Competing in the Global Marketplace - Assignment Example

Question Google planned to halt its censorship for the Chinese search results. This is because of the cyber attack, which aimed at obtaining information regarding human rights activists in China. There was a crackdown on the internet in China last year that pushed Google to its decision. The Chinese government was against Google’s decision and thus critiqued the move. The decision to Google actually meant closing the Google.cn as well as its offices there. They ought to have agreed about censorship of such sensitive data. Before announcing, Google contacted the US State Department. Each country has a role to keep its network secure irrespective of the source of the suspicious cyber activities. China thus ought to protect its network from criminal activities of that manner. Cyberspace demands a lot of confidence in our current society. Hence, China should take action against such breach of security and confidentiality. All the investigation done pertaining to the case pointed China as the source and thus Google was left with no option but to stop the censorship. This should come as a warning for nations that do not protect the confidentiality of cyberspace. In my opinion, Google should have not censored China given its slogan against evil. This is because it would obviously be tough to rule where the government is deciding otherwise. Furthermore, there is no way conflict would be avoided where the interests are different as is the case with Google and Chinese government. However, looking at the positive side for Google, entering into self-censorship would benefit the company because China is a potentially profitable market for Google. Hence, the best thing for Google is to allow the government to take charge of the censorship and reap the benefit of profits on its side as long as the security and confidentiality of other nations is not threatened. If all search engines pulled out of China due to government censorship, China would definitely lose. This is because it is very hard for a technologically growing country like China to survive without real-time information. This would mean that China is cut off from globalization because it requires publicity. This is because China at the moment is trying to woe high tech firms from foreign nations. Thus without the search engines, this would be a challenge to China. The economy of China would be affected adversely as well as the general public (education and research) together with its government (Publicity). For the search engines, there is not much to lose because they would simply fail to invest there and conduct their business elsewhere. Hence, they would just lose once i.e. on the investment already made but China would suffer technology wise forever. Question 2 Wal-Mart is global merchandise with many stores all over the world. Its success in Mexico could be related to the acquiring of Cifra. This was the leading chain of stores at the time and offered self-service. After its acquisition, the firm added numerous innovations that had been perfected in the US. For instance, changes in pricing as well as supplies among others. The Mexicans like to have their goods fresh and this was offered by the firm. Further, the firm did not have any major competitors and thus had the market to lead. Additionally, the Mexicans accepted their customer service and hence there was no doubt that it would succeed. Lastly, Wal-Mart opened smaller stores in order to cater for the needs of the masses and it was a welcome to most of the Mexicana. However, the success story is not similar in nations like Germany and China. Wal-Mart failed in Germany because the firm made many blunders in its operations since the very first day there. The firm has not found a solution to any of these problems so far. One of the major mistakes the company committed was making an acquisition entry which was flawed strategy to employ at the launching level. The management was through hubris as well as clash of cultures and thus would not stand. Wal-Mart also failed blatantly in delivering on its legendary, daily low prices and failure to provide excellent services. Additionally, the firm created a bad publicity after infringing certain laws and regulations that are significant in Germany. In China, Wal-Mart was challenged by the idea of getting supplies locally instead of their usual global centralized supply. The fact that Chinese have unique culture when it comes to eating contributed to the problem. This is because they prefer leafy vegetables to foods like gallon jar of pickles, which the firm is popular for. Their preferred meals could only be found in China because of poor transport and distance in addition to perishability. Hence, Wal-Mart was forced to get their supplies locally and thus would not make a great impact like in the US. Wal-Mart through its globalization strategy could transform the culture of a nation. This is because the sales it makes are more than the GDP of numerous countries and when they enter into such countries, they get their materials from the sources and do not use middle men. Although they ask for lower prices, they purchase in big bulks. Their products have the capacity to flood the market and in the process change the culture of the people like dressing. As seen in many nations where the business has ventured, the consumers are wooed to purchase their products. One reason that would cause this would be their popularity such that anyone would want to try their products. The other thing is their corporate strategy, which could help the firm to transform the culture of many nations where it ventures. The fact that the company offers a variety of merchandise would also transform the culture of nations because consumers who enter their premise find everything under one roof. Hence, their preferences and tastes are changed in accordance with what is being offered. Extra Credit The aim of the Obama Bill according to Roth (1) is to change the system already in existence for federal jobless gains. The bill has a provision for encouraging states to copy a similar program in Georgia that permits jobless laborers to continue enjoying unemployment gains during trainings with prospective employers. The republics were enthusiastic about the move by the president and thought it should be implemented immediately. On the other hand, opponents saw the move as a short-term solution to unemployment. If the Congress will pass the idea, the republicans alone will view it as a stepping stone for changing the system radically. The jobless gains are presumed the temporary lifeline for individuals who cannot find jobs. However, proposers want these people to be connected more closely to training or work. The idea in my opinion seems noble, but it does not guarantee that there will be more jobs as a result. This is because, it is just encouraging the jobless to continue being productive as well as retaining their connection to the workforce (Roth 1). The idea if passed to become a law will not help to save the situation of outsourcing for jobs or services. There is no need to have the jobless in the workforce and only benefit from the program if their job search remains a struggle. In fact, the idea although noble might not get enough support because it does not give any hope of increasing employments or reducing joblessness. Although a change is as good as a rest, the stakeholders should weigh all the options available before enacting the bill into law. However, there is a positive side because the idea can be modified to suit the current economic and technological demands. If that is to be done, then outsourcing for jobs will no longer be a major issue and the jobless will get employed and enjoy the full benefits of working rather than getting the jobless benefits. If a means is found for the idea to address the structure of employment, then the long term situation will be proper. Question 4 Raj Infosys is a company that deals with software and IT related matters in India. Since, its inception, the company has had some issues both negative and positive that have some impact on the Indians. To begin with the positive side, the firm revolutionized information technology in India when it first came into the market. The firm made the software outsourcing in India to begin as a powerful business of labor arbitrage, which currently has left the firm struggling for margins. This is due to their inefficiencies that have formed a beast that they cannot manage now (Sinha 1). The firm has been keeping its employees on bench for years with hiking their salaries in a huge manner. As a result, their employees appear to have become formatted in a way that they do not use their brains but rather follow a process blindly. They perform in a way the firm can clock them most of the hours instead of being efficient. The employees are taken for a ride without being given a chance to realize it. Hence, Raj Infosys has been hurting India by creating outbots out of the employees because they want to maximize their profit margins. The major issue that the start-up space has been facing is the challenge when hiring quality workers since most are already ‘outbots’. The few the start-ups get are also influenced within a short period. The so called ‘outbots’ will only destroy the software industry in India and may spread to other areas (Sinha 1). Works Cited Hill, Charles. W. L. International Business: Competing in the Global Marketplace. 8th edition. Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin, 2008. Print Roth, Zachary. Could Obama’s jobs bill help end jobless benefits as we know them? 2011. Web. 18 Oct. 2011 Sinha, Ashish. Why Wipro, Infosys and TCS are “Axis of Evil” for Indian startups! 2008. Web. 18 Oct. 2011 Read More