Running Head Edgar Allen Poe 1. Edgar Allen Poe2. . .

Running head: EDGAR ALLEN POE 1 EDGAR ALLEN POE 2 Edgar Allen Poe Name Course Professor’s name Institution Date Edgar Allen Poe Edgar Allen Poe is well recognized as the author of numerous great stories of suspense and horror. He also needs to be remembered as the single author who did help in establishing and developing the real contribution of the America to the actual literature of the world, the short-story form (Bagert, 2008). Poe was the initial writer who recognized that short story was some kind of different fiction than the novel and the first person to insist that for the story to have strong impact on the reader, then each and every detail of the story has to make a contribution regarding that effect†¦show more content†¦He struggles so hard to make the literacy work of the American become relevant in all parts of the world. Despite the fact that most of the early criticism developed by Poe was routine review of work, he started in his reviews to make consideration on the basic condition of the poetry as well as short fiction and to come up with some form of theoretical analyses of these two different genres, drawing upon the criticism of the German people on Schlegel and the English criticism of Taylor Samuel Coleridge (Phillips Hayes, 2011). The main contribution made by Poe to the criticism is the discussion he placed on some specific generic features of short fictions in one of his commonly known review of Twice-Told Tales of Nathaniel Hawthorne (Poe, 2012). Poe makes a very much convincing case for the single organic unity of the short fiction, argues very strongly in favor of its dependence based on some form of unified effect and show in a more clear manner how it has close alignment to the poem in question rather than the novel (Phillips Hayes, 2011). Poe’s ideas within the short tale have lived to influence writers of short-story and literary critics since that point in time. Within his theories of the short story, Poe makes an argument that whereas within long works one can always be happy about some kind of passages, within short

Human Resource Management Issues in the International Environment

Question: What Is The Human Resource Management Issues In The International Environment? Answer: Introduction One of the core objectives of business entities is to experience growth and expansion at different levels of operations. In addition to dominating the local market, it is always every managers desire to explore wider markets which may include exportation of products and services to locations across the border. Despite the fact that expansion and entry into the global market enhances an organizations return on investment, it is also a fact worth noting that there are various issues which emanate from operating in an international environment (Amoako, 2003). Various business entities have since gone global in Australia especially due to the conducive environment and relatively stable economic status which give room for business expansion and foreign investments. Some of these conditions may include availability of supportive structures especially in the transport and communication sectors, relatively inclusive government policies and regulations on business investments as well as stabi lity in product and service prices due to the stable economy (Cairns and Sliwa, 2008). Apart from the mentioned external factors, the success of a business organization especially in its bid to explore and venture into the international markets equally depends on the internal strategies and structure installed by the management. Such approaches involve the use of appropriate leadership skills in managing people and resources within the organization. However, human resource management especially in the international arena may be accompanied by a considerable number of issues. While some of these issues bring about positive impacts on the organizations performance, others act as impediments to the flow of operations hence leading to poor output. This report is based on the analysis of a company case study in a bid to derive some of the human resource management issues associated with operating in an international environment. Human resource management can simply be referred to as the collective strategies implemented by a business organization with the aim of regulating, controlling and enhancing the activities of the workers as well as the business customer. While the management approaches may be aimed at ensuring adequate satisfaction among the employees, HMR strategies may also flow to the way a company deals with its clientele who actually influence the stability of its market base (Cantwell and Narula, 2004). It is however a fact worth noting that operating a business within the confines of a local environment has got distinct characteristics compared to the case associated with the exploration of the international markets. While the conditions may be quite lenient in the local business arena, operations in the foreign areas may be accompanied by a fair share of complications. From the case study, the following issues were derived. Government Policy According to Calof (2009), one of the issues which is likely to affect the operations of a company in the international business font is the dynamic nature of the government policies as one moves from one country to another. The case study reveals that the company operates in three international environments namely China, Vietnam and Singapore. Each government has its set of rules and regulations meant to govern the operations in various sectors. Some of the policies that are likely to have a direct impact on business organizations include the labor policies, pricing regulations, business licensing formalities, employment policies as well as the rules and regulations meant to govern the activities of foreign investors in a given country (Johnson and Turner, 2010). Depending on the economic level of a given region, the policies are always aimed at safeguarding the interests of the locals and hence shielding them from the oppression that may at times be caused by the foreign investors. Consequently, the policies may end up being tight on the international businesses which in turn affect their operations in one way or the other. For instance, the government policies in most of the countries in Asia like China are keen on regulating the number of foreign employees that a given multinational is allowed to bring on board. This regulation may act as impediment to the companys desire to expand its human resource fraternity since they have limited options on the total number of employees who can be factored in at a given time (Katz, 2003). The emergent issue in this case is the fact the organization does not have full control when it comes to managing the human resources departments especially in the international environments. At the same time, the success of an international organization would probably depend on the knowledge, skills and hence the productive output of the workforce, as such when such individuals lack within the organization, the performance is likely to be below par (Caves, 2006). The company, just like most international organizations depends on the incorporation of a diverse workforce as this improves the quality of operations and efficiency at the work place. However, the stringent regulations would imply the company may not be able to bring on board the exact individuals they want for their task which is a great impediment to organizational growth at the international level. In a nut shell, stringent government policies confine international organizations to particular HRM management approaches which may not necessarily be in line with the companys culture. This explains why the company has not been able to come up with universal policies able to operate in the three different environments. Variations in level of development The level of a countrys development in terms of infrastructure, technology and industrialization just to mention but a few would have a great impact on the operation of business entities in the given area. Establishing and managing an organization in a developed country for instance in China would be much easier than doing the same in developing countries. This is because the level of infrastructural development in US would not only give enough room for the easy movement of both workers and clients but the strong communication networks ensure a stable link between managers, the employees as well as the companys customers (Cox, 2007). The case study reveals an easier link between the company managers in Australia compared to the case in the international environments. This variation could be attributed to differences in the level of development in the three foreign environments. It can therefore be noted that the supportive aspects of a business environment are core determinants of su ccessful human resource management. Consequently, implementing HRM strategies in less developed areas would be associated with a number of challenges. For instance the poor network of roads would man low mobility of workers as well as the clients which would definitely translate to difficulties incurred by the managers in their bid to streamline operations within the organization. At the same time low development in terms of technology would greatly hamper the organizations incorporation of IT in managing its resources a phenomenon which has become a vital element in the corporate business arena. Cultural and Social Diversity The case study also reveals the aspect of diversity as one of the challenges to effective human resource management in international environments. As one moves from one business environment to another, they are likely to encounter individuals from different backgrounds. This therefore implies that as the business environment shifts from one region to another, there is also a likely inevitable shift in the cultural and social values of the people in these places. At the same time, most international companies get their personnel from different countries and post them to work in the foreign subsidiaries. This leads to the emergence of diversity within the human resource department. The individual differences in this case may emanate from differences in race, language, religion, class, age, gender and sexual orientations just to mention but few (Dicken, 2008). Managing such a diverse human resource fraternity may be characterized by various challenges. For instance the variations in lan guages and cultural backgrounds may lead to poor communication within the organization due to the different ways in which the individuals are likely to receive the messages. Poor communication would in turn lead to different crucial processes being slowed down like in cases where the management needs to communicate a change to be implemented on an urgent basis. Managing people in a diverse environment is therefore a challenging issue which may need the right managerial approaches if the company has to stick to its standards on objective achievement (Kegley and Wittkopf, 2001). Change in Customer Preferences From the case study, it can be noted that management is struggling to catch up with the high expectations by the clients. Some of the clients are even threatening to withdraw their loyalty and pay less for the services. This issue could be attributed to variations in customer references as one moves from one environment to another. Based on the tastes, values, beliefs and the economic trends in a given region, the clients may indicate a profound preference for particular products and services instead of others (Dunning, 2003). It would therefore be a challenge for an international company to excel in an international environment characterized by low reception of products especially when it does not deal in a variety of products and services. Due to the changes in customer preferences, it becomes a challenge for an organization to predict the right market penetration strategies. Without a proper prior knowledge of the foreign market area, it may be quite hard for the managers to have a specific description of objectives for the human resource section charged with the responsibility of marketing the companys brand including the products and services (Malakooti, 2013). Presence of Competitors and low skill levels among the workers From the case study, the clients threat to withdraw their loyalty to the company citing quality issues does not only imply low skill levels among the workers but also hints at the presence of other service providers in the market. In the presence of competitors, an organization may be forced to adjust its human resource management strategies in order to produce outcomes which would give the company a competitive edge over the others. This approach may involve training, exposing and equipping the human resource on various aspects of performance like customer relations, good sales and marketing procedures in addition to effective service delivery. Raising the effectiveness of the human resource fraternity through training and exposure may at times prove costly to the international organizations (Flyvbjerg, 2001). The situation may be worse especially when the company ends up incurring losses due to low return on investment caused by high competition levels in the given international en vironment. How the HRM Could Deal with these issues From the discussion above, it can be deduced that some of the major issues which may hinder effective human resource management in the international environment involves changes in government polices accompanied by variations in political conditions, changes in cultural and social values, variations in customer preferences, presence of competitors and differences in the level of development (Freeman, 2010). In order to deal with these issues, one of the most effective strategies would be have a prior knowledge of the state of the foreign market before venturing into it. In connection to the issue of government policies, a company can monitor and compare the nature of the rules and regulations as one move from one country to another. Consequently, it can choose to establish the subsidiary in an environment in which the regulations as supportive and attractive to business growth. For instance, when the policies allow them a free hand in the number of employees to bring in, the company is able to make the most informed choices on who to bring on board which in turn improves work productiveness and the overall organizational performance (Long and Mills, 2008). With references the issue of variations in cultural and social values, there may be an inevitable need for the managers to have an in-depth knowledge of the dominant cultural and social values in the international environments (Friedman, 2006). With this knowledge, it would be possible to establish the right management strategies which ensure that the values and beliefs of the people in the given environment are respected and hence preserved as much as possible. Such an approach is likely to improve the workers reception to the HRM strategies which enhances the ease of flow of operations within the company. The issue of competition and changes in client preferences in the international environment could be handled by having a good case study of the target market as well as the companies present in the targeted area. In case the management establishes the presence of competitors, it can adjust its HRM strategies to ensure a good grip on customers and hence a stable market (Harrison, 2011). However, when the level of competition is quite high, then the company can always seek for alternative avenues with the aim of getting the best out of the international investments. A good study of the market environment would also enable the company to establish the peoples favorite products and services (Hartt, Mills, Mills and Durepos, 2012). The HRM strategies would therefore be established with the main aim of satisfying the clients needs as much as possible. Finally, there is an inevitable need for training of employees and managers especially those working in the foreign countries so that they c an easily fuse with the change associated with the new environment. Conclusion and Recommendations The case study above highlighted some of the HRM issues which could be attributed to operating in an international environment. Apart from variations in government policy, cultural diversity, customer preferences, competition and different development levels emerged as some of the core issues (Harvey, 2007). In order to adequately address these issues, it can be recommended that the organizations ought to have enough prior knowledge of the international market before venturing into it. A feasibility study is therefore suggested as one of the vital management approaches which would enable the company to establish the suitability of the international environment for business growth and expansion. On the other hand, the issue of cultural and social diversity as an impediment to effective human resource management could be solved through adequate staff empowerment and training. This may involve bringing the diverse workers together through trade expos, conferences, business trainings and exhibitions. Through these avenues, the employees and customers are able to freely interact with one another. This approach would not only be helpful in enhancing good customer relations but would also go a long way in improving communication and understanding among members of the human resource department. In conclusion, international ventures play a vital role in expanding a companys market base and hence the related return on investment. It is however important to note that various challenges come with operating in international environments hence the need to establish and implement the most effective counters strategies. This alone would ensure organizational success in such areas. 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