God father film Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

God father film - Research Paper Example The movie is considered the touchstone for other gangster movies for its highly sophisticated setup and depiction of the underworld mafia which does not care for life if it is experiencing loss in business. Movie opens with a wedding reception of Don Vito Corleone’s daughter. Vito is a Mafia boss who is known as the Godfather who is shown to conduct business in his office. Don is shown to be an influential and powerful person who can grant people’s requests. However he is sensitive about matters he does not value such as Sollozzo’s request to involve the Corleone family in the narcotics business. Barzinis and Tattaglias are two other families who have agreed to take part but Sollozzo’s main interest in Vito’s approval is his protection and financing. Vito’s skepticism and later a series of events such as Vito’s bodyguard Luca Brasi’s murder, attempt to assassinate Vito and later on Vito’s son Sonny’s murder confirm the dirty politics played by Sollozzo. Michael, Vito’s younger son who is shown to be disconnected with such family games is transformed by these series of events and takes over family’s responsibility as Vito recovers and eventually settles the matter fulfilling the dream of his father towards the end of the movie. What really makes the movie so outstanding is the performance of the main characters especially Al Pacino as Michael and Marlon Brando as Vito. The Corleone clan is known for sticking together in good and harsh times. That is what makes them popular and respected. Brando’s performance won him the Oscar and his â€Å"I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse† kept the crowd in its place awestruck and bemused (The Godfather 1972). The Corleone clan is Italian immigrants who are most caring. No Sicilian can decline a request on the wedding of Vito’s daughter Connie. Michael who has returned from Second World War as a hero has seen worst in the field. Times are changing

This Business is Ministry Essay Example for Free

This Business is Ministry Essay Abstract Man of God, Ministry, Counselor, Pastor these are the typical titles associated with people who are working inside of a religious ministry, however one title not spoken of and yet is essential and plays a critical part in the success of the other titles is entrepreneur. Like myself, you may have never place entrepreneur amongst the list of titles, I understand, because until recent studies I never would have considered the life of a Pastor to also be the life of an entrepreneur and without question a very skilled one. This paper reflects upon the challenges and rewards of being an entrepreneur inside of what is typically a profession that most would never consider a business. The challenges that pastor’s face is the same as any other entrepreneur such as Financing your business, how to get customers and when to quit your day job! Without great challenges there would be no reward ministry has rewards such as helping others, however as a business that reward does not pay the bills and the challenge is to keep your passion and find ways to ensure that this passion sustains your everyday life. This Business is Ministry The first definition on entrepreneur was merely someone who developed something. In due course, it became someone who owned a business typically a a business that delivered goods or services, However the best definition, the one used most often today, is someone who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks for a business or enterprise. I believe that the evolving of the definition was due to the realization that untraditional service utilizes the basic model for business to survive thus saying that a business can be anything that needs organization, a system that needs to be managed and that assumes certain risk. How to Get Customers Finding customers can be a challenge if you do not have a good product or service. The challenge intensifies when your business is not a business that typically sells goods or provide services. If you have a good product or service then customers will come and a great marketing strategy will boost sales. Unfortunately, for Pastors such as David Grant of Covenant Keepers Christian Center people are not typically buying a good or service when they enter into a place of worship, many do not come to give rather they come to receive. These souls come for encouragement, motivation, and inspiration and often they are poor, unemployed, or unwilling to give money past a certain amount. Many never realize that the church needs consistent followers or customers in order to provide those needs of the people who enter into the place of worship. How can a church find customers? That answer is tricky because you cannot instead you must find a soul in need meet them where they need to be met, help play a pivotal role in their spiritual development or transformation and then if they continue to attend allow them to spread the good news about where they was and where they find themselves now. â€Å"This is known as testimony,† says Pastor David Grant but in business, we call it marketing. Financing your Business â€Å"People may not know or even see the church as a business, however a church must operate like a for-profit business,† (Grant, 2014) Overall, as stated by Stephen A. Kent, church can be seen as a multi-faceted transnational corporation that has religion as only one of its many components. (Grant, 2014) In January of 2008, Pastor Grant revamped his approach to ministry  after two failed attempts and began to understand the business side of his passion he opened up Covenant Keepers Christian Center Inc. only this time in Brooklyn New York. Armed with a new mindset, business courses, and a new plan of action Pastor Grant was ready to be an entrepreneur whose business was operating a church or place of worship. â€Å"Let’s face it, it takes money to successfully do anything, and church is no exception, have you ever tried paying your light bill by praying with the representative?† (Grant, 2014) Some of the churches finances come from donations from members and people in the community this system of voluntary giving is the Tithing and Offering system. The Tithing and Offering system is bible-based instructions on giving to God’s house, the amount you are expected to give which 10% of your gross income and by not doing so it explains that you are robbing God, however many spiritual blessings are rewarded to those who follow these principles. The bible based instructions first asks a question Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.† But you ask, How are we robbing you? In tithes and offerings.† (Malachi 3:10). The bible gives instructions on how much each person is to give, â€Å"Bring one-tenth of your income into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house. Test me in this way, says the LORD of Armies. See if I wont open the windows of heaven for you and flood you with blessings. (Malachi 3 verses 8) Typically, these finances maintain the needs of the church and the Pastor of the flock, however in today’s economy many are unemployed or have low wages, those who give a tenth is usually not enough, and as a result many churches are forced to close the doors because of a lack of finances to finance the business and the dream. Today Pastor Grant is a successful business owner who has successfully turned his compassion for people into a successful small business that has many branches such as family counseling, marriage/pre-marriage counseling, drug addiction, motivational seminars, and of course pastoring his parish. When to quit your day job? The right time to quit your day job is when you have a surefire business opportunity or you have adequate money in the depository that will allow you to work on your business and allow you to have enough resources to maintain your daily living. As with any business, money is needed to survive and nothing less is expected when you have a  church. Pastor Grant is a hard working individual who maintained his mainstream job and major source of income and allowed that job to help support his vision some call this a sideline job. Pastor Grant is successful, however has not found enough comfort to quit his day job. â€Å"I will leave my job when I know the church is 100% financially independent on a consistent basis and will be able to maintain a yearly salary for those who it employees. Reflections Entrepreneurship is the art work painted by a visionary, The interesting moment for me was when the realization that a business is not only the traditional selling of goods and services, however an entrepreneur can bring to life a vision that he/she has and with the right tools in place open a business that is lucrative. The idea that you can be a business owner simply by bringing to the table virtually any passion and make that passion a source of income without the selling of goods and services only is a fresh idea and is one that should be explored further. Pastor David Grant understood that his business was in his passion and took his passion to help others and accomplished his task as well as established a full time business. Pastor Grant admits he has not accomplished all, however he dedicated to reaching his goal, and I look forward to updating the readers about the great businessperson. References Grant, D. (2014, September 5). Pastor. (M. Grant, Interviewer) The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments Newly translated out of the original tongues: And with the former translations diligently compared and revised. By His Majestys special command. Appointed to be read in churches. (1733). Oxford: Printed by John Baskett, printer to the University.

Pretend Plays role in childrens cognitive development

Pretend Plays role in childrens cognitive development For many years, researchers have been interested in the implications of pretend play in child development; and whether imagination influences how well children evolve in later life. Presently, pretend play is claimed to contribute exceedingly to a childs social and academic wellbeing, with increased emphasis imposed upon pretend play and its relation to cognitive development. From studies supporting clear links between pretend play and cognitive competence; researchers have proposed numerous theories that have contributed to a better understanding of whether pretend play may be implicated in child development. Accordingly, this essay will argue that pretend play is related to several components of cognitive development; while also proposing that a range of variations across cultures in the types, structures and frequencies of pretend play may exist, with such variations influencing a childs development. Utilizing evidence from a study by Joseph (1998), the relationship between mental representation (theory of mind) and pretence will be reiterated; with additional evidence by Kraft and Beck (1998), Wyver and Spence (1999) and Curran (1999) used to further emphasize that other cognitive strategies such as self-regulation, narrative recall, problem solving and rule understanding are linked to pretend play. Haight, Wang, Fung, Williams Mintzs (1999) study will evidently support the idea that several cross-cultural differences exist in the pretend play of children. Fantasy play or pretend play is defined as simple imitative actions done in a non-functional context (Smith, 2010), involving certain actions, use of objects, verbalizations or meanings. The first phase of pretend play or decent-ration is said to surface at the age of one, when young children begin to use an actor, object or action to symbolize reality (Sigelman Rider, 2009). By the age of two, children begin to join in pretence; initiating imaginary actions, playing with imaginary objects or imitating their parents; a stage known as de-contextualization. Pretend play increases in frequency and sophistication at around two to five years of age, when children incorporate their ability for pretence and their increase in social play to form social pretend play, or play which allows them to interact with peers or caregivers. Later, children show the ability to integrate pretend acts together in order to create a narrative. It is this type of play in particular that requires a high deal of social competence, including the theory of mind or people reading skills (Sigelman Rider, 2009); two theories proposed by some researchers and discussed to some extent in this essay. Engaging in pretend play allows children to construct and develop their theory of mind, hereby understand other peoples perspectives, and overcome egocentrism. This relationship between pretend play and the development of mental representations or Theory of Mind (TOM) was first introduced by Leslie; when it was suggested that children have the capacity for metarepresentation (Leslie, 1987) or multiple mental representations and that pretence aids a childs ability to understand mental states (Leslie, 1987) of self and of others. Recent laboratory studies of theory of mind indicate younger children often show understanding of others thinking and beliefs in their naturally occurring play (Bergen, 2002). Joseph (1998) conducted a series of experiments of 3 and 4 year old children and their understanding of pretend behaviors through their ability to distinguish between an involuntary behavior and the same behavior acted through a pretend action. It was concluded that children aged 4 were able to discriminate the intentionality of the pretend behaviour (Bergen, 2002), and although relatively low, evidence was also found 3 year olds showed an emerging understanding (Joseph, 1998). These findings oppose prior suggestions that children under the age of 5 do not evaluate intent from action-outcomes and do not understand the role of intention in pretend. Focus was also emphasized on understanding of pretend as a mental state and whether this may result in a childs appreciation of pretend as mental representation (Joseph, 1998). While 5 year olds were able to associate the knowledge condition of pretense well, 4 year olds showed little understanding. However, Joseph suggests that 4 year olds were failing the task not because they saw pretend as a strictly behavioural phenomenon because they were associating pretense with a mental state of ignorance (Joseph, 1998). It is important to point out that the relative low performance of 4 year olds in tasks evaluating their unders tanding of pretend, could be an indication of the difficulty, but not the absence in a childs reasoning formally about the logical relations between intention, knowledge and pretend (Joseph, 1998); proposing an underestimation of a childs ability to recognize mental states in previous studies conducted. Importantly, however the study does point out that throughout the experiment children were aware of the characters states of pretending, hereby eliminating them of creating their own determination of pretend; and a possible limitation of this study. Overall, however this study shows that children understand the mental and subjective features of pretence by age of 3 or 4 years (Joseph, 1998) and are able to reason correctly about counterfactual mental representations in the context of pretend play before they are able to do so in the context of belief (Joseph, 1998), hereby supporting the relationship that pretend play contributes to the development of the theory of mind and therefore to cognitive development. Following in the footsteps of Lev Vygotsky, who proposed the young infants use speech as a way of regulating their behavior, it has also been suggested that pretend play aids a childs higher cognitive functions, including self- regulation and narrative recall. Expanding on this theory of the use of speech to regulate behavior, mainly through internal thought; Krafft and Beck (1998) conducted an experiment in order to compare the use of private speech in children of preschool age attending play based programs. It was concluded that speech did occur predominantly during the program; specifically during pretend play. They suggested that for preschool children make-believe play serves as a vital context for the development of self-regulation (Krafft and Beck, 1998). Furthermore, the study proposed that pretence within a social setting, which allows children to determine task goals and carry them out (Bergen, 2002); gives children an opportunity to practice and use self-regulating speech compared to play environments which are guided by prior goals or adult direction. Similarly, in a study conducted to examine cognitive change and pretend play, Kim (1999) tested 4 and 5 year old children on their ability to understand narrative structures; by way of reenactment of stories to condition using storytelling. It was found that children in the pretend play condition use more elaborative narratives and had higher levels of narrative structures (Kim, 1999). Additionally, children showed relatively higher rates of narrative recall in the pretend enactment and even at a later time when asked to retell the story. This strong evidence between self-regulation and narrative recall and pretend play suggests a clear link that pretend play does enhance cognitive development; as it was proven that speech was highly correlated with pretend play and that children who engage in pretend play create more complex narrative stories and prove to have a higher rate of narrative recall even at a later stage. Similarly, additional studies have been conducted to further elaborate the effect of play, specifically socio-dramatic pretend play on problem solving and rule understanding. In order to detect this relationship, Wyver and Spence (1999) compared two types of problem solving to numerous categories of play. It was concluded that there seems to be a reciprocal, rather than unidirectional relationship between problem solving and pretend play, with co-operative social play having a more general influence on divergent problem solving and thematic play having a more specific influence on semantic problem solving (Bergen, 2002). Similarly, Curran (1999) conducted an observational study of 3- 5 year old children engaging in social pretence. It was discovered that children could use explicit rules to engage in fair pretend play; while also suggesting that while children construct implicit rules, these rules were harder for them to act out. Curran (1999) found that while play stopped if rules w ere broken when explicit rules were used; the children stopped playing altogether. Interestingly enough, under another condition, children gradually learned the rules if they were foreign to them, while the more experienced children also aided those who were inexperienced in order to keep the play ongoing. Therefore it can be suggested the development of implicit rules, in particular, requires both divergent thinking and comprehension of rules structure (Bergen, 2002), two skills important for later school success. While not extensive, this evidence does point to both definitive and precise ways in which pretence play may aid higher-level aspects of cognition, allowing a child who engage in pretence to develop rule understanding and higher levels of problem solving skills; two clear indications of cognitive development. Pretend play has been studied in several cultures, with aspects of childrens play and cultural differences being the focus; while also emphasizing the assumption that pretend play and development of children is not universally distributed. Much of this research suggests that, although play is often regarded as universal, many researchers propose play to be a culturally mediated activity that may take different forms in different groups (Haight, Wang, Fung, Williams Mintz, 1999). In fact it has been proposed that the physical and social characteristics of environments; such as setting, props, time, individuals around the child and the beliefs of pretend play by adult figures influence development. Using longitudinal data of Irish American families in the United States and Chinese families in Taiwan, Haight et al. (1999) proposed universal, culturally variable, and development dimensions of young childrens pretend play(Haight et al., 1999), arguing several universal dimensions may exi st, but that numerous differences are also evident . It was pinpointed that both Chinese and Irish children used objects in their pretend play, much in conjunction to the theory that for toddlers, objects may facilitate the transition from the literal to non-literal world (Haight et al., 1999), suggesting that for the child to imagine something the child must first define the action. The study also proposed that the act of pretend play in children is fundamentally a social activity as it was found that in other cultural communities, pretend play was primarily a social activity embedded within interactions with family members and friends (Haight et al., 1999). Contrastingly, the study proposed that interpersonal context of pretend play varied amongst the two groups; with the Chinese children pretending more with their caregivers, while the Irish American children were found to pretend considerably more with other children. Variations in the amount of social play is said to exist; as compared to Irish American children, a greater amount of pretend play by the Chinese children was social. However, Irish American children frequently engaged in multiparty pretending in groups of three or more players, often including slightly older children (Haight et al., 1999). Additionally, conduction of caregiver-child play, function of caregiver initiations and centrality of themes vary significantly across cultures. Haight et al., (1999) found that caregiver pretend play in Irish American families was conducted by children, while the opposite applied to the other group. The study also suggests that Chinese caregivers initiations more often functioned as way to practice proper conduct (Haight et al., 1999) and points out that toys around Western children appeared to be toys from childrens movies, suggesting that greater emphasis is placed on fantasy themes. Finally, the study proposed that centrality of objects, particularly toys varied significantly; suggesting Irish American caregivers purchased many objects for childrens pretending, and the majority of childrens pretend play time revolved around toy miniatures (Haight et al., 1999). Chinese children did not exhibit any play with objects, and seemed to rely on shared knowledge of social routines to guide their joint play. Much of the current research on pretend play does not account for variations of culture and do not take into account how such variations play a part over life course development. It is possible that in order to construct a valid theory, research should focus on the relationship between a set of complex ecological and ideological factors and their effect on pretend play (Haight et al., 1999) in multiple cultures or communities, an aspect not focused on in this study. It is clear that universal and variable dimensions of pretend play in certain communities do exist. It can be concluded that such variations may have the ability to create specific and unique development pathways, possibly influencing a childs various aspects of social, emotional and cognitive development, such as theory of mind and higher cognitive strategies, such as rule understanding or later problem solving skills. There has been a growing body of evidence supporting the relationships between cognitive competence and pretend play, as well as the concept of pretend play and its variations across cultures. Pretend play has been positively linked to a childs ability to develop a theory of mind, self-regulation, narrative recall, problem solving and rule understanding. Additionally, variations of pretend play across cultures have been revealed, with a possibility for variable dimensions creating distinctive pathways in play and development itself. It can be suggested, that while current research, based on small scale studies seems insignificant at present, it is fundamentally important for society to continue implementation of pretend experiences in young children; while also implementing further research on the relationship of play and cognition during childhood; as it can been seen from the evidence above that this stage of life has proven to be important and crucial in overall development.

Trouble With Chechnya Essay -- essays research papers fc

On September 1, 2004, the world was shocked and horrified by the terrorist attack of Chechen rebels on a Middle school in the Russian town of Beslan. Nearly 1,200 children, teachers, and parents were taken hostage on the first day of school, and held captive for 53 hours. In the aftermath of the explosions and gunfire, over 360 people were killed, and hundreds more were left injured (Kaplan, 2004). The siege of the school was the latest of a dozen bloody attacks – on targets such as airliners, trains, government buildings, hospitals, and a movie theatre - that have claimed nearly 1,000 lives in Russia over the past two years, and yet another chilling reminder of the festering tensions between Russia and Chechnya (Kaplan, 2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The nature of the conflict between Chechnya and Russia is a result of many factors; a tumultuous history between the two neighbours, Islamic fundamentalism, terrorism, Russia’s attempts to dominate the Caucacus regions, oil exploitation, human rights, and international attitudes. The following discussion aims to explain the background and reasons for the perpetuation of the trouble in Chechnya, and explore the reasons for Russia’s military intervention in the region. As well, the discussion will attempt to forecast what the future may hold for Chechnya, and Russia’s relations with it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Chechens are an ethnically distinct, traditionally clan-based group with a long history of resisting Russian expansion in the Northern Caucasus† (Yasin, 2002). The hostility existing between the Chechen people and Russia, however, predates both the Russian republic and the Soviet Union, going back to the late 18th Century, when Russia’s drive to the South, initiated by Peter the Great in 1722, â€Å"led to the incorporation first of the Transcaucasus and only later of the rebellious North Caucasus† (Cornell, 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Forced relocations of the Chechens and other peoples have been undertaken at several points in history by the Russian rulers. The deportation of the Chechen, Ingush, Karachai, and Balker peoples took place in three waves between November 1943 and February 1944, during World War II. â€Å"The ‘pacification’ was to be final†¦and the nationalities involved were struck out of all Soviet official documents† (Lieven, 1998, p. 319). This deportation to Central Asi... ..., C. (2002, October 14). Is Putin Looking to Expand the Chechnya War?.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Newsweek, 6. Cornell, Svante E. (1999). International Reactions to Massive Human Rights   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Violations: The Case of Chechnya. Europe-Asia Studies, 51, 85-100. Gall, C., & de Waal, T. (1997). Chechnya: A Small Victorious War. London:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Macmillan. Kaplan, David E. (2004, September 20). Tangled Roots of an Atrocity. U.S. News   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  and World Report, 137. 28. Lieven, Anatol. (1998). Chechnya: Tombstone of Russian Power. New Haven:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Yale University Press. MacKinnon, Mark. (2004, September 25). Shoot First and Ask Questions Later.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Globe & Mail, p. A1. Politkovskaya, A. (2001). A Dirty War. London: Harvill Press. Russia & Chechnya. (2004, August 28). The Economist, 372, p13. Watson, William. (1998). The Collapse of Communism in the Soviet Union.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Westport: Greenwood Press. Yasin, Tariq. (2002). Chechen Chagrin: Human Rights in Chechnya. Harvard   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  International Review, 24, 6-8.

The World of Business

The world of business today requires that companies place their performance on an operation aspect so that all channels may perform to their best and lead to productive interdependence within the organization. The human resource management portfolio is of great importance to each firm because it guides its decisions and how it functions within them. When the firm employs good Human Resource Manager, there are high chances of performance in productivity, costs and quality of products and overall efficiency. Hence, a firm should adopt the quality HRM to enjoy its benefits as well as have an advantage in solving any risks that may have come up before. Its HRM pedagogies will eventually provide a platform, through which it attracts, retains and trains its existing assets with the highest value. On the other hand, without human contribution, there would be no appreciated management. In this precept, for good performance of any organization, it requires motivation, engagement, and satisfaction of the human aspect to operate efficiently and smoothly. Job satisfaction is consequently determined so that customer satisfaction may also be measured. This is because employee dissatisfaction in their job may lead to the provision of inadequate services, which may eventually lead to customer dissatisfaction as well. Hence, it is the responsibility of the human resource as a labor-intensive industry to sensitize on the delivery of excellent services to clients so that maximum customer satisfaction may be achieved as a result. When managing any project, a well stipulated project goals and objective must be outlined by the HRM. The manager should keenly look at how the objectives will be realized and outlining how the resources needed to achieve the goals. He plays a very important role is implementing good plans for the project alongside taking risks that ensures the project does well. A good manager identifies all the competing demands from various stakeholders and ensuring that a commonality of purpose is realized. He is an instrumental person in an organization because he schedules the entire plan, he encourages teamwork, maximizes available resources, manages change and good quality of output. He is also responsible for evaluating the progress and the performance of an organization. Therefore, the presence of human resource is very essential within any organization.A good manager brings high performance to an organization. Good performance is the ultimate measure of a well doing organization. The manager must be empowered to take appropriate decisions that contribute to the well being of the organization. He uses the authority and the power bestowed upon him to make decision on how to allocate available resources. He does the same on administration, communication, technological choices and any other matter that pertain the project that may need his attention. In so doing, there will be high performance in within the set up. High performance on the other hand makes the clients have the intrinsic drive to attain their services from the firm. Most of the client will bestow their trust on the services provided because of good leadership. It also makes the company have good relationship working relationship with other neighboring organizations and with the workers themselves. Because of the competition in today`s market, current organizations need good management without which they are subjected to failure. In this plinth, the purpose of this assignment is to securitize the appropriate pedagogical approaches that the resource manager can employ within the organization to improve on the organizational output. Good performance of the organization depend on various aspects like motivation, job security, compensation, good working environment, advancement in line of duties among many other factors.2.0 DiscussionDefinitions of Performance Management and High Performance Work According to Martha Lagace (2009), companies that record high performance are actually led by their original founder members or by their transformational. In this case, they are people who can be responsible of any crisis that occurs in the company and attend to it appropriately. They are able to achieve high standards of commitments from all the stakeholders within the organization. In so doing, the firms retains the clients for a very long period of time, the employees are care for well because they have good working environment, and investors are attracted to venture into the firm because of good production. This illustration is supported by Michael Beer, the Cahners-Rabb Professor in the School of Business Administration, Emertus by saying that such firms attain excellence for long period of time. Companies with good performance output have positive contribution to the customers the employees, investors and the community at large. They also grow by outlining their idiosyncratic capabilities in order to make them move into wider markets to attain products and services and geographical locations for their firms. According to Gong, Law, Chang and Xin (2009), high performance work system represents a detailed, incorporated and systematic approach where the human resource manager works tirelessly to ensure that all the set goals and objectives are met. He ensures that he utilizes the resources, manpower, and any other available material to meet the satisfaction of the firm. In this dictum, evaluation of high performance of work is extensively examined because it their outermost priority. According to the definition, the employees are very instrumental in realizing the set objective of the firm. They are treated with a lot of dignity and decorum because they solicit all ways possible to ensure that there is maximization of profit within the firm. Any institutional factor or environment as a context that may affect or influence high performance of the firm is looked into with a lot of keenness. The firms also provide good geographical location, which are at central places to be accessed by the clients most of the time. An example of a case study in Chinese gives empirical results that firm with HPWS connection is mediated by the adaptive aptitude. Also, the effect of high performance work system on firms with adaptive capability is more strong that the firms within an institutional sector. Therefore, the location of the firm matters a lot as far as high performance is concerned. A similar description is explained by The Management of Engineering and Technology (2002), a methodical approach used by organization to attain high production standards. Through the process, the company aims at achieving effective operational skills, innovation, and high quality results for their customers. They work tirelessly to ensure that the clients get the best goods and services and they are retrained most of the time. In this case, there are five organizational practices that are keenly looked into to ensure that the high performance is realized. The first one being good leadership, empowerment of the employees, pioneering in human resource management, good measuring of performance and ensuring employees have good knowledge in whatever thing they are doing. In this regard, the firm is assured of attaining high performance since the clients will be served with high quality of products and services all the time.3.0 Performance Management Conceptual FrameworkMost of the managers think that filling report is the most important aspect in attaining good performance. However much this might be necessary, attaining high performance entails a lot. All too often, performance management if not looked into, sometimes become the weakest link within the chain of management, therefore, the managers should put a lot of considerations into it. The figure below shows some of the important aspect that the managers of organizations should look into to ensure high performance is realized. From the framework, a lot of derivations can be madePerformance management system depend on the factors like evaluating performance standards, measuring performance of the employees, reporting the progress to the topmost leadership and improving the quality of the products.3.1 Goal Setting TheoryEdwin Locke defines goal setting theory of motivation as the goal set by the organization to be directly proportional to performance. When the goals set are directly adhered to under proper management, the performance has to be positive by a great margin. In simple words, goals set enable the employer to give the appropriate directions to the employees. Employees on the other hand, are enticed to work extra hard to achieve the goals laid. The readiness to work towards attaining the set goals is the driving force in motivation. Goals set act as motivational factors to the employees and the employer; hence, they work in tandem to achieve them. High goals set are more motivating than easy, all-purpose and hazy goals because they are easily attained. Edwin and Gary, 2015, gives clarity that the goals set must be SMART; Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and can be achieved within a given Time-bound. Specific goals give best results and it is easier to measure and appreciate because it inspires one in achieving the set objectives.Nevertheless, the goal setting theory has its pros and cons. Some of the pro`s is that it provides a constructive way of evaluating workers performance and commitment. It also gives appropriate feedback on the progress made by the organization. Another advantage is point a clear ladder of coordination between the workers and gives proper channel of communication. In addition, it defines structured goals that help in the managers in realizing the objective of the organization. On the same plinth, the theory has it weakness. The conflict between the organizational skills may lead to disagreement between the stakeholders if the matter is not solved with care. The theory may not work well in institutions with low goals, where the goals are not well defined because the managers do aim higher. On the same not, it may demoralize the performance of the employees because they are not motivate to work extra hard. When the goals are not well defined and challenging, the employees work reluctantly because there is nothing to challenge them. There is no convincing evidence that goal setting theory satisfies the members. When the members are not satisfied with the job they do, there is high likelihood that they can run away from the job. Also, when the employer is not satisfied, there will be managerial problems which may eventually lead to the decline of the organization. Another point worth noting is that the theory does improve or provide room for the additional skills like competency to the employee. Proficiency is very pivotal for quality production to the organization. In this dictum, if the theory cannot provide that to the workers, then the goal setting theory can easily fail hence undermining the progress of the organization as far as performance is concerned. From the analysis made, it is eminent does not suit an organization that aims at attaining high performance work system. The theory records a lot of limitations than advantages, hence making it unsuitable for such a setup. In case the leader is one who is focused and goal oriented or he is one who aims at providing greater leeway for the organization and is after mobilizing what is to be done, then the theory is not appropriate. Goal setting is one of the most cognitive needs of any organization. A leader may or may not seek to have organizational goals, but provide for his self satisfaction, such a leader can best apply goals setting theory. When setting up the theories to use within an organization, one should be very speculative to use the theories that makes the organization prosper. Goals setting as an example of motivation to the employees, only appeals to someone who is irrefutable oriented. Because of this, one may be evoked to compare personality when choosing the theories to use. A non-interventionist may be more obsessed with this type of theory and may not lay out the goals that transform the organization. All in all, such details might involve professional and administrative aspects like recordkeeping, job hierarchies, evaluation of reports which a leader who uses goal setting theory might not be ready for. 3.2 Process of Management In this case, a case study is done to evaluate the management of performance system in Malaysian government linked company. The purpose of the study was to examine the industrialization of the performance management system. It looked at some of the changes brought about by the government linked company program. The findings state that the activities of the company brought some changes in the way the business was operating. The finding states that the active became a routine appraising to the performance of the employees. In this case the employees became decoupled from all the activities taking place within the organization. In this precept, it did not change the ways in which members were carrying out their duties since no new ideas were brought in. this process is realized to be time consuming and costly in away and it is subject to confrontation. For any change to be effected in any government linked organization, a strong set up of management must be stipulated lest most of the things go a mess.3.3 Employees Skills and Training NeedsThe case study is carried out in from the Oil and Gas Industry in the UK. Fromm the study, workers need a lot for their satisfaction. Their skills need to be improved so that they give quality output. They also needs incentives whenever they do good, motivation makes them work aiming at achieving the set objectives. The company needs to organize for workshops and seminars to help improve in the skills of the employees since for them to produce quality products to merge the completive market. From the study, in as much as everyone in the industry may require training, it is realized that those having less experiences need to train more than any other worker. Training makes them work as opposed to before because there is acquisition of new skills. Also the management gets more clients since the level of production is increased and the quality of products also goes high. The specialists are involved in the training and by the end of the session; there is a lot of benefit inquired. An organization which aims at producing high performance work system must train her workers to and meet their needs. When the needs of the employees are met within appropriate time, they feel that they are catered for and respected. This makes them to work extra hard to achieve the set objectives. Training also increases the salary scale of the employees since additional experience is added to them.3.4 Crucial role of line Managers and HR in enabling and managing High Performance and ProductivityLine managers and Human Resource are very instrumental in ensuring that there is high performance in productivity. Partnership of lime managers and human resource is increasingly becoming common in most of the organization. HR department is entirely responsible for all human resource management activities, and a line manager shares the same responsibilities. Line manager have the power to influence the behavior of the employee to improve on the productivity. They play crucial role in coordinating the resources allocated in the organization for it to achieve the set goals and objective.A case study carried out in UK to show the relationship between the role of line managers and human resource point out that the line managers and human resource are interdependent. They both assist in sharing knowledge that improves the output of the organization. In this plinth, the lone manager is very premeditated in all the aspects of Human Resource manager. The ultimate goal of their interaction is towards bringing raising the performance of the company. The research shows that for an organization to be fit in the current future challenges that face them, the two has to partner. They ensure that poor and low performing employees are taken through training so that they merge the standards of the organization. They two in artnership, help in developing and reviewing policies that contribute to the positive growth of the organization. They foresee any problem that might affect the organization and prevent it in time without necessarily affecting the workers. They also plan for both long and short term goals and state how they should be achieved. In case a plan fails, they come together and find alternative means that can be substituted immediately so that the organization does not get into problems. They solve the problems that may arise among workers and ensures there is peaceful co existence among them. By doing so, they act as role models to the employees hence enabling them work in peace, love and unity. Therefore, the line managers and the human resource are very pivotal in ensuring that the organization achieves high performance work system.4.0 ConclusionsFrom the discussion, series of conclusions can be arrived at. First, in order to improve the performance of an organization, a lot should be put into considerations. There should be high performance from the employees. The human resource should ensure that appropriate approaches are put to meet the standards of the organization. Putting keen consideration on the welfare of the employees is very instrumental since it makes them work with motivation. From the discussion, the manager should apply appropriate theories that can bring good results to the development of the organization. Also, in order to attain good results, the employees who are undertrained should be taken through workshops and seminars to help in improving their experience. In so doing, the organization invests in them and quality of produce is realized. Lastly, line mangers and human resources managers are vey essential in the well being of an organization. Their presence makes the association firm because they help in laying out structures that improve the performance of the organization.

Dementia Symptoms are usually subtle in onset and often progress

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, irreversible, degenerative neurologic disease that begins insidiously and is characterized by gradual losses of cognitive function and disturbances in behavior and affect. Alzheimer’s disease is not found exclusively in the elderly; in 1 % to 10% of cases, its onset occurs in middle age. A family history of Alzheimer’s disease and the presence of Down syndrome are two established risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease.Of family members have at least one other relative with Alzheimer’s disease, then a familial component, which non- specifically includes both environmental triggers and genetic determinants, is said to exist. Genetic studies show that autosomal- dominant forms of Alzheimer’s disease are associated with early onset and early death. In 1987, chromosome 21 was first implicated in early-onset familial Alzheimer’s disease. Soon after, the gene coding fro amyloid precursor protein or APP was also found to be on chromosome 21.Not until 1991 was an actual mutation in association with familial Alzheimer’s disease found in the APP gene of chromosome 21. For those with this gene, onset of Alzheimer’s disease began in their 50’s. Only a few of the cases of familial Alzheimer’s disease have been found to involve this genetic mutation. In 1992, chromosome 14 was found to contain an unidentified mutation also linked to familial Alzheimer’s disease. Since 1995, molecular biologists have been discovering even more- specific genetic information about the various forms of Alzheimer’s disease, including genetic differences between early- and late- onset Alzheimer’s disease.These genetic differences are helping to pinpoint risk factors associated with the disease, although the genetic indicators are not specific enough to be used as reliable diagnostic markets. A. Causes/ Risk Factors Symptoms of AD are usually subtle in onset and often progress slowly until they are obvious and devastating. The changes characteristic of AD into three general categories: cognitive, functional, and behavioral. Reversible causes of AD include alcohol abuse, medication use, psychiatric disorders, and normal- pressure hydrocephalus. Increasing age is the leading risk factor of people getting Alzheimer’s disease. II.Symptoms, Changes by Psychological and Behavioral A. Dementia Symptoms are usually subtle in onset and often progress slowly until they are obvious and devastating. The changes characteristics of dementia fall into three general categories: cognitive, functional and behavioral. In the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, forgetfulness and subtle memory loss occur. The patient may experience small difficulties in work or social activities but has adequate cognitive function to hide the loss and can function independently. Depression may occur at this time. With further progression of the disease, the deficits c an no longer be concealed.Forgetfulness is manifested in many daily actions. These patients may lose their ability to recognize familiar faces, places, and objects and may get lost in a familiar environment. They may repeat the same stories because they forget that they have already told them. Trying to reason with the person and using reality orientation only increase the patient’s anxiety without increasing function. Conversation becomes difficult, and there are word- finding difficulties. The ability to formulate concepts ad think abstractly disappears; for instance, the patient can interpret a proverb only in concrete terms.The patient is often unable to recognize the consequences of his or her actions and will therefore exhibit impulsive behavior. For example, on a hot day, the patient may decide to wade in the city fountain fully clothed. The patient has difficulty with everyday activities, such as operating simple appliances and handling money. Personality changes are also usually evident. The patient may become depressed, suspicious, paranoid, hostile, and even combative. Progression of the disease intensifies the symptoms: speaking skills deteriorate to nonsense syllables, agitation and physical activity increase, and the patient may wander at night.Eventually, assistance is needed for most ADL’s including eating and toileting, since dysphagia occurs and incontinence develops. The terminal stage, in which the patient is usually mobile and requires total care, may last for months or years. Occasionally, the patient may recognize family or caretakers. Death occurs as a result of complications such as pneumonia, malnutrition, or dehydration. Primary Dementia Primary Dementia is diseases that directly attack brain tissue and cause the behaviors associated with dementia. Primary dementias are irreversible; that is, they can only be treated symptomatically and cannot be cured.The most common type of primary dementia, and of all types of dement ias, is Alzheimer’s disease. Secondary dementia or pseudo dementia Secondary disease refers to diseases that do not directly attack brain tissue but result in symptoms described result from diabetic ketoacidosis, drug intoxication, severe nutritional imbalance, severe dehydration, head trauma, sever infections, and depression. Multi-infarct dementia (MID) Multi-infarct dementia denotes to dementia symptoms resulting from multiple strokes. B. Mood An individual who has Alzheimer’s has the tendency â€Å"to manifest rapid mood swings†.There is depression which is 30%. C. Personality The changes include the apathy, indifference, irritability. In early stage of the disease, social behavior is intact; hides cognitive deficits. In the advanced disease, the person with AD disengages from activity and relationships; is suspicious; has paranoid delusions caused by memory loss; aggressive; has catastrophic reactions. D. Statistics on morbidity (disease) and mortality (dea th) Alzheimer ’s disease reportedly affects 3% to 11% of community residing adults older than 65 years of age and 20% to 50% of community residing adults older than age 85.Most of those suffering from AD who are in the over 85 age group reside in the institutional settings. Of those individuals 100 years and older, almost 60%are noted to demonstrate AD. Despite this high incidence, clinicians fail to detect dementia in 21% to 72% of patients. In order for a diagnosis of AD to be made, at least two domains of altered function must exists—memory and at least one of the following: language, perception, visuospatial function, calculation, judgment, abstraction, and problem solving.

Music And Me essays

Music And Me essays From the beginning of the world, music has been an important element in different dynasties, places, societies and individuals. Music actually has a lot of purposes, which can help us in our daily life. Nowadays, music involves some help in medical treatment. For example, many psychologists are trying to let their patients hearing some music, so that their patients will be put into a state of hypnosis naturally without using any medicine. In addition, music has been string along with me for many years since I was born. As a result, music has become my good friend and it also influences my personality a lot. Music is my good friend. I had been fond of music for a long time since I was small. As I could remember, the first time that I get in touch with me was a mini electronic piano. After I received this piano, I played it all the time, wherever I went I would bring it along with me. The sound of it was so nice that I realized that music was such a wonderful thing so that whenever I heard of music, I would be very concentrated on it. Later on, my mother discerned my love on music; she then sent me to learn piano and bought me a real piano. As I grew older, I had joined the choir in school and participate in many musical events. In this few years time, I usually join with some friends and go to karaoke. Therefore, music is also like one of my friends. Music can cheer me up and it is also a kind of relaxation for me. Not only me, music is also a kind of relaxation for many people. When I am downhearted, I usually stay at home and listen to music. General speaking, I prefer pop music to classical music. Classical music often gives me a feeling of melancholy and bored. On the other hand, most of the pop music are more down to earth. Moreover, listening to some music which concern about the natural is also my favourite. Since listen to those music can make me feel more tranquil as well as vitality. And lis ...

Global Business Plan Essay Example

Global Business Plan Essay Example Global Business Plan Essay Global Business Plan Essay Executive Summary Moto-Europe Tours has sought to fill a niche in the tour guide industry. The founders of this business venture saw a need to expand the company’s operations globally. Moto-Europe Tours is a business venture with the goal of expanding tour experiences to Italy and its surrounding countries. The stabilization of Italy’s government, its inviting culture and close ties with the U. S. are factors that make opportunities for Moto-Europe Tours to expand ideal. This report contains the following: a Statement of Purpose, Regional Analysis and Host Country Analysis. Moto-Europe Tours’ objectives and a discussion of Italy’s political, cultural and economic situations are presented. The business analysis will integrate all the factors necessary for consideration in order to make Moto-Europe Tours’ business venture a reality. Final Global Business Plan Statement of Purpose Description of Organization Moto-Europe Tours provides tour experiences to motorcycle enthusiasts who want to experience Italy’s beautiful countryside, culture, local cooking and wine, and Italian customs. Individuals will be able to tour solo or as a group with a customized itinerary. Excursions can be added to enhance the customers’ Italian experience including wine making and tasting, shopping for and cooking a meal, and cultural sights. Strategic Goals The strategic goal is to expand the existing company, Moto-America Tours, into the European tour market by specializing initially in Italy and later expanding into France, Spain and Portugal. Vision Statement To be the premier motorcycle touring company in Italy for people who want to travel as temporary Italians with a motorcycle as the mode of transportation. Mission Statement : Moto-Europe Tours will use tradition and experience to guide and encourage motorcycle enthusiasts to explore the Italian countryside with the best of motorcycles and first class services in the leisure motorcycle tour industry. Moto-Europe Tours’ Service Description This company will design a customized itinerary for groups and individuals who would like to experience Italy on two wheels. Tours can be guided or independent, depending on the riders’ preferences. Guided tours will include a bilingual guide who will provide insight to Italy’s sights, culture and language. A chase vehicle and driver are included in the group packages to provide the convenience for carrying extra luggage, and to provide an extra person and vehicle in the event of an unexpected occurrence. Guides will know general motorcycle mechanics and first aid. Independent tours will provide a general itinerary and map so that the experience can be at the rider’s pace. Options are available along with a variety of experiences to make one’s experience in Italy an unforgettable one. Host Country Synopsis Map of Italy (Kwintessential, n. d. ) Italy’s stable political environment and close partnership with the U. S. are strong incentives for businesses to expand their products and services. Italy’s magnificent country scenery and rich culture make Moto-Europe Tours an inviting compliment to the country’s tourist attractions. Other than the touring the usual tourist spots, Moto-Europe Tours can enhance the Italian experience by providing opportunities to explore local areas and peoples. With Italy’s few natural resources and extensive reliance on imports, Moto-Europe Tours can be a boon to the country’s local economy. Traveling as temporary Italians in this beautiful country would lend support to Italy’s culture and promote business relationships with native Italians. Regional Analysis The European Union (EU) is dedicated to improving the economic assimilation and increasing relationships with the members. The EU consisted of seven different countries and five more joined afterwards. Today, the EU consists of 25 different countries comprising of 20 different languages. EU’s headquarters is located in Brussels, Belgium (Wikipedia, 2006). Italy is one of the original members of the EU, which was established originally on November 1, 1993. The predecessors can be linked back to 1951 with the originating organization, the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). In 1967, the ECSC became the European Community (Wikipedia, 2006). There are many different objectives for the EU. It’s â€Å"principal goal is to promote and expand cooperation among member states in economics and trade, social issues, foreign policy, security and defense and judicial matters† (Encarta, 2006). Citizens within the 25 countries were all granted European citizenship. Citizenship allows individuals to work, live or study in any of the EU states (Wikipedia, 2006). Political and Economic History A goal of the EU is to standardize currency amongst all the EU countries with the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). In 2002, 12 of the EU countries replaced their national currency with the euro. The 10 most recent additions to the EU as well as Sweden, the United Kingdom and Denmark have not changed their currency (Wikipedia, 2006). The EU is run by a parliament. The parliament’s goal is to create laws that impact the lives in the member states. The parliament is comprised of one president whose term is two and one half years. The main role of the president is to oversee the activities of parliament. The president will also represent parliament in any international dealings and in official visits whether inside or outside the EU (Wikipedia, 2006). The parliament is comprised of 732 members elected from the 25 EU member states. The parliament term is five years compared to the president’s term of two and one half years. The parliament members sit in political affiliations not by nationality. Currently, there are seven different political groups within parliament (Wikipedia, 2006). Within parliament there are 20 parliamentary committees. These committees range from 25 to 78 members of European parliament. Each committee will have a chair, a secretary and a bureau. These committees meet to discuss and draw up, adopt and amend proposals for legislation and initiative reports. The committees meet once or twice a month in Brussels for discussion and debates, which are open to the public (Wikipedia, 2006). Economic Regional Alliances The EU is considered to be the largest economy in the world if considered as a single unit. The economy for the EU is expected to grow as more countries join the Union. The economic growth is expected to create nearly 3. 5 million jobs within the euro zone where the economic growth is expected to be around 2. % in 2006 with a forecasted 2. 7% growth in 2007 (Eurostat, n. d. ). The creation of the Lisbon Strategy set a strategic goal â€Å"of becoming the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion† (Eurostat, n. d. ). With the Lisbon Strate gy, the economic situation within the EU can improve. By creating jobs and growth opportunities, the members of the EU can use its alliances to reform the economy. Host Country Analysis Political Environment Italy has been a democratic republic since 1946. The country’s constitution was formally proclaimed in 1948. Italy is a centralized state with the prefect of each of the provinces appointed by and accountable to the central government. Regional governments have been established that brought some decentralization of the national government’s powers. Many regional governments continue seeking additional powers (U. S. Department of State, n. d. ). Italy’s constitution established a parliament composed of the Chamber of Deputies and Senate, a judiciary branch, and an executive branch made up of a Council of Ministers headed by a prime minister. Italy’s president is elected for seven years by the parliament and the president nominates the prime minister who chooses the other ministers (U. S. Department of State, n. d. ). Italy’s judicial system is based on Roman law, which has been modified by the Napoleonic code, the French civil code established by order of Napoleon 1, and by other statutes (Wikipedia, 2006). A constitutional court rules on the legitimacy of laws and its powers and frequency of decisions are not as extensive as those of the U. S. Supreme Court (U. S. Department of State, n. d. ). Until recently, Italy has had frequent government turnovers since 1945. Italy’s political situation has been fairly continuous and stable due to the dominance of the Christian Democratic party during the country’s postwar period. Italy has politically faced major struggles during the years from 1992 to 1997 as a consequence of disenchanted voters demanding various reforms. Major political parties were subjected to extensive changes due to scandal and the loss of voter confidence. In the March 1994 elections, Italy experienced the rise of new political forces and new adjustments of power (U. S. Department of State, n. d. ). In May 2006, the parliament selected Giorgio Napolitano as president. President Napolitano previously served as a lifetime senator, Minister of the Interior and a Member of the European Parliament. When his term ends in May 2013, the Senate and regional representatives will vote to elect his successor (U. S. Department of State, n. d. ). Italy is an important partner of the United States. Italy’s nearness to areas of tension in the Balkans, the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa make Italy a strategically significant country for the United States. Italy is a founding member of NATO and has worked with the United States to promote democracy in Central and Eastern Europe and peace in the Middle East. Italy has worked with NATO to expand efforts toward economic and political stability in Albania. Italy has also played an important role in the growth of the EU (Industry Canada, 2006). Economic Environment Italy’s economy has changed dramatically after World War II. Italy has developed from an agriculturally based economy into an industrial nation ranked as the sixth largest market economy. Other than being a member of the EU, Italy also belongs to the Group of Eight (G-8) industrialized nations and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (U. S. Department of State, n. d. ). Since most of Italy’s land is unsuitable for farming, the country has few natural resources such as fish and natural gas. Most energy sources and raw materials used for manufacturing are imported. Italy’s major industries are precision machinery, motor vehicles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, electric goods, and fashion and clothing (U. S. Department of State, n. d. ). Italy has been experiencing a slow economic recovery after the tragic events of 9/11 as seen in the country’s very low economic growth average for the last five years. Italy continues to struggle with massive budget deficits and public debt. Recently, the European Commission issued a warning to Italy that it must lower its budget deficit beneath its ceiling of 3% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2007. Currently, Italy’s budget deficit is over 4. 3% of GDP (U. S. Department of State, n. d. ). Italy conducts most of its trade with other countries of the EU and cooperates closely with the U. S. on major economic issues. In spite of the close ties Italy has with its trading partners, the country has also struggled with globalization since other countries, particularly China, have weakened Italy’s lower-end products sector (U. S. Department of State, n. d. . Cultural Environment Italian is the official language of Italy. Native Italian speakers comprise 93% of Italy’s population and approximately 50% speak a regional dialect. Italy’s culture has strong family values that serve as a stabilizing influence that is central to the family’s social structure. Although immedia te family members usually live together, extended families often reside together in one house. Emotional and financial support to all members is characteristic of Italian families (Kwintessential, n. d. ). In Italy, Catholicism is the primary religion and its influence is very high, although church attendance is low. Children are named for a particular saint and the saint’s day is celebrated similarly to the child’s birthday. Many office buildings have crosses or religious statues and each profession has a patron saint. Italian relationships are hierarchical; therefore, respect is given to older persons and to successful business professionals. The church promotes these relationship perspectives (Kwintessential, n. d. ). In Italy appearances matter since the way one dresses and carries oneself can indicate one’s social status, family background and education level. First impressions are lasting impressions in Italy; therefore, they are very important because native Italians are extremely fashion conscious in regard to clothes, shoes and accessories (Kwintessential, n. d. ). Business etiquette and customs are very pervasive in Italy. Italians have strong views as to meeting etiquette, table manners, gift giving and dining etiquette. For example, greetings are enthusiastic but formal and kissing on both cheeks is customary once a relationship develops. Italians prefer to do business with those they know and trust, and they also prefer face-to-face contact. Appointments are considered mandatory and should be made in writing well in advance. Italians frown upon high-pressure sales tactics. Italians also respect power and age in business negotiations (Kwintessential, n. d. ). Political Risks The political risks for Moto-Europe Tours’ expansion into Italy are low. In business and foreign affairs, there are always risks and outliers that could affect one’s company. Moto-Europe Tours is a company that will have very few risks when transitioning and expanding into the country of Italy. Coming from the United States, the company does not pose a significant social or governmental threat. Italy’s stable political environment and close partnership with the U. S. are strong incentives for businesses to expand their products and services. Since Italy has seen how new businesses can revitalize and grow its already thriving economy, Italy has offered incentives and various contributions to new businesses. Italy has organized support through the â€Å"State and Regional laws for incentives, which allow various kinds of contributions and concessions† (Business Italia, 2005). These incentives and contributions can range from subsidized loans, to grants or even tax credits. The only requirement for these incentives is that the grant be used in the granting territory. This is a great way to attract and spread businesses and services out to territories that are not overindulged with such services. Moto-Europe Tours plans to recruit native Italians who speak the native tongue and have diplomatic knowledge. The company knows that it must grow accustomed to Italy’s political culture in order to be successful in a different environment. The company is prepared to mitigate risks assumed through expansion by using employees as assets. Moto-Europe Tours will recruit employees who are exposed to the political arena and are well versed in the political games that might be played on a local level. Legal and Regulatory Risks On January 1, 2004, Italy rewrote its rules and regulation for startup companies. The country’s goal was to update its current system and align itself with other advanced countries. The outcome was ease of decision-making, simplification, and flexibility for corporations and organizations to expand into Italy. Previously, the government was at the center of the regulations, but now the regulations have shifted toward the company as a provider of wealth. The key element of the reform is self-regulation, which allows companies vast powers to establish specific rules in their memorandum and articles of incorporation, without too many strict, pre-defined obligations† (Business Italia, 2005). Italy has also reformed its regulatory stance in a profound way. Among the best examples of such ch anges is the country’s new stance on bankruptcy laws. The past regulation would require heavy punishment to be placed upon the entrepreneur or sister company. The new regulations emphasize saving failing companies or those in crisis. The local, state and regional officials will step in and negotiate with creditors and provide judiciary support to protect and prevent the destruction of such a company (Business Italia, 2005). Therefore, the legal and regulatory risks for Moto-Europe Tours are low. If the legal and regulatory situation in Italy were to change and negatively impact the company’s business, then its operations would need to cease and move on to one of the nearby countries. Europe has many favorable locations for visitors to experience enjoyable tours as motorcycle enthusiasts. Social and Cultural Risks To successfully expand a company into a foreign environment requires the support of the local community. Moto-Europe Tours should gain social and cultural support through commitment to local business owners. Moto-Europe Tours will not discount the knowledge and hospitality of the local bed and breakfast hotels by partnering with a large hotel chain. The company is in the business of providing temporary Italian citizenship to customers, and the best way to do this is to immerse them in the local social and cultural past time of Italy. Competition is anticipated between local hotels and restaurants for Moto-Europe Tours’ business since it will be a boost to the local economy. The company will need to be diplomatic in its decision-making since the business does not want to create any animosity in the process. Due to the nature of Moto-Europe Tours’ customers, an unforeseeable event may occur in which the company may need to change lodging locations. Therefore, the need to develop good relationships with all surrounding hotels is crucial. These relationships can protect Moto-Europe Tours and its clientele from the attitudes and behaviors of other customers. Some of the possible cultural risks may be the dissatisfaction of the locals with our business or our clienteles’ cultural differences. It is possible for some local Italians to view tourists as visitors encroaching upon or not appreciating Italy’s traditional ways and people. Therefore, cultural risks for Moto-Europe Tours are moderate. In order to mitigate the cultural risks, Moto-Europe Tours will use brochures and local advertising. These marketing strategies can help impress upon the locals that the company is designed to educate its customers in the rich heritage and culture of Italy and expose them to the non-commercialized life of Italians. Moto-Europe Tours needs to express that it is not its intention to give an outsider’s view of Italy but to give a true glimpse that personifies the Italian’s view of the country. Exchange Rates Risks In the overall scheme of Moto-Europe Tours’ business risks, the fluctuation of the exchange rate will not affect the company very much due to the service industry it is in. The only foreseeable risk would be if currency fluctuates in favor of the euro, which would deflate the power of the dollar. This situation may cause the company to lose money because the amount of services promised to customers would cost more than what was negotiated. The exchange rates risks for Moto-Europe Tours are low. Since the euro is based on the establishment of stable conditions for the economy as a whole, the euro is far better equipped than the previous national currencies to withstand fluctuations in the external exchange rate. The important size of the euro area economy makes the euro a major transaction currency. The euro is designed to foster economic growth (European Communities, 2006). To protect the company from possible exchange rates risks, Moto-Europe Tours would need to make agreements or partnerships with local shops and restaurants. An agreement to have fixed prices on goods and services for a specific amount of time would protect both parties. With this agreement in place, shops and restaurants can raise prices but give Moto-Europe Tours ample preparation so that it can make package price changes as necessary. With respect to gas prices and inflation of the exchange rate, Moto-Europe Tours would need to build a discrepancy factor into the rate of each package so that the company could be covered no matter the price of fuel. Another necessary precaution is the partnership with a transportation carrier. The best way for the company to position itself would be to book the flight and rail travel for clients but make it an additional cost. This way there is no set price and the company is not liable for any fluctuations in the price posted by transportation companies. Repatriation of Funds Risks In this business, there is a low risk for repatriation since the company is providing a service, not producing goods. Moto-Europe Tours will use goods and services that are sold and provided by Italians. The main staple of the business is its motorcycles, which will be a brand currently sold, if not produced, in Italy. The Italian government should welcome the company into the country because it is promoting tourism and creating an economic surge in small cities. The only thing that the company will get hit for would be regular corporate taxes, which will be discussed further. Due to the ease of starting a business in Italy and because Moto-Europe Tours is a service-oriented business, there will be little risk of repatriation of funds. Taxation and Double Taxation Risks In 2003, the Italian Parliament granted permission to legislation to reform the tax system as to how it pertains to corporations and individuals. By making the system easier to maneuver through, the Italian government hopes to create a favorable tax situation to entice both local and foreign business investment. Under the new tax structure there will be five primary types of taxes: personal income tax, corporate income tax, value added tax (VAT), taxes on services and excise taxes (Sviluppo Italia, 2004). The taxation and double taxation risks for Moto-Europe Tours are low since the main corporate components of the new tax structure are (Sviluppo Italia, 2004): Reduction of corporate income tax rate to up to 33% Exemption of capital gains arising from the disposal of qualified participations into Italian and foreign corporations Abolishment of the full imputation system on distribution of corporate profits, i. e. he dividend tax credit, and introducing a 95% exemption on dividend distributions Introduction of a group taxation regime for Italian/foreign corporations belonging to the same group to consolidate their tax base at the level of the Italian parent Introducing the so-called ‘thin capitalization rule’ whereby a debt/equity ratio aims to avoid thin capitalization of Italia n corporations As in the case of the legal and regulatory risks, if the taxation situation in Italy were to change and negatively impact the company’s business, then its operations would need to cease and move on to one of the nearby countries. A more favorable corporate tax environment in another European country may be suitable to continue providing motorcycle enthusiasts with enjoyable experiences as tourists. Overall Market Risks Throughout the EU, tourism is a strong industry (Sviluppo Italia, 2004). There are three primary risks for Moto-Europe Tours when entering the Italian tourism market and these risks are moderate. The first risk is the choice consumers have to choose from all of the other forms of tourism within Italy, which include: independent travel, guided bus tours, cruises and other than motorcycle specialty tours. The second risk is other motorcycle touring companies. The largest motorcycle touring company in the Central Italy region is Beach’s Motorcycling Adventures, Ltd. Beach’s provides similar services to that of Moto-Europe Tours; however, the â€Å"Ltd. † at the end of its name suggests that it is also â€Å"limited† in its capabilities. Since Moto-Europe Tours will provide full concierge-type services, the company feels that Beach’s primary appeal will be to unimaginative vacationers. For those individuals or groups who want to get out of the tourist traps to the small towns and living like a temporary local, Moto-Europe Tours will be the trendsetter. The last market risk is terrorism. The World Trade Center bombings in New York City have had a lasting impact on the worldwide tourism trade. One year after the terrorist attacks, travelers’ vacation habits had still not returned to normal. Most vacationers were opting for shorter trips close to home or combining a vacation with a honeymoon, rather than taking two separate vacations (Klancnik, 2002). Mitigating any of these risks would require a move back to the States or to another country nearby. Distribution and Supply Chain Risks The risks associated with distribution and supply chains are low and not of major concern to Moto-Europe Tours as the company provide a service, not a product. However, there are channels of distribution for marketing and sales, which would need to be maintained for optimal performance. The primary means for initial contact of the consumer or travel agency would be via the World Wide Web to the company website. The website must be adequately maintained and provide current contact and general company information. By partnering with travel agency chains such as the Automobile Association of America (AAA), Motorcycle (Hot Bike Magazine) and Travel trade magazines (Conde Nast) and motorcycling enthusiast clubs (Ducati Owners Club), Moto-Europe will need to convey the feeling of exclusivity without the prohibitive costs. One means of distribution, Italy’s road and highway system, may be of intermittent concern as construction and unforeseeable natural occurrences such as flooding and extreme weather may make travel either unsafe or undesirable to tourists. But, as of 2004, Italy’s 479,688 km of paved roadways (including 6,478 km of expressways) could enable tours to be rerouted (CIA, 2006). Trade Barrier Risks At this time, there are no major trade barrier risks as Moto-Europe Tours is a service company within the tourism industry. Therefore, trade barrier risks are low. Competitive Risk Assessment Although there are several tour companies that specialize in motorcycles as the primary mode of transportation, none of them offer the level of concierge service that Moto-Europe Tours offers. With tourists coming from all over the world with different traffic laws, signs and conditions, Moto-Europe Tours provides a comprehensive guide to clients, which gives insight to those issues pertaining to Italy. Safety is the primary concern of Moto-Europe Tours. So, a riding skills checklist will be provided for clients to prepare their riding skills for the possible situations that may arise. An example might be a weaving strategy in case of one trying to avoid a rockslide. By facilitating safety in a foreign country, guests will enjoy their experience from the back of a motorcycle rather than looking out of a hospital window. Part of Moto-Europe Tours concierge service will include luggage and package service. Motorcycles do not come equipped with a large amount of storage space. This is partially what is appealing to motorcycle enthusiasts: one is able to get up and go without worrying about how to pack. The concierge will arrange to transport the clients’ luggage from their various destinations. Even though customers may normally opt for a casual dress code, Italy is a fashion-conscious country. One would not want any â€Å"little black dress† wadded up in a saddlebag. In addition to transporting luggage to different destinations, purchases can also be collected and shipped to a customer’s home address. Cyber and Technology Risk As discussed previously in Distribution and Supply Chain Risks, the World Wide Web will be an important tool for travel agencies and consumers to get general information and communicate with Moto-Europe Tours. A specialized management system will need to be developed to maintain customer information, distribution channels, and up-to-date information on culture venues, hotels, etc. Another system will need to be developed to facilitate customizing the client’s itinerary. The system should provide a pocket-sized booklet that provides riders with a map with their preferred route, contact information for their lodging, and tickets or passes for various excursions. Since the Internet is ubiquitous and Moto-Europe Tours provides a service, technology risks are low. Internet providers have backup storage systems that allow retrieval of information from virtually any location with web access. Motorcycles will come equipped with a European Navigational System that uses satellite technology. This technology is also an important part of rider safety. The system can notify Moto-Europe Tours if a motorcycle is in a collision or upset. This would indicate that there might have been an accident, which would require medical aid and towing services. The global positioning system (GPS) will enable Moto-Europe Tours to direct medical assistance to any location. In the event that a motorcycle is stolen, the GPS will allow police to locate the vehicle. Each motorcycle will also be equipped with a satellite phone system. Not only will this system be able to be used in the event of an emergency, but also allow the tour operator and rider to communicate about other information. For instance, the tour operator can advise that there is a road closure at part of the route and how to detour past it. The rider can also arrange to have show tickets purchased or dinner reservations made by a Moto-Europe Tours concierge. SWOTT Analysis Strengths Experience in bike tours Name identification Success in the United States The strengths that have been identified for Moto-Europe Tours are based on the experience and knowledge gained in the United States operations. Through extensive knowledge and planning, Moto-Europe Tours has built a reputation of quality motorcycle tours within the United States. The company’s reputation will be an asset with the expansion into a new international market. Weaknesses International experience Service capacity Financial resources Some weaknesses that have been identified are based on experience in the international market. Although team members have culture knowledge, doing business in a foreign market can be a challenge. Another area that can be determined as a weakness is the capacity with which the company can operate. Tours will usually be planned in advance for groups desiring this type of service. Last minute tour requests can be a challenge to fulfill with limited qualified staffing levels. Finding sufficient financial resources could be a challenge. Even though Moto-Europe Tours has a very good reputation and character, venturing into international markets involves risks. Initially, some joint ventures may need to be fostered to get Moto-Europe Tours started. Opportunities Local business environment Flexibility in types of tours Tourism Economic boost to economy Culture knowledge The opportunities available to Moto-Europe Tours are the basis for expanding into Italy. The tours that will be promoted are out of the normal tourist realms. The tours will take tourists into outlying areas that will expose them to the local business environments. This will help boost the economy in Italy. Due to the flexibility with the types of tours available, a boost to tourism for Italy can increase. Some of the staff within Moto-Europe Tours has done some extensive traveling in Italy. The preliminary tours available through Moto-Europe Tours will be designed with those travels in mind. Allowing tourists to experience the culture of Italy as though they were citizens is the ultimate tour experience goal. Threats Local competition Weather conditions Accidents The threats that have been identified for the expansion into Italy deal with local competition, weather conditions and the likelihood of accidents. Local competition will be an immediate threat to Moto-Europe Tours. The way to overcome this threat is to provide services that the competition does not have. Weather conditions can affect the tours in different ways. Rainy conditions increase the likelihood of accidents on motorcycles. Tour groups may also opt to cancel the tour due to the weather conditions. Trends International travel for yuppie middle class motorcycle enthusiasts Ability to plan type of trip desired with tour escort The trend that has been identified deal with the need to promote the vacation opportunity that is different than what is currently available. Motorcycle tours in Italy will appeal to the yuppie middle class travelers. The goal is to promote the company’s unique services to them. Another unique service available with Moto-Europe Tours is the tourists’ ability to plan the specific tour they would like to take. All of the tours with Moto-Europe Tours provide a guide to ensure there are no language barriers with local citizens. The services will also allow tourists to stay in different levels of accommodations based upon their desires. Mode of Entry Moto-Europe Tour’s entry into Italy is based upon a joint venture strategy. Since Moto-Europe Tours is a service organization, creating partnerships with different hotels and Italian motorcycle dealerships can create a win-win situation for all involved. By creating a joint venture with local hotels, they can reap the benefits of the services provided to Moto-Europe Tours’ customers. A principal concern for Moto-Europe Tours is to maintain a majority controlling interest in the joint venture. Moto-Europe Tours wins by having established relationships with different hotels on the many different tour routes. This will allow Moto-Europe Tours to negotiate reduced rates for its customers to keep costs manageable and to maximize profitability. The hotels win by having a source of revenue generated from Moto-Europe Tours’ customers. Another joint venture will involve the local motorcycle dealerships. Since the tours are dependent upon motorcycles, partnering with local dealerships makes sense. Touring bikes and off-road bikes are required to provide services; therefore, having a reliable source from which to lease and purchase motorcycles is imperative. Human Resource Management and Structure Staffing concerns are addressed. At first, representatives from the company’s U. S. operations will be in Italy to help set up the Moto-Europe Tours office. Local people will be hired as tour guides and office support staff. Any U. S. employee sent to Italy for business purposes will be compensated as per the Foreign Affairs Manual policies. The main human resource department will be at the U. S. location. Any employee in either location will be able to contact the human resource department. Due to the time difference between the U. S. and Italy, there could be a delay for the Italy employees to receive a response. In case of an emergency, a human resource employee can be reached at any time. In addition, any U. S. employee that will work in the Italy facility must receive special training. As a result, the employee will understand the cultural differences encountered in Italy and will be prepared to handle those differences with care and respect. This cultural sensitivity training is important to Moto-Europe Tours’ success. In order to give customers the experience of being a local, all employees must understand the culture and embrace it. Compensation for all employees in Italy will be based on what is offered in the U. S. Pay will be determined upon competitive rates in Italy. All employees receive the standard medical, dental and vision packages, as well as 401(k) benefits. Employees who work on any defined holiday will receive holiday pay and one and one-half times their current rate of pay. Since tour guides are on-call when guiding a tour, their pay will be based on the tour they conduct. A set wage will be based upon the distance traveled and the amount of days for each tour. Tour guides will also receive additional compensation in the form of tips from customers. Supply Chain Management Supply chain management within Moto-Europe Tours is quite different than that of a traditional product-based business. Since the company is service oriented, the main concern for Moto-Europe Tours is to have sufficient motorcycles to meet the demand. The demand can be met by the relationships developed with the local motorcycle dealerships. Tours that are planned and scheduled in advance will allow Moto-Europe Tours to lease an adequate number of motorcycles for customers. In the supply chain, virtually all intermediaries are eliminated since the dealerships will supply motorcycles directly to Moto-Europe Tours and its customers as the end users. Information Technology and E-Business Strategy Information technology will not be a challenge in Italy. Since Italy is one of the top European countries, Internet access will not be an issue. The system infrastructure will need to be compatible with the U. S. operation. An Intranet will be developed and maintained which allows both countries’ employees to access any and all company information. An IT support department located in the U. S. operation should be able to service both locations in case any need should arise. During the initial set up of the Italy operations, the IT personnel will be required to travel to Italy to ensure that computer systems are up and running properly. The Italy system will be directly linked to the U. S. operations. The Italy operation will have one member on staff that can troubleshoot any minor problem that may occur. Technology is important to the success of the business. Since most of the advertising for the company is promoted through the Web, having technological capabilities is a key element. Most of the client base will be B2C. With Moto-Europe Tours’ user friendly Web page, potential customers will be able to read about the company’s philosophy and what its mission and vision goals are in providing the best unique vacation possible. Research and Development (RD) Strategy Since Moto-Europe Tours is not a product-based company, research and development take on a different dimension. Research is based upon the assets Italy has to offer. Discovering all of the country’s hidden treasures and being able to share those treasures with customers are important elements. Another aspect of the research will be in the different cultures customers will encounter on their tours. With the research conducted, Moto-Europe Tours will be able to share knowledge with customers in order to give them a more enriched cultural experience. The development strategy is based upon the different tour routes the company can provide. The information derived from the research is used to develop the different culture-filled tours. Development strategy will also play an important role for customers who have specific requirements that they would like in their tours. The responsibility lies on Moto-Europe Tours to develop a tour that will meet the specific requirements of customers. Any new tour that is developed allows for more options to choose from. In research and development, one key element to keep in mind is the safety factor of the tours the company designs. Since all tours are conducted on motorcycles, the type of terrain and weather conditions must be taken into consideration. Moto-Europe Tours’ priority is the safety of its customers and employees. Ethics Moto-Europe Tours is a service-oriented company dealing with many small town entrepreneurs. When dealing with ethics there are many situations that might occur in the course of daily business. The company must be careful with whom it does business and with employees who may be tempted by greed in putting the company at risk. The first area that tests the company’s ethics is the choice of alliances with a hotel and restaurant. When entering a small town, all the local businesses want to gain more business and are willing to do almost any thing to get it. Moto-Europe Tours needs to be careful that it is not bribed by other businesses so that the company can remain clean. One possible situation is when a hotel and restaurant offer money in exchange for business. They could also offer a free room or meal for Moto-Europe Tours’ employees if the company uses the hotel and restaurant. While these offers are not blatantly unethical they could lead to a company culture that suggests that taking bribes are permissible. The goal of negotiations with the hotels and restaurants is to develop a good standing partnership and relationship. As a developed company in a new area, Moto-Europe Tours does not want to make a bad start. Moto-Europe Tours wants to instill the morals and ethics that have developed the company into what it is today. Tour services will include visiting and frequenting small, tightly knit communities of rural Italy. It is expected that when entering these small communities there will be some sort of collaboration amongst business owners to inflate prices. This effort will be relatively unknown to Moto-Europe Tours because it will broad in scope that includes members of the community. Upon entering a community, Moto-Europe Tours hopes that its native Italian employees will be able to curtail the inflation and negotiate fair prices for the company and its customers. As a foreign company coming to a diverse and established country, Moto-Europe Tours will rely heavily on its employees and their knowledge. Moto-Europe Tours will screen and pick very carefully the tour guides because they are the heart and soul of the company’s operation. Another ethical area involves the maintenance of the company’s motorcycles. Many mechanics and auto body shops have been caught in scandals due to the unethical nature of their business and employees. This trend could lead to an extensive liability for Moto-Europe Tours and the company needs to protect its business and customers. The company’s goal is to never harm quality with regard to maintenance and any safety issue by economizing. Moto-Europe Tours will hire well-respected mechanics to perform routine maintenance on the motorcycles. An alternative is to transfer a respected employee from the U. S. operation to the new company in Italy. Safety is a key ethical factor for the company and its customers that requires the greatest care and attention. Moto-Europe Tours will procure safety equipment that meets the highest standards set by any organization or country. Italy has very similar motorcycle laws to that of the U. S. Helmets are required for riders in Italy and company policy will also require riding gear for all motorcyclists. Another safety precaution will be to delay trips due to inclement weather. Moto-Europe Tours will not endanger the lives of its customers or the integrity of the company by goading motorcyclists to ride in treacherous conditions. Although this decision will cost the company money if bad weather results in a trip being canceled, the decision would be an ethical one and also the right thing to do. Marketing Plan A marketing strategy provides a big picture of what a firm can do in a specific market. When creating a marketing strategy, a firm must identify a target market and a related marketing mix. A target market is â€Å"a group of similar customers to whom a firm wishes to appeal,† and a marketing mix is â€Å"the controllable variables the company puts together to satisfy this target group† (Perreault McCarthy, 2005, p. 36). Focusing on specific target customers can help a firm develop a marketing mix that satisfies those customers’ specific needs better than another firm, thereby making a firm less likely to face direct competitors (Hill, 2005). Moto-Europe Tours’ marketing mix will combine the beautiful landscape and culture of Italy with a comfortable and reliable motorcycle. The team has analyzed the market and etermined that many bike enthusiasts want to explore the country side of Italy and have the freedom to roam at their own pace. This is the reason why the company is marketing its services as a small group guided tour that will enable groups to determine where and when they want to go. Moto-Europe Tours is a guide service, but guests a re not required to adhere to a set agenda. The company will work with its guests before they arrive and plan specialized and specific tour destinations prior to their arrival. This personalized service offers an attention that customers can get nowhere else. Moto-Europe Tours prides itself in providing a sense of temporary Italian citizenship to customers during their tours. The company also knows that true bikers desire a certain image. The inventory and selection of bikes will offer all types of images. The company offers custom bikes, designs and the production bike that just hit the market that some customer may have always wanted to ride. The bikes all have low mileage and are magnificently maintained to industry standards. Moto-Europe Tours believes that bike maintenance is a key factor in the customers’ enjoyment. The company’s inventory is so wide that it can provide a bike that will feel just like the bike customers left at home. These bikes will take them on an Italian tour that cannot be experienced from the seat of a car or tour bus. The only way to experience the heart of Italy is by riding on a motorcycle with Moto-Europe Tours. The company has decided that the best place to do business and promote its service would be through the Web. The company has designed multiple webpage themes and ideas for the business and will determine which is best suited for the company. The only way to truly depict the beauty and intrigue of Italy would be through visually stimulating pictures on such a webpage. This will entice and encourage potential customers to book a trip to Italy with Moto-Europe Tours. Moto-Europe Tours will also use the international motorcycle magazine community to promote the service. The company knows that the majority of motorcycle enthusiasts read or subscribes to such a magazine. The company’s advertisements will introduce enthusiasts to Moto-Europe Tours’ service. Once they see the ads, they will be prompted to call the customer service phone number or visit the website for more information. The most important promotion technique that Moto-Europe Tours hopes to develop would be the word-of-mouth feature. The company’s goal is to provide customers with such an eye-opening and awe-inspiring experience that they will share and promote the tour services. In such a service industry, the only way to gain national recognition is through the receipt of awards and the only way to be nominated for such awards is through customers’ nominations. In promoting the company’s services, customers are Moto-Europe Tours’ most important assets. If Moto-Europe Tours provides them with the ultimate vacation and service, then they will extend the ultimate award, which is praise. When determining the pricing strategy, an overview of the local competition is necessary. For example, Le Volpe Ciccione SRL offers motorcycle tours in Italy with a price range of Euro 1,657, which is equivalent to $2,187, for a 10-day tour (Le Volpe Ciccione SRL, n. d. ; Yahoo! Inc. , 2006). Le Volpe Ciccione SRL offers the following (Le Volpe Ciccione SRL): 10-day motorcycle rental and helmets Unlimited mileage Saddle bags and back case depending on model 10-day/9-night accommodation in selected country inns Road book and general map of the area Assistance Moto-Europe Tours plans to offer a two-day motorcycle tour for Euro 200. The one variable that will set the company apart will be customer service. Moto-Europe Tours will begin strategic negotiations with hotels, restaurants and local transportation carriers to extend better pricing to customers so that the company can be profitable. Financial Projections In order to evaluate the profitability and financing needs of the global venture, a financial plan is developed for Moto-Europe Tours. As shown in Figures 1 through 4, financial projections are prepared for the first three years of operations. The parent company will invest Euro 52,000 and will also finance a Euro 468,000 note carried by Moto-Europe Tours. The investment and financing will be used to start the business, lease the office space, and lease and purchase motorcycles. The business venture will prove to be highly profitable since the Euro 52,000 investment will yield in three years a net present value of Euro 610,315 at a 10% discount rate. Figure 1: Figure 2: Figure 3: Figure 4: Financial Overview Italy has been experiencing an underperforming economy due to its massive budget deficits and public debt (U. S. Department of State, n. d. ). On the other hand, Italy welcomes foreign investment, which is an ideal situation for Moto-Europe Tours to expand its services, and Italy does not tax the repatriation of profits generated through an Italian permanent establishment (The Heritage Foundation, 2006; Sviluppo Italia, 2004). Although bank sources of financing in Italy may be a viable option, it seems that the country’s excessive bureaucracy makes domestic financing a better alternative. As previously mentioned, the parent company will provide the necessary financing for Moto-Europe Tours. A capital budgeting analysis also evaluates the viability and profitability of the company’s global business venture. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, all possible variables are taken into consideration. As a result, the analysis reveals that the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) is 220% with a Pay Back Time (PB) of less than two years. The business also becomes profitable in two years. Therefore, the burn rate shows that the new business will be spending its capital initially but reporting positive cash flow in two years. The financial viability of the business venture indicates a high profitability. Figure 5: Figure 6: Governance Plan Operational Feedback Moto-Europe Tours is a wholly owned subsidiary of Moto-America Tours. As such, it ultimately has to answer to its parent company for its progress. The CEO of Moto-Europe Tours directly reports to the CEO of Moto-America as to the strategy, direction and budget of Moto-Europe Tours. A Steering Committee will be formed from individuals throughout the organization to provide insight, expertise and research to aid in the company’s direction. During the forming stage of the company, the committee will meet weekly to explore alternative options, discuss problems and potential roadblocks, and successes. The head of the Steering Committee will report the results of the meeting to the CEO of Moto-Europe Tours. At some point to be determined, meetings will be held on a monthly rather than a weekly basis. A second set of meetings will take place among the department heads, including the CFO, to ensure adherence to the timeline set for the development of the company and to make sure that the budget is being followed. At these meetings, requests for additional resources may be addressed. Command and Control Mechanisms The Internet Technology Department will be a crucial component to all departments within Moto-Europe Tours. The company will operate in two countries; so effective communication is essential. Software will be purchased or developed to control and monitor sales, accounting, cartography, marketing, policies and procedures, and human resources. Within the Sales Department, a Pipeline Report will be utilized to track quoting and sales activities. The report will be tailored by the Sales Manager, so he or she will be able to see closing ratios by the department and individual, referral sources, type of tour ordered, tour dates and length of tour. This report will serve as a tool to determine an individual’s sales productivity, trends in types and lengths of tours, and seasonal issues. Ultimately, operational control will be a â€Å"top-down† structure. However, it will be imperative that the voices at the â€Å"bottom† be heard as those individuals will be in direct contact will clients, business partners and the Italian community. For example, if Moto-America Tours were to pursue using U. S. -made Harley Davidson motorcycles without sound muffling baffolds, the CEO must understand the implication that will have on the community. Especially in small communities, locals do not want their peaceful lives interrupted by U. S. citizens coming in. Moto-Europe Tours’ position is to have its clients become temporary Italians, not to turn Italians into tourists in their own country. Administrative Practices Human Resources will be responsible for drafting the Administrative Practices or the company based on the administrative practice of the parent company Moto-America tours. Any differences in general administrative practices will need to be approved by the CEO, and possibly the CFO. One of the functions of a Department Manager will be to draft policies and procedures, which are specific to that department. These policies and procedures must be posted on the Intranet to be accessible to all employees within that department. Another form of administrative practice will take place in the form of e-business. Although in the U. S. e-business is growing at a rapid pace, some of the countries in the EU, such as Italy, France, Spain, Finland, Greece and Slovenia, have been slow to respond. As a result, no major legal issues have been raised with these countries restricting trade or business operations (European Communities, 2004). Since the majority of Moto-Europe Tours’ clientele will be from the U. S. , e-business is readily used and its implementation is on the rise. This will enable the sales and marketing staff easy communication and booking capabilities. According to a study done by the European E-Business Support Network, the lack of use of e-business is due to national restrictions, not international restrictions. The national restrictions are from the local business owners’ lack of understanding of general business and legal issues rather than from e-business itself (European Communities, 2004). Centralized versus Decentralized Organization Due to economies of scale, certain business functions will remain at the U. S. headquarters of Moto-America Tours. Additional accounting and sales staff in the U. S. will be added under the direction of Moto-Europe Tours. Since office space, qualified applicants and general infrastructure are in place in the U. S. , there will be certain unnecessary redundancies. Marketing and sales within the U. S. will utilize technology in order to enable regional marketing representatives to be home-based, but will require travel within their assigned region. In the host country, an IT department would need to exist to monitor and maintain issues specific to hardware, software, internet security and virus protection. Clients will have hardware that they will utilize during their vacation, including a satellite phone system and a GPS. Staff would need to be able to make repairs on site, or deliver replaced equipment to the client within 24 hours. IT would also work with operations in the U. S. to facilitate communications between the two countries. The following is an example of Moto-Europe Tours’ organizational structure: *Position based in the U. S. **Positions in the U. S. and Italy Timeline The implementation of the business venture will span six months. As shown in Figure 7, the implementation will start with the establishing of the budget. Then, business relationships and a joint venture will be developed followed by the leasing of office space and motorcycles and the new hires. Finally, tours will be sold with the first tour date scheduled. Figure 7: Exit Strategies In the event the need arises for Moto-Europe Tours to exit its business out of Italy, the company will entertain two exit strategy options. The capital investments in Italy will be relatively low consisting of a small amount of office space, motorcycles, GPS and satellite phones. The lack of significant capital resources will facilitate the liquidation of assets. The second option would be to hand over the business to the joint venture partner. This decision would be the germane exit strategy choice for Moto-Europe Tours. A hotel can continue the business of offering motorcycle tours to customers after Moto-Europe Tours leaves Italy. The opportunity will open for the company to move its services to a nearby country. The decision to divest the business assets and hand them over to the joint venture should raise about Euro 750,000 for Moto-Europe Tours. Italy, with its very rich history and culture, made great contributions to the world, especially since Europe’s Renaissance period began in Italy. The country is known for its fine arts and fine food. Literary achievements, the musical influence of Italian composers, the painting, sculpture and architecture contributed by artistic giants such as da Vinci, along with modern artists and designers, make Italy a memorable and exciting country to explore (Kwintessential, n. d. ). References Business Italia. (2005). Ministero dell’Economia e delle Finanze. Retrieved December 9, 2006, from: http://businessitalia. finanze. it/inglese/ CIA. (2006). Italy. The World Factbook. Retrieved December 8, 2006, from: https://www. cia. gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/it. html European Communities. (2004, April 26). Legal barriers in e-business: The results of an open consultation of enterprises. Commission Staff Working Paper. Retrieved December 15, 2006, from: http://ec. europa. eu/enterprise/ict/policy/doc/legal_barriers_sec_2004_498. pdf Ibid. (2006). European Commission. Retrieved December 11, 2006, from: http://ec. europa. u/index_en. htm Eurostat. (n. d. ). Structural indicators. Retrieved December 2, 2006, from: http://epp. eurostat. ec. europa. eu/portal/page? _pageid=1133,47800773,1133_47802558_dad=portal_schema=PORTAL The Heritage Foundation. (2006). Italy. 2006 Index of Economic Freedom. Retrieved December 30, 2006, from: heritage. org/research/features/index/country. cfm? id=Italy Hill, C. W. L. (2005). International business: Compe ting in the global marketplace (5th ed. ). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Industry Canada. (2006). International Market Research Reports. Retrieved December 2, 2006, from: http://strategis. ic. gc. ca/epic/internet/inimr-ri. nsf/en/gr107127e. html Klancnik, R. V. (2002, September 9). A year after 11-S: climbing towards recovery. Newsroom. 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