Best Buy Failure in China (International Business) Essay

On the planet today, there are numerous organizations engaging in universal business, and creating to turn into a worldwide organization. For what reason would these organizations like to take the worldwide course? One of the predominant systems to clarify the presence of these worldwide organizations is the Ownership-Location-Internalization (OLI) worldview (Dunning and Lundan 2008). Maintaining a global business is unique in relation to maintaining a household business. Worldwide business expects you to perceive and comprehend the social contrasts between nations. Neglecting to perceive and comprehend this distinction might prompt numerous troubles, or more regrettable still, disappointment. In this paper, I will talk about the troubles that Best Buy Co. Inc. confronted, and its possible disappointment because of the absence of comprehension of the social contrasts in its host nation, China. The ascent of China has developed into trust in the whole buyer gadgets industry. The country’s 1.3 billion buyers and their quick expanding purchasing power have changed China into the world’s biggest shopper gadgets advertise, a market opportunity that worldwide goliaths can't bear to disregard (Chen and He 2005). In that capacity, Best Buy was only one of the numerous worldwide organizations that attempted to enter the Chinese market. Best Buy Co. Inc. Best Buy is a worldwide retailer of shopper gadgets from the United States and works in the United Kingdom, Canada, Turkey, Mexico, China just as its nation of origin. Begun as the Sound of Music in 1966 as a sound forte store by Richard M. Schulze, it was later changed to Best Buy Co., Inc. by the top managerial staff in 1983 and is presently the main buyer hardware retailer in the United States (Pederson 2004). Best Buy sells buyer hardware just as a wide determination of related product, for example, music, cell phones, PCs, PC programming, DVDs, Blu-beam plates, computer games, computerized cameras, camcorders just as home apparatuses. The global utilized a two-track way to deal with enter the Chinese market. The purchaser gadgets goliath previously opened a sourcing office in Shanghai in 2005 and started its endeavors to venture into the Chinese market in May 2006 by remote procurement. The worldwide contributed $108 million to get a dominant part stake in China’s fourth biggest purchaser gadgets retailer, Jiangsu Five Star Appliance (Bloomberg 2006). Not long after in December 2006, the organization utilized the greenfield method of section and opened its first â€Å"Best Buy† store that followed their own US plan of action, in Shanghai’s occupied Xujiahui shopping locale. By forcing a US plan of action, Best Buy proposed to persuade meticulous Chinese clients with accommodating and trustworthy assistance in spotless, charming outlets. The administrator and head supervisor of Best Buy China, Lu Weiming proclaimed that they were sure with the store model they had, which will separate them from contenders and thusly assist them with winning the consumers’ heart (Kurtenbach 2006). The organization later opened another eight stores, which expanded the all out number of â€Å"Best Buy† stores in China to nine. Issue Identification As indicated by the China Daily on March 21, 2011, Jiangsu Five Star Appliance kept on growing. Be that as it may, Best Buy’s extension was moderate and was not running as easily as envisioned. â€Å"The global got a Western plan of action and it neglected to adequately draw in the Chinese customers and customers,† said Chen Can, a senior expert from Analysys International (China Daily 2011). Best Buy’s plan of action in the US, where the brand markets itself as conveying a superior help than contenders, went poorly in China. Subsequent to being in the Chinese market for a long time, the organization just figured out how to open nine stores, catching short of what one percent of the Chinese market as per investigators. Neglecting to get on in the Asian nation, the organization chose in February, 2011, to close its central command alongside the entirety of its nine stores (Birchall, Strauss and Waldmeir 2011). Reasons for the issue Despite the fact that the organization opened a sourcing office in 2005, the worldwide despite everything had a long way to go about the Chinese and the manner in which they worked together. â€Å"The exercise we learned is that we stretched out beyond the Chinese customer in how business is done in China,† said Brian Dunn, Best Buy’s Chief Executive (Groth 2011). He said the company’s botch had been to open large box stores with fixed costs that were staffed completely by Best Buy’s blue-shirted representatives (Jopson and Waldmeir 2011). Obviously, Best Buy entered the Chinese market in 2006 with an absence of information on the nearby consumer’s culture. Global procedure is where the firm uses the center competency, which it created at home, as its primary serious weapon in the outside market (Sumantra and Nitin 1993). This is the methodology which Best Buy utilized. The organization didn't enter China with the aim to recruit neighborhood ability who realized that how will generally be fruitful in China. Or maybe, it entered the nation expecting to make ability that realized that how generally will be effective in the United States (Adam 2011). At the point when the worldwide originally entered the Chinese market, numerous individuals trusted that it would effectively supplant the predominant, yet broadly censured Chinese plan of action that concentrated on cost focused rivalry (Ni 2011). Forcing their center competency in the US model, the organization offered â€Å"a idea in front of the consumer,† said retail investigator Paul French of Access Asia which was situated in Shanghai (Macleod 2011). Best Buy gives an excellent shopping experience to its buyers, to which the Chinese buyers were eventually not ready to pay for (Jopson 2011). Customers in China are commonly not quite the same as buyers in the United States. Wei and Salil (2010) expressed that the Chinese customers have a higher psychological age observation, lower levels of physical wellbeing status and lower life fulfillment levels when contrasted with their American partners. Eastman et. al. (1997) directed an examination and found that there were factually huge contrasts between the two, to such an extent that Chinese buyers were more materialistic than those in the United States. Eastman’s research was later supported up by Schmitt’s (1999) contemplates. What's more, Schmitt found that the Chinese purchasers were more brand cognizant and would go out to shop with brands as a key affecting variable. The culturally diverse examination above is only one reason with respect to why Best Buy neglected to draw in shoppers in China. For example, the company’s store in China for the most part splits gadgets and other huge ticket things by class (Birchall, Strauss and Waldmeir 2011). Be that as it may, the Chinese are slanted to place more confidence in brand names than purchasers in the US do. Because of this dependence on brands as an integral factor, the Chinese shopper would for the most part incline toward things in the store to be sorted by their make as opposed to work. Another reason for the company’s disappointment in drawing in Chinese clients lies in the way that all business staff in the store were the company’s direct representatives who wore the pervasive blue Best Buy uniform. This was an obvious distinction to the scene in ordinary Chinese outlets, where buyers were familiar with subsections of gadgets stores being kept an eye on by the manufacturer’s own representatives, who were likewise ready to offer expert information (Jopson 2011). Simultaneously, Best Buy’s statistical surveying demonstrated that Chinese shoppers got a kick out of the chance to evaluate new items. While this was valid, what in the end happened was that the Chinese customers would initially go to Best Buy to evaluate items, before immediately walking over the road to one of the other Chinese retailers and purchasing the said item for less (Adam 2011). This was incompletely because of the estimating in Best Buy stores, which depended on a fixed-value strategy (Jopson 2011) and just served to drive the Chinese buyer much further away. As expressed by Montlake (2006), bartering is a lifestyle in China. Chinese shoppers like bartering and they are accustomed to haggling with the salesman to get a rebate, which was impossible in Best Buy. Not exclusively is haggling impossible, the costs, best case scenario Buy were additionally set including some built-in costs as it followed the company’s US model of offering top notch administration and a superior shopping experience to customers, for example, the chance to attempt items before making a buy. In any case, that didn't appear to suit the youthful Chinese market well overall (Ni 2011). Buying choices made by Chinese shoppers are controlled by cost and not administration (Birchall, Strauss and Waldmeir 2011). Simultaneously, Chinese customers had the recognition that Gome and Suning, two of Best Buy’s greatest contenders, had the option to under cut Best Buy’s costs fundamentally (Adam 2011). Chinese customers care more about cost than administration (D’Altorio 2011). The Chinese don't penny-squeeze and spare since they like to, but since they need to. They willfully charge themselves to secure against the nonappearance of a government assistance wellbeing net. In the event that a Chinese shopper gets old, he will require that cash to make due, since state benefits stay lacking. As his folks age, he should bolster his seniors, particularly since he is probably going to be their lone kid, an aftereffect of the country’s one kid strategy. This the truth is the thing that sustains and causes the ease, scratch and dent section Chinese retail condition (French 2007). To finish it off, Best Buy’s decision of a Chinese name left numerous buyers contemplating over its choice. A nation saturated with customs and odd notions, numerous Chinese purchasers remarked that the company’s Chinese name, â€Å"Bai Si Mai†, was a terrible one as it actually implied

Roman Mythology Essays - Religion, Greek Mythology, Mythology

Greek/Roman Mythology Essays - Religion, Greek Mythology, Mythology Greek/Roman Mythology Parallelisms Between Greek and Roman Mythology Greek and Roman folklore have numerous similitudes between them. Each type has there own arrangement of Gods and Goddesses, despite the fact that they were venerated for comparative reasons. The accompanying will clarify every God or Goddess and disclose how they contrast with one another. The King of Gods in Greek Mythology is known as Zeus. Zeus was the leader of the sky, and had the ability to make rainstorms and lightning just as seismic tremors. He was the offspring of Cronus and Rhea. Supposedly he was their 6th youngster, and the dad to shield him from being ousted had eaten the five past kids. Zeus was taken to a city called Crete and avoided his dad. As Zeus became more seasoned and realized of what happened he found a mixture to cause his dad to disgorge different kids. When this happened they all collaborated and executed their dad. Zeus at that point turned into the leader of Mount Olympus, and leader of the new line of Gods. Jupiter was the overwhelming force holder of Roman Gods. He was leader of the sky, the sunshine, all the climate, and even the thunder and helping. Jupiter helped drive back the Sabines. His sanctuary was worked in the Capitol, and recently chose advises offered their first petitions to him. Hera was the spouse and sister of Zeus, and the High Goddess of the Greeks. She was very desirous of the undertakings that her better half was having and frequently tormented or hurt the courtesans he was playing around with. In spite of the fact that, when she went excessively far, or attempted to cause demise, Zeus would mediate and stop her. Hera attempted to transport unleash Heracles on his arrival from Troy, and with that Zeus had her hung by the wrists from top of the mountain with a blacksmith's iron attached to every lower leg. The two had four kids together. Juno, Heras partner, was the spouse of Jupiter. Juno was the defender of ladies, particularly the individuals who are hitched. Ladies frequently offered contributions to Juno to help with their labor. The God of the Underworld, Hades, was the sibling of Zeus. He picked up Hell, as his offer in overcoming their dad. He is generally known for grabbing his significant other, Persephone, while she was picking blossoms in a field. Supposedly, Hades had her eat a bit of food in the Underworld, along these lines she was unable to live on the Earth once more. Her dad, Zeus, made courses of action for her to be permitted on Earth for 66% of the year and in the Underworld as Hades spouse for the remainder of the time. This is utilized as the reason for spring and winter. At the point when she comes back to the surface she carries spring with her and when she comes back to the Underworld she abandons winter her. Pluto, the Roman God of the Underworld, whos name additionally implies rich. It mirrors the rich mineral

The different directions in Judaism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The various bearings in Judaism - Essay Example The vast majority decipher the Halakha as a Jewish law, nonetheless, in the genuine sense, it implies the way. That is the way wherein individuals should live. On this premise, most Jews who lived in the diaspora utilized the Halakha as a wellspring of their strict and common laws. In the contemporary and present day Jewish society, the individual and the family laws are consistently under the authority of the rabbi courts. On this premise, the family and individual qualities are consistently under the direction of the Halakha. In deciphering the Halakha, there are three primary Jewish headings, to be specific the Orthodox, the liberal, and the Hasidism bearings. The Orthodox Jews trust in the Halakha as a strict framework (Landesmann and Jones, 2012). They accept that the Halakha is a disclosure of the desire of God. Conventional Jews accept that the Rabbis have an obligation of deciphering the composed Torah, where its arrangements are not satisfactory. Be that as it may, they should just to do as such with the guidelines indicated by Moses, at the heap of Sinai. These guidelines viable were transmitted orally, and they are obviously clarified in the book of Talmud. Standard Jews accept that no rabbi has a power to change the Jewish laws contained in the Talmud and the Torah, everything they can do is to give a translation of these laws. Be that as it may, their understandings are liable to change, and reevaluation. As per the Orthodox Judaism, the job of a lady is dynamic and complex. Ladies under the Orthodox Judaism are permitted to take part in business, to watch the Sabbath, to participate in exercises focused on their self-awareness, and this incorporates scholastics, and so forth. The job of Jewish Orthodox ladies rotate around the referenced territories. Nonetheless, the Halakha doesn't distinguish the particular obligations and jobs of ladies among the Orthodox Jews; in any case, the standard Jews accept that the Halakha just gives direction on how ladies should live. The standard Jews put stock in the job of a

ACTIVITY 3 &4 DOCUMENTARY 13 th Essays - Crime, Criminal Justice

Movement 3 4: DOCUMENTARY 13 th Leyla Barkhordar Educator Brewer Media 10 Scholars Santa Clause Monica College Unique This paper investigates a few points examined in the narrative 13 TH encompassing African Americans and the media. The subjects shift as far as their substance and their relationship to African Americans and the media pre 1960s . The narrative break down s the separation African Americans experience, for example, being designated super predators, and furthermore the development of the U.S. jail populace from 1970 to 2000. Different themes talked about in 13 TH clarify racial imbalance for African Americans in an unexpected way, and consequently, other various perceptions. This paper inspects the narrative 13 TH notwithstanding data from four different sources that help data delineated in the film in regards to African Americans and the media during the 1900s. Action 34: Documentary 13 th 13 th is a stunning, enlightening, narrative that represents being frightened of another race, particularly a race of another shading. This must-see narrative delineates the genuine idea of racial separation over the United States of America. From the present to past, the narrative, 13 th , precisely misuses the annihilation and dissatisfaction African Americans confronted. Awful, heart-gutting, 13 th genuinely gives the acknowledgment that history rehashes itself, proceeding with an endless example of racial partition. All through the narrative 13 th numerous subjects spread our present conversation in class with respect to the African Americans and the Media Pre 1960s. The primary point we are acquainted with, December 6, 1865, 13 TH Amendment , states that it is unlawful for somebody to be held as a slave. As per the narrative, the 13 th Amendment of 1865 additionally gives every single African American opportunity. After the conversation around the 13 th Amendment , we are instructed on the 13 th Amendment escape clause which has a special case, expressing that crooks are not material to the correction itself. A s an aftereffect of this proviso, African Americans were captured in mass numbers. Following the 13 th Amendment escape clause talked about in the film is the film subject Birth of a Nation (1915) . Birth of a Nation is the main significant blockbuster film delivered , which was likewise answerable for the resurrection of the Ku Klux Klan. With respect to the development of Birth of a N ation, the KKK prompted inhuman, ani malistic pictures of dark individuals . Forecasts in which race speak to in the U.S . were closed after these pictures showed up . After the conversation of Birth of a Nation and the KKK, we are acquainted with President Richard Nixon's Law and Order Period . Here, wrongdoing starts to represent race. Right now, President Richard Nixon explained clamor and request. President Richard Nixon focused on that the rush of wrongdoing would not be the war of future. It appears that wrongdoing is just the start of the past war. Proceeding after the discussions encompassing President Richard Nixon's Law and Order Period, we are acquainted with President Reagan's 1982 War on Drugs . Reagan alluded to the war on drugs as an advanced war on drugs. He explicitly called the war on drugs, the war of networks of shading. President Reagan was resolved to characterize the issue and resolve the issue of financial imbalance alongside the war on drugs I n request to stop criminalization. After 1982 President Reagan's War on Drugs, his significant other, Nancy Reagan, made the Simply Say No campa ign . The Simply Say No crusade was basically disapproving of medications. Reagan made this battle so as to stop the expansion of medication use. After President Reagan's Simply Say No crusade, we are acquainted with the subject in regards to C rack cocaine . Rocks was a medication pandemic in African American people group. This type of medications turned into a scourge particularly in these networks. Required sentence punishmen ts were built up for individuals who cracked. On the off chance that you cracked, you would go to jail for an incredible remainder. Simply consider it. The idea of doing rocks sends you to jail forever. Today, drugs, including rocks are as yet pervasive and being used in the U.S. As indicated by Crack C

ROMANITC LOVE TOPIC IN BOTH RENAISSANCE LIERATURE AND MUSIC Essay

ROMANITC LOVE TOPIC IN BOTH RENAISSANCE LIERATURE AND MUSIC - Essay Example This has risen above to madrigal artists who initially just sang common music yet in the end accepting sentimental love as a major aspect of their music collection. In this manner madrigal artists took a turn with renaissance poems as they started singing adoration melodies from the customary sing of applause. The most conceivable explanation that be reasoned is to this is renaissance poems fit the very much created piece of madrigals also that the loftiness of the subject of affection approaches the loftiness of Praise. Not at all like a run of the mill artist which we know today, madrigals are normally made out of a few people made out of four vocal parts †the soprano, alto, tenor and the pass. Soprano and alto are ordinarily sung by ladies because of its high pitch while the tenor and bass are typically sung by men. A madrigal artist endeavors to communicate forceful feeling contained in an all around made line out of which a commended poem makes an ideal fit. Madrigals can likewise be said as the most elevated type of music that commonly claims just to the developed and the scholarly because of the complexity of its medium. It follows then that the words articulated by a madrigal music should likewise be equivalent to its structure and what better lines can be sung by a madrigal than the deliberate meter of a work. Madrigals were customarily sang for common purposes yet inevitably developed to likewise sing commended love pieces of renaissance writing because of the loftiness of its words and reason that equivalent to an applause. Its profoundly organized singing had intercourse pieces an ideal for the mode of a madrigal therefore speaking to the complex crowd. Today be that as it may, madrigal has advanced further. It despite everything sing love melodies yet no longer bind itself to the poems of renaissance writing but the works of the renaissance writing set the bar of the verses that can be sang by

2 Contemporary Books To Get You Writing

2 Contemporary Books To Get You Writing The Artists Way by Julia Cameron has long been a go-to for many artists who need inspiration or direction. Since 1992, it has morphed into several updated versions including a  workbook   as well as an actual course. Though it’s still going strong today, some writers may be looking for even newer motivation. Here are two more books on craft that can get that pen to paper. And fingers to the keyboard. And thumbs to the phone screen. And voice to the mic. You/Poet by Rayna Hutchison and Samuel Blake This book’s subtitle reads “Learn The Art. Speak Your Truth. Share Your Voice.” That’s empowerment right on the cover. Part I offers really short chapters packed with the basics of traditional poetry and contemporary poetry. There’s also a section on spoken word. Even if you don’t want to read the entire chapters (which, seriously, are so quick!), green info boxes appear with fun quotes and facts about poets. Part II gives a roundup of technique. In addition to discussing metaphors and similes, it gives helpful hints about   using semi-colons and colons. (I am in love with this section.) Moreover, there are hints about editing. (I am more in love.) Part III is all about the prompts. Single-word prompts. Word jumble prompts. Image prompts. Micro-poetry prompts (they give you a line and you finish it). Thematic prompts.  These prompts appear on lined pages. That means you write right there! Directly following are some easy-to-understand examples of specific poetry forms. Including Twitterature. It’s a thing, y’all. via GIPHY Part IV is all about getting your work out into the realm of readers. There’s some solid traditional advice, but also included is advice about super-digital-media publishing and publicity. Leading by example, the book has its own hashtag: #YouPoetBook. While it obviously is directed at poets, any kind of writer can get something out of this collection of motivational prompts. CREDO: An Anthology of Manifestos and Sourcebook for Creative Writing by Rita Banerjee and Diana Norma Szokolyai While You/Poet focuses on the compact, quick prompting, CREDO offers a more in-depth swell of writing craft. I mean, its a man i fest o. For writers who want motivation by way of the profound, this anthology offers philosophical essays about writing. These essays address why we write and how we write creatively. The philosophy behind building the craft appears as a way to urge writers to hone their own skills. For writers who are looking to be inspired by the creative writing of others, there are literary snippets. Read a poem by Camille Rankine. Read some prose by Caitlin Johnson. Then write your own poetry and prose. For writers who want a more pragmatic approach, creative writing exercises also appear. These are prompts in various genres available to any writer looking to write in any way. via GIPHY From the decades of The Artists’ Way, writers have seen themselves as creators. Both You/Poet and CREDO urge writers to continue to create through writing. Once you’ve found a spark with these, try some more from this list here. As always, feel free to share your experiences with these books or leave your own suggestions in the comments.

2020 Guide to Summer Programs for High School Students

2020 Guide to Summer Programs for High School Students In the 1990s, while the rest of society was busy squirting each other with Super Soakers, listening to the Gin Blossoms, and carving Nike swooshes into their hair, colleges suddenly realized, for the very first time, that their campuses were completely deserted during the summer. That’s when an administrator at a prestigious university had a revolutionary notion – â€Å"What if we filled up our dorms with high school students whose parents are caught up in the admissions hysteria and charged triple our normal tuition rate for the privilege?† Hence, the college summer program for high school sophomores and juniors was born.Cynical, pseudo-historical accounts aside, the merit of summer programs varies greatly from campus-to-campus and it is important to do your homework before reaching for that Visa card. Some selective summer programs will absolutely benefit you come college admissions time, while many others, even some located at Ivy League universities, will car ry very little weight. The article that follows will help you become a more discerning summer program consumer.Will they help my child’s chance at admission?An increasing number of selective colleges are indeed beginning to scrutinize how applicants spend their summers during high school. In response to this trend, countless parents have spent thousands of dollars on summer programs that may provide for an enriching experience, but do little to distinguish their child from the rest of the applicant pool. Today, the majority of competitive colleges offer at least one pre-college program inviting high school students to explore campus, visit with faculty, and even take courses during the summer months.It is critical to understand that certain summer programs are viewed more favorably than others in the admissions process but, in short, the most important thing is that the program that you pick aligns with your future academic and professional aims. Even if an aspiring physician doesnt gain acceptance into a highly competitive pre-med summer program with a national reputation, enrolling at a local med school or hospitals pre-med/pre-health program can still provide a boost to that future applicants profile. That said, most teens want to aim for the top-shelf programs that will impress admissions officers at selective colleges.How do I know which ones have admissions-related value?The easiest way is to consult College Transitions list of Top Summer Programs for High School Students. We’ve already done the hard work for you of evaluating hundreds of summer programs, skimming off the cream and tossing aside the rest. The programs on our list generally meet three criteria: 1) they are highly-selective and selection is merit-based; 2) many are low-cost or free to attend; 3) elite colleges will actually factor your attendance into their admissions equation.To give you an overview, let’s take a look at some of the top programs in various disciplines and examine a few exemplary programs in detail to further illuminate the qualities that make a summer program a truly worthwhile pursuit.Competitive Summer Programs for 2020 by category STEMStudents interested in STEM have a bevy of excellent choices including Michigan State’s  HSHPP Program, the MIT: Minority Introduction to Science and Engineering, or the  PROMYS program  at Boston University. Math-specific programs such as the Ross Mathematics Program at Ohio State or MathILy ay Bryn Mawr College are worthwhile pursuits for the quantitatively-inclined.The RSI Program, put on by the Center for Excellence in Education on the grounds of MIT, is a cost-free program with an acceptance rate of approximately 3%. The roughly 80 accepted high school students spend five weeks going through an entire research cycle, reading current literature in their field, drafting a research plan, and sharing their findings at a seminar. Accomplished professors teach and mentor the students through the process. Participation in the RSI program is a highly-impressive credential for any student looking to apply to an elite undergraduate STEM program.Business Leadership Those pursuing study in the field of business or in enhancing their leadership capacity would do well to check out  Wharton’s Leadership in the Business World  program,  Economics for Leaders  which is hosted by a number of different schools, or Indiana Universitys Young Women’s Institute.The Bank of America Student Leaders summer program is as competitive as it gets, boasting an acceptance rate of under 4%. The 225 high school juniors and seniors that make the cut spend eight week as a paid intern at a non-profit organization, receive mentorship from BOA employees, and participate in the Student Leaders Summit in Washington D.C. Volunteer opportunities are available all across the United States allowing participants to remain at/near home if they so choose.Journalism/Liberal ArtsTh ose interested in becoming the next generation of investigative reporters would do well to seek out the Princeton University Summer Journalism Program or the Cronkite Institute for High School Journalism: Summer Journalism Institute at Arizona State University.For those unsure about their exact area of future study, programs like Texas Tech’s  Clark Scholars offer a wide array of subjects from Advertising to Plant Soil Sciences. The Yale Young Global Scholars Program has a less intimidating acceptance rate than many other elite programs—it accepts roughly 25% of the 6,500 who apply each year. Students from over 125 countries flock to New Haven, Connecticut for one of three two-week blocks offered from June through August. This program is on the pricey side; each session costs $6,300. Yet, for those who can afford it, this program allows students to live in Yale’s Residential Colleges, hear lectures from accomplished faculty members, complete a capstone projec t, and collaborate with bright minds from around the globe.College Transitions’ Bottom Line:It is important to note that participation in an elite summer program is not an essential step in one’s quest to earn admission into a selective college. If you have unlimited resources and your son or daughter feels they would benefit from the experience,   attending a costly summer program can absolutely be beneficial. However, it is important to be realistic about what you’re paying for. Some â€Å"elite† programs accept as many as 80% of applicants. Again, we recommend first exploring more selective, cost-free programs that are merit-based and geared toward a discipline of genuine interest. And, if all else fails, don’t underestimate the value of a normal teenage summer experience like working a job, volunteering locally, or pursuing one’s artistic, athletic, or other recreational passions.