Free Essays on Importance Of Globalization

The Importance of Globalization This report is about Globalization. Globalization can be very prosperous for a country or it could ravage a country’s economic currency. Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, used the World Bank meeting in Hong Kong to speak out against the evils of Globalization, after Mahathir’s stock and currency were scourged by global and local investors. Dr. Mahathir’s economic stock and currency were ravaged because he did not use his money wisely. He was over borrowing and over building. He built the two largest office buildings in the world, but he lost money from that because there was nobody to rent the space. The KLCI, the Dow Jones of Malaysia, fell forty eight percent in 1997! When U.S. Secretary of Treasury Robert Ruben was talking to Mahathir he referred to Globalization as an electronic herd. â€Å" The electronic herd is often an anonymous stock, bond, currency traders, and multinational investors connected by screens and networks. The herd knows whom it rules. But the rules of the herd are pretty consistent. They are the rules of the golden strait jacket,† said Mr. Ruben. The electronic herd is made up of two groups, the â€Å" short horn cattle † and the â€Å" long horn cattle. † The short horn cattle are all the people who buy stock and sell stock, have bonds and currencies around the world, and who move their money around on a very short - term basis. This includes Merrill Lynch and anyone who has a P.C. and a modem who can trade on line all over the world. The long horn cattle are multinational companies like General Electrics, the IBM’s, and there are many more. Supermarkets have now replaced Superpowers as mega markets. The mega markets are Tokyo, Frankfurt, Sydney, Singapore, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bombay, Sao Paulo, Paris, Zurich, Chicago, London, and New York City. By 1997 twenty–five supermarkets controlled eighty – three percent of t... Free Essays on Importance Of Globalization Free Essays on Importance Of Globalization The Importance of Globalization This report is about Globalization. Globalization can be very prosperous for a country or it could ravage a country’s economic currency. Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, used the World Bank meeting in Hong Kong to speak out against the evils of Globalization, after Mahathir’s stock and currency were scourged by global and local investors. Dr. Mahathir’s economic stock and currency were ravaged because he did not use his money wisely. He was over borrowing and over building. He built the two largest office buildings in the world, but he lost money from that because there was nobody to rent the space. The KLCI, the Dow Jones of Malaysia, fell forty eight percent in 1997! When U.S. Secretary of Treasury Robert Ruben was talking to Mahathir he referred to Globalization as an electronic herd. â€Å" The electronic herd is often an anonymous stock, bond, currency traders, and multinational investors connected by screens and networks. The herd knows whom it rules. But the rules of the herd are pretty consistent. They are the rules of the golden strait jacket,† said Mr. Ruben. The electronic herd is made up of two groups, the â€Å" short horn cattle † and the â€Å" long horn cattle. † The short horn cattle are all the people who buy stock and sell stock, have bonds and currencies around the world, and who move their money around on a very short - term basis. This includes Merrill Lynch and anyone who has a P.C. and a modem who can trade on line all over the world. The long horn cattle are multinational companies like General Electrics, the IBM’s, and there are many more. Supermarkets have now replaced Superpowers as mega markets. The mega markets are Tokyo, Frankfurt, Sydney, Singapore, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bombay, Sao Paulo, Paris, Zurich, Chicago, London, and New York City. By 1997 twenty–five supermarkets controlled eighty – three percent of t...

Definition and Examples of Echo Words in English

Definition and Examples of Echo Words in English In linguistics and composition, the term echo word has more than one meaning: An echo word is a word or phrase (such as buzz and cock a doodle doo) that imitates the sound associated with the object or action it refers to: an onomatope. Also called an echoic word.  An echo word is a word or phrase (such as shilly shally and click and clack) that contains two identical or very similar parts: a reduplicative.An echo word is a word or phrase that recurs in a sentence or paragraph. Examples and Observations Sound alone is the basis of a limited number of words, called echoic or onomatopoeic, like bang, burp, splash, tinkle, bobwhite, and cuckoo. Words that are actually imitative of sound, like meow, bowwow, and vroomthough these differ from language to languagecan be distinguished from those like bump and flick, which are called symbolic. Symbolic words regularly come in sets that rhyme (bump, lump, clump, hump) or alliterate (flick, flash, flip, flop) and derive their symbolic meaning at least in part from other members of their sound-alike sets. Both imitative and symbolic words frequently show doubling, sometimes with slight variation, as in bowwow, choo-choo, and peewee.(John Algeo and Thomas Pyles, The Origins and Development of the English Language, 5th ed. Thomson Wadsworth, 2005) Repetitions help to echo keywords, to emphasize important ideas or main points, to unify sentences, or to develop  coherence  among sentences. Skillful repetitions of important words or phrases create echoes in the readers mind: they emphasize and point out key ideas. You can use these  echo words  in different sentenceseven in different paragraphsto help hook your ideas together...[E]cho words may  come  any place in the sentence: with the subjects or the verbs, with the objects or the complements, with prepositions or other  parts of speech. You need not always repeat the word exactly; think of other forms the word may take, such as  freak, freakiness, freakishness  (nouns),  freaking  (participle),  freaky  and  freakish  (adjectives), and  freakishly  and  freakily  (adverbs). (Ann Longknife and K. D. Sullivan,  The Art of Styling Sentences, 4th ed. Barrons, 2002) Echo-Pairs   Echo-words are  crucially different from straight reduplicated words in that they have rules sensitive to the reduplicated configuration, detaching melodic elements from the affixal skeleton and replacing them with an invariant onset (McCarthy and Prince 1986, 86). This accounts for the ban on auto-reduplication of echo-words themselves.  Yiddishized English shm-initial words undergoing echo-pairing (such as shmaltz) have to be echo-paired with something else (usuall shp-: shpaltz) or else with nothing (no echo-pair can be formed), but certainly not with a direct repeat (**shmaltz-shmaltz is disallowed). ( Mark R. V. Southern,  Contagious Couplings: Transmission of Expressives in Yiddish Echo Phrases. Praeger, 2005)

Mitochondrial Disease, Parkinsons Research Paper

Mitochondrial Disease, Parkinsons - Research Paper Example [Betelham et al 2007] Mitochondria are large organelles about 1 to 2 micrometer in diameter, upto 2000 of which are present in eukaryotic cells and constitute upto 25% of the cellular volume. The outer membrane enclosing the mitochondria is smooth, while the inner membrane is thrown into a series of folds known as the cristae. The space between the two membranes is called the intermembrane space. Both the structure and the quantity of mitochondria in different tissues can differ greatly depending upon the metabolic needs of the tissue. [Koolman et al 2005] Mitochondria play several vital roles in the normal functioning of the cell. Their most important role is in the production of ATP by oxidative phosphorylation. They also serve as reservoirs of calcium within the cells and play a vital role in inducing apoptosis. . [Koolman et al 2005] The vast range of mitochondrial functions are associated with a range of mitochondrial enzymes. "Pyruvate dehydrogenase, the TCA cycle, beta hydroxylation of fatty acids and parts of the urea cycle are located in the matrix. The respiratory chain, ATP synthesis and parts of the heme synthesis pathway are associated with the inner membrane." [Koolman et al 2005, pg 210] One of the unique features of the mitochondria is that they are a self replicating organelle and can replicate independent of the parent cell. The mitochondrial genome is composed of 37 genes. Of these, "24 specify a mature RNA product, 22 molecular tRNA molecules and 2 molecular rRNA molecules. the remaining 13 genes encode polypeptides that are synthesized on the mitochondrial ribosomes [Strachan and Read 2004, pg 243]. Unlike nuclear DNA, mitochondrial DNA is very compact, lacking exons. For this reason any coding error in the mitochondrial DNA is far more likely to be transmitted to successive generations of the cell. However, because of the large number of mitochondria, the overall effect of such a mutation remains small unless transmitted in a gamete to the next generation. Mitochondrial DNA is exclusively maternal in origin being inherited from the egg, not the sperm. Thus the descendents of males affected by mitochondrial diseases are safe from inheriting the disease. The di seases can however affect men and women equally. [Passarge 2006] Some common mitochondrial diseases include: Lebers optic atrophy MELAS (mitochondrial encephalopathy with lactic acidosis and stroke like episodes) Kearns- Sayres syndrome Some familial types of diabetes mellitus Some forms of progressive nerve deafness and antibiotic associated deafness MERRF (myoclonic epilepsy with ragged red fibres) Pearson syndrome [Naviaux 2008] Parkinsons disease is a degenerative disorder affecting the basal ganglia. It causes degeneration of the dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, leading to decreased inhibition of the subthalamic nuclei and more active inhibition of the cortex. Its is characterized clinically by a triad of bradykinesia, tremor and rigidity. The exact cause for the development of parkinsonism has so far remained elusive. A syndrome very similar to parkinsonism is seen to develop in individuals who abuse methyl-phenyl tetra hydropyridine. This lends support to the theory that environmental factors are responsible for the causation of the disease. The current belief is that genetic and environmental factors both have a role to play. There are no diagnostic tests, and the condition is

Assignment for Business Economics and Finance Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

For Business Economics and Finance - Assignment Example 4). There are of course several accounting specialties and each of them is important in their own characteristics (Bonner et al. 2006). 2. Case of Halfords A. Identify the main accounting books that can be used by Halfords to records transactions. Halfords is a company that buys and sells bicycles. The main financial statements that can be used by organizations to record is financial condition, especially business organizations are the balance sheet, income statement, and the statement of cash flows (Stice et al. 2004). The balance sheet â€Å"reports, as of a certain point in time, the resources of a company (the assets), the obligations (the liabilities), and the net differences between its assets and liabilities, which represents the equity of its owners† (Stice et al. 2004, p. 10). The balance sheet addresses two fundaments information: what it owns and what it owes (Stice et al. 2004). The income statement â€Å"reports, for a certain interval, the net assets generated t hrough business operations (revenues), the net assets consumed (expenses) and the difference, which is called net income† (Stice et al. 2004, p. 10). ... 2004, p. 11). Stice et al. (2004, p. 11) pointed out that the â€Å"statement of cash flows is the most objective of the financial statements because it is somewhat insulated from the accounting estimates and judgment needed to prepare a balance sheet and an income statement.† Meanwhile, â€Å"accounting statements and judgments are outline in the notes to the financial statements† (Stice et al. 2004, p. 11). â€Å"The notes contain supplemental information as well as information about items not included in the financial statements† (Stice et al. 2004, p. 11). Stice et al. (2004, p. 11) pointed out that â€Å"each financial statement routinely carries the following warning at the bottom of the statements: ‘The notes to the financial statements are integral part of this statement.† B. Describe the usual transactions recorded by this company The usual transactions recorded by a company engaged in buying and selling a merchandise like in the buying and selling of bicycles in which Halfords is engaged cover buying the merchandise to sell, maintaining and monitoring the inventory of the merchandise, recording assets and liabilities, recording sales and revenues, payments for overheads like the rent for the store space and the city services involved, and payment of taxes. 3. In a press release, Halfords explained that its income statement for 2011 will show a loss. A. What is the meaning of this loss? Statements of loss are determined by the assumptions adopted in the financial statement. It is important to stress that losses are profit are based on the firm of operations as recorded by the accountants serving the firm. For instance, it may happen that the Halfords would be reflecting a loss but because the bicycles that are sold were purchased from a manufacturing firm

Despite Proctors Essay Example for Free

Despite Proctors Essay Another character introduced in Act two is Mary Warren. She is extremely important to the Act as she is what makes the connection between village life and the sentencing that is happening at the courts, and with the proctor household. She is the one who tells us that there have been thirty-nine arrests. When she first arrives in Act two we find that she has defied the orders of John and Elizabeth by going to the court. When told that she must not return she rebels using the excuse I am an official of the court. This is a fine example of how the hysteria of witchcraft has affected the everyday life in the community of Salem. Mary is a servant within the proctor household; she is paid nine pounds a year to keep the house. She is not in a position to rebel against the word of Elizabeth or John, and under normal circumstances would not do so. We know that this is peculiar behaviour because of Elizabeths reply to Proctor, when asked why she had let Mary go to the court. Elizabeth says She frightened all my strength away I forbid her to go, and she raises up her chin like the daughter of a prince and says to me, I must go to Salem, Goody Proctor. It is clear to us now just how much the affair between Proctor and Abigail influences the current events and the events that are to follow. Mary also plays another role within Act two; she portrays to us the amount of hate that Abigail holds for Elizabeth. When she reveals that she saved the life of Elizabeth in court, as her name had been mentioned among the accused. I saved her life today. She refuses to say by whom, I am bound by law, I cannot tell but it is obvious to the reader and to Elizabeth that Abigail Williams is the accuser. This shows Abigails malicious hate as by accusing Elizabeth she is striving towards an eventual execution. Elizabeth who is a smart woman anticipates this intense hate long before she discovers she has been accused and she says to John referring to Abigail and thinks to kill me, then to take my place. Another reason that proves Marys importance to Act two is that she illustrates to us the extremity of power that Abigail and the girls have. Throughout Act two Marys speech and stage directions imply a weak and feeble character. With a trembling decaying voice she has been edging towards offstage. It is apparent that she is constantly subject to the bullying of Proctor and that she gives into his bullying one hundred percent of the time. Yet in the last few pages of Act Two, Proctor, using violence is trying to persuade Mary to testify in court against Abigail to save his wife. Despite Proctors violent advances grasping her by the throat as though he would strangle her Mary sobs I cannot, I cannot. This shows Marys new changed belief that Abigail and the girls are more powerful and fearful than the man she has worked for and feared for so long. This event also marks the start of the loss of power John Proctor suffers from throughout the rest of the play. The Crucible plays host to many themes. The theme of tyranny (when a situation or person controls how you are able to live in an unfair way) is shown mainly by Abigails power over the girls, and their power over the people of Salem. By confessing to witchcraft, and publicly announcing their sudden devotion to God, and desperation to do his will, they give themselves great power over society. Abigails word becomes unassailable as does the word of the other girls. With this power they were able to control the rest of the Salem by fear. Another way in which Tyranny is shown is Proctors initial control over Mary. As she enters the scene she is greeted by Proctor with the words Ill whip you if you dare leave this house again. Mary is undoubtedly afraid of Proctor as he appears an extremely violent man to her. At the end of the Act Proctor uses violence yet again to get his own way, we know from Act three that she eventually does go to the court and testify. Another theme that is apparent in Arthur Millers The Crucible is fear. Every character in The Crucible is subjected to fear at some point within the story line, not just those who are accused. Those who are not accused fear that the sins of their friends and associates may taint their names and cause them to be found guilty of witchcraft: A key example of this is Parriss fear that the actions of Abigail and the rumours of witchcraft that surround his daughters coma will cost him his title as reverend. Those who are accused must face the fear, of being hung, they must also decide whether their fear of being hung, is greater than their fear of breaking one of the Ten Commandments by lying to save themselves. The different characters show their fear in various ways; the most interesting would be Proctor, whose fear is not for himself but for his wife. This differs from the fear of Francis Nurse and Giles Corey whos wives are also accused, as Proctor is having to balance the fear of the death of his wife, with the fear, or more the realisation that the death of his wife could be on his hands as she stands accused because of the malicious jealousy aroused within in Abigail when he finished their affair. He is also under pressure as he knows that he can put a stop to the girls accusations and save his wife by blackening his own name and admitting his lechery with Abigail. Proctor expresses this pressure with his line to Mary, My wife will never die for me! I will bring your guts into your mouth but that goodness will not die for me! Another character subject to fear is the wife of John Proctor, Elizabeth. Elizabeth fears for her relation with John. Though they love each other very much their relationship has been scarred by the affair between Abigail and Proctor. She like Mary is also frightened of the power that Abigail possesses. As she knows that it is enough to condemn her to death. When she is taken by Cheever and Herrick we know she is scared as John says to her Fear nothing Elizabeth. and her next line is said (as indicated by stage direction) with great fear. Another character who is apparent to fear is Mary. From the moment she enters the scene she is subject to fear. First the fear of John as he violently questions her and makes to whip her Ill whip the devil out of you. Next the fear of incriminating herself or Elizabeth when Cheever and Herrick turn up at the house and she is called downstairs for questioning, and finally when she is once again being bullied by proctor to testify in court: here she is not only scared of Proctor but of what the girls and Abigail will do if she does turn on them. (in terror): I cannot, theyll turn on me

Acanthaster planci on the Great Barrier Reef Essay examples -- Crown o

Acanthaster planci on the Great Barrier Reef The organism Acanthaster planci, commonly known as the crown of thorns starfish, has a drastic effect on the health of coral reefs all over the world, including the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. This poisonous echinoderm feeds upon the coral, and although this should be a healthy and natural part of the ecosystem, the population explosions of the starfish have caused devastation in many portions of the Great Barrier Reef. Reef sections take anywhere from ten to fifteen years to recover, and some never recover completely with the same species distribution. The starfish outbreaks seem to travel southward down the reef with the two primary outbreaks reported in the last 40 years both beginning around Green Island and ending between Cairns and Townsville. The cause of these outbreaks is still unknown. They may be natural phenomena occurring throughout history, or they may be caused by human influences. The most effective control method currently is the injecting of sodium bisulfate in to the starfish which kills the organism in a matter of days. However, this method is costly and is not a permanent solution to the problem. The Cooperative Research Centre for the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and the Australia Institute of Marine Science Research are conducting various research projects looking for environmentally sound and economically practical methods of controlling Acanthaster planci populations. Introduction Acanthaster planci, commonly known as the crown-of-thorns starfish, is an echinoderm that has attracted much attention and has been the focus of much research over the past few decades. Although the starfish has interesting physic... ...vestigations: Form, Function, Diversity, and Process Sixth Edition. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Head, M.J., Henderson,R.A., Jull, A.J., and Walbran, P.D. 1989. Evidence from sediments of long-term Acanthaster planci predation on corals of the Great Barrier Reef. Science 245: 847-50. Keats, Derek W. 2001. Introduction to Coralline Algae. . Accessed March 2003. Moran, Peter. 1988 and 1997. Crown-of-Thorns Starfish Questions and Answers. Australian Institute of Marine Science. . Accessed March 2003. Reichelt, R. E. 1990. Dispersal and control models of Acanthaster planci populations on the Great Barrier Reef. In Lecture Notes in Biomathematics: Acanthaster and the Coral Reef, ed. R. H. Bradbury, pp. 6-16. Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag.

Fiat Chrysler Essay

1. According to a major economics consulting firms, Fiat`s  ¨South American operations are the jewel in the Italian company`s global operations ¨. Fiat has plants in Brazil and Argentina, and Brazil is the biggest market, well ahead of its home-country market. In 2011, with the Chrysler venture taking up more and more of the firm`s attention – and as European sales suffered a steep decline – rumors began to circulate that Marchionne might move Fiat headquarters from Italy to the United States. Discuss Fiat ´s takeover of Chrysler as part of strategy to transform itself from international business into a multinational or global business 2. What benefit does fiat hope to gain from its arrangement with Chrysler what potential drawback does it face? Judging from your analysis of benefits and drawbacks, explain why the Fiat-Chrysler arrangement might be characterized as strategic alliance? In what sense is it best characterized as a direct investment? 3. What challenges in the US cultural environment do you expect Fiat to face as it uses its Chrysler connection to compete in the American car market? What management challenges will Marchionne face in the areas of planning and decision making, organizing and leading? Before their merger, Fiat and Chrysler were two comparatively small regional companies overly reliant on just three auto markets—the U.S., Italy and Brazil. Through the first nine months of 2013, nearly 85% of the Fiat’s automotive revenue came from North America, Latin America and Europe. About two-third of its profit before interest and taxes came from North America, according to data on the company’s website. In the U.S., Chrysler, though profitable, still suffers from the drought of research and development spending in recent years—a gap acutely visible in midsize sedans. Chrysler faces significant investments to keep pace with rising U.S. government fuel efficiency standards. Chrysler-Fiat ranked last among 11 auto makers in a U.S. government scorecard of average fuel efficiency published in October. In Europe, Fiat faces some of the biggest challenges of any mass-market manufacturer. â€Å"Fiat’s European business is the most structurally challenged in the region,† said George Galliers, an  analyst at London-based broker International Strategy & Investment Group Fiat’s European market share has dwindled to 6.2% in the first 11 months of 2013 from 8.8% in 2009, according to the latest data. In November, Fiat sold fewer cars in Europe than it did in Brazil, and that South America market is now vulnerable amid worries over the sustainability of its economic growth. Fiat and Chrysler also are working on new vehicle architectures, aiming to produce more models from fewer underlying sets of platforms. Analysts say it will be important for the vehicles to suit different markets without substantial and costly revisions. Another part of the Fiat-Chrysler strategy is to use Chrysler’s U.S. factories to build Fiat models and vice versa, helping to better distribute production and help fill Fiat’s half empty Italian factories. The first fruits of the integration are on display here, and promise to help Mr. Marchionne achieve his long-term goal of increasing global sales of the two companies to six million vehicles by 2014. Together, Fiat and Chrysler sold about 4.2 million cars and trucks last year. The marriage of an all-American Jeep with the Italian luxury heritage of a Maserati is the best evidence yet that Chrysler and Fiat can create products together that they could not afford to make independently, Ever since Fiat took control of Chrysler, Mr. Marchionne has said he planned to leverage the strengths of both companies and operate them as co-equals. â€Å"Daimler could never figure out what to do with Chrysler because they had no interest in integrating it into their business,† Mr. Hall said. â€Å"But Fiat actually believes it needs Chrysler for mass purchasing of parts.† The strategies used by the multinational enterprises are extremely diverse. Our purpose in this paper is not to explore their multitude, but to have a better picture of the most successful strategies employed by large multinationals, analyze their strengths and weaknesses and derive the main factors that create a difference. We found innovation, cost reduction and market conditions as key elements supporting a successful internal strategy and strategic alliance and diversification to be among the most widely applied strategies for a foreign market penetration and development, while fusions and licenses were the least preferred. Conclusion: Lots and lots of question marks. It all depends on how it goes. If Fiat can pacify Chrysler, if the integration of Fiat-Chrysler works, if Americans really buy smaller-engine cars, if the new platforms prove successful, if they keep their position in Brazil and manage to break into Russia and China, if Europe recovers. However, there are good, solid reasons for hope of a better future. Dark clouds abound, but here and there, there are rays of sunshine. They are well-positioned in some key markets. They’ve established a foothold in North America. They have a big presence and are a player in markets all over the world (except Asia). The cars are more reliable than ever before, yet still manage to be engaging and more fun than some of the competition and most owners are satisfied. Their new engines are renowned and studied and copied by other makers as they really do point a way into an ever more frugal future. However, do they have the capacity to overcome the difficulties? You can be an optimist or a pessimist, but the reality is†¦ Only time will tell. What Does Chrysler Get? Fiat will share with Chrysler its platforms and powertrain technology, including engines, transmissions, and fuel-saving tech. Today’s announcement specifically mentions city and compact vehicles, products Chrysler will need should American consumers actually decide to buy the small, fuel-efficient cars U.S. lawmakers claim they want. Chrysler will also get better distribution of its products, certainly in Europe, but also in places such as India—Fiat has a partnership with Tata Motors—and Brazil. Fiat also has a deal with Chery, the Chinese automaker with which Chrysler had been trying to partner. Both Chrysler and Fiat will also be able to better leverage their global supplier ties and therefore see cost savings in larger volume. What’s in it for Fiat? For Fiat, the reward is simple: distribution channels. Currently, Fiat only sells Maserati and Ferrari in the U.S., although Alfa’s gorgeous 8C has been sold here in extremely limited numbers, as well. If Fiat wants to become a truly global entity, a foothold in North America would be most helpful. Alfa Romeo has been promising a proper return to the U.S. market for some time, and Chrysler’s distribution network could ease that brand’s return to our shores—perhaps even saving some Chrysler dealers from closing altogether—and could also serve as a point of sale for potential Fiat and Lancia imports, too. Fiat will also likely be able to use excess global production capacity to assemble Chrysler-badged variants of its products. With worldwide auto sales slowing, that would help Fiat to continue manufacturing at pre-slowdown levels; Chrysler could potentially build Fiats in its plants, as well. A wrench in the works: Chrysler is still in a partnership with Nissan. One product of that hook-up is expected to be a Versa-based small car, possibly based on the Dodge Hornet concept. (That car was also rumored to have sprung from the potential Chrysler/Chery partnership.) We wonder how this new Italian-American deal might affect those already in place with Nissan, which include rebadging the new-for-2009 Dodge Ram as the replacement for the Titan. It’s All About Synergies—and Other Buzzwords Despite Fiat being on the financial ropes itself only a few years ago, Italy’s last remaining large car company has come fighting back like Rocky Balboa thanks in part to a $2-billion alimony payment from its annulled marriage with General Motors. Chrysler could do a lot worse when it comes to picking a dance partner for 21st century survival. Speculating further, here’s how a few Fiat products could make an impact. A caveat: most of Fiat’s vehicles weren’t designed with U.S. crash and emissions standards in mind (the 500 being an exception), so it’s possible that we’ll have to wait at least until the next generation of each of these cars arrives before they could be sold here. Fiat Grande Punto: It wouldn’t be much of an exaggeration to say that the Grande Punto is the car that saved Fiat. At the time of its introduction back in 2005, the Italian auto giant was staggering after years of neglecting the small-car market, a segment which had made it such a powerhouse from the 1950s through the ‘70s. Handsome, well-built, and economical, the Grande Punto surprised the automotive world by being, well, so unlike the rust-prone wheezeboxes Fiat had peddled to European consumers for the previous two decades. Maybe it didn’t single-handedly save Fiat, but had the Grande Punto flopped, it could have destroyed the company. Sized to compete with cars like the new Ford Focus and Honda Civic, this small Fiat would look nice rebadged as a Chrysler. Its range of economical  gasoline-fired engines (from a feeble but fuel-sipping 64-hp, 1.2-liter four-banger to the tire-smoking, 178-hp four found in the sporty Abarth SS model) could earn Chrysler green-car cred, props from the sport-compact crowd, and a valuable slice of the small-car market. So far, Fiat’s efforts to sell its European models in the U.S. and Chrysler’s American-designed sedans and Jeeps in Europe have produced lackluster results. Before their merger, Fiat and Chrysler were two comparatively small regional companies overly reliant on just three auto markets—the U.S., Italy and Brazil. Multinational, Global, International, and Transnational Companies Because international business is a relatively new discipline and is extremely dynamic, you will find that the definitions of a number of terms vary among users. For example, some people use the words world and global interchangeably with multinational to describe a business with widespread international operations, but others define a global firm as one that attempts to standardize operations in all functional areas but that responds to national market differences when necessary. According to this definition, a global firm’s management 1. Searches the world for (a) market opportunities, (b) threats from competitors, (c) sources of products, raw materials, and financing, and (d) personnel. In other words, it has global vision. 2. Seeks to maintain a presence in key markets. 3. Looks for similarities, not differences, among markets. Those who use global in this manner are defining a multinational company as a kind of holding company with a number of overseas operations, each of which is left to adapt its products and marketing strategy to what local managers perceive to be unique aspects of their individual markets. Some academic writers suggest using terms such as multidomestic and multilocal as synonyms for this definition of multinational. You will also find those who consider multinational corporation to be synonymous with multinational enterprise and transnational corporation Marchionne made it clear that if FIAT was to survive the global crisis, it had to become a global player, and more particularly one of the six world-class manufacturers capable of producing and selling six million vehicles per year. For this reason, a profound reorganization of internal governance and productive processes was needed, along with a strategic alliance with other car manufacturers around the world. The implication of this strategy was that FIAT could no longer tie its own interests with those of its home country, unless all the players involved (employees, trade unions, the Government and the employers’ association itself) were prepared to comply with the company’s requirements. Thus, in the public discourse of the CEO, the exit option, i.e. the scenario of FIAT moving its plants to sites with lower labour costs in Eastern Europe or elsewhere, became feasible.3 The joint venture with the US manufacturer Chrysler in 2009, which, after the acquisition of a majority share by FIAT, should be considered to be a merger, marks the achievement of the status of global player by the company (hereinafter, FIAT-Chrysler, or the Group).