Theories and Paradigms of International Business Activity Essay

Theories and Paradigms of International Business Activity - Essay Example Being a master of the ‘rules of the game’ or, more specifically, the rules in the alliances and acquisition entails an ability to navigate, solve and work around these variables otherwise the objective of globalising the organizational operations is doomed to fail. This paper will explain some of the most important variables why forging alliances or partnerships and the acquisition of foreign companies are legitimate and effective strategies. Leveraging Reputation Alliances and acquisition are tools for companies to leverage their brand and their reputation (Kotler and Pfoertsch, 2006, pp.255). For example, when Lenovo acquired IBM’s personal computer (PC) business, the organization was able to enhance its reputation, establishing its own global brand in the process. IBM is a global leader in the technology industry and its products such as the ThinkPad laptop series, enterprise technologies, and other patented technologies are popular the world over and equated w ith quality, premium branding and innovation (Gupta, Wakayama and Rangan, 2012, pp.195). This is explained by the theoretical model called â€Å"springboarding†. The idea is that for companies to effectively expand overseas, it is necessary to design a strategy that is typified by activities that can capitalize on the reputation of others in order to compensate for its absence in the organization, its products and its global brand. It is equivalent to the concept of exporting of goods through â€Å"piggybacking† or taking advantage of the â€Å"carrier†, in order to successfully enter a market, survive in it and claim sizable market share (Gilligan and Hird, 1986, pp.103). â€Å"Springboarding† or â€Å"piggybacking† work during an acquisition and is also achieved when forging alliances with established companies in a location that the organization intends to penetrate. This strategy is more important for companies located in non-traditional FDI co untries. The reason is that these economies do not have well developed institutions as well as a viable domestic market necessary to support an outward expansion. China has recognized this dilemma especially when it took into consideration the fact that it lags behind major global economic players in terms of outward FDI (Taylor 2002 and Zhang and Filippov 2009). What distinguished the country from other non-traditional investing states is the manner by which the country aggressively pursued a policy of internationalisation for its national firms (Bell 2008, pp.254). Favorable business, political and financial landscapes, featuring state support, has lead to a conducive environment that fosters the growth of MNCs. Other developing economies do not have this advantage. That is why there is huge opportunity for MNCs coming from these countries because the strategy allows the high degree of exploitation of the ownership-specific competitive advantages in foreign countries (Luo and Tung , 2007, pp.485). When Lenovo started expanding in Japan, its market share was estimated to be around 5 percent but when the forged an alliance with the Japanese firm NEC, which commenced in January of 2011, the figures

Myth as a Mirror of Conflict and Violence Essay

Myth as a Mirror of Conflict and Violence - Essay Example For the first century and a half of our national existence, our relations with the people of the Middle East were largely beneficent and protective, not withstanding our conflict with the Barbary Pirates in North Africa. But Islamic civilization was on a downward trajectory that could not be arrested. Its social and economic structures, its values, its neglect of education, its lack of scientific curiosity, the indolence of its ruling classes and its inability to produce a single modern state that served its people all guaranteed that, as the West's progress accelerated, the Middle East would fall ever farther behind. The Middle East has itself to blame for its problems. Conflict and violence are common concerns to whether it was the story of Cain Killing Abel, the start of World Wars I and II or the Trojan War and The War of the Spartans. As a result of the influence of myth, these cultures have used violence as a means of resolving conflict. For the myth makes war palatable. It giv es war a logic and sanctity it does not possess. It saves us from peering into the darkest recesses of our own hearts. And this is why we like it. It is why we clamor for myth. The myth is enjoyable, and the press, as is true in every nation that goes to war, is only too happy to oblige. One of the first conflicts known to mankind that resulted to a violent demise was that of Biblical times between two Middle Eastern brothers' Cain and Abel. Cain and Abel were brothers who both developed different attitudes. One brother felt acknowledged more than the other. As a result Cain began to "[grow] hot with anger, and his countenance began to fall which eventually led to him developing a bad heart and cold blooded murder" of his brother Abel (Bias (2006), p. 22). ). In myth "creation is an act of violence" so the myth's perception would have perceived that when Cain and Abel were created they were meant to be created with violent tendencies (Wink, 45). Cain's actions were a result of jealousy and because humans are usually confronted with issues that are out in the open, we sometimes don't want to deal with the issue when confronted with our actions. In Cain's case after killing his brother Abel he became unremorseful and heartless when God confronted him and asked "where i s Abel