Monday, January 27, 2020

An Analysis of Mexico for Investment

An Analysis of Mexico for Investment Infrastructure and market capabilities and the risks and potential bottlenecks The growth and prosperity of Mexico depends upon various factors. The country is trying to grow through a combination of industrial growth, service sector growth and public welfare measures. All these depend highly on infrastructure and the competitiveness of the country. The country has to develop its infrastructure and complement the growth measures through interventions in the labour market as well as other sectors that keep the competitiveness of the country at par with the counterparts. Infrastructure: Infrastructure is a much needed ingredient for the development of any country. With its leftist leanings, mexico had monopoly over most of the infrastructure areas such as energy, roadways, railways and ports. Recently, we can see the trend changing. Mexico is looking to bring in private investments into some sectors and to reform almost all of the major sectors such as telecommunications and energy. Energy: President Enrique Peà ±a Nieto recently introduced a legislation which is due to be passed in April. Once passed, this would end a 75 year old era of monopoly on oil production. The public oil company Pemex will be more autonomous and will have a greater control over its activities. The government has also given PEMEX permission to create tie ups with private players over the world in order to sharpen the RD in the field of oil related energy research. This move also has an agenda of tapping into the vast reserves of shale gas. The government also introduced more private partnerships in the energy segment apart from oil and natural gas. However, Mexico still has a long way to go in the energy segment and to create a sustainable energy infrastructure. With the growth in a lot of segments demanding high amounts of power, the infrastructure should be able to support the extra demand. Telecommunications: The president has introduced some new regulations in the telecom sector to make it more consumer friendly and economical. The regulations aim at enforcing strict regulations that would reduce the call charges. Plans to double the connectivity in next few years. Introduce foreign investments in telecom sector up to 49%. To control the influence of the three giant telecom companies who currently hold most of the markets Even though such measures are introduced, the infrastructure needs to withstand the increased demand. The services industry and other industries are increasing its dependence on the telecom sector. Transportation Mexico in its recent times have increased its spending on the transportation infrastructure. There is an increase in spending on ports and roadways. The world’s largest cable suspended roadway bridge was constructed in Mexico. The investment into transportation infrastructure is a good sign and takes care of the increased demands due to trade. Labour markets: Mexico has a highly unionized labor population. Most of the workers are a part of one or the other unions. The labour laws are rigid and laabour welfare oriented. Many welfare measures are available for the employees and hence, it creates a condition that is not helpful for the industrial growth. The result is that the cost of labour increases and the competitiveness decreases. In order to grow, Mexico needs to simplify the labour laws to make it more balanced. Unionism is good to protect the rights of the workers but after a limit, it becomes restrictive and impedes growth. Some of the other potential risks or weaknesses are High crime rates. Drug trade and other illegal activities form a major part of economy. Overdependence on USA Weak infrastructure for education, legal and research. High levels of poverty and inequality in the society Financial Environment The financial system of mexico has been stable and moderately strong. The banks have been able to perform well even in the face of crisis situations. Even though there have been changes in the business patterns, the banks have continued to show resilience. The reform measures that have been carried out have increased the stability of the system, develop it and regulate it much better. The frequent crisis has resulted in a better system with respect to risk reduction and regulations. Even though the system has been stable, there are major challenges in the system. Highly integrated with the US economy and its financial system and hence vulnerable to problems in these economies. The credit to private sector and financial intermediation are lower than the average of Latin American counties and other emerging economies. The seven largest banks are accountable for 82% of assets. Five of these banks are subsidiaries of foreign banks. Regulation, supervision and licensing has issues that needs to be sorted. The increasing NPAs in the system would make the banking system weak in future crisis. Organizational and managerial factors in Mexico and the applicability of current management practices The organizational structure in Mexico is highly hierarchical. The employees and the management prefer rigid hierarchical structures for management. The same hierarchy can be seen in the whole decision making process as well. The higher level employees are generally seen as more experienced and hence need to know the operations well. Consulting with a lower level employee is not encouraged. The decisions have to be made by the bosses and the subordinates deliver exactly what is needed, according to the company principles and directives. Disagreements are not expressed publicly. Companies show a paternalistic attitude towards the employees. The country is an extremely relationship oriented country with a fluid time culture. Relationships are given importance over deadlines and they play a crucial part in business decisions and managerial functions. The Mexicans are very flexible in terms of change. But the changes should be slow and well planned. Even though the resistance to change may be low, the fallouts may be large if the change is swift and not so well planned. Collectivism is a phenomenon that is common and teams are given preference over individuals. The current managerial practices are implementable in the country with a few tweaks. However, there are some managerial practices that cannot be implemented easily in Mexico. Flat organizational structures are hard to implement as it would encourage a dilution of hierarchy and a more fluid structure. Being a rigid hierarchical society, the model may not be easily accepted. The Mexican employees work based on clear cut directions. Hence, a business model that encourages self managed work groups or one which requires that the employees have an entrepreneurial mindset may not work well in this culture. The managers have to behave in a more paternalistic nature to gain support and respect from the employees. Even though public dissent and disagreement may not happen, the employees may not respect a manager who does not take care of the welfare of the subordinates.] The business relations have to be based on trust and understanding more than anything else. The business decisions needs to include the nuances of relations and thus should be sensitive towards it. Justification for choosing Mexico Mexico as a country stands out in comparison with its peers in Latin America as well as in the league of emerging nations. The country is a well-balanced economy led by a government who has a solid hold on the macroeconomic policies. These policies and developmental activities have bought the country to a level of self-sustainability. The country has a clear vision for its future. The political stability and the policy uniformity make it a powerhouse of development. Most recently, the Pact for Mexico shows the importance the government gives to development and reforms. The country balances economic development, industrialization, and social welfare very well. The government realized that as the country progresses, it not just needs industries, but also needs a good policy for social welfare. The current health and education related policies showcase this desire to make the people’s lives better. Even though the country falls short on a lot of counts, the future prospects are good. Culturally, socially, economically, financially and politically, the county provides the right mix for growth and prosperity. The proximity to USA and the oil reserves make the country a very high potential destination. In short, the philosophy of the country to grow without compromising on the policies and welfare of the citizens is the reason for the choice.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Computer Architecture :: Essays Papers

Computer Architecture 1. There have been a lot of developments in microprocessors since the 286 chip. The 286 CPU are no longer sold and are very rarely found in commercial use today because of its running speed, which is between 10MHz to 20MHz. This processor has a 24-bit address bus, and is able to address up to 16 million different address locations. It also has two operating modes, which are real mode and protected mode. The real mode is basically for normal DOS operations and it uses only 8086 code (8086 was the previous CPU). When it was in protected mode the CPU is able to access beyond the 1mb address limit and employed its added features, which were intended for multi-tasking operations such as Windows, but this CPU is not powerful enough to carry out these multi-tasking operations. The 286 came with a bus width of 16-bit internal, 24-bit address, and 16-bit external, with an external speed of between 6MHz – 25MHz, and an internal speed of between 6MHz – 25MHz. The next CPU was the 386, this is also no longer produced it had a slightly faster running speeds which are between 16MHz to 40MHz. This CPU could carry out effective multi tasking operations. It also had a substantial improvement in both memory management and it had an enlarged instruction set. It is also the minimum CPU for running windows. It came in two types the 386 SX and the 386 DX. The SX had a 32-bit internal data path but it only had a 16-bit path between the CPU and the computer memory. The DX on the other hand had a 32-bit data bus between the CPU and the memory chips allowing larger data transfers so it had faster through put. It also was able to use external cache memory, usually about 64k, which also improved performance. The 386 came in two different types they both had a internal bus width of 32 bit, the SX had a address bus width of 24 bit, and a external bus width of 16 bit, its internal and external speed was between 16MHz – 33MHz. The DX however had an add ress and external bus width of 32 bit, its internal and external speed was between 33MHz–40MHz. The 486 were the next CPU, this is still produced, there was little change to the 386 instruction set, but the 486 ran at speeds between 20MHz to 100MHz.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Classical management theory Essay

Classical management theory was introduced in the late 19th century. It became widespread in the first half of the 20th century, as organizations tried to address issues of industrial management, including specialization, efficiency, higher quality, cost reduction and management-worker relationships. While other management theories have evolved since then, classical management approaches are still used today by many small-business owners to build their companies and to succeed. There are three well-established theories of classical management: Taylor’s Theory of Scientific Management, Fayal’s Administrative Theory, and Weber’s Theory of Bureaucracy. Although these schools, or theories, developed historical sequence, later ideas have not replaced earlier ones. Instead, each new school has tended to complement or coexist with previous ones. Theory recognizing the role that management plays in an organization. The importance of the function of management was first recognized by French industrialist Henri Fayol in the early 1900s. In contrast to the purely scientific examination of work and organizations conducted by F W Taylor, Fayol proposed that any industrial undertaking had six functions: technical; commercial; financial; security; accounting; and managerial. Of these, he believed the managerial function, ‘to forecast and plan, to organize, to command, to coordinate, and control’, to be quite distinct from the other five. Fayol also identified general principles of management: division of work; authority and responsibility; discipline; unity of command; unity of direction; subordination of individual interest to general interest; remuneration of personnel; centralization; scalar chain of authority; order; equity; stability of tenure of personnel; initiative; and esprit de corps. Fayol’s views on management remained popular throughout a large part of the 20th century. Evolution of Classical Approach to Management Traditional process of learning is either through obsevation and experiment. Nature or environment is considered uniform and when we observe certain phenomenon or events uniformly leading to the same result or results, we conclude a cause and effect relationship between the two. This is learning by observation or in other words by experience. Earlier thinkers on management followed this approach in developing theories of management. Learning principally is through empirical process and through analysis of the data collected through observation. Draw the principles of management by looking at and analyzing the jobs that all managers commonly do. This approach served as a starting point for pioneers on management science to verify the validity and improve the applicability of the principles and practices of management. Analysis of observed data is what constitutes a case study. The observational method of case study helps arriving at logical conclusions about past experience and to test the same as standards for future events. The German socialists, Max Weber followed the classical approach and developed his theory of Bureaucracy, which portrays the structure and design of organization characterized by a hierarchy of authority, formalized rules and regulations that serve to guide the coordinated functioning of an organization. Basic Postulates of the Classical Approach by Max Weber 1. Management of an organization is considered as a chain of inter-related functions. The study of the scope and features of these functions, the sequence through which these are performed and their inter-relationship leads one to draw principles of management suitable for universal application 2. Learning principles of management is done through the past experiences of actual practicing managers. 3. As business environment consists of uniform cycles exhibiting an underlying unity of realities, functions and principles of management derived through process of empirical reasoning are suitable for universal application 4. Emerging new managers through formal education and case study can develop skill and competency in management concepts and practices 5. The classical approach also recognized the importance of economic efficiency and formal organizational structure as guiding pillars of management effectiveness. 6. Business activity is based on economic benefit. Organizations should th erefore control economic incentives Advantages and Benefits of the Classical Management Theory Hierarchical Structure One of the advantages of the classical management structure is a clear organizational hierarchy with three distinct management levels. Each management group has its own objectives and responsibilities. The top management is usually the board of directors or the chief executives who are responsible for the long-term goals of the organization. Middle management oversees the supervisors, setting department goals according to the approved budget. At the lowest level are the supervisors who oversee day-to-day activities, address employee issues and provide employee training. The levels of leadership and responsibilities are clear and well defined. While the three-level structure may not be suitable for all small businesses, it can benefit those that are expanding. Division of Labor One of the advantages of classical management approach is the division of labor. Projects are broken down into smaller tasks that are easy to complete. Employees’ responsibilities and expectations are clearly defined. This approach allows workers to narrow their field of expertise and to specialize in one area. The division of labor approach leads to increased productivity and higher efficiency, as workers are not expected to multitask. Small-businesses owners can benefit from taking this approach if they are looking to increase production with minimal expense. Monetary Incentive According to classical management theory, employees should be motivated by monetary rewards. In other words, they will work harder and become more productive if they have an incentive to look forward to. This gives management easier control over the workforce. Employees feel appreciated when being rewarded for hard work. A small-business owner can take this approach to motivate the employees to achieve production goals. Autocratic Leadership The autocratic leadership approach is the central part of classical management theory. It states that an organization should have a single leader to make decisions, to organize and direct the employees. All decisions are made at the top level and communicated down. The autocratic leadership approach is beneficial in instances when small-business decisions need to be made quickly by a leader, without having to consult with a large group of people, such a board of directors. Small businesses, especially sole proprietorships, can have an advantage in taking this approach, as they need a strong leader to grow. Faults with the Classical View The classical view of management is often criticized as viewing a worker as a mere tool to improve efficiency. Taylorism and classical management styles negatively affected the morale of workers which created a negative relationship between workers and managers.

Friday, January 3, 2020

Sexism In The United States - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 1 Words: 357 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2019/06/24 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Sexism Essay Did you like this example? We have seen the inequalities between women and men especially in recent years. We have been separated by the pay gap, pink tax, and the general idea that women are perceived as less capable, or weaker even than men. This idea of sexism has to start somewhere though. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Sexism In The United States" essay for you Create order It starts at the very beginning of a childs life. Young people are raised in such a way where they are taught different behaviors and different mannerisms based on their gender. Many of these differences include boys being taught that theyre allowed to do something and girls arent because of their gender and the idea that boys arent supposed to like pink just because theyre boys and girls can just because theyre girls, etc. These learned behaviors and mannerisms have manifested themselves throughout the lives of these people throughout the years which has affected their experiences and or encounters with this issue and gave people the views they have on it today. In the workforce, women have been paid less than men, for example, in 2017, the median annual salary was $42,000 and for men, the median annual salary was roughly $52,000 which is about an 80% wage gap. The pink tax is also a problem because female consumers have had to pay more on certain services and products. Research has shown that women pay almost 42% more than men a lot of the time. This has caused rage everywhere because women arent paid as much as men and have to pay more for other items. Similar issues have occured in the past as well. In Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird, sexism is a re-occuring theme throughout the book.The main character, Jean Louise Finch, better known as Scout, wears overalls, jeans, and muddy shoes. She doesnt fit the societal norm for how women are expected to dress. Lee uses a bitter mood to emphasize the prejudices and struggles of that time from a young girls perspective. In conclusion, in order to grow together as a society, we must set aside our differences and recognize the strengths of others in order to change the world into a more accepting, efficient place for all.