Multinational companies in Jamaica Essay Example

Multinational companies in Jamaica Paper Multinational companies in Jamaica Name: Course: Institution: We will write a custom essay sample on Multinational companies in Jamaica specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Multinational companies in Jamaica specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Multinational companies in Jamaica specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Instructor: Date: Multinational companies in Jamaica Multinational companies have been highly significant to the growth of the Jamaican economy. The exponential growth of these companies has been felt not only in Jamaica and the Caribbean but also in continents such as Europe and North America where they have solid footholds in the respective countries consumer markets. Grace Kennedy and Lasco Jamaica are among the most successful companies in the Caribbean and more so in Jamaica. Multinational companies have a wide range of products that help diversify their portfolios. Grace Kennedy Company was founded in 1922 as a partnership between Dr. John J. Grace and Fred Kennedy. The Company started out as a small trading company and soon grew to have a wharfing facility to enable smooth flow of the company’s imports (Grace Kennedy, 4). The company in the Caribbean operates in Jamaica, Trinidad Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean respectively. Currently the company has sixty subsidiaries and affiliated companies across several continents around the world. The company has grown significantly since its inception form a privately owned company to a public company with a market capitalization of J$21 billion as of the year 2006. The company has a blueprint of catapulting its growth to become a leading global company with branches all over the world. The company has its activities in financial services, remittances services, insurance, manufacturing and retail and distribution. Employment-The Company has been particularly significant in the provision of employment to the Jamaican population. Since it began its operations, it has seen growth in its levels of operating activities and has diversified into different products and activities for the maximization of profits. The growth of the company means that the company has seen an increase in its revenues, which means that there have been more employments to facilitate the higher levels of activities. Employment for any population and country in general has many benefits. In addition, more employment means that the new employees are able to meet their basic needs such as costs for food. Adequate food for a family means the members are able to concentrate on crucial issues such as education. This also alleviates diseases, which are brought about by malnutrition that is because of poor diet or inadequate food. Employment means that people who are unemployed and venture into the new employment bracket are able to cater for their own needs such as education for their children and other basic needs. Revenue for the government-Moreover, new employees also translate to more revenue in the form of taxes for the government. More taxes enable the government to be able to fund more developmental projects such as the provision of basic needs such as water and sewerage systems. New employment helps in the reduction of crime as people who do not have any employment are able to find alternative and better sources of income. Public Ownership-The Company, after its evolution into a public entity, enabled Jamaican citizens to get a chance to own a part of the largest corporations in the country. The new public company after its listing as a public company was able to get more revenue to improve and increase its operations. This also meant that the company would employ more people to facilitate more production and maintain its growth. After the formation of the company in 1922, the company was particularly vital in the provision of basic services to the Jamaican public. This was extremely difficult to find if not impossible, in a period marked by racial oppression such as financial services and insurance services. This enabled the Jamaican entity to be represented in the corporate world by a multinational company, which has several operations in different countries and continents. Grace Kennedy Company has also enabled the Jamaican population to have more products available to them at relatively fair prices. The provision of basic commodities such as packed foods enabled people all financial backgrounds at relatively average prices. This has opened up the market to innovation and competition posed by the different players in the market. Negative impacts Focus on imports-Grace Kennedy has been solely involved in the import of products instead of diversification into the manufacture of products (Grace Kennedy, 11). Manufacture of products in Jamaica would be particularly relevant to the economy by the provision of new jobs and would prove to be cost friendly to the cost reduction of the company. The company should focus on the provision of products that are solely made in Jamaica or the Caribbean. Provision of unhealthy foods-this has contributed to the now persistent health issues affecting obese people due to high intake of fatty foods. Grace Kennedy has aided the distribution of foods that are considered unhealthy. Decline in currency value-Imports drain the country’s foreign reserves, which are used to purchase the imports. This makes it hard for the country to be able to maintain a strong currency. Lasco Jamaica has also been another company that has been in operation in the Jamaican economy since 1988 (Lasco Jamaica, 3). It has been involved in the provision of food, financial, personal care, household and pharmaceutical services and products. Positive impact Access to quality goods-Lasco Jamaica has been facilitating distribution of foreign products by employing aggressive marketing strategies. This has enabled the Jamaican public to be able to access high quality imports at relatively average prices Opening up of the market to healthy competition-Lasco Jamaica has also contributed to the opening up of the Jamaican market to competition posed by foreign products and enabled the local market to conform to high standards in the production of any goods (Lasco Jamaica, 15). This is evident by the presence of locally manufactured goods that are of high standards and are appealing to the consumer. Source of revenue for the government – the imports are usually taxed heavily on entry into any country. This ahs been a significant source of revenue for the government enabling it to fund projects Negative impact Focus on imports-The Company was involved in the importation of foreign products. This has had a negative impact on the Jamaican economy. Importation means that the company was denying local companies the much-needed revenues. Lack of employment due to imports– Lack of adequate revenues means that the local companies cannot employ more employees or even increase production Preference of foreign goods over local goods-The Company has not been a favorable force to the market due to its preference for imports such that it opposed the revival of Jamaican owned entity that would see the Jamaican government operate a dairy company. This would be favorable for the economy, as a whole. It would translate to more jobs in the economy and a reduction in the unemployment rates. This would also mean that the government would collect more revenue in the form of taxes and licenses from new products. In addition, the Lasco Jamaica Company has been providing the Jamaican population with fatty foods, which are considered unhealthy due to the presence of hydrated fats. The presence of such fats translates to people becoming unhealthy due to increase in weight. This leads to medical conditions such as obesity, bloods pressure and other heart related problems brought about by high cholesterol foods. Foreign affiliate-The Company seems to act as an affiliate of larger companies (Lasco Jamaica, 13). This denies the Jamaican populace the chance to work at companies, and denies the populace the chance to buy products that are made by Jamaican companies. The company should authorize the issue of shares and enable people to purchase their shares. This would enable the Jamaican population to have more ownership in entities that have been in existence for a long time and at the same time get money to invest in the farming activities. Grace Kennedy Company should have more responsibilities in the social scene because it has more market capitalization and resources at its disposal. This would be sufficient because the company owes its current existence to the Jamaican society. As a multinational company with the most number of subsidiaries and affiliate companies, they would be able to support such a perspective at the same time the company would be able to use the funds obtained in the acquisition of more equipment and invest in the local production of identical goods to ward off competition from the international products. The company should be the largest due to the high consumption rates of their products, which means that they earn more from the public thus they should give back to the public. Part of the revenue should go back to the society as it is because mast of it was derived from Jamaica. References Grace Kennedy. (2012). About us, 7.Retrieved from http://www.gracekennedy.com/home Lasco Jamaica. (2012). Home, 16. Retrieved from http://www.lascodistributors.com/Home.asp

Dr. John Mcloughlin Essays - Oregon Country, Fur Trade, Oregon Trail

Dr. John Mcloughlin Essays - Oregon Country, Fur Trade, Oregon Trail Dr. John Mcloughlin John McLoughlin was one of the most influential figures of the fur trade and settlement periods of Pacific Northwest history. Chief Factor of the Columbia District of the British Hudson's Bay Company, he reigned as a benevolent autocrat, befriended Americans, and eventually became an American citizen at Oregon City. He was born in Quebec in 1784 and trained as a physician near Montreal. He became a physician and traveled to the Northwest region in 1824 as a representative of the Hudson Bay Company. Here he occupied the position of Chief Factor from 1825, when the regional headquarters of the company was moved from old Fort Astoria to Fort Vancouver, until his retirement in 1845. During his reign as Chief Factor, Dr. John McLoughlin directed the operations of the fur trade in all the country west of the Rocky Mountains and north of the California line, as well as the more localized activities of agriculture, livestock raising, sawmilling, flour milling, dairying, and salmon fishing. From 1825 to 1843, when the provisional government was first established by the settlers in the Willamette Valley, he was the undisputed governor of the vast area bounded by the Rocky Mountains on the east, Mexican territory (California) on the south, the Pacific Ocean on the west and the Russian settlements on the north. Dr. John McLoughlin exercised control over the Indians of the region, welcomed and provisioned missionaries and settlers, encouraged schools and church instruction and for a number of years was the only medical practitioner in the region. His contributions to the development of the Northwest region in general and the Oregon country in particular make him truly deserving of the title by which he is often referred to, Father of the Oregon In 1857, the man who had ruled an empire two and a half times the size of Texas, died broken and bitter. He was 75 at the time. Five years later, in an act of penitence, the legislature of the new State of Oregon restored his land to his heirs. Time Line 1784 - John McLoughlin was born in Riviere du Loup, St. Lawrence, Canada. 1798 - Begins medical apprenticeship. 1803 - Begins the practice of medicine in Montreal. After a few months attaches himself to the North West Company as resident physician at Fort William, on Lake Superior. 1812 - McLoughlin marries Marguerite Waden McKay, by whom he had four children. 1821 - North West Company merges with Hudson's Bay Company. McLoughlin is put in charge of Hudson's Bay Company's Fort William on Lake Superior. 1824 - The Hudson's Bay Company sends McLoughlin west to become Chief Factor of the Columbia District with headquarters then at Fort George, at the mouth of the Columbia River. 1825 - The headquarters are transferred to Ft. Vancouver. 1827 - McLoughlin oversees the building of the first lumber mill in the Pacific Northwest. 1829 - The Hudson's Bay Company, under Dr. McLoughlin, takes a land claim at The Falls and encourages former trappers to settle nearby in French Prairie. 1834 - Jason Lee is welcomed and aided by Dr. McLoughlin. 1836 - Marcus and Narcissa Whitman are welcomed to Fort Vancouver by Dr. McLoughlin. 1842 - McLoughlin surveys and lays out the town site of Oregon City, replacing the commonly used name of Willamette Falls. 1842 - John McLoughlin, Jr. (the doctor's second son) is shot and killed. 1842 - Doctor McLoughlin becomes a Roman Catholic. 1842 - The first four American migrations (1842 - 1845) are protected, aided and supplied by Dr. McLoughlin. 1843 - Hudson's Bay Company opens a store in Oregon City. 1844 - Oregon City is incorporated by the Provisional Government. 1846 - McLoughlin leaves service of Hudson's Bay Company and takes up residence at Oregon City. 1848 - Joseph McLoughlin (oldest child of Dr. McLoughlin) dies near Champoeg, Oregon. 1849 - John McLoughlin and Robert Moore make application to the county court to keep a ferry across the Willamette River to and from Oregon and Linn counties. 1849 - McLoughlin makes Declaration of Intention to become an American citizen. 1850 - A clause is inserted into the Oregon donation land law which strips McLoughlin of his land claim near Willamette Falls. 1851 - McLoughlin becomes an American citizen. 1851- Doctor McLoughlin is elected mayor of Oregon City. 1857 - Doctor John McLoughlin dies. 1889 - A portrait of John McLoughlin is accepted by Governor Pennoyer and placed in the Oregon Senate chamber. 1941 - The McLoughlin house is designated as a National Historic Site by the United States Department of the

Conflict resolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Conflict resolution - Essay Example Conflict resolution Being involved in a conflict can result from lack of option thus in most circumstances, people will be unaware that they are part of a conflict. In most circumstances, people who are part of a social unit like the family, workmates and company members get themselves involved in a conflict owing to the social relationship they have with the conflicting individuals. The resultant instigator of a conflict is the response of people to a perceived threat rather than the true threat facing them. In this manner, when the perception of a threat does not become a reality, people modify their behavior by evolving the sà ©ance of threat, but when the perception to threat becomes a real threat, conflict occurs. In the United States, in particular, the racial factor is among the major causes of the threat. Predominantly, a conflict between the white and the black races have in some instances resulted in armed conflict along the streets in the major cities in the United States as well as in the residential areas. Conflicts of this magnitude fuel an increment in the crime rate. One critical factor in the conflict that involves races is that it does not discriminate class or education level of people, but blanket cover all individuals with the traits instigating conflict. In an attempt to understand conflict and the nature of conflict, thus paper will analyze a case study of Officer Schwapp who was a victim of conflict in his workplace and attempt to provide mitigation measures to bring understanding in the event of such a conflict.

Conflict Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Conflict Management - Case Study Example The said colleague therefore started showing signs of resentment towards our supervisor, and continually expressed his dissatisfaction by blurting at me regarding the same whenever his output fell short of expectation. However, the management soon realized that the conflict was not only affecting the daily output from our department, but that it was slowly becoming malignant as the said worker started imputing improper motives into the minds of other workers. It therefore became imperative for the management through the supervisor and the overall coordinator to institute a resolution process in order to restore normalcy. To that effect, this paper presents an analysis of the resolution process adopted, its efficacy under the given circumstance, and the probable alternative approach that in my personal view could provide equally good or even better results. Practical conflict resolution strategies are those that amicably settle the fracas by addressing the core issues underlying the situation. Hynes (2011) notes that such a method should entail an in-depth understanding of the usually implicit, theoretical presupposition framework that is characteristic of conflicts. To this end, the resolution of the management to first explore the underlying issues behind the conflict, followed by convening an inclusive meeting to discuss the way forward proved effectual. The management set the stage towards resolution by acknowledging that the emergence of a conflict implies the existence of interdependence, hence the need to restore normalcy for the benefit of the organization. More specifically, this is also important for the success of the individuals involved, psychologically and career wise, a fact that Deutsch, Coleman and Marcus (2011) espouse as being critical to conflict resolution. During the meeting, the panel understood the necessity for

Hawthorne studies Essay Example for Free

Hawthorne studies Essay A student of science conducts a research study in order to test a hypothesis or a theory. He/she is guided by a problem and or questions that he/she hopes to answer in order to refute or confirm existing theoretical constructs. A research study is an application of the scientific method and a researcher delves into that with a set of predetermined hypotheses. There are many ways of conducting researches but experiments are the most applicable if the study seeks to establish cause and effect. The Hawthorne studies started out with the purpose to prove that lighting in the workroom had an effect on worker productivity (Ballantyne, 2000). Although the motivation for conducting the research was utilitarian it however forever changed the concept of management and gave birth to the â€Å"Hawthorne Effect†. The insights I gained from digesting the Hawthorne studies were that a research study does not necessarily confirm our research assumptions (Fawcett Downs, 1999). Conducting a research is actually like wading into a pool full of disparate objects and sometimes what we find is not what we are looking for. It is important to maintain objectivity and we must not force or lead our discussions and findings towards supporting our hypothesis if we truly want to be scientific and maintain academic integrity. Another thing I learned was that even if we are guided by a research problem that we wish to answer, it is how we measure and manipulate the variables that we want to explore dictates the results that the study yields. In the Hawthorne studies on lighting and work productivity, although the variable degree of illumination was manipulated to test whether work output increased, the relationship was not established because the researchers was not able to identify beforehand that the presence of the researchers was an extraneous variable (Levine Parkinson, 1994) hence the concept of the â€Å"Hawthorne effect† which referred to the phenomenon where the presence of the researcher corrupts the results of the experiment. Lastly, the Hawthorne studies demonstrated that even the most rigorous experiments or study has limitations and anyone who wishes to conduct experiments must recognize in the outset what the limitations of his/her study are.

A Developing Epidemic in Argentina :: Buenos Aires Journalism Influenza Health Essays

A Developing Epidemic in Argentina BUENOS AIRES, Argentina--December is one of the loveliest times of year in the southern hemisphere of South America. On a typical summer day on a warm, Sunday afternoon, residents of Buenos Aires enjoy a relaxing jaunt along the Avenida de Mayo where one can browse the numerous shops of rare antiquities or simply retire to drinking tea in front of one of the many cafes along the avenue. Families with boisterous children picnic within the many public parks and gardens and bask in the warm sun. Expecting to revel in the long days of summer, I was surprised to find that these scenes that danced in my memory, while fighting sea-sickness en route, have vanished along with the citizens of Buenos Aires. The streets of the city are quiet, day and night. This proud South American city with its traditional colonial origins and its progressive embracement of modernity has become a ghost town of fear, fear of the illness that U.S. citizens know as the Spanish Influenza. According the local authorities, the origins of Influenza was brought by ships traveling from North American ports to Buenos Aires. Currently, port authorities have been cautious with the admission of foreign vessels and have established a quarantine period prior to entry. U.S. clipper ships the Elsie and the Snowdon, along with the steamer, the Royston Grange of Edinburgh have been subject to this quarantine which not only limits their admission into port, but also places an embargo on certain perishable goods. These actions have provided dire consequences for the local economy. Because of a lack of foreign goods, many dock workers are jobless along with local merchants facing scarcities which have greatly inflated the price of certain foods. While this is a serious economic situation, authorities of Buenos Aires feel justified in their restrictions and cite current statistics related to the spread of influenza. As of last Monday, the civil registry in Buenos Aires reported that in one district, as many as 192 deaths from influenza occurred just on that day. Because of this large amount of death, the local cemetery was unable to offer proper burials to 155 of those victims. City leaders are beginning to realize that preventative methods are the best means of defense against influenza. Public address messages about personal hygiene are published in papers and broadcast on the radio.

Ethical or Not Essay

As far as the media is concerned, one ethical standard I know they must follow is responsible reporting. If this alone is the standard, then I would give a thumbs up for the showing of the documentary. By this criteria alone, the airing of the documentary is already ethical. As claimed by the article itself, â€Å"this was a responsible and important documentary. It was not primarily about Princess Diana or Dodi Al Fayed. It was about the photographers who were subjected to an authority instituted and media supported lynching. Locked up without charge for over two days. Two years later they were formally cleared. Mohamed Al Fayed pursued an action against them for breach of privacy and was awarded derisory damages. † The rights involved here are not only those of Princess Diana or her sons or Al Fayed. The documentary was mainly focused on the rights of the photographers involved. Thus, if the motivation for airing the documentary is to show to the world how they were treated without ill-motives of hurting the royal family or Princess Diana’s memory, then there is no reason why it should be unethical for Channel 4 air the documentary. Its airing falls as responsible reporting from where I stand. Why is it ethical? Ethics should be viewed from the point of view of the one whose acts are concerned. In this case, whether the act of airing the documentary is ethical or not should be viewed from the perspective of Channel 4. Many great thinkers support the act of Channel 4 as ethical. Of course, this is assuming that it was done in the name of responsible reporting and without bad faith on its part. And this is a fair assumption because this is the only fact we can assume from the article as this was specifically mentioned therein. What I am driving at is that we cannot assume bad faith on the part of Channel 4, like for example, airing it just to gain ratings or money for the in-between commercials, because these are not mentioned in the article. To proceed, I will start my defense with the ethical principles ordained by Socrates, who is regarded as one of the greatest teachers of ethics. He said that anyone who knows what virtue is will necessarily act virtuously. He further said that those who act badly, therefore, do so only because they are ignorant of, or mistaken about, the real nature of virtue. Applying it to Channel 4, if they acted out of responsible reporting, then they acted ethically. If it should happen that they acted badly, then they were only mistaken on what should have been the proper conduct. This mistake should not automatically make the act unethical. Necessarily, Channel 4 should know what responsible reporting is. In fact, it acted upon this virtue. Thus, the airing of the documentary is ethical. Confucian ethics will also support the act of Channel 4 as ethical. The heart of Confucian ethics is character. He said that it (ethics) centers neither on acts nor on their consequences, but on character. Applying this principle, airing the documentary or the consequences of airing it are not material to deterrmine whether the act is ethical or not. What matters is the character of Channel 4. Thus, the question is whether Channel 4 aired the documentary with ill-motives or with a noble and genuine purpose. Seeing that Channel 4 aired the documentary out of responsible reporting, which is a noble purpose as far as the media is concerned, then the act was nothing but ethical for them to perform. However, it should be borne in mind here that there might be other factors which Channel 4 considered before airing the documentary. These other factors may possibly range from improving ratings, to generating income from the in-between commercials, to simply just starting an intrigue. Whatever these other factors are, they will not be considered in this discussion because we do not have enough facts from which we could draw a decent assumption. And finally, Spinoza’s view on ethics is that nothing is intrinsically good or bad, except to the extent that it is subjectively perceived to be by the individual. He therefore suggests that whether an act is ethical or not depends on the perspective of the person doing the act. Spinoza’s view makes my argument so simple: if Channel 4 thinks it is right and ethical to air the documentary, then airing it is right and ethical. As aforementioned, the motive behind airing the documentary is responsible reporting. If responsible reporting is an ethical thing to do in the opinion of Channel 4, then it is so. Did the public need to know or want to know? I will not presume to know what is the opinion of the general public regarding the matter. So I will just hazard a guess to answer this question. And I will assure you that it will be an intelligent guess. So let me proceed. Considering the facts that Princess Diana is a public figure, that the media is an industry impressed with public interest, and that the wrongful detention of persons is contrary to public policy, then I would dare say that the public should see the documentary. They need to know what is in it. In fact, it is their constitutional right to know. The Constitution guarantees that the people should be informed on matters which are of public concern. It need not be belabored that the circumstances surrounding the death of Princess of Diana are matters of public concern. She is a celebrity and part of the royal family, which is the public head of England. This makes her a public figure. Moreover, certain members of the media were wrongfully detained because of her death. This is also a matter of public concern. Therefore, the general public should be informed whether the rights of these people, which rights are zealously protected by no less than the Constitution, were violated or not. So yes, the public needs to know about the documentary and what is in it.