Acknowledgement for training

Praise to God for I undergo my industrial training that begins on early. Technologies India pet Ltd (l), I finally successfully completed my Industrial training. I also would like to extend my thankfulness to the most precious persons In my life, my father and mother for all their moral support. Its a great pleasure to present this report of Industrial training in partial fulfillment of B. Tech Mechanical Engineering from Pundit Adenoidal Petroleum university. I am entrusted to undergo my industrial training at SF for 6 weeks before I can omelet my subject course in order to graduate.During the 6 weeks of working here I am exposed to many new things which are very valuable for me to learn and carry out with devotion when I face the real world of working in the future. Undergoing for industrial training has become one of the curricular that college student compulsory to attend especially for those who studied at PDP. The motive of this action Is to expose students and let them experie nce the environment of the real world of working before graduating. For that I am heartily thankful to DRP. H. B. Regained who Is Director of School of Technology at Pendant Adenoidal Petroleum university.I realize that learning theoretical is never the same when it comes to practice. There are a lot more to master than Just learning from book. Acknowledgement for training By avatar's persons in my life, my father and mother for all their moral support. Its a great Mechanical Engineering from Pundit Adenoidal Petroleum University. To attend especially for those who studied at PDP. The motive of this action is to is Director of School of Technology at Pundit Adenoidal Petroleum University. Completion of this training was not possible. I feel very happy to say my deeply.

Reproductive Health Bill Essay

The Reproductive Health Bill was first proposed in 1998 by Edcel Lagman of Albay. The said bill aims to improve and promote all methods of family planning, both natural and modern, to help our country’s dilemma regarding the continued growth of our population. The RH Bill gives information to family planning. It will improve maternal, infant and child health and nutrition. It promotes breast feeding. Then abortion will remain illegal and it is punishable by law but post-abortion complications will be given medical aid. It also contains prevention of reproductive tract infections like HIV/AIDS, STD, etc; treatment of breast and reproductive tract cancers, and prevention and treatment of infertility. It has elimination of violence against women and also education of sexuality and reproductive health. It includes male involvement and participation in the reproductive health and lastly education of reproductive health for the youth. For several reasons this bill has been an issue in our country for years. It has its pros and cons. Some say it is advantageous because it will really help in the country’s problem, the never ending growth of population that eventually leads to the country’s unchanging state of poverty. Some say it is a no no because of its very ill effects, immorality and sinful act. While, others have no idea what it is nor have any concern about what is happening around them which is really unfortunate. So the researchers thought of conducting a research concerning the thoughts and opinions of the youth about this bill. The youth’s perceptions are important, so are their awareness. Their awareness is a primary concern because they are the future generation. They should be aware of the things going around their environment in order for them to help and participate in developing the country’s economy into a better one. Their views and points may help the society after all.

Maruti Suzuki Company Profile

Organisational Profile of Maruti Suzuki About us – Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL, formerly named Maruti Udyog Limited) is a subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan. MSIL has been the leader of the Indian car market for over two and a half decades. The company's two manufacturing facilities are located at Gurgaon and Manesar, south of New Delhi. Recently, the company has announced a further investment of Rs 1,700 crore (Rs 17 billion) for enhancing the production capacity by 250,000 units annually. The CAGR over two years is 27% for net sales.Nature of the Company Ownership – Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. Is a public limited company and is listed on Bombay Stock Exchange Limited and National Stock Exchange Limited. SMC is the majority shareholder with 54. 21% equity stake in the company. Shareholding Pattern of the Company – Our Vision – The Leader in the Indian Automobile Industry, Creating Customer Delight and Shareholder's Wealth; A pride of India. We believe OUR CORE VALUES drive us in every endeavor. * CUSTOMER OBSESSION * FAST, FLEXIBLE & FIRST MOVER INNOVATION & CREATIVITY * NETWORKING & PARTNERSHIP * OPENNESS & LEARNING Quest Unlimited – â€Å"After 25 years of leadership, what next? † It is not for us to predict the future. Other than to say that the Quest is unceasing. We continue on our journey, uninterrupted and without distraction, avoiding complacence and flamboyance, to explore newer frontiers, strengthen and expand partnerships, connect with the layers and layers of a still larger world and embed ourselves deeper in the lives of people. Success Mantra –Success in this business, we said, asks for â€Å"Stamina and Patience, Order and Creativity, Skills hard and soft and it needs all of them to Co-exist in the Right Proportion. † We follow the natural low of 3G – Give is the route to Get and Grow. CORPORATE INFORMATION – Board Of Directors – Mr. R. C. Bhargava, Chairman Mr. Shinzo Nakanishi, Managing Director and CEO Mr. Tsuneo Ohashi, Director and Managing Executive Officer (Production) Mr. Shuji Oishi, Director & Managing Executive Officer (Marketing & Sales) Mr. Keiichi Asai, Director & Managing Executive Officer (Engineering) Mr.Manvinder Singh Banga, Director Mr. Amal Ganguli, Director Mr. D. S. Brar, Director Mr. Osamu Suzuki, Director Ms. Pallavi Shroff, Director Mr. Kenichi Ayukawa, Director Contact us – Head Office Maruti Suzuki India Limited 1, Nelson Mandela Road, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi-110070 Board no. 46781000 Fax : 46150275-76| Gurgaon Plant Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. Gurgaon Plant Old Palam Gurgaon Road Gurgaon – 122015 Tel: (0124)   2346721| Manesar Plant Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. Manesar Plant Plot no. 1, Phase 3A IMT Manesar Gurgaon – 122051. | BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS Company’s Snapshot – Above 50% market share in passenger cars and van type Vehicles for all 25 years * O ver 7 million cars produced & sold cumulatively * Over 500,000 cars exported cumulatively * 1st in customer satisfaction for 9 consecutive years – J D power CSI survey * One million units/ annum total capacity * Gurgaon facility – capacity 700,000 units/ annum * Manesar facility – capacity 300,000 units/annum * Over 7,600 employees on its rolls. * 681 sales outlets in 454 cities * 2767 workshops in 1314 cities * 315 pre-owned car outlets in 181 cities Recent AWARDS –India's Most Trusted Brand 2009: The Economic times Maruti Suzuki has been ranked Indian most Trusted Brand by India's leading Business newspaper The Economic Times. This prestigious accolade comes alongside company's 10-year long pole position in customer satisfaction surveys. 2000-2009: JD Power Customer Satisfaction Index Award – India The biggest draw for the past ten years has been the award for highest recognition by the customer. In 2009-10 again, for the tenth consecutive ti me, Maruti Suzuki ranked the highest in JD Power Customer Satisfaction Index.Other Accolades During 2009-10, the company, its products and services received reputed awards and accolades instituted by independent expert groups, media houses and research agencies. These include: * Ritz – Hatchback of the year * Ritz – Car of the year * Maruti Suzuki as the ‘Manufacturer of the year' by CNBC Overdrive * In the World's Most Reputed Company Survey 2009, Maruti Suzuki ranked third amongst global car companies and 49 amongst all companies across all segments. * ICSI National Award for Excellence in Corporate Governance' Products –The company has a portfolio of 13 brands and over 150 variants across Maruti 800, Omni, international brands Alto, A-star, WagonR, Swift, Ritz and Estilo, off-roader Gypsy, SUV Grand Vitara, sedans SX4 and Swift DZire and the newest entrant Eeco. Quality – A product of poor quality requires repeated inspections, entails wastage in terms of repairs and replacements. â€Å"Do it right first time†, is the principle followed to avoid wastage. To ensure quality, robots were devices and deployed especially where they reduced worker fatigue and were critical in delivering consistent quality.With consistent improvements in the plant the company was able to manufacture over 600,000 vehicles in 2006-07 with an installed capacity of just 350,000 vehicles per year. Production Management System (PMS) – PMS is derived from the basic Japanese principles of 5S, 3G and 3K. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) concepts – Maruti Suzuki has adopted a CSR policy, which serves as a guiding tool for the management and the employees in steering Maruti Suzuki towards long term sustained growth in harmony along with the interests of the stakeholder.The role of the CSR department is to professionalize CSR activities in Maruti Suzuki and strengthen the mechanisms involving the activities. Significant efforts have been taken to contribute to society at large, through its corporate activities, especially in the areas of Road Safety and Vocational Training. Maruti Suzuki has set up dedicated teams with requisite expertise to steer the social projects. Maruti Driving School – National Road Safety Mission – Driving its message for road safety, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, unveiled a National Road Safety Mission| programme in December 2008.Under the programme, the company will * Train 500,000 people in safe driving in the next 3 years across India| | * While utilizing the existing 4 Institutes of Driving Training and Research (IDTR) in Delhi, Dehradun and Vadodara and 61 Maruti Driving Schools across the country the company will enter into partnerships with state governments for more IDTRs and with its dealers for more Maruti Driving Schools * Of the 500,000 people to be trained, at least 100,000 will be people from underprivileged section of society, who are keen to take driving as a profession. The company will continue to support to government and industry in their efforts for road safety| Sustainability Approach – In line with the global environmental concerns, we have identified the following focus areas with regards to the protection of environment and resources for the future generations. * CO2 emission reduction * Energy Conservation * Water Conservation * Solid Waste Management * Material Usage and Weight reduction * Fuel EfficiencyEnvironment Friendly –Fuel Efficient K-series Engine Technology Maruti Suzuki recognizes global warming and climate changes as global issues, the effects of which are of concern both for the environment and human life. The challenge faced by the society is how to meet the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Maruti Suzuki strongly believes that an investment in environment friendly products and manufacturing facilities is in the best interest of t he society as well as the business.The last 25 years of our journey has reinforced the belief that environment friendly initiatives make products more acceptable to customers and help Maruti Suzuki grow profitably in every sphere. Since Maruti Suzuki started operations, conserving environment and natural resources has been an integral part of our systems and processes. The concept of â€Å"Reduce, Reuse, Recycle† (3R's) has been our driving principle.This three pronged strategy or the 3 R's has been promoted in all our manufacturing facilities, supply chain and logistics operations. Maruti Suzuki also follows the Philosophy of â€Å"Smaller, Fewer, Lighter, Shorter and Neater†. This Philosophy has helped Maruti Suzuki in optimal utilization of resources and cost savings. True Value Outlet – Maruti True Value is India No. 1 organized pre-owned car brand. The company's service businesses include sale and purchase of pre-owned cars (True Value) and Maruti Finance.U nique advantages   Ã¢â‚¬â€œ * India's largest certified used car dealer network * 340 outlets in 197 cities and growing * All car related services under one roof * professionally trained manpower * Complete peace of mind| | These initiatives, besides providing total mobility solutions to customers in a convenient and transparent manner, have helped improve economic viability of the company's dealerships Exports – What do countries like Poland, Finland, Iceland, Malta, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Algeria and Italy have in common?Maruti Suzuki cars ply on the roads of these countries, and what's more, they are soon becoming the fastest selling cars in those lands. Maruti Suzuki exports, entry-level models across the globe to over 100 countries and the focus has been to identify new markets. Some important markets include Latin America, Africa and South East Asia. The Company clocked its highest ever exports at 70,023 units, a growth of 32. 1% in the Fiscal Year 2008-09.

Introducing new brand into a market Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Introducing new brand into a market - Case Study Example (Auchan, 2008). Currently, Auchan has formed an alliance with the telecommunications operator Wind, in Italy, to build the strongest virtual operator, supported physically by Wind to offer telecommunication services as well as attractive promotions and fidelity options to give customers a reason to choose its supermarket over the current leader. This is an example of the "flanker strategy" - the objective of this strategy is to defend an exposed flank, which in business terms, is translated into a weakness in the leader's offering. "a follower may try to capture a leading share in a market segment with a differentiated product where the leader is not strong." (Avlonitis, 2006, p. 49). Attacking a non natural action field will give them an advantage over Carrefour that will require time for them to regain. Archos France is a company that produces electronic components, specifically those dedicated to multimedia applications. The role of Archos is the one of a company that follows the pace of the technology dictated by other leaders like Apple. Its strategy is based on producing almost cutting edge technological products at a lower cost than the concurrency but not trying to get the leadership position, since the company does not invest in innovation and advertising to the extent of the leaders in the industry. This is despite the fact that the company claims to have an objective of being an innovative company that brings pocket entertainment to customers (Archos, 2008). "Firms which undertake a good deal of innovation often have to recoup massive investment costs. Market followers are able to copy what the leading firms produce and save themselves the burden of massive investment costs. This means that they can operate very profitably at the going price in a market." (Proctor, 2000, p .109). An example of this strategy is the multimedia reader Archos 405 which is a product that resembles the iPod touch from Apple but with less appealing characteristics that allows it to be commercialized at half the price. Geox Italy is a firm that works in the shoe industry where other companies like Nike or Adidas are leaders. The difference with the strongest brands is that Geox was born based on the innovative idea of creating a shoe that allows transpiration to go out of the shoe through holes that do not allow water to come in. Its objective is to create shoes that guarantee those aspects giving the company a strong niche orientation, "A cardinal rule for successful entrepreneurs is "find a market niche." Specialization in a product area can make you the recognized expert." (Lesonsky, 2001, p. 45); the family of shoes that uses the Geox breathes patented system was a success among the customer that searched waterproof shoes that allowed the feet to remain dry, a sector of the market which was not considered by the market leaders and challengers such as Reebok, Le Coq Sportif or Avia. Essay 2 (Deena) An Overview Many companies consider launching new brands and products into the market with hopes that it will provide these brands sustainability and an increase in market share. While processes for dealing with competition differ from one region to the next, it is also important to recognize that for some brands, their competition might not require the same marketing competitive

Two Factors That Contribute to Global Warming Essay

Two Factors That Contribute to Global Warming - Essay Example Structure, Organization, Clear Thesis is my instructor’s the most concerning parts. It might look complicated but it’s actually quite simple just keep in mind that each body paragraph has to start with the topic sentence and end with conclusion sentence. Â  The earth’s surface temperature has been increased around 0.750 C during the last century ending in 2005, as per the statistics collected by the scientists. It is likely to rise further 1.1 to 6.40 C during the twenty-first century. Studies showed that warming and sea level rise may continue for more than 1000 years even if we manage to stabilize the greenhouse gas levels. Increased global temperature can cause sea levels to rise, increased extreme weather intensities, changes in agricultural yields etc. Though some natural phenomena such as solar variations and volcanoes probably had a small warming effect, scientists unanimously agreed that the major reasons are manmade only. Â  Of course, the invention of fossil fuel has revolutionized the human life. It boosted the industrialization in general and specifically the automobile sector. But nobody was aware of the influence of carbon dioxide (CO2) to the global warming or pretended like that in order to utilize the fossil fuel for the development of the economy. As per nature’s law whatever the CO2 come out from the living things has been neutralized by the absorption of CO2 by the trees and plants. This equilibrium has been broken by the entry of fossil fuel. Its combustion liberates an enormous amount of CO2 to the atmosphere which is not been countered by any other sources. Thus the CO2 percentage in the atmosphere goes on increasing as far as we use fossil fuel and automobiles which is running on petrol and diesel. Â  

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 126

Case Study Example focus on developing athletics activities and equipment that attract people below the age of 19 years and single women between the ages of 30-39 years. These two groups of the population constitute the highest number of non-peak period visitors. The management should provide a discount for the unmarried people, especially the women. Single ladies are likely to have fewer responsibilities compared to the married couples. In this regard, single ladies are likely to have sufficient time to visit the club regularly. Essentially, offering discounts would increase the frequency of attendance and attract new customers’ thereby increasing revenue for the club (Fields, 1999). The management should introduce awards and gifts for frequent and royal customers. This will encourage them to visit the club more frequently since they are assured of a gift. In addition, special gifts should be given to customers who bring new customers during the low seasons. This will encourage the existing customers to invite their friends to join the club. During the low seasons, the management should offer aerobic and yoga classes to both the silver and gold membership holders. Such strategies will aid in expanding the membership base and increasing revenues for the

Short critical refelction paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Short critical refelction paper - Essay Example I know many teenagers who can download movies, post to Facebook, find a YouTube video and more, but the minute they need to learn something there is a lack of knowledge. Am I wrong here? What would the author of the textbook say? Explain. Without a doubt, with every new interface and technology innovation comes a lack of knowledge even amongst teens. However, teens are more likely to take interest in these things and investigate these matters even more. Hence, teenagers become experts at the technological sphere. Most teenagers learn something through other friend and through trial and error. In addition, most teenagers lack the ideals of coding, C++ and other key computer languages that make social networking susceptible. Some teenagers even feel threatened with the new technology and are reluctant to adapt it. The younger generation is not tech savvy as expected as they will miss out on some key pieces of essential information that comes with new technology. The author of the textbook agrees with all the principles and insists that there is a culture difference and not an age factor. The advent of the 21st century has no doubt made improvements in technology. However, crimes have also become more sophisticated as well. Gaining access to information has become drastically happy. Personal information can be easily fallen in the wrong hands which can be detrimental to individuals. The major types of cybercrime can be fraud and identity theft. Identity theft occurs to 9.91 million Americans whose losses accumulated to a hefty $52.6 billion. In order to prevent identity theft, it is critical that one does not provide personal information to unreliable sources. Furthermore, a user must be aware of phishing and other suspicious email that asks individuals of personal information. Lastly, there are many scams that are also available in popular sites such as craigslist and careerbuilder. Most of these scams do not give their name or a telephone number.

Were the Great Migration and the Harlem Renaissance the Gateway from Research Paper

Were the Great Migration and the Harlem Renaissance the Gateway from Oppression for African Americans to Become Business Owners - Research Paper Example The study will look into African American businesses from the earliest periods of post-emancipation through to the Great Migration, the Harlem Renaissance, the Second World War, the Civil Rights Movement and the current day. The contention is to see how business ownership improved the socio-economic status of African Americans and how these historical events allowed African Americans to own and operate businesses. African American businesses in the United States are older than most people would suppose. The earliest African American owned and operated businesses date back to the post-emancipation period from the rural and racially oppressive South. The presence of a large African American population coupled with racial segregation meant that African Americans were confined to using shops from their community alone. The prominent African American thinker W. E. Du Bois aptly observed: â€Å"It is the density of the Negro population in the main that gives the Negro businessman his best chance.† Given the constant oppression of the rural South, the African America population began to move in large numbers to the industrialized North that presented better economic opportunities as well as greater racial freedoms. The early twentieth century saw a large African American exodus from the racially polarized South. The first of these series of movements, labeled the Great Migration, forced some 1.6 million African Americans into the North. The influx of African American immigrants saw slow business growth since most ended up joining the industries in the north as blue collar workers. Racial segregation continued in the North though not as harshly leading to the development of some African American businesses. It was not until the Harlem Renaissance that distinctly recognizable African American businesses began to appear in the urban landscape.

The critique of We are raising a generation of deluded narcissts Essay - 1

The critique of We are raising a generation of deluded narcissts - Essay Example This is often the scenario among families today. Parents willingly give the latest gadgets to their children to express their love, to keep them up-dated or simply for them to have some â€Å"companion† while the parents are busy working. However, with such mentality, parents are actively culturing a generation of deluded narcissists as Dr. Keith Ablow would term it. The aforementioned psychologist discusses the making of such a generation in his article on Fox News. This paper will analyze and critique the idea that a generation of egocentric kids is being molded through the use of social media and computer games. In We are Raising a Generation of Deluded Narcissists, Dr. Keith Ablow talks about how young people are becoming egomaniac these days. He says that a study of college students show that they are more confident about themselves and their successes even though their grades are showing otherwise. Children engaging in computer games tend to associate with the characters of the games and think that they are as good as the real stars. Moreover, with the use of facebook, they can choose the photographs they like in order to project a wonderful story of their lives. They can also block the friends who dislike them, resulting to a delusional friendship which is fed by the reciprocation of desired feedbacks. They tend to see themselves as loveable because of their thousands of friends on facebook and followers on twitter and not realize that they are not even able to really socialize well in real life. With the belief that this is an epidemic, Dr. Ablow concludes with the challenge to combat it. In the aforementioned article, Dr. Ablow brings into the open what is happening among modern children who are playing computer games and using social media everyday as part of their routines. He brings to the reader’s attention the fact that there is a psychological effect of the

The Creation of a New Emotional Language in Art by Bernini with His Literature review

The Creation of a New Emotional Language in Art by Bernini with His Apollo and Daphne - Literature review Example In fact, the statues have improved with the revival of Villa Borghese, which harbors Apollo, and Daphne. The statues get subjected to constant cleaning as well as scientific analysis as well as the commemoration of Bernini’s birth sparkled a lot of interest as seen with the many photographs, essays and bibliographies. In spite of the documentary data connecting to the statue group's formation, the representation that comes out of its sense and approach is anything but apparent (Bolland, 2000, 309). According to most arguments, the Apollo and Daphne are said to commemorate the intelligence based delights of fine art or may be to warn against the evil of passionate poetry brought about by the bitterness of the beauty of the world (Bolland, 2000, 309). The artwork can be seen as erotic the people assume that it might have made for a pleasure seeking client or sponsor. The artwork can also be considered a symbol or metaphor for sensual desire or desires specifically sculptured for a principal person in the society. The artwork can either be viewed as Marinist and Petrarchan when using imagery or anti-Marinist and anti Petrarchan as per its message (Bolland, 2000, 309). ... The essay also has its focus on the contradictory relationships that come under the eroticism that is created, as well as anti sensuality of craving and ploy (Bolland, 2009). Poetry, sculpture, and artwork are regarded as sister arts in that they have common effects on the senses of a person as they rouse the desires and pleasure as well as provide an avenue for obtaining understanding. Vision, although seen as divine, can easily be deceived or mislead and therefore, seen as the most efficacious way to provoke someone to commit a practice any sexual offence. The transformation of Bernini can be seen to emerge from the poet-god who happens to be Apollo and provides him with the model that he utilizes to build his mythical and stylish uniqueness by reproducing the poetics that come from within him. The sculptures were custom-made for Cardinal Scipione Borghese, and were used to beautify his well-lavished villa exterior to Porta Pinciana (Bolland, 2009). Soon after delivery of the colle ction of artworks, it marked the end to production of Bernini’s artwork in large scale for the cardinal as well as an end to production of impressive work that can still be credited today. It also suggested a change or transformation to the existence of both parties that are the cardinal and Bernini (Bolland, 2007). The change in the lives was noted in the life of the cardinal whose status declined soon after the death of Pope Paul V and the taking of the office by Pope Gregory XV. Borghese soon recovered from the changes that took place, and during this period, his influence had quite deteriorated compared to the period that Pope Paul V was in power. The sculpture of Apollo and

Leadership Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Leadership Theories - Essay Example ing and scanning the environment, coaching people working under him, making regular input in the work of subordinates, and managing activities (Hackman & Wageman, 2005). Transactional theory argues that a leader should have power and formal position which is used to control, reward, and punish employees. Leadership is seen as a give and take between leader and his subordinates. This theory calls for a leader to make sure that employees are motivated enough to perform at their highest potential. Transformational theory is focused more on understanding employees and treating them with respect in order to achieve good results. This theory does not see leadership as merely a transaction between two parties but much more than that. This theory argues that a leader’s job is to make an environment that is feasible for work and in which employees are able to work together like a well oiled machine. A leader works to develop this environment and then the rest is done by employees. Contingency theory takes on a different view and argues that effective leadership is heavily dependent on factors like environment and technology (Woodward, 1958). A good leader has to evaluate the environment and make decisions accordingly. According to this theory, there is no set outline that a good leader can follow instead he or she has to decide differently on a case by case basis. The theory that best outlines effective leadership in an organization is the transformational leadership theory. This theory calls for motivating employees and giving them power and independence. This theory gives importance to subordinates and views them as assets. This is why transformational theory of leadership is the best and can help foster effective leadership in an

Pioneer Electronics Essay Example for Free

Pioneer Electronics Essay In 1975 Pioneer maintained relationships with approximately 3,500 franchise retail outlets, the retail outlets benefited from a 5% Pioneer investment in local advertising, and attractive gross margins and credit terms. However, that same year, Pioneer and three competitors were forced to sign consent decrees with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission promising not to engage in alleged anti-fair competition practices – namely requiring distributors to use suggested list prices and punishing those distributors who didn’t comply either through delayed shipments or revoked franchises. A market price war followed the signing of the consent decrees, lowering franchise’s profits while increasing revenue for Pioneer. Pioneer followed with a new marketing strategy aimed at pushing its new lower-priced hi-fi components over compacts or consoles, this further boosted Pioneer’s profit, continuing to erode the franchise distributors’ profit margins. The final outcome was a select few distributors’ shifting from supporting Pioneer component sales to pushing competitors’ products in order to make a larger profit. Central Problem Pioneer Electronics must determine how to move forward from franchise distributors’ complaints that they cannot make an adequate profit selling Pioneer components over the lesser quality, more affordable competitors’ components. The result is â€Å"dissident behavior† by the distributors– including disparaging comments about the Pioneer brand to potential consumers, poor product placement in franchise stores and â€Å"bait and switch† sales tactics. These actions reflect a possible erosion of franchise distributor support, which might force Pioneer to alter its business model. Relevant Facts With the repeal of the fair-trade laws, the market changed drastically for Pioneer, sales and market share increased significantly during this period, prices and margins dropped. As the target market for their products expanded, Pioneer changed their marketing strategy to focus on selling mid-priced hi-fi products. Pioneer’s sales continued to climb, but this strategy squeezed the dealers’ margins even more and made it difficult for them to make a profit selling Pioneer products. Pioneer decision to reposition itself from a premium-priced brand into a â€Å"mid-priced, mainstream† brand affected the profit margins of its distributors negatively. At the same time, the company’s profit margin increased dramatically. Based on 1976 data from Exhibit 13, an average retailer profit margin was about 3.4%. Pioneer had a comparable profit margin of 3.9% in 1975, based on Exhibit 14 data. This margin increased by almost 3 times in 1976 to 9.4%. This clearly shows how Pioneer benefited from its market repositioning strategy while its distributors profits declined. Although surveys showed customers were very satisfied with Pioneer products, the sales force was unhappy and felt the lower margins were unacceptable. This drove a few dealers to speak disparagingly about Pioneer products and use bait and switch tactics to create profits for themselves. Mitchell knew the dealers’ support was critical to the current distribution chain, but he couldn’t go back to the old incentives. To continue to be profitable and adapt to the new electronics market, Pioneer reconsider its current distribution network. Alternative Courses of Action †¢Alternative #1 Shift distribution to department stores: Shift retail distribution from specialty stores to department stores and catalog showrooms. 75% of U.S. Pioneer’s sales were from hi-fi specialty stores, 5% by department stores, and 7% by catalog showrooms. Advantages: Extensive credit facilities, strong consumer â€Å"pull† advertising, and lower prices. Industry sources predicts a substantial increase in the market shares of department stores and catalog showrooms. Disadvantages: Department stores and catalog showrooms do not offer the extensive customer services provided by specialty stores, including professional sales assistance, demonstration, extended store warranty, on-the-premises repair, home delivery and installation, and loaner component programs. †¢Alternative #2 Multiple Branding U.S. Pioneer would offer several product lines of varying quality and price points under separate brand names. Different product lines would be carried by different types of retail outlets. The department-store line would be of lower quality and price than the signature line. Advantages: Multiple branding had been used successfully in other industries. It would enable U.S. Pioneer to adapt most effectively to future changes in retail distribution. Pioneer already sells compacts and car stereos to discount stores under the Centrex brand name. Disadvantages: This strategy could tarnish Pioneer’s reputation for selling only top-of-the-line products. Pioneer may have trouble keeping their distribution channels distinct, and therefore be incurring too much cost on the low end products or being destroying the brand value of the high end products. †¢Alternative #3 Company-owned Stores Another alternative is to operate its own retail stores. Some retailers in the low-fi market had been selling their own house brands for some time. House brands are starting to make in-roads in the hi-fi market and the specialty stores are carrying house brands in increasing numbers. Advantages: One way to protect Pioneer from the risk of large specialty store chains promoting house brands which would impact its sales. Disadvantages: A large initial fixed investment for starting up is required. The risk of expanding into a non-familiar territory which Pioneer does not have good expertise in. †¢Alternative #4 Dealer Communication improvement Dealer support is crucial for Pioneer growth. From Table A â€Å"Factors Influencing Purchase of Hi-fi Products† in the case, it clearly shows that dealer recommendations, advertising and store displays accounts for 42% of the factors influencing consumers decisions. The company needs to hire more salespeople to increase the frequency of dealer visits, provide higher cash rebates or other incentive programs and organizing yearly dealers’ conferences at different resorts. Pioneer needs to stop forcing its dealers to prominently display low-end components and push lower-priced components. Selling lower priced components affects the retailer’s profit margin. This results in placing higher sales emphasis on house brands or competitor products. Advantages: Retailer’s salespeople are the company’s point of contact with its customers. Happy and content dealers will push Pioneer product which will increase company’s sales. Disadvantage: The brand is what sells the product. The company should not waste funds on dealer rebates and conferences. This will result in a rebate war between different manufacturers. Plan of Action: Pioneer should pursue a multiple label branding strategy to capture sales in both the high end and lost cost market segments, which will increase total revenue and profits. The company is already implementing this through its Centrex brand name in Japan. This strategy will enable Pioneer, through the Centrex brand, to target the growing department stores market with its lower price product segment. The signature Pioneer brand can still be marketed through Hi-Fi specialty stores. Under this arrangement Pioneer will need to develop a customized sales and marketing plan for each brand and have separate sales and distribution channels. Pioneer will continue to contribute a percentage of sales to local marketing campaigns to assist local specialty retailers in maintaining local recognition within the community. The Centrex brand will be distributed through the larger department stores and because of the national recognition of these stores there would not be a need to contribute a percentage of sales to assist in local marketing. These funds should be used for other promotional items in the large department stores, such as contests for the largest sales in a month or quarter or number of a specific product sold. The company should also simultaneously invest in improving its working relationship with their dealers. The first thing that Pioneer will need to do is to cease printing ads in newspapers and/or journals to communicate to dealers about unapproved behavior. These types of conversations should be conducted behind closed doors, as neither side wins when they communicate in a public forum. Pioneer will need to begin to request their feedback and input on new market trends, consumer needs and product improvement suggestions and adjust the Pioneer products accordingly. Pioneer should implement the sales program from Exhibit 12 and shift some of the funds from the marketing campaigns to have local contests to spur sales among local sales force.

Globalisation Of Culture Global Culture Cultural Studies Essay

Globalisation Of Culture Global Culture Cultural Studies Essay Thus, globalization is often constructed as an impersonal and inevitable force in order to justify certain policies or behaviors, however praiseworthy some of them might be. In a broader historical sense, Mazlish (1993:6-7) and Robertson (1992:68-71) cogently argue that not only capitalism or advocacy movements but also Christianity, Islam, and Marxism have made global claims and harbored global pretensions. The start of globalization is also a contested issue (Held et al. 1999). World-system theorists maintain that the expansion of European capitalism in the 16th century marks the start of globalization (Wallerstein 1974; see also Waters 1995:2-4). Robertson (1992:179) argues that globalization took off between 1875 and 1925 with the time-zoning of the world and the establishment of the international dateline; the near-global adoption of the Gregorian calendar and the adjustable seven-day week; and the establishment of international telegraphic and signaling codes. term globalization was first used around 1960 in its world-wide sense as opposed to its much older meanings of the global as something sphericalor universal. It is far from a uniform and inexorable trend. Rather, globalization is a fragmented, incomplete, discontinuous, contingent, and in many ways contradictory and puzzling process (Guidry, Kennedy, and Zald 1999; Held et al. 1999:43proponents of the feeble thesis focus almost exclusively on the economic and financial aspects of globalization to the detriment of political, social and cultural ones. The literature offers and discuss evidence in support of political and cultural globalization that is, on the whole, qu ite persuasive. (Castells 1996:66-147) The anthropologist Jonathan Friedman (1994:210-211) asserts that globalization is the product of cultural fragmentation as much as it is the result of modernist homogeneity, and that what appears as disorganization and often real disorder is not any the less systemic and systematic. At the ideological and cultural level, globalization has been observed as a symptom of late imperial culture as Aijaz Ahmad calls it as the most recent and highest stage of imperialism (Ahmad: 2002). Does Globalisation Produce Convergence? A second contested issue in the literature on globalization has to do with its consequences as to the convergence of societies towards a uniform pattern of economic, political, and even cultural organization. Most famously expressed in modernization theory, the spread of markets and technology is predicted to cause societies to converge from their preindustrial past, although total homogeneity is deemed unlikely. The critique of the presumed convergent consequences of globalization. Political scientist Robert Cox (1996:28, 30 n. 1) writes that the social and ethical content of the economy may be organized differently in various parts of the world. Historian Bruce Mazlish (1993:4) argues that no single global history is anticipated. So It should be noted that some sociologists reject the very terms of the convergence debate by arguing that globalization homogenizes without destroying the local and the particularistic. For example, Viviana Zelizer (1999) argues that the economyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ differentiates and proliferates culturally in much the same way as other spheres of social life do, without losing national and even international connectedness. Thus, globalization is not seen as precluding or contradicting diversity. Like Zelizer, Robertson (1995:34-35) sees the global as the linking of localities. A final aspect of the convergence controversy has to do with the impact of globalization on inequality across and within countries. The evidence unambiguously indicates that there is today more inequality across countries than ten, twenty, fifty or even one hundred years ago. Stunningly, the gap in per capita income between rich and developing countries has grown five-fold between 1870 and 1990 (Pritchett 1997; Temple 1999). There are, however, several noteworthy developing countries that have managed to close half or more of the gap since 1960, e.g. South Korea, Taiwan, and Ireland. Very few developing countries, however, have consistently grown faster than the most advanced ones since 1980. Thus, development levels appear not to be converging as a result of globalization. By contrast to cross-national UNDERSTANDING CULTURE: What is culture? Culture is itself is diacritical rather than a substantive concept. In Frederick Jamesons words, culture is not a substance or a phenomenon in its own right, it is an objective mirage that arises out of the relationship between atleast two groups.No group has a culture all by itself: culture is the nimbus percieved by one group when it comes into contact with and observes another one. In a globalise economy culture is deemed as a matter of choice as much as of inheritance, and thus as a potentially less oppressive, and hence less politicising, category of identification than colour or ethnicity, class or gender. (See, Bennette, 1993:3-4) CULTURE AND GLOBALISATION: Global Culture When we talk about globalisation, we are in a sense talking about unity of the states across the globe. How this unity is brought up? Then how does it link the states together? What are the major contributors in this unification process? Along with a myriad of intellectuals I will also sum- up with an answer, global- culture. However, it is one of the measures required for the unification process. One set of theorists, who are pro-global- culture say, that the global culture is making the world closer and more united. The people of the world are combining their differences and being more cooperative towards one and other. This process of emerging global culture can be seen in times of need when everyone has pulled together to strive for peace and freedom. Although, there exists a wide range of religions of which people are becoming tolerant, forming a homogenised society. On the other hand there are also philosophers who scorn global culture for the reason, that the local culture and morality are all at stake. If we say that the global culture is the synonym of the common culture, then there are wide range of opinion on it. Wight uses the term common culture so loosely that it is unclear whether he has in mind a deep, historic sense of culture, or the more superficial agreed rules that compose a contractual society. (James 1993: 277-8) Alan James, System or society?, Review of International Studies 19: 3, 1993. I argue that to certain extent global culture is a common culture among the people of the world. Further, Appadurai, Arjun in Difference in global cultural economy talks about five dimensions of the global culture 1) ethnoscape, 2) technoscape, 3)medioscape, 4) finanscape and 5) ideoscape. Origin of Global Culture: To get through the idea of the origin of the global culture, I am at consensus with Barry Buzan, the way he differentiates the origin of the global culture by the way of Vanguardist and Syncretist accounts. Vanguardist account emphasizes the centrality of Europe in the expansion story and projects a rather one-way view of cultural transmission from the West to the rest of the world. The Syncretist account puts more emphasis on the interplay of civilizations during the expansion process, and takes a more fluid and interactive view of cultural transmission generally. (Buzan:3 ) Buzan says, that before working through these two accounts and their consequences, it helps to keep in mind that prior to them there are two models of expansion by which a global international society could have evolved from the late classical world. In that world there were several centres of civilization whose degree of contact with each other ranged from quite intense (the Islamic world with both Christendom and the Hindu world) through fairly thin (Christendom and China) to more or less absent (the civilizations of Eurasia and those of Meso-America and the Andean highlands). From that starting point, one way of reaching a global-scale international society would have been for the various civilizational cores of the classical world to expand into increased contact with each other, so requiring that they develop rules of the game to mediate their relations in a polycentric international society. In such a case, global international society would have developed on the basis of cultu ral diversity, perhaps along the lines shown by the Indian Ocean trading system before the European arrival. The other way would have been the takeover of the whole system by one civilizational core, the imposition of one culture on the others, and the absorption of all the others into its particular rules, norms and institutions. This monocentric model is close to most historical accounts of what actually happened. (Buzan: 3) . In Vanguardist terms, the development of a global interstate society has been almost entirely a function of the expansion of the West. From the sixteenth century onwards, the rise of European power quickly crushed the two civilizational areas in the Americas and eroded, and eventually overwhelmed, the four in Eurasia. By the end of the nineteenth century virtually the whole of the international system was recreated in the image of Europe, as in the Americas and Australia; or directly subordinated to Europe, as in the African and Asian colonies; or desperatel y trying to catch up with Europe in order to avoid being colonized, as in the few most resilient parts of the classical world: the Ottoman empire, Japan and China. The triumph of European power meant not only that a sharp and permanent rise in the level of interaction took place, but also that western values and institutions-the so-called standard of civilization-dominated the whole system in imperial fashion. This mixture of coercion and copying runs in close parallel to Kenneth Waltzs idea that anarchy generates like units through processes of socialisation and competition. (Waltz 1979:74-79) Looking at this process in Wendtian terms.(Wendt 1999: 247-50) outsiders might emulate the core because of direct coercion, or by calculation or consent. Whatever the mechanisms and whatever the rationales, the effect is one of a sub-global Vanguard remaking the world in its own political image. This account rests on a sharp distinction between West and non-West, and less sharp differentiations among the different cultures and civilizations within the non-West. It has parallels with other stories of expanding imperial cultures where westernization is a similar process to Sinification, Romanization, Russification, Islamization and suchlike. In explaining the breakout of one culture to dominate others, a Vanguardist account inevitably puts a lot of emphasis on cultural difference generally, and on the exceptionalism of the Vanguard culture in particular. As in much nineteenth-century European imperial discourse, exceptionalism easily drifts not only into a ranking of cultures from superior to inferior (civilized, barbarian, savage) but also into a racist ranking of peoples as superior and inferior. (Hobson 2004: 219-42) Because it rests on differences of both culture and power. (Buzan:6) Robert ONeill and John Vincent also noted the unequal relations between the West and the Third World and the consequent regional diversity of international society, with some Third World unity around non-alignment, development, and the elimination of colonialism and racism. (O Neill 1990: 283-5) The challenges to the West come in two forms. The first is that non-western powers manage to reduce inequality by developing, and then use their new power both to assert different cultural values and to resist the solidarist western values of human rights, democracy and the liberal market. The West has lost the dominance of the second phase, and its prospect is one of continued relative decline as countries like China, India and Iran acquire the elements of modernity, and the corresponding power, that the West has made available. Its only hope is that the homogenizing effects of capitalist development will reduce cultural difference at the same time as they redistribute power. But if culture is viewed in essentialist terms as more or less fixed, then in terms of the instability hypothesis the move to a multicultural foundation and a redistribution of power spells permanent trouble and weakness for international society. (Buzan: 7) The second type of challenge comes not from opposition combined with strength, but from weakness, whether oppositional or not. Part of the legacy of decolonization is an array of weak and failed polities that are unable to play their part in the game of states. Somalia, Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan and other notional states represent holes in the fabric of international society. Their levels of internal disorder make it difficult to pursue the western agenda within them, and provide bases for criminals and terrorists acting against the West. (Buzan: 7) The Syncretist account is based on the idea that it is the normal condition of human affairs for cultural ideas to flow between areas of civilization. Cultures thus evolve not only in response to their own internal dynamics, but also because of encounters with other cultures, even remote ones. The Syncretist account challenges the strong Vanguardist distinction between West and non-West, and its corollaries of w estern exceptionalism and superiority. (Buzan: 11) Rather than European international society emerging pristine out of a unique and self-contained European civilization, in the Syncretist account the development phase in Europe involves very significant interaction with the other civilizations of Eurasia and North Africa. As Wight notes, during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries the crusades brought Europe into close contact with the Islamic world, adding to the contact already created by the earlier Islamic occupation of Spain, the two episodes together serving as the channel for the acculturation of medieval Christendom. (Wight: 52). Almost at the same time, the Mongol conquest of much of Eurasia brought Europe into contact with China and enabled increased transmission of ideas. The rise of the Ottoman empire from the late thirteenth century, and its conquest of Constantinople in 1453, meant that a rising Europe was neighbour to, and in regular contact with, a hostile and powerf ul non-European culture. Given that classical Greece is sometimes used as a comparator for Europe in discussions of the relationship between culture and international society, it is a nice irony that the Ottoman modifier to the story of a pristine European development runs in close parallel to the way in which the Persian empire shared a system with the city states of classical Greece, initially as the greater power, and then as the victim of Greek expansion. (Wight: 46-109). To sum up: the Syncretist view is that culture and international society are both malleable. They can and do change; cross-cultural interactions are the normal condition of international society, and flow in many directions. The Syncretist account suggests that for two reasons there is less cultural difference between the West and the rest of the world than the Vanguardist account supposes. First, the emergence of European international society was not a pristine process but took place during a long period of s ustained cultural interaction with the other civilizations of Eurasia and North Africa. (Buzan: 19) This outcome envisages the triumph of the Vanguardist process. Either the Vanguard displaces and replaces other cultures, or it converts the rest of the world to its own standard of civilization, creating a universal culture based on a widespread acceptance of Western values, practices and institutions. We know that replacement did not and will not happen, so this outcome now rests on the success of westernization. The degree of cultural unity necessary to stabilize international society would come from the success of westernization, and would go a long way towards mitigating the contradiction between hegemonic practice and the legitimating principle of sovereign equality in present-day international society. This outcome would eliminate OHagans tension as to whether international society represents the values of a dominant culture or a neutral mode of communication across cultures. This outcome envisages the triumph of cultural mixing and adaptation. It is therefore in principle not wedded to any particular set of values, practices and institutions, but is normatively open, allowing these to emerge in the syncretic process. In practice, since the Syncretist account largely accepts the monocentric model, the actual homogenization would reflect the considerable success that the West has already had in projecting onto other cultures many of its values, practices and institutions: sovereignty, diplomacy, nationalism, the market and so on. The expectation here is also that international society will be strong and fairly uniform at the global level, but not exclusively based on western values. Rather, some mixture will emerge as western power wanes and the power and influence of non-western cultures rise. Here too we can find those who think that homogenization will result from the global operation of capitalism, though in this version the undoubted cultural carrying capacity of the global market will work both ways, with the West being as transformed as transforming by the cultural flows across the planet. There is plenty of Syncretist evidence to point to here, from the popularity of Asian food, fashion and film, and This outcome envisages the partial failure of both the Vanguardist project and the process of Syncretism. Such failure might occur for various reasons. The West might lose power before it can convert the rest. Political and cultural resistance in the non-West might be strong, particularly against the more recent and more liberal elements of Western international society. Global- culture and Religion Whether societies are becoming less or more secular? is another point of debate, but in the present context, to a certain extent, the societies are becoming secular . Religion became a categorical model for the ordering of the national society and their relations during nineteenth and early twentieth century. So it became an aspect of International law. The argument I want to raise here is there is a distinction between the culture and the religion? Some equate, culture with the civilisation and inturn, civilisation with the religion; which is not true practically. During seventies and eightees there were church and state conflict prevailing, in the same way as today we think of global culture and the religion. Here comes the issue of diffusion of the religion, and then its global- foci. I agree the way Robertson differentiates between the world and worldliness, on the similer terms as Max Weber does. (Robertson: 143) The major consequences of globalisation have been (1) the transmogrification of traditional religions and belief systems; (2) the beginning of the disintegration of the traditional social fabrics and shared norms by the invasion of consumerism, cyber- culture, newfangled religions, social fads, and changing work ethics and work rhythms; (3) the fast spreading anomie (in the Durkhemian sense) forcing an ever increasing number of individuals to fall back upon for moral and social support the easily accessible pretentious religious banalities; and (4) attributing to religion the creation and acceleration of extremist, fundamentalist, and terrorist tendencies in the third world countries, which are intended to destabilise them, and strike at the root of their civilisation, and multicultural and pluralist nature. (Radhakrishnan: 1403) The nature and functions of religion in society have been Under speculation and discourse for several centuries; the approaches to the understanding of religion philosophical, theological, anthropological, sociological and the related dimensions of religious ideas have been very old; and the nexus between religion and society has been very close, with wide, complex, intricate and elaborate ramifications: The role of religion in giving spiritual and moral sustenance to individuals, the related regulation of social life and moral order, creating and regulating cultural forms, and the inte- gration of society. One may go with the French sociologist Emile Durkheims postulate (endorsed by, among others, the English anthropologist A R Radcliffe-Brown) that the main role (or function) of religion [is] to celebrate and sustain the norms upon which the integration of society depends [Geertz 1968: 402]. While on religion and globalisation, it is important to know whether globalisation unites or divides religions; results in newfangled religions; and has a direct nexus with fundamentalism and religion-linked terrorism. It is also important to ascertain whether for its new imperialist project globalisation has been exploiting different religious forms; whether fundamentalism and religion-inspired terrorism have increased since the advent of globalisation; and whether religions, far from being belief sys- tems in their traditional sense, have spawned new dimensions which are far removed from the spiritual and religious realms. (Radhakrishnan : 1406) Challenges to the global culture: For Transnational corporations, However there are signs evidencing that the national culture no longer affects companies, when they enter other markets, because new global rules are becoming more important instead. Instances of Global- culture: To my way of thinking and after reading so many scholars, I come up with the following instances, which evidence the emergence of the global culture. People are having a shared belief of freedom, and safety across the globe. All do have some common issues like Human Rights, environment protection, Freedoms, technology- savvy practices, feminist issues, health- issues and all other who make the whole world unified in claiming them. Global culture is also emerging slowly in parts of the world. For example, Europe used to have different forms of money and now they have switched to one shared currency, the euro-dollar. Although there are many different form of money throughout the world, someday that might change. The world is shrinking. The things which were common to one particular country or region are now accessible to the world at large. Like Italian, Chinese, Mexican And Indian food. The world commercial market has given rise to the trans- national corporations. Although arranged marriage persists in many cultures today, as modernization proceeds and many areas become part of the global economy, parental influences on marriage continue to decline. Young people who work for wages rather than on the familys land no longer depend as highly on their parents resources. As Western popular culture-including motion pictures, television, music, and fashion-spreads around the world, many young people are drawn to Western notions of love, romance, and individual choice. In some places, such as Japan, people combine modern Western and older cultural practices. For instance, parents and computer matchmaking services help find prospective mates, and the individuals can accept or reject the proposed match. Since its inception in the 1950s, rock music has moved from the margins of American popular music to become the center of a multi-billion-dollar global industry. Closely connected with youth culture, rock music and musicians have helped to establish new fashions, forms of language, attitudes, and political views. However, rock music is no longer limited to an audience of teenagers, since many current listeners formed their musical tastes during the golden age of rock and roll. Similarly, while rock has historically encouraged new creative expressions, the innovations of Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, the Beatles, and Jimi Hendrix have defined a tradition to which successive generations of musicians have repeatedly turned for inspiration. Natural resources are conserved for their biological, economic, and recreational values, as well as their natural beauty and importance to local cultures. For example, tropical rain forests are protected for their important role in both global ecology and the economic livelihood of the local culture; a coral reef may be protected for its recreational value for scuba divers; and a scenic river may be protected for its natural beauty. The same is the case with conservation of Water, the whole world collectively is in favour of water conservation policies. Cultural exchanges, across the world, for example, the spread of islam or Christianity has been seen in last few years as increasing. Internationalisation of the Media like radio, television, newspaper and internet are linking together the world at large. Apperception of Western culture as an attribute of the world today, as an outcome of the global expansion of industrial capitalism, which for the first time integrated the world into a global system centered in Europe. Major constituent of Western culture have ceased to be ethnic and have become internationalized as intrinsic constituent of a world shaped by the development of the West. Even the idea of art as a self-sufficient activity based on aesthetics, is also a product of Westernisation. The traditional art of other cultures, as well as that of the West from earlier eons, was a different type of creation, determined by functions of a religious, representational, or commemorative nature. Is a Global Culture in the Making? Perhaps the most popular and controversial of the debates about globalization has to do with the rise of a global culture. Actually, there are only a few scholars who maintain that a global culture is in the making. The idea goes back to Marshall McLuhans slippery concept of the global village (McLuhan 1964) The global culture driven by symbols, images, and the aesthetic of the lifestyle and the self-image-has spread throughout the world and is having some momentous effects, including the standardization of tastes and desires, and even , anthropologist Arjun Appadurai (1996:4, 21) argues that individuals and groups seek to annex the global into their own practices of the modern, and that consumption of the mass media worldwide provokes resistance, irony, selectivity, and, in general, agency. Some of the most persuasive arguments against the idea of the emergence of a global culture come from anthropologist Clifford Geertz. He observes that the world is growing both more global and more divided, more thoroughly interconnected and more intricately partitioned at the same time [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] Whatever it is that defines identity in borderless capitalism. And the global village it is not deep going agreements on deep going matters, but something more like the recurrence of familiar divisions, persisting arguments, standing threats, the notion that whatever else may happen, the order of difference must be somehow maintain (Geertz 1998:107-110). Like Geertz, sociologist Anthony Smith is skeptical, and notes an interesting initial problem with the concept of global culture: Can we speak of culture in the singular? If by culture is meant a collective mode of life, or a repertoire of beliefs, styles, values and symbols, then we can only speak of cultures, never just culture; fo r a collective mode of life [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] presupposes different modes and repertoires in a universe of modes and repertoires. Hence, the idea of a global culture is a practical impossibility, except in interplanetary terms (Smith 1990: 171). However, I argue that this notion is wrong, and the global culture is not only in existence, but it is flourishing as well. LOCAL versus GLOBAL Local culture and social structure are now shaped by large and powerful commercial interests in ways that earlier anthropologists could not have imagined. Early anthropologists thought of societies and their cultures as fully independent systems. But today, many nations are multicultural societies, composed of numerous smaller subcultures. Cultures also cross national boundaries. Some people fear a loss of cultural diversity as U.S. media companies become dominant. Such companies tend to bundle their products so that a blockbuster movie is promoted by selling soundtracks, books, video games, and other. However, the under- developed countries companies do not have such a control, even any sort of control over the market. On the one hand, as world beat became a more visible feature of the international popular musical landscape in the late 1980s and early 1990s, popular music scholars began to analyze its economic and cultural implications. Most analyses focused on the inequalities characterizing the bilateral relationships between north and south and accused the industry of exploiting Third World cultural resources. Others were concerned about the potentially disastrous consequences of homogenization and westernization upon folk cultures being swept up in and transformed by what has been called global culture flows. The most trenchant critics also charged the world music industry with racism, for ignoring the harsh realities of economic and political subordination experienced by Third World peoples of color, and instead constructing images of cultural authenticity in order to satisfy the desires of northern whites safely to consume exotic otherness. More optimistic observers, for example, have sugges ted that the powerful forces of cultural and economic hegemony are being resisted by culturally and technologically savvy Third World musicians who are taking control of the production of their own music, revitalizing local musical traditions by modernizing them. Furthermore, the international popular musical landscape, so long dominated by U.S. and European pop and rock, has unquestionably been diversified and enriched by the increased circulation of musics from multiple locations around the globe. To better understand the national and global linkages, Some observers would argue that it is inappropriate to distinguish Afro-Brazilian from Brazilian music, since black expressive cultures have contributed so profoundly to what is understood to be national culture. Perhaps no other artistic field in Brazil has been so deeply influenced by black cultures than popular music. Nevertheless, it is useful and necessary to identify distinct styles and movements in Brazilian popular music that are associated particularly with black urban communities. The past 20 years have seen the proliferation of Afro-Brazilian social, political, and cultural movements that explicitly reject the traditional belief in a unitary national culture. Yet, for the most part, contemporary Afro-Brazilian musical countercultures continue to be racially inclusive. An increasingly globalized world economy has intensified the influx of African and diasporic musical cultures, particularly from the United States and Ja maica, to major Brazilian cities. These forms of music and their attendant cultural styles, modes of dress, and dance steps have been widely appropriated and transformed by young urban Brazilians. Several broad currents in contemporary Afro-Brazilian music may be identified: contemporary samba, soul/funk/hip-hop, reggae, axà © music, and mangue beat. (See, Encarta) Another example of globalised music culture Samba emerged in the 20th century as the preeminent national music of Brazil. Modern urban samba was developed in the predominantly black favelas (shantytowns) on the morros (hills) of Rio de Janeiro, and now globalised. In addition to music, there are plethora of dancing style,

The Us Immigration System Is Broken Politics Essay

The Us Immigration System Is Broken Politics Essay Mass immigration to the United States in search of better jobs has been a subject of discussion for decades. Policy makers have been faced with a complex situation to balance the need to attract foreign talent, while on the other side reduce the risks associated with illegal immigration. The current issue is to streamline the bureaucratic process of gaining visas to deal with thousands of illegal immigrants that are currently residing in the US. This is because; these immigrants play a significant role in building the economy of the state. The Current Status of Immigration Debate The issue of illegal immigration to the US is currently posing equal and contradicting issues. On one side, these immigrants are seen as having a significant positive contribution towards the economy while on the other side; they are considered to be leading to economic drain. It is argued that they grab jobs that are meant to be for Americans or they take up those jobs that Americans are unwilling to take. Hence, illegal immigration ought to be addressed so as to yield maximum benefits from the foreign workers while at the same time reducing the inherent risks. The US census that was reported in May 2012 show that more than half of all births in the US come from ethnic minorities. US Response to Illegal Immigration Illegal immigration to the US has been classified as a humanitarian crisis which calls for immediate actions. Statistics however show that efforts to deal with this issue have strolled since the 20th century to the 21st and still in progress till date. It is evident that a lot more is needed to curb the situation other than stronger border enforcements. In 2006, the US government led by Bush who was the president at that time begun strengthening the security at the border. This was through enhancing both physical and technological infrastructure, increasing man power and other advanced technological ways to seal gaps at the borders. While a significant percentage of these improvements were put in place, there still exist more gaps which call for the current government to take a further step. The current president of the United States has a four part strategy that aims at reshaping the immigration status in the US. This strategy was among the chapters that won him interest of many to reelect him in the 2012 general election. President Obama made his people believe that there are fair and effective ways that can be used to deal with the issue of immigrants while ensuring respect is earned on both sides. He further said that common sense has to be used to ensure that US and the home countries of the immigrants receive respect in the way the immigrants are treated. Below are the four strategies of dealing with immigrants Strengthen Security at the Borders Long before Obama became the president of America, he expressed doubt in the number of police patrols at the borders. Other than increasing the number of the security force, Obama puts more emphasis on the tools used to curb crime associated with immigrants. Improved technology and better infrastructure have been put across to foster national security across the borders. Secondly, president Obama proposed a national operation to track all employers who are recruiting persons with no legal documents. The fact that these immigrants enter the states with the sole hope of gaining better employment, the best way to track them is to audit employment records in all companies. This way, no firm will seek to employ persons who have not being legally authorized to work in the US. This is way all firms will be held accountable of any illegal employee who is working for them. This serves as a respectful strategy towards discouraging illegal entrance into America while on the other side encouraging legal immigration. Enhancing Citizenship It would be unethical to chase away close to eleven million immigrants who are currently residing in the US. Therefore, the best way to deal with them is to encourage them to pursue US citizenship. This is a polite way to entice them to come out of their hide outs without punishing innocent persons. To enhance this process, they are required to take personal initiative to learn English, pass national security and criminal background checks, pay penalties and other relevant requirements. Foster Legal Immigration The process of obtaining citizenship for immigrants in the US is comprised of beuractratic processes that are discouraging. This was a proposal to benefit all illegal immigrants who are willing to pursue immigration procedures. This is a move to ensure that entrepreneurs who hold a significant portion in the economy are not disturbed. Recommendations to Deal With Illegal Immigration The issue of illegal migration is no longer trivial to be handled through a single means rather a complex approach has to be assumed. This is an approach that entails: Enhance border security. President Obama says that currently the borders are secure enough to curb to effectively deal with illegal immigration. It is however important to note that the technology used to sneak immigrants across the border changes from day to the other. As a result, this rate of advancements needs to be met with similar rate of technological advancements. These include automatic sensors or cameras and aerial vehicles that provide real time patrol and detection. In addition, the role of securing borders should be a shared responsibility to both the US and its neighbors. Rejection of proposals of Amnesty: Considering the amnesty of 1986 that let free close to three million illegal immigrants in the US, it is noted that amnesty pulls back the efforts to do away with illegal immigration. The Administration ought to enforce strict measures towards amnesty situations. This is to mean that Amnesty should be exercised on conditions that if released, immigrants will be required to return to the countries of their origin. Programs to address the push-pull effect: Illegal immigration to the US is encouraged by the push-pull effect that exists in Latin America and the United States. The push effect refers to the slow economic growth rates in the neighboring countries a factor that forces its citizens to seek for employment from across borders. On the other side, the pull effect refers to the attraction by the need for labor in the US. This can be dealt with by establishing a temporary work program in the US. This will ensure continuos supply of labor to US companies. In an indirect manner, this is a way to foster free market reforms in the US neighboring nations so as to boost their economic opportunities. Boost law enforcement measures in America: Since the government of Obama took office, there has been a notable neglect on security measures in the US. For instance; the Social Security No-Match has been abandoned. This was a means to notify employers during recruitment the legal status and duties of all relevant candidates. On a similar note, the Obama government has been said to have reduced trial of non criminal immigrants once spotted residing in the US. The fact that these two enforcements have been weakened; it is a clear indication to the outside world that migrating illegally to the US is not a big issue as long as one does not commit criminal acts. Public diplomacy to prevent illegal immigration: there is a need to study the patterns of immigration in the US. Public diplomacy should act out of survey information so as to avoid launching blind strategies. Immense concern should be directed to states that show enormous numbers in immigration and these include; Central America, Caribbean and Mexico. In fact, US ambassadors to these states ought to make known to those intending to migrate illegally to the US that they will face the full force of law. Similarities between Immigration Debates Of Both 20th And 21st Century Since the dawn of the twentieth century, the US government has put efforts towards dealing with illegal immigrants residing in the states. This same debate has continued till the 21st century. Each new government promises to put adequate measures that will ensure the issue of illegal immigration into the US enters the books of history. It can however be noted that the issue continues to disturb the economy of the US while at the same time it is boosting the economy. Illegal immigrants have significantly earned the state considerable amounts of money through offering cheap labor in the various US owned firms. This is a factor that has drawn back the efforts of chasing illegal immigrants to go back to their home countries. While on one side the government is struggling to make situations unfavorable for immigrants, private owned firms on the other side are offering better conditions to these immigrants. Private investors have for a long time now been directed the blame of attracting illegal immigration. This is because they seek cheap unskilled labor from these immigrants. The fact that immigrants belong to nations of low economic status makes it possible for them to accept low wages at the places of work. This is a factor that has curtailed the efforts of seeking illegal immigrants residing in the US. Racism and Illegal Immigration in the US The issue of Illegal immigration has not separated itself from the talk of racial discrimination. It is remembered that an article in the Washington Post dated 20th May 2006, showed that a significant percentage of children under five years constituted the Hispanics. This became an issue of concern because Hispanics are partial blacks and hence it seemed blacks are taking over the population of the US. Also, the parliamentary debate to grant legal citizenship to close to twelve million immigrants in the US was met with fierce resistance. To some extent, this resistance was fueled with the move to bar permitting blacks from gaining legal citizenship in the US. Though it might not sound right to say that immigration debates were filled with racism, it is evident that several moves were controlled by racial factor. For instance; there was a strong move to seal the Mexico-US border and send tighten patrol around this area. It is also noted that at the Canada-US border there were no proposed security improvements. The fact that Mexicans are blacks and Canadians resemble Americans is enough to prove the relationship between tribalism and illegal immigration. Racism has been seen to significantly affect the efforts towards dealing with illegal immigration. Though the above moves may be based on a pure need to deal with illegal immigration, the claim of close relationship between racism and illegal immigration still holds some truth. It is crucial at this point to note the African American discrimination that has for a long time thrived in the US. Though it is argued that equality has been achieved, there still exists those schools that are purely meant for Americans. As at now, the federal law in Arizona requires all legal immigrants to prove their legal residency whenever they travel to the US. It however proves humanely difficult to declare a person an illegal immigrant if they entered the US on human reasons. These reasons include the search for treatment, education or better paying job. These are considered rightful in the human perspective, however illegal according to the federal law. The New York Times published an anonymous letter on 1st May 2010 that indicated evidence of racial discrimination to illegal immigrants. The author of this letter notes that there exists racial profiling in Arizona when it comes to issues of illegal immigration. Conclusion The issue of illegal immigration has being a subject of discussion for quite some time in the United States. Though the state benefits from low wage labor, it cannot ignore the risks associated with illegal migration. Among these risks is the increase in security threats. Political leaders and policy makers have argued out that they can provide effective and fair means to deal with this issue. Though their methods may have worked, there is still a long way to go. The move now is leaning towards implementing the four strategies proposed by President Obama. These are fair moves aimed at reducing the benefits of migrating to the US while increasing the risk of residing in the US illegally. For instance, the use of E-verify to decrease the ease of illegal immigrants from obtaining employment is a fair and polite manner of discouraging illegal immigration. Even today, the immigration system remains broken because there has not been effective moves to address the issue of illegal immigration. Even the current government that had won the interest of almost everyone in the way it had promised to address the issue of illegal immigration seems not to succeed. This is because it is exercising contradictory measures in dealing with the situation. While the government proposes an audit to identify illegal immigrants in the firms, it also exercises neglect on Social Security No-Match. This way the whole journey towards curbing illegal immigration seems broken. There is no single definite move rather complex moves that seem to be contradictory. Also, the current means being employed to curb illegal immigration are inhuman and cost the state millions of money. For instance; the government has been said to have spent millions of money in detaining illegal immigrants and also, the detainees face inhuman conditions while awaiting trial. Woks cited

The Rail Center of the Nation :: American History

The Rail Center of the Nation (It got a 98% in AP US-History) The nation network of railroads laid from 1848 through the Civil War, and the steam powered locomotives that traversed them, supplied Chicago with vast new markets, resources, and people who quickly transformed it from a quiet Frontier village into a highly populated industrial powerhouse. The Chicago of 1830 was hardly a city at all. Fort Dearborn located near the fork of what is now the Chicago River was bogged down with mud and tormented by disease and Indian wars. By the 1833 when the city was incorporated, a warehouse, dry good's store, and hotel had all been built. William B. Ogden, the first mayor of Chicago was also the first to attempt to give Chicago a railroad. He chartered the Galena and Chicago Railroad in 1836, but it collapsed with the economic disaster of 1837 (Berger 3). Ogden tried again in 1846, and on October 22, 1848 Chicago's first locomotive, "Pioneer", was loaded onto the tracks (Casey, Douglas 59). In retrospect, "Pioneer" turned out to be a fitting name for the city's first train, because by 1866 there were more than forty railroads serving Chicago and the city's population had skyrocketed to just under 300,000. There were many problems that needed to be resolved starting in the 1830s, before a railroad could become a versatile enough to be a cost effective carrier of freight and people. The nation's original tracks had been built mainly of wood, although cheaper than iron, it was quickly decided that iron's durability was well worth the extra cost. Another development was the placement of ballas, or pebbles, that covered the bottom of the tracks and added weight and stability along with drainage to the tracks. Also, the trains were known to collide head on into grazing animals. The problem lay in how to keep the animal from being pulled under the train and causing it to derail. This answer came with the placement of a hood plate on the front of the locomotive so that whatever hit the train would be pushed harmlessly in front of it and could later be cleared without endangering the train. Other major safety issues found solutions with the utilization of lights and horns (Gordon 27-33). By 1848, when Chicago was ready to start building railroads, the technology had already been developed enough to conduct real business. Charters for railroads leading to Chicago soon began to pour in. After the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad was completed shortly after

Video Games: I Hate Loving Them :: Essays Papers

Video Games: I Hate Loving Them I love video games. I love them, and I have no idea why. I will never forget the first time I played the original Nintendo Entertainment System as a child. I was quite young, and I had accompanied my mother and sisters to visit my mother’s family in Ohio. Their town was quite small, and being used to the constant distraction of the city, I found the whole situation to be rather void of entertainment. This was until I was invited to the neighbor’s house, where lived a young boy about my age. I was led to his room, where I discovered something that appeared to be quite magical. Sitting on the edge of his bed, a few feet from a television he sat, holding a controller. Understand that at this point in my life I was certainly no stranger to video games; they were typically black and white and usually entailed navigating a little square man through swarms of little square foes and ultimately to a some sort of goal, which was usually also square. This game I witnesse d was nothing like that. I watched the boy control a little man as he battled fierce walking mushrooms and flying turtles in a quest to save a princess. We played for hours upon hours until it was time for me to leave, at which point the controller had to be nearly ripped from my hands. That day was the beginning of an addiction which not only myself but the majority of America’s youth would soon embrace: electronic gaming. Video games have come a very long way since their inception. Gone are the days of squares battling squares. Modern video games entail remarkably realistic players in three dimensional environments which are sometimes so vast that the players can literally get lost. Today’s games require years of development, and as many gamers will argue, are more fun than ever. Perhaps, however, they’re a little too fun. Electronic gaming has become so vastly popular that in the year 2000, eighty-four percent of overall teens played electronic games regularly (Walsh). As video games become more and more main stream, they have become the topic of much criticism. While some argue that there are some positive effects of electronic gaming, overall, video games are far more detrimental than beneficial; they offer little or no good to those who play, and are a colossal waste of time.

Big Brother :: Creative Writing Essays

Big Brother "Wake up!" a stern voice called from above. Her weary eyes slowly began to open. It was absolutely bright, however no windows were visible. Only electric lights running endlessly in parallel lines covered the ceiling of the hall. She was sitting in the very centre; her head crouched between her knees. She was afraid to speak or question where she might be. She could hear footsteps in the distant but could not make out where they were coming from. The burning lights had gradually blinded her eyes. This must be the Ministry of Love she thought. It seemed hours ago that she was thrown violently into this premises and she was starving. She understood why she was here but did not understand how. She participated in sexual acts that were strongly condemned by the Party. The crime would be punished by death, no questions asked. When will they shoot her? She wanted her life to end now. Freedom is to say that humans have two eyes. She will never experience freedom again she pondered. O'Brien entered the hall. She could tell by his distinctive strides. He grabbed her by the hair and began speaking in an authoritative tone, "You are here for committing crimes against the Party's principles. You are thinking why I am not going shoot you. Are you not?"She gave him a look of disgust and purposefully did no answer. "There is no need to be silent," he commanded, pulling her hair even harder. She was not going to allow physical intimidation to force her to speak. "You will have to talk sooner or later. I will help you Julia. You must understand that you desperately need help. What are your feelings towards Big Brother?" he assured her. Silence. She was not going to answer him she had nothing to lose. She knew she was going to die and she wanted to die defiant. "How many eyes do human beings have?" O'Brien asked her. Silence. "You are thinking two. Of course you are. It is unquestionable. However, humans have three eyes, not two. You think this is ridiculous. Look again. Concentrate. Tell me how many eyes to humans have? Look closer," he ordered, giving her a hard kick. Silence. "Before I leave you for the time being, think about these questions: How do you feel about Big Brother and Winston Smith? Remember humans have three eyes. You did see it, did you not?

Occupational Health and Safety in New Zealand

Hand in your reading list/bibliography to class in Week 5 (Gag 19) Hand in Full Assignment Week 5 (Thursday 21 at pm in assignments box) Value: 40% of final mark Format: Essay style format, typed or word processed, well presented with high standard of grammar & punctuation. Please attach BOTH coversheet and marking schedule to the front of your essay.Length: 2,000 words maximum + bibliography (you are allowed a maximum of under or over this figure – this will be strictly adhered to) N.B. the word count for each assignment must be entered on the cover sheet Topic: ‘Although well-defined differences exist among the fields of advertising, marketing, and public relations, there is an Increasing realization that an organization's goals and objectives can be best accomplished through an Integrated approach, not Just through marketing but through all communication functions. (Wilcox et al. 201 3) This integrated approach is often called Integrated Marketing Communications (MIMI C). Describe why this integrated approach is gaining momentum, highlighting the various communication functions, and those areas in which an overlap or integration can realize significantly better results both tactically and strategically for both brands and organizations.

The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening Chapter Four

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