Contemporary Issues in Management Essay

Coursework Header Sheet 179236-102 Course Coursework Tutor BUSI1475: Contemporary Issues in Mngt Essay G Symon Course School/Level Assessment Weight Submission Deadline BU/UG 50. 00% 01/04/2011 Coursework is receipted on the understanding that it is the student's own work and that it has not, in whole or part, been presented elsewhere for assessment. Where material has been used from other sources it has been properly acknowledged in accordance with the University's Regulations regarding Cheating and Plagiarism.Tutor's comments As agreed with Dr Symon Grade For Office Use Only__________ Awarded___________ Moderation required: yes/no Tutor______________________ Final Grade_________ Date _______________ The considerations of going global and operating in countries that sanction the use of child labour. Introduction As a rule child labour is typically defined as the abuse of children within a work environment (Payne, 2006). According to Payne (2006) child labour can be recognised in num erous countries around the world.In 2006 a report produced by the International Labor Organisation (ILO) proclaimed that there were an estimated 166 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 years who were categorised as child workers (Dinopoulos & Zhao, 2007). Payne (2006) asserts that there are several motives surrounding the reason why children work, with one of the main reasons being poverty. However it is assumed that parents would only expect their children to work in order to support the family financially (Luetge, 2005). Subsequently, Dinopoulos and Zhao (2007) state that child labour is mainly deemed to be unacceptable.In many incidences this is due to the unhealthy and hazardous conditions that the children are forced to work in (Dinopoulos & Zhao, 2007). Additionally and just as importantly the obvious obstruction of a child? s path to an education could be viewed as an unacceptable factor of child labour (Dinopoulos & Zhao, 2007). Luetge (2005) views child labour fro m an economic standpoint, stating that as organisations can afford to exchange child workers with adult workers, most well developed countries now regard child labour as unnecessary.Through the use of customer boycotts and the introduction of international labour standards to decrease employment opportunities, it can be viewed that attempts have been made to cease the use of child workers (Edmonds & Pavcnik, 2005). However there is principally nothing to position the eradication of the use of child workers in and around the world (Edmonds & Pavcnik, 2005). With this subject in mind, this essay will seek to look at the concerns that managers need to consider when going global and manufacturing in countries that sanction the use of child labour.This essay will firstly evaluate what impact globalisation has on poorer societies and whether this strategy has a negative or positive influence on the occurrence of child labour. Following on from this, the essay will assess if the use of chi ld labour is in fact ethical and moral by using the utilitarist, relativist and imperialist perspectives. After examining if child labour can be viewed as ethical, this essay will look towards evaluating to what level a corporation should be held socially responsible.Finally, this essay will consider the cultural differences that need to be taken into account when operating multi nationally. Globalisation If an organisation elects to take the business global, there are several issues that need to be considered. For example, when operating in a country that sanctions the use of child labour, will the company have an impact on increasing or decreasing the incidence of child labour (Sethi, 2006)? According to Page 2 Date 15. 04. 11 Submitted with Extenuating CircumstancesDinopoulos and Zhao (2007) there is a substantial amount of literature surrounding the topics of economics and child labour. However there is only a limited amount of literature that links child labour directly to glob alisation (Dinopoulos & Zhao, 2007). Subsequently, there has been much debate in regards to globalisation and its effects on developing countries (Kis-Katos, 2007). More specifically questions can be raised into whether globalisation increases or decreases the incidence of child labour (Kis-Katos, 2007).According to Mullins (2007) globalisation is defined as the integration of organisations that trade and contend in a worldwide economy. It has been supposed by Meyer (2000) cited Clegg et al (2008) that employees benefit from organisations going global. A strong argument has been put forward that globalisation leads to the creation of wealth and prosperity among the participating nations (Sethi, 2006). Additionally, many economists consider that increases in trade can have an influential impact into eliminating child labour (Kis-Katos, 2007).Following on from this, Edmonds and Pavcnik (2005) state that globalisation generates a greater demand for adult labour in the participating cou ntries and can increase families? salaries in a way that decreases the incidence of child labour. As outlined by Dinopoulos and Zhao (2007) children mainly work to aid and support their families who are living in impoverished conditions. With this in mind, Bratton and Gold (2007) propose that through globalisation society? s benefit from higher living standards and the eradication of poverty.Although there may be positive aspects of globalisation, many academics have put forward the argument that globalisation has negative outcomes for the participating societies. In contrast to the beliefs of Edmonds and Pavcnik (2005), Timlon (2011) states that globalisation increases the incidence of child labour, by raising the demands for goods produced by children. Sethi (2006) concurs with this view and states that companies maximise their revenues and make use of cheap, unskilled and abundant labour, often in the form of children.Following on from this, it is believed that poorer countries h ave to also struggle with environmental poverty through heightened industrial activity and a lack of sufficient resources as a result of globalisation (Sethi, 2006). Overall, globalisation is said to have a negative impact on poorer societies, through increased poverty, crime and the alienation of local businesses and trade (Clegg et al, 2008). Ethics After assessing the issues surrounding globalisation and its effects on the incidence of child labour, it is imperative to decide if he use of child labour is in fact unethical and immoral. According to Bratton and Gold (2007) ethics can be defined as the moral codes and principles that direct the behaviour of groups or individuals in regards to what is right or wrong. Throughout literature there has been much debate surrounding the area of ethics and child labour (French & Wokutch, 2005). Subsequently, many people have judged child labour to be an infringement of children? s rights and Page 3 Date 15. 04. 11 Submitted with Extenuating Circumstances believe that it is morally wrong (French & Wokutch, 2005).As a consequence child labour has progressed to be one of the leading topics in the area of international business ethics (French & Wokutch, 2005). As stated by Luetge (2005) although the structure of society has been transformed over the years, ethical concepts have remained the same. Therefore despite the disputes over the ethics of child labour, it is still imperative to apply concepts to consider what is ethically right or wrong (Buller et al, 2000). To distinguish whether the use of child labour can be viewed as ethical and moral the utilitarist, relativist and the imperialist views of ethics will be assessed.The Kantian view of utilitarianism is based around reason, intention and duty (Carrigan et al, 2005). It is supposed by Kant that businesses should exist to fulfil the needs of society and organisations have an ethical responsibility to deliver benefits back to the public (Carrigan et al, 2005; Zekos, 2004). With this view in mind, it could be perceived that organisations are acting ethically as they are providing poorer societies with much needed employment. John Stuart Mill? s view of ethics is also categorised under the term of utilitarianism (Carrigan et al, 2005).This concept looks towards the greatest good for the greatest number, by increasing pleasure and decreasing the total amount of pain (Carrigan et al, 2005; Luetge, 2005). Therefore if the use of child workers means that the most people are receiving the most happiness, then this act can be viewed as ethically correct (Mullins, 2007). When looking at the relativist standpoint it can be viewed that ethics are based around the social norms of the society that they are exercised in (Carrigan et al, 2005). According to Galbreath (2006) there are no sets of worldwide ethical tandards and there can be numerous interpretations of ethical beliefs and moral norms. As stated by Edmonds and Pavcnik (2005) and Payne (2006) the use of child labour in many poorer countries is seen as necessary and ethical. However if an organisation does choose to look at child labour from a relativist viewpoint, they need to be aware that many people within the wealthier societies disapprove of this behaviour and in turn they can feel that the use of child labour is unethical (Luetge, 2005). These beliefs are generated because it is assumed that organisations can afford to exchange child labour with adult labour (Mullins, 2007).As a consequence of this, people from wealthier countries can afford to stop purchasing goods made by children and boycott companies that sanction the use of child labour (Nielsen, 2005). According to Buller et al (2000) imperialism is when the host country? s ethical values and norms are applied to every country the company operates in. As it is wrong to even contemplate the use of child labour in the production of goods in many well developed countries, such as the UK, the host country would be se en to be operating unethically, if they were to sanction the use of child labour under the imperialistic stance (French , 2005).Page 4 Date 15. 04. 11 Submitted with Extenuating Circumstances Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) After evaluating the ethics of child labour using the utilitarianist, relativist and imperialist perspectives, it is crucial to understand to what length a company is socially responsible and to whom it is actually responsible for (Kanji & Chopra, 2010). Corporate social responsibility is a vital corporate notion and in a world of heighten globalisation can be located among many large organisations within many countries throughout the world (Welford, 2005).According to Holmes and Watts (2000) cited Barrett (2009) CSR is defined as an obligation made by an organisation to act ethically to improve the economy alongside the quality of family life and society as a whole. Additionally, CSR means that organisations must concentrate on maximising profits, obeying the law and being aware of the ethics and customs of the individual societies (Demacarty, 2009). According to Kanji and Chopra (2010) CSR is also identified as; corporate responsibility, corporate performance, corporate citizenship and sustainable responsible business.As outlined by Kanji and Chopra (2010) CSR can be seen to have many benefits for organisations and is now considered to be a crucial instrument in promoting and enhancing the public image of some of the world? s leading organisations. Following on from this, Carbone (2008) states that by organisations displaying their corporate social responsibilities they can build up a good reputation and obtain loyal customers. In agreement Kanji and Chopra (2010) believe that by building a culture based on ethical values and shared beliefs organisations generate a loyal base of customers.However despite these benefits it is important to recognise to what limit individual organisations should be held socially responsible (Kanji & Ch opra, 2010). Furthermore, stronger and clearer roles and responsibilities need to be established for global organisations in relation to developing countries around the world (Payne, 2006). There are several issues surrounding the area of CSR and corporations individual responsibility (Clegg et al, 2008).In line with traditional views, the neo-classical economist Friedman states that the only responsibility a company has to its stakeholders is to avoid harm (Alzola, 2008). Accordingly, Friedman goes on to say that the firm should have no part in aiding or helping any other party, as the corporation owes society nothing (Alzola, 2008; Clegg et al, 2008). Additional to this, followers of Friedman express that the firm? s only aim should be to make profit for its owners and only pay attention to their shareholders (French, 2007; Palmer & Hartley, 2006).When looking at the traditional view of CSR and child labour, it could be supposed that as long as the children are coming to no harm t he organisation is upholding its social responsibility. In a more contemporary and humanist view, Tonn (2008) argues that CSR should include factors such as; ethics, environmental issues, corporate governance and employee and product safety. In line with this Kanji and Chopra (2010) declare that CSR should concern itself with; fair trading and giving back Page 5 Date 15. 04. 11 Submitted with Extenuating Circumstances o the community, as well as safeguarding and sustaining the global environment. Overall, with the concerns of globalisation and its effects on poorer societies, organisations must show that they are acting responsibly and are accountable to all of their stakeholders including child workers (Payne, 2006). Echoing this belief, Mullins (2007) goes on to state that in order for organisations to satisfy their goals and sustain profit they need to consider their external environment. It has been proposed that organisations inadvertently have an effect on the quality of life and the wellbeing of society (Mullins, 2007).As a result of this, businesses have an economic responsibility to all of their stakeholders including; investors, employees and customers (Kanji & Chopra, 2010). Cultural Differences If a company does decide to operate in a country that sanctions the use of child labour, it is still vital to look at the cultural differences within that society to ensure that the workforce culture is understood and workers are managed effectively (Banfield & Kay, 2008). Culture can be best explained as the divided beliefs, principles and understandings that determine one group from another (Banfield & Kay, 2008).Schein (1997) cited Clegg et al (2008) define organisational culture as the basic principles and norms that are shared by the company? s affiliates. According to Palmer and Hartley (2006) organisational cultural values are a combination of factors such as: how work is planned and practiced; how authority is distributed; how people are compensated and managed and the roles and expectations of employees and employers. Additionally, national culture is the referral of one nation? s features to another (Capon, 2004).According to Pitta et al (1999) it is essential for managers to understand the ethics of the cultures when operating and managing in unfamiliar societies. Janssen (2007) cited Timlon (2011) states that managers need to take into account factors such as; the law, families, religious beliefs, cultural influences and national culture overall. Additional to these beliefs, Adler (1983) proposes that managers need to be aware of the differences across cultures. These aspects can include; concern for time, displays of emotion and an inability to cope with uncertainty (Alder, 1983).A continuation of this view was generated by Hofstede, who formulated and identified five different dimensions of culture (Mullins, 2007). The five dimensions are; power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism/ collectivism, masculinity and long term verses short term orientation (Mullins, 2007). As outlined by Ararat (2008) power distance is defined as the level in which power is distributed. For example, people within a high power distance culture will accept that power is unequally distributed (Ararat, 2008).Additional to this, individualism focuses on the proposition that individuals are self-orientated (Moorij & Hofstede, 2010). Whilst collectivism interests itself with people who are mindful of others and care for their team in an exchange for loyalty (Moorij & Hofstede, 2010). Following on from this, masculinity concerns itself with principles such as performance and accomplishment and femininity looks at ideas such as the value of life (Moorij & Page 6 Date 15. 04. 11 Submitted with Extenuating Circumstances Hofstede, 2010). According to Migliore (2011) uncertainty avoidance is defined as people? s adverse feelings to change.For example, within a high uncertainty avoidance culture there will be a large prefere nce towards formality and rigid structures (Migliore, 2011). Finally, long term verses short term orientation looks at the level of future orientation of the culture and their fondness for tradition and short term points of view (Moorij & Hofstede, 2010). Being aware of cultural differences can have positive effects on organisations, as it allows for the effective management of diverse employees (French, 2007). According to Rosenblatt (2011) if cultural differences are managed correctly organisations can obtain a competitive advantage over their opponents.Furthermore, through globalisation and cultural awareness, multinational organisations (MNOs) have been able to incorporate various value systems and develop shared global work ethics to produce an environment where employees are able to connect and organise their activities in order to meet the aims and objectives (Erez & Drori, 2009 cited Rosenblatt, 2011). Finally, Pitta et al (1999) believes that by appreciating the cultural de viations, westernised organisations are able to forecast what worldwide stakeholders expect.If companies choose to ignore the cultural differences of the different societies then this could have a negative impact on the organisation (Pitta et al, 1999). It has been articulated by Pitta et al (1999) that conflict can occur if companies do not understand and respect the cultural differences of the participating countries. Furthermore, Migliore (2011) expresses that the lack of knowledge and understanding for individual and group social norms can have a detrimental effect on performance levels. Ultimately, if cultural factors and differences are not onsidered, this can lead to the failure of an organisation (Pitta et al, 1999). Recommendations When looking to make recommendations to managers it is important that they are aware of the positive and negative effects that globalisation can have on poorer societies and the incidence of child labour. According to Sethi (2006) organisations n eed to ensure they maintain the internal and external environments of societies. It could be supposed that by taking these concerns into account, organisations can reduce the negative effects that globalisation has on poorer societies.From viewing the evidence consolidated in this essay, a strong argument has emerged that even if companies are acting ethically by condoning the use of child labour, wealthier countries will still disapprove of these acts (Luetge, 2005). This is turn can have negative impacts on organisations (Nielsen, 2005). In regards to CSR, recommendations could be made for CSR to include all stakeholders in all of the operating countries. Carbone (2008) states that CSR can aid the organisation? s reputation and can help Page 7 Date 15. 04. 11 Submitted with Extenuating Circumstances to build a loyal base of customers.Subsequently, CSR has been seen to have positive effects on poorer societies through the reduction of poverty, child labour and environmental polluti on (Payne, 2006). According to Timlon (2011) managers need to take many factors into account when managing across different cultures. It could be recommended to managers that in order to manage effectively and succeed they need to understand and respect cultural differences (French, 2007). To accomplish this, managers could apply Hofstede? s five dimensions of culture to identify the cultural preferences and differences across the operating countries.Conclusion In conclusion this essay has assessed the aspects that need to be considered when going global and operating in countries that sanction the use of child labour. This essay discussed the key arguments surrounding the topics of globalisation and child labour. It was discovered that there were contradictory views on whether globalisation increases or decreases the incidence of child labour. Following on from this, the essay examined if child labour could be deemed to be ethical and moral using the utilitarianism, relativism and imperialism perspectives. Although the rguments are not clear cut, modern wealthier societies would have us believe that any use of child labour is unethical and unnecessary (French & Wokutch, 2005; Luetge, 2005). This essay also deliberated to what level a company should be held socially responsible and who should be covered by CSR. It could be believed that organisations CSR should include all stakeholders, and go beyond the traditional perspectives, by looking to safeguard and improve employee? s well-being as well as the global environment. Furthermore, this essay also considered the implications of managing across cultures.It was proposed that managers need to be aware of the differences across cultures (Adler, 1983). One way of identifying these differences, is by using Hofstede? s theory on the dimensions of culture (Mullins, 2007). Finally, this essay offered recommendations that managers could use when looking to go global in countries that sanction the use of child labour. Page 8 Date 15. 04. 11 Submitted with Extenuating Circumstances References Adler, N. (1983), â€Å"Cross-cultural management research: the ostrich and the trend†, Academy of Management Review, Vol. 8 No. 2, p226-32 Alzola.M, (2008), „When urgency matters. On non-discretionary corporate social responsibility? , Human Systems Management, Vol. 27, Issue 3, p273-282 Ararat. M, (2008), „A Development Perspective for â€Å"Corporate Social Responsibility† : Case of Turkey? , Corporate Governance, Vol. 8, No. 3, p271-285 Banfield. P and Kay. R, (2008), Introduction to Human Resource Management, Oxford, Oxford University Press Barrett. D, (2009), „Corporate Social Responsibility and Quality Management Revisited? , Journal for Quality & Participation, Vol. 31, Issue 4, p24-30 Bratton. J and Gold.J, (2007), Human Resource Management; Theory and Practice, 4th Ed, Hampshire, Palgrave MacMillan Buller. P, Kohls. J and Anderson. K, (2000), „When Ethics Colli de: Managing Conflicts Across Cultures? , Organizational Dynamics, Vol. 28, No. 4, p52-56 Capon. C, (2004), Understanding Organisational Context: Inside & Outside Organisations, 2nd Ed, Harlow, Pearson Education Limited Carbone. J, (2008), „Buyers Audit Suppliers? Ethics? , Purchasing, Vol. 137, Issue 11, p58-61 Carrigan. M, Marinova. S and Szmigin. I, (2005), „Ethics and International Marketing? , International Marketing Review, Vol. 22, No. , p481-493 Clegg. S, Kornberger. M and Pitsis. T, (2008), Managing & Organisations: An Introduction to Theory and Practice, 2nd Ed, London, SAGE Publications Limited Demacarty. P, (2009), „Financial Returns of Corporate Social Responsibility, and the Moral Freedom and Responsibility of Business Leaders? , Business & Society Review, Vol. 114, Issue 3, p393-433 Dinopoulos. E and Zhao. L, (2007), „Child Labor and Globalization? , Journal of Labor Economics, Vol. 25, Issue 3, p553-579 Edmonds. E and Pavcnik. N, (2005), †žChild Labor in the Global Economy? , Journal of economic Perspectives, Vol. 9, Issue 1, p199-220 French. R, (2007), Cross-Cultural Management in Work Organisations, London, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development French. L and Wokutch. R, (2005), „Child Workers, Globalization, and International Business Ethics: A Case Study in Brazil? s Export-Oriented Shoe Industry? , Business Ethics Quarterly, Vol. 15, Issue 4, p615-640 Galbreath. J, (2006), „Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy: Strategic Options, Global Considerations? , Corporate Governance, Vol. 6, No. 2, p175-187 Page 9 Date 15. 04. 11 Submitted with Extenuating Circumstances Kanji.G and Chopra. P, (2010), „Corporate social responsibility in a global economy? , Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, Vol. 21, Issue 2, p119-143 Kis-Katos. K, (2007), „Does globalization reduce child labor , Journal of International Trade & Economic Development, Vol. 16, Issue 1, p71-92 Luetge. C, ( 2005), „Economic ethics, business ethics and the idea of mutual advantages? , Business Ethics: A European Review, Vol. 14, Issue 2, p108-118 Migliore. L, (2011), „Relation between big five personality traits and Hofstede? s cultural dimensions: Samples from the USA and India? Cross Cultural Management: A n International Journal, Vol. 18, Issue 1, p38-54 Moorij. M and Hofstede. G, (2010), ‘The Hofstede Model', International Journal of Advertising, Vol. 29, Issue 1, p85-110 Mullins. L, (2007), Management and Organisational Behaviour, 8th Ed, Harlow, Pearson Education Limited Nielsen. M, (2005), „The politics of corporate responsibility and child labour in the Bangladeshi garment industry? , International Affairs, Vol. 81, Issue 3, p559-580 Palmer. A and Hartley. B, (2006), The Business Environment, 5th Ed, Berkshire, McGraw-Hill Education Payne. A, (2006),?Corporate social responsibility and sustainable development? , Journal of Public Affairs, Vol. 6, Issue 3/ 4, p286-297 Pitta. D, Fung. H and Isberg. S, (1999), „Ethical issues across cultures: managing differing perspectives of China and USA? , Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 16, Issue 3, p240-256 Rosenblatt. V, (2011), „The impact of institutional processes, social networks, and culture on diffusion of global work values in multinational organizations? , Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal, Vol. 18, Issue 1, p105-121 Sethi. P, (2006), „A search for standards to monitor labor conditions worldwide? Business Ethics Quarterly, Vol. 16, Issue 2, p271-287 Timlon. J, (2011), „Sustainable Strategic Sourcing Decisions? , Strategic Outsourcing: An international Journal, Vol. 4, No. 1, p88-106 Tonn. R, (2008), „Corporate social responsibility: conscienable and profitable? , Long Island Business News, Vol. 55, Issue 30, p158-158 Zekos. G, (2004), „Ethics versus corruption in globalization? , Journal of Management Development, Vol. 23, Issue 7, P631-647 Page 10 Date 15. 04. 11 Submitted with Extenuating Circumstances BUSI 1475 Contemporary Issues in Management Assignment proposal pro forma ? ? ?For completion by Week 5 Must be signed-off by seminar tutor Must be completed electronically Revised question: The considerations of going global and operating in countries that sanction the use of child labour. Original question: The considerations of manufacturing in countries that sanction the use of child labour. The assignment will look at defining the ethical considerations that need to be looked at before operating in countries that sanction the use of sweat shops and child labour. A debate will be made between the ethical theories of what is deemed to be ethically right or wrong and provide justifications.For example the utilitarianism approach (the greatest good for the greatest number). The essay will go on to discuss CSR in terms of its definition, uses and who is covered. For example some companies operation CSR polici es that are only designed to cover the interest of the shareholders. Following on from this the essay will discuss the impact globalisation has on poorer societies and the occurrence of child labour. Finally the essay will debate over the cultural differences found when operating in other countries and the issues that surround managing in these countries effectively. Relationship to course content (e. g. opics featured) The management issues that have been uncovered are: ? Ethics = discussion of types of ethics (consequentialists and nonconsequentialists). What is defined as ethically right or wrong? ? CSR = who should be covered by CSR? ? Globalisation = does it increase or decrease child labour? ? Cultures = cultural differences and how to manage people. http://www. bbc. co. uk/news/business-11381721 Proposed title URL from BBC News Website Name of student Signature of student Name of tutor Signature of tutor Date Stephanie Grant Stephanie Grant DR Graham Symon 06/01/11 Page 11 Da te 15. 04. 11 Submitted with Extenuating Circumstances

Pros and cons of English being the international lingua franca Essay

English speakers in the world including those who are in the inner circle, outer circle and expanding circle had reached to 380 millions of people since 2001. The finding shows how influential English Language is. Gradually, English become the international lingua franca, â€Å"utilized outside of the country or countries of its origin.†( Subject Area – English Language Essays) The Lingua Franca There are both pros and cons of English becoming the international lingua franca. English is the best candidate language for lingua franca. Many countries take English as the second language, students learn English under the education system mandatorily. In this way, the percentage of the population had the standard level of understanding of English, which is a non-native language, is unprecedentedly large. Also, there are so many English Language media immersing in the world, for example movies, pop music, the American TV programmes and the internet etc. The high level of invasion of the Anglophone societies’ culture creates a platform for learners to enhance their English abilities, just by sitting in front of the computer. Learning English is as easy as this without having to go to an English speaking country. Under the fact that English is widespread in comparison to the most other languages, there is no doubt that English is the most suitable to be the international lingua franca. In addition, overcoming the language barriers is the potential benefit of English. Communications are difficult when people don’t have a common language. With English being the lingua franca, it is easier for people to disseminate ideas and also break down cultural boundaries that separate people apart at the same. Van Parijs who is a Professor at the Faculty of economic, social and political sciences of the University of Louvain, gives the example of the use of English by Belgians when discussing the separation of that country with the Dutch-speaking Flemish and the French-speaking Walloons. They choose to hold the conversation in English as they would like to show mutual respect to both the Flemish and Walloons, by not privileging some Belgians over one another. â€Å"With English as the lingua franca, instead  of having to choose a language that some of the participants in the conversation understand but not others, one can choose a language that leaves no one completely left out.† (Benjamin Studebaker), I totally agree with this statement. People can communicate only when they have a common language, with English a language the widespread and popular in the world, English propose a potential benefits to the world as a lingua franca. Despite the fact that English is beneficial for communication, there are drawbacks of English being the lingua franca. For institutionalized teaching of English in non-ENL countries, there are problems found. First, English grammar, vocabularies, pronunciation so on, serves as obstacles for students to learn completely standard English. â€Å"English grammar and verb conjugation is extremely irregular, requiring a considerable amount of rote memorization, instead of the application of logical and consistent rules† (Subject Area – English Language Essays The Lingua Franca) The above saying shows the difficult part of learning English, and it is true that we cannot create sentence in our own logic instead we do that in memorizing sentence patterns. Also, we won’t know all of the slangs that the American and the British use meanwhile we cannot avoid they speak those unknown slangs to us. The second drawback of English being the international lingua franca is that the dominance of the English language proposes a threat to our own language. Taking Hong Kong as an example, English is set to be the second language here, abilities of English usually come first than Chinese. Therefore, parents always place English a high place. When children’s result in English language is poor, they spend so much money on remedial classes. But if in the other way round, may be some parents won’t care. Gradually, students themselves cultivate that value that English language is much more important, and that Chinese language is being undervalued as a result. There are both pros and cons of English being the lingua franca, and the situation of English being the lingua franca is not changing in this few decades, all we can do is to explore those advantages and drawbacks and avoid the seriousness of the drawbacks deteriorating. Works Cited Profile of Van Parijs. University of Oxford. http://www.law.ox.ac.uk/profile/philippe.vanparijs. 14 Feb 2014 Benjamin Studebaker. English Lingua Franca. http://benjaminstudebaker.com/2013/05/20/english-lingua-franca/. 20 May 2013 â€Å"Subject Area – English Language Essays The Lingua Franca†. http://www.ukessays.com/essays/english-language/pdf/the-lingua-franca.pdf. 2006

Bmw Films Essay

The primary issue faced by Jim McDowell is what to do for his next marketing campaign. He will need to decide what direction BMW will take in order to stay current in the target market and position the brand as the leader in the luxury car industry. A sub issue that Jim is facing is that in order for BMW to stand out compare to the competition, it must be at the forefront of the marketing trend. There is always pressure on innovative marketing campaigns as a bad campaign can lead to severe damage in the company image and reputation. Decision Alternatives. There are a number of alternatives that Jim faces when deciding in what direction to move with the BMW marketing campaign. Develop more short films and build a big series out of it. Develop a full length movie for the theatres Do nothing to the existing campaign and move on to develop a new campaign To continue to use the existing BMW films plus developing a new campaign Creating new films on the heels of the original films plus developing a new campaign Develop a full length movie plus developing a new campaign In order to decide the best alternative it is important to look at some key decision criteria. In this case the important factors would be: delivery time, risk, cost, competitive advantage, ease of implementation. Analysis of Industry In the luxury car segment, BMW and Mercedes have stand strong against the strong competition from Japan like Acura, Lexus, Infiniti. In year 2001, BMW is second best luxury car seller, just behind Lexus amount the other ten major luxury brands. However, BMW only ranked 8th in media expenditures, which again proved the great success on their innovative campaign. In terms of customer loyalty, luxury brand customers do tend to stay among the top brands and are very loyal. There are always customers who switch from BMW to Mercedes or the other way around. Since BMW has the competitive advantage of a younger clientele, it is very important for BMW to create marketing campaign to young adult so they can look forward to own a BMW when they can afford one. Analysis of Company Evaluation of Alternatives Alternative #1, 2, and 3 should only be considered as a short term alternative that can achieve quick beneficial results with no long term prospects because all the alternatives evolve around the same film concept, which eventually will wear out and target audience will not be interested in it anymore. Alternative #4 takes into account with BMW’s long term goal, to be the leader in the industry with innovative campaigns. However, developing a new concept takes time and research before implementation, therefore some immediate alternatives needs to be done before the new campaign kicks in. Alternative #5, 6, or 7 will achieve that goal. Alternative #5 Introduce the BMW films to new markets that may have missed the online films during the campaign period will enable BMW to entice an entirely new segment. By showing the films throughother mediums, BMW will be able to reach a wider audience plus raising the brand awareness. Since this campaign is so successful and unique, BMW can also produce DVD and make itas a collectible item. This alternative is easy to implement, low cost to run, low risk as the campaign is already running with huge success with good reputation. However, other companies may copy the idea and there is a chance that BMW will lose its competitive advantage as the films are getting overly exposed to the original audiences that BMW targeted during the initial campaign period. Therefore, developing another campaign while this is running is necessary in order to achieve BMW’s long term marketing goal. Alternative #6 The other option would be to follow up with another series of films on the heels of the original films. BMW would want to keep the number of films low to try and blend them into the successful original films and not to market them as another series of short films. This alternative will require some time to prepare, and the cost will be much higher in comparison to Alternative #5, which will make it harder as BMW will need more resources in creating a new campaign at the same time. It is easy to implement as all the ground works are in place from the previous films. However, this alternative will have a higher risk than other options due to the high anticipation of BMW to produce high quality films. If any of the film receives negative feedbacks, BMW will risk losing out on the campaign inwhole, plus the reputation of the series. BMW will still keep its competitive advantage with this alternative as they are still the one who leads the marketing trend. Alternative #7 Creating a full length movie can be the next big campaignfor BMW. It is a new approach and will make the brand stand out of all others. The target audience is also much wider in comparison to the initial campaign. It will take a long time to implement, and not as easy as short films because a full length film is more complicated in terms of plot and production. The cost will also go veryhigh that may use up all of BMW’s resources in marketing. It is a two sided sword because if BMW is not placed enough in the film there is no difference in doing product placement in the James Bond movie series; meanwhile if BMW is overly exposed in the film it may create negative feedbacks as it will look like an hour long commercial. The interest level of audience will also be much lower in watching a long commercial than a short film. Decision Criteria Chart Here is the chart for the best 3 alternatives: (X? low score, XXX? high score) Recommendation Based on the analysis above it is evident that the appropriate course of action is to utilize the existing movies in the short term while developing a new full scale marketing plan in the background. By utilizing the existing films BMW will be able to quickly get to market films that they have already completed. They will ride the coat tails of the internet marketing, however by introducing the films to another target markets, BMW will hopefully build on the impact created by the original films. There is relatively low risk to this model because BMW has already invested in the films and by using different mediums to convey their message it is likely that an entirely new market segment will appreciate the films as the original audience did. Although the potential payback may not as great as some off the wall innovative idea, the concept behind releasing the films to a different audience should allow more time and resources to develop another new campaign. If there are enough resources, BMW can also consider creating 1 or 2 more films to avoid losing the competitive advantage toward the target audience.

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