france business :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Studying and understanding different cultures of the world, is an integral part of successfully communicating internationally. This paper will examine three case studies evaluating communication styles in France. The focus will be on McDonald’s France, Euro Disney, and Accor. These three cases all involve a lack of effective communication and understanding of French Culture. French Culture   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In order to examine these French communication case studies it is important to understand the French culture. The French are characterized as having a very high level of uncertainty avoidance, but ironically change their minds quite frequently. The French are also very characterized as a very individualistic culture, meaning that everyone is only supposed to take care of themselves and their immediate family. These characteristics will be seen throughout the case studies, especially the uncertainty avoidance factor. McDonald’s France Case:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  McDonalds has opened franchises all over the world, little did they know that breaking into the French market would be such a challenge. McDonalds is a global corporation that is now tailoring its food, and entire dinning experience to fit local cultures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At first, the French were not very receptive of McDonalds invading their country, and were very reluctant to indulge in the high fat, fast food. Culturally it was different from anything they had ever experienced before. Initially French McDonalds were replicates of American McDonalds, serving the same menu with the same structural layout. The French traditionally enjoy lingering over their meals, and creating a dinning experience as opposed quickly consuming a large amount of food. These factors led to a slow start for McDonalds in France.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The French were also very concerned about the high level of fat contained in the traditional McDonalds menu. This became a huge communication problem, especially when protests started picketing several McDonalds in France. McDonalds France Solution:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  These problems have been handled by having McDonalds France Public Relations Department giving several press conferences, as well as, distributing several press releases. Since the Problem spans the entire country, high level McDonalds executives are communicating with the public. This communication does not end with high level executives; the message has permeated throughout the entire organization. The managers of individual franchises are very proactive to address and resolve the problems McDonalds has been experiencing. They choose to use the several forms of media that are most likely to actually reach the average McDonalds consumer, news paper press releases, press conferences that could be aired on the local news, and a new advertising campaign.

Portfolio Effect on Risk and Return

ERC INSTITUTE Name : Kimberly Limanto Student ID : 1004434 Course Name: SADBA Title Of The Course : Investment and Fund Management Date of Submission : 15 November 2012 Instructor Name : Mr. Johnson Yang TABLE OF CONTENTThe Financial advisor’s investment case: Inferior investment alternatives Although investing requires the individual to bear risk, the risk can be controlled through the construction of diversified portfolios and by excluding any portfolio that offers an inferior return for a given amount of risk. While this concept seems obvious, one of your clients, Laura Spegele, is considering purchasing a stock she will bear. To convince her that the acquisition is not desirable, you want to demonstrate the trade-off between risk and return.While it is impractical to show the trade-off for all possible combinations, you believe that illustrating several combinations of risk and return and applying the same analysis to the specific investment should be persuasive in discour aging the purchase. Currently, US Treasury bills offer 7%. Three possible stocks and their beta are as follows:- SecuritiesExpected ReturnBeta Stock A9%0. 6 Stock B 11%1. 3 Stock C 14%1. 5 Required I. What will be the expected return and beta for each of the following ? portfolios? a.Portfolio 1 through 4 : all of the funds are invested solely in one asset ? (the corresponding three stocks or the Treasury bill) b. Portfolio 5: one quarter of the funds are invested in each alternative c. Portfolio 6: one half of the funds are invested in stock A and the other half in stock C. d. Portfolio 7: One third of the funds are invested in each stock. II. Are any of the portfolios inefficient? III. Is there any combination of the Treasury bill and Stock C that is superior to portfolio 6 (i. e. half the funds in Stock A and half in Stock C)? IV.Since your client’s suggested stock has an anticipated return of 12% and a beta of 1. 4 does that information argue for or against the purchase o f the ? stock? V. Why is it important to consider purchasing an asset as part of a portfolio ? and not as an independent act? Answers: I. Expected Return and Beta of each portfolio. a. All of the funds are invested solely in one asset. * Portfolio 1 : 100% in investment T-Bill E(R) = 7% E (beta) = 0. 0 * Portfolio 2 : 100% investment in Stock A E(R) = 9% E (beta) = 0. 6 * Portfolio 3 : 100% investment in Stock B E(R) = 11%E (beta) = 1. 3 * Portfolio 4 : 100% investment in Stock C E(R) = 14% E (beta) = 1. 5 b. Portfolio 5 : 25% investment in each security E(R) = (0. 25*0. 07) + (0. 25*0. 09) + (0. 25*0. 11) + (0. 25*0. 14) = 0. 0175 + 0. 0225 + 0. 0275 + 0. 035 = 0. 1025 = 10. 25% E (beta) = (0. 25*0. 0) + (0. 25*0. 6) + (0. 25*1. 3) + (0. 25*1. 5) = 0 + 0. 15 + 0. 325 + 0. 375 = 0. 85 c. Portfolio 6 : 50% investment in Stock A, 50% investment in Stock B E(R) = (0. 5*0. 09) + (0. 5*0. 14) = 0. 045 + 0. 07 = 0. 115 = 11. 5% E (beta) = (0. 5*0. 6) + (0. 5*1. 5) = 0. 3 + 0. 75 = 1. 05 . Portfolio 7 : one-third investment in each security E(R) = (0. 33*0. 09) + (033*0. 11) + (0. 33*0. 14) = 0. 03 + 0. 036 + 0. 046 = 0. 1122 = 11. 22% E (beta) = (0. 33*0. 6) + (0. 33*1. 3) + (0. 33*1. 5) = 1. 12 Each Portfolio returns and beta 100% in T-bill| 7%| 0. 0| 100% in stock A| 9%| 0. 6| 100% in stock B| 11%| 1. 3| 100% in stock C| 14%| 1. 5| 25% in each| 10. 25%| 0. 85| 50% in A and C| 11. 5%| 1. 05| 1/3 in each stock| 11. 22%| 1. 12| II. Inefficient portfolio is a portfolio where the expected risk is higher than the expected return in their comparison.In this case, portfolio 3 where the investment is 100% invested in stock B is the most inefficient because its expected return is 11% and its beta is 1. 3 while in portfolio 6 the expected return is slightly higher, which is 11. 5%, but the beta is lower, which is 1. 05. Therefore from this, we can conclude that portfolio 3, or when she invest 100% in stock B, is the most inefficient portfolio. III. The portfolio which combin es 50% investment in stock A and 50% investment in stock C generates an expected return of 11. 5% and beta of 1. 05.The combination on investment between T-Bill and stock C that will be superior to the previous portfolio is: E (beta) = 1. 05 = [X% * 0. 0] + [Y% * 1. 5] = 1. 05 = 0 + [Y% * 1. 5] = 1. 05 Y% = 1. 5/1. 05 Y% = 0. 7 = 70% X% = 100% – 70% = 30% E(R) = (0. 3*0. 07) + (0. 7*0. 14) = 0. 021 + 0. 098 = 0. 119 = 11. 9% The portfolio which combines 30% or less investment in T-Bill and 70% or more investment in stock C will e superior to portfolio 6 which combine 50% investment in stock A and 50% investment in stock C. IV. The portfolio that the client suggested which has 12% expected return and 1. beta is inferior compared to any other portfolio. To prove that this portfolio is inferior to another portfolio, we can try to calculate by : Beta of 1. 4 is a combine of 93% investment in stock C and 7% investment in T-bill. Calculation: (0. 07*0. 0) + (0. 93*1. 5) = 1. 4 This portfolio will generate an expected return of: (0. 07*0. 07) + (0. 93*0. 14) = 0. 0049 + 0. 1302 = 0. 1351 = 13. 51% This calculation prove that a beta of 1. 4 suppose to give 13. 51% expected return. Therefore, the client's suggested portfolio is inferior compared to any other portfolio.V. Purchasing an asset as a part of a portfolio is a much clever way than just purchasing one single asset. It is because by purchasing several assets, the investor can either have higher return with the same risk, or same return but with a lower risk. Therefore, purchasing more than one asset will give benefits to the investor. Also, by purchasing in more than one asset, the investor can be more â€Å"safe†. What safe means is when the other asset collapse, or its value decline, there are still other assets that can cover the losses.

The Awakening By Kate Chopin - 1611 Words

Societal gender roles have traditionally confined women to only domestic duties like cooking, cleaning, and child care. However, some women feel trapped and long for more independence outside of the traditional aspects of womanhood and motherhood. Women who desire the traditional mother-woman lifestyle experience easy societal approval, but other women struggle to find independence and happiness because it goes against societal expectations and can be considered selfish. In The Awakening, Kate Chopin uses the contrasting views and actions surrounding motherhood of Adele Ratignolle and Edna Pontellier to show that women should have the right to choose their own destiny and lifestyle, not based on what society expects of them, but based on their own personal desires and requirements for self-fulfillment. In The Awakening, Adele Ratignolle represents the traditional mother –woman of the late nineteenth century. Mother-women, â€Å"women who idolized their children, worshiped their husbands, and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals and grow wings as ministering angels† (Chopin 8), surrounded Edna Pontellier during her family’s time in Grand Isle. There, Edna befriended a particular mother-woman named Adele, who has been married for seven years and has three children. Adele is a beautiful and exquisite woman, who enjoys playing with her children, pleasing her husband, and sewing and listening to music in her free time. She is adored by her husband andShow MoreRelatedThe Awakening By Kate Chopin1479 Words   |  6 PagesKate Chopin’s controversial novel, The Awakening, ignited turmoil because of her blatant disregard of the established 19th century perspective of women upholding strictly maternal and matrimonial responsibilities. E dna’s candid exploration of the restrictions on women through her liberal behavior in a conservative Victorian society makes her a literary symbol for feminist ideals. Despite denunciation from other people, Edna chooses individuality over conformity through her veering from traditionalRead MoreThe Awakening by Kate Chopin1102 Words   |  5 Pagesveracity of this quote as both find their independence by boldly exceeding the norm. Their stories were fashioned during a period of great change and both characters are hallmarks of the hope and power women were unearthing at the time. The Awakening by Kate Chopin and Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy are novels concerned with the transformation of women’s roles in society. Their protagonists, Tess and Edna, are not outright feminists, but they are acutely aware of the limitations imposed uponRead MoreThe Awakening By Kate Chopin1919 Words   |  8 PagesIn the novel, The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, we see ho w much of an importance the men in Edna’s life serve as a purpose to her awakening. Chopin is known to write stories about women who are unsatisfied with their lives while living in a life that is dominated by men. Other than Edna, the main men characters are typical men of the late 19th century era. Chopin shows how these three men are diverse from one another. The Creole men are Là ©once Pontellier, Edna’s husband, Robert, Edna’s mystery man numberRead MoreThe Awakening By Kate Chopin901 Words   |  4 Pagescandidly. Kate Chopin is honorably amongst this group of authors. Her works divinely portrayed the culture of New Orleans and the lives of Louisiana s Creole and Cajun residents. Chopin openly express her views on sex, marriage, and the injustices of women during the time. Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, best exemplifies the contextual achievement of realism through the rejection of conformity, the exploration of love, and the weight of soci al opinion on individual choices. The Awakening is publishedRead MoreThe Awakening By Kate Chopin1222 Words   |  5 Pages The Awakening By: Kate Chopin Emely Maldonado AP LIT Period 3 Topic 3 Maldonado 1 Displacement The late 1800s and the 1900s was a prison for woman’s individuality. During this time period, stereotypical views of women were commenced by society and men. In the era that the novel, The Awakening by Kate Chopin was published, the gender roles were graved in stone, men would work to maintain their family and women would adhere to the house-hold duties. Dissatisfaction with theRead MoreThe Awakening By Kate Chopin1193 Words   |  5 PagesDavian Hart The Awakening By: Kate Chopin AP Literature Topic 3 Hart 1 Over the course of time the male species has always been the gender to attain the more favorable conditions. Numerous cultures heed to the belief that the man is the provider and head of his family. This machismo nature can condition the mind to believe that a man should feel superior to a woman. The continuous cycle of male superiority flows down from father to son subconsciously. Do to this unceasingRead MoreThe Awakening, By Kate Chopin887 Words   |  4 Pages Feminism has been a term used by many authors and writers for centuries, symbolizing women being able to use freedom the way they want to, not the way others want them to use it. Edna Pontellier, the main character in Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening, experiences an â€Å"awakening† in her life, where she discovers her position in the universe and goes in this direction instead of what others like her husband Leonce tell her to take, similar to the style of feminism. â€Å"In short, Mrs. Pontellier was beg inningRead MoreThe Awakening By Kate Chopin1427 Words   |  6 Pagessuffering an imposition (Moderata). Throughout history, the inherent inferiority of women to men has often been cited as a way to deter women from becoming an individual and pursuing more in life. This notion is a prevalent issue in The Awakening by Kate Chopin; in which Edna fights to live her own way and is ultimately unable to survive in the cage of society. Not only has this supposed inferiority effected women for generations, but it has created inequality in our society today; especially inRead MoreThe Awakening By Kate Chopin1633 Words   |  7 Pages1. Title of text (underline novels/plays) author’s name The Awakening by Kate Chopin 2. Characterization Character Development (a) 1.Edna Pontellier- Edna is the main character of the novel who is married to a businessman. Edna is a dynamic character because at the beginning of the novel, she conforms to society by being the â€Å"perfect† mother and wife; however, Edna suddenly realizes that she is no longer happy with the way she was living her life and began to become independent only for herRead MoreThe Awakening By Kate Chopin915 Words   |  4 PagesMany of Kate Chopin’s writings are trademarked by her unique, deliberate word choices. Chopin uses phrases that do not make sense and seem to contradict themselves to get across a point. In two of her stories, â€Å"The Story of an Hour† and â€Å"The Awakening,† Chopin’s word usage highlights the idea of self-discovery. â€Å"The Awakening† and â€Å"The Story of an Hour† share similar themes. â€Å"The Awakening† is the story of a woman in the late 1800s discovering her apathy for her traditional female role as a wife