Global Business Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Global Business Strategy - Essay Example The mission statements as well as the corporate values are an important aspect for developing strategies for companies. Strategies are developed with the objectives of attaining goals as well as to generate profits for companies. The mission statement of companies depicts the current or present businesses purpose and scope. The mission statement depicts â€Å"who we are, what we do, and why we are here† about companies (The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2011). Values of companies are the beliefs, traits as well as behavioural norms which are to be abided by and followed by every personnel involved with the companies. The companies’ personnel are required to perform or conduct every business activity and accomplish mission as well as strategic visions of the companies. The invaluable personnel are required to be provided fair treatment, dignity, integrity as well as with ethical behaviour. The mission statements and the corporate values are important for accomplishing objective s or goals of companies in an efficient manner. The main purpose of mission statements as well as company values is to communicate the goals or objectives as well as core values of activities which are to be performed. Mission statements as well as corporate values assist in improving performance of a company (The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2011). ... The top management of companies is required to recognise the present position and determine the future prospect of the companies. Formulating as well as implementing appropriate corporate strategies is a significant factor for successful performance of companies. A mission statement differentiates one company from the other identical companies with respect to the purpose as well as scope of conducting business activities (University of Houston-Victoria, n.d.). Mission statement of a company depicts about the purposes as well as needs along with well-being of people that a company serves. It assists people as well as businesses worldwide to understand their full capabilities. Moreover, it promises shareholders for providing a satisfactory as well as a fair return to shareholders. The mission of a company is the first considering factor for devising strategies which will assist a company to perform its activities in an enhanced manner (Kusiak, 2011). Seker stated that mission statement of a company should be prepared before the strategic planning process as the mission statement provides the functions as well as the products or services which are to be offered to the people. All companies are required to have a clear and good mission statement for detailing their purposes and mission of companies are communicated through mission statement. Moreover, the mission statement of a company brings out the significant features as well as principles which are required for formulating strategic plans. Strategies are formulated first in accordance with the mission statement and then with specific objectives or goals which are required to be achieved for successful performance of a company (Seker, 2011). Strategies

How Global Corporations Affect National Economies Essay Example for Free

How Global Corporations Affect National Economies Essay The growing size of the Multinational Companies around the world; their global operations and financial practices pose some serious questions about the implementation of best practices that do justice to everyone, including the countries with less developed economies, where many of these corporations operate. Global Corporations may create problems regarding the national balance of accounts. Every company operates globally, to maximize its profits and pay less tax. To gain the optimum advantage, they follow accounting practices that contravene the domestic ones, used within the countries where they operate. For example, corporations charge their own internal transactions and present them as expenditure. This matter has evolved in such a way, that today, global corporations are the winners, and most of the times the countries where they operate are the losers. Multinational Corporations and the Distribution of Income There is an increasing tendency among multinational corporations to transfer their intangible assets to non-domestic associates. These foreign affiliates are created for a unique purpose: to gain a larger share of their profits, by reducing operational costs. Many international businesses transfer their operations like production and services to the countries where the tax rates are lower, compared to their mother country, where the parent company has its headquarters. According to OECD Statistics, that researchers have performed, there is a remarkable growth in the transfer of all these intangible assets from 13 percent to 37 percent in a period of 28 years, from 1983 to 2011. Corporations continuously pursue the policy of getting tax benefits and find different means to get benefited by lower tax rates in the countries where the affiliates are located. They keep their main focus on increasing their profits and showing incomes in the countries where there are lower tax rates applied. They do this by transferring their intangible assets, interposing their operations, producing more in the countries where they pay lower taxes. They also tend to shift their manufacturing units to offshore locations, in low tax and cheap labor countries. They also make changes and make an affiliate into an owner and an owner into an affiliate. Naturally, an affiliate in the low tax country becomes the parent company leading to many structural changes in the entire organization and therefore, influencing business in their host countries. According to authors such as John Dunning, the ultimate result of all these activities reflects in showing a recorded low Gross Domestic Product where the tax rates are high and making the recorded Gross Domestic Product higher in the low tax countries. The raise in the lower tax countries is shown as a relative growth.

Essay --

La caricatura polà ­tica En sus inicios, la palabra caricatura surgià ³ para designar el arte de resaltar los rasgos fà ­sicos (principalmente del rostro) de ciertos personajes, en ese sentido, se caracterizaba por su estilo recurrente de representar a los actores con cabezas enormes y dejar de lado (en un segundo plano) el resto del cuerpo. Posteriormente, se le da importancia a las extremidades, puesto que se comprendià ³ que lo kinà ©sico y proxà ©mico aportan significado a la imagen; asà ­, por ejemplo, la ropa es un factor importante para representar aspectos relacionados con la cultura. Acto seguido, la caricatura comenzà ³ a incursionar en el à ¡mbito de la polà ­tica, dejando en un segundo plano el interà ©s por mostrar las desfiguraciones faciales, para impregnarse de un tinte polà ­tico y mordaz con miras a criticar aspectos socio-polà ­ticos. En efecto, este à ºltimo aspecto mencionado es lo que interesa en este trabajo. Puesto que, como ya se habà ­a mencionado, la caricatura polà ­tica es de suma importancia dentro de la sociedad colombiana, ya que se constituye como ‘una herramienta’ por medio de la cual se puede criticar el sistema socio-polà ­tico del paà ­s, sus dirigentes y las acciones polà ­ticas que afectan (positiva o negativamente) a la poblacià ³n. En ese orden de ideas, Acevedo (2009) afirma que: La caricatura polà ­tica busca un objetivo distinto: mofar, ironizar, fastidiar, burlarse, ridiculizar, decir las cosas a la inversa, distorsionar el sentido original, agredir, construir opinià ³n y destruir simbà ³licamente al oponente. En la caricatura polà ­tica en general, alguien o algo sale daà ±ado en su imagen (†¦) (p. 35) Al criticar el sistema socio-polà ­tico actual del paà ­s, la caricatura (re)construye una imagen (en la mayorà ­a de los... ...ambià ©n el pensamiento y la accià ³n. Nuestro sistema conceptual ordinario, en tà ©rminos del cual pensamos y actuamos, es fundamentalmente de naturaleza metafà ³rica†. (p. 39). Entendida asà ­ la metà ¡fora, el anà ¡lisis pareciera que solo se quedara en lo verbal, en lo ‘monomodal’, por lo que se hace necesario recurrir al concepto de metà ¡fora multimodal, la cual es definida por Pardo (2012:43) como â€Å"expresiones que se construyen a partir de la presencia de uno o mà ¡s modos en el dominio de origen, y que en el dominio de llegada son representadas predominantemente en modos sà ­gnicos diferentes y en coexistencia, para producir significado†. En ese sentido, la metà ¡fora se materializa dentro de la caricatura no solo en lo verbal, sino en la correlacià ³n de varios sistemas sà ­gnicos (o modos semià ³ticos) que dotan de significado a las representaciones que se dan en la caricatura.

How Wwii Effected the Indian Independence Movement

Rebecca Martinez 18 November 2012 Professor Sutherland ANTH 4002 World War II’s Impact on the Indian Independence Movement The success of the Indian Independence movement is, by some scholars, largely attributed to efforts of Mahatma Gandhi. As stated by BBC, â€Å"Gandhi was the leader of the Indian nationalist movement against British rule, and is widely considered the father of his country† (India. wikia. com). However, this revolutionary movement, a dream that had been growing since the mid nineteenth century, was the infusion of a wide spectrum of Indian political organizations, philosophies, and rebellions.For example, the events and aftermath of the Second World War posed an economic crisis and political confrontation that transformed nationalism and colonialism for many colonies, including India. Even less credit is given to the various international events that shaped the movement, as well as those involved. Regardless of the divisions in Indian nationalist eff orts, both in support and against violence, they all contained one common goal: independence from Britain.Were historians correct in their proposition that India’s independence was largely attributed to Gandhi’s peaceful anti-war efforts, or were Gandhi’s strategies ultimately ineffective? If proven effective, should India’s rapid progress in independence during World War II be seen as affected most by Gandhi, or were bigger actors involved? I believe that the source of India’s successes in their 100-year struggle for independence should not be correlated with one man.Rather, by paying close attention to key events, powerful political players, critical economic changes, and motivating political factors from around the globe during this period, historians will gain a better understanding of how India’s independence movement was rapidly accelerated, and ultimately successful, during the period surrounding World War II. When war initially broke out in September of 1939, Britain’s grip on India was as fierce and stubborn as ever (Bose and Jalal, 130).Although Congress leadership in India implored Great Britain to define their war aim before declaring India’s support, viceroy Linlithgow avowed the British Indian Empire a belligerent against the axis powers without consulting prominent Indian leaders (Bose and Jalal, 130). Once it became clear that the British were unconcerned with Indian nationalist aspirations, the entire Congress leadership resigned from the local government councils in protest. However, this protest was not simply an opposition to Britain’s decision.Many Indian nationalists believed that Britain’s fight for democracy and freedom in the Second World War contradicted their rule over a multitude of colonies (wiki. com). Mahatma Gandhi, for example, termed Britain's â€Å"war to save democracy† as hypocrisy since it was denying democratic rights and individual liberties to Indians (wiki. com). Despite the atrocities faced by Indians under British rule, many Indians supported the British war effort and fought with the Allied Forces.In hopes that the British would leave India after the Second World War, the Indian National Congress cooperated with the British war efforts, making the British Indian Army was one of the largest volunteer forces during the war (India. wikia. com). However, when it became clear the Britain had no intention of relenting their hold India after the war, Gandhi called for a determined but passive resistance to foster a peaceful negotiation with the British government.Ultimately, Gandhi and the Congress Party proposed a â€Å"Quit India Movement,† which declared that if the British did not accede to the demands for Indian independence, a massive Civil Disobedience would be launched (Bose and Jalal, 133). However, once Britain arrested the top Congress Party leaders, the Quit India Movement fizzed out entirely before it eve n had a chance to gather steam.That being said, although Mahatma Gandhi’s initial civil disobedience movements were driving forces that ultimately shaped the cultural, religious, and political unity of a Indian diverse nation, they did not have a significant impact on Indian independence following the Second World War. Although history’s spotlight for Indian nationalist ideas during this time is set on Gandhi, the fight for freedom during World War II saw the rise of two independence movements. Some leaders of the revolutionary Indian independence movement collaborated with the Axis powers to overthrow the British Raj.Although largely ignored by historians, the Azad Hind movement, in collaboration with Japanese forces, successfully created the Indian National Army in 1942. Indian military alliances with Axis nations also included the Legion Freies Indien in Nazi Germany and the Battaglione Azad Hindoustan in Fascist Italy (wiki. com). Although Adolf Hitler saw Indians as racially inferior and had no interest in India’s future, he believed that if India gained its independence it could become a valuable ally of the Axis powers and help it gain dominance in the Indian Ocean area (Kumar).As a result, Germany and Japan actively provided support to Indian independence movement leaders. The Indian Nation Army, led by Subhash Chandra Bose, was based on the principle that â€Å"An enemy's enemy is a friend† (India. wikia. com). Bose also formed what came to be known as the Azad Hind Government, with Indian prisoners of war and Indian expatriates in South-East Asia, with the help of the Japanese (Bose and Jalal, 134). Its aim was to reach India as a fighting force that would build on public resentment to inspire revolts among Indian soldiers to defeat the Raj (Bose and Jalal, 134).However, due to poor arms and supplies from the Japanese and lack of support and training, the Indian National Army and entire Azad Hind ultimately failed. Althoug h defeated, Bose’s initiative gave hope to the Indian public and turned the support and loyalty of the native soldiers of the British Indian Forces from the crown to the Indian National Army soldiers. In doing so, the British Army, whose ultimate goal was to replace the loyalty of Indian soldiers to the crown, was replaced by the Indian National Army (Bose and Jalal, 134).Bose also succeeded in developing a larger participation and unity in the Indian community, one that crossed religious and gender boundaries, than Mahatma Gandhi’s Quit India movement. In his book The Indian Struggle, Bose described his first meeting with Gandhi in 1921, â€Å"there was a deplorable lack of clarity in the plan which the Mahatma had formulated and that he himself had no clear idea of the successive stages of the campaign which would bring India to her cherished goal of freedom† (Kumar).However, although Bose’s efforts did aid India’s independence movement, it did n ot create an impact large enough for historians to declare its actions as the main source of India’s accelerated independence. The most effective factor in Indian independence during World War II, therefore, could not have been the result of Indian nationalist efforts. It was British prime minister Clement Atlee who, when granting independence to India, said that Gandhi’s non-violence movement had next to zero effect on the British.In corroboration, Chief Justice P. B. Chakrabarty of the Kolkata High Court, disclosed the following in a letter addressed to the publisher of Ramesh Chandra Majumdar’s book A History of Bengal, â€Å"You have fulfilled a noble task by persuading Dr. Majumdar to write this history of Bengal and publishing it †¦ In the preface of the book Dr. Majumdar has written that he could not accept the thesis that Indian independence was brought about solely, or predominantly by the non-violent civil disobedience movement of Gandhi.When I w as the acting Governor, Lord Atlee, who had given us independence by withdrawing the British rule from India, spent two days in the Governor’s palace at Calcutta during his tour of India. At that time I had a prolonged discussion with him regarding the real factors that had led the British to quit India. My direct question to him was that since Gandhi’s â€Å"Quit India† movement had tapered off quite some time ago and in 1947 no such new compelling situation had arisen that would necessitate a hasty British departure, why did they have to leave?In his reply Atlee cited several reasons, the principal among them being the erosion of loyalty to the British Crown among the Indian army and navy personnel as a result of the military activities of Netaji [Subhash Chandra Bose]. Toward the end of our discussion I asked Atlee what was the extent of Gandhi’s influence upon the British decision to quit India. Hearing this question, Atlee's lips became twisted in a sarcastic smile as he slowly chewed out the word, â€Å"m-i-n-i-m-a-l! †(Kumar).In reality, the political confrontations and negotiations between Indian nationalists and the British were immensely influenced by an atmosphere of deepening economic crisis. In the aftermath of World War II, Britain’s economy was destroyed to such an extent that they were no longer able to financially maintain their military forces, making Great Britain incapable of containing the incessant freedom movements in their colonies. Therefore, due to its collapsed economy, Great Britain would have left India much later than they did after World War II, regardless of Gandhi, Bose, or any nationalist leader.The most influential character in India’s independence, therefore, would evidently be Adolf Hitler. Despite his selfish reasons for war, Hitler inadvertently created the perfect economic atmosphere needed for the Indian Independence Movement to take flight. Had Hitler not begun World War II, India’s independence, with only nationalist determination as a driving force, would most probably have taken much longer than it did. In the aftermath of World War II, India had increased its political, economic and military influence, which paved the way for its independence from Great Britain in 1947.Although the main factor in Britain’s retreat in India was its economic turmoil, India would not have been able to create or sustain a healthy economy, government, or military without the help of key nationalist leaders. For example, previous tensions between Indian castes were eased by Gandhi, who launched the Haijan movement, a campaign to improve the lives of the untouchables, whom he named Harijans, the children of God. Gandhi also influenced India’s blossoming political ideology. According to Jim Yardley, â€Å"Gandhi is given full credit for India’s political identity as a tolerant, secular democracy. Likewise, Indian military precedent was also set by Bose in his creation of the Indian National Army. Bose also succeeded in uniting various religious entities in India. For example, when he first three of Bose’s officers to be tried were a Hindu, a Muslim, and a Sikh, Indians of all three religions became united against the British in a national movement against the Indian National Army officers’ trial (india. wikia. com). Nationalist efforts, specifically Mahatma Gandhi, may have not been the leading force in India’s independence in 1947, but it did make independence easier. British historians P.J. Cain and A. G. Hopkins described the hopeless situation of the British in India as follows, â€Å"By the end of war, there was a loss of purpose at the very center of the imperial system. The gentlemanly administrators who managed the Raj no longer had the heart to devise new moves against increasing odds, not least because after 1939 the majority of the Indian Civil Service were themselves Indian. In 1945 t he new Viceroy, Wavell, commented on the â€Å"weakness and weariness of the importance of the instrument still our disposal in the shape of the British element in the Indian Civil Service.The town had been lost to opponents of the Raj; the countryside had slipped beyond control. Widespread discontent in the army was followed in 1946 by a mutiny in the navy. It was then Wavell, the unfortunate messenger, reported to London that India had become ungovernable [which finally led to the independence of India† (Kumar). Furthermore, although the Indian Independence Movement was greatly hastened by Britain’s economic crisis posed during the aftermath of World War II, India’s identity would not be the same without the influential works of Indian nationalists. Works Cited:Bose, Sugata & Jalal, Ayesha. 2011, Modern South Asia: History, Culture Political Economy, Third Edition. Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, London and New York. http://india. wikia. com/wiki/Indian_In dependence_Movement http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/India_in_World_War_II Kumar, Susmit. 2012. ‘Hitler, NOT Gandhi, Should Be Given Credit for the Independence of India in 1947’, [Online] Available at: http://www. susmitkumar. net/index. php? option=com_content&view=article&id=100&Itemid=86 Yardley, Jim. 2010, ‘Obama Invokes Gandhi, Whose Ideal Eludes India. ’ New York Times. 6, Nov.

Dear Phyllis Essay

I’m writing to you to say goodbye. I’m in the prison now. I am sad to say I’ll be executed tomorrow because I escaped from the camp. I know you will feel so sad and miserable. But I hope you do not to feel too unhappy. Being shot is the same as letting me successfully escape that hateful camp, hateful country. However, it’s to be regretted that I will let my mother be alone again. I’m so sorry about that I couldn’t go back to Germany; that I can’t look after her in the future. My death will regret by her. And much to my regret let Christoph die accompany me. Phyllis, my beloved, I despaired when you decided not to go with me and had changed your mind when I met you on the highway at that night. I’m not sure why my beloved so easily changed her mind. I think you have your reasons. Anyway, I think you must be anxious to know why we have been captured. We according to our plan and with two other comrades had sailed in safety across the channel. But mistaking our bearings we steered into Jersey, think that the island was the French coast. Unfortunately, we were perceived in that island, and they delivered up to the authorities. The death punishment is being reserved for Christoph and me; the sentence for two was accordingly commuted to flogging because we interceded for them when we were captured. I know I will be dead tomorrow, but I will remember you and love you forever. You are always my beloved, you all be always in my mind. At least I hope you wouldn’t feel too broken – heart when I die. Don’t blame yourself. Forget me, live happily and well in the future. Goodbye! My beloved. Love from Matthaus Tina

Free Essays on Democracies In Crisis

â€Å"Democracies in Crisis† According to the assignment given some believe that there is a general decline in industrial democracies all over the world. Problems that are non-reversible are allegedly spreading through-out industrialized democratic powers. On the contrary some also say that these same democracies are flexible enough to endure the so-called overwhelming problems that are currently facing them. When first given this assignment my indifference to the topic was obvious, but some research lead to a quite different prospective on the countries chosen, Germany and Spain, as well as all industrialized democratic powers of the world. When studying Germany it is not difficult to find information pertaining to the past and Germany’s struggles to attain the level that the nation currently possesses. Germany is interesting to study because of the relatively late development of the Nation State known today. German government, as it is, is quite different from the past approaches taken to running the country. Of these past attempts the most notable was the Third Reich dictated by Hitler, which saw Germany become a world menace. The National Socialist party took control over German politics in 1933; Adolph Hitler, a Nazi, was named as Chancellor and immediately focused his attention and action upon total world domination for the Germans. This reign ended, after a massive world wide battle, in 1945. (WBE 8) 1 Then the task of establishing a government within Germany that would prove more favorable to the country itself and the rest of the industrialized world became priority number one for the allied forces which had put an end to the Nazi rule. â€Å"It has been suggested that the Third Reich reflected a cultural context that permitted and even facilitated its emergence. A number of themes have been identified in Germany’s culture that would make the Nazi ideology appealing across a broad spectrum. Clearly, th... Free Essays on Democracies In Crisis Free Essays on Democracies In Crisis â€Å"Democracies in Crisis† According to the assignment given some believe that there is a general decline in industrial democracies all over the world. Problems that are non-reversible are allegedly spreading through-out industrialized democratic powers. On the contrary some also say that these same democracies are flexible enough to endure the so-called overwhelming problems that are currently facing them. When first given this assignment my indifference to the topic was obvious, but some research lead to a quite different prospective on the countries chosen, Germany and Spain, as well as all industrialized democratic powers of the world. When studying Germany it is not difficult to find information pertaining to the past and Germany’s struggles to attain the level that the nation currently possesses. Germany is interesting to study because of the relatively late development of the Nation State known today. German government, as it is, is quite different from the past approaches taken to running the country. Of these past attempts the most notable was the Third Reich dictated by Hitler, which saw Germany become a world menace. The National Socialist party took control over German politics in 1933; Adolph Hitler, a Nazi, was named as Chancellor and immediately focused his attention and action upon total world domination for the Germans. This reign ended, after a massive world wide battle, in 1945. (WBE 8) 1 Then the task of establishing a government within Germany that would prove more favorable to the country itself and the rest of the industrialized world became priority number one for the allied forces which had put an end to the Nazi rule. â€Å"It has been suggested that the Third Reich reflected a cultural context that permitted and even facilitated its emergence. A number of themes have been identified in Germany’s culture that would make the Nazi ideology appealing across a broad spectrum. Clearly, th...

Rubiks Cube - A History of the 1980s Puzzle

Rubiks Cube - A History of the 1980s Puzzle The Rubiks Cube is a cube-shaped puzzle that has nine, smaller squares on each side. When taken out of the box, each side of the cube has all the squares the same color. The goal of the puzzle is to return each side to a solid color after you have turned it a few times. Which seems simple enough- at first. After a few hours, most people who try the Rubiks Cube realize that they  are mesmerized by the puzzle and yet no closer to solving it. The toy, which was first created in 1974 but not released onto the world market until 1980, quickly became a fad  when it hit stores.   Who Created the Rubik's Cube? Ernà ¶ Rubik is the one to praise or to blame, depending on how mad the  Rubiks Cube has driven you. Born on July 13, 1944 in Budapest, Hungary, Rubik combined the divergent talents of his parents (his father was an engineer who designed gliders and his mother was an artist and a poetess) to become both a sculptor and an architect. Fascinated with the concept of space, Rubik spent his free time - while working as a professor at the Academy of Applied Arts and Design in Budapest - designing puzzles that would open his students minds to new ways of thinking about three-dimensional geometry. In the spring of 1974, just shy of his 30th birthday, Rubik envisioned a small cube, with each side constructed of moveable squares. By the fall of 1974, his friends had helped him create the first wooden model of his idea. At first, Rubik just enjoyed watching how the squares moved as he turned one section and then another. However, when he attempted to put the colors back again, he ran into difficulty. Oddly entranced by the challenge, Rubik spent a month turning the cube this way and that way until he finally realigned the colors. When he handed other people the cube and they too had the same fascinated reaction, he realized he might have a toy puzzle on his hands that could really be worth some money. The Rubik's Cube Deputs in Stores In 1975, Rubik made an arrangement with the Hungarian toy-manufacturer Politechnika, who would mass produce the cube. In 1977, the multi-colored cube first appeared in toy stores in Budapest as the Bà ¼và ¶s Kocka (the Magic Cube). Although the Magic Cube was a success in Hungary, getting Hungary, a Communist country, to agree to allow the Magic Cube out to the rest of the world was a bit of a challenge. By 1979, Hungary agreed to share the cube and Rubik signed with the Ideal Toy Corporation. As Ideal Toys prepared to market the Magic Cube to the West, they decided to rename the cube. After considering several names, they settled on calling the toy puzzle Rubiks Cube. The first Rubiks Cubes appeared in Western stores in 1980. A World Obsession Rubiks Cubes instantaneously became an international sensation. Everyone wanted one. It appealed to youngsters as well as adults. There was something  about the little cube that captured everyones full attention. A Rubiks Cube had six sides,  each a different color (traditionally blue, green, orange, red, white, and yellow). Each side of a traditional Rubiks Cube consisted of nine squares, in a three by three grid pattern. Of the 54 squares on the cube, 48 of them could move (the centers on each side were stationary). Rubiks Cubes were simple, elegant, and surprisingly difficult to solve. By 1982, more than 100 million Rubiks Cubes had been sold and most had yet to be solved. Solving the Rubik's Cube While millions of people were stumped, frustrated, and yet still obsessed with their Rubiks Cubes, rumors began to circulate as to how to solve the puzzle. With more than 43 quintillion possible configurations (43,252,003,274,489,856,000 to be exact), hearing that the stationary pieces are the starting point for the solution or solve one side at a time just was not enough information for the layman to solve the Rubiks Cube. In response to the massive demands by the public for a solution, several dozen books were published in the early 1980s, each spouting easy ways to solve your Rubiks Cube. While some Rubiks Cube owners were so frustrated that they began smashing open their cubes for a peek inside (they hoped to discover some inner secret that would help them solve the puzzle), other Rubiks Cube owners were setting speed records. Starting in 1982, the first annual International Rubiks Championships were held in Budapest, where people competed to see who could solve the Rubiks Cube the fastest. These competitions are places for cubers to show off their speed cubing. As of 2015, the current world record is 5.25 seconds, held by Collin Burns of the United States. An Icon Whether a Rubiks Cube fan was a self-solver, speed-cuber, or a smasher, they had all become obsessed with the small, simple-looking puzzle. During the height of its popularity, Rubiks Cubes could be found everywhere - at school, on buses, in movie theaters, and even at work.  The design and colors of Rubiks Cubes also appeared on t-shirts, posters, and board games. In 1983, Rubiks Cube even had its own television show, called Rubik, the Amazing Cube. In this kids show, a talking, flying Rubiks Cube worked with the aid of three children to foil the evil plans of the shows villain. To date, more than 300 million Rubiks Cubes have been sold, making it one of the most popular toys of the 20th century.