Prevention of Nozzle Clogging in Continuous Casting of Steel

Prevention of Nozzle Clogging in Continuous Casting of Steel Prevention Of Nozzle Clogging In The Continuous Casting Of Steel There have been four documented causes for nozzle clogging in continuous casting steels; build up de-oxidations such as Al2O3 (1), solid steel build up, buildup of complex oxides such as spinels, and the buildup of reaction products such as CaS (4). While some causes are more detrimental than others, all are a problem. Different steels will yield a different potential nozzle clogging cause (3), for example, a re-sulfurized free machining steel is going to have much more of an issue with the formation of calcium sulfides than spinels. No matter what cause is all nozzle clogging can be detrimental to a continuous casting process. Looking at Figure 1, it is easy to see how the deposit of clogging material on the side walls of the nozzle can cause irregular flow from the tundish into the mold. Irregular flow through a tundish nozzle enhances the probability of generating a number of quality defects such as re-oxidation of the steel and slag entrapment (4). Nozzle clogging also affects pr oductivity in that less steel is able to be cast because of the blockage in the nozzle. In simple business terms, less steel equals less profit. Another thing to consider is the life of the tundish is often limited to the life of the nozzle due to clogging. If nozzle clogging can be controlled enough to extend the nozzle life even one or two heats longer, that results in substantial process cost savings. The most effective way to prevent, or at least lessen, nozzle clogging in the continuous casting of steels is to modify the inclusions in the steel to a liquid rather than a solid at steel casting temperatures (2). This is typically done by the addition of calcium to the steel at the end of the steel refining process. Looking at Figure 2, a pure Al2O3 inclusions liquidus temperature is considerably higher than that of steel casting temperatures, and that by adding the right amount of calcium to the inclusions in the steel the inclusions liquidus temperature can potentially be lowered to below steel casting temperatures (12CaO.7Al2O3). Calcium is typically added to the melt one of three ways; by CaSi powder, CaSi wire, or calcium injection with argon. CaSi powder has the poorest recovery because calciums vapor temperature is lower than steel making temperatures (5). Therefore by simply throwing calcium powder on top of the melt, the majority of the calcium will vaporize into a gas and leave the system without being absorbed into the steel. Figure 3 shows the vapor temperature for calcium related to depth into the steel melt and we can see that the deeper into the melt the calcium is able to get (i.e. the greater the pressure) the higher the vapor temperature is for calcium (5). This is the basis by which CaSi wire is used. CaSi wire is a steel wire shell packed with calcium as the core. As the wire is injected into the melt the calcium is protected by the steel shell from melting and not exposed to the high melt temperatures until deep enough into the melt to provide enough pressure to avoid the calcium from vapori zing. Calcium injection uses this same principle by sticking a lance into the melt deep enough to avoid vaporization and blows calcium into the melt by the use of inert argon. Its one thing to make inclusions liquid and its a completely different challenge to keep it liquid throughout the entire casting process. This is often the difficult aspect of nozzle clogging prevention given that all of your incluions modification control is performed at the LMF or degasser and not at the caster. One thing many steel producers will try to do is reduce the number of incluions present in the steel during the casting process (2). The easiest thing to do in lowering the number onf inclusions in the steel is to increase ths size of the inlucions. By Stokes law, larger inclusions will have a greater upward velocity out of the steel and into the slag thus not being cast through the nozzle. Another practice steel producers use to reduce inclusionon counts in their steel is to have proper geometry in the tundish as the caster. By adding tundish components such as dams and weirs (shown in Figure 4) inclusion flow can be directed to give optimum exposure to the slag(4). Weirs a used to direct steel flow down where as dams are to direct flow upwards. By having two sets of weir-dam combinations between the ladle shroud and nozzle, the inclusions in the steel are exposed to the tundish slag all while maintaining minimum turbulance (5). Unfortunatily not all inclusions in the steel can be removed and therefore the remaining inclusions must remain liquid through the nozzle to prevent clogging. To achieve this it is curtial that the steel is protected from re-oxidation from atmospheric oxygen (2). To ensure this many tools are used. Starting from the ladle, a ladle shroud is used from the ladle to tundish in order to funnel the liquid steel from the ladle to under the slag layer in the tudish (Figure 4). An impact pad is often used as shown in Figure 4, to reduce the turbulance in the tundish (5). Increased turbulance can disrupt the slag surface in the tundish as expose the liquid steel to the amtosphere causing re-oxidation and possibily slag entrapment. To help prevent steel -slag interaction,baffles are often used (Figure 5) which slows down steel flow but also allows steel to flow through the holes. In order to prevent the steel exposed to the surface from re-oxidizing tundish fluxes are used to act as a protecti nve barrier between the steel and atmopshere as shown in Figure 6 (2). Tundish refactories must also be considered to ensure no or very little reaction occures between the steel and refactory occurs (2). If it were to occur and solid inclusions percipitate in the steel, all the effort put forth into the steel up until the point could be usless. Once the steel is secure in the tundish one more step is required and that is to get the steel through the nozzle and into the mold. Just as in the tundish, re-oxidation of the steel and any negative reaction between the nozzle refractory and steel must be avoided. To ensure this, typically submerged entry nozzles or submerged entry shrouds are used as the nozzle which will provide a barrier between the steel and atmosphere all the way into the mold. Typically made of alumina graphite, the added graphite prevents wetting of the inclusions onto the nozzle walls (4). Argon purging in various parts of the side walls of the nozzle are also often used to separate any would be oxygen from the steel. In conclusion, preventing nozzle clogging is not successfully completed by one simple action but rather many actions working together: inclusion count reduction, inclusion modification by the use of calcium, protecting from re-oxidation of the steel, proper tundish geometry, and proper tundish and nozzle refractories (2). While the concept of making only liquid inclusions appears simple in application, it can be rather difficult to maintain these liquid inclusions throughout the entire casting process. Sources Cited 1. Zhang, Lifeng; Thomas, Brian; Inclusions in Continuous Casting of Steel. Nationals Steelmaking Symposium. Mich, Mexico. November 2003. page 138-183. 2. Alekseenko, A.A. Problems of Nozzle Clogging during Continous casting of an Aluminum-Killed Low-Carbon Low-Silicon Steel. Russian Metallurgy, Vol. 2007. page 634-637. 3. Girase, N.U. Development of indices of quantification of nozzle clogging dujring continuous slab casting. Iron and Steelmaking. Vol. 34; No. 6. 2007. page 506-512. 4. Zhang, Lifeng, Wand, Yufeng, and Zuo, Xianjmun. Flow Transport and Inclusion Motion in Steel Continuous-Casting Mold under Submerged Entry Nozzle Clogging Condition. Metallurgical and Materials Transaction. Vol. 39B. August 2008. page 534-550 5. The Making, Shaping and Treating of Steel, 11th Edition Casting Volume; AISE Steel Foundation. Pittsburg, PA. Copy Right 2003

Dehumanization in The Women Who Clean Fish Essay -- Women Who Clean Fi

Dehumanization in The Women Who Clean Fish Erica Funkhouser's women who clean fish can hardly be categorized as women at all. Yet they supposedly are all named Rose or Grace forming a vast contradiction in itself. They are introduced as individuals giving the illusion that they are of some importance but very soon they are seen as nothing more than laborers. They become an unidentifiable mass, each as common as the next. However, they do not remain unidentifiable forever and by the end of the poem the women become entirely fishlike. "The Women Who Clean Fish" illustrates this dehumanizing transformation into fish. The names Rose and Grace do not fit into this poem because of the context in which they are used. When the word "rose" is seen or heard it is the illustration of an elegant flower at the end of a long slender stem, adorned with delicate petals that is clearly visible and an instant picture of beauty comes to mind. By definition, grace means "a virtue that comes from God." Immediately an angelic, classy woman by the name of Grace is pict...

Case Study – Nike: Spreading Out to Stay Together

Case Study: Amazon: Nike: Spreading Out to Stay Together Nike, Inc. is an American  multinational corporation  that is engaged in the design, development and worldwide marketing and selling of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories and services. The company is headquartered near  Beaverton, Oregon, in the  Portland metropolitan area. It is the world's leading supplier of  athletic shoes  and  apparel  and a major manufacturer of  sports equipment, with revenue in excess of US$24. 1  billion in its fiscal year 2012 (ending May 31, 2012). As of 2012, it employed more than 44,000 people worldwide. The brand alone is valued at $10. Billion making it the most valuable brand among sports businesses. Nike and  Precision Castparts  are the only  Fortune 500  companies headquartered in the state of Oregon, according to  The Oregonian. The company was founded on January 25, 1964 as  Blue Ribbon Sports  by  Bill Bowerman  and  Phil Knight,  and offic ially became Nike, Inc. on May 30, 1978. The company takes its name from  Nike  the Greek goddess of victory. Nike markets its products under its own brand, as well as Nike Golf, Nike Pro,  Nike+,  Air Jordan,  Nike Skateboarding, and subsidiaries including  Cole Haan,  Hurley International,  Umbro  and  Converse.Nike also owned Bauer Hockey (later renamed  Nike Bauer) between 1995 and 2008. In addition to manufacturing sportswear and equipment, the company operates retail stores under the Niketown name. Nike sponsors many high-profile athletes and sports teams around the world, with the highly recognized trademarks of â€Å"Just Do It† and the  Swooshlogo. Discussion Questions: 1. When Nike CEO Phil Knight stepped down and handed his job to Bill Perez, he stayed on as chairman of the board. In what ways could Knight’s continued presence on the board have created an informal structure that prevented Perez from achieving full and complete leaders hip of Nike?Answer: Informal structures are the shadow organization that represents the actual working and communication relationships that may not resemble the formal organizational chart. When knight remained on the board, old communication relationships may have survived his departure from the CEO position, cutting Perez off from valuable information. Knight’s access to the informal communication network may have worked to spread rumors to Knight and back down the communication chain. These rumors may have contained inaccurate information, caused resistance to change and distracted members from their work.This may have reinforced Perez’s position as an outsider. 2. How can Nike utilize both traditional and newer organization structures to support the firm’s heavy strategic commitment to outsourcing? Answer: Network structures use information technology (IT) to link with networks of outside suppliers and service contractors. This outlines Nike’s efforts to outsource many nonexecutive responsibilities to reduce overhead. In addition to outsourcing production, the research and marketing business centers listed in the case could be part of a network structure.Other functions may include design, advertising, licensing, compliance sports and entertainment marketing. 3. Given the problems Nike has had with sweatshop labour being used in some of its foreign contractors, are there subsystems of the firm that need to be run with a mechanistic rather than organic design? Give examples to support your answer. Answers: Mechanistic designs are highly centralized and bureaucratic with an emphasis on command and control. This might suggest that mechanistic designs are appropriate for manufacturing in foreign countries.Organic designs are adaptive, decentralized and tend to respond to change more quickly. This would probably be a good fit for an organization that has far flung operations in different countries with different cultures that try to respond to rapidly changing technology, fashion, customer demands and economic conditions. Nike’s manufacturing subsystem should be run with mechanistic rather than organic so as to protect the image brand and its original designs. The design should be utmost unique and further differentiated, not conforming to culture.Design is could be one competitive advantage so it is important that the manufacturing of the products are conformed to the original ideas of the maker, uninfluenced by any other factors involved in its manufacturing process. Example of this idea is the use of differentiation strategy of companies to gain competitive advantage. 4. Further Research—Gather information on Nike’s recent moves and accomplishments, and those of its rival Adidas. Are both firms following the same strategies and using the same structures to support them? Or, is one doing something quite different from the other?Based on what you learn, what do you predict for the future? Will Nike stay on top, or is Adidas the next industry leader? The advertising strategy differs from company to company. Generally, Nike believes in spending 5-7% of its revenues in advertising and endorsement. Nike has planned to spend $4. 2 Billion until 2014 for endorsements alone. With the huge size of Nike, it is tough for other companies to allocate a big amount for their marketing expenses. Moreover, Nike has always an edge when it comes to advertising and marketing. The table below shows the advertising strategy for the major players in the industry.Company| Strategy| Nike| * Endorsing Athletes * Sponsoring Sports events * City based advertisements * Banners ; Billboards * Themes on bringing inspiration and innovation to every athlete in world| Adidas, Reebok| * Sponsoring Sports events * Endorsing Athletes * Themes on improving performance of every athlete in the world | Puma| * Mixing influence of sports, lifestyle ; fashion * Puma concept retail stores * Puma fashion shows * New stuff advertising campaigns * Building seasonal momentum during holiday seasons| Other companies| * Minimal or less advertising based on stores|Nike has invested a lot so far in developing a premium brand that implies high quality and care for the customer. Nike has a wide range of products ranging from athletics to life style and also in different price ranges. Therefore, it is always a challenge to fight against brand dilution within Nike. The following gives an idea of the customer’s perception of the brands. Company| Branding message and strategy| Nike| Athletic, Influential, Outgoing, Aggressive, hi tech, futuristic, retro cool American way of living Associated with Athletes at top of their sportTo bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in world| Adidas, Reebok| Clear, orderly, Practical, hi tech, Sophisticated, Sincere Conservative European style To improve performance of every athlete in the world Associated with elite soccer players/teams, NBA stars, Hip hop artists| Puma| Elegant, colorful, fresh, spontaneous, individual, metropolitan, international Mixing influence of sports, lifestyle ; fashion Fashion brand, performance ; casual footwear, fringe, extreme sports| Other companies| Based on their product lines. Generally not a strong brand message|In general, Nike’s shoes are associated to be of high quality and stylish. Reebok’s are comfortable and casual, and the Adidas brand boasts superior performance and is â€Å"perceived as a professional, technically orientated brand with strong European roots. Nike fields some of the best in class technological practices and has a few patents to its credit. Nike emphasizes on these and has developed a lot of new products with use of high technology and sophistication. An example of that is the microprocessor shoe to give great experience and comfort to the customer.However, Adidas is also working on high tech innovations to provide high quality shoes. Lately, Adidas and Nike have been doing entertainment based marketing campaign by forming alliances with technology/entertainment companies. Nike had an alliance with Apple to sell Nike shoes with Apple iPods while Adidas tied up with Microsoft to sell Adidas goods with Microsoft Xbox gaming systems. So far the success of these alliances is yet to be quantified. Nike follows a 100% outsourcing strategy. Most competitors follow the outsourcing strategy.Exceptions to this are New Balance and other smaller players. New Balance claims that 75% of its production is from the US and other small companies produce in the US as well. In general, Nike might still be the industry leader if it compensates its weaknesses in organizational structures with different strategies such as focusing on innovation and development, following differentiation and pricing-based strategies, and investing on sustainability research. References: http://www. nike. com/ph http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Nike,_Inc. http://www. scribd . com/doc/91701683/Case-Study

How to Get a Law Education Online for Cheap

How to Get a Law Education Online for Cheap Would you like to earn an online law degree from the comfort of your own home? It’s not easy, but it is possible. Earning an online law degree poses several unique challenges. No online law school is accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA), and  49 states require that law school graduates earn a degree accredited by the ABA in order to take the bar exam needed to practice law. California is the one state that allows graduates from distance learning law schools to sit for the  bar exam, though the examinees must meet certain requirements. If you live in California, or if you’re willing to relocate, you may be able to become a practicing lawyer with an online law degree. Once youve worked as a lawyer for a few years, you may even be able to practice law in other states. Earning an Online Law Degree and Practicing Law in California In order to take the California Bar Exam, students must meet certain requirements set by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California. There are seven steps to becoming an accredited lawyer. Complete your pre-legal education. Most law students have already completed a bachelor’s degree. California’s minimum requirement is that students complete at least two years of college-level work (60 semester credits) with a GPA equal to or above that required for graduation. Students can also demonstrate that they have the intellectual ability of a second-year college student by passing certain examinations accepted by the Committee.Complete your legal education. Online law students may sit for the California Bar Exam  once they have completed 864 hours of study for each year through a correspondence program that is registered with the Committee.  The Committee does not accredit online law schools; instead, it allows distance learning schools to register with the Committee if the schools meet certain requirements. Because the Committee won’t vouch for the quality of these programs, it is essential to thoroughly investigate any online law school before enrol ling. The State Bar of California provides a list of the schools currently registered with the Committee. Register as a law student. Before taking any examinations, online law students must register with the State Bar of California. This may be done online through the  Office of Admissions.Pass the First-Year Law Student’s Examination. Students must pass a four-hour test covering basic contracts, criminal law, and torts (concepts that are taught during a law student’s first year of study). The exam is administered in June and October of each year.Receive a positive moral character determination. All California lawyers must first prove that they have â€Å"good moral character† by undergoing an evaluation by  the Committee. You will be asked to provide information, fingerprints, and references. The Committee will talk to your former employers, your online law school, and will check for driving and criminal records. The entire process can take four to six months, so get an early start.Pass the Multi-State Professional Responsibility Examination. This two-hour-and-f ive-minute exam will test your understanding of appropriate lawyer conduct. You will answer sixty multiple-choice questions regarding representation, privilege, contempt, and related issues. The exam is offered three times a year. Pass the Bar Exam. Finally, after completing your online law degree and fulfilling the other requirements, you may take the California Bar Exam. The bar exam is offered in February and July of each year and includes three days of essay questions, multi-state components, and practical exercises. Once you pass the bar, you are eligible to practice law in California. Practicing Law in Other States Once you’ve used your online law degree to practice law in California for a few years, you may be able to work as a lawyer in other states. Many states will permit California lawyers to take their state bar exams after five to seven years of practicing law. Another option is to enroll in a Master of Law program accredited by the American Bar Association. Such programs take only one or two years to complete and will allow you to qualify to take the bar exam in other states. The Drawbacks of Earning an Online Law Degree Earning an online law degree can be an appealing option for professionals with existing work and family responsibilities. However, there are several drawbacks to studying law online. If you plan to practice law, you will probably be limited to working in California for several years. Additionally, law firms will know that your online law degree is not accredited by the American Bar Association. You should not expect to be a contender for the most prestigious, highest-paying jobs. If you choose to pursue an online law degree, do so with realistic expectations. Studying law online is not for everyone, but for the right person, it can be a worthwhile experience.

Essay on CUSTOMER RETENTION STRATEGY AND CONTACT PLAN FOR ORANGE part 2

Essay on CUSTOMER RETENTION STRATEGY AND CONTACT PLAN FOR ORANGE part 2 Essay on CUSTOMER RETENTION STRATEGY AND CONTACT PLAN FOR ORANGE part 2 Essay on CUSTOMER RETENTION STRATEGY AND CONTACT PLAN FOR ORANGE part 2Essay on CUSTOMER RETENTION STRATEGY AND CONTACT PLAN   FOR ORANGE part  1Question 2. Explain how to develop a customer contact plan in order to avoid losing customers considering the different market conditions in European markets.Orange is a large telecommunications provider offering internet services, fixed and mobile telephony and IPTV. The company’s customer base is very diverse, as Orange operates in 30 countries and has more than 230 million customers (Baines Fill 2014). The company is headquartered in Paris, France but its services are offered at the international level. Major regions of operation are Europe and Africa (Baines Fill 2014). Strategic objectives of Orange are to strengthen its core network offer and to add innovative services to achieve growth in order to expand the company’s market share.It is currently important for Orange to increase customer retention. Currently the c ompany’s approach to managing customer lifecycle includes three stages – welcome, grow and keep (Baines Fill 2014). Yet the impact of financial crisis in European countries led to the increase of involuntary churn for customers who are unable to pay their bills. In this context, it is difficult to simply â€Å"keep† a customer because customers experience financial hardships (Baines Fill 2014). The lack of a consistent customer contact strategy in Orange leads to the outflow of customers to other competitors and increases customer churn. Therefore, Orange should develop a consistent contact plan for its customers aimed at increasing customer retention.In terms of developing a customer contact plan, Orange should first of all determine its approach to marketing its services at international level. There are four key approaches to international market development – ethnocentric approach, polycentric, regional and geocentric approach (Payne Frow 2013). Et hnocentric approach focuses on the national market, polycentric approach views every market as a separate environment, regional approach is based on grouping countries into specific groups and targeting the regions, while geocentric approach views all target markets as a unified global market (Payne Frow 2013).Currently Orange has elements of ethnocentric approach (some key assumptions such as customer service use patterns are taken from national experience) combined with polycentric approach (customer retention strategy is standardized across Europe). It is recommended for Orange to switch to regional approach and to group European countries according to their financial health, borrowing culture and to the degree of reaction to financial crisis. For example, one group of countries might include stable and healthy economies which did not suffer significantly from financial crisis (e.g. France or Germany) and another group might include countries in which the purchasing ability of c ustomers was notably affected by the financial crisis, e.g. Spain and Romania.Research pertaining to customer retention in telecommunications shows that companies are switching from customer acquisition to customer retention due to competition and market saturation. Furthermore, according to Baines and Fill (2014), it is essential for telecommunications companies to focus on customer value and customer preferences. Kestnbaum, Kestnbaum Ames (1998) identified the following motivators of customer retention in telecommunications: customer service quality, phone/internet service quality and phone/internet plan quality. More recent findings also indicate that it is essential to optimize customer plans. Wong (2010) found that telecommunications customers often have difficulties predicting their usage needs and requirements, and tend to choose plans that are not optimal for them. Furthermore, Wong (2010) found that helping customers optimize their plans notably decreases churn rate and im proves customer retention.Therefore, to build a successful customer contact plan, Orange should analyze the needs of its customers as well as customer contact preferences, and to help customers optimize their plans according to their needs and financial position. The first step in creating such contact plan will be collecting customer information and dividing customers into categories using typical customer profiles (Pourasghar 2009). Key customer profiles might be: brand advocates (trusted customers actively supporting the brand), loyal customers (those who purchase regularly but do not take active part in brand promotion), average customers (make purchases from time to time), switchers (non-loyal customers who prefer discounted purchases), difficult customers (customers who have low satisfaction and have a lot of complaints), adversaries (those who are dissatisfied and spread negative information about the brand) and new customers (Kumar Reinartz 2012). Customer profiles should b e matched against country groups with different financial position. The combinations of customer and country profiles should be used for identifying the steps for customer contact plan.For each of the above-mentioned categories, it is necessary to develop a specific communication strategy to increase customer retention. For brand advocates, it is recommended to offer loyalty bonuses, access to new technologies and offers for free, advanced plans, etc. For loyal customers, such contacts as service news, account upgrade options and account optimization services can be offered. For â€Å"average† customers it is best to contact them with new offers, bundles, announces of new technologies and to provide them with exceptional customer support ready to explain and compare existing offers.For switchers, it might be efficient to suggest loyalty bonuses and to focus their attention on economic offers and bundles. Family options and group purchase options might also increase retention for such customers. Providing discounts for reviewing the company’s products and services might also encourage these customers to establish a better relationship with the company. For difficult customers, it is recommended to assign personal customer support workers who would help them and resolve their issues. Similar approach might be used for adversaries; furthermore, it might be beneficial to offer them a discount or free service for switching from competitors (assuming that the negative issues they disliked could be eliminated). For new customers, it would be best to offer a short survey of their preferences and interests, and then to suggest personalized services and plans according to survey results.Furthermore, it is essential to optimize the ways of contacting customers (Gillgan Wilson 2012). There are customers who prefer being contacted by email and those who prefer calling (Wong 2010). Additional methods of contacting customers are text messages, regular mail, me ssages in social networks, etc. (Gillgan Wilson 2012). For each customer, it is necessary to keep the preferred contact channels in customer profile and to use these channels. For the group of countries which were more significantly affected by financial crisis, more economic offers, discounted offers and options for paying by installments should be offered. For Orange, it might also be efficient to analyze the patterns of service use for all customers, to identify customers with low plan use rates and to suggest optimized plans to such customers. Using these recommendations, Orange would be able to create an efficient customer contact plan and increase customer retention.

Save students money Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Save students money - Assignment Example The author believes that such a change, if brought about would be potentially disastrous as it would lead to printed textbooks becoming obsolete. In my opinion, such a change is unfavorable for students as using e-books would be inconvenient for them and for some, would be more expensive then purchasing textbooks. The proponents of introduction of e-books as required reading in colleges and universities include the college officials and some important textbook companies such as McGraw Hill and John Wiley and sons, amongst others, as Jeffrey Young points out in this article. These parties propose including a fixed mandatory fee per course in the tuition fee for providing the e-books to the students. Some of the colleges such the Daytona State College have already adopted this change while others like Indiana University are still in the experimental phase. The college officials believe that e-books would be cheaper for the students, if they are purchased in bulk by the college and prov ided to the students at a subsidized rate. Moreover, the publishing industry believes that such a change would help in reducing the rates of digital piracy. Thus, such a collaboration is thought to benefit all parties, viz. the students, the colleges and the publishing companies.

Business and cultural differences Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Business and cultural differences - Essay Example But this expansion also needs to recognize the culture of the people. The way the people dress, different ways for analyzing problems and how they interact are very important to understand in order to find the communication gap between the nations. Without proper communication several problems may arise due to difference in the cultural practices. In this study we will find the differences between the cultural backgrounds of UK and that of the acquisition company at China. Several issues which could arise within the organization due to cross cultural activities have been discussed in this study in order to successfully deal with any potential issues (Burton, 2009, p.8). 2 Cultural differences between United Kingdom and China The culture of the nation is often defined from the collective programming of the different minded people. The cultural differences are basically formed from four dimensions of the culture of a nation. These are basically power distance, individualism, masculinit y and uncertainty avoidance. Based on these factors the culture of the nation varies to a great extent from country to country. 2.1 Power Distance Index The power distance index is the indicative of the distance between the top management and the subordinates. In high power distance culture they have inequality of power and wealth in the society. This is not forced on the population but comes from the cultural heritage of the country. China has a highly power distance culture which is ranked 80 compared to the world average of 55, while in UK it’s around 30. Therefore in China the people maintain a great distance in different levels of the organization which sometimes leads to an unfriendly workspace with professional relation being the priority in business. Every employee is not free to express their feelings and they are not allowed to take any business decision. The top management are only responsible to take critical decisions in the business. In UK business strategy, the supervisors are well mixed with the subordinates thus creating a very friendly and healthy workspace since the power is well distributed and dew to very small distance between the levels everyone is invited to share their own thoughts on the business plans. The business plans are taken after discussion with all the levels of the organization. Every individual are encouraged to share their ideas and before taking final decision by top management the suggestions from subordinates are kept in mind. 2.2 Individualism Individualism is working with single responsibility and without interacting with peers in the organization. On the other hand collectivism is working in groups and taking decision collectively without questioning loyalty. Individualist business organisation has very little ties between individual employees. Due to the ancient cultural heritage of China the family or relation are between peoples in the society are very strong and the people are very loyal towards each other . Collectivism is the practice in China society who have a close and committed members in the group be it a family or a business. Everyone takes