Reflection and critical evaluation of performance, progress and Essay

Reflection and critical evaluation of performance, progress and learning - Essay Example There was a 25 day placement for the ‘WBL’ module and I used various methods to find a placement. I ended up looking at ‘The Sheffield Star’. I was lucky to find a job at ‘Matalan’. I attached my curriculum vitae in the form that I downloaded from the website of the company. After filling the form, I left it in the store. I was able to receive calls informing to come for an interview. I had been waiting anxiously hoping for the best. In one week time, I was able to receive a letter informing that I had successfully passed the interview and I was suppose to report after one week. My Performance on the job We are able to look back and learn through the practice and experience we have undergone mainly through reflective practice as confirmed by (Hartog, 2004: 2). My ‘Motivators’ were; the work itself, responsibilities, money, the star board in the staff room and my planned holiday. However Gearge (1996: 75) argues â€Å"Money is a tem porary motivator†. ... I was able to build a network with my colleagues strengthening the ties between us. I was encouraged by the network theory as expressed by Granovetter (1970). My colleagues were really impressed by the way I performed my activities making them to be close to me most of the time. I had a sense of belonging from the colleagues that encouraged me to effectively communicate with my colleagues (Hartog, 2004). Through effective communication I was able to know all employees that were in my in my department with their names. This enabled the job to be done effectively. The hygiene factors are necessary for the success of any job. This is due to the fact that every job requires workers who are healthy (Herzberg, 1959). I could not be able to work well if the health conditions were not of good quality. My performance at work was mainly encouraged by the presence of the salary. I knew it very well in my mid that without salary I could not work to my best. One thing that demotivated was the wor k conditions. The workstation that I had been assigned was small as compared to the ones of my colleagues. In every organization, supervision of the workers is necessary to improve the quality of work performance. This will enable the organization to be successful (Hartog, 2004). However, I didn’t have supervision and this affected my performance since I became reluctant. Due to the fact that there was no supervision, the understanding of the basic needs was not satisfied substantially as stated by theory of Maslow since I could not move up his hierarchy Maslow’s (1954). On the second week and particularly on day 14 I did not get any motivation. I knew that being ethical was the only motivation towards

How does today's film in the U.S influence people perception of Research Proposal

How does today's film in the U.S influence people perception of Chinese culture (Please try to focus on a specific film genres) - Research Proposal Example Xie (9) has carried out a number of research projects on the influence of media on Asian stereotyping giving particular focus and emphasis on how the Chinese culture is portrayed in films in the United States of America (USA). In the research projects conducted, various issues were pointed out and they included; discrimination and racism. The goal of this research as the ones conducted byXie (7) is to identify how a majority of films in the United States of America (USA) miss represent the chines culture. The research shall focus on how Chinese men are represented by films in the USA, how Chinese women are represented by films in the USA, the level of violence associated to them as well as the morals and ethics about the Chinese culture that are miss represented or represented accordingly in the films. For example, a majority of the female chines characters are portrayed in many of the films in USA as being highly sexually seductive individuals and they are trained from a tender age to use this seductive technique to kill men. A majority of the films portray Chinese people as highly trained in elements of martial arts, these is evident in films where Chinese actors Jackie Chan and Jet Li are anchored, this exhibits fraudulent behavior (Chan, 3). Other films portray the Chinese as highly intelligent individuals, mostly appearing in films as computer wizards and sharp when it comes to solving puzzles and mathematical queries (Chan51)Not forgetting about the ethics and morals, some films portray chines girls as immoral, being used for sexual activities especially in the USA as illegal immigrants, other films portray the Chinese people as good and calm with high consideration of the four elements of nature i.e. land, water, and air (Stein, 7). With critical analysis of data intended to be collected, this research will help give a clear picture of what the Chinese culture is really about and whether what we see

As people grow older, they need to renegotiate their sense of identity and belonging Essay Example for Free

As people grow older, they need to renegotiate their sense of identity and belonging Essay Everyone has struggled with their identity and belonging during a chapter of their life. There comes a time when our opinions and beliefs begin to differentiate from those around us. During this time, some people may discover where they belong, whereas many others do not. It is not solely one stage of our lives when we are confronted with an identity crisis, but a continuous challenge throughout our lives as we encounter new experiences that will alter our thoughts, emotions and perspective on ourselves. Most of us are following the â€Å"norms†, society expectations but deep down inside, we desire for freedom. Society only gives us a narrow time, a â€Å"window†, between school and marriage to be whomever we want without the judgement of society. This window is the only time that we can have a †good time† like getting drunk, travel, stay out late, do silly things yet nobody would criticise. However, since the window is pretty narrow, many people tends to stretch it so they can fully enjoy themselves. For school-leavers like us, we would like to taste that sense of freedom as soon as possible and as long as possible. Not many of us would actually thinking about settling down at this moment since we are young. Out there in the world, many interesting new things are inviting us to try and take on the challenges. We are like Bubba, young and energetic, new to the world and society doesn’t expect much of us yet. However, human beings are not eternally immutable, we change ourselves, our identity and sense of belonging gradually. There’s certainly a time when we feel so lonely, distanced and disconnected even though there’s a crowd of people around, people that we know. That’s when we should think to ourselves, who am I really and where do I belong? After enjoying freedom for so long, we could be bored and lost because we are living without a purpose, a plan for the future. We would begin to yearn for a lifelong companionship, fulltime commitment from someone, we can’t stand being alone for the rest of our lives in some vague, unstable relationships that can break at any moment. We need something new and more exciting than what we already experienced. A solitary is an unfulfilling life to us, we want love, affections and devotion so that our lives can be fulfilled. As we grow older, we would stop being immature, selfish and solo as part of our â€Å"growing up†. Though we would like to stretch our â€Å"window†, society does expect us to grow after certain age. We are expected to reproduce ourselves by having a family, taking up the responsibilities, pass on our beliefs to the younger generation. Reproduction is that we can start all over again, that’s why life is a cycle, repetitively, and many would follow. In each and every one of us, the biological urge or clock would start to alarm as we grow older. Desire for a family with children would naturally come for most people, then they would seek to settle down. Nancy had enough of the lay-off, after sixteen years without any assurance, she had renegotiated with herself to discontinue. She wanted to have a family, a stable relationship, since Barney couldn’t give her that, she left and married to start a family life. She was not young any more but it was not too late, at least she realised that the lay-off wasn’t working for her and she found a solution that she was comfortable with. However, there’re a few people who think differently. They are afraid of losing their freedom as they are lost in their own fantasy that they are young and free forever. Marriage certainly limits one’s freedom that to some people, it’s a chain, an imprisonment for life that they don’t ever want to be bind in. They love their liberty even though they are aging, they don’t have a slight idea of changing their lifestyle. They don’t want to grow up even if they are growing old. In society’s eye, they are the odd ones, the ones that defy the â€Å"norms†, the bad omens. Olive is the representative of these people, she detest matrimony and any permanent attachment. However, she ignored reality of her aging and the repetitive of the lay-off was wearing everybody out. The freshness, excitements and funs were gone long ago but she turned a blind eye to it, believing it would last forever. Only if she renegotiate with herself earlier, reality wouldn’t struck her as hard and she would understand why Roo proposed to her. At some point in life, we must reconsider of our sense of identity and belonging so that its suit our situations. We are not ever-changing but we can’t be the same forever, we need to change gradually to adapt to the changing world just like how the Earth revolves around the sun. It spins but we don’t feel it. People change overtime but we don’t really see unless it’s a dramatic change. As we grow older, we encounter more crises which influence our sense of identity and belonging. We would be wiser than before as we learn from our mistakes.

Power and Control in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein

Power and Control in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein How Mary Shelley portrays the theme of power throughout her novel ‘Frankenstein’ Power is one of the most prominent themes which has coursed throughout Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The intensity of power within the novel adds to the unnatural storyline which Mary Shelley created. Power within the novel is the most obvious and perhaps the most interesting because power can come from many perspectives.The overall power is in Victor Frankenstein’s hands, an example of this is him going against the true nature of god and creating new life in which he thinks he can control and manipulate. I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. This shows his dedication into looking beyond possibilities and moving one step further so he can be looked upon like a god. The quote taking nearly two years implies that if his invention is not perfect, it’s not right. Because Victor has taken nearly two years on infusing life shows his dedication no matter how long the process takes. Dangerous knowledge links with this theme because without the right knowledge the prospect of ambition is unreachable, as we come to find out later in the novel. The effect of the word ‘infusing’ gives emphasis to the giving of life, this creates a contrast into the positivity that the phrase conveys and how the story turns into a negative. The gothic novel contrasts the ways in which evil and power are shown throughout the novel. Each interpretation is different depending on the characters story and background. In the 1800s there was a high discontent because of the great depression in that era. Mary Shelley went against society to produce a novel that would make humanity question the power behind god. The full title for her novel includes The Modern Prometheus showing Shelley was clearly influenced and took her influence from earlier literature. Prometheus was said to be the wisest of all Titans who stole fire from the gods, so Mary Shelley has taken this aspect of Prometheus and used it within Frankenstein to add to her gothic style of writing. She has done this to replicate Victor as the incarnation of Prometheus. Like Prometheus, Victor is fascinated with electricity and lightening and this links with the birth of the monster. I might infuse a spark of being into this lifeless thing that lay at my feet. The indication that infusing electricity into a lifeless object is just inhumane; although the body is lifeless the overall thought is repulsive and wrong. This is because it is morally wrong and against the true nature of god as he is the only one who can create life. Using the force of the electricity to power a dead body seems impossible, but this just shows that Victor’s work is pushed past the breaking point because he wants to excel at what he does. Victor craves power therefore has to earn it. Wealth was an inferior object, but what glory would attend the discovery, ifIcould banish disease from the human frame. An inferior object this implies that Money to Victor is worthless, recognition means much more than money every will.The dream he has is creating the prospect of new life, the fact he wants to manipulate something as precious as life proves he is willing to stop at nothing to have the fame and the recognition that he thinks he deserves. â€Å"Mary Shelley has done this perhaps to prove a point, because in 1818 there were great changes in British society, and there was a significant change in science and technology so writing a book that contains what it does is going against society so she is like the Frankenstein of her era†. This could be a reflection of her life but as a powerful male. I believe that she wrote this book to satisfy her own cravings of power. (YORK NOTES PAGE 92BACKGROUND) He has gained theKnowle dge he has from the intense research that he has developed over the years. I had retrod the steps of knowledge along the paths of time. This is an example that Victor will continue to better his knowledge to purse and better his achievements. In the novel 1984 Winston works for the Ministry of Truth, meaning under no circumstance can he betray the Thought Police. All of the people in London are living like robots following commandsand because of thisWinston wants to do something about it.At first he begins to use his power for good helping the people in London, then suddenly it all becomes too much and the power he has earned goes to his head. Big brother is watching you! This is the higher power within the novel in which Winston wants to become. To be at a higher status and a leader, he wants answers therefore has to gain power to find the answers. This drive for answers is mirrored. The ideas in 1984 are reflected in Frankenstein. In Frankenstein as power is almost like a goal for Victor. He wants to achieve a powerful status. The influence of power comes from the people that surround him at university. For example M.Waldman is what Victor wants to become; his sense of power and knowledge is just inspiring.â€Å"In a thousand ways he smoothed me for the path of knowledge.† The emphasis on the phrase he smoothed me clarifies that M.Walman focused on Victors ability to allow him to progress at a higher level of science. This demonstrates that he looks up to M.Walmanas he has what Frankenstein craves the most. Power within the characters reverses throughout the novel, this could be to show that you’re not just born into power you can earn it with the correct information. The monster learns everything on his own with the help of a few books I can hardly describe to you the effects of these books. He is like a child learning for the first time although he chooses to use the power within him to destroy Frankenstein and the loved ones that surround him.Thesufferings that isolate the monster not only come from Victor but from society, this could be because the monster longs for love and companionship, however he realises he can never experience the love he sees around him so this results in the violent crimes he commits.I am malicious because I am miserable. The word malicious highlights the fact the monster knows he is evil yet its the only way he is going to get attention from Victor. He is just longing for a friend or to be accepted within society he knows that he does not look normal but he just wants to be accepted. When he realises that he will never fit in, power takes over and he wants to destroy everything and everyone in his path. Making a deal with Victor almost as if making a deal with the devil, the monster asks for a bride saying he is willing to spare Victors loved ones if he agrees to his demands. â€Å"For Shelley, body is fate. If it is ugliness that fuels the mo nsters social exclusion, it is beauty that drives his revenge: he destroys what he cannot possess.† (http://www.victorianweb.org/previctorian/mshelley/pva229.html) In contrast in 1984 power is much more subtle, and doesn’t come across as influential as in Frankenstein. This is because Winston is very elusive meaning he trusts no one but himself. If you want to keep a secret you must hide it from yourself. This shows that even your own secrets should be kept quiet and you shouldn’t even think of them because your thoughts are powerful and you never know who is listening.‘The main power is within the party because they are at a higher status than the low ranking members of the ruling party; therefore use their stronger forces of power to dictate the rules of big brother’. It can be argued that George Orwell has done this to show that everyone has the right to speak or feel however they want without a higher force being able to tell them how they should act within society.Power within both novels seems to be the main key to success but it all ends in disaster as power goes to their heads. In conclusion, without the right power, being able to succeed is limited. Both novels show unless you have the right power and the right knowledge you are not as important as those who have it. Both novels portray power in different ways, some of which contrast. One major link between the two is the one main character craving power and perhaps love, but both novels show that you can only have one or the other and worst comes to worst when they both eventually die, leaving but only their mistakes to live with the world forever.

Embryonic vs. Adult Stem Cells in Research Essay -- Argumentative Pers

Embryonic vs. Adult Stem Cells in Research    Why is the mainstream media significantly downplaying exciting scientific discoveries with adult stem cells? This essay hopes to adequately answer that question. Here's the scoop: As originally reported late last year in the medical journal Blood, Dr. Catherine M. Verfaillie and other researchers at the Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, have discovered a way to coax an adult cell found in the bone marrow to exhibit many of the attributes that supposedly make embryonic stem cells irreplaceable to the development future "miracle" medical therapies(Catherine). While there is still much research to be done, "multi-potent adult progenitor cells" (MAPCs) appear to be versatile, that is, capable of transforming into different types of tissues. (In a culture dish, the cells can be coaxed into becoming muscle, cartilage, bone, liver, or different types of neurons in the brain.) They are also malleable, meaning they can do so relatively easily. They also exhibit the "immortality" valued in embryonic cells, that is to say, they seem capable of being transformed into cell lines that can be maintained indefinitely. At the same time, these adult cells do not appear to present the acute danger associated with embryonic stem cells: the tendency to grow uncontrollably causing tumors or even cancers. This should be a big story considering the intense controversy over embryonic-stem-cell research (ESCR) and the coming attempt in the United States Senate to outlaw human cloning (S.790). Indeed, the New York Times and Washington Post consider embryonic-stem-cell research so important - including the manufacture and use of human-clone embryos in such experiments - that both hav... ...hat the biotech researchers say more "true" then whatever cloning/ESCR opponents may argue - regardless of the actual evidence. Finally, clout in public-policy disputes usually boils down to money. Quite often, reporters don't find stories; stories find reporters. That is how PR firms make the big bucks; being paid quite handsomely to alert journalists to stories their clients' want covered. In this fight, Big Biotech's very deep pockets almost guarantee coverage that is skewed in favor of destroying human embryos in experiments and permitting the creation of human-research clones. Sources Consulted: "Catherine Verfaillie"   http://www1.umn.edu/stemcell/sci/page/fac-mbr/verfaillie/verfaillie.shtml New Scientist   http://www.newscientist.com/ New York Times   http://www.nytimes.com/auth/login?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/25/science/25STEM.html

The Blue-collar Appeal of Hard Times Essay -- Dickens Hard Times Essay

The Blue-collar Appeal of Hard Times   Ã‚   In Hard Times, Charles Dickens gives us a close-up look into what appears to be the ivory tower of the bourgeoisie of his day, yet these middle-class characters are viewed from a singular perspective, the perspective of those at the bottom of the social and economic system. Though Dickens’ characters tend to be well developed and presented with a thoroughly human quality, the stereotypical figure of arrogant and demanding Bounderby fails to accurately capture the motivations and attitudes of the typical successful businessman of the day and is an indication of the author’s political motives. Hard Times, rather than presenting a historically accurate picture of the extraordinary changes brought about by the industrial revolution, is a one-sided attack on the utilitarian value system of the middle 19th century based upon emotional blue-collar appeals for labor sympathy that are not uncommon in today’s corporate environment.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Josiah Bounderby of Coketown represents the utilitarian attitude and, as such, is the villain of the story and clearly the target of Dickens’ political argument. Dickens characterizes Bounderby as a powerful individual, driven by greed and guided by a distorted view of human nature. He is the only wealthy industrialist introduced in Hard Times, although Mr. Sleary might arguably be considered the more virtuous businessman. Dickens clearly portrays Bounderby as a greedy and individualistic, self-serving capitalist; rather than an insightful, forward-looking crafter of a new industrial age. Dickens artfully weaves his political enemy into a pompous, arrogant image reinforced with traditional working-class themes that lead the reader to conclude that Bounderby, ... ...nate and truly human society should strive to benefit all classes of its citizens.    Works Cited Coolidge, Archibald C., Jr. Charles Dickens as Serial Novelist. Ames, IA: Iowa State University Press, 1967. Hayek, F. A., ed. Capitalism and the Historians. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1954. Laughlin, J. Lawrence. The Elements of Political Economy. New York, NY: 1896. Malthus, Thomas. First Essay on Population, 1798. London, England: Macmillan & Company. 1926. Marx, Karl. "Capital." Great Books of the Western World. Vol. 50. Ed. Robert Hutchins. Chicago, IL: Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. 1982. Veblen, Thorstein. Selected Writings of Thorstein Veblen. Ed. Wesley C. Mitchell. New York, NY: Viking Press. 1947. Wilson, John F. British Business History: 1720-1994. Manchester, England: Manchester University Press. 1995.      

Archetypes Case Study Essay

1. Which are the archetypes does Verbeke distinguish? Draw the figures associated with these archetypes. Verbeke distguish between 4 types of archetypes and they are the following: Centralized exporter: Home country managed firm. Firm specific advantage in its final products. Standardized products manufactured at home. Only the transferable firm specific advantages are taken to the host country, meaning that they try to make exporting successful in international markets. No development of location bound firm specific advantages. International projector: Clones home operations into host countries. Knowledge based firm specific advantages are replicated from home country. Only the internationally transferable firm specific advantages are taken to the host country. No development of location bound firm’s specific advantages. The international projector MNE seeks international expansion by projecting its home country success recipes abroad. International coordinator: Its main firm specific advantage is that it can coordinate location advantages (e.g., production capacity to access abundant natural resources) present in multiple countries. International operations are specialized in specific value-added activities across borders. Use internationally transferable firm specific advantages in each host country to develop location-bound firm specific advantages that fit the host country location factors. Multi-centered MNE: Each host county develops own location bound firm specific advantages, only transfers core routines (e.g., financial management). A set of entrepreneurial subsidiaries go abroad, to acquire knowledge for future firm specific advantage development. Local adaptation is the foundation of the international strategy. 2. Is there one best model? Why or why not? There is no best model because these models all depend on the firm specific advantages that an organization has its power on, and also on the host countries appeal for business. Firm specific advantages in the home country  can be a success, but the question is if those firm specific advantages are also a success in the host country? 3. Do you consider a centralized exporter a true multinational? A centralized exporter can be a true multinational if it derives a quarter of its revenue from operations outside of its home country and also if it operates in different host countries, and its managed by a core headquarter in the home country. Warner Bros. Pictures, a major US motion picture studio is a multinational which is operational through exporting its motion pictures. Most of its revenue is attained from its exports and of course from its home country the US. 4. What does it mean that the FSA is embodied in the product in case of an international projector? A product that has embodied a firm specific advantage means that the product contains in it a feature that makes the company with greater success than its former competitors. This firm specific advantage cannot be seen as a stand-alone component in the organization, in order to leverage success it can only be seen as a firm specific advantage within its final product. So this firm specific advantage is not from its operations such as great employee relationship, but only through the final product. This is seen in the centralized exporter. In the international projector this is not the case because they replicate their firm specific advantages to go abroad and use them, such as an advanced technology or secret recipe like Coca cola has one. A good example is Ford, which cloned its American operations into Canada and Europe. Europe was a challenge for Ford due to a widespread prejudice against American cars sold in Europe. 5. Does the firm develop FSAs in the host country in case of the international projector? No the firm which uses the archetype of international projector as a strategy does not develop firm specific advantages in the host country, what this organization do is cloning their home country firm specific advantages to the host countries, so in other words just using success firm specific advantages from home country to the host country. 6. Why is the international coordinator an example of global value chain? The international coordinator archetype is an example of global value chain because it can coordinate different location advantage operations in a wide variety of different geographies in the same period. Global value chains now contain activities that are tightly integrated. This means that firms and workers in widely separated locations affect one another more than they have in the past. So for example BP an international coordinator, when there where oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico, it suddenly affected all other BP operations, because their branding image was looked in a worse way, decreasing its organization reputation. 7. Why is a multi-centered MNE characterized by maximum local responsiveness? A multi-centered MNE is characterized by maximum local responsiveness because the foundation of a multi-centered archetype is local adaptation. This local responsiveness is evaluated and analyzed by different entrepreneurial subsidiaries from the organization that go abroad, so that new firm specific advantages can be developed. This newly firm specific advantage in the host country will conform with its host customers and through those means a good local adaptation can be attained. 8. The FSA is also framed in terms of core competences. That is the FSA is strongly related to the core competences of a firm. What key characteristics does Verbeke list for these core competences? There are 4 key characteristics of core competences: – Be difficult for competitors to imitate in terms of achieving the required internal coordination and learning. – Provide potential access to a wide variety of markets – Make a significant contribution to customer needs. – The loss of a core competence would have an important negative effect on the firm’s present and future performance, in terms of value creation. 9. What critique does Verbeke have on the concept of core competences? Core competencies are the company’s most important FSAs: its vital routines and recombination abilities. Recombination abilities are Locating resources, especially knowledge, as response to differences between national and foreign environments, and to satisfy new stakeholders’ demands. Verbeke has a few critiques regarding the concept of core competences and they are the following: Core competences of organizations in industries may differ. Prahalad & Hamel don’t include country factors in their analysis. Their theory overestimates the role of strategic management. Strategic management role is to develop strategic architecture. Develop a road map for the future which identifies core competencies to build the required technologies. In the other side their theory underestimates the role of host country location factors. Another critique from Verbeke is that core competences are historically driven. 10. What are the five forces Porter distinguishes? Explain these in your own words. The five forces Porter distinguishes is about how location advantages that affect firm competitiveness and firm specific advantage development. -Factor conditions: This is a force which is related to production factors such as capital, labor, infrastructure, scientific knowledge, technology. It gives improvement to problematic issues through innovation and continuous learning. A good example from the book is: In case of Japan, firms in several industries such as steel, shipbuilding and automobiles developed technological and design expertise to overcome a lack of natural resources and the just-in-time production process was pioneered in response to lack of affordable warehousing space. -Demand conditions: If customers increase their demand increasing external pressures to firms, then it gives the firm a good competitive advantage. So in order to gain this demand to customers the firm has to innovate a nd respond to the customer sophistication by adapting its technology and design features. This is good for future global  expansion, because the firm already gains early insights into future needs of customers or in other words buyer sophistication. -Related and supported industries: High quality home based suppliers which have great insight into international competition. These suppliers with good know how innovate through more efficient inputs, and spill knowledge between other suppliers within the firm through exchange of ideas, and different ways of communication. This is great for international competition. -Firm strategy, industry structure and rivalry: Domestic rivalry is good for international competitiveness. This forces firms to focus on firm specific advantages development beyond their home location advantages. This helps the firm become an international rival. So this is a well-functioning industry. -Government and chance: Luck plays a role, for example, a lucky innovation process that was coincidentally created and a valuable product with good technology or process knowledge was attained. This is often a long-term consequence. Government are the general governments of which are not corrupt. 11. How does Porter’s model fit in figure 1.2? Where does it belong? Porters fit model fit in figure 1.2 because the model is all about how to use location advantages to increase competition and force its firm to develop a firm specific advantage in order to go across the international border and use it as a competitive advantage abroad. This firm specific advantage can get them access into the development of a location bound firm specific advantage across borders. I think Porters model fits in the location advantages section at home country triangle and then it moves across to all the other host sections according to its force. 12. What is the big problem of Porters model when applied in the context of international business? Each industry has its own characteristics leading to different patterns of international competitiveness. According to Verbeke’s critique, firm specific advantages are home market determined, and Porters model has too much focus on the home market. In international business you need to take  account both markets, so the home market as well as the host country. International business is about how to succeed abroad, and only having emphasis on the home market that is not very attainable. Firms only go abroad if they can establish a match between their firm specific advantages and the location advantages to the host markets.