Women’s liberation movement of the 1960’s Essay Example for Free

Women’s liberation movement of the 1960’s Essay Imagine what the life of a woman was before the 1960’s. The life that she had called her own was beyond far from perfect, and this was just behind closed doors. These ladies were denied of what basic rights they had, they were then trapped in a home that they created not just for themselves, but also for their family, and not to even mention the discrimination that they faced in the workplace. Then, here come the 1960’s in full swing, these women could then have a say in their government, and with all these new changes for the women of this time, they could now receive equal employment opportunities as men, meaning the same wages. This then created brand new routines and they would not have to feel guilty about leaving their children at home. The women’s liberation movement of the 1960’s helped all of these changes to come about through its phases of policies and radical ways of thinking. In fact, just to show some of these radical ways of thinking, there were some extremist women who made a â€Å"Freedom Trash Can† and filled it with representations of the woman who was trapped in the home life. They would throw objects such as these; heels, bras, a girdle, hair curlers, and even magazines such as Cosmo, Playboy, and Ladies’ Home Journal in it. The women who put the Trash Can together planned to set it on fire, but decided not to do so because burning of the contents prohibited by a city law (Echols 150)1. Needless to say, given the numerous obstacles that were put in place to stop the women from changing their status in society, the women’s movement of the 1960’s made significant changes for women in regards to their basic rights, in the home, and in the workplace for the better. †¨ Denied their basic rights in most aspects of society, all the way from political rights to reproductive rights, women in the U.S. have fought vigorously for equality. For example, women fought for their rights not to symbolize â€Å"beauty objects† or â€Å"sex objects.† In 1968, 100 women protested the Miss America Beauty Pageant because it promoted †Å"physical attractiveness and charm as the primary measures of a woman’s worth,† especially the swimsuit portion of the contest (Echols 149)2. Since the presence of the  media displayed beauty as the only way for happiness, the idea that women’s only importance was for their bodies became more widespread. Later, once women recognized that they were worth more than just looks, they took the measures to overcome the media’s hype about women’s bodies. The largest protests staged, the Miss America protest and the Freedom Trash Can protest, helped women claim national attention towards their struggles. Because of the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement that was also going on at the time, the climate seemed just right for women to speak out as well, therefore they received attention too (Echols 153)3. Women also fought for the right to abortion or reproductive rights, as most people called it. In response to the 1960’s abortion effort, women established an underground hospital that was just for abortions, called Jane in Chicago. Following this example, other secret clinics launched up everywhere. In big cities, women’s health clinics, rape-crisis centers and women’s bookstores developed. As a result of the New York Radical Women, a group founded in 1967, a â€Å"women’s community† developed throughout cities and neighborhoods around the nation (Echols 160)4. In these communities women got together to talk about their problems, usually dealing with male chauvinism, and they discussed how to overcome their problems. Probably the largest achievement for women regarding abortion rights came in 1960 when the Food and Drug Administration approved birth control pills and approved them for marketing a year later (National Women’s History Project)5. This proved to be a major step for women in regards to their reproductive rights. Now that women had an abortion option, they were not as tied to the home as they had been. They had the ability to work and go out without having to always feel the burden childbearing or childcare until they were ready. If perhaps a woman made a mistake and became pregnant before she was ready, the opportunity of abortion was always available to her. To conclude, women during the 1960’s fought hard to earn rights that society denied them. Many noteworthy domestic changes for women were accomplished during the 1960’s. For example, childcare became a 1960’s issue. Gwen Diab, an activist and supporter of the women’s struggle during the 1960’s declares, â€Å"Women were hesitant to leave the home before the 1960’s because they felt guilty leaving their children all alone. By the 1960’s, women started to get over the feeling of guilt and left their house more frequently heading off to women’s clubs or meetings†.  Society believed that â€Å"a woman could either be a career woman or she could stay at home and have children. There was no way she could do both† (Sanger 517)6. Society also believed that if a woman were to become pregnant , she would stay in the home, caring for her children, because that is where she belonged. Margaret Sanger, a traditionalist, also concluded that if a woman took the risk of getting pregnant and if she was â€Å"a working woman, should not have more than two children† (Sanger 519)7. â€Å"Childcare was the first step towards breaking down society’s view that the sole responsibility rested with the woman† (The Women’s Movement 419)8. Since the number of workingwomen increased in the 1960’s, men felt reluctant to share housework, but however this did improve and the men have been taking more responsibility for childcare as well. However, domestic issues went far beyond childcare in the ‘60s. For instance, an anonymous woman in Iowa wrote many letters to her sister relating her dealings with her feelings on the issue of domesticity. Many times, she wrote about how she felt as though she was the only woman that said anything in the homeowner’s meetings. Because of her openness, the other women became scared of her and her seeming ly radical ways. â€Å"Therefore, she felt as though she didn’t quite fit in with the other women in her community. One man even felt scared of her because he thought that she was too smart to be a woman. She stated, ‘Nobody expects a woman to talk. It bothers them all, especially the men.† (Gornick, 150)9. This shows how America still belonged to a traditional time where women were expected to stay at home and take care of the home and children. These feelings soon changed with the growing participation of women in their communities. It took time for men to start to think of women as equals, and not just â€Å"the second sex.† Unfortunately, these changes took a long time in coming because women were thought to be feminist militants if they wanted any type of change in society and called communists and man haters if they had anything to do with the liberation movements. Because of these accusations, many housewives were scared to get involved in this movement, but the career women tried to gain their support. Because the career women didn’t really have backing or support for the movement, there were few gains in the early years. It was only when women such as Gloria Steinem, Simone de Beauvoir and Angela Davis got involved, that normal housewives felt that they could make a difference and that their rights were worth fighting for.  As one can see, the 1960s made many advances for women in the area of domestic issues. The last and major area, in which the 1960’s made significant changes for women, was in the workplace. Later, as the economy of America began to expand, women started working for a second family income, although they only made 60% of what men were earning (Echols 152)10. Denied credit by banks before the ‘60’s, women could not receive capital to start their own small businesses because a man always received first priority when it came to funds for starting up a business. Fortunately, after a long struggle, the National Credit Union Administration accepted feminism as a field and let them draw credit. Women even began to have their own professional and labor organizations to keep themselves progressing. During the early stages of the 1960’s, many changes were put in place to help women get to the top. For instance, in 1961 President Kennedy created the President’s Commission on the Status of Women, chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt. Eleanor had played a key role in establishing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 and shed defended both womens economic opportunity and womens traditional role in the family, so she could be expected to have the respect of those on both sides of the protective legislation issue. Eleanor chaired the commission from its beginning through her death in 1962. The twenty members of the Presidents Commission on the Status of Women included both male and female Congressional representatives and Senators; Senator Maurine B. Neuberger of Oregon and Representative Jessica M. Weis of New York, several cabinet-level officers which included the Attorney General, the Presidents brother Robert F. Kennedy, and other women and men who were respected civic, labor, educational, and religious leaders. There was some ethnic diversity; among the members were Dorothy Height of the National Council of Negro Women and the Young Womens Christian Association, Viola H. Hymes of the National Counci l of Jewish Women. Fifty other parallel state commissions were eventually established. Also, the Equal Pay Act, which was planned in the ‘40’s, was finally acknowledged that men and women who worked the same job should have equal pay. Another major achievement for women in regards to the work place was in 1964, when the â€Å"Title VII of the Civil Rights Act† barred employment discrimination by private employers, employment agencies and  unions based on race, sex and other grounds. To investigate complaints and enforce penalties, it established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which received 50,000 complaints of gender discrimination in its first five years† (National Women’s History Project)11. By 1965, President Johnson’s Executive Order 11246 ordered â€Å"federal agencies and federal contractors to take ‘affirmative action’ in overcoming employment discrimination† (National Women’s History Project)12. A major setback that women faced in the 1960’s was that as men realized what women were trying to do, some did as much as they could to keep fully qualified women out of their workplaces. In 1969, a Supreme Court Ruling changed all this. In the case of Bowe vs. Colgate-Palmolive, the Supreme Court ruled â€Å"women meeting the physical requirements could work in many jobs that had been for men only† (National Women’s History Project)13. As one can see, the 1960’s made many positive changes for women in regards to the workplace. To conclude the women’s liberation movement, the ‘60’s made many significant changes for women in regards to their basic rights, domestic issues, and their abilities to get fair job opportunities in the workplace. Although a woman still makes only about .70 cents for every dollar a man makes, they are still today the main caretakers at home, and they are still struggling for abortion rights. Women have come a lon g way from the traditional attitudes of the old, â€Å"modern† America, the radical 1960’s provided enough background and support for everything that the women had accomplished. Bibliography: Echols, Alice. Nothing Distant About It. New York: Harper Row, 1994. Gornick, Vivian. Essays In Feminism. New York: Harper Row, 1977 â€Å"National Women’s History Project.† [Online] Available http://www.legacy98.com, Oct. 11th, 2014. Sanger, Margret. Women’s activist on birth control, a sex edu., and a nurse

Cronbachs Alpha Reliability Analysis Psychology Essay

Cronbachs Alpha Reliability Analysis Psychology Essay Scale measurement is an important element in survey. The survey in this study involved 3 sections, which are section A, section B and section C. Nominal scale was used in survey section A, and ordinal scale was used in survey section B and C. Nominal scale is scale that labels the items rather than scales it (Howell, 2009). It includes male or female and yes or no. Normally it brings no meaning. Ordinal scale is simple rank model. The objects, individuals or events are categorized. It is known as ranked data as the ranking is ordered from highest to lowest or smallest to biggest (Jackson, 2011). Section A was created to gather the socio-demographic characteristics of respondent such as gender, ages, location of study in the UTAR and education level. Figure 3.1 Select your Gender: Male Female There were five dimensions in Section B which contained 20 statements to measure the independent variables. The sequence of these dimensions was social influence, environmental concern, environmental attitude and self-image. In the Section C are contained 5 statements to measure the dependent variable which was green purchasing behavior. In this research, 5-point likert scale is used (5=strongly agree, 4=agree, 3=neutral, 2=disagree and 1= strongly disagree). A 5-point Likert scale is good enough as increase in scale may confuse respondents (Hair, Bush Ortinau, 2003). Likert scale can achieve high degree of validity and reliability (Sarantakos, 1993; cited by Kronberg, 2011). Figure 3.2 3.7 Data Processing After all data had been collected from a sample of the target respondents, data processing is the next step to ensure the data in the standard of quality and complete. 3.7.1 Checking The first step of data processing is to check on questionnaire before it has been distributed. Hence it can reduce the unqualified data such as typing error, inconsistent questions and incomplete content. Therefore, the mistakes can be detected and corrected in advance. In addition, the questionnaire has been passed to our supervisor to double check. Collected data needs to be checked whether the feedback from target respondents are valid for the research. Pilot test has been used to test the reliability and accuracy of the questionnaires. The objective of data checking is to ensure the questionnaires are in quality and completeness. In this stage the grammar error corrections will be done. 3.7.2 Editing Editing is a process of examining the collected raw data to detect errors and omissions in the information returned by the respondents of the research, and to correct the data when possible. 3.7.3 Coding The next process is data coding which involves assigning a number to the participants response so that the data can be entered into a database. The code includes an indication of the column position (field) and data record. For example, the five point likert scale of variable, strongly disagree codes as 1 and strongly agree codes as 5. This coding is simplifying storage of data with digit codes and easier for categorizing when used SPSS software. 3.7.4 Transcribing Transcribing data is a process that transferring coded data from questionnaires or coding sheet into disks or computers for analyzing purpose. The data will pre-check to ensure the data is error free. When the data is transferred in SPSS software, it can be used for the research and generate the accuracy analysis from the questionnaire. 3.8 Data Analysis The raw data collected in research will be further analyzed by statistical method. After the questionnaires were returned to the researcher, the data were recorded and entered into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, which was uploaded into Predictive Analysis Software (PASW, previously known as The Statistical Package for Social Sciences, SPSS) for more detailed statistical analysis. PASW is a good first statistical package for people who want to perform quantitative research in social science because it is easy to use (Cheah, 2009). In this study, the analysis utilized were descriptive statistics which included frequency distribution, measure of central tendency and measure of dispersion, Cronbachs Alpha Reliability Analysis, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis. 3.8.1 Descriptive Analysis Descriptive analysis is used in the research to transform the raw data to a way that is meaningful (Zikmund, 2002). It may include graph, bar, pie chart, or any number that use to describe that raw data. It helps the researchers to summarize the study variables (Parasuraman, Grewal Krishnan, 2004). So that researchers can get to know the results and make interpretation based on descriptive statistics. 3.8.1.1 Reliability Test Reliability refers to dependency or consistency, which indicates that the same things is repeated or recurs under the identical conditions. The reliability of a measure shows the degree to which the measure is without bias (error free) and hence offers consistent measurement across time and across different items in the instrument (Sekaran, 2000). A reliable measure would show the stability and consistency with which the instrument measures the concept and help to access the goodness of a measure. According to Sekaran (2000), a measure with reliability less than 0.6 is considered poor, it should be at least 0.70 or above. The most widely used method to measure reliability is Cronbachs alpha. Cronbachs alpha is used for multipoint-scaled items (items in the scale are at least internal in nature). Generally, Cronbachs alpha will increase when the correlations between the items increase. Alpha value can take values between negative infinity and 1, although only positive values make sense (Cheah, 2009). The value of Cronbachs alpha should be at least 0.6 to be accepted, and the ideal value is 0.7 or above. 3.8.2 Descriptive statistics Descriptive studies are quite frequently undertaken in education institutions to learn about and describe the characteristics of a group of students, such examples as the age and years of education in an education institution. There are three types of measures used in descriptive statistics: frequency distribution and measures of central of tendency and measures of dispersion or variability. Researcher was able to find the frequencies, percentages and determine the mean and standard deviation for the variables in the questionnaires by using descriptive statistics. To understand the use of measurement terms, frequency distribution plays a critical role. According to Leech et al. (2005), frequency distribution is a tally or count of the number of times each score on a single variable occurs. The use of frequency distribution is to show the number of responses to each value of a variable. Normally, variable name, frequency counts for each value of the variable and cumulative percentages for each value related to a variable are shown by a frequency distribution. The distribution is said to be approximately normally distributed when there are small numbers of scores for the low and high values and most scores are for the middle values. The mean is the arithmetic average of a set of data. Typically, the data shows some degree of central tendency with the most responses distributed close to the mean value (Hair, Money, Samouel and Page, 2007). The mean is said to be a robust measure of central tendency as in most instances, it is not sensitive to data values being added or deleted (Hair et al., 2007). According to Joseph et al. (2007), standard deviation describes the spread or variability of the sample distribution values from the mean, and is perhaps the most valuable index of dispersion. 3.8.3 Cronbachs alpha reliability analysis As mentioned earlier, the most commonly type of measurement of internal consistency reliability used is Cronbachs coefficient alpha. When there are several Likert-type items that are summed, alpha is used to make a composite score or summated scale. According to Leech et al. (2005), alpha is based on the mean or average correlation of each item in the scale with every other item. 3.8.2 Inferential Analysis Inferential analysis refers to data analysis which is used to test specific hypothesis (Parasuraman et al., 2004). According to Greer Kolbe (2003), inferential statistics include drawing conclusions from information obtained in the data. 3.8.4 Pearson correlation analysis Sekaran (2003) stated that when the researcher interested in defines the important variables associated with the problem, the study is called correlation study. For example, correlation studies can be undertaken to find out whether any relationship between gender and income level exists? If yes, positive or negative relationship? The index ranges in value from -1 to +1, with zero indicating absolutely no relation between two variables. This coefficient indicates the degree that low or high scores on one variable tend to go to with low or high scores on another variable. Pearson correlation was used to determine the relationship between the independent variables (social influence, environmental concern, environmental attitude and concern for self-image in environmental protection) and dependent variable (green purchasing behavior). 3.8.5 Multiple regression analysis Multiple regression is a widely used statistical technique in sociology. The result of multiple regression can generate two things (Neuman, 2009). First, a measure called R-squared (R2) in the result can tell how well a set of variables explain a dependent variable. In other word, it shows the accuracy of predicting the dependent variable based on the information about the independent variables. For example, an R2 of .50 means that knowing the independent variables improve the accuracy of predicting the dependent variable by 50 percent (Neuman, 2009). The second thing generated by multiple regression is the measurement of the direction and size of the effect of each independent variable on a dependent variable (Neuman, 2009). For instance, the way how five independent or controlling variables simultaneously affect a dependent variable, with all the variables controlling the effects of one another can be seen by researcher. According to Neuman (2009), a standardized regression coefficient is used to measure the effect on the dependent variable. It is similar to a correlation coefficient (Neuman, 2009). A high standardized regression coefficient indicates a strong relationship between an independent variable and dependent variable. 3.9 Chapter Summary Research methodology is important as it can help researcher to systematically resolve the research problem. In this chapter, research framework and hypotheses are clarified. The other sections of this chapter include data sources, sampling design, data collection and data analysis.

The Current Status of Health Care Reform :: Health Care Reform, Health Care, Healthcare, USA,

Health Care Reform is a concern for people that have health insurance, for those that can’t afford health insurance and the price of healthcare for all of us. There are the difference views on Health Care Reform: The healthcare view, the public opinion and The House and the Senate. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid will withhold 2% of base payments that would serve as incentive payments to hospital based on their total performance score derived from separate domains. The current domains include process measure, outcome and patient satisfaction. The Senate bill also requires a comprehensive review of the hospital wage index. Our cost problems, affect not only the federal budge deficit, but also individual American businesses and household. Only be aligning payment models across public and private systems will we both address federal spending and make the health care system more affordable for all Americans† (The New England Journal of Medicine) Both House and Senate versions identify â€Å"excess payments† based on performance of risk-adjusted re-admissions rates for AMI, Heart Failure and Pneumonia. The Center for Medicaid and Medicare would recoup excess payments by discounting future payments with cuts capped at a certain percentage of total payments. In effort to go beyond â€Å"fixing† fee-for service payments, the proposed legislation includes alternative models include bundled payments to cover the range of services related to a defined medical condition: global fees to cover the entire cost of care (regardless of the setting) over an extended period for a person with a condition such as cancer; extra payments for patient-center primary care delivered through medical home; and the rewarding of Accountable Care Organizations for achieving the desired performance in caring for a defined population over the course of the year. (Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. Reforming the delivery system. Report t o Congress) (Fisher ES) For providing episode of care for services provided three days prior to the admission, during the admission and 30 days after discharge. The service would include acute care, physician services provided inside and outside the hospital, outpatient services, post acute care services, including home health, inpatient rehabilitation, long term care hospital and others. Participating organization would required to submit data and specific measure, including measure of functional improvement, rates of avoidable hospitalization, incidence of hospital acquired infections and efficiency. An independent evaluation would review the extent to which the a pilot the selected quality of measures, improved health outcomes, improved beneficiary access to care and reduced Medicare spending.

Rocky Marciano :: essays research papers

On Sept. 1, 1923 Mr. and Mrs. Pierino Marchegiano of Brockton, MA became the proud parents of a lively twelve pound baby boy. The child was named Rocco Marchegiano, but the world would one day know him as the legendary boxer Rocky Marciano. When "bambino Rocco" was 18 months of age, he contracted pneumonia. Although the infection nearly killed him, his exceptionally strong constitution enabled him to survive without impairment. As a pre-teenager, Rocky relished his mother's Italian cooking so much he bordered on being stocky. This was underscored by his relatively short but muscular arms and legs. However, even at this young age, his overall bearing suggested exceptional physical strength. Throughout his teenage years, Rocky took great advantage of living across the street from the James Edgar Playground, where he especially enjoyed playing baseball. It was during this period that he began the habit of exercising to his limit." After spending countless hours hitting and chasing after baseballs, he would often go home and do chinups and lift homemade weights until he was totally fatigued." After supper, "Rocky and his pals often spent hours pummelling a stuffed mail sack that hung from an oak tree in the Marchegiano's back yard....In hot weather, they usually finished their workouts by racing over to Saxton's Spring to get a cold drink of water." Unfortunately, Rocky's experience of growing up in a multi-ethnic, working-class setting contributed to his involvement in a number of "altercations." Although most were territorial battles that took place at James Edgar Field, some occurred well beyond.... Even prior to his teenage years, Rocky's reputation for being a "really tough Italian kid" extended all the way over to the Bush, Brockton's Irish section. However, by the time he was 14, Rocky's notoriety as a baseball slugger began to overtake his reputation as a slugger with his fists. The legend of his athletic prowess began at age 15 when, as cleanup batter on the local American Legion team, he blasted a towering home run over the left field fence at James Edgar Playground. It landed on the front porch of a slightly irate neighbor. At age 15, Rocky entered Brockton High School - an institution with a nationally prestigious football tradition. Error! Bookmark not defined. Rocky's favorite subjects were Italian and Manual Training. And, except for a rather erratic scholastic record, all went reasonably well for him - at first.

The New International Economic Order Essay -- Economy Economics Essays

The New International Economic Order The gap between the rich and the poor is growing more and more every day. Something has got to be done to solve this issue. In 1974 members of the Third World gathered together at the United Nations. Their purpose was to find the answers to solve the gap between the rich and the poor. A total of seventy-seven members proposed the NIEO, hoping this might solve the gap. The NIEO stands for the New International Economic Order. Its aim was to bring the rich and the poor countries together to discuss issues that might bring the gap closer together. The negotiations of the NIEO were called the North and the South Dialog. Eighteen clauses made up the NIEO. These clauses were the changes that the Group of 77 desired. One of the clauses stated that each state would be free to determine their own economic and political system. Unfortunately this did not happen due to the fact that rich countries have taken it among themselves to determine what is right for poor countries. The poor countries do not have a say in what they want. The second clause stated that each state it to control their own natural resources. This means that rich countries will no longer be able to control poor countries natural resources like they had been doing. This causes a huge problem with rich countries who gather natural resources from these countries and the corporations who make money off of the natural resources. The rich countries do not like to see this take place. One example has to do with Chili and their copper. The copper of Chili is controlled by IT&T. During a presidential election in 1970, a man by the name of Allende said that if he was elected he would nationalize the copper. He was soon elected and then... ...ms. One example deals with the AIDS epidemic in Ghauna. Twenty-five percent of the people in Ghauna have the AIDS virus. The AIDS virus is spreading even faster in the Third World Countries because of the lack of modern technology. The Third World Countries feel if the United States finds a shot that will prevent AIDS, the shot should be a Heritage of Mankind which means everyone will be intitled to it. The United States says no because they did the research and spent the time and money. Overall, the Group of 77 had very good intentions. They saw that there needed to be something done to help solve the gap between the rich and the poor. The only problem is that the rich countries are far to ahead of the game. They will not allow many of the proposals to go into action. This leads to an even larger gap between the rich and the poor that is still on the increase.

Vitro Corning

Identify and discuss Corning's strategic predisposition toward a joint venture with Vitro. Because of long histories of successful joint ventures and had been an innovative leader in foreign alliances for over 73 years, Corning's strategy of establishing the joint venture relationship with Vitro seems to be a ideal combination and will lead to success. However, the joint venture became subject to a series of cultural and other conflicts that began to undermine this vision. According to company officials and external analysts, cultural differences were a principal cause of the alliance's failure. Therefore, lack of fully understanding Mexico culture is the key predisposition of Corning's strategy. What is culture? One of the well-accepted definitions is given by Goodenough (1971), who has defined culture as a set of beliefs or standards, shared by a group of people, which help the individual decide what is, what can be, how to feel, what to do and how to go about doing it. The main cultural clashes between two companies are discussed as follow: Different decision-making style between Mexican and American: Vitro and other Mexican businesses are much more hierarchical, with loyalty to fathers and patrons somehow carried over to the modern corporation. As a matter of loyalty or tradition, decisions are often left either to a member of the controlling family or to top executives, while middle level managers are often not asked their opinions. As a result, Corning managers who work in the joint venture were sometimes left waiting for important decisions about marketing and sales. Refers to a Corning executive: â€Å"If we were looking at a distribution decision, or a customer decision, we typically would have a group of people in a room, they would do an assessment, figure alternatives and make a decision, and I as chief executive would never know about it. † My experience on the Mexican side is that someone in the organization would have a solution in mind, but then the decision had to be kicked up a few levels. ‘ Different working efficiency: The Mexicans sometimes saw the Americans as too direct, while Vitro managers, in their dogged pursuit of politeness, sometimes seemed to the Americans unwilling to acknowledge problems and faults. The Mexicans sometimes thought Corning moved too fast; the Americans felt Vitro was too slow. Other difference in culture: America is a advanced country in modern society with only 227 years history, traditional culture has far less important position than fashion in most Americans' mind, contrarily, traditional culture plays a significant role in Mexico, most Mexican are conservative even in large companies. For instance, Corning's offices in upstate New York are in a modern glass enclosed building, while Vitro's headquarters in Monterrey, often thought of as Mexico's Pittsburgh, are in a replica of a 16th century convent, with artwork, arched ceilings and antique reproductions. To sum up, attitudes, orientations, emotions, and expressions differ strongly among people from American or Mexican. These differences are fundamentally cultural. According to Hofstede's culture dimensions, we can get the conclusion as the table demonstrated below: As shown in the table, although culture of both countries has masculinity characters, there is still a large culture gap in other aspects between American and Mexican. Therefore, without fully understanding Mexico's culture leads to the failure of Corning's alliance strategy with Vitro. Cultural clashes among partners in joint ventures are not a new issue. Discuss why an MNC, and specifically Corning, would be interested in fully understanding the culture of a potential before deciding on an alliance. Culture clash – the cultures of the companies are not compatible and compete for dominance. The businesses of both companies suffer while attention is diverted to the contest and it may destroy the key element of prior success. (Jeff Jacobs 2001) Although there is evidence of increasing cultural convergence between countries around the world, cultural differences among countries will persist. It is widely recognized that cultural differences between the partners of a merger are one of the most common reasons for failure in mergers, this may happen during pre-merger negotiations or during post-merger integration. Thus, fully understanding the culture of a potential can help managers anticipate problems in negotiating mergers and prevent them from disrupting what can be an attractive and mutually beneficial market entry strategy. In this case, as an innovative leader in foreign alliances, Corning has formed approximately 50 ventures over the years. Only 9 had failed (dissolved), an impressive number considering one recent study found that over one-half of foreign and national alliances do not succeed. With this proud record, Corning was confident of being succeed in the joint venture of Vitro, however, the joint venture became subject to a series of cultural and other conflicts that began to undermine this vision. Culture is about shared assumption, beliefs, values and norms. Each organization has its own culture developed from its own particular experience, its own role and the way its owners or managers get things done (Hellard, 1995). Since culture may affect the MNC in many aspect of its international development, even like Corning, which has rich foreign alliance experience, cannot ignore the effect cause by culture clash. It is unalterable principle for Corning to fully understanding the culture of its partner before it decides on an alliance. International alliances are an ideal setting within which to explore cultural differences in negotiations because they involve not only up-front negotiations over the initial structure of the relationship, but also constant and ongoing negotiation to manage what can be an inherently unstable and continuously evolving organizational form. If Corning and Vitro still want to remain in the alliance, understanding and accepting the other part's culture is the precondition. According to there is large culture gap between America and Mexico, how to narrow this gap or create an agreement of new value concept is the possible solution. The specific method advised as follow: 1. Managers from USA and Mexico who will work together in the alliance should meet and negotiate the detail of establishing the new company in each country before they carrying out the merging plan. 2. Employees from both companies should learn about how to minimize the breakage of culture clash. There should be a particular training for the employees who will work together in the new merger. The skills to overcome an embarrass situation are indispensable for them. 3. In order to get used to working in a new environment with different culture, Corning and Vitro can implement a manager-exchange program before new company established. Managers participated in the program will be assigned to the partner country and pursuit as probation period for the purpose of experiencing the local culture. 4. After new company established, localization is a important key to keep it operating properly and performing well, which mean among employees of the new company, local residents should have larger proportion. In addition, the final decision of the new company should be made by the local manager, and manager from the other part just take the responsibility of supervision and report the current operating situation to parent company. 5. In the early days of the alliance, executives from both companies should gather frequently to summarize the new company's performance of the previous period, exchange the information they collect from the operation of local company. Till the new companies enter into the right path, they can meet quarterly for further strategies. Discuss why both companies would continue to distribute each other's product after the joint venture failed. What impact might the public statements about the failure have on the relationship? Both Corning and Vitro remain in the situation of distributing each other's product even after the joint venture failed. The main reason is they still can make profit from counterparts' market. We can understand it easier from the first purpose of why Corning enters into joint venture: to gain access to markets that it cannot penetrate quickly enough to obtain a competitive advantage. In addition, both companies were globally oriented, and both had founding families still at their centers, Corning specialized in cookware and Vitro in tableware. Corning was accomplished at melting glass, while Vitro was expert in molding it. The companies intended to combine product lines based on where each company had technical leadership, and they began to swap technology to enhance their respective capabilities. Even though the alliance had been failed, both of them still can get competitive advantages from each other. Furthermore, if the culture clash problem can be solved or minimized, they still have opportunity to merge. Someone might consider the impact of public statement on the failure of their partnership negative. In fact, it might be a good thing; there is a famous saying in China: a loss may turn out to be a gain, a blessing in disguise. As we know, no company's development is plain sailing on their way to success, frustration is inescapable, what can you learn from the frustration is more important. In this case, the joint venture dissolved illustrate there is a culture gap between both companies, but not the quality of products or managing skills and something else. The failure can provide a clear orientation to Corning and Vitro's further positioning, once they can acknowledge and face bravely to the failure, and analyze the reason lead to the failure, the rare experience they gain is much larger than they lost. In future operation, they will consider more cautiously and more comprehensively before they decide to establish a new joint venture. Certainly, culture clash factors included. Reference: Goodenough, Ward H. , 1971, Culture language and society , modular publications, 7, Addison- Wesley: Reading MA Hellard, R. B. (1995), Project Partnering: Principle and Practice Hofstede, G. 2001). Culture's consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions and organizations across nations (2nd ed. ). Jackson, T, (ed), (1995). Cross-Cultural Management, Jeff Jacobs. (2001). How Culture Affects Mergers and Acquisitions X. Zhang, Y. Wang, J. Wrathall & M. Berrell, 2002, International Management–Managing in the Era of Globalization, P eople's University Press, China Available: http://www62. homepage. villanova. edu/jonathan. doh/CORNINGcase. rev. doc Available: http://www-edocs. unimaas. nl/files/mer95011. pdf ;/pre;;/body;;/html;

Race & Ethnicity Essay

Looking back at the history of Race & Ethnicity I am proud to see how much progress is made in the world. I must say that I am blessed to live in such a diverse society, amongst individuals with more rights than those of other countries. My name is Sunny Patel and my family comes from a small village back in India. My young family members such as my cousins, sister & myself, are considered 1st generation Indian Americans. In my culture picking names are customarily rights given to the father’s side of the family, particularly the child’s grandparents. I was the first in my family to no have followed such tradition as my mother decided my fate and named me Sunny. Ever since that missed tradition I strived to set myself apart from other people within the Indian community. Anytime someone asks me where I am from, I simply tell them I was born and raised in the south. The truth is I have been all over the east coast splitting my childhood between the north and south. I star ted my journey in Orlando, Florida (2 years), where I was born, then made my way to New Jersey (11 years), back down south to Georgia (6 years) and finally back to Jersey (4 years and counting). What sets me apart from all other South Asians is my lack for Indian culture and native English tongue. I do not look or dress like other south Asians which allows  me to diversify amongst my peers a lot easier than most. Living in America and going to school has made me forget my culture and language. In other words going to American schools you find it easier to fit in with others when you let go of your differences and come together with your similarities. Before you knew it I was not speaking anything but English even in my household Going back to what I said earlier, â€Å"Anytime someone asks me where I am  from†¦,† after this dialogue people are usually not expecting me to have said what I said so they nervously continue and say, â€Å"oh, you never been to India?†. Unlike most South Asians I only been to India one time and that was when I was 7 years old. That trip to India made me reacquaint myself with my Indian roots. I was not embarrassed or afraid of not fitting in when it comes to my religion but I simply wanted to distinguish myself as someone who is unique and different from the rest. I still embrace my religion and will always follow the traditions as it makes my mother happy and keeps me connected to who I am. If I grew up in India there is no denying my ties to my religion but growing up in America was the transition phase between where I come from and where I am. When you are South Asian, growing up in America is not the best things because there are many cases in which we get mad fun of and even though I was Americanized, I was still made fun of after people find out where I was from. This is what made me not want to be Indian and not even American but my own person defined by my own standards. After my move from Jersey to Georgia I felt more out of place than ever and I do not believe many people with my experience have had to go through such great change. I went from a school with a mix of Indian, Asian, Caucasian, African American etc. to a school with primarily all African American and Latino students. I was terrified because the school would have many fights and this is the time where I got made fun of the most probably due to the fact that the education system was so low that I felt I dropped back a grade or two, and most importantly 9-11 just had occurred not too long ago. I was miserable and faced much torment due to the ignorant. I was no where close to the people who were involved in the 9-11 attacks but due to the poor education system of the southern public schools breading ignorance, I had to face those problems one attach at a time. I would not sit back and let people talk so I talked back and sometime got into trouble from the administration and of course fights I got myself into, without a possible out. After going through one year in Georgia public schools I made my way to a private Presbyterian Christian Academy. I found myself to grow and better myself at this fine institution. I never felt more at home than I did at  this school but at first it was scary, as I was the only Indian American their surrounded by primarily those of the Caucasian decent. I strived to excel amongst my peers and found a place where I was accepted and grow up in peace. I played every sport and joined many clubs while making great lifelong friend, who I still talk to till this day. If I did not attend this school I would not be the man I am today. After graduation I went to school in Gainesville state college for one year while my mom rapped up her business in Georgia so we could make the move back to Jersey where the opportunities were a lot greater. I transferred to NJIT and found myself to grow even further as I toke my experience that I earned over the years and  put it into effect. I am now to graduate at the end of this summer and will most likely work with my Pennwell, the company I last interned with as a Marketing Intern.