with the know- how of production and the actual construction knowledge. This way, the structure of the new company shall follow that of the Martinez Company and similar technical prerequisites will be required for hiring of employees.The capital for the new joint venture shall be provided by the two companies in equal shares, as to ensure limited risk exposure and possibilities for further investments. This is also due to the fact that Martinez should vote for an equity joint venture in order to be equal partners and share the same amount of risk. Concerning the organizational structures, this should be a mix between the two companies because, being two companies in two separate business areas, new departments shall arise. In addition, for the com mon departments they should choose the best people after a careful analysis of their skills.

Friday, January 10, 2020

“Fair Game” Film Review Essay

Born in New York City in 1965, director Doug Liman is known for producing multiple things from the T.V series the â€Å"O.C† (very successful) to another T.V series that flopped in â€Å"Mr. and Mrs. Smith (which only aired the pilot). He is most known for his work with â€Å"The Bourne Identity† saga. Which leads us to one of his most recent works â€Å"Fair Game†. When talking about what particular â€Å"genre† this movie possessed, we will have to quote â€Å"IMDB† and use the words Biography, drama, and thriller. As Haas would protest when the controversial conversation would come up about if it fits the political â€Å"genre†. He would simply break movies into four categories, which fits into â€Å"Politically Reflective Films†, â€Å"Socially Reflective Films†, â€Å"Pure Political Films†, and â€Å"Auteur Political Films†. I would actually put this somewhere around the â€Å"Pure Political Film† cate gory in my opinion. It opened in October 2010 and starred Naomi Watts (Valerie Plume), Sean Penn (Joe Wilson), and Sonya Davison (Chanel Suit). Watts is known for her busy career including movies like â€Å"21 grams†, and the two â€Å"Ring† movies. Penn has been just as busy performing in classics such as â€Å"Fast Times at Ridgemont High† to teaming up with Watts in â€Å"21 grams†. â€Å"Fair Game was nominated for 6 awards, taking home two victories. It was the 2010 â€Å"Best Narrative Feature† at the Mill Valley Festival Awards. It also claimed the â€Å"Freedom of Expression Award† at the National Board of Review. With top-notch actors, and an experienced aggressive director, â€Å"Fair Game† set out to become a memorable film and a must see. Did it succeed? Let me start critiquing the empirical (content) part of the film as mentioning the character Joseph Wilson, who served as a U.S ambassador to Gabon, San Tome, and Principe in previous duty. He was a diplomat with a very heavy opinion and was also very blunt. He was sent to Niger to investigate the situation of the White Houses suspicion that Iraq was buying Uranium from the African country for Nuclear power. Wilson who was approached because his wife Valerie Plume was employed by the Central Intelligence Agency (who’s character we will get into later), accepted to her approval. As Wilson came back from his endeavor he heard the famous speech that Bush gave when he addressed the Union. He became very prideful and stubborn with what he knew. He simply thought that it was untrue in every way possible. He went on to submit a piece in the â€Å"New York Times† claiming these reports to be false. Not only does this strike outrage with his stance with the White House, but it puts his wife’s job in jeopardy. This ultimately causes his wife’s identity as a CIA officer to leak (only Wilson and parents knew before this). This puts an end to Valerie Plume’s operations in which she had been helping a family of 15 get out of Baghdad during war, which caused a great deal of stress and trust being broken. Then both started receiving death threats and could not be seen in public without getting ambushed by reporters, taxi drivers, among others. The once happy marriage was being put to the test as Valerie takes the kids to her parent’s house searching for answers. Eventually as time passes by, Valerie realizes that he was right to fight the â€Å"wrong fight† (Valerie was also considered as â€Å"Fair Game† as one quote in the movie indicated.). She then proceeds to show up back at their home with a quote I loved from the dialogue, â€Å"Are you ready to fight?† Plume finally decides to back her husband and goes in front of congress to tell the truth and everything she knows about the situation. She says she does her best as a covert operational officer and it’s because she loves her job and her country. This ends with National Security adviser Scooter Libby being charged with perjury and obstruction of justice. One thing that I was appreciative of was the way director Doug Liman set the stage from the beginning in how he wanted you to portray this movie. He took you into the behind the scenes of the White House after September 11, 2001. He showed you what kind of pressure was on not only the president and White House, but also all of the related institutions including the CIA. The biggest threat to America was Iraq and Suddam Hussein. As America eagerly waited a rebuttal or response from Bush and company, the president came up with a game plan. That game plan set the pitch for the rest of the movie. In justifying taking action against Hussein and Iraq, Bush addresses the State of the Union in 2003 alluding to Uranium’s use in building weapons of mass destruction. Was this true? This is only up to ones opinion at this time. My take on what a good movie needs to do is to ultimately grab the viewer right from the start. This sets the tone for the rest of the movie. Most audiences (which James Combs quotes â€Å"A film participates in a political time not in how it was intended, but how it was utilized by those who saw it.† ) feel bored and robbed when movies sometimes do this, but it is necessary to get the full effect at the end. â€Å"Fair Game† simply did a fairly decent job setting up the viewers by telling Valerie’s character story first, this makes most appreciate her, so it kind of puts you in her shoes when she awakes one day and her husband’s opinion is in the paper (something that would forever change her life). I like how it put my mind to a critical thinking stage. What would I do in her situation? This in my eyes makes a great film. There were also parts of the film that I did not care so much about and I will explain why. First if Iraq and Suddam Hussein were the main threats as terrorist to the United States, doesn’t that give us enough justice to go to war with them as it is? Why need to make up something about nuclear power (if that was the case) in order to get the ok. This is a true example of what I do not like about â€Å"biographies† that relate so much into the current events. Something to this nature (even though it is fiction) bothers me in the slight est. The second thing was the story of Hammad and his 15 family members waiting to get to safe territories out of Baghdad because of Valerie’s word. It simply turns a huge story which kind of dominated most of the movie, into â€Å"Hammad and family are missing†. I was just hoping for a better conclusion to that story. This seemed to get the director to his main message no matter the case. Overall I believe the main point of this movie was to give you the overall behind the scenes look at the political side of things after a recent tragedy such as September 11, 2001. It shows you every angle that’s involved including the White House outlook to the CIA, to every one person being affected by these situations. It discusses that there are a ton of things that go on behind the scenes that not many people ever get to see. Things like this beg you to ask the question every time there is a current event situation. Is it true? Along with discussing and analyzing it. The one thing you do not do is write a post to the newspaper questioning the president, because we all know (quote from movie said to Wilson â€Å"The White House men are the most powerful people in the world†.) how that ends up. My rating for this movie was 3 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed most of it, especially the plot. I also thought the acting had a big affect on turning a good movie to something more. I enjoyed going back a few years and remembering exactly what I was doing during the time of these current events. Only a few nitpicks that I didn’t like which could’ve had my rating go even higher, which I discussed earlier. When suggesting this film to others, I would only recommend if politics were at a interest in you. If not the case, I could think of other films instead. I have friends that are both. I am going to conclude this review with a quote from the movie. Jack replies to Valerie when she is questioning his actions. I thought of it as being very deep, â€Å"Do you want to be loyal to your husband or to the CIA?† The following were used as resources for my work: 1. IMDB.com 2. Political Matinee: Hollywood’s Take on American Politics, edited by Richard Herrera