International
Business Term Paper:

The International Business course offered us a number of facilities of analyzing the company’s position in the competitive environment, starting from the inner structure of the organization up to its interaction with the environment, the means for quantitative an qualitative analysis have been introduced; we have learnt to work out strategies basing on the above information. In my opinion, using case studies and working in teams when trying to analyze the situation was of great use to all the students as this way of solving problems is rather close to real life situation. We have gained the skills in working out strategies and making strategic plans, which was important for both my business skills and for personal motivation: I have learnt how to organize my activities better, how to estimate the environment and single out its most important factors, how to deal with this information and develop possible solutions and directions basing on the above-made analysis. I think that such activities and especially case studies were a very important improvement for my management skills.

At the same time there were several aspects that hindered the process of learning. In my opinion, there was too much attention paid to cultural interaction and ethical business aspects; though this side of International Business is rather important, I believe that more time has to be dedicated to the means of analysis, especially to those that give us the possibility to determine the organization’s efficiency, competitive position, future trend of development, the methods of forecasting market conditions, future income etc. I believe that these aspects are of great importance and deserve to be illustrated more than they were in our course. This can be done, in my opinion, at some expense of cultural and ethical aspects. Instead of this, I would also suggest to pay more attention to psychological aspects in International Business course and to analyzing the environment (as well as the company’s efficiency etc.) from the position of psychological compatibility and efficiency. Since labor is the most important resource, I believe that these aspects have to receive more attention as well.

I believe that team working, as one of the most common practices, is practically one of the most effective forms of gaining skills and can be recommended as a general remedy for facilitating the courses. The same can be said about case studies.

In general the course was very efficient and helped me to attain new business skills as well as improve self-management skills.

1. Setting and Staging in Drama (I chose question #1)
Performing “Othello” in arena staging can be an impressive thing, but I think that there can be several problems expressing the dramatic moments Shakespeare creates by his words. What can be the most difficult thing in staging “Othello”, it is the contradiction between love feelings of Othello and Desdemona and the participation of Othello in the war actions. Their small world actually appears broken by the interference of the environment; I think that the best way to show this contradiction is to contrast massive war scenes with the secluded moments when Othello and Desdemona are together. But this can be a problem when sating the play because of the lack of scenery.

2. Language in Drama (q. #1)
Shakespeare’s blank verse and expressive language is extremely important for creating the necessary dramatic effect on the readers and spectators. For example, the use of repetitions in “Othello” illustrates his anger and despair, the faltering rhythm of blank verses shows the feelings of the characters and their emotional state. Shakespeare uses exclamations and gaudy phrases when he wants to create the impression of the emotional tension… his rich and expressive language helps to uncover the strengths and weaknesses of the character and is indispensable for the dramatic effect.

3. Symbolism and Myth (question about archetypes)
Archetype is the original character (or idea) that embodies the general perception of a phenomenon or character. I think that the archetype that can be found in each of the plays is evil, in its different demonstrations. Evil and craftiness are common archetypes, especially for drama and tragedy writers. In Othello, for example, Iago is the archetype embodying evil, he symbolizes the dark and ill-natured forces.

4. Theme
In my opinion, the theme of Shakespeare’s Othello is the eternal confrontation of black and white, good and bad, the eternal unity and struggle of the opposing sides. Some critics believe that making Othello a black person Shakespeare wanted to protest against racism; I believe that it is a simplification of the idea; I think that in such way Othello wanted to underline the dramatic contrast, to show the two clearly opposite characters and their interaction. The struggle of black and white sides of a person’s individuality is, in my opinion, the key theme of Othello.

***