Panasonic and Japans Changing Culture free essay sample

Only a few companies at first started to lay off employees and go back on their promises of employment until retirement because the older their workers, although they worked hard, also were less efficient than younger workers were. As the younger generations saw this happening they concluded that loyalty to both the company and workers would not be reciprocated anymore and became less harder working than previous. This undermined the traditional culture in Japan of the central bargains of housing and retirement packages for an employees hard work and loyalty. Japan’s businesses in the future have to operate with more than one plan when they hire workers to effectively. In 1999 Panasonic gave recruits three different choices when they were signed on in employment. They could continue with being given housing, go free to company social events, and buy cheaper services from banks, while also receiving a two year salary bonus when they retired. We will write a custom essay sample on Panasonic and Japans Changing Culture or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page They could choose to forgo the retirement bonus, while keeping the company housing and be given a higher salary, or they could forgo the retirement bonus and any subsidized services but would be given an even higher salary. In addition to the changes in hiring, companies needed employees to be more risk taking and needed to encourage individuality which is something that was not very prevalent in Japan. Without employees taking risks, companies would suffer and that is what happened to Panasonic as they were forced to close thirty factories, and cut 13,000 jobs while selling â€Å"huge amounts of assets†. 3. Japanese culture in the 1950’s-1980’s benefited Panasonic greatly because of how after the World War II defeat, Japan was humiliated and it seemed fair that they would be taken care of if they worked hard for their company. For Panasonic this was a great thing because employees worked extremely hard for the greater good of Panasonic and Panasonic responded by giving the employees â€Å"blessings† of company housing, and free social events. 4. With Panasonic cutting 15,000 employees and closing another additional 27 plants, Panasonic is trying to achieve a lower overhead cost in operation and also is trying to find out who their best workers are so that they are not kept down when they should be promoted. By quickly responding to the recession, it showed a change in Panasonic’s company policies and shows that they might be moving even further away from company subsidized housing and to make employees become harder workers not because they know that they cannot be fired, but that they can be fired, at any time. If Panasonic implements these changes quickly, they will receive a lot of backlash from all those displaced employees and if they did it like this it would truly symbolize how Panasonic has changed into a company that is becoming westernized and is only concerned with how the company does and not their employees. If the changes take years to implement, although it would greatly affect the profitability of the company, it would give employees chances to adapt to changes of no longer being employed and give them chances to be hired in another company. By making changes slowly, Panasonic would be able to claim that it still wished to use the old way of never cutting jobs but it could not do it in this economy and had to do so to survive. 5. The Panasonic case teaches me that there is a fine line between societal culture and business success and sometimes you have to be able to choose between the two to realize which is more important to you. To some companies, such as Panasonic, trying hard to keep with the societal culture becomes too much of a strain for a company to bear so they are forced to adapt and realize that business success is more important that having all your workers love you. It may not be the type of business practice that gives you the best reputation but it will give you the greatest profit margins.

American Beauty2 essays

American Beauty2 essays American Beauty tells the story of one man's search for happiness. The film introduces the audience to Lester Burnham, an ordinary- looking married man and father in his forties. Lester is in a loveless marriage. Lester's wife, Carolyn, is so wrapped-up in her real estate career that Lester often claims that Carolyn doesn't even acknowledge him. Furthermore, Lester's daughter, Jane, is completely distant, often claiming how "pathetic" she thinks her father is. Moreover, Lester has dedicated fourteen years to his occupation, and suddenly, he is in danger of losing his job due to downsizing. All of these factors dramatically effect Lester and culminate into feelings of desperation and vulnerability for him. Lester is therefore in search of an escape and a rebirth. He is seeking the slightest possibility of happiness. Throughout the story Lester is consistently reminiscing on his past; wishing he could have it back. In the beginning portions of the story, Lester, as the narrator, states that "it is never too late to regain your past." The catalyst to this frame of thought is Jane's friend, Angela. Lester feels excited by the thought that a teen-age girl thinks he is "hot." Lester overhears Angela state that she would have sex with him if Lester would start working-out and build-up his body. This drives Lester to change himself completely. Lester, in desperate search of happiness , finds an escape in Angela. Much like a hormone-driven teenage boy, Lester thinks that if he can "score" with a "bombshell" like Angela, then he will be reborn. Lester's mission for happiness and escape is further perpetuated by his eighteen year old neighbor, Ricky. In Ricky, Lester sees his model for rebirth. Lester calls Ricky his "hero" and is in awe of Ricky's confidence. Lester, then begins a transformation back to his stereotypical understanding of what a teenager is. Lester begins to work-out, smoke pot, and drink beer. Much like a teen, he...

Portrait of a Teacher Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Portrait of a Teacher - Personal Statement Example One particular past educator of mine singlehandedly embodied the teaching philosophy found within each â€Å"portrait of a teacher.† During my time spent in this classroom, I was able to feel a sense of belonging and purpose. Incorporating a student-centered instructional approach, as well as diverse assessment approaches, this particular educator fostered a learning environment where each and every student felt the driving purpose and moral of each lesson. Throughout the course of the year, the instructor cultivated learning through student interaction, as well as life-relevant lessons, which afforded each pupil a meaningful and unique learning experience. Although the educator incorporated the use of direct-instruction into the classroom setting, the majority of learning activities centered around student interaction and engagement, which allowed each student the opportunity to learn on their own, while the teacher played the role of the facilitator, rather than the dictator . Students in the classroom felt encouraged to think critically about a topic or lesson because they felt a connection to the instructor’s material, and no longer felt like an inanimate object in the classroom. The democratic feel to each classroom activity permitted students to express themselves through their artistic and personal strengths, and also led to peer interaction that was absent from most classroom settings. In contrary to this particular teacher, another instructor from my past lacked the fundamental qualities of an influential educator. Rather than promoting a democratic principal in the classroom setting, this particular teacher followed a more totalitarian approach to education. Thinking back to this classroom, I struggle to recall meaningful lessons or memorable moments. Instead, I can recall a sense of fear and anxiety, which ultimately restricted my ability to learn and develop as a student. The lack of peer interaction in the classroom, as well as the tea cher-centered instructional approaches, cultivated an inability to focus on the task at hand, and inevitably led to poor student retention and understanding. One specific instance I can recall from this learning environment, which illuminates this exact point, was during a test review lesson. During review, the teacher would simply instruct students, through direct instruction, of the material that would be covered on the future exam. Instead of utilizing a student-centered approach, which would have ultimately encouraged student interaction and promoted discussion on the topic of review, the teacher simply lectured on the main points of the test. I can still recall the feeling of being unattached to the curriculum, simply worrying about the results of the exam, rather than the process of learning or the enjoyment of being a student. Inevitably, this led to poor test results, as well as a lack of enthusiasm for education. As a future educator, my goal is to incorporate a sense of be longing and purpose within each and every student. From my experiences as a student, I can still recall the detrimental impact of feeling neglected or ostracized from the process of learning. Author, Robert Slavin, discusses the impact on learning when students are neglected within the learning process. Slavin writes, â€Å"

Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 36

Personal Statement Example I have now decided to follow my heart and complete my medical program from the University so that I can continue to serve the people who would benefit from my professional expertise. Apart from the objective of ensuring good education for my children, I am a self-driven person who would like to reach the highest level of professional excellence, both in terms of gaining knowledge and attaining high status in society as a medical professional. I would also like to contribute constructively to the society which has been so helpful in my years of adjustment within a new culturally different environment when I had moved from Armenia to America. My American friends and neighbours and my friends from Armenia have always encouraged me to remain optimist. After 14 years of running a restaurant successfully, I now realize that my medical experience needs to be applied for the wider welfare of the society which has given me so much. Thus, I believe that the American degree in medicine would equip with necessary knowledge and skills so that I can re-start my practice as a dentist in America. Throughout my career as a medical professional, I have been proactively involved in the well-being of my patients as well as with the students of medical programs and community groups. I have extensively participated in the medical seminars and conferences which have greatly benefitted students and young medical professionals. I have been invited as guest speakers in many of the conferences organized at the Medical University of Yerevan, Armenia which has also recognized my contribution by awarding me the certificate of ADA (Armenian Dental Association). I have also held educational and clinical seminars for medical students where they got hands-on experience in the clinical setting. The various activities that involved medical fraternity and the

Order Qualifiers and Order Winners for Toyota Essay Example for Free

Order Qualifiers and Order Winners for Toyota Essay Order Qualifiers can be described as aspects of competitiveness where the operation’s performance has to be above a particular level to be considered by the customer. Order Qualifiers may not be the major competitive determinants of success but are important in another way. (Jones, Robinson 2007) Order Winning Factors are those things which directly and significantly contribute to wining business. They are regarded by customers as key reasons for purchasing the product or service. Raising performance in an order wining factor will either result in more business or improve the chances of gaining more business. For Automotive industry, major order qualifiers could be defined as price, quality and variety. Toyota, Ford and GM are leading companies within that sector, which manufacture correspondent cars with these order qualifying factors mostly. However, due to high level of competitiveness, companies are struggling to keep their sales high. Even little problems within car or company may impact company’s future sales dramatically. Toyota is one of example that experienced reliability and quality problem with its cars lately likely Ford and GM experienced before. As result of upcoming reliability issue, if we look over market share of Toyota within North America, which takes place of its most sales in comparison with other regions around world, has faced with a serious decline in market share within 2008-2009 . Ford and GM also try to improve their market share within North America, while Toyota loses customers during 2008-2009 . On the other hand, Order winners for Toyota are continuous innovation of Toyota and standardized quality. People, who choose Toyota, are mostly satisfied with innovative internal and external features of Toyota’s cars. Since, Toyota always spares huge amounts of money about research and innovation for car manufacturing as explained in deeper within Toyota and Innovation section below. For Example, Prius, first mass production hybrid car in the world, is clear indicator of innovative mindset of Toyota Motor Corp. In terms of quality and flexibility, Toyota Quality Management is one of well known systems in world for car manufacturing quality control, which is still functioning and reason to buy a Toyota.

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over the RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) - Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat (news - web sites) rebuffed Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites)'s demand Sunday for a halt to violence, saying Israel first must withdraw its troops from the West Bank. Photos AP Photo Slideshows AP Photo Mideast Conflict Audio/Video Powell to Meet With Arafat Sunday (AP) Powell, shuttling back to Israel for a meeting in Tel Aviv, then pressed Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites) for a complete pullback, a U.S. official said. Sharon renewed his proposal for an international peace conference among Israel and Arab states including Saudi Arabia, Syria and Lebanon and the Palestinians, but not Yasser Arafat. Sharon said the United States would lead the conference, and "I imagine that within a short time a conference of this sort will convene to debate the diplomatic arrangements in the Middle East." Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the proposal was an attempt to "turn the clock backward." A senior U.S. official said the idea was discussed "as part of a way to move forward politically," but more talks were needed. Arafat, 72, appeared in good health as he met with Powell in his rocket-scarred headquarters that is surrounded by Israeli tanks and troops. Arafat has been under pressure that is "unreal for an old man like him," said Zeid Abu Shawish, a Palestinian doctor in the compound. Powell was driven to the besieged compound in a motmorcade of armored-plated SUVs, shielded by U.S. security personnel with submachine guns. The headquarters showed the effects of Israeli bombardment. A gaping hole marred the facade and the walls were blackened with bullet marks. A senior aide, Saeb Erekat, said Arafat stood by his commitments, including an end to violence. But, Erekat said after the three-hour meeting, that meant "once the Israelis complete the withdrawal we will, as Palestinians, then carry out our obligations." Arafat complained bitterly and extensively to Powell about Israel's military thrust into Palestinian-held towns and villages, and especially its actions in Jenin and a refugee camp in the town. President Bush (news - web sites) has demanded a pullback right away, but Sharon refused to provide a timetable when he saw Powell on Friday in Jerusalem. They met again briefly Sunday night in Tel Aviv. Powell, in a short statement to reporters, called his meeting with Arafat useful and constructive. A senior U.S. official said Powell's "clear message" to Arafat in a 45-minute presentation was "the bombings have to stop, that it was a major barrier" to progress toward a security agreement or on negotiations that Powell has said should lead to establishment of a Palestinian state.

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Choose two misunderstandings you experienced and fill out the chart for these. Respond to questions 1 and 2 shown under the chart for each example of a misunderstanding. In your response, include the following: Cite a meaningful misunderstanding rather than a general or less material misunderstanding. Use business- or work-related examples rather than personal ones. Identify the roles of the sender and receiver, such as manager, peer, subordinate, client, vendor, and so forth Who was the sender?Client Who was the receiver? Myself (Client Service Manager) What was the message? The client asked for two checks to be sent to the Custodian, one with a mistake (contributions did not add up) and one that was correct (all contributions matched). What channel was used to send the message? E-mail was the channel used. What was the misunderstanding that occurred? The client thought that by sending two checks it would fix the issue with check number one which had a negative amount for a contribu tion.I had told the client in order to resolve the issue with check number one she needed to void said check and re-issue another one. How could the misunderstanding been avoided? The misunderstanding could have been avoided had we spoke on the phone with the Custodian conference in as they are the ones who rejected check number one. 1. What did you learn about the communication process from this activity?From this activity I learned that the message can be misunderstood if the communication is not correct, meaning the way the message is conveyed (e-mail, phone call, fax, etc. ). 2. What seemed to be the main causes of this misunderstanding? It seemed as if the Client was confused when I told her she needed to void one check an re-issue another one. Perhaps if we spoke on the phone she would have understood this and not told me to send both checks in 3. What tips can you suggest for preventing misunderstandings in communication?