Sr. :: essays research papers

Alternative Dispute Resolution   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alternative Dispute Resolution is the most important aspect in the court’s structure because it allows to resolve disputes before ever having to spend money or time. Having to use the court system to resolve disputes can take several years and cost a lot of money. Companies have taken into their system ADR because it can solve problems faster and cost less money. Every company can sure have ADR in every single case they have because they can save tons of money and time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Not always disputes can be solved, this means that people have to take that extra mile to solve the dispute. If the parties do not agree with the decision taken by the arbitrator it can be appealed. The Congress made an act, the Federal Arbitration Act, they promote the dispute for the courts at the state level. The Uniform Arbitration Act is that people before been send to court they have to go through other ADR. There are many forms of ADR: arbitration, meditation, conciliation, minitrial, fact-fading and judicial referee. In ADR you use the most common form that is arbitration. This form is where the parties involved choose and impartial third person to listen and decide who should win the dispute. This third person is chosen by the American Arbitration Association. The courts that address this issues depend on what the arbitrator says. The court tend to have great deference with the arbitrator. There are many cases that get solved with ADR but some do not. There is something that comes into my mind every time I hear ADR, it is that you can save money and time when you use arbitrators. Personally I have been there and it does really save time and money. I had a case between X and myself. In this case I was arguing because my car’s transmission broke down and my car was still in warranty and because of some engine alterations they void my warranty. When I was told that my warranty was voided I went to DACO and they told me that they were going to help me get my car fixed with warranty. I think to myself that thanks to DACO I did not had to pay one thousand pure american dollars. DACO in my case worked as and arbitrator and help me get my problem solved in a couple of days and also made me save money. Sr. :: essays research papers Alternative Dispute Resolution   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alternative Dispute Resolution is the most important aspect in the court’s structure because it allows to resolve disputes before ever having to spend money or time. Having to use the court system to resolve disputes can take several years and cost a lot of money. Companies have taken into their system ADR because it can solve problems faster and cost less money. Every company can sure have ADR in every single case they have because they can save tons of money and time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Not always disputes can be solved, this means that people have to take that extra mile to solve the dispute. If the parties do not agree with the decision taken by the arbitrator it can be appealed. The Congress made an act, the Federal Arbitration Act, they promote the dispute for the courts at the state level. The Uniform Arbitration Act is that people before been send to court they have to go through other ADR. There are many forms of ADR: arbitration, meditation, conciliation, minitrial, fact-fading and judicial referee. In ADR you use the most common form that is arbitration. This form is where the parties involved choose and impartial third person to listen and decide who should win the dispute. This third person is chosen by the American Arbitration Association. The courts that address this issues depend on what the arbitrator says. The court tend to have great deference with the arbitrator. There are many cases that get solved with ADR but some do not. There is something that comes into my mind every time I hear ADR, it is that you can save money and time when you use arbitrators. Personally I have been there and it does really save time and money. I had a case between X and myself. In this case I was arguing because my car’s transmission broke down and my car was still in warranty and because of some engine alterations they void my warranty. When I was told that my warranty was voided I went to DACO and they told me that they were going to help me get my car fixed with warranty. I think to myself that thanks to DACO I did not had to pay one thousand pure american dollars. DACO in my case worked as and arbitrator and help me get my problem solved in a couple of days and also made me save money.

Alibaba: Competing in China and Beyond Essay

Introduction In this report I will examine the case â€Å"Alibaba: Competing in China and Beyond.† Alibaba under the leadership of Jack Ma, its founder has transformed into one of the most successful e-commerce companies in China. In the 2000s Alibaba had emerged as the largest e-commerce company in China. The company tailored its strategies to meet the needs of the customers and made a mark because of its understanding of the Chinese language and culture. However, some experts have also raised doubts over the sustainability of Alibaba’s business model. In my report I will critically analyze the factors that led to Alibaba sustaining its leadership position in the Chinese e-commerce market. I will Discuss the rationale behind Ma establishing Taobao.com. I will examine the factors that led to Taoboa’s success in the Chinese online auctions market. Furthermore, with Baidu’s entry into the e-commerce market, I will discuss the challenges that Alibaba faces with regard to sustaining its position in the growing e-commerce market in China. Finally I will critically examine Alibaba’s business model, possibilities of global expansion and the overall sustainability of the company. Questions 1. One of the most significant factors that lead Alibaba Group sustaining its leadership positioning in the Chinese e-commerce market was its ability to understand the Chinese market itself. Jack Ma, Alibaba Groups founder understood that Chinese consumers and their preferences distinguished them selves from those in other countries. Other companies such as eBay did not appreciate the local market circumstances in China; instead, they were using the strategies that were working in the United States. I believe for this reason Alibaba Group was able to sustain its leadership position. Many of the competitors lacked understanding of the Chinese language as well as the culture. Moreover, Alibaba.com made its services extremely easy for its customers to use. Ma, himself, was a non-technical person and this helped him keep the websites more user-friendly. In the article Ma refers to this stating: (Deresky, 2010). â€Å"If you follow Google’s way, you always be a follower†¦ We have to make the Yahoo! Search engine more human, more interactive†¦ something for the 1.3 billion people in China who aren’t technology-oriented, who don’t know how to ask the right question to a search engine — for people who are like me.† (p.320) An added factor is the services that Alibaba.com offered. The company believed that the first thing to do was to build a devoted customer base. Therefore, before adding any charges, a lot of the services were free of charge. Alibaba.com offered many services such as email and listings of products/services free of charge. In addition, e-commerce was vulnerable due to the fact that sellers and buyers did not trust the idea of sending money before receiving their products and the sellers wanted the money before they shipped their products. For these purposes, Alibaba.com launched Alipay in 2004, which was an online payment solution that allowed the users to make money transactions in an easy, quick and safe way. All and all Alibaba.com basically concentrated greatly on increasing costumer satisfaction even on the expense of not gaining maximum profitability. The company made its customer and getting to know what customers want its number one. Question 2. Jack Ma established Taobao.com in May 2003 to enter the profitable e-commerce market. Taobao.com also symbolized a part of Ma’s Alibaba.com business model of joining SMEs, customers together, and helping SMEs grow. Taoboa’s goal was to generate an online trading platform for both B2C and C2C models. Several factors lead to Taoboa’s success over the rival eBay in the Chinese auctions market. First, Ma managed to raise a substantial investment of 56 million dollars from Softbank and teamed up with Masayoshi Son the founder and CEO of Softbank who had previously helped to defeat eBay in Japan (which lead to eBay leaving Japan in 2002). Also again Ma decided to build a loyal customer base before really attempting to make a profit; he did this by offering free listings as opposed to eBay, which charged for listings (Deresky, 2010). A major factors in Taoboa’s success was Alibaba Groups better management of the trust factor involved in e-commerce trading and better understanding of the local Chinese market. eBbay positioned its standard business model that was used in the United States and other countries. Taoboa, instead, established its own payment escrow service. With AliPay buyers paid into an escrow account that did not pay the seller until the buyer noted he had received the product; therefore, making the transaction thrust worthy since the money was in escrow until the transaction was completed (Deresky, 2010). Furthermore, Taoboa offered e-mail and chat services between users unlike eBay, which concealed identities and only had an offline messaging system. Taoboa also advertised aggressively through websites and billboards in major population areas something eBay did not do. The final steps of defeat for eBay was when Taobao offered three years of free listings and when Taoboa launched its B2C services in 2006. Moreover Taoboa had a large list of companies supporting it and also Alibaba.com members that could join easily. Overall Taoboa’s success over eBay has been attributed its ability to know the local Chinese market and adapt to it as opposed to eBay’s strategies of using a inefficient model that could not adapt to the Chinese market (Deresky, 2010). However, now Taoboa is facing competition from a company that knows the Chinese market very well. Taoboa’s main competitor Baidu, is the largest search engine market share holder in China. Baidu has a large, loyal customer base to work with and has ability to advertise and link its own ecommerce website. Taoboa will have many challenges facing the competition from Baidu. Never the less Alibaba Groups strong and evident presence in the Chinese e-comercial market signifies the company’s ability overtake its competitors by combining all services and maintaining the user-friendliness of its services in B2B, C2C and B2C markets. Question 3. Absolutely it is sustainable. As Alibaba Group now further develops and expands its various web services, it must also additionally develop the various products within each website. Alibaba Group should have one department focusing one website development aspect and another department focusing on product development aspect. The company can still capitalize on his legacy sites that have millions of monthly subscribers. The intention for the company should be to find a way to raise the monthly run rate on each customer on a yearly basis, this would allow Alibaba Group to use these profits to fund the company’s efforts to expand. In my opinion Alibaba Group should focus on moving into Russia first, using their political ties to their advantage. Russia has many raw materials but few factory centers like China. If they could move into Russia, this would effectively provide geographical access to the Middle East and Northern Europe in the future. However, after Russia, I would mainly focus on expanding through Southeast Asia all the way down to Australia. This would fundamentally provide an ecommerce solution that can link B2B, C2C, B2C, sales across the entire Eastern part of the world. Conclusion After reading the case and answering to the questions it seems like the case is too good to be true. Even though Jack Ma had proven his capability of  being a good leader and business man it is impressive how he started from scratch and was able to gather good people around him and develop this successful multinational company. I truly believe that Ma’s and Alibab Groups key to success were the founder people in the company. Overall I see Alibaba Groups story as a big success. It is truly a inspirational story. In the words of Ma’s business partner Masayoshi Son: (Deresky, 2010). â€Å"If there’s a company outside of America that can introduce a new business model to the world, it is Alibaba.† (Founder and CEO of Softbank Corporation, in Japan 2005.) Reference: Deresky, H (2010). International Management: Managing Across Borders and Cultures. 7th ed. Pearson Boston. 310-322.

Research Paradigm, Ontology and Epistemology - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2105 Downloads: 2 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Uncategorized Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? Reflections on my POE (Research Paradigm, Ontology and Epistemology) Introduction Curiosity, observation and the quest for better understanding about our surroundings are vital elements of human nature which consequently leads towards gaining enriched knowledge. An individualà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s point of view, values, believes and others will impact our approach towards the choice of research pathway; and the underlying assumptions and structure. This knowledge process will assess in defining major research dimensions such as ontology, epistemology, methods, methodology and paradigm; and how they are interrelated and complement each other. This will be followed by identifying and explaining the main research paradigms; finally, justifying the most applicable and closely aligned paradigm with my research area which is: Among small to medium enterprises (SMEs) from developed countries that struggle to do business in in large emerging country markets (LECMs), what to do they perceive to be the major issues? Major Research Dimensions: Onto logy, epistemology, methodology, and methods are the major dimensions of any research which impact: Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Research Paradigm, Ontology and Epistemology" essay for you Create order The research question formulation Project conceptualisation How the research is carried out (Hesse-Biber Leavy, 2010). Orlikowski and Baroudi (1991) explained that ontology referred to the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“individualà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢sà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  basic beliefs about the nature of reality such as objectivism, constructivism and subjectivism, which are very often left unexamined. On the other hand, they explained the epistemology as a framework for the knowledge. It illustrates the connection between à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“the knownà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ , what counts as knowledge; and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“the enquirerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ , on what basis we can make knowledge claims, like positivism and post positivism, interpretivism, critical enquiry, radicalism and postmodernism (Crotty, 1998, p. 50). In a recent study of paradigm framework, Grant and Giddings (2002) described that methodology is an expression of ontology and epistemology in relation to the way of study and research analysis should carry on. They also stated that methodology within a specific discipline is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“a theoretical assumptions an d principles that underpin a particular research approachà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . In addition they pointed out the meaning of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“research methodà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ , as a technique for gathering and analysing the collected information and data. Information could be collected via questionnaire, face to face interview and even a case study or action research which can function as methodologies when clearly linked to a paradigm. In summary, it is very clear that ontological and epistemological positions always inform methodological and methods choices (Grant Giddings, 2002). Major Research Paradigms: Thomas Kuhn explained paradigm as a basic orientation to theory and research and it is a whole system of thinking. In Kuhnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s words, paradigm is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“implicit body of intertwined theoretical and methodological belief that permits selection, evaluation, and criticismà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (as cited by Grant Giddings, 2002, p.12). Over time, different types o f paradigms have evolved. Choosing any particular paradigm to work with depending on few variables such as; the researched field, researched topic or problem, the researcher preferences and many other variables (Grant Giddings, 2002). Positivist, Post-positivist, Interpretative, Radical or Critical and Post-structural are the main paradigms but there are many others emergent research like indigenous approaches e.g. Kaupapa MÃÆ'„ ori. Each paradigm proposes a different ontology, epistemology and the indirect-power relations between the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“researcher and researched relationshipà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Grant Giddings, 2002). Reflections of my POE (research paradigm, ontology and epistemology) in related to my field of study My field of study is international business management (IBM) specialising in Large Emerging Markets (LEM). It is dealing with multi-social realities and how it is formed by the way that people perceive social situations. Therefore, the type of information that is required for my research, should be subjective combined with inductive reasoning. Dealing with different cultural contexts, personal values and situation interpretation by the researcher and the researched are between the mean issues that facing any researcher within IBM field. Accordingly, I think gaining knowledge could be achieved through participative analysis and by reducing the gap between the researcher and the researched. My research will be focusing on SMEs from developed countries like New Zealand doing businesses in LEM such as China in attempt to find the best practice. It will be a challenging task to apply my research to only one of the paradigms because the boundaries that separate them are often fuzzy and there is no clear cut between them (Grant Giddings, 2002, p.18). From my point of view, the paradigm that most closely aligns with my research is mainly post-positivist and to a certain level, interpretive. There are many reasons behind my paradigm choice in the process to find the best practice. For example, I always believe that everyone has different points of view and values which are influenced by our social, cultural and political contexts. Guba and Lincoln (1994) explained that there were multiple views of truth. Therefore, when dealing with an international business, we are dealing with different cultural backgrounds. Accordingly there will be multiple points of view and truth based on à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“the best understanding that we have been able to produce thus far, not a statement of what is ultimately realà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ , which is the central point of the post-positivist way of thinking (Polkinghorne, 1983, p 2). On the other hand, this paradigm is taking the researched subject experience and background into account resulting that the researcherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s objectivity is impossible. Post-positivists Focuses on the participantà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s experience and behaviour, including talk. Secondly, there is a need to understand the reasons behind why some SMEs struggling to survive at the host countries. Gathering information, could be done within interpretive paradigm by listing to such enterprisesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ manager to hear their interpretations for such struggle and what to do they perceive to be the major issues? Cocks (1989) stated that part of the truth could be found by à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“self-understandings of [her/his] participantsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  and the truth à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“must be discovered by thought rather than by sensory observationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (p: 104). This paradigm framework will help me to apply the scientific methods to human behaviour by going back to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“the things themselvesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Husserl, as cited by Farber, 2006, p.568). It will empower me to interpret the meaning and the importance of these managersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ self-understandings in ways that they may not have been able to see. As an interpretive researcher the relationship between myself and these managers, will be intersubjective by becoming a listener and interpreter of the informations that have been supplied by them. Accordingly, this will give me a dominant position in making the interpretation and controlling the analysis process, therefore listening become the most critical part of the interpretive research. Finally, from my point of view, Positivist, Radical, Post-structural and indigenous approach paradigms cannot fit with my research question because of the below reasons: Positivist paradigm: this paradigm is supporting the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"scientific methodà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ which is highlighting the importance of objectivity, systematic and detailed observation. Knowledge could be discovered, explained and controlled by using different methodologies; and it confirms the finding as fact which is resulting a creation of specific à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"body of knowledgeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢. Accordingly, this will influences the professional decision- making (Grant Giddings, 2002). In this paradigm, the researcher could be seen as the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“expertà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  who retains an objective viewpoint to the researched. Therefore, feelings and thoughts of the researched are restructured in numerical forms and then statistical analysis will be applied for better understanding. This paradigm has no considerations to the researched interpretation and point views. While in my research, the researched personal interpretations and views are playing a big part of better understanding. So, this paradigm is not functional with my research. Radical or Critical Paradigm: This paradigm is more concerns about à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“changingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  not à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“explainingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“understandingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  the social reality; and it is embedded with a form of convectional research (Smith,1993, p.77). It believes that the world is unequal and unfair. So, discrimination based on gender, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation and so on are shaping our societies. Cocks (1989) highlighted the confusion between importance of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“truthà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  and its own subjects such as power and authority. It is resulting, within the social context, that the priority to meet the most dominating groupà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s interests could be seen as a normal practice. Such practice will have a noticeable impacts on the researchersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ position and the way of analysing the collected data. The researcher and the researched to some degree could be seen as a co-workers or co-researc her engaging in collective action to change the world and there is less power differences between them because of the shared point view. My research does not deal with the ideology of the unfairness paradigm that is aligned with radicalism; and is not aimed at changing the world but it is interested in understanding why SMEs struggling to survive in LEM. Accordingly, this paradigm will not serve my research purposes. Post-structural paradigm: Grant and Giddings (2002) stated that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“no-one can stand outside the traditions or discourses of their timeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  and there is no universal truths about the social. Accordingly, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“the search for grand narratives will be replaced by more local, small-scale theories fitted to specific problems and specific situationsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Denzin Lincoln, 1994, p. 11). McCouat and Peile (1995) as cited by (Grant Giddings, 2003, p.20) explained, that meanings are à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“multiple, unstable and open to interpretationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . Therefore, post-structuralism researches will always be subjective and supported by inter-related theories of discourse, power and the subject. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Understanding of the human beingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  that is underpinning this paradigm is different from other paradigms. It is based on self-understanding, of the researcher, to be embedded as a shared meaning formations with the researched. Therefore, a reflexive posture adoption is required for better awareness of that embedded nature. The researcher is not aiming to transform the possibilities for the researched but for others who will be influenced by the researched view. Given that, this paradigm is focusing on particular problems and particular situations. It is more localised and covering a small-scaled issues, while my research is more universal. For that reason, Post-structural paradigm is not compatible with my research. Indigenous paradigm: This paradigm is related to postcolonial societies (such as New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the United States). Kaupapa Maori research is an example of the indigenous approach in New Zealand. Indigenous theory is a localised viewpoint which is based on the notions of critical theory but situates them within an indigenous worldview (Graham Hingangaroa Smith as cited by Linda Smith, 1999, p. 186). In indigenous research, the researcher becomes part of the researched community, which controls all decisions related to the research procedures and what should be done to the findings. It is cross disciplinary research and its methodologies are being taken up from every paradigm and reorganised within the indigenous worldview; and it is aiming à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“to make a positive difference for the researchedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Smith, 1999, p. 191). As explained before, my research focuses on SMEs in general from developed countries like Australian and New Zealand, which are both considered postcolonial societies, venturing LEMs such as China; and it is not looking at SMEs from the indigenous approach. Therefore, it is very clear this paradigm is not applicable to my researched. Conclusion In summary, ontology, epistemology, methodology, and methods are the major research dimensions. There are different paradigms such as positivist, post-positivist, interpretative, radical or critical, post-structural and emergent research like indigenous approaches. Each paradigm proposes a different ontology, epistemology and the relationship between the researchers and researched. However, from my point view, post-positivist and interpretative paradigmà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s approaches are the only paradigms that could be applicable to my research to answer my research question: Among small to medium enterprises (SMEs) from developed c ountries that struggle to do business in in large emerging country markets (LECMs), what to do they perceive to be the major issues? References: Cocks, J (1989): The oppositional imagination: Feminism, critique and political theory, Routledge, London. Crotty, M. (1998).The foundations of social research: Meaning and perspective in the research process. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Allen Unwin Denzin, N. K., Lincoln, Y. S. (1994).Handbook of qualitative research. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications Farber, M. (2006).The foundation of phenomenology: Edmund husserl and the quest for a rigorous science of philosophy. Frankfurt, Germany: Aldine Transaction Grant, B. M., Giddings, L. S. (2002). Making sense of methodologies: A paradigm framework for the novice researcher.Contemporary Nurse,13(1), 10-28. Guba, E. G., Lincoln, Y. S. (1994). Competing paradigms in qualitative research.Handbook of qualitative research,2, 163-194. Hesse-Biber, S. N., Leavy, P. (2010). The pr actice of qualitative research. Sage. Kuhn, T. S. (1970).The structure of scientific revolutions. Chicago, Ill: University of Chicago Press Orlikowski, W. J., Baroudi, J. J. (1991). Studying information technology in organizations: Research approaches and assumptions.Information Systems Research,2(1), 1-28. doi:10.1287/isre.2.1.1 Polkinghorne, D. (1983).Methodology for the human sciences: Systems of inquiry. Albany: State University of New York Press. Smith, L. T. (1999).Decolonizing methodologies: Research and indigenous peoples. Dunedin, N.Z: Zed Books Smith, R. (1993). Potentials for empowerment in critical education research. The Australian Educational Researcher,20(2), 75-93.