New York Times mistakes Earl Weaver for being dead

Ross Ramsey, the managing editor of the Texas Tribune and regular columnist for the New York Times wrote an article yesterday titled “How Much Lower Can Democrats Fall?” You may be wondering how this affects the world Baltimore sports. In his opening sentences Ramsey wrote, “Texas Democrats have become the Baltimore Orioles of politics. Somewhere in heaven, Earl Weaver and Ann Richards are comparing notes on what went wrong with the teams they left behind.”
Half of that statement may be true, as Ann Richards passed away in 2006, but Earl Weaver is still alive and well at the age of 80.
I am assuming someone at the Times will figure this out at some point, so I took a screen shot of the article.

On top of the mistake, a correction was posted to the article to change that Ann Richards actually beat Clayton Williams in 1990, not the fact that Earl Weaver is alive.
That’s a pretty embarrassing mistake to make. I suppose if you write about politics you don’t have to be accurate about sports?

The Role of expatriates

There are four main areas of HRM: (1) staffing, (2) training and development, (3) compensation and performance appraisal, and (4) labor relations.

Staffing refers to HRM activities associated with hiring employees and filling positions.  In multinational enterprises, there are two types of employees.  Host country nationals are from the host country and are often known as locals.  Expatriates are individuals working in a foreign country.  I found an interesting article about expats.

More expensive for expats to live in Singapore.

OVER the past six months, Singapore has become even more expensive for expatriates to live in, climbing from ninth spot in Asia to No. 8, said the latest cost of living survey from ECA International.

Rising prices and the strengthening of the Singapore dollar against major currencies propelled Singapore in the cost of living stakes from 79th position globally to 42nd over the past year.

That means it is more expensive for expatriates to live in Singapore than Central London which is ranked 50th worldwide, but not New York, which came in at No.39, based on ECA's latest twice-yearly survey, released on Thursday.

However, it is not all doom and gloom. ECA International regional director for Asia Lee Quane said the rise in Singapore's cost of living is a double-edged sword.

'For companies bringing senior talent into Singapore, the cost of an assignment will increase as higher allowances are required to maintain employees' purchasing power. On the other hand, companies sending employees out of Singapore can apply lower cost of living allowances and still provide sufficient remuneration to maintain a good standard of living.'

The difference between the cost of living in Singapore and that of Hong Kong, the sixth most expensive city in Asia, is also rapidly narrowing, he noted. Two years ago there was a 15 per cent gap in the cost of living between Hong Kong and Singapore. This gap fell to 7 per cent a year ago and now stands at just 2 per cent.

International strategy for MNEs

Home replication

Advantage- leverages home-country-based advantages.  Relatively easy to implement

Disadvantage- lack of local responsiveness.  May alienate foreign customers.

Localization

Advantage- maximizes local responsiveness. 

Disadvantage- high costs due to duplication of efforts in multiple countries.  Too much local autonomy.

Global standardization

Advantage- leverages low cost advantages

Disadvantage- Lack of local responsiveness.  Too much centralized control

Transnational

Advantages- cost-efficient while being locally responsive.  Engages in global learning and diffusion of innovations

Disadvantage- organizationally complex.  Difficult to implement

Four organizational structures

·         International division

·         Geographic area

·         Global product division

·         Global matrix

Tom and jerry Example article

Toyota, Honda Lose U.S. Edge

For the past three decades, Japanese auto makers Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. have experienced almost uninterrupted success in the U.S., their market share rising as they built plants, expanded their model lines and were held up, usually in tandem, as the industry's benchmarks for quality.

Now, as a result of Toyota's recall crisis earlier this year and the narrowing quality gap by rival auto makers, their long run in the driver's seat appears ready to come to an end.
Barring a surge in sales in the last two months of this year, both Honda and Toyota are likely to suffer drops in their U.S. market share. Through the first 10 months of 2010, Toyota's share is down 1.5 percentage points at 15.2%, according to Autodata Corp. So far this year, Honda's U.S. share is down six-tenths of a point at 10.6%.

This year, Hyundai, Nissan and a revived Ford Motor Co. have all increased their U.S. market share. Hyundai's went to 4.7% from 4.3%, Nissan's increased to 7.8% from 7.4% and Ford's rose to 16.7% from 15.2%.

In 2009, Toyota's share reached a record high of 17%. Then it recalled more than eight million vehicles world-wide to correct defects that could cause its vehicles to suddenly accelerate. It also briefly was required to stop making and selling several models in the U.S., and was further humbled when it was fined by U.S. safety regulators and its executives were called before Congress.
Quality had long been Toyota's top selling point, but the crisis gave consumers reasons to look elsewhere. And what some have found is that other auto makers are now only a half a step behind Toyota and Honda in quality, and in some areas are ahead. The most recent Consumer Reports survey found that while Toyota and Honda still ranked high among the most reliable vehicles, Hyundai and Ford were nearly equal.
In the family-car segment, the Ford Fusion beat sales leaders Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, and sales are up 21% this year, while sales of the Toyota and Honda are off.
Honda's stall out is partly the result of a lull in new model launches. Its redesigned Odyssey minivan is out now and sales are just ramping up. At the same time, it is struggling to sell the Crosstour wagon, which went on sale early this year, and the CR-Z, a hybrid sports car. Its Insight hybrid, released last year, hasn't sold as well as the company had hoped.

VRIO framework

VRIO Analysis is a good tool that helps us establish whether a resource is of competitive advantage or not.

V stands for valuable. First question to ask if the resource is valuable. If we own something that nobody wants then probability is that resource is not valuable.

R stands for rare. Rarity provides competitive advantage. Aircraft engine technology is example of rarity.

I stands for immitable. Only variability and rarity does not provide competitive advantage. A resource must be difficult to immitate otherwise competitors can easily immitate our resource and we will loose our competitive advantage. For example, in drug industry patents provide protection for few years but after that anyone can copy the drug formula and provide the same drug to the market.

O stands for organization. Suitable organization is needed to support a valuable, rare and difficult to immitate resource to ensure maximum benefit utilization of such resource.

time of integration

Nowadays, there are so many thing to integrate.  For example, thing with internet, which are blog, facebook, and online shopping, are methods of global integration.  Cell phone is one of those thing.  This is very interesting movie which about time traveler from CNN.
How do you guys think about this ??
Is this too much integration to travel in the past or future??
How do you feel if we are in the time we can have time machine?
http://videos.wittysparks.com/id/1224761752/

Currencies center stage as G20 gets underway

GYEONGJU, South Korea (AP) -- Japan warned Friday that the global economy will lose if countries compete to devalue their currencies, as top finance officials from the world's leading economies gathered for two days of talks they hope will defuse growing tensions over exchange rates.
Noda's comments underscore predictions that currency issues will take center stage at the meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors from the Group of 20 rich and emerging nations, which takes place ahead of a G20 leaders summit in Seoul next month.
The gathering in the South Korean city of Gyeongju comes just two weeks after the finance mandarins failed at a meeting in Washington to iron out differences that have led to fears of a currency war that could trigger another economic downturn.
In such a scenario, countries devalue their currencies to gain a competitive advantage in a less-than-robust world economy that has yet to fully recover from the global financial meltdown two years ago. Trade barriers are erected in response, hitting international commerce and sending the economic recovery into reverse.
A South Korean government official said the fact finance officials are discussing the currency issue is itself a "good achievement."
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as discussions on the issue were ongoing, said he expects "some progress" at the meeting with language aimed at avoiding a "currency war."