Prince s Influence On Society - 1293 Words

. During the 1980s, the way Americans perceived homosexuality, race, and violence was challenged. In response, Prince’s eccentric and extravagant music style and attire dismantled conventional gender barriers of what it meant to be masculine and feminine in American society. Therefore, his musical creations set an example by pushing the limits of authenticity and self-expression. Prince’s fearless dedication to breaking down conventional expectations of style, music, gender norms, and conformity can be seen in his vocals, instrument choice, and lyrics. In the late 1980s, Prince was a music icon who blended funk, soul, pop, and hip-hop and presented his work in an androgyny atmosphere to advocate for racial and gender equality. His musical creations and appearance had disrupted the societal confines that fenced in the minority groups and pushed the limits of what it meant to be a black man. Prince’s distinct attire, extravagant performances, and persona helped con tribute to a new music era of funk-rock and challenged the taboo concepts of the 1980’s. Prince’s musical work impacted society by encouraging wildly free and creative behavior during a time where it was not acceptable to be who you were. In this paper, I will analyze the auditory significance of two of Prince’s songs: â€Å"If I was your girlfriend† (1987) and â€Å"I Would Die 4 U† (1984). Analysis for both songs were based on music videos and a scene from Prince’s film, Purple Rain. In addition to these songs, Prince’sShow MoreRelatedGender Roles Of Men And Women1362 Words   |  6 PagesFairy Tales Fairy tales have been around for generations. They are a way to express the idealistic realities of society. In most fairy tales, the roles of men and women reflect the way men and women are portrayed in reality. Many cultures believe that women are to be seen and not heard and that the only necessity for them is to take care of the house and raise children to repopulate society. Fairy tales originated from oral tradition. These stories were passed down and here eventually written down.Read More Analysis of Mores The Prince and Utopia Essay1545 Words   |  7 Pagesgovernment and rule. When the Medici power reclaimed Florence Machiavelli was arrested for conspiracy he was tortured and then banished from Florence. During his banishment he wrote the book The Prince in 1513 which is dedicated to the new prince of Florence Lorenzo De Medici. The book was a discourse to the prince on how to run a country and also a way Machiavelli can get a job working in politics again. ii. Towns Local Governments The local towns and governments in Utopia are splitRead MoreCritical Reflection on the Hidden Influence of the British Monarchy on Politics1336 Words   |  6 PagesCrown. This, however, is just a small visible end of the real power that the British –constitutional- monarchy holds over public employees. Since the limitation of powers of the Crown in the XVII century the royals have been using their forceful influence in an unofficial way for their own benefit (Adams, 2010; Booth 2010 and 2011; Wilson, 1989). Taking into account that the United Kingdom has a democratic and constitutional political system, some serious questions arise from this: how the monarchyRead MoreMachiavelli’S The Prince Was Written During The Early Years1647 Words   |  7 PagesMachiavelli’s The Prince was written during the early years of the sixteenth century and was one of the most profound and controversial pieces of literature to emerge from the Renaissance. The political treatise was written for Lorenzo de Medici in hopes that he would use the principles taught in it to rule in Italy. Machiavelli planned for the piece of literature to impress Medici and hopefully persuade him to give Machiavelli a position within the Italian government, a position that he longed toRead MoreNegative Effect s Of Disney Films895 Words   |  4 PagesNegative influence on Kids Lives in Today’s World. The image that Disney films portray their stories is a very powerful product that can influence our kids’ lives negatively. One example of this is the film The Princess and the Frog. In this movie, we can see that an African American girl named Tiana lived poor in the 1920’s. The plot of this story is that this poor girl wanted to finish the dream of her father, which is to create a restaurant. Towards the end she ends up marrying Prince Naveen ofRead MoreThe Romantic Age Of American Literature1725 Words   |  7 Pages The Romantic Age took place in the middle of the 1800s. During this period the middle class began to rise in society. Many reforms started to take place which included slavery and woman s rights. This age brought about American literature which was free from European influence and ties. The writers during the Romantic Age wrote mainly about the person, they included clear and concise descriptions of people and nature. Many writers like Poe wrote about supernatural events like the devil, evil,Read MoreFairy Tales By The Brothers Grimm1381 Words   |  6 Pagesa young girl with magically long hair who is isolated away from the world in a tall tower after an evil fairy takes her away from her parents shortly after she is born. Rapunzel experiences love for the first time when she is found by a charming prince but struggles to keep their nightly affairs a secret from the wicked fairy that controls her, Frau Gothel. Because of the history, archetypal elements, and psychological values held in the story, â€Å"Rapunzel† remains a classic story told today aboutRead More Machiavelli And Plato Essay1564 Words   |  7 Pagessource of dispute amongst scholars due to the ambiguity of his analogy of the amp;#8216;Nature of Politics; and the implication of morality. The Prince, has been criticised due to itamp;#8217;s seemingly amoral political suggestiveness, however after further scrutiny of other works such as The Discourses, on e can argue that it was Machiavelliamp;#8217;s intention to infact imply a positive political morality. Therefore the question needs to be posed. Is Machiavelli a political amoralist? To successfullyRead MoreInfluences On My Identity Essay1630 Words   |  7 PagesInfluences on My Identity Nursery walls painted baby blue, the bedding a classic Winnie-the-Pooh print. Stroller and car seat covered in neutral plaid. Footed onesies in shades of white, yellow, and green. A long list of unisex names from which to choose. Sifting through my baby book, it is easy to see tell that my parents had no clue what gender their new baby would be. That is, until I came into the world in a flurry of activity and someone—probably the doctor—announced â€Å"It s a girl!† My grandmotherRead MoreThe Reformation And Its Impact On The Early Modern Period1622 Words   |  7 Pagesreligious and political wars. Before the beginnings of the reformation political discourse was dominated by different catholic influences at the hands of philosophers and writers such as Sir Thomas More. More s use of political discourse came in the form of Utopia, a piece of writing that was highly critical of the King of England and the country itself due to More s personal experience as a counsellor1. Although Utopia was published before the Reformation, it is clear that More had an idea on

Struggling With Mental Health Disorders - 1462 Words

Robin Williams: Struggling with Mental Health Disorders Mental health disorders are becoming more and more prevalent in the United States today, especially since the world consists of more prestigious medical professionals that can diagnose individuals. What does a mental health disorder entail and how can one be effectively diagnosed? Many people do not realize they are suffering from a mental illness, which can sometimes be extremely detrimental to a person’s health and can eventually lead to death if not treated. Extensive research has provided the world with more knowledge on the causes, symptoms, and treatments of several mental health disorders with the help of the DSM-5. Any individual can be diagnosed with a mental health disorder, even those â€Å"perfect† celebrities people idolize. Robin Williams, a well-known actor and comedian, took his own life in August 2014 from the detrimental effects of bipolar disorder and depression. Robin Williams was a prestigious actor and comedian who recently took his own life on August 11, 2014. Many people probably did not expect this occurrence from his upbeat and hilarious personality he portrayed to his followers. According to The National Alliance on Mental Health, approximately 2.6 percent of American adults live with bipolar disorder, about 6.1 million people (Communities Digital News). Several people who suffer from bipolar disorder and depression tend to hide it from their loved ones. Bipolar disorder may have stimulated hisShow MoreRelatedStigma Surrounding Mental Health Disorders1059 Words   |  5 PagesThe Stigma Surrounding Mental Health Disorders Mental health disorders affect just about every single person in the world. These disorders come in many forms and severities. A couple of these disorders are depression, anxiety, eating disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, and many more. In the United States alone 43.8 million, 1 in 5, adults suffer from a form of a mental health disorder. About 21.4%, or 1 in 5 juveniles ages 13-18, suffer from mental health disorders. Of people in our countryRead MoreHigh School Should Be The Time Of Your Life1168 Words   |  5 Pageshas said â€Å"Estimates are that 25% of the 150 million child visits per year for primary health care (non-mental-health and other specialties) have a psychological problem associated with the presenting problem† (pg.604). These numbers are shocking for some. This percentage may be even higher. With mental illness, numbers and data is altered because of the stigma that comes along with talking about mental disorders. Imagine having a stomach ache and n ot wanting to tell your parents you’re not feelingRead MoreEating Disorders : A Young Woman Sits At The Table872 Words   |  4 Pagesbehaviors have escalated into widespread suffering of eating disorders. In fact, the National Institute for Mental Health reported that 25% of all college students are victims of either anorexia nervosa or bulimia. Anorexia nervosa, commonly referred to as â€Å"Ana†, is an eating disorder characterized by extreme restriction or complete avoidance of food. On the other hand bulimia, nicknamed â€Å"Mia†, is distinguished by binging and purging. These disorders are far from insignificant, because they are much moreRead MoreThe Field Of Mental Health1275 Words   |  6 PagesThe field of mental health has evolved over the last century and a half due to medical advancements in the field. Mental illness is no longer seen as a hopeless situation for Americans to deal with. People with mental challenges can have productive lives with the proper treatment. Today, fewer stigmas are associated with having mental illness. A more humane approach occurs in psychiatric medicine than in the past decades. The practice of lobotomy was stopped in 1967 it was a controversial procedureRead MoreThe American Foundation Of Suicide Prevention935 Words   |  4 Pagesnon-profit organization acknowledges that suicide and mental health problems are part of our society and by understanding this we can better support those in need, and suicide affects a tremendous amount of people and proper education and treatment can prevent people from committing suicide. â€Å"Each year in the United States, suicide claims over 40,000 lives - more than war, murder, and natural disasters combined†¦Suicide is not just a faceless health issue for our society - it affects real people.† (1Read MoreThe Benefits Of The Health Care System849 Words   |  4 Pagesfor men/women based on their individuals needs dealing with substance abuse and mental issues. In addition, AAC offers service not only for the individual, but family therapy, on-site intensive workshops, and individualized addiction plans. Equally important, the addition plans are customized, according to the individual’s seriousness of addiction coupled with the presences of co-occurring mental health disorder. Last, the programs offered are CARF Accredited facilities Research-based therapyRead MoreThe Problem Of Homelessness And Homelessness889 Words   |  4 Pages000 people experience homelessness annually (Health Care for the Homeless). Before a family or an individual becomes homeless, they go through a series of devastating occurrences that are mostly unintentional and sudden. Some people become homeless from causes such as a family dispute, divorce, substance abuse, or gambling. The problem of homelessness is not easy to solve, but people need to understand that some of the prominent causes are a mental disorder, illness, loss of a job and domestic violenceRead MoreHow Does The United States Media Affects Mental Illness? Essay998 Words   |  4 Pagestelevision, portray mental illness? Methodology Modern television shows will be analyzed to find any indication of a shift from misrepresentation of the mentally ill to a portrayal that does not represent them as incapable or unable to perform well socially in the real world, or in a job. Shows such as Grey’s Anatomy and Homeland will be evaluated based on the correct representation of disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder, alcoholism/addiction, and bipolar disorder. These shows will beRead MoreInstructional Implications For Internalizing Behaviors.1708 Words   |  7 PagesInstructional Implications for Internalizing Behaviors Introduction To what extent is the rise of internalizing behaviors including anxiety and mood disorders impacting classroom instruction? What strategies and resources are available to assist general education and special education teachers in reaching these students? What role does the school play in providing school-based resources to combat these typically medically-based conditions? What needs to happen to create change? These questionsRead MoreThe Reasons People Become Homeless909 Words   |  4 Pageshomelessness annually (Health Care). Before families or individuals become homeless, they go through a series of devastating occurrences that are mostly unintentional and sudden. Some people become homeless from causes such as a family dispute, divorce, substance abuse, loss of a job, or gambling. While all of these issues and many others are contributing factors in homelessness, anyone can become homeless at any time, and some of the most prominent causes are mental disorders, domestic violence, and

World Wide Web and E-commerce Winter Free Essays

string(1959) " Issues Channel conflict Occurs whenever sales activities on a company’s Web site interfere with existing sales outlets Also called cannibalization Channel cooperation Giving customers access to the company’s products through a coordinated presence in all distribution channels An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 23 Strategic Alliances and Channel Distribution Management Strategic alliance When two or more companies join forces to undertake an activity over a long period of time Account aggregation services Increase the propensity of customers to return to the site Channel distribution managers Companies that take over the responsibility for a particular product line within a retail store An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 24 12 Creating an Effective Web Presence An organization’s presence The public image it conveys to its stakeholders Stakeholders of a firm Include its customers, suppliers, employees, stockholders, neighbors, and the general public An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 25 Achieving Web Presence Goals Objectives of the business Attracting visitors to the Web site Making the site interesting enough that visitors tay and explore Convincing visitors to follow the site’s links to obtain information An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 26 13 Achieving Web Presence Goals \(continued\) Objectives of the business Creating an impression consistent with the organization’s desired image Building a trusting relationship with visitors Reinforcing p ositive images that the visitor might already have about the organization Encouraging visitors to return to the site An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 27 Profit-Driven Organizations Toyota site A good example of an effective Web presence Provides links to Detailed information about each vehicle model A dealer locator page Information about the company and the financing services it offers An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 28 14 Toyota U\." Introduction to E-Commerce Revenue Models Objectives In this chapter, you will learn about: Revenue models How some companies move from one revenue model to another to achieve success Revenue strategy issues that companies face when selling on the Web An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 2 1 Objectives (continued) Creating an effective business presence on the Web Web site usability Communicating effectively with customers on the Web An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 3 Revenue Models Mail order or catalog model Proven to be successful for a wide variety of consumer items Web catalog revenue model Taking the catalog model to the Web An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 4 2 Computers and Consumer Electronics Apple, Dell, Gateway, and Sun Microsystems have had great success selling on the Web Dell created value by designing its entire business around offering a high degree of configuration flexibility to its customers An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 5 Books, Music, and Videos Retailers use the Web catalog model to sell books, music, and videos Among the most visible examples of electronic commerce Jeff Bezos Formed Amazon. com Jason and Matthew Olim Formed an online music store they called CDnow Used the Web catalog revenue model An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 6 3 Luxury Goods People are still reluctant to buy luxury goods through a Web site Web sites of Vera Wang and Versace Constructed to provide information to shoppers, not to generate revenue Web site of Evian Designed for a select, affluent group of customers An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 7 Clothing Retailers Lands’ End Pioneered the idea of online Web shopping assistance with its Lands’ End Live feature in 1999 Personal shopper Intelligent agent program that learns customer’s preferences and makes suggestions Virtual model Graphic image built from customer measurements An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 8 4 Flowers and Gifts 1-800-Flowers Created an online extension to its telephone order business Chocolatier Godiva Offers business gift plans on its site An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 9 Digital Content Revenue Models Firms that own intellectual property have embraced the Web as a new and highly efficient distribution mechanism Lexis. com Provides full-text search of court cases, laws, patent databases, and tax regulations ProQuest Sells digital copies of published documents An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 10 5 Advertising-Supported Revenue Models Broadcasters provide free programming to an udience along with advertising messages Success of Web advertising is hampered by No consensus on how to measure and charge for site visitor views Stickiness of a Web site: the ability to keep visitors and attract repeat visitors Very few Web sites have sufficient visitors to interest large advertisers An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 11 Web Portals Web direct ory A listing of hyperlinks to Web pages Portal or Web portal Site used as a launching point to enter the Web Almost always includes a Web directory and search engine Examples: Yahoo! , AOL, AltaVista An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 12 6 Advertising-Subscription Mixed Revenue Models Subscribers Pay a fee and accept some level of advertising Typically are subjected to much less advertising Used by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 13 Advertising-Subscription Mixed Revenue Models (continued) Business Week Offers some free content at its Business Week online site Requires visitors to buy a subscription to the Business Week print magazine An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 14 7 Fee-for-Transaction Revenue Models Businesses offer services and charge a fee based on the number or size of transactions processed Disintermediation Removal of an intermediary from a value chain Reintermediation Introduction of a new intermediary An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 15 Fee-for-Service Revenue Models Fee based on the value of a service provided Services range from games and entertainment to financial advice Online games Growing number of sites include premium games in their offerings Site visitors must pay to play these premium games An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 16 8 Fee-for-Service Revenue Models (continued) Concerts and films As more households obtain broadband access to the Internet, companies are providing streaming video of concerts and films to paying ubscribers Professional Services State laws are one of the main forces preventing U. We will write a custom essay sample on World Wide Web and E-commerce Winter or any similar topic only for you Order Now S. professionals from extending their practices to the Web An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 17 Revenue Models in Transition Subscription to advertising-supported model Microsoft founded its Slate magazine Web site An upscale news and current events publication Charged an annual subscription fee after a limited free introductory period Was unable to draw sufficient number of paid subscribers Now operated as an advertising-supported site An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 18 9 Advertising-Supported to AdvertisingSubscription Mixed Model Salon. om Operated for several years as an advertisingsupported site Now offers an optional subscription version of its site Subscription offering was motivated by the company’s inability to raise additional money from investors An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 19 Advertising-Supported to Feefor-Services Model Xdrive Technologies Opened its original advertising-supported Web site in 1999 Offered free disk storage space onli ne to users After two years, it was unable to pay the costs of providing the service with the advertising revenue generated Later switched to a subscription-supported model An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 20 10 Advertising-Supported to Subscription Model Northern Light Founded in August 1997 as a search engine with a twist Revenue model Combination of advertising-supported model plus a fee-based information access service January 2002 Converted to a new revenue model that was primarily subscription supported An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 21 Multiple Transitions Encyclop? dia Britannica Original offerings The Britannica Internet Guide Free Web navigation aid Encyclop? dia Britannica Online Available for a subscription fee or as part of a CD package 1999 Converted to a free, advertiser-supported site 001 Returned to a mixed model An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 22 11 Revenue Strategy Issues Channel conflict Occurs whenever sales activities on a company’s Web site interfere with existing sales outlets Also called cannibalization Channel cooperation Giving customers access to the company’s products through a coordinated presence in all distribu tion channels An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 23 Strategic Alliances and Channel Distribution Management Strategic alliance When two or more companies join forces to undertake an activity over a long period of time Account aggregation services Increase the propensity of customers to return to the site Channel distribution managers Companies that take over the responsibility for a particular product line within a retail store An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 24 12 Creating an Effective Web Presence An organization’s presence The public image it conveys to its stakeholders Stakeholders of a firm Include its customers, suppliers, employees, stockholders, neighbors, and the general public An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 25 Achieving Web Presence Goals Objectives of the business Attracting visitors to the Web site Making the site interesting enough that visitors tay and explore Convincing visitors to follow the site’s links to obtain information An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 26 13 Achieving Web Presence Goals (continued) Objectives of the business Creating an impression consistent with the organization’s desired image Building a trusting relationship with visitors Reinforcing pos itive images that the visitor might already have about the organization Encouraging visitors to return to the site An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 27 Profit-Driven Organizations Toyota site A good example of an effective Web presence Provides links to Detailed information about each vehicle model A dealer locator page Information about the company and the financing services it offers An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 28 14 Toyota U. S. Home page An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 29 Profit-Driven Organizations (continued) Quaker Oats Web site does not offer a particularly strong sense of corporate presence Site is a straightforward presentation of links to information about the firm Redesigned site is essentially the same as the previous version An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 30 15 Quaker Oats Old Home Page An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 31 Quaker Oats Home Page: 1999 Redesign An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 32 16 Not-for-Profit Organizations Key goal for the Web sites Information dissemination Key element on any successful electronic commerce Web site Combination of information dissemination and a two-way contact channel An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 33 Web Site Usability Motivations of Web site visitors Learning about products or services that the company offers Buying products or services that the company offers Obtaining information about warranty, service, or repair policies for products they purchased Obtaining general information about the company or organization An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 34 17 Web Site Usability (continued) Motivations of Web site visitors Obtaining financial information for making an investment or credit granting decision Identifying the people who manage the company or organization Obtaining contact information for a person or department in the organization An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 35 Making Web Sites Accessible One of the best ways to accommodate a broad range of visitor needs is to build flexibility into the Web site’s interface Good site design lets visitors choose among information attributes Web sites can offer visitors multiple nformation formats by including links to files in those formats An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 36 18 Making Web Sites Accessible (continued) Goals that should be met when constructing Web sites Offer easily accessible facts about the organization Allow visitors to experience the site in different ways and at different levels Sustain visitor atten tion and encourage return visits Offer easily accessible information An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 37 Trust and Loyalty A 5 percent increase in customer loyalty can yield profit increases between 25% and 80% Repetition of satisfactory service can build ustomer loyalty Customer service is a problem for many electronic commerce sites An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 38 19 Usability Testing Companies that have done usability tests Conduct focus groups Watch how different customers navigate through a series of Web site test designs Cost of usability testing is low compared to the total cost of a Web site design or overhaul to E-Commerce An Introduction Winter 85, 39 Customer-Centric Web Site Design Putting the customer at the center of all site designs Guidelines Design the site around how visitors will navigate the links Allow visitors to access information quickly Avoid using inflated marketing statements An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 40 20 Customer-Centric Web Site Design (continued) Guidelines Avoid using business jargon and terms that visitors might not understand Be consistent in use of design features and colors Make sure navigation controls are clearly labeled Test text visibility on smaller monitors Conduct usability tests An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 41 Connecting With Customers Personal contact model Firm’s employees individually search for, qualify, and contact potential customers Prospecting Personal contact approach to identifying and reaching customers Mass media approach Firms prepare advertising and promotional materials about the firm and its products An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 42 21 Connecting With Customers (continued) Addressable media Advertising efforts directed to a known addressee Also called mass media One-to-many communication model Communication flows from one advertiser to many potential buyers One-to-one communication model Both buyer and seller participate in information exchange An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 43 Business Communication Modes An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 44 22 Summary Models used to generate revenue on the Web Web catalog Digital content sales Advertising-supported Advertising-subscription mixed Fee-for-transaction and fee-for-service Companies undertaking electronic commerce initiatives sometimes Form strategic alliances Contract with channel distribution managers An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 45 Summary (continued) Firms must understand how the Web differs from other media Enlisting the help of users when building test versions of the Web site is a good way to create a site that represents the organization well Firms must also understand the nature of communication on the Web An Introduction to E-Commerce Winter 85, 46 23 How to cite World Wide Web and E-commerce Winter, Essay examples

Outsourcing of Manufacturing Unit-Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about the Outsourcing of Manufacturing Unit. Answer: Introduction: In contemporary business world, with the advent of Globalization, the term outsourcing is becoming a common and significant one. Outsourcing, by a company or industry, in the broad sense of the term, means relocating or transferring a part or whole of their functional activities from the location of their initial operations to some convenient location (Primarily offshore) (Morschett, Schramm-Klein and Zentes 2015). The multinational corporations mainly do this with their headquarters situated mostly in developed economies and the relocations are usually done in developing or semi-developed growing economies to take advantages of their low cost of production, less rigidity in labour policies and growing infrastructure as well as market. This report discussed about one such manufacturer, the Raque Food Systems and its potential prospects and problems in outsourcing its production activities (Oshri, Kotlarsky and Willcocks 2015). Raque Food Systems: Founded as early as in 1975, the Raque Food Systems is one of the pioneers in the industry of food packaging machineries and is currently a world class manufacturer of industrial food packaging machines and a primary supplier of the same, especially to the Frozen Food industries. With offices in the United States of America and in the United Kingdom, the Raque Food System now has thirty two manufacturing plants and they ship their products all over the world. The company has this unique ability of designing and customizing any of its products according to the need if its customers, which adds tremendously to their goodwill and reputation in the global market and is a vital reason behind the substantial demand of their products worldwide (Raque.com, 2017). Being stationed mostly in the USA and UK, one of the primary issues the company face is that of comparatively low profit margin as both the counties, being highly developed ones, have high manufacturing costs and strict minimum wage laws which hurt the interests of the company and its shareholders (Raque.com, 2017). On requests of the shareholders, to find out cost reducing alternatives, the company is considering outsourcing of its manufacturing sector to some other countries with lower production costs in general. Outsourcing, in this case can be a better option for the company, especially if it is done in some developing countries with expanding infrastructure, labour abundance and comparatively flexible labour and wage policies, which are beneficial for production activities of the company. The initial research by the company has come up with two potential candidates, Malaysia and Mexico, showing credentials and possibilities for outsourcing. The report tries to analyse the economies of both the candidate countries and pros and cons of outsourcing the production activities of the Raque Food Systems in these countries, depending upon their infrastructures, labour markets, amenities, policies, market prospects, political aspects and cultural diversities. Potential Candidates: Malaysia: With 13 states and 3 federal territories, the country is a constitutional monarchy, situated in the heart of South East Asia and is a beautiful example of multi-cultural society with diverse ethnicity. The Malays, Indians and Chinese form the major share of the Malaysian population and with Kuala Lampur as the capital city, Malaysia is currently emerging as one of the primary economic giants in the global scenario showing huge potentials and future prospects (Jomo 2016). Mexico: The country is the second largest economy in Latin America, making its place in the global market as a major oil exporter. With Spanish as the main language and Christianity as the primary religion, the country has a huge underutilizes labour base and a wide socio-economic gap among its population, which makes availability of cheap labour easy and brings the country in the list of potential candidates (Snchez and Luna 2014). General Information: Economic Overview: Malaysia, with a population of around 29 million, has a GDP of around 296 billion USD, an impressive per-capita GDP of nearly 9502 USD and a stable GDP growth rate of 4.8%. the economy remains a major global source of electronic products, net exporter of crude oil and one of the largest producers of tropical hardwood and rubber. With time, the country has been showing impressive figures in Foreign Direct Investments (Mundial 2013). Figure 1: FDI in Malaysia (Source: Theglobaleconomy.com, 2017) From the above chart, it can be seen that the FDI has considerably increased in the country post 2009 and the country experienced a massive upsurge in the FDI (12.3% approximately) in 2011, indicating that it is increasingly becoming one of the primary countries of interest for most of the MNCs which want to outsource their operations. In 2015, the country recorded a FDI of 10.96 billion USD (Ahmed 2012). The sectors, experiencing the major inflow of investments by the foreign MNCs are mainly manufacturing sector (50%) and service sector (27%). The economy has a unemployment rate of 3.3% and maintains a highly stable equilibrium with less economic fluctuations and consistent growth trends, thereby making the country a major centre of attraction for outsourcing (Jomo 2016). Mexico has population strength of 121.1 million, with the GDP of around 2.2 trillion USD and a GDP per capita of around 17,530 USD. The country experiences a 2.5% growth rate in GDP (Much lesser than that of Malaysia, indicating that Malaysia shows much bigger prospects in future expansion) (Ajagbe and Ismail 2014). Figure 2: FDI in Mexico (Source: Theglobaleconomy.com, 2017) The above figure shows the flow of FDI in Mexico, over the past few years and as it can be seen, FDI has considerably decreased post 2016. The main chunk of the FDI flow in the country is in the manufacturing sector like that of Malaysia. The primary reasons behind this fall in FDI are the increasing rates of crimes, drug trades (Which forms one of the primary negative issues of this economy) and lack of constructive reforms in the industrial sector of the economy, as well as the tax structure of the country (Robles, Caldern and Magaloni 2013). This shows that the country, though still popular among the investors, is fast losing out to its more competent counterparts due to lack of credibility. The unemployment rate in Mexico is currently 4.3%, which is much higher as compared to Malaysia (Snchez and Luna 2014). Economic Forecast: On September 2010, the Government of Malaysia introduced an Economic Transformation Programme or the ETP and the Government Transformation Programme or the GTP, with the vision of making the country one of the highest income nations by the year 2020 (Mundial 2013). The significant role of one of the primary component of this ETP is promoting the country as top investment attraction and outsourcing location for the foreign multi-national corporations and the growth in the private sector of the country has been impressively high since then (Ahmed, E.M., 2012). The launch of the Tun Razak Exchange in 2012 has also attributed to the prospects of the country as a major investment destination. There is a high possibility of negotiation of a Free trade agreement between Malaysia and the European Union (EU) and of partnership of the country at a Trans-Pacific level, both of which can improve the business environment of the country manifold and attract even more global investors as well as MN Cs in future (Khan, Liew and Ghazali 2014). However, the country does have several non-favourable issues which have the potential to hamper their economic and industrial growth. Firstly, the country, being one of the Asian Giants, faces stiff competition from the other Asian Economic Giants like China, Indonesia or Vietnam (Snchez and Luna 2014). China, though seeing a decline in growth of its economic and business possibilities in the current global scenario, still remains one of the largest manufacturers in the global market and enjoys a huge market for their products. Therefore, it draws a substantial amount of FDI, along with the growing economies like Indonesia and Vietnam, thereby, posing a tough competition to Malaysia in terms of attracting FDI (Forbes.com, 2017). Another threat faced by the country is the threat of terrorism and piracy, which the country often faces in its waterways and shipping tracks. This makes the investors a little sceptic, especially those who have to transfer or ship raw materials and finished products through this channel. However, in spite of these threats, Malaysia is garnering enormous attention of the foreign investors and the country is projected to experience economic boom in the years to come. From an enormous amount of 187 million USD in 2010, the outsourcing in the business process has increased to over 700 million USD in 2015 and is expected to increase further in the coming years (Ajagbe and Ismail 2014). Mexico, on the other hand, has experienced a boom in its economy right from the start of the new age Globalization. Its huge labour resources, providing for a cheap labour base, has been the primary advantage of the country, due to which the country has attracted substantial amount of FDI in the last few years. However, the country saw a massive setback in its economy in 2015-2016, one of the main reasons behind this being the frequent turbulence in the countrys economic and political conditions, contributing to the instability of the country and making it less attractive in the eyes of the foreign MNCs gearing up for outsourcing (Snchez and Luna 2014). This is because no company wants to shift its base or production sector to a location, which in spite of having cheap and abundant source of labour has a disturbed and volatile business environment. The country currently has a high inflation rate and is expected to remain at an economic growth rate of 2% in 2017-2018 (Anderson 2013). Infrastructure: The main reason for Malaysia becoming one of the primary centres of attraction of the foreign investors with time is its dynamic and integrated overall infrastructure, which contributes hugely in creating an efficient and competent business and production environment. The country is a fast growing technological giant, with a mixed cultural workforce, consisting mainly of Malays, Indians and Chinese, all of whom are known for their efficiency and productivity in the worldwide labour market (Forbes.com, 2017). The labour force in Malaysia is multi-lingual, skilled and with English proficiency. Moreover, the with the projected development of the TRX or the Tun Razak Exchange, a new and more production augmenting economic structure is expected to develop in the country (Razak 2013). Malaysian economy also provides all around cost effectiveness for the investors in terms of affordability. Not only in terms of labour resources or in terms of materials required for production, benefits are also there in terms of real estates, lands, overall transport costs within the country and other basic amenities and facilities like schooling and health care, thereby making the country even more lucrative for outsourcing by the MNCs (Ahmad, Jabeen and Khan 2014). In order to make itself more attractive in the eye of the global investment market, Malaysia stresses on building a strong and world class integrated connectivity in terms of robust transport facilities and high speed internet connectivity all over the country. The business environment of the country is unique in the sense that it is stable as well as dynamic. It is dynamic in the sense that the country has been and is still expanding its economic possibilities by improving, innovating and improvising its economic and industrial sectors. On the other hand, the country seldom experiences economic or socio-political turmoil and labour or worker unrest, thereby making it a stable economy and fit for production and for attracting the outsourced production units of many MNCs (Aziz 2012). Table 1: Ranking of countries in terms of business compatibility (Source: Aman et al. 2012) From the Table 1, it is evident, that Malaysia is currently performing quite well in the economic indicators such as financial attractiveness, skills and efficiency of the countrys workforce and business environment. The total score of the country in terms overall prospect of the country as a business destination, is 5.99, which is quite high and just after huge developing economies like India and China (Maelah et al. 2012). Malaysia being comparatively a much smaller economy, has been performing impressive, thereby making itself one of the most preferred destinations for the outsourcing of the MNCs, especially those who want to outsource their manufacturing sector offshore. The Raque Food System, therefore, can consider this country as one of their possible candidates for outsourcing their manufacturing unit (Razak 2013). The above table also shows the performance of Mexico in terms of the same economic indicators. It can be seen that where Malaysia secures te third position in the global scenario, scoring an impressive 5.99 in the over-all index, Mexico lies a little lower than Malaysia, at the sixth position with an overall score of 5.72. The main indicator, where Mexico scores much less than Malaysia, is the overall business environment (Anderson 2013). This may be because unlike Malaysia, Mexico experiences frequent and long-term unrests in the economic and political scenario. The illegal activities and drug related issues of the country are also quite high and unsettling and due to an unstable economic scenario, the country has failed to develop its overall infrastructure over the time, thereby slowly losing its place to other countries like Malaysia (Pan, Widner and Enomoto 2012). Trade Policies: For facilitating the overall economic expansion of the country and for attracting global investments, the Malaysian Government has formed several favourable policies in their ETP. The Government primarily offers lucrative tax solutions and huge subsidies for the foreign companies to attract more FDI. There is no income tax until the first ten years of the investment and investment tax allowance for five years in Malaysia (Aziz 2012). Apart from that, it also offers facilities and benefits like freedom of ownership, freedom to borrow capital and resources from the global market, beneficial cyber laws and laws protecting intellectual properties of the companies operating in Malaysia, absence of censorship in internet, and competitive tariff rates (Maelah et al. 2012). Cultural Differences and Risks: One of the primary hurdles that can be faced by a company in outsourcing its operations to offshore locations is that of the cultural and socio-political diversities (Morschett, Schramm-Klein and Zentes 2015). In case of Malaysia, the risks arising due to these particular differences are low. This is because, firstly, the country is a multi-lingual one, with an overall high English proficiency as major share of the population consists of Indian and Chinese. Therefore, communication and understanding of instructions are not that difficult for the workers. Political risks are also low in this country due to its stable and productive environment. The risks are higher in case of Mexico as it is culturally more constricted. The primary language being Spanish, the language barrier is more and politically too the country is far more unstable with frequent turmoil and unrest (Robles, Caldern and Magaloni 2013). Advantages of moving to Malaysia: For the Raque Food Systems, there are several benefits of moving the manufacturing unit to Malaysia. Firstly, the country is a source of cheap, English knowing, skilled labour (Ranking 43/197 in the global yearly minimum wage estimates, where UK ranks 1/197 and USA ranks 9/197, higher ranks implying higher minimum wage) (Pan, Widner and Enomoto 2012). The constant technological innovations and building of an excellent infrastructure, complemented by investor friendly trade policies make the country the most feasible candidate for the Raque Food Systems to outsource their production to increase cost effectiveness (Rani et al. 2013). Due to robust transport network, shipping can also become smooth from this country. Malaysia also enjoys a strategic location and is a gateway to the tremendously lucrative vast Asian and the Middle East markets, which adds to its credibility as the offshore location for outsourcing for the company (Raque.com, 2017). Disadvantages of moving to Mexico: Mexico, though having a bigger worker base and more affordability compared to Malaysia, loses its credibility to big extent due to its overall unstable economy and upsurge of political unrests and illegal activities. Labour base in Mexico, though bigger in number, are less skilled than Malaysia. The infrastructure, trade policies, tax breaks are also not that favourable for attracting outsourcings by the foreign MNCs as it can create hurdles in shipping of their products. The cultural and lingual barriers are also high in this country with respect to its competitors (Robles, Caldern and Magaloni 2013). Discussion: From the above discussion, it can be seen that for the Raque Food Systems, cost cutting can be massively done by relocating their production unit to offshore location, preferably Malaysia and not Mexico, though the latter has a bigger labour base. Outsourcing to Malaysia will reduce their labour costs significantly as is evident from the minimum wage statistics discussed above. Malaysia, being a labour intensive as well as technologically sound and stable economy will be beneficial for the concerned company not only in terms of cost effectiveness but also in terms of providing markets for their products. References: Ahmad, S.Z., Jabeen, F. and Khan, M., 2014. Entrepreneurs choice in business venture: Motivations for choosing home-stay accommodation businesses in Peninsular Malaysia.International Journal of Hospitality Management,36, pp.31-40. Ahmed, E.M., 2012. Are the FDI inflow spillover effects on Malaysia's economic growth input driven?.Economic Modelling,29(4), pp.1498-1504. Ajagbe, M.A. and Ismail, K., 2014. Factors influencing venture capital assessment of high growth companies in Malaysia.International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business,21(4), pp.457-494. Aman, A., Hamzah, N., Amiruddin, R. and Maelah, R., 2012. Transaction costs in finance and accounting offshore outsourcing: a case of Malaysia.Strategic Outsourcing: An International Journal,5(1), pp.72-88. Anderson, C., 2013. Mexico: the new China.New York Times,27. Aziz, R.A., 2012. New Economic Policy and the Malaysian multiethnic middle class.Asian Ethnicity,13(1), pp.29-46. Forbes.com (2017).Forbes Welcome. [online] Forbes.com. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesasia/2014/08/25/manufacturing-beyond-china/#a85ccfb30482 [Accessed 11 Aug. 2017]. Jomo, K.S., 2016.Growth and structural change in the Malaysian economy. Springer. Khan, R.A., Liew, M.S. and Ghazali, Z.B., 2014. Malaysian construction sector and Malaysia vision 2020: Developed nation status.Procedia-social and behavioral sciences,109, pp.507-513. Maelah, R., Aman, A., Amirruddin, R., Sofiah, Auzair, M. and Hamzah, N., 2012. Accounting outsourcing practices in Malaysia.Journal of Asia Business Studies,6(1), pp.60-78. Morschett, D., Schramm-Klein, H. and Zentes, J., 2015. Outsourcing and Offshoring. InStrategic International Management(pp. 361-384). Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden. Mundial, B., 2013.Doing business 2013: smarter regulations for small and medium-size enterprises. The World Bank. Oshri, I., Kotlarsky, J. and Willcocks, L.P., 2015.The Handbook of Global Outsourcing and Offshoring 3rd Edition. Springer. Pan, M., Widner, B. and Enomoto, C.E., 2012. Growth and crime in contiguous states of Mexico.Review of Urban Regional Development Studies,24(1?2), pp.51-64. Rani, U., Belser, P., Oelz, M. and Ranjbar, S., 2013. Minimum wage coverage and compliance in developing countries.International Labour Review,152(3-4), pp.381-410. Raque.com, P. (2017).Food Packaging Machinery | Raque Foods | Baking Packaging Machinery. [online] Raque.com. Available at: https://www.raque.com/ [Accessed 11 Aug. 2017]. Razak, D.S.N.T., 2013. Malaysia's Transformation: Propelling Malaysia to Developed Nation Status.Harvard International Review,35(2), p.26. Robles, G., Caldern, G. and Magaloni, B., 2013. The economic consequences of drug trafficking violence in Mexico.Poverty and Governance Series Working Paper, Stanford University. Snchez, G.V. and Luna, A., 2014. Slow growth in the Mexican economy.Journal of Post Keynesian Economics,37(1), pp.115-134. Theglobaleconomy.com (2017).Malaysia Foreign Direct Investment, billion dollars - data, chart | TheGlobalEconomy.com. [online] TheGlobalEconomy.com. Available at: https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/Malaysia/fdi_dollars/ [Accessed 11 Aug. 2017].