Cultural and Cross Cultural Psychology Essay Example for Free

Cultural and Cross Cultural Psychology Essay Cultural psychology and cross-cultural psychology is no more new, as it has had its momentum picked up for the past few decades. Developmental psychology is something of the same kind and it was a buzzword in between at the turn of the century. The question is how is it possible to study humans development though we intend to study. Human development is also reflected from the repeated efforts and interests on culture analysis in getting to know the interpretation of signals, code words and gestures. When it comes to testing, research and analysis in psychology related subjects it is quite difficult to understand the significant relation between the test samples and the findings. As there is never a reliable empirical formula. Cross cultural psychology is the scientific study of human behavior and mental processes, including both their variability and invariance, under diverse cultural condition. Its primary aims are to investigate a) systematic relations between behavioral variables and ethnic-cultural variables, and generalizations of psychological principles. Cross cultural psychology is the science by virtue of the scientific principles and methods it employs. Cross cultural psychology is not primarily concerned with the comparative study of culture, that si the enduring characteristics that mark a culture apart from other countries. (Leonore Loeb Adler, Uwe P. Gieglen, Florence L. Denmark. Cross cultural topics in psychology – Second edition) â€Å"Cross-cultural psychology is the empirical study of members of various culture groups who have had different experience that lead to predictable and significant differences in behavior. In the majority of such studies, the groups under study speak different languages and are governed by different political units† (British, Lonner, Thorndike, 1973, p. 5 – John W. Berry, Ype H. Pootinga, Marshall H. Segall, Pierre R. Dasen. Cross cultural psychology Research and Applications – Second edition, p. 1) â€Å"Cultural Psycology is the study of the cultures role in the mental life of human beings† (Cole, 1996, p. 1- John W. Berry, Ype H. Pootinga, Marshall H. Segall, Pierre R. Dasen. Cross cultural psychology Research and Applications – Second edition, p. 1) Cultural psychology is the study to examine ethnic and cultural sources of psychological diversity in emotional, social cognition and human development. (Richard A. Shweder, Maria A. Sullivan. Cultural Psychology: Who needs it? 1993 – Internet edition Cultural psychology is nothing but the practices, customs and beliefs we follow differs from place to place and ethnicity to ethnicity. It is the study of various cultural practices, customary traditions and beliefs that influence a particular sector of people, who decides to improve their society by improvising the existing practices and trying to reason few satisfactory logic to get convinced with the practices. The degree of variance is sometimes measurable and sometimes not. The most interesting part is to analyze how and to what extent the traditions, customs, practices and beliefs developed in a region based on something are made use in favor of personal purposes. Whereas cross-cultural psychology is the effort to establish a connection between psychology that is being framed on the basis of the customs and traditions practiced. It simply deals with the different set of experiences and different set of environment which shows a significant influence on the behavior of the person in a place. The cultural psychology stops with the traditions, customs, beliefs and practices in a system whereas cross-cultural psychology is deep about analyzing the effect of these cultural practices in the behavior and thought process of an individual in the system. For eg, the traditional practice of Sati (burning a woman alive after her husbands death) was followed in India. Learning the practice and the origin of Sati and analyzing its logic, superstitious beliefs is the cultural psychology. Cross cultural psychology tends to explain why women in India are able to accept the practice and get convinced when it is not possible with the other women in the rest of the world. Critical thinking in the cross cultural psychology Cross cultural psychology is interesting to deal with, but actually speaking is highly uninteresting when it comes to experiment and research. It is difficult to format a methodology and bring it in practice, even if brought into practice it is not all that easy to interpret the results of the psychological tests and tasks. How can researchers make out the differences between the results obtained for the same tests from different groups though the questions are same and the groups are different based on the brought up and experience. Is it possible to exhibit a connection between the psychology and the culture with just the interpretation of the results of the tests conducted, and the fact being no one knows to what extent the interpretation falls right. The difference in the thinking may occur due to the difference in the culture influenced thought process, still it is difficult as there is no concrete or empirical formula formulated to decide on it. There is no assurance that the difference in thought process is because of the cultural difference, as there could also be reasons such as bewildered nature of the question, the puzzling nature of the tests, the mood and ignorance of the people and the literacy rate and understanding power of an individual. It does not stop with cross cultural psychology as developmental psychology also faced the similar kind of problem in formatting the research to get to know the exact demand of the scientists and the researchers from the test samples. In addition to that few man made minor errors in the research and process leads to an unexpected and unwanted finding and the errors are sometimes left undetected too. The methodology associated with cross cultural research When it comes to methodology of cross cultural psychology, it involves the qualitative methodology to analyze the practices, customs and habits of different cultures, on the other hand it requires quantitative methodology to compare, analyze and juxtapose the difference in psychology of different individuals influenced by the cultures and practices they follow. Psychological and cultural psychology experiments always require the need of qualitative analysis, as the cross cultural psychology is all about analyzing a huge mass of test sample quantitative analysis also comes into picture, perhaps the problem is sometimes the methods are treated mutually exclusive and the results are not compatible all the time. In addition to this, there is a report that researchers employ artificial and unfamiliar methods leading to ambiguous results. The issue is research is done based on the questions answered by individuals in a society rather than the collective answer from a society, that makes the major difference and inconvenience. Conclusion Though the subject is interesting, it is poignant to know the investigation methods have not taken the right direction. Conventional methods and sampling techniques are most desired all the times, perhaps when it comes to bringing out the difference between two cultures and the influence on the thought process of an individual because of the culture, it is advisable not to stop with these conventional techniques, as even previous literature works, media interviews, assumptions can be taken into significant consideration. Apart from all these standard quantitative techniques should be given the appropriate attention too, the results from the conventional sampling techniques and the standard quantitative techniques can be compared and related. This way a convincing analysis can be expected. Reference: Richard A Shweder. Thinking through cultures – Expeditions in cultural psychology John W. Berry, Ype H. Pootinga, Marshall H. Segall, Pierre R. Dasen . Cross cultural psychology Research and Applications – Second edition James W. Stigler, Richard A. Shweder, Gilbert Herdt. Cultural Psychology- Essays on comparative human development. Lumei Hui. (2003)Theoretical and Methodological Problems in Cross-Cultural Psychology. Journal for the Theory of Social Behavior John W. Berry, Ype H. Pootinga, Marshall H. Segall, Pierre R. Dasen. Cross cultural psychology Research and Applications – Second edition

Chris Moss vs. Dr. Terry Preece and the Edgewoord Unified School District :: essays research papers

Chris Moss vs. Dr. Terry Preece and the Edgewoord Unified School District   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  May it please the court, counsel: My name is Zach Keeton and along with my co-counsel Chad Miller and Eric Page , we represent Mr. Chris Moss in this case. Your honor this is the case of Chris Moss Vs. Dr. Terry Preece and the Edgewood Unified School District.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The evidence will show that Chris is part way through 12th grade, and in fact he can't even read. Your honor this is very alarming to us because of one simple fact: Chris has never failed one of his reading class.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The evidence will show that there was educational malpractice in this case. We will also show that the Edgewood School district has a set of guide lines which is passed down from the state of Independence. The guide lines are better known as statutes. They state: 1. Each school shall develop proficiency standards which shall include reading comprehension, writing and computation skills in the English language, necessary to success in school and LIFE experiences. 2. The competent educator shall use or promote the use of appropriate diagnostic techniques to analyze the needs and potential of individuals. 3. Each competent administrator shall support the process of learning by providing appropriate and reasonable materials and equipment and by making reasonable assignments and tasks. These are applicable laws that are supposed to met by all the school district in the state of Independence, including the Edgewood School District.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Through evidence which the court will hear today, we will prove that Dr. Terry Preece , the school superintendend made it a point to pass all of the students in his school district whenever possible.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On the other hand we will call 3 witness to testify during the course of this case. The first witness which we will call is Chris himself. He will state that he has problems reading a simple restaurant menu. What again alarms us about this fact is that Chris passed his 11th grade reading class with no grade lower than a C. The second witness which we call is Dr. Daniel Stein. She will show that Chris could have learned these skills if in fact he had been properly taught. Our third witness is Mr. Raye Payne. He will say that he feels that Chris can't handle a simple mailroom job at his law firm.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The testimony that you will hear today we will show that the Edgewood School District is in fact at fault for Chris's problems. We will show that the school district has a duty to educate people like Chris Moss.

Political economic social technological environmental and legal analysis

The state of Pakistan is one which is really volatile in footings of political stableness. The current authorities is a democracy which was elected into parliament in February 2008, after its prima political individual Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in December 2007. The last authorities was headed by Mr. Pervez Musharraf who resigned as head of army staff and president of Pakistan, thereby stoping the military regulation in Pakistan which lasted about 8 old ages. The current authorities has been in power for 3 old ages now and is expected to stay until the 2013 elections. Historically, the administrative bureaus of the authorities have been noted to be extremely corrupt and uneffective which has non changed with the new democratic authorities. One of the major political factors in Pakistan is the go oning war on panic. Ever since the September 11 onslaughts on the World trade centre in New York, Pakistan has been confronting terrorist act issues. Between 2002 and 2010, Pakistan has incurred a entire cost of 43 billion dollars. The figure of terrorist onslaughts since 2002 entire 8,141 incidents incurring entire casualties of 8,875 with more than 20,000 injured. This has caused negative promotion of Pakistan to the planetary universe and has affected Pakistan in many ways. These include: Damage to substructure, such as roads and railroads Loss of Foreign investings Diversion of budgets to fund this war on panic Loss of the already deteriorating touristry industry Loss of lives of the people of Pakistan every bit good as aliens ( Economic Survey of Pakistan 2009-2010 ) Any single or organisation sing puting in Pakistan will hold to weigh the benefits versus the hazards of puting in such an insecure political environment. Unilever and a figure of transnational companies have to cover with the hazards of such a hostile environment. The higher hazard leads to hesitant attack on carry oning major investings on bettering concern chances or developing new concern chances. Smuggling of tea through Afghan Transit Trade Agreement The ATTA ( Afghan Transit Trade Agreement ) was signed in 1965. This understanding was for the promotion of Afghanistan but this provided chances to smuggle points under it, such as Surs and black tea. ( Tea intelligence direct: Kenya seeks reductionaˆÂ ¦.. , Tribune: Govt. ignores tea smugglingaˆÂ ¦.. ) Afghan people ( 25 million ) are largely green tea drinkers ( day-to-day times: proposal to exemptaˆÂ ¦.. ) But it imports black tea more than its one-year ingestion and this tea is so sold in Pakistani market before it reaches Afghanistan. This malpractice is non merely doing harm to national treasury, through lost income, but besides to the legal importers of tea, of which 1 is Unilever Pakistan. In 2007-08: legal imports were 103,230,355kg while illegal imports were 68,001,625kg In 2008-09: legal imports were 102,021,150kg while illegal imports were 90,991,848kg In 2009-10: legal imports were 88,627,724kg while illegal imports were 93,089,436kg ( day-to-day times: proposal to exemptaˆÂ ¦.. ) Over the three financial old ages, legal tea imports are diminishing whereas smuggled tea is increasing. In 2009-2010, it is seen that the degree of bootleg tea has surpassed the legal imports. The state of affairs has worsened because the authorities, alternatively of taking any bold stairss to halt this maltreatment of understanding, it has farther increased its revenue enhancements and responsibilities on imports. Depreciation of rupee against dollar and increasing input costs has farther intensified the job for legal importers like Unilever. Legal importers have to pay 33.7 % revenue enhancement ( 10 % imposts responsibility, 17 % gross revenues revenue enhancement, 5 % beforehand income revenue enhancement and 1 % Particular Excise Duty ) while cost to runners is approx. 16.7 % ( day-to-day times: proposal to exemptaˆÂ ¦ . ) In 2009, The Pakistan Tea Association ( PTA ) and the Federation of the Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry ( FPCCI ) suggested that tea should be removed from ATT list. Later, in 2010, PTA has recommended cut downing general gross revenues revenue enhancement to 7.5 % and relieving usage responsibility to eliminate the inducement for smuggling. Unilever shaper of two of the most celebrated tea trade names of Pakistan i-e Lipton and Brook Bond. It has closed its Lipton works at Karachi in 2008 because of the crisp diminution in drinks section. Other issues to see Another issue is the forgery merchandises available in the market. This is doing jobs for bonafide participants like Unilever. When the CEO of Unilever Global, Paul Polman, visited the Pakistan market, he had similar comments. Harmonizing to South Asiatic intelligence bureau, 2010, â€Å" On the topic of forgery merchandises found in the state he said he would wish the authorities to make much more to control this really unsafe pattern. Unilever merchandises like Supreme Tea, Rafhan custard, Fair and Lovely pick and Sunsilk shampoo are amongst the most to endure from this pattern. â€Å" Counterfeit in Food merchandises can be really unsafe, † said Polman. † The authorities of Pakistan is non taking any strict stairss to deter this pattern. The Pakistan energy crisis has been in being for a long clip now, but due to the of all time increasing population and demand for more energy, the Pakistan authorities has yet to bridge the spread between energy supply and demand. This state of affairs has worsened in the latest old ages taking to monolithic power cuts to industries taking to downtime. Unilever Pakistan ‘s trade name Walls Ice pick has besides been affected by this state of affairs at its ice pick mill. Other industries have reverted to self-electrical coevals to run into their energy demands ; Unilever Pakistan may necessitate to see this option every bit good. In add-on to normal import responsibility, 25 % regulative responsibility was imposed in 2008 on many points, including laundry detergent, to promote local investing and fabrication. However, this regulative responsibility on detergent was removed in the budget of 2009-10 which negatively impacted the grosss of local industries as a consequence of increased imports. The laundry detergent sector is turning at a rate of 10 % per twelvemonth and competition in this sector is intense. Unilever is taking in value through its trade name SURF after deriving market portion from P & A ; G ‘s ARIEL. While Colgate Palmolive is taking it in volume through its trade name BONUS. ( day-to-day times: detergent pulverization industry demands.. )ECONOMICLocal investing creates occupations contributes to economic system FDI above issue can be relatedWealth creative activity, poorness decreaseThe economic system of Pakistan, although confronting many challenges, is steadily turning. Gross domestic Product ( GDP ) has been turning steadily, although in 2008-2009, it saw the lowest slack in history due to many factors described below. The consumer monetary value index, i.e. rising prices has reached dual figures in the last 3 financial old ages due to the planetary consequence of trade good monetary values, among other things. Income per capita has been increasing at an mean rate of 16 % in rupee footings and at an mean rate of 9 % in USD footings. The economic system of Pakistan in the twelvemonth 2007-2008 faced legion challenges, non merely from domestic issues, but besides the international influences caused by the planetary fiscal crisis. Due to the planetary economic downswing faced by the USA and Europe states, Pakistan ‘s exports were affected with lower demand for its chief prized export: fabrics, in the USA. Besides, the billowing costs of nutrient and oil monetary values and other trade goods in the in planetary market caused the high degrees of rising prices that hit the economic system in 2008. Coupled with the domestic issues of political instability, utmost power deficits and disgusting security environment, the Pakistan economic system faced several challenges. In 2008-2009, Pakistan saw its lowest GDP growing, with merely a 1.2 % addition in GDP for the twelvemonth. This twelvemonth was rattled by political uncertainness, due to the new democratic authorities, after 8 old ages of military regulation by the old president. However, the deterioration planetary fiscal crisis besides caused a big diminution in the exports of Pakistan. Pakistani Rupee is deteriorating in value, in 2008-2009 exchange rates jumped from 60 PKR/USD to 78 PKR/USD. This along with the deficit of electricity and high rising prices in Pakistan were the high spots of lower GDP. Another major factor is the go oning war on panic in the northwest tribal parts of Pakistan. The cumulative impact on Pakistan, of this war on panic, has been $ 43 billion for the old ages 2005-2010. This war causes terrible complications to the economic system of Pakistan, including lower GDP growing, reduced foreign direct investings, loss of occupations, and non to advert, the recreation of resources to fund the war on panic. In 2009-2010, the economic system of Pakistan stabilized with a GDP growing of 4.1 % Although Pakistan still faces legion issues such as the offense of the war on panic, energy and H2O deficits, and the internal security state of affairs ; it still has recovered due to turning exports and lower rising prices as compared with anterior old ages. Pakistan besides received a loan from the IMF which it has used to construct up its foreign militias and acquire its economic system back on path. Another concern is some policies adopted by the authorities do non back up local fabrication and development activities. As celebrated above, the authorities of Pakistan had imposed a high import responsibility on laundry detergent pulverization ( LDP ) in its Budget of 2008, but revoked this responsibility in 2009-2010 budget. Doing so, importing is now the cheaper beginning for LDP, alternatively of fabricating it locally. This has had effects on the local makers. A sum of 3 fabricating units exist in Pakistan, using approx. 1,000 workers. The local makers were be aftering on increasing production capacity by puting in farther workss and supplying extra occupations. With the higher responsibilities being revoked, programs have been delayed by makers, thereby damaging the economic system of Pakistan. ( day-to-day times: detergent pulverization industry demands.. ) Unilever Global and Unilever Pakistan usage Palm oil as a major input into many of their merchandises. It is straight used in ice pick and soap bars, whereas its byproduct is used in laundry detergent and besides the personal attention section. The planetary fiscal crisis paired with lifting rising prices saw unprecedented high degrees of monetary values of Palm oil. These high natural stuff input costs affect the operations of Unilever Pakistan. Below is a graph demoing the fluctuations of Palm oil monetary values: The monetary value of thenar oil has ne'er surged every bit much as it has in the last twosome old ages. The higher monetary value in early 2008 was due to high ingestion and demand, nevertheless, this fell suddenly in late 2008 due to frights of recession. A similar form can be observed with other trade goods such as gum elastic and oil. The monetary value of palm oil remained above the $ 600 grade in 2009 and has now surged one time once more in Q4 of 2010 due to increased planetary demand. Bing one of the key inputs to its sections, Unilever Pakistan needs to see other surrogate schemes to fudge this hazard of volatile thenar oil monetary values.SOCIO-CULTURALGlobal trade names are customized harmonizing to the needs/culture of Pakistani peopleBusiness Partner Code includes 10 rules which relates to the duty towards the employees, environment and the environment. ( providers are required to raise their criterions to Business Partner Code )Health/nutritionPakistan is one of the out standing developing states of South Asia. Originally its population was concentrated in the rural countries, but recent tendencies have shown turning urbanisation. Pakistan ‘s entire population is 173.51 million, out of with 63.05 million represent urban populations and 110.46 million unrecorded in rural countries. Population pyramids show that Pakistan ‘s population is chiefly increasing in the lower age groups of age 15-29 old ages old. This class has well increased over the old ages. With higher population and higher income per individual, consumer life styles are altering and people have higher disposable income to pass on merchandises available in the market. Still, Unilever does non aim merely one category of consumers. Its merchandise packaging and costs are designed in a manner to appeal to all the people of society. For high priced merchandises, Unilever Pakistan has introduced mini sachet packaging with lower volume of the merchandise, so that even the lower ca tegory consumers can buy and utilize them. Economic study of Pakistan Social and environmental Report of Unilever Pakistan ‘s bulk population are Muslims, due to this all merchandises need to be halal, in conformity with Islamic instructions. Halal means allowed or permitted, in conformity with Islamic instructions. Any companies runing in Pakistan, specifically those who have any nexus with consumers need to guarantee that all their operations, ingredients, and methods are in conformity with Islam ; otherwise, their merchandises will be labeled as un-Islamic and will non last in the market. Unilever faced negative promotion from non merely the local populace, but besides from the International populace and International Union of Food ( IUF ) due to its pattern of engaging a monolithic labour force for production of its merchandises, on a impermanent footing, without supplying any employee benefits. In 2007, Unilever is acclaimed to hold merely 509 lasting employees out of some 8,000 entire employees. The run for employee rights lasted for a period of 2 old ages from 2007 to 2009, after which Unilever reached an understanding with the IUF presenting pecuniary hard currency payments to employees every bit good as the promise of supplying extra permanent occupations. Numerous Tea Articles Unilever besides hosted a world show through its trade name of â€Å" Clear shampoo † in which contestants were given legion challenges to get the better of to win a major award. However, due to miss of proper safety steps, a contestant, Saad Khan, drowned in a swimming challenge on the show. This incident proved to be really detrimental to the reputation Unilever for non holding proper safety agreements which led to this tragic incident. Unilever Pakistan denied all liability for the incident, which farther aggravated this issue. Media ITE – World show kills contestant Timess online UK – Pakistan world Television contestant, Saad Khan, drowns executing challenge Corporate Social Responsibility Unilever Pakistan actively engages itself in its Corporate Social Responsibility ( CSR ) activities. It focuses on the undermentioned societal factors: wellness, wellbeing, hygiene, nutrition, health care, instruction, and authorization. Alternatively of utilizing its ain corporate name Unilever, it focuses on a procedure called ‘Brand Imprinting ‘ whereas it advertises its chief trade names through its CSR enterprises. Its CSR activities and trade names are: Surf Excel – Laundry detergent Powder Unilever has related this trade name to its enterprise of act uponing â€Å" healthy & amp ; physical growing every bit good as rational development in kids. † Unilever Pakistan, in concurrence with Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi ( ITA ) , helps convey consciousness to parents about the importance of physical activity to advance mental and physical growing among kids. The partnership besides worked towards developing legion instructors and supplying course of studies to advance activity based acquisition. Unilever Pakistan besides organized an Art competition back uping this subject and built legion resort areas for kids in rural countries. Lifebuoy – Soap and shampoo This trade name relates to the demand for a healthy and hygiene environment in any place. Unilever spouses with United States Agency for International Development ( USAID ) and Pakistan Poverty Relief Fundss ( PPAF ) in raising consciousness among different territories across Pakistan about the importance of basic hygiene. It besides helps patronize the Global manus rinsing twenty-four hours in Pakistan. Blue band – Margarine spread Blue set promotes the consciousness and demand of healthy nutrition. Unilever helps advance nutrition by developing its merchandise in such ways that they become healthy. Whether it be cutting trans-fat from its oleos or adding Ca to its ice pick, Unilever aims to be a healthy merchandise maker. Unilever besides helps supply free repasts by lending to them itself, every bit good as operate an employee plan whereas each employee has a pick of feeding a kid for a really nominal sum of Rs. 375 per month. In 2009, more than 500 employees opted for this and helped cut down kid hungriness in Pakistan. Other enterprises Unilever Pakistan provides support and grants to legion establishments in Pakistan. These include: Supporting oculus attention, kidney, and general infirmaries and patients. Supporting a scope of Educational establishments such as humanistic disciplines, concern, manner, scientific discipline, and technology pupils. Supporting different organisations and establishments every twelvemonth by offering grants after they satisfy the demands. Social and Environmental study – Unilever Unilever Pakistan besides contributes to natural catastrophes and other unanticipated events in Pakistan. The most recent part of this nature was of 1 million Euros every bit good many necessity points of soap, toothpaste, and shampoo in August 2010 after the inundation had destroyed places of 1000s of people. Daily times – Unilever to assist inundation affectees Unilever Pakistan besides supports its employees in many ways. It introduced a plan of ‘flexi-hours ‘ in which eligible employees could take the work displacements that they want to come to the office in, whether forenoon, midday, or dark. The latest add-on is the pilot programme of ‘Agile working ‘ . In this, certain eligible employees may take to work from their places alternatively of coming to the office every twenty-four hours. The chief focal point is to do ‘work – an activity, non a topographic point ‘ Due to this and many other benefits, Unilever Pakistan has won the Pakistan Society for Human Resource Management ‘s ( PSHRM ) â€Å" Most Preferable Graduate Employer Award 2008 † and is at the top of the list of many MBA, technology, and IT pupils pick of the topographic point to work after graduation. Unilever ‘s success illustrates the promiseaˆÂ ¦ Unilever website hypertext transfer protocol: //www.unilever.pk/aboutus/newsandmedia/news/unileverpakistanwinstwoawards.aspx The Express Tribune – Unilever tries out ‘Agile working ‘TECHNOLOGICALDue to the nature of operations of the FMCG industry, it is non runing in a fact paced technological environment, such as nomadic phones or laptops. Rather, its chief technological factors come into position in its fabrication capableness utilizing province of the art fabrication methods and besides, its supply and distribution methods. Unilever Pakistan is a subordinate of Unilever Global. Unilever Global has over 6,000 Research and development staff employed worldwide, and merely in 2009, it spent 891 million Euros on Research and Development outgo. Unilever Pakistan, with its ultimate planetary parent, can take advantage of the advanced potency of Unilever planetary and utilize its competencies utilizing province of the art engineering to derive a competitory advantage in its local Pakistan market. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.unilever.pk/innovation/ Unilever Pakistan uses the cyberspace to entree Unilever Global on-line E-learning faculty to develop its employees and maintain them up to day of the month on new occurrences in Unilever. This technological betterment has helped Unilever conduct preparations of many of its employees without holding to incur monolithic costs for going and lodging. Use of this faculty ensures that all preparations given to employees globally are indistinguishable. Social and Environmental study UnileverENVIRONMENTALBusiness Partner Code includes 10 rules which relates to the duty towards the employees, environment and the environment. ( providers are required to raise their criterions to Business Partner Code )Climate alteration H2O scarceness

Taiwan Major Industires - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 11 Words: 3397 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? TAIWAN: MAJOR INDUSTRIES The major industries in Taiwan are electronics, petroleum refining, armaments, chemicals, textiles, iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing, vehicles, consumer products, pharmaceuticals. We can have a look at the major industries one by one and then do an analysis on the investment opportunities on one of them. SEMICONDUCTOR INDUSTRY Taiwan has truly emerged as a global leader in the semiconductor and microelectronics industry and serves as the home of the worlds top IC foundries, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (TSMC) and United Microelectronics (UMC), which hold a majority of the market share. Taiwan is also an important player in Mask ROM production, IC packaging and IC testing, accounting for 57.1%, 32% and 36% of global market shares respectively. Taiwan-based Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc (ASE) and Siliconware Precision Industries (SPIL) lead the IC packaging industry, while ASE Test and ChipMOS Technologies lead the IC testing industry. Taiwans IC design industry has ranked second only to the US, accounting for 28.4% of the market worldwide. Media Tek, VIA, Realtek and Sunplus are among the top 20 IC design houses. Taiwan ranks as the worlds 3rd largest maker of DRAM components, supplying 17.1% of the market. Taiwan also serves as a key IC market, with a value of US$11 billi on in 2002, representing 25.7% of the market in Asia and 8.1% of the global market. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Taiwan: Major Industires" essay for you Create order Competitive Advantage and Market Strengths Taiwan plays a major role in the global semiconductor industry, as the unique structure of its IC industry fosters close cooperation among diverse yet essential elements in the value chain, ranging from IC design and manufacturing to packaging and testing. Investment Opportunities and Market Potential The National Si-Soft Project was launched in 2003 in an effort to upgrade Taiwans IC industry from mainly contract manufacturing to RD and innovation oriented production. The project aims to make Taiwan the one-stop shop for IC designs, mix-and-match intellectual properties, manufacturing, and testing. The National Si-Soft Project is devoted to developing System-on-Chip (SoC) infrastructure in Taiwan. Specific contents of the Si-Soft Project include automation software, silicon intellectual property (IP), embedded software, and system single chip, which are all essential in IC design. New IC designs will in turn drive the development of information household appliances, photoelectricity, internet technologies, energy, communication, biological chips, and nanotechnology. The project offers various benefits such as: Providing available IP sources and a more simplified transaction flow for the IC design industry (including design services), in order to decrease the time required for IC design. Improving the competitiveness of practitioners in the system industry as they realize the system knowhow in their own SoC Effectively cultivating star IP vendors in the IP industry Attracting more customers with value-added products (more complete IP features) for chip manufacturers Allowing practitioners in the packaging and testing industries to interchange freely and learn about the most advanced technologies relevant to their field in order to further enhance their technological expertise DISPLAY AND OPTOELECTRONICS Taiwan has seen significant growth in its color imaging (CI) industry in recent years. The overall production value of the flat panel display (FPD) industry alone has increased more than twofold since 2001, totaling US$7.39 billion, of which 83.4% came from the production of large size TFT-LCD units. In Q1 2004, the islands Flat Panel Display (FPD) sales reached NT$171.3 billion (US$5.1 billion), a 115% increase on the previous year, and 2004 sales are projected to reach NT$727.1 billion (US$21.7 billion). As Taiwan manufacturers are positioned to start mass production on next generation panels (6th, 7th, and 7.5), the total production value of Taiwans FPD industry will surpass NT$1 trillion. Taiwan is currently expected to account for 41% of large-sized TFT-LCD panel supply in 2004, becoming the worlds largest production base. Major TFT-LCD makers in Taiwan, such as AU, Chi-Mei, CPT, QDI, Hannstar, Toppoly, and PVI, have contributed greatly to the progress of the CI industry. A U, which receives the majority of its funding from Taiwan, is the third largest panel supplier in the world, and is the largest producer in Taiwan. Chi Mei, the second largest producer in Taiwan, is fast approaching AU in terms of production value. Competitive Advantages and Market Strengths Over 30% of the key components for FPD, such as polarizers, backlight modules, color filters and driver ICs, are manufactured in Taiwan, and local component makers such as Optimax (polarizers), Forhouse and Radiant (backlights), Allied Material Technology, Cando and Sintek (color filters), Novatek and Winbond (driver ICs), work very closely with panel makers. These component and finished product manufacturers are clustered around the Taoyuan, Hsinchu, and Tainan areas, creating an integrated supply chain that further strengthens Taiwans position in the global IT industry. Investment Opportunities and Market Potential As Taiwan is the worlds second largest producer of panels and the market for components is quite large, the government is inviting foreign suppliers of materials and equipment to build factories in Taiwan, to enable faster and more effective product and service deliveries. Panel makers in Taiwan plan to establish G5 and G6 production lines, with the goal of becoming the leading panel supplier in the world. The government aims to generate US$40 billion in FPD production value by the year 2006. In the next three to four years, enterprises specializing in advanced components will have ample space for high growth potential. The government offers investors in the color imaging industry special tax reduction and investment incentives. Combined with a highly skilled workforce and abundant experience in the IT industry, Taiwan is the ideal destination for investment in the color imaging industry. Foreign Direct Investments in Taiwan The color imaging industry in Taiwan has grown very rapidly in the past few years. In light of an increasing demand for flat panels in the global market and strong competition, Taiwans vendors realize the importance of improving their technology and producing the right key components. The cost ratio for TFT-LCD components is quite high, with color filters at around 26% and glass substrate near 4%. Taiwans government has been active in soliciting foreign investors to manufacture these key components in Taiwan. BIOTECHNOLOGY AND PHARMACEUTICALS Taiwans concerted policy efforts to develop research, development and production capabilities in the biotech sector have paid off in creating a wealth of investment opportunities. Biotech research at Taiwans top academic institutions is gaining international attention, while development capabilities, fostered through joint industry and government support, are turning these research achievements into commercially viable products. Taiwans mature production and logistics capabilities, evidenced by its over 100 cGMP-awarded pharmaceutical manufacturers, have been widely recognized as powerhouses in this area. Goals for the Coming Decade Having established a solid foundation, the Taiwan government has designated the biotechnology industry for further development into a key industry in its Two Trillion, Twin Stars Plan and Challenge 2008 National Development Plan. Through the combined efforts of government, academia, research and industrial sectors, Taiwan is poised to become a major hub and logistics operations center for RD, manufacturing, and operations in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries within the Asia-Pacific region. The governments plans to promote the industry include achieving targets of NT$150 billion (US$4.34 billion) in investments and 25% annual revenue growth by 2008 and five hundred biotech-related companies within ten years. Competitive Advantages and Market Strengths Superior pharmaceutical production and manufacturing capabilities Geographically positioned close to potential markets in Asia allows for enhanced product development for Asian markets Excellent springboard for entering other Asian markets Ease of communication and reduced cultural barriers Strong venture capital and financial resources Abundance of technical specialists in organic chemistry, optoelectronics, integrated circuitry, automated systems, and other relevant fields Excellent research facilities and well-staffed healthcare organizations TELECOMMUNICATION Taiwan offers much potential in the telecommunications market, with one of the most advanced telecommunications networks in the region. High penetration rates in both the fixed-line and mobile phone sectors have encouraged growth in telecom products and services. Looking to 2004, the Ministry of Economic Affairs has announced plans to make the telecommunications industry one of Taiwans trillion dollar industries, which will nurture the development of wireless applications, 3G, and broadband services. Competitive Advantages and Market Strengths Taiwan is currently the fourth largest producer of PCs. As PC-related IC design and manufacturing technology in Taiwan have reached world standards, wireless communication and broadband communication products, related components/assemblies and systems products manufacturing technology have all been the beneficiaries of a multiplier effect. A growing number of Taiwan manufacturers boast manufacturing and marketing capabilities for res earch and development of xDSL, DLC, SDHH, DWDM, and cell-phone related products. If these are combined with telecommunications service capabilities of foreign companies, particularly in the area of content services, their ability to enter newly developing markets will surely stimulate a new wave of product demand. Taiwans world-class technological advantages enable it to benefit from US and Japanese RD resources. Taiwans central location in the Asian Pacific region provides ideal access to the emerging Mainland China and Southeast Asian markets and to manufacture highly-competitive communications technology products. For manufacturers advancing into newly developing markets, Taiwan remains the most advantageous base for business operations in the region. Investment Opportunities and Market Potential In order to establish Taiwan as a broadband communications technology island, the government has classified telecommunications as a strategic industry, allowing it to benefit from a host of investment and tax incentives. The Related Industries Promotion Plan is expected to facilitate the establishment of communication-oriented SoC IC design, fiber-optic components/assemblies, production facilities, software and telecommunications service industries innovation. IT product manufacturing is expected to reach its goal of surpassing US$ 30 billion by 2007. At the same time, in order to comply with telecommunications industry liberalization and national infrastructure requirements, Taiwan has in recent years gradually liberalized the 3G and wired network markets. Estimates for 2005 anticipate US$50 billion in equipment purchase orders and US$20 billion in telecommunication service industry revenues. Market opportunities are tremendous, making Taiwan the ideal investment destination for the equipment manufacturing industry and content service providers. MATERIALS AND FINE CHEMICALS The production value of the material and fine chemical industry in Taiwan has averaged approximately US$44.38 billion annually, with petrochemical materials, polymer, electrical materials and fine chemical products as major output. Taiwan is the largest producer of ABS, the second largest supplier of PTAs, and the fourth largest in PVCs, supplying the Taiwan domestic market and the worlds major markets, especially Mainland China. With a well-developed supplier chain and marketing channels all over the world, Taiwan plays a key role in many markets today. In fact, a growing number of leading companies, such as Chi-Mei, Nan Ya Plastics and Formosa Plastics in the material industry, and UPC, Dahin, Lee Chang Yung Chemical in the fine chemical industry, are emerging more visibly in the international markets. In addition, Eternal Chemical and Chang Chun Plastics in the electrical material industry, and Taiwan Shiseido, Grand Glory Biotechnology, Taiwan Sugar, and Taiwan Salt in the c osmetics industry are already well-established in their respective markets. As the IT industry becomes more competitive, Taiwans material and fine chemical industry has been focusing on semiconductors, plane display materials, print circuit boards, nanotechnology materials and other high value-added products. Investment Opportunities and Market Potentials Taiwan is home to a great number of talented RD and design people who are well-educated and possess experience with international companies, making the island more advantageous location for multinational companies to localize as part of a globalization strategy. In recent years, Taiwans IT industry has shown impressive progress the semiconductor, TFT-LCDs, and print circuit board industries are seeing dramatic growth and have reached large-scale production levels, thereby gaining strength in the international markets. The materials and fine chemical industry in Taiwan will be highly essential in supporting the IT industry and meeting its rigorous demands. The Challenge 2008 National Development Plan, a government-support project that shows a list of plans and incentives on land lease, funding, taxes, and other benefits, demonstrates the value that the materials and fine chemical industry brings to Taiwan. Taiwan has created vast opportunities for both international and domes tic firms, with Mainland China as the biggest and most prominent market. With its strategic geographical location and experience in world trade, Taiwan makes the ideal center for manufacturing and market development in the Asia-Pacific region. FINANCE, SECURITIES AND INSURANCE With foreign exchanges reserves of over US$200 billion at the end of 2003, and a forecasted 4.5% economic growth rate for 2004, Taiwan continues to maintain a robust economy, due in part to government action on internationalization and liberalization policies. Competitive Advantages Market Strengths As a growing number of global industries are migrating to the Far East, Taiwan is an ideal location to establish a financial base. Multinational companies in Taiwan have access to more precise information on the Asia-Pacific region as they expand their business. In recent years, East Asia has become an important investment location for European and American countries. Taiwans stock market index is covered in both Dow Jones and Morgan Stanleys stock indices, to the benefit of foreign investors. In addition, the government has loosened restrictions on foreign capital in the Taiwan stock market, bringing more attention to Taiwans market. Investment Opportunities and Market Potential In pursuing its goal of becoming the financial center of East Asia, Taiwan is revising its financial policies to bring them to international standards. Examples of such policies include: Lifting constraints on offshore banking units (OBUs) Policies include expanding the depth and breadth of foreign currency market, and broadening the offshore banking units market and foreign currency overnight rate market to attract foreign financial institutions and enhance Taiwans position as a regional funding center. Taiwan will therefore expand its stock and bond markets, improve market regulation and efficiency, and promote the internationalization of the securities market. Foreign investors can buy and sell securities, bonds and public warrants freely without restrictions of time or location, have more versatility in managing investments, and vitalize the market. Ongoing liberalization of capital markets for foreign investors the ROC government has opened up its stock market to forei gn investors with minimal restrictions. With the introduction of more financial commodities in the market and more diversified channels for funds, Taiwans capital markets are opening to increasing foreign investors, who are now allowed to manage derivative financial products instead of spot commodities. In addition, foreign capital is now permitted in the private placement market, and these newly available commodities are attracting more foreign investment. Opening the insurance market to foreign investors Fifty-five insurance companies are currently in operation in Taiwan, of which 21 are foreign-owned. Other measures to liberalize the Taiwan insurance market include: relaxing restrictions on the approval of commodities; liberalized rates; investment policies and procedures; the opening of cross-strait insurance exchanges; the promotion of risk-based capital (RBC) systems; information disclosure systems; and a certified actuary system. With monitoring of all foreign insurance c ompanies in Taiwan to ensure compliance with policies on remuneration for Taiwan citizens, the foreign insurance industry in Taiwan can operate in a fair and reasonable business environment. In addition, with the islands excellent location and workforce, Taiwan has the potential to become the Asian insurance market hub for foreign investors. Increasing the liquidity of financial capital in the stock market The Securitization of Financial Assets Law was implemented on July 24, 2002, with the aim of improving and increasing the liquidity of financial assets, including fully liberalized foreign investments in the public and private placement of securitization of financial assets. Several domestic banks are in the process of cooperating with foreign financial institutions in this regard. According to the rules for MFN and National Treatment, foreign invested banks in Taiwan can compete on an equal footing with domestic banks. They are all granted licenses and can operate as fully -functional branches in Taiwan. In addition, as stated in the Banking Law and Financial Holding Company Law, a foreign financial institution may invest up to a 100% stake in a domestic bank. Moreover, foreign banks and financial holding companies that have sufficient experience and a good reputation can hold shares of up to 100% under their original name. Foreign financial groups may merge with Taiwans local financial institutions under the Merger Law for Financial Institutions, which has been established for the purpose of regulating the merger of financial institutions, expanding economies of scale, enhancing the efficiency of financial institutions and protecting proper competition environments. The law provides a friendly legal environment and mechanism for the operation of Asset Management Companies. Flexible government restrictions allow foreign investors to set up their operations headquarters in Taiwan to conduct multilateral trade a growing trend for foreign companie s to gain a more competitive edge. ANALYSIS OF THE TAIWANESE BIOTECHNOLOGY SECTOR Taiwans biotechnology industry includes biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and medical devices. In 2003, the total annual revenue for these industries in Taiwan was approximately NT$131.6 billion, of which NT$29.6 billion came from biotechnology0.9 percent of the total global revenue-represented by 223 companies, each with an average revenue of NT$133 million. Business scope covered included genomics, drugs, diagnostics, agricultural biotechnology, environmental biotechnology, protein drugs, contract research organizations, biochips and bioinformatics. The islands pharmaceutical industry returned NT$61.4 billion,0.4 percent of the global total with 429 companies active in this sector, averaging NT$143 million per company. The medical devices industry returned NT$40.6 billion,0.6 percent of the global total, coming from 397 companies, with an average revenue of NT$102 million each. The biotechnology workforce size is 35,610, of which 7,200 are in the biotechnology industry, 14,224 in the pharmaceutical industry and 14,186 working in the medical devices industry. Status of Biotechnology Development in Taiwan (2003) Units: NT$100 million Industry Biotechnology Pharmaceutical Medial devices Total Revenue 296 614 406 1,316 Number of Companies 223 429 397 1,049 Size of work force (number) 7,200 14,224 14,186 35,610 Export value* 113 45 288 446 Import value* 120 339 425 884 Domestic sales vs. export 62:38 93:7 29:71 66:34 Domestic market demand* 303 908 543 1,754 BIOTECH INDUSTRY ANALYSIS: MICHAEL PORTERS FIVE FORCES MODEL Advantages and opportunities in Taiwans biotech industry Advantages: 1. Active and continuous efforts to build up an attractive investment environment by the government 2. Large input to investment of up- and mid-stream RD and infrastructure 3. Close bond with fast growing Asian markets 4. Sufficient domestic capital for investing from intensive partners 5. Solid foundation and experience from the past development of the electronics industry 6. Proper environment for the development of small- and medium-sized enterprises; and the diligent and aggressive entrepreneurial spirit of the Taiwanese 7. Ample biotechnology and pharmaceutical professionals based both locally and overseas 8. Relatively homogenous ethnic Chinese population, ideal for the development of an Asian-prevalent-disease-related biotech industry 9. Qualified RD personnel who are capable of establishing a knowledge economy to reflect Taiwans uniqueness 10. Advanced traditional agricultural technology to support development of agricultural biotechnology Opportunities: 1. The key industry in the governments Challenge 2008 six-year national development plan 2. The listed incentive industry among newly encouraged emerging strategic industries 3. Rising demand in better living standards in the Asia-Pacific; and growing economy and market for potential development 4. Increasing number of strategic alliances and technology transfer cases 5. RD and precision processing sectors are ready to take advantage of the growing global trend towards outsourcing in the biotechnology industry. 6. Right timing for endless business opportunities in post human gene decoding 7. High value-added, long life cycle and value chain of biotechnology; many points of entry available, from RD to marketing 8. Flourishing biotechnology RD service industries (technical evaluation, RD design, intellectual property services, and start-up incubation services) 9. Many large-sized high-quality medical centers, providing optimal conditions for undertaking clinic al trials 10. Clear market segmentation from temperate zone products of advanced countries with Taiwans sub-tropical climate to develop Asian sub-tropical agricultural biotechnology 11. Plentiful related information aggregated from National Health Insurance program 12. Diseases associated with a modern sedentary lifestyle, with potential for drug and disease screening technology platforms Objective. RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Although there are a few biotech companies but all of them are small scale operators. Hence a consolidation programme can be started. 2. Since biotech is going to help pharmaceutical companies in a big way hence pharma companies can make a conscious effort to start RD centers with emphasis on biotechnology. 3. Although the government is supportive of the sector but not many FDIs have been invited. The government can specifically invite FDIs in this sector. 4. Large companies like Biocon and Brighton Research labs should be asked to set up facilities. They can be promised access to markets in mainland China through Taiwan. 5. Most of the raw materials required is being imported, so the government can devise strategies to develop auxiliary industries and make the sector self sufficient. 6. Newer and more challenging topics can be taken up to study. Like human genome sequencing which would help in determining the genetic causes for diseases like cancer and AIDS.