An essay is a piece of continuous writing that contains an argument to address the topic. An essay requires the writer to argue, defend or justify a point of view about the topic task. Essay writers provide appropriate reference material to support their arguments. Their material presents and discusses any conflicting evidence in order to reach a conclusion.

Analysis comprises an assessment of the value of the ideas or information presented in the essay. Students are expected to provide both information and analysis in the essay.

TOPIC & TASKS:

Write an essay on the following topic:

The impact of and responses to globalised ‘Big Business' on national and regional cultures

‘Big business' has been seen as evil. Perhaps there have been far too many cases where this belief has been based on fact. Think of Union Carbide's poisoning of Bhopal in 1984 - when 3,700 inhabitants were gassed in their sleep (and where about 8,000 more died in the ensuing weeks) - a result of a massive corporation's indifference. Think of Monsanto's secretly poisoning of Alabama waterways for years, until its conviction in 2002. Think of Rio Tinto, the mining giant, and its support of South African apartheid - by funnelling funds earned form it uranium mines straight into South African government coffers. Siemens used Jewish slave labour in the 1940s to operate its factories in Nazi Germany. Degesch America Inc is the re-established derivative of the original Degesch company from Germany, that manufactured and supplied Zyklon-B to the death camp gas chambers. The company still makes Zyklon-B under another name! Banks today are also seen in the same light of evil by many. It would seem that these entities and industry dominators are driven by profit and greed. Perhaps this has been and still is true.

One writer for the Harvard Business Review offers some insight: ‘The root of all evil in business is not greed; it is a simple oversight, a misunderstanding. This evil is unleashed when organizations lose sight of a single fact. This fact is not a secret. It is not complicated. Here's the fact: Business success revolves around human relationships. You hire people you like, or at least trust. You buy cars, houses, clothes and jewellery to attract, impress or emulate people you like and respect. Sure, you may also choose a house because it has a big backyard and good schools, but few people deliberately move into a neighbourhood filled with people they dislike. Most professionals understand the importance of relationships, but this importance has been systematically eliminated from most public companies. We've drifted into this fantasy that employees are no longer loyal, so companies need not be loyal either. Leaders love to talk about disruptive change, adaptability, nimbleness, change management and competitiveness. To be innovative, they feel the need to constantly reorganize and redesign. Employees get moved around like musical chairs.

I've watched countless B2B organizations rip clients away from account managers who serve them well, only to replace them with other people who don't have a clue how to serve those clients. Why? Because misguided executives think reorganizing is more important than relationships. They lose sight of the value of human relationships, and in doing so they unleash evil within their organization... Business slips into evil when numbers become more important than people, because when this happens, employees get crushed even when they do exactly the right thing.'

With globalisation, barriers and borders have become porous or non-existent. As people pursue profit, sometimes without care, much harm is caused, as well as the good that comes - improvements in transportation, technology, lifestyles, health... This porousness means changes also occur within societies and communities - cultures and sub- cultures are affected. Look at the ubiquity of the American baseball cap, jeans, t-shirts, sneakers, iphones. Listen to the presence of Arabic sounds in western pop music. Sting infused his music with the African kora. Chinese pop music is now quite Americanised - just look at GEM! In the case of globalised businesses, many have made adjustments to local cultures and they strive to dominate existing and new markets. In Australia, for instance, McDonalds has created a menu that is unique to this country, and super-sizing is avoided; in Greece, McDonalds sells ‘wedges' instead of fries because Greeks prefers larger pieces of potato; in the Netherlands, mayonnaise is used instead of ketchup since the Dutch prefer this. A win-win situation for all concerned? That seems to be the goal.

Write your essay by addressing the FOUR following tasks:

1. Literature Review. This will focus on a summary of the VIEWS presented by at least three sources. These writers' views should consider / examine the impact of and responses to globalised Big Business on national and regional cultures.

2. Describe and explain THREE forms or types of impact that Big Business has had on culture, be it national or regional. This impact will be seen as negative. Show how this impact is evident or demonstrated. Support your response with reference to relevant and appropriate sources. At least two sources must be used.

3. Identify and analyse THREE responses or approaches that can be used by businesses to overcome or deal with these forms of impact. Support your response with reference to relevant and appropriate sources. At least two sources must be used.

4. Using TWO of the organizations provided in the list (see Page 3), compare TWO AUSTRALIAN businesses that have developed and applied successful marketing strategies or responses in dealing with national or regional culture.

TASK 4 - organisation list:

These organisations are either Australian, or multinationals from other countries but which have an Australian identity and presence.

The following list of Australian organizations must be used for Task 4. You are allowed to use ONLY this list.

You are not permitted to use organizations that are not on this list. Choose only TWO from this list to use in your response to Task 4. Some of the included links are to specific parts of the websites.

• Apple - ‘The way we do business worldwide':-

• CottonOn Australia

• Ford Australia

• IBM Australia

• McDonalds Australia

• Microsoft in education, in Australia

• Quicksilver

• Rio Tinto

• Toyota Australia

• Ugg Australia

Use organisation information from Deakin online databases, organisation websites or other sources. All sources must be properly referenced and cited. Sources must be from 2005 to 2015. Try to use sources from 2012 and above; currency is essential!

Introduction

In three moves:

• Move 1 - Opening generalisation that establishes the major topic and sub-topic. Cite if necessary.

• Move 2 - A brief reiteration/explanation of the essay topic. Briefly define key terms. Cite.

• Move 3 - A statement of the writer's intention in the essay. This will outline the plan. Use a clear signal. Use this one: The intention of this discussion is to ... [Move 3 will come from the task statements and then form the basis of each Move 1 in the Body paragraphs]

1. Literature Review. This will focus on a summary of the VIEWS presented by at least three sources. These writers' views should consider / examine the impact of and responses to globalised Big Business on national and regional cultures.

Move 1 should start like this: Various sources have examined the impact of and responses to globalised Big Business on national and regional cultures.

2. Describe and explain THREE forms or types of impact that Big Business has had on culture, be it national or regional. This impact will be seen as negative. Show how this impact is evident or demonstrated. Support your response with reference to relevant and appropriate sources. At least two sources must be used.

3. Identify and analyse THREE responses or approaches that can be used by businesses to overcome or deal with these forms of impact. Support your response with reference to relevant and appropriate sources. At least two sources must be used.

Move 1 should start like this: Some large businesses have developed effective responses in an effort to minimise or reduce their negative impact on other cultures.

4. Using TWO of the organizations provided in the list (see Page 3), compare TWO AUSTRALIAN (or Australian-based) businesses that have developed and applied successful marketing strategies or responses in dealing with national or regional culture.