Motives, Triggers And Barriers To Internationalization

Motives, Triggers And Barriers To Internationalization In general, internationalization occurs when the company expand its business activities into foreign markets. There might be several reasons for this. Of course, the most frequent reason is to expand profits, but this is not the only one. The motives and triggers for internationalization are a key concept for firms that are planning to enter the global market since both concepts will shape the internationalization strategy or path (Äijà ¶ et al) and main characteristics of this process. Table 2 and Table 3 present the main motives and triggers. If the main reason to start exporting is to increase profits and growth, the potential new markets will be those where the competition is less fierce and margins can be set on a higher level. If the goal is to reduce costs by expanding the economies of scale, the target countries might be anyone, independent of the profit level that the company can achieve there as long as there are positive. If the fierce competition in the local market is the driver to star exporting, then the foreign market will be determined as a defensive strategy mainly by forces external to the firm. Another crucial concept is the barriers hindering the export initiation. If any one of this factors or a combination of them is available in the firms context, it may hold back the internationalization of the firm for a long period or even forever. According to Hollensen (2008), the critical factors hindering internationalization initiation are mainly internal. Table 4 summarizes these barriers. In the Day Chocolate case, and based on the general information analysed and on the company history, it will be assumed that the primary motive to start the internationalization process is to increase profits and to grow in revenue. In addition, some foreign market opportunities could be considered as a motive. On the other hand, Competitive Pressure as a reactive motive could also have been stated, but it does not seem the main one according to the information analysed. The Day Chocolate is a small company and usually the firms that react to competitive pressures are larger than they are. Furthermore, Days revenue and market share are increasing according to companies figures, so the competitive pressure is not really a problem yet. The rest of the motives in Table 2 were discarded after a careful examination. The main trigger found in the The Day Chocolate case can be the Perceptive management. The company management is highly professional, includes people with many different backgrounds and the fact that the headquarters are in London -a well known international financial and trade centre- provides another good reason to support this interpretation. The second trigger might be the Importing as inward internationalization. Although the products and the headquarters are I the United Kingdom, the production facilities are located in Germany and the final product is exported from there to the U.K., according to the BBC[19]. The knowledge accumulated by importing the product from one European country to England can be used to make easy the export process to any other European nation. In order to be able to answer the question regarding to which country they should go (export or invest in) it is assumed that no barriers hindering the export initiation exists or that if they exist, they are preventable at an affordable cost. It can also be assumed that these barriers will not stop the internationalization of the firm but rather slow the velocity at which the company expands abroad. 2.5.2. Strategic approach to internationalization Once it has become clear that the firm can, needs or wants to export or expand their operations abroad, there is a need of knowing how and where to go. In order to answer these questions it is necessary to have a framework to guide the analysis. For The Day Chocolate case the guidebook presented in Internationalization Handbook by Äijà ¶ (Äijà ¶ et al. 2005) was the most appropriated. This structure is presented in Figure 5. According to Äijà ¶ the first part (Part I) in Figure 5 is the selection of the appropriate Internationalization Path. In his book, he presents three typical pathways that the internationalization process of a software firm may take, but his steps and conclusions can also be expand to any firm in the confectionery market like Days chocolate. This area under discussion is also the same as the one that Hollensen refers as Internationalization theories or models in the third chapter of his book Essentials of Global Marketing. For the purpose of this work, the 3 pathways presented by Äijà ¶ can also be increase with the many other presented by Hollensen. Among many models, paths or theories, the most well known are the one presented in Table 5. Based on Days corporate webpage statistics and from private sector publications[20], like Tranchell Doherty, it can be assumed that the company started it internationalization process by choosing an Organic growth path. The timeline on the firms webpage confirms that Devines management decided to begin their operations abroad in markets that are very close in location but also in culture and institutions like the United States and that the internationalization process has been taking place in small but incremental steps. The size of the company and the market where it operates also support this view. In contrast with what happens with large companies, where the internationalization process happens in a relatively continuous and incremental fashion, for SMEs (like The Day Chocolate) in general this process is made in small incremental steps. According to Hollensen, usually for SMEs the internationalization process is relatively discrete and every project is distinct and individual. The fact that the company operates in the confectionery industry and not in the IT sector, among other facts, is also a good reason for not considering this firm chocolate as a born global company. Freeman (2002) also states that for Small and Medium Enterprises managers tend to gather and look for relevant knowledge and information before becoming internationalization ready, which is consistent with Devines history and with the Uppsala model[21]. In 2007, the company took the next step in its internationalization process by setting a foot in the United States market by opening offices there. According to Johanson, and Wiedersheim-Paul (1975) that would have constituted the third stage. 2.5.3. The country choice Once the company has determined the path for internalization, its management needs to start the potential markets selection process (Part II in figure x.1). To address this problem, the screening process detailed in Rugman and Collinson (1995) will be used. 2.5.3.1. First screening: determining what product to offer to the world market This first screening is crucial in determining the potential of the companys goods in markets other than the local. This task can be carried on successfully by using a wide number of market research tools. International trade statistics inspection, competitors financial information analysis and research papers or databases that are offered by international multilateral organizations like FAO, the World Bank and the IMF could be valuable tools as well. In general, chocolate confectionery is offered in all almost the countries of the world. In this sense, initially there are a large number of potential countries where to choose from. However, in this case, the company is selling a very specific product (high quality + socially friendly chocolate) that limits the scope of this first screening. One drawback when dealing with this kind of specific and one-in-a-kind characterized goods is the lack of information or the excessive cost of getting it. A first measure to identify the potential foreign markets for The Day Chocolate would be analysing the world trade evolution of Fair-Trade products. That might help the firms management in recognizing the most active markets for this kind of products. As it is shown in Table 6 and according to the Fairtrade Labelling Organizations (FLO) in 2009 they were many countries showing a dynamic market for this kind of products. Among them, it is necessary to highlight Canada, Finland, Australia and New Zealand where the surge in the transactions was higher that 65% in the first case and about 60% in the other tree cases. Other nations with a remarkable performance were Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Ireland and Sweden. Although the U.K. and the United States presented a performance below the average growth rate of 15%, it is necessary to state that they are still by far the most important markets in volume for organic and fair-traded goods. Regarding the specific case of this companys main product, a NGO -TransFair USA- declare that during 2008 the imports of fair-trade certified cocoa into the U.S. rose at rates of more than 50%.[22] Finally, the genuine potential of every market will be ultimately determined by the interaction with other factors such as socio cultural forces and economic conditions. 2.5.3.2. Second screening: Macroeconomic and financial conditions The last World Economic Outlook report from the International monetary Fund (IMF)[23] clearly shows what to expect for the upcoming years. The developed countries GDP will grow on average 2,5% in 2011, still trying to recover from 2007s financial crisis. The U.S., Germany, and the U.K, together with some developed Asian countries such as South Korea will be presenting above average growth rates. However, some countries like Spain, Italy and France will show a growth rate between 0% and 1%. On the other hand, developing nations are expected to growth on average 6,5%, with Developing Asia and Latin America leading among these regions. From a macroeconomic point of view, the next years are going to be very good ones for most of the developing countries and also for some developed nations. For the purpose of this document, the countries will be segmented in four categories, considering that The Day Chocolate should focus in the short run on those that are not experiencing a recession. Table 7 contains this information. However, the product that they are offering is not a cheap one. It is a premium product and usually the prices are above the average. In this context, the income levels of the consumers are also an important factor to be considered. This is what Rugman Collinson (1995) called the Market intensity. Figure 6 shows the relation between the per capita income level for all developed countries and the expected GDP growth for 2011. As it is shown, there are 1 group that is more desirable for the company. The second quadrant comprises all countries showing both very high income level and high expected level of economic activity. However, the companys management might find also attractive potential markets in countries that do not have a very high level of per capita income, but whichs economies are growing very fast (Quadrant 4). 2.5.3.3. Third screening: Political and Legal forces This step covers the examination of the political and legal forces in every potential market. There might be trade barriers that obstruct the export process or the lack of solid institutions can represent a serious risk in the form of the future losses. One way to detect this serious problems is by addressing to the World Economic Forums (WEF) Global Competitiveness Index (GCI)[24]. This index includes a weighted average of several different components, each one of them measuring a diverse feature of the competitiveness. Those components are grouped into 12 categories or pillars. The first one of these pillars is Institutions. The GCI is calculated for 140 countries and the results are available free of charge. Table 8 presents the most important variables and their weight within the first pillar: Institutions. Table 9 provides some of the results obtained by the WEFs researchers for the 2010/11 index[25]. There it can be seen that the countries with the most stable or trustworthy are in general also those with a higher level of economic development. 2.5.3.4. Forth screening: socio-cultural forces A multinational corporation or a company desiring to become one should examine the main social and cultural disparities between the potential market and the home country. The concepts of cultural distance and psychological distance as presented in Hollensen (2008) have the potential of disturbing the normal flow between the foreign market and the company. Language, religion, work habits, ethnicity, age and many other socio-cultural factors may influence the decision regarding where to locate the operations. Maps 1 and 2 illustrate this theory by presenting the world distribution of the main religions and of the English speaking nations. For The Day Chocolate to avoid problems generated by cultural distance it will be recommended to establish operations or to export to anglo-saxon countries, like former British colonies or commonthwealth nations. Other european nations, specially those from German and Nordic origins, might be suitable in this first stage of internationalization. In a future stage, and after reducing these distances by means of the learning process, the firm might also attempt to gain a foot in more culturally distant markets. Focus groups activities and consumer surveys can help the firm in determining the main differences and similarities between the foreign market and the headquarters values and culture. 2.5.3.5. Fifth screening: Competitive enviroment This last stage of the analysis focuses on the competitive forces. Confronted with comparable and equally desirable potential markets, the firms tend to internationalize to those where the competition is less ferocious. The lack of competition can provide the company with some degree of monopolistic power that might have the power to increase the earnings. In the case analyzed, there were detected many new actors entering into the market in the last years, also some big players in the industry like Nestle and Cadbury are making efforts to tap this fast growing segment[26]. Despite these facts, competition is still not a barrier in most of the national markets analysed. Special attention should be paid to Germany, Switzerland and Austria, where several small and medium local producers have a long lasting tradition manufacturing chocolate products of world recognized quality[27]. 2.5.3.6. Final selection According to The Day Chocolates website, the firm currently operates in 11 markets. In the U.K.[28] and in the United States, the company has direct control over its business. In the rest of the countries, they rely on other companies, which are in charge of the distribution channels (Canada, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, Denmark, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Japan). Trough the screening process and its five stages many countries were considered as potential new markets: Finland, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, South Korea, Germany, Switzerland and Romania. Germany and Switzerland were discarded mainly because of the competitive environment and in second place because some possible cultural distance. South Korea was finally not considered fundamentally because the huge cultural distance and also because the physical distance. Due to the market size and growth projections, the chocolate per capita consumption[29], the similarities in the socio-cultural environments, the reliable legal and political framework, the expected friendly competitive context this document concludes that The Day Chocolates management should make an effort to analyse in more detail the potential of the following new markets: Australia, Finland, Belgium and New Zealand.

Impact of Interprofessional Working on Service Users

Impact of Interprofessional Working on Service Users The purpose of interprofessional education is to allow students from multiple health care disciplines learn together in the same learning environment, gaining a greater understanding of each disciplines roles and contributions. Barwell, Arnold and Berry (2013) points out that interprofessional learning has shown to create teams that work together more effective and improve patient’s experience. This essay is aimed at discussing how service user’s experiences are influenced by interprofessional working. Furthermore, it will critically analyse how increase knowledge of other professional roles, service-user centred care (SUCC) and hierarchy influences the care received by service users (SU). An interprofessional working is defined as the relationship between two or more professionals working together, combining their skills and knowledge to provide quality, individualised care for patients (Nancarrow et al, 2013). In order to optimise the health care and well-being of the SU, health care professionals must work together to achieve the best possible outcomes. This is further supported by Department of health (2010) stating that, to optimise the care of the SU, successful interprofessional working is essential. According to Bridges et al (2011), elements of interprofessional working include; responsibility, coordination, accountability, communication, cooperation, assertiveness, autonomy and mutual trust and respect. This is the partnership that creates an interprofessional team designed to work on common goals to improve SU’s outcomes and experience. However, Robertson (2011) accentuated that, if there is no interprofessional working between health care professionals it can results in lack of coordination, poor communication with SU, increased lengths of stay in the hospital, increased service costs and death. As revealed in tragedy associated with the death of Victoria Climbie and Peter Connelly (Baby P), ineffective team work and poor communication among health care professionals contributed to the care experienced by SU. For this reason, the Lord Laming led inquiry (2003) emphasised the need for health care professionals to work together more effectively to improve service user’s health and well-being. SU are people who use health and social services, or who are potential user of health and social care services (Essen, 2010). SUCC is fundamental as it involves putting patients and their families at the heart of all decisions as suggested by De Silva (2014). Putting SU at the centre of their care will enhance emotional well-being and increase sense of SU empowerment and self-esteem. Similarly, Kelly, Vottero Christie-McAuliffe (2014) highlighted that interprofessional teams establishes a partnership between SU and their families to ensure decisions respects SU needs and preferences. This has the potential to improve SU satisfaction with their care as well as their clinical outcomes. Hence, providing reassurance, making SU more informed, providing support, comfort, acceptance and confidence are the basic functions of SUCC (Longtin et al, 2010). Although there is an agreement to Longtin et al (2010) and Kelly, Vottero Christie-McAuliffe (2014) evidence, however it has been argued that overwork and staff shortages are the main barriers to SUCC observed in the practical setting (PelZang, 2010). Likewise, West, Barron and Reeves (2011) study found sample of nurses working in 20 acute London hospitals were asked to complete a postal questionnaire based on a prototype employee survey established in the United States and adapted by the authors for the use in the United Kingdom. According to their findings, nurses are aware that there are deficits in standards of care in areas that are mainly important to patients. Their result found that 64% feel overworked and report that they do not have enough time for SU and their relatives. The heavy workload also reduces the time spent by nurses collaborating and communicating with other professionals, which can have a direct effect on patient’s safety. Furthermore, Dunn (2003) identified that lack of time, wisdom and motivation acts as barriers to SUCC. Owing to time and staff constraints, health professionals do not often sit with their patients, and when they do, they often listen to their concerns hurriedly (Buerhaus et al, 2006). This can be seen as one of the leading causes of poor communication and information and was linked to poor care and ineffective treatment outcome. Effective and efficient communication in interprofessional working is critical for the provision of high quality care (Mitchell et al, 2012). Epstein and Street (2011) articulated that patient values good communication, want to share in decisions and be treated with empathy and compassion. Besides, a shortage of staff results to rituals and routines of practice which hinder the development of SUCC in the hospital. PelZang (2010) added that, even in health care practices where SUCC is valued, the need for caring for many patients at a time can undermine profe ssional’s ability to provide physical and emotional support and respect for their SU preferences. Various research has found that SUCC improve the experience SU have of care and help them feel more satisfied, reduce how often people use services which will in turn reduce the overall cost of care, encourage people to lead more healthy lifestyles, such as exercising and eating healthier, improve SU knowledge, confidence and understanding in dealing with their health problems, ultimately, improving how confident and satisfied professionals feels about care provided (Adams, Maben and Roberts, 2014, Tsianakas et al, 2012, Eaton and Roberts, 2015). However, despite the significant of the positive outcomes of SUCC, Weinberg, Cooney-Miner, Perloff, Babington and Avgar (2011) noted that decision-making in interprofessional health-care teams is often hierarchical rather than collaborative. The authors recognised that those at the top have the greatest influence. This is in agreement with the views of Daniel and Rosenstein (2008) who mentioned that hierarchy differences can come into play and diminish the collaborative interactions needed to ensure that the proper treatment are delivered appropriately. Hence, this is detrimental to the delivery of SU care, consequently limiting SU from decision making regarding their care. Eisler and Potter (2014) emphasised on the need to avoid the negative influence of hierarchy on the quality of care delivered to SU as all members of the teams including the SU and relatives must participate in decision making and planning, so as to propel team work that will move the team forward for the best int erest of the SU. It is essential that health-care professional’s work together with SU and share knowledge, this way team members can contribute to a healthy work environment where all team members including SU feel empowered, engaged and respected (Fund, ‎2012). Working with other professionals is part of day-day practice in health and social care (Day, 2013). Within a team collaboration is only truly gained when everyone is working towards common goals, with a shared understanding of the means to reach them (Sheehan, Robertson, and Ormond, 2007). This has to be based on mutual trust and respect between team members, understanding, recognising and valuing each other’s skills and values endorsing what each member contributes to the team (Mitchell et al, 2012). Hence, in order to have a successful interprofessional practice, each team must agree to individual roles and responsibilities and have knowledge of other professional roles (Sutter et al, 2009). Interprofessional teams are established to meet the needs of SU (McDonalds et al, 2010). In order to provide the most effective and comprehensive service users care, team member must develop and maintain readiness to utilize the knowledge and skill of the interprofessional team members (Brdiges et al, 2011). McDonalds et al (2010) further discussed that; all health team members must have an understanding of the knowledge and skills that each team member can contribute in a given situation. Spaholt (2012) agreed to this and stated when health care professionals understand each other’s role and able to communicate and work together effectively, SU are more likely to receive safe quality care. Thus this will allow members of the team to be able determine who is best-suited to implement any given intervention that is required for effective SU’s care. Although Spaholt (2012) evidence was important, however the limitation of this study is the size of the sample was small whic h affected the generalizability of the study to larger population. Nevertheless, Kanaga Prestridge (2011) argued that, when roles and responsibilities are not clearly understood by team members, there is potential for essential tasks to be overlooked or duplicated. They further recognized that role overlap has been noted to exist in interprofessional care. McDonalds et al (2010) supports the argument of Kanaga and Prestridge(2011) evidence and stated that, when team members belongs to professions that are similar in terms of analysis, implementation, planning and evaluation of SU’s care, overlapping professional skills that lead to conflict and tension among member of the interprofessional team occur. Indeed Hartmann and Crume (2014) expressed that conflicts among member of the team can adversely have an impact on SU’s care and experience. So, to avoid this tension and conflict, health care team members should develop competence in recognising the skills which they can contribute to the team, as well as the knowledge and skills that o ther members of the team possess (Caldwell and Atwal, 2008). Pellat (2007) emphasised that, when a team member see other team members as having similar or overlapping roles, team members should clearly designate the professional who will assume responsibility for that aspect of care on behalf of the team. This will save time and effort for the team members and avoid frustration for the SU as long as findings are communicated efficiently among members of the team (McDonalds et al, 2010). In conclusion, SU’s care and outcomes are improved by effective collaboration and joint working between professions. Conversely, it is important to note that poor interprofessional collaboration can greatly have a huge impact on the quality of SU’s care. Thus skills in working as an interprofessional team, gained through interprofessional education are essential for high quality care. Undertaking this essay and participation in the interprofessional learning has allowed student to gain a clearer understanding of the importance of interprofessional working in improving SU’s clinical outcomes and experience.

My Family :: Personal Narrative essay about myself

Have you ever been influenced by some important person that helped you be the person that you are today? I have been. The people that have had influence on me are the most important humans beings, my family. But before I begin talking about my family, I want to describe to you the place that we spend most of the time together which also means something important to me and my family. This place is called the family room. This room is small but cozy. It is painted in white and has three windows decorated with beautiful curtains. By the windows you can appreciate a nice view of some beautiful trees and a nice pool. On the walls there are some family photos like the ones that show where my brothers and I were born, my graduation photo, some family members photos like my grandparents, and some paintings made by one of my brothers. Also inside this room there is a nice home theater that includes a nice stereo and TV, and a new compact computer. But this is not all, this room has some very comfortable furniture and I can say that they are comfortable because I use them to watch TV, a movie, or just sit and rest. Also the furniture is used by my brothers to sit and play nitendo, to study, or play with the computer. But from all this furniture there is one chair that is the most cozy chair that I have ever sat upon and that is my father's chair. So this is our room, which is very important to us and has a lot of special things, but the most special part of this room is when it brings my family together. I could begin the book of my life with a picture of my parents. They are important because they helped in my development. Also, they gave me the things that I needed to grow up in the moment that I needed and they still gave me everything that I needed to become somebody in the future. Among these things is the education that I have received all in my life, my basic needs like food, clothes, medicine, a place to live, and the most important thing, the love. Like for example, by being there when I needed somebody to talk to and giving me speeches when I do something wrong.

Christian Thoughts :: essays research papers

LONG AGO, or maybe not so long ago, there was a tribe in a dark, cold cavern. The cave dwellers would huddle together and cry against the chill. Loud and long they wailed. It was all they did. It was all they knew to do. The sounds in the cave were mournful, but the people didn’t know it, for had never known life. But then, one day, they heard a different voice. â€Å"I have heard your cries,† it announced. â€Å"I have felt your chill and seen your darkness. I have come to help.† The cave people grew quiet. They had never heard this voice. Hope sounded strange to their ears. â€Å"How can we know you have come to help?† â€Å"Trust me,† he answered. â€Å"I have what you need.† The cave people peered through the darkness at the figure of the stranger. He was stacking something, then stooping and stacking more. â€Å"What are you doing?† one cried, nervous. The stranger didn’t answer. â€Å"What are you making?† one shouted even louder. Still no response. â€Å"Tell us!† demanded a third. The visitor stood and spoke in the direction of the voices. â€Å"I have what you need.† With that he turned to the pile at his feet and lit it. Wood ignited, flames erupted, and light filled the cavern. The cave people turned away in fear. â€Å"Put it out!† they cried. â€Å"It hurts to see it.† â€Å"Light always hurts before it helps,† he answered. â€Å"Step closer. The pain will soon pass.† â€Å"Not I,† declared a voice. â€Å"Nor I,† agreed a second. â€Å"Only a fool would risk exposing his eyes to such light.† The stranger stood next to the fire. â€Å"Would you prefer the darkness? Would you prefer the cold? Don’t consult your fears. Take a step of faith.† For a long time no one spoke. The people hovered in groups covering their eyes. The firebuilder stood next to the fire. â€Å"It’s warm here,† he invited. â€Å"He’s right,† one from behind him announced. â€Å"It’s warmer.† The stranger turned and saw a figure slowly stepping toward the fire. â€Å"I can open my eyes now,† she proclaimed. â€Å"I can see.† â€Å"Come closer,† invited the fire builder. She did. She stepped into the ring of light. â€Å"It’s so warm!† She extended her hands and sighed as her chill began to pass. â€Å"Come, everyone! Feel the warmth,† she invited. â€Å"Silence, woman!† cried one of the cave dwellers. â€Å"Dare you lead us into your folly? Leave us and take your light with you.† She turned to the stranger. â€Å"Why won’t they come?

Essay example --

Gender: Women and Men in Society between Hinduism and Islam A gender role can be defined as a set of social and behavioral norms that are generally considered appropriate for either a man or a woman in a social or interpersonal relationship. There are differences of opinion as to which observed differences in behavior and personality between genders are entirely due to innate personality of the person and which are due to cultural or maybe even social factors, and the product of socialization, or to what extent gender differences are due to biological and physiological differences. I believe there are more differences between gender women and men in society between Hinduism and Islam. The reason I believe there are more differences it going into more concrete details for Hinduism roles than the Islamic roles for men and women in society. Society in Hinduism follow the law of Karma. I believe in karma and that if you do something wrong it’s going to come back and you will have something worse happen to you. Muhammad described the high status of mothers in both of the major hadith Collections (Bukhari and Muslim). One account is: "A man asked the Prophet: 'Whom should I honor most?' The Prophet replied: 'Your mother'. 'And who comes next?' asked the man. The Prophet replied: 'Your mother'. 'And who comes next?' asked the man. The Prophet replied: 'Your mother!’ 'And who comes next?' asked the man. The Prophet replied: 'Your father.' In the Islam religion, their primary role played by women are to be mothers, and mothers are considered the most important part of the family. A well- known hadith of the prophet says: "I asked the Prophet who has the greatest right over a man, and he said, 'His mother'". While a woman is consider... ...in the public sphere. Women must primarily fulfill marital and maternal responsibilities, whereas men are financial and administrative stewards of their families. Although the Qur'an views women and men to be equal in human dignity, this spiritual or ethical equality has not been reflected in most Muslim laws. For example, women do not have equal rights to make independent decisions about choice of (marriage) partner, getting a divorce and custody of their children In conclusion, I think the Hinduism let’s their women be more open to the culture. The Law of Manu made these Laws to keep social order in the society. People were divided in four casts based on the work they do. However everyone had a choice to choose his career (work). Hinduism follow the law of Karma because they also believe something bad could happen to them if they don’t follow of the law of Karma.

General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level

READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST If you have been given an Answer Booklet, follow the instructions on the front cover of the Booklet. Write your Centre number, candidate number and name on all the work you hand in. Write in dark blue or black pen. Do not use staples, paper clips, highlighters, glue or correction fluid. NB: Remember that Section 1 and Section 2 of this paper are worth the same number of marks, so you should divide your time carefully between them. Answer both Section 1 and Section 2. At the end of the examination, fasten all your work securely together.This document consists of 3 printed pages and 1 blank page. DC (CW) 45353/2  © UCLES 2012 [Turn over 2 Section 1: Directed Writing You are advised to write between 200 and 300 words. Total marks for this part: 30. Task Your best friend, who is a popular member of your class and the captain of the sports club, is leaving your school to move overseas. On your friend’s last day at school you have been asked by your t eacher, Mr. Johnson, to make a speech to your classmates wishing your friend goodbye and good luck.Write your speech. You must include the following: †¢ †¢ †¢ the name of your riend and where your friend is going why your friend is moving what you and your classmates will miss about your friend. Cover all three points above in detail. You should make sure your speech is friendly and contains wishes for a successful future. Start your speech, ‘Mr. Johnson and friends†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢  © UCLES 2012 1123/11/M/J/12 3 Section 2: Creative Writing Begin your answer on a fresh page. Write on one of the following topics. At the head of your essay put the number of the topic you have chosen. You are advised to write between 350 and 500 words.Total marks for this part: 30. 1 Describe some of the different members of the crowd present at an entertainment event. (Remember that you are describing the people and not telling the story of the event. ) 2 ‘Young people shoul d obey their elders without question. ’ What is your view? 3 Write a story which includes the sentence: ‘You want me to lead the group but I don’t think I have the right qualities. ’ 4 Promises. 5 Write about an occasion when a group of neighbours turned against a local official.  © UCLES 2012 1123/11/M/J/12 4 BLANK PAGEPermission to reproduce items where third-party owned material protected by copyright is included has been sought and cleared where possible. Every reasonable effort has been made by the publisher (UCLES) to trace copyright holders, but if any items requiring clearance have unwittingly been included, the publisher will be pleased to make amends at the earliest possible opportunity. University of Cambridge International Examinations is part of the Cambridge Assessment Group. Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), which is itself a department of the University of Cambridge.

Life-Based Leadership Principles from Jack Welch Essay

During the hundreds of millions of years of natural evolution on this planet, survival has always been a continuous challenge for living creatures. It has recently to come into light that in the past four million years, there have been scores of human species on the earth, besides us homo sapiens. However, all of these various human-like beings including the Neanderthal man perished in the course of evolution; we humans have outlived all of them. We have emerged as the true survivors. We are the last â€Å"man† standing. However, in the whole history of the world, survival could have never been as tough as it is in today’s world of big business. It is an ever-changing, dizzingly fast-paced, intensely competitive and danger-saturated environment out there. There are many survivors and many winners in this arena, of course. Of all such exceptional people in the recent decades, there is one man who stands out as a celebrated icon of leadership and business success. And it is none other than Jack Welch of GE, arguably the finest CEO in the latter half of the twentieth century. Speaking from a broad perspective, he is not just an exemplary business leader, but a hero, a survivor, a symbol of the triumph of man. Jack Welch is a man who believed that each individual should control his or her own destiny. Welch sums up his conviction thus: â€Å"†Today, I see winning as people defining their objectives and fulfilling them, not being a victim. You define where you want to go, and then you go for it† (Knowledge@Wharton) And from the depth of this belief perhaps sprang the secret of his greatness. Starting from the early Eighties, Jack Welch, CEO of the General Electric Corporation, has led his company through one of the most revolutionary and far-reaching changes ever witnessed in modern business history. Having taken GE with a market capitalization of about $12 billion, Jack Welch turned it into one of the largest and most admired companies in the world, with a market value of about $500 billion, when he stepped down as its CEO 20 years later, in 2000. Although Jack Welch was the legendary leader of a global manufacturing giant noted for its technological might and superiority, he has utilized a very human process to drive change through GE’s vast organization. He honoured the individual above all, and the humanity of the individual. To him, the individual was the pivotal force in bringing about organizational change. And for the major part of his immensely successful career at the helm of GE he relentlessly embraced change. It was change that made GE businesses leaders in their markets, added profitable, productive businesses to GE’s family, and tapped the brains of knowledgeable employees. Welch worked for change, and change worked for him. Jack Welch of course knew how difficult change could be. Nevertheless he viewed change as his only real chance to transform GE into the kind of top-notch competitive enterprise that he wanted it to be. Only through continuously undergoing massive changes, GE could win, and Jack Welch firmly believed in winning. He wanted to be a winner. And winners were not afraid to make changes. However, pursuit of change, empowerment of individuals, and such principles are only part of a broder human-centric principles of successful leadership in which Jack Welch passionately believed in. Welch’s original approach to management and leadership, which proved so successful in transforming GE could be summed up unders six heads: Control your destiny, or someone else will. Welch’s first maxim became the title of a semi-autobiographic bestseller that described the revolution at GE. The basic approach that Welch followed to carry out a dramatic revolution at GE was to trust the individual and let him or her believe in their own desitiny. Welsh believed in delegating authority freely, fairly and responsibly, within the company. In a general context, however, while no mere human being can have absolute control over his or her destiny, the point is to take total personal responsibility for one’s own life and actions, and assume intelligent control of the course of things. 2. Face reality as it is, not as it was or as you wish it were. Facing reality is tough. Facing reality means looking directly into suffering, failure, inadequacy of ourselves, others, and the world, something which we human beings are programmed to avoid. When corporations do not face simple realities, however, such as their products costing more to produce and being worthless than those of their competitors, market share and profits drop, the company and its employees suffer. Welch saw all these things happening at GE. Only when we are ready to honestly examine ourselves and acknowledge our shortcomings, will we be able to do anything about them. Acceptance can lead to transformation. 3. Be candid with everyone. Traditional wisdom says that honesty is the best policy. This home-spun truth has great relevance in today’s hyper-modern corporate settings. Welch strove to create an atmosphere at GE where people could effortlessly speak up to somebody â€Å"in authority,† who could then do something about their problems. It is an atmosphere, it is in the air of GE. Welch himself regularly spoke with front-line employees on the plant floor. Welch was equally open to hear both the good and bad things about GE. Honesty, sincerity and candor: they have their own rewards. â€Å"In a bureaucracy, people are afraid to speak out. This type of environment slows you down, and it doesn’t improve the workplace,† says Jack Welch. He therefore calls for promoting a corporate culture that appreciates and rewards honest feedback. â€Å"You reinforce the behaviors that you reward. If you reward candor, you’ll get it. † 4. Don’t manage, lead. Welch abhorred a strictly hierarchical type of management built on the concept of control. To Welch, managers should become leaders who show the way to other people by inpsiring and motivating them. Instead of controlling and exploiting workers, leaders should liberate and empower them. Do not push and pull your employees at every opportunity, gently guide them towards greater possibility. Welch’s leadership philosophy continues to be very simple: empower others, ask questions, tap into the potential of all of your associates, choose integrity and candor over charts, graphs, and politics, and spend more time in action instead of planning and posturing budgets. 5. Change before you have to. That is to say, proactivity. One has to be able to look ahead and predict changes that future is going to necessitate. In the context of a business organization, it is far better to change early those things in a company that need to be changed to stay competitive, when there is still plenty of time, rather than forcibly having to change them later when an adverse reality in form of failure and loss thrusts itself in the face of the organization. Welch was fond of yelling across the table at meetings, â€Å"Change, before it’s too late! † 6. If you don’t have a competitive advantage, don’t compete. Welch often quoted his business maxim that every division at GE had to be â€Å"number one or number two† or get out of that specific business. In the 1980s, Welch was convinced that inflation would soon become rampant thereby slowing down economic growth. The elimination of the old-line businesses was not going to be an easy job in terms of loss of jobs and lowering of morale that it implied. But Welch had to do what he had to do. The â€Å"Number 1 or number 2† philosophy – as ruthless as it sounds – had been critical for GE to grow and survive in the modern world.