Multi National Corporations (MNCs) must Carefully Weigh their Options Research Paper

Multi National Corporations (MNCs) must Carefully Weigh their Options in Deciding on an International Expansion Strategy - Research Paper Example For this reason, it is also referred as international group. The prime objective of a multinational enterprise is to expand the actions of the business outside the national boundaries in order to enhance its brand equity as well as its corporate image in global perspective. It also helps in augmentation of efficiency along with profitability of the organization. Hence, in order to fulfill these factors, the multinational organizations always aim to undergo international expansion strategies. Besides, in order to undertake internal expansion strategies, the multinational organizations must also consider certain financial factors as well, such as foreign exchange rate, conflicting interest rates from one country to the other, foreign tax rates, complex accounting methods for the foreign operators and foreign government interventions. Various Financial Factors In this era of globalization, the key motive of any organization is to expand its business operations in order to reduce the ris ks of the company and to augment its market potentials. In order to accomplish these objectives, foreign exchange rate offers significant influence over the organizational operations. Foreign exchange rate is referred to the rate at which the value of the currency of a specific country is transformed into another (Moles, Parrino, & Kidwell, 2011). It is also known as exchange rate or currency exchange rate. The value of the exchange rate is mainly depended on the local demand of the foreign currencies along with the local delivery of the products to other countries. Thus, it helps in easing the operations of trade among diverse countries. Hence, it can be affirmed that foreign exchange rate facilitates a multinational corporations to engage in international trade thereby reducing its business risks. This is because it offers a detailed view about the currency quotation along with market demand of a particular international country (Federal Reserve Bank of New York, n.d.). Besides, f oreign exchange rate might affect the business operations in case of inflation by lowering its profit margins. Similarly, differing or conflicting interest rates of diverse countries should also be considered by the multinational companies while deciding for international expansion. The interest rates can be referred to the amount charged or paid by a borrower for the utilization of the money. It may vary from one country to the other due to varied reasons namely inflation, political changes, deferred consumption rates and risks of investments among others. Due to inflationary prospects, the demand of the products may reduce thereby lowering the profit margin of the international organizations (Hill & Jain, 2009). Political alterations also result in changes in the interest rates of the countries thereby hampering the trade conditions, which is extremely beneficial for any MNC. Alteration in the interest rate lowers the rate of consumption of products, which increases the risks of i nvestments (Federal Reserve Bank of New York, n.d.). Thus, due to these above described factors, the interest rate differs widely from one country to the other and also offers significant impact on the business transactions of the MNCs as well. Hence, it should be considered by an MNC while deciding for international expansion. Apart from the above stated factors, the other important factor, which also influences the international exp

Provide a critical review based on a Reading dealing with the Essay

Provide a critical review based on a Reading dealing with the agencystructure relationship by any one of these theorists Anthony Giddens, Bourdieu, P., or Habermas, J., - Essay Example According to Heiskala (1990), competing epistemological frameworks prevalent before Haberman, generally revolved around structural functionalism and action theory. [Through his work, Habermas] tried to fit together social structural functionalism (Parsons in particular) and action theory (Mead and phenomenology in particular) by creating the distinction between life system and the life world to correspond to them in social reality [and highlight] the distinction between the perspective of the external observer and the perspective of actor to correspond to their theoretical ways of study. 1 By integrating structure and action through communication and other factors in the public and private realm, the current paper will illustrate significant elements of Habermas's works in order to demonstrate its' profound impact on social theory that continues to this very day. We begin the critical review by summarizing elements found in the public sphere. Habermas makes the powerful linkage between action and structure explicit through his notion of "mutual infiltration of public and private spheres" (1989, pp. 141-151). Here, Habermas suggests that it is the bourgeois, rather then any other class, that influences structures composing state and society. Legal, political, social and other specialized elements of public life come to fore as they impact the constructions of society in powerful but distinct ways. The fundamental separation of state and society in the bourgeois world was the result of a variety of phenomena within society, including legal, political, and social aspects. The interaction of these brought about a fundamental separation within various spheres of life. Specifically, the lack of political dominance also transformed the economic phenomenon and manifestation of production. In the legal and economic field however, the public and the private realms gradually became equal, with the state no longer dominating many aspects of life and production. The public and the private could not, however, remain separated as a result of civil society, as conflicts of interest often made it necessary for formal regulatory interventions to take place. Habermas refers to this as neomercantilism, which means that the political public sphere integrated with the interests of civil society in terms of interventionism. It is therefore a type of post-separation reintegration of the private and the public, but without any particular dominance of one over the other. The economic world begins to merge with the political world, where the state and business shared political and economic power reciprocally. By necessity, these circumstances stimulated state intervention [public sector] in business activities [private sector], in order to assure that certain interests were not threate ned. The purpose of interventionism in this regard was to maintain equilibrium within the system, whereas in the past it had been to maintain the power of the political elite. Habermas argues that under new systemic institutional arrangements, more political and legal power is being reciprocally exchanged and reinforced among these public authorities than ever before. Another

Course reflection Essay Example for Free

Course reflection Essay I have learned so much during this course that helped me get a better understanding of the writing process. A few of the concepts that helped me the most were keeping an error log, and reading my assignments out loud. The first concept I will address in this discussion is also the most important guidance I have received since starting at Ashford. My instructor, Dr. Wells, advised me in week 1, that I might want to keep an error log. What that is, is writing down the mistakes I make in my assignments, quizzes, and discussions. After writing these errors down, find the correct spelling or the grammatical rule I broke, write the correct answer, and then study and learn from these mistakes. This technique has helped me the most since starting at Ashford. As a writer, I have always been a big proofreader of my work. I would sometimes look over my papers several times before submitting them. Most of the times I would catch 90% of my errors, not all the time though. I learned that reading your paper out loud can also improve your proofreading. Sometimes just looking over a paper isn’t enough. When you hear the writing though, you can hear what others will be hearing. I would catch small errors because the sentence didn’t sound right or it was a run on sentence. These are things I would sometimes miss just reading my paper. Out of all the course materials I have read and studied, I believe 2 of the most valuable were chapters 4-3, Essentials of College Writing, and The Ashford Writing Center. In the Essentials of College Writing, 4-3 The Writing Process, showed me different techniques to use for writing an essay. Some of these ideas were plan, generate ideas, create a rough draft, revise, edit, and proofread and check format. This book taught me the value of making an outline and the importance of planning. It always helps to be prepared and have an idea of what you’re writing before you write it. The Ashford Writing Center has really made a big impact on my writing style. I was having so much trouble with APA formatting and how to insert citations, that I would lose percentage points on my work. After skimming through this text, I found in chapter 7-1 an instructional video that showed me step by step how to use APA format. In the same book, chapter 7-3, Citations and References, this taught me the proper way to insert my citations. There is also a thesis generator in this text in chapter 3-3, this has been one of the biggest helps to me in my writing process. The areas and that I believe have improved the most, and that I will continue to work on are my spelling and punctuation. The error log has helped with my spelling and punctuation but I still sometimes make careless mistakes. Though these areas have improved a lot, I will continue to work on these areas.

A Multinational Computer Software Corporation Commerce Essay

A Multinational Computer Software Corporation Commerce Essay Microsoft Corporation is a multinational computer software corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington. With annual revenues of more than 50 billion, Microsoft Corporation is more than the largest software company in the world (Kooten, 2011). It was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975. In early school days, Bill Gates was the topper of the class. Bill and his friend Paul Allen starts to skip classes soon after they were introduced to computers in 1968 (Balu, 2011). They started to find out how these computers work, read books about them, and they started to write programs then, at the age of 13. After finishing schooling days, they joined Harvard University and this was the time when they got into full time into the world of computers. Gates was not graduated from Harvard University as he spent most of his time in computer center and his total interest in programming. The Microsoft Empire started when Bill Gates saw a copy of magazine in 1975 in which featured the new Altair 8800 microcomputer made by MITS computer. He showed MITS the application of the BASIC programming language for their computer. Gates and Allen moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico to be close to MITS Computer and this was where they established Microsoft. Like most start-ups, Microsoft begins small, but has a huge vision a computer on every desktop and in every home. The company was incorporated in 1981 and it became Microsoft Inc. They launched the first Windows operating system on November 20, 1985 (Microsoft, 2012). Microsoft is known globally for its Microsoft Windows operating system and Microsoft Office suite of products such as, Internet Explorer, Power Point, Excel and Word programs. The companys core business is on developing, manufacturing and licensing software products. Microsoft is committed to the mission of helping their customers to realize their full potential. They constantly update and improve their products, continually evolving their company to accelerate new technologies for serving their customers better. Therefore, there are a total of eight business divisions in Microsoft offering greatest potential to serve their customers. They are Online Services Division, Server and Tools Business, Microsoft Business Solutions, Microsoft Office Division, Interactive Entertainment Business, Windows Phone Division, Windows Windows Live Division and Skype. Led by Gates, Microsoft has succeeded in placing at least one of its products on virtually every personal computer in the world, setting industry standards and defining markets. Contents An effective organization should four important management functions in order to help managers to achieve organizations mission. The four management functions are namely: Planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. In this content, we will analyze Microsoft Corporation in using these four management functions effectively. 2.1 Planning In this current global marketplace, a multinational corporation such as Microsoft is required to have a corporate culture and an inclusive business environment. Employees with varied perspectives, skills, and experiences are working together in this corporation to meet global consumer demands. The collaboration of cultures, ideas, and different perspectives is what that brings forth greater creativity and innovation. Microsoft found out that U.S. and global diverse markets represent tremendous sources of value in the workplace and marketplace. The growth of diverse populations worldwide and the potential of these segments make them important targets as prospective employees and customers. Economically, the diverse markets represent a growing source of market consumption and buying power, which makes them an important customer group for Microsoft. By increasing the diversity of workforce, they will create a team that capable of designing products that fulfil these growing customers needs. Employees actively seek guidance from their senior executive leadership team to ensure that diversity and inclusive best practices are deeply embedded throughout the working environment. Microsoft comes out with a strategy called Global Diversity Inclusion (GDI), which included: Representation: Building a Pipeline of Future Leaders Microsoft focuses on building its employee pipeline, while actively recruiting those with wide range of diverse backgrounds, highly trained individuals from around the world. Microsoft leverages relationships with schools and professional organizations to achieve diversity recruiting.   They offer programs that provide students the chance to interact with todays technology and learn about careers in this industry Inclusion: Creating Engagement in the Work Environment In order to sustain diversity gains, working environment must promote behaviours in a way that encourage employees to find new ways of problem-solving and reward diversity of thought. Thus, Microsoft provides leaders that have cultural competency training and GDI best practice management strategies, and offer employees the opportunities to build stakeholder relationships, thereby fostering a culture of inclusive behaviours. Innovation: Driving Market Excellence To build the best software, Microsoft incorporates the talents of varied workforce into products, and fulfils the needs and priorities of its diverse customers, suppliers and partner base. Microsoft works with certified and highly trained individuals, and also with small businesses that are seeking to purchase competitively priced quality goods and services from Microsoft. (A Vision and Strategy for the Future, 2012) 2.2 Leading Microsofts unveiling of the new Surface tablet, and with its planned $1.2 billion acquisition of Yammer, a social networking service, and the company is showing signs of actions of a market leader. Microsoft is going after Total World Domination, 100% market share in every market that it is involved in. They focus on risking profits to increase market share and go after a market with the view to dominate it. This is part of the reason which makes Microsoft the leading corporation. There are secrets of Microsofts management where the key points are, Bill Is Watching (Olaoluwa, 2012). Bill Gates philosophy, approach and strategic vision permeate the entire company. Project managers send reports regularly to Bill about the status of their projects in which the current status of the project and the problem that it faces must be stated in the report to ensure Bill knows what is happening. Bill often walks among the workers to see how projects are progressing and he gains a good understanding about what is going on with the projects by talking to the workers. Because Bill understands what is happening throughout the company, his decisions are generally the correct ones for the strategic direction of the company (Thielen, 1999). Besides, workers are given the freedom to create and work properly, but must at the same time be aware of the problems within and status of the project. There is an annual meeting every year for Microsoft employees that include entertainment as well as business. The idea is to keep all employees informed about what is going on in the company and the direction that it is taking. This reflects the management functions of leading in Microsoft. 2.3 Organizing Microsoft is a public corporation. Shareholders elect the board of directors, who in turn hire the top executives including the president, vice presidents, secretary, and treasurer. The company must follow Washington States laws regarding a corporation and must also abide by Securities and Exchange Commission regulations for financial reporting. As of November 2012, Steve Ballmer held the title of CEO, while co-founder Bill Gates was the chairman. According to Wikipedia, as of 2012, the company has a divisional organization. Each division, or product group, focuses on a specific line of goods and services. Each group has its own research and development, sales and customer service staff. Although this type of organization is more expensive and consumes more resources, but it allows the groups to better serve their customers. Each product group has one executive in charge who reports directly to the companys president. Microsofts five product groups are Windows Live Windows Group, which handles the PC operating software and Windows consumer products; Server Software, in charge of internet server software; Online Services, responsible for online advertising and Bing search engine; Microsoft Business, develops business related software and servers; Entertainment and Devices, assigned to handle the Xbox, Zune and software for the automotive industry. By managing the company in divisional form, the entire group is often in one location, allowing more interaction and better communication between all the employees developing or supporting one line of products. Having a smaller business unit means each division can develop new products and get them to market faster, making it easier to compete against rivals. Figure Organizational Structure of MicrosoftOrganizational Chart Microsoft TheOfficialBoard.jpg 2.4 Controlling Besides planning, leading and organizing, Microsoft also focuses in controlling. This management process is important to ensure activities are accomplished as planned and to correct any unwanted deviation. The controlling process includes monitoring, comparing, and correcting work performance. Microsoft often monitors the employees by personal observation. The company managers practices Management By Walking Around (MBWA). Bill Gates and other management staff of Microsoft often walk among the workers to monitor the progress of the project. By this way the top managers gains a good understanding on what is going on with that project. The employees of Microsoft are rate and measured according to accomplishments. A project failure will affect the employees rating negatively. But failure is expected to happen sometimes, and a failure is acceptable and will not give a permanent bad mark on the employees record, unless the employee fails continuously. This measuring style do not intent to belittle the employee, but to measure the work the employee most recently completed. The employees are not measured by whether the project fails or not, but how well they perform within their scope of responsibility. Employees with better performance will receive rewards as well as successful. If failure happens in a project, a post-mortem discussion is held where individuals discuss what went wrong and what could have bee n done better. 2.5 Factor that lead to success Marco Iansiti and Alan D. MacCormack stated that in any industry subject to rapid technological change, a firm faces two big challenges. The first is in recognizing the threats and opportunities that are caused by newly emerging technologies. The second is in mounting an effective response to these threats. Microsoft appears to have solved these problems, giving it the ability to quickly adapt to changing circumstances. Based on Sean Silverthorne, Microsoft has built-in sensing mechanisms to keep track of what is happening in the broader technological context which assist it to recognize threats. Much of this ability comes from its tools division, which tracks the needs of the many developers worldwide who write for Microsoft platforms. When these developers find attractive alternatives to Microsoft technologies as they did when the Internet first emerged, its not long before the tools division starts to hear about it. Microsoft also employed several thousand developers to constantly examining the potential of new technologies. In terms of responding to potential threats, Microsoft consistently plays to its strengths: its overall platform strategy, its existing knowledge base, and its process of componentization. For example, when developing the new Internet Explorer browser, the development team opted to leverage its existing programming model, despite the fact that this would initially slow the project down. From this point on, competitors in the browser space faced a formidable challenge. They were competing not only against the Explorer team, but also against the continual improvements made to Microsofts underlying platform over its many years of existence. 2.6 Future Challenges Even as Microsoft earns high ranking in worlds most powerful brand, profit, sales, assets and market value, their longstanding competitor, Apple, still holds higher ranking than Microsoft in all those aspects. Apple had now topped Microsoft to be the worlds most powerful brand, and it is clear that getting that first place again will be Microsoft greatest challenge. Now and again, Apple had introduced new innovations, especially products like iPad or iPhone, which generates more revenue than all of Microsofts wares combined. Apples innovations have earned Apple more attention and customers as compare with Microsoft. Microsoft challenge will be turning attention of consumers from Apple to Microsoft by coming out with new gadgets that are better than Apples product. Microsoft next challenge is to be flexible in their products. When Apple came out with gadgets with touch screen interfaces such iPhones and iPads, it grab consumers attention to buy the products because people like the convenience and uniqueness of the touch screen interface. Clearly touch screen interface is the trend, but Microsoft could not implement this new technology in their product because Microsofts software products are hardcore to only keyboard and mouse, not touch screen. As a result, Apple was able to grab more customers because of Microsoft inflexibility in its product. To dominate the market, Microsoft needs to be flexible in their product. Findings Conclusion As a summary, the four management functions which consist of: planning, organizing, leading, and controlling had been applied by Microsoft and this kind of management allows the organization to run smoothly in achieving their goals. The chosen example Microsoft stated that planning is the foundation of management, where all the management should built. Planning is importance as well, it determine and implemented to attain the organizations goals and objectives. Besides planning, the management should getting prepared, getting organized. Manager must organize all the resources well before putting into action. Furthermore, leading helps the manager to manage and supervise the actions of the subordinates. This helps them to assist the staff achieving organizations goals and enhancing their career goals which can influenced by leadership, communication, increment, promotion and motivation. Lastly, controlling helps to check the errors and to take the corrective action; therefore control is a tool for achieving organizational activities and also a continuous process. Nowadays, big organizations require managers to be flexible, adaptive, and innovative so to stay competitive. In order to reach these targets, managers must have various management techniques and practices. Managers should understand the fundamentals of the techniques and practices it before it can apply it. Without understanding the management basics, they cant be an effective and efficient manager. As a result, effective and efficient management leads to success, where it accomplishes the targets and objectives of the organizations. Of course, to achieve the ultimate goals, the managements need to work productively and innovative for solving problem with the four management functions mentioned earlier. Management not only has foreseen the desires of accomplishing the goals, but has to look into process that their method is practical and realistic for the company as well.

Free Essay on Nathaniel Hawthornes Scarlet Letter - The Character of Pearl :: Scarlet Letter essays

The Character of Pearl in The Scarlet Letter One of the most complex and elaborate characters in The Scarlet Letter is Pearl, the daughter of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale. Pearl, throughout the story, develops into a dynamic individual, as well as an extremely important symbol. Pearl is shunned because of her mother's sin. Pearl is a living representation of the scarlet letter - acting as a constant reminder of Hester's sin. Hawthorne uses vivid descriptions to characterize Pearl. She is first described as the infant; "...whose innocent life had sprung, by the inscrutable decree of Providence, a lovely and immortal flower, out of the rank luxuriance of a guilty passion." (81). From the beginning of her life she is viewed as the product of a sin, as a punishment. Physically, Pearl has a "beauty that became every day more brilliant, and the intelligence that threw its quivering sunshine over the tiny features of this child." (81-82). Pearl is ravishing, with "beauty that shone with deep and vivid tints' a bright complexion, eyes possessing intensity both of depth and glow, and hair already of a deep, glossy brown, and which, in after years, would be nearly akin to black." Combining with her extreme beauty, are the lavish dresses that she wears. The exquisite dresses and her beauty cause her to be viewed as even stranger from the other typical Puritan children, whom are dressed in traditional clothing. As a result, she is accepted by nature and animals, and ostracized by the other Puritan children. "Pearl was a born outcast of the infantile world... the whole peculiarity, in short, of her position in respect to other children." (86). Pearl was not accepted by the children; her unavoidable seclusion was due to the sin of her mother. On the rare occasion that the children would show interest in Pearl she would "grow positively terrible in her puny wrath, snatching up stones to fling at them..." (87) As a result of Pearl's seclusion from society nature sympathizes with Pearl, which can be seen with the role of the sunshine in the forest. "The light lingered about the lonely child, as if glad of such a playmate," (168). The sunshine is grateful for Pearl, accepting her as an equal. Hawthorne describes another sign of acceptance as the "great black forest...became the playmate of the lonely infant." (187).

George MacDonalds The Princess and the Goblin :: MacDonald Princess Goblin essays

George MacDonald's The Princess and the Goblin All over the world people have believed in a race of creatures, superhuman and subhuman, that are not gods or ghosts, but differ from humans in their powers, properties, and attributes (Briggs, Vanishing 27). The concepts of these creatures/fairies have been passed down through generations in many cultures through forms such as songs, sayings, and stories. Stories such as folktales and myths have wide array of fairy types found in them from various cultures' folklores (Abrams 101). Little people (lesser spirits) are often considered a subclass of fairies and include creatures like gnomes, trolls, and goblins (Rose 200, South 329). George MacDonald in his myth novel, The Princess and the Goblin, draws from many folk sources to bring to life his underworld "goblins." These "goblins" are an amalgamation of various types of little people. MacDonald effectively brings together attributes of goblins, dwarfs and trolls, gnomes and kobolds, and brownies to create a narrative full of tension and humour. First, MacDonald's "goblins" once lived above ground as humans, but they chose refuge underground to avoid severe taxes placed on them by the king (MacDonald 3). Through time, these people were transformed into "goblins." This is similar to the common suggested origin of the little people as humans conquered by other races that now conceal themselves from their conquerors (South 334). The fairies are often said to have been Eve's children whom she hid from God because she was embarrassed by them; God was not deceived and decided that those children should be "hidden from all Mankind" forever (Briggs, Vanishing 31). These origins suggest that the creatures are half human, which is a common idea in Scandinavian tradition (Briggs, Vanishing 31). This human origin of the "goblins" suggests that they are one side of human nature. There is a tension between the "goblins" and the humans as they show different aspects of life and morality. Second, the goblins, dwarfs and trolls, gnomes and kobolds, and brownies are all small, but they are humanlike in form though often described as misshapen and grotesque, and except for brownies, they are also often described as being old with gray hair and beards (Rose 51, 93, 128, 316). MacDonald's "goblins" are dwarfed and hideous, and though they are not described as old looking, their cleverness is associated with this characteristic (MacDonald 4). The use of these common folklore images of little people creates creatures that can be imagined easily by the reader.

Communications in Society Essay

MGMT 351 Exam 1 Directions: Respond to five of the following questions. Responding to more than five will not earn extra credit. If you decide not to follow this direction, the five lowest scoring answers will constitute the grade for this test. There are some important considerations for successful completion of the text: 1. Accurate information is important, and it must directly address the question. 2. Use all terms appropriately. 3. Several questions have more than one part. Complete and accurate answers will earn maximum credit. Make sure that all of the requested information is provided. 4. Each complete and accurate answer is worth 20% of the grade for this exam. 5. Assignments are automatically sent through Turnitin to check for appropriate use of material (e.g. paraphrasing, citations). Make sure that your work follows all the guidelines for academic honesty. 6. Use the numbers as here listed. Do not renumber. 7. Watch the deadline. Late exams will not receive credit. 8. Answers must reflect college level writing skills, i.e. clear sentence construction and correct spelling, grammar and use of punctuation. Deductions from the test score will be made for failure to meet this standard. 9. If anything is unclear, ask rather than assume it doesn’t make a difference. To complete this exam, follow these steps: 1. Download this exam and save it as a MSWord document. 2. Read through all the questions and choose those you will attempt to answer. 3. Provide complete and accurate answers to those five questions. 4. Save. 5. Post your saved response to the exam under the Assignment by the deadline for this assignment. Questions: 1. Effective organizational communication is truly an interactive process. The people taking part in the communication exchange must listen carefully and respond accurately to the other interactants. There are ten elements that contribute to interactive communication (see Figure 1.2 on page 5 of your text). Using an example from your own experience, identify how these ten elements impacted the communication process, making sure to accurately label all ten. 2. Organizational philosophy has significant influence on management practice and communication in an organization. Briefly distinguish between classical, humanistic and systems theories. Now describe possible impact of each of these perspectives on the writing of job descriptions. Be specific. 3. Strategic communication relies on effective tactics in four areas. Name them and define them. Now consider this situation and apply what you know about these four areas to this situation: Next week, Clark will be giving a very important budget proposal presentation. This could be a boost to his career, or a bust. If he hopes to have his proposal accepted, he needs to be strategic in the plan and delivery for this presentation. How should he use the four areas of strategic communication to accomplish his goals? 4. What is communication anxiety, what role does it play in communication, and what are the causes? Choose five of these causes and offer suggestions for effectively managing anxiety resulting from each of these causes. 5. What is organizational culture and how does it determine standards for communication, both internally and externally? Next, as an advisor to someone considering joining an organization, direct your advisee to some avenues to explore to discover what is the culture of an organization in order to determine if this is the right organization for your advisee to join. Lastly, how important is cultural match? 6. The American culture is certainly not uniform. There are considerable differences in how members view the world (e.g. values, beliefs, opinions, etc.). Not using national origin/heritage (e.g. Italian-American), choose three subcultures present in the American workforce and explain how the values and beliefs of each subcultures impact how those employees behave at work. 7. Communication competence is based on interactive listening. Questioning techniques improve listening by making the speaker more efficient, and they facilitate goal accomplishment. Imagine that you are a manager who has been approached by a subordinate who manages others, i.e. you are the manager’s manager. One of the manager’s subordinates, who up until recently has been a good performer, has been making significant mistakes lately. Using all of the five types of questions, help the manager design his/her own set of questions to get to the issues behind this dwindling performance. Make sure to accurately label each type of question used. Lastly, explain how this strategy is likely to help the manager correctly identify the performance issues involved. 8. Name and define each of the three D’s. Then list two consequences and two strategies for overcoming each of these problems. 9. Put yourself in a work environment. List all, naming at least five, of the nonverbal messages you notice, making sure to accurately label each. Now summarize the impact of this combination of nonverbal messages on the people working there. Is it a positive impact? Lastly, if you could change any of these messages by instituting a new personnel policy, what would you do and what would the policy look like? 10. Does gender make a difference in how employees communicate in the workplace? Using specific examples, support your conclusion. Now think of a time when communication was effective during communication involving coworkers of the opposite sex. Lastly, describe a time when communication between members of both sexes was not effective. What could have been done differently? Be specific. 11. Leaders step up when needed. Will you recognize when you should rise to a leadership position? First, write down the names of leaders (at least 3) that you admire or seek to emulate. Explain what you find admirable in their leadership styles. Now, choose at least one, of these leaders and note a situation in which he or she acted as a leader. Be prepared to discuss what elements of the situation combined with elements of the leader’s ability to lead resulted in an effective combination. Do you have any of the same leadership characteristics in common with their chosen leader or any of the other leaders? How will you recognize the right combination of situation and style for you to be a leader? 12. Managing change is something good leaders expect and have developed the skills necessary to be successful. Imagine yourself as a leader of the following organization: You are the CEO of a playing card company that has existed since 1889. Your company began producing its first electronic playing cards game in 1970 and has been highly successful. Now in the electronic age, it is important to acknowledge the lack of hand-held playing cards and embrace the video game era. You want to eliminate all hand-held playing cards from the company plan but the employees who have been around for a while wish to keep the cards around. How can you manage this change and the anxiety that it produces in your employees? General answers are not enough to earn points on this question. Identify specific steps you will take to achieve desired outcomes.