Shoes and Bags Company

Shoes and Bags Company Introduction Fashion industry is one of the most developed industries around the world. Many firms have come up in this industry because it is very lucrative. In the United Kingdom, this industry is one of the most attractive, employing a large number of the country’s populace, especially in the private sector. Some of the commodities that have received a lot of attention are bags and shoes (Eggert Ulaga 2002, p. 78).Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on Shoes and Bags Company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These items have become the most commonly purchased items from among the male and female customers. For men, shoes would always be the determinant of one’s class. For this reason, they would shop around; looking for a pair that would reflect a class he would want to identify with. The retailers of this product must therefore know the quality that this section of the market would be looking for. This market segment does not value bags so much. However, they also buy this product, especially the laptop bags or briefcases that would help them during the short journeys. On the other hand, women are the major market segment for bags. They value this product because, just like men, this would always be the symbol of their status (Barnes, Blake Pinder 2009, p. 93). They would want a product that meets their specifications. They would also need shoes to match such bags they purchase. The attractiveness of this industry and the open market structure in this country that allows free entry of firms into this industry has seen an influx of firms into this industry. These firms have mastered the art of trade. Furthermore, they are very competitive. Shoe and Bag Company operates in this field. Although considered one of the leading firms in this industry, this firm finds itself in a very competitive market, with new firms emerging into this industry. There has been a need to ensure that th e firm remains competitive in this industry. Shoes and Bags Company Shoes and Bags Company is a medium sized retail firm that has specialized on the fashion products, especially shoes and bags. This firm operates 50 stores in the entire country. The firm has 3000 part-time employees, and 2000 full-time employees based in various stores. This firm is very dominant in London, where it has 20 stores.Advertising Looking for proposal on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In Manchester, Wales and Edinburg, it has 10 stores each. At each store, there are 100 employees, 40 of which are full time, while 60 are part time employees, and a senior manager heads each store. The firm has its head office at Paddington, where there is 100 temporary and 200 permanent staff, of which, twenty are considered senior managers. At the top management, there are four directors and the Chief Executive Officer of the firm. The directors head Finance, Human Resource, Customer Service and Retail Outlet Departments. This firm has always been very competitive in this market. The four units have been coordinating very closely to ensure that the firm is prosperous in this increasingly competitive market. One of the greatest strength has been its experience in this industry. This firm has been in existence for a long period and as such, it is able to predict market forces easily and how this would affect the industry, hence the firm. It knows measures to take in case such occurrences take place. However, the emergence of new technologies has caused a complete disruption. Emerging technologies have brought in new forces that are completely new in this industry. As Milroy (1983, p. 90) notes, currently, there are no such things as permanent competitive advantage. What a firm may consider as a competitive advantage today would be its main undoing in tomorrow’s market. As such, there is needed to be flexible in this market in order to manage market dynamics. This proposal is intended to help this company improve its effectiveness across all the departments in its quest to transform its entire outlook in order to be more competitive in this industry.Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on Shoes and Bags Company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Proposed Activity This proposal is meant to help this firm transform its operations, in a bid to ensure that it is in a position to manage the increasing market competition. In specific, this proposal intends to explain how this firm can integrate emerging technologies into all its operations. As Ulaga and Chacour (2001, p. 75) assert, no firm can manage market competition if it fails to adopt emerging technologies. Emerging technologies hold the answer to the majority of current problems that many firms face in their operations. It is important to note that not all the emerging techn ologies are good and applicable to such a firm as this. Some of the emerging technologies are very destructive, and can cause complete disruption to a firm if employed (Gilbert 2001, p. 63). Another factor to consider about emerging technologies is time taken to implement it. Being too early (technology enthusiasts) may be dangerous because a firm may not have time to determine how effective a given new technology is. Similarly, late adoption is dangerous because the technology may be irrelevant by the time it would be implemented by the firm. Customer service would be the first to adopt new technologies. Customers are very important to this firm. They are the defining force concerning the firm’s success. For this reason, they should be taken care of well if the firm expects to retain the current customers, or retain existing ones. As Bailey (1996, p. 36) says, technology has redefined the marketing approach. Internet marketing has gained more relevance. Through websites, com panies are able to reach out for the customers and even conduct a complete transaction. Shoes and Bags Company needs to develop an interactive website for this department. Interactive in that customer can make inquiries and receive feedback within a reasonably good time. This would attract the internet addicts who happen to visit these sites. The website should also sustain a complete transaction by allowing customers to place their order directly through the internet, pay for the product online, and then get this product delivered.Advertising Looking for proposal on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This would demand that the websites be complete shops. Complete shops in the essence that it should have variety of products in each line, each product having its own unique code that a customer would choose. Once the product is picked by one customer, it is replaced immediately in the ‘shelve’ with the code that would be uniquely its (Lindgreen Finn 2005, p. 63). The websites should also allow customers put in complain or complements that would to the firm. This would help the research and development section and the quality assurance unit know how the firm’s products are viewed in the market. This website should also be in a position to inform customers of possible promotional campaigns or direct benefits that a firm could have put in place for them. The next unit that would implement emerging technologies is the Retail Outlets. These outlets need modern technologies that would help them manage their stock. The outlets should adopt new stock taking programs th at would help it determine which products are available for and which needs to be replenished (Payne Holt 2001, p. 40). This programs is designed in such a way that each product that is taken into the store as a new product is fed into the system. The system would then track its movement within the store. This will not only eliminate possible pilferage, but also help the firm know the rate of stock turnover. Through this, it would be in a position to determine which category of products makes the bulk of sales. The Finance Department would also need to develop new technologies that would help it manage its duties as per the expectation. The finance unit would require close monitoring of the sales that takes place both in the online market and in the stores. This department is very sensitive. All the departments look onto it to allocate appropriate funds that would enable them run their duties (Piercy 2009, p. 52). This department depends mostly on the finance generated from the sal es process. This firm should be in a position to track down all sales that have taken place and reconcile the accounts to determine any fraud that could have occurred at any of the processes of the firm. This unit may need to outsource professional auditors at this stage. Human Resource would also need to employ new strategies in order to ensure that it performs its tasks to the expectation of the firm. As Cunningham (2000, p. 29) says, human resource and technology are two extremes that may not function as a collaborative unit. One unit would always displace the other. In most of the cases, technology has been seen as a replacement of human resource. However, as Fifield (2007, p. 38) observes these two units should function hand in hand. They should complement each other. As such, the human resource would be required to develop an understanding of the new technologies and how they are applied in market in the normal running of the firm’s activities. Relevant institutional Re sources and Sustainability Relevant institutions would do the above activities, and they would require a given amount of money to implement them and ensure sustainability. The Chief Executive Officer would be at the center of all the activities of this firm. This is because he, as the focal point of the firm, would need to approve these projects after the research and development unit has evaluated them and made recommendations to this regard. The various heads of departments would be concerned with the activities of their departments, save for the finance department, which would be involved in the operations of all other departments by virtues of its role in the firm. In the development of a website for the firm, the customer service department would need to be financed and it would require involvement of all the departments. Other departments would need to be involved in the development of the website because this website would form the company image to the outside community. This task should not be left to one department (Ward 1999, p. 85). Moreover, this department should involve other departments in the development of the website (especially the Retail Outlets Department), because the website is expected to be in a position to support online sales. It would be necessary to harmonize the sales that take place online and those that take place at the stores. The website should also direct its customers to the nearest outlet in case they need to see the items physically. The Finance Department would need to allocate finance for this project in the initial face. This project would be self sustaining after a given period of time. Through advertisements that other institutions would be making through this website, and the sales generated from online sales, this firm would be in a position to generate a lot of revenue through this. The project of the Retail Outlets is specifically for them. Other departments are may not find direct relevance to it as it majorly c oncerns the management of stocks within the stores. The other concerned party in this case would be the Finance Department which would need to fund the project. This project may be a little more expensive than other proposed projects above. However, it would be very helpful in the long run because by eliminating pilferage, it eliminates profit reduction caused by unscrupulous employees. It would also facilitate ease of recording sales rate for each line of products (Weiss 1994, p. 87). Through this, it would be easy to plan on which line of production to increase investment on. This project would need regular funding at intervals as maintenance fee. The proposed activity of the Finance department specifically affects the unit singly and as such, may not need to involve other departments. The main expense for this department would be the cost of paying the outsourced firms to carry out the auditing task. In the proposed activity of the Human Resource Department, there would be a need to incorporate all the departments. According to Ahmed and Rafiq (2002, p. 26), the Personnel Department affects all other departments of the firm. All the departments have employees who are under the Human Resource Department. When ensuring that employees adopt new technologies, it would be done in line with their respective departments. Hence, employee appraisal would be done in their respective units. Evaluation According to Atkinson (1990, p. 39), projects would be evaluated to determine their effectiveness in achieving the objectives they were intended to meet. The aim of the above proposed projects was to ensure that the firm is transformed to reflect the current market structure in order to be in a position to compete effectively with other firms. The projects must therefore be evaluated to determine if they meet the above objective. Different units would do evaluation of the proposed project. The quality assurance team would evaluate the first proposed project. This team wo uld ensure that the websites functions to its intended purpose. This team would assess the performance of this website from various fronts. All the departments of the business would need the website for various functions. The demands of these departments should be met by this website. it is only through this that the website would be said to be performing as per the expectation of the firm. The other departments would also take part in the evaluation of this website. They will be expected to report on the impact of the website to their various duties. In the proposed project of the sock management at the retail stores, the quality assurance unit in conjunction with the retail outlet management will do the evaluation. The focus in this evaluation would be how well this program is able to track stock of the firm once they get into the retail outlets (Woodruff 1997, p. 49). The program must be a security on its own, and it should not be a program that can easily be manipulate by the em ployees. Another aspect that would be of interest during the evaluation process is the employees’ attitude towards this new system. The notion that should arise is that this program is meant to study movement of stock within the stores in order to help in ascertaining the rate of stock turnover and other management records concerning the stock. The employees should not feel that the new program is meant to ensure that they do not carry any item from the shop. This may discourage them for they would feel that the management does not have trust on them. In the finance department, there would be the need to evaluate how well the firm is able to track down sales in order to ensure that they get the right amount they should receive from other departments. The auditing team may help in this. In the human resource department, of interest during the evaluation process would be how well the employees are adapting to the new technologies that the firm is employing at its various units. There would be the need to ensure that employees are well updated on issues relating to the technology. Justification of the Above Approach The above approach would be very important to this firm. As noted in the introductory part, this market is very competitive. New firms are coming into existence with new methods of production, or just new and better products. This industry is very sensitive to emerging technologies. As Bryman (2001, p. 61) states, fashion wears like shoe and bag have very short life span. Once in the market, it may take a short while before another firm comes out with new designs of the products. As is always the case, the market would always move to the new products, which to them, they will consider to offer more value than the existing products. As such, there would be need to ensure that the firm keeps pace with others in advancing their products. Best (2009, p. 72) says that currently, firms may not survive if they fail to manage market forces. Managing ma rket forces in this case implies that the firm is able to produce new products as often as would be necessary in order to remain competitive. This can best be achieved through managing the emerging technologies. By adopting the emerging technologies as stated above, the firm would find it easy to manage emerging technologies. This would help it remain competitive. Timeline The timeline for the adoption of the above-proposed projects per department can best be represented in the Gantt chart below. List of References Ahmed, K Rafiq, M 2002, Internal Marketing tools and concepts for customer-focused management, Butterworth Heinemann Elsevier, Oxford. Atkinson, P 1990, The Ethnographic Imagination: Textual Constructions of Reality Routledge, London. Bailey, A 1996, A Guide to Field Research, California, Forge Press, Pine. Barnes, C, Blake, H Pinder, D 2009, Creating Delivering your Value Proposition, Kogan Page, London. Best, RJ 2009, Market-Based Management Strategies for Growing C ustomer value and Profitability, New Jersey, Pearson. Bryman, A 2001,Social Research Methods, OUP, Oxford. Cunningham, B 2000, The stress management sourcebook, Free Press, Los Angeles. Eggert, A Ulaga, W 2002, â€Å"Customer-perceived value: a substitute for satisfaction in business markets?† Journal of Business Industrial Marketing, Vol. 17, no. 2, pp 107-125. Fifield, P 2007, Marketing Strategy: The Difference between Marketing and Markets, Elsevier Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford. Gilbert, N 2001, Researching Social Life, Sage, London. Lindgreen, A Finn, W 2005, â€Å"Value in business markets: What do we know? Where are we going? Industrial Marketing Management, Vol. 34, no. 2, pp 732- 748. Milroy, L 1983, Observing and Analyzing Natural Language, Blackwell, Oxford. Payne, A Holt, S 2001, â€Å"Diagnosing Customer Value: Integrating the Value Process and Relationship Marketing†, British Journal of Management, Vol. 12, no. 2, pp 159 182. Piercy, NF 2009, Market -Led Strategic Change, Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford. Ulaga, W Chacour, S 2001, â€Å"Measuring customer-perceived value in business markets: a prerequisite for marketing strategy development and implementation†, Industrial Marketing Management, Vol. 30, no. 6, pp 525 540. Ward, K 1999, Cyber-ethnography, and the emergence of the virtually new community, Journal of Information Technology 14: 95-105. Weiss, R 1994, Learning from Strangers: The Art and Method of Qualitative Interview Studies, The Free Press, New York. Woodruff, RB 1997, â€Å"Customer Value: The Next Source for Competitive Advantage†, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Sciences, Vol. 25, no. 2, pp 139-154.

The use of budgets in the improvement of management performance and Essay

The use of budgets in the improvement of management performance and control within global businesses - Essay Example What were relevant a century ago are no longer valid because of increased competition and ever changing products, their characteristics and consumer preferences. The following piece of information would be useful for companies presently engaged in traditional budgeting but willing to switch over to other types of budgeting. The purposes of budgeting One of the functions of management is â€Å"planning†. Budgeting is a part and form of planning necessitated by resource constraints. It has been defined as the formal expression of plans, goals, and objectives a management is committed to, concerning all aspects of operations in a business for a given period of time. It is a part of profit planning mechanism based on forecasting and probabilities according to the manager’s best judgement. Budgeting is more often found to be useful in making a business more profitable (Shim, Siegel, & Shim, 2011). Thus, budgeting helps estimate resources in terms of monetary value needed for business activities. Budgeting process forces one to rigorous thinking and the realities of the process will also force one to rethink the plans. Budgeting helps in determining the timing of the requirements. The business is able to monitor its income and expenditure and identify problems if any. It is the basis for accountability of managers and provides transparency. Without the budget, funds cannot be raised from financiers (Shapiro, 2001). Conventional budgeting Called traditional budgeting, it is based on the historical accounting though for the first year the figures are only estimates. Past expenditures are taken as bench marks for future performance. Thus, the budget turns out as list of planned expenditure and incomes. These budgets calculate estimated sales through market demand or production capacity and arrive at estimated revenues. It main purpose is to verify whether actual results are as per the estimates made for each cost or responsibility centre. Thus, budgeting s erves as a management tool for the purpose of controlling the responsibility centres. It also helps to have an overview of how different responsibility centres are interrelated. This type of budgeting can be useful for producer dominated markets such as those existed during the period immediately after world war II when demand for products was high with limited competition (Rohm, 2007). Types of budgets Unlike traditional budgeting which is function oriented, activity based budgeting (ABB) focuses on activity. It looks at the budgeted cost of activities that are required for manufacture and sale of products or for providing services. The activity based budgeting is directly linked to cost management as a part of planning and control. As in traditional budgeting, ABB starts with the forecasting of demand for the company’s products or services known as sales budget. Where as in functional budgeting, company proceeds to make inventory budget, material purchases and the cost of g oods sold budget, ABB considers the demand for output of each activity determined by its cost driver. Rate of consumption of resources for each activity is used for estimating or budgeting the needed resources. In functional budgeting, resources required are directly measured with the use of sales forecasted. In ABB, sales forecasts are employed to measure the activities which then enable determination of resource requirement. This way a company is able control waste and efficiency which is the ultimate goal of budgeting. Application of activity based costing helps preparation of master budget in a more practical manner. In effect, ABB applies the ABC model which assigns resource costs to activities and allocates activity costs to produce products and services (Shim, Siegel, & Shim, 2011). Zero Based

Case Study of a Merger and Acquisition case Essay

Case Study of a Merger and Acquisition case - Essay Example cussed above that this acquisition was done through an RBS led bank consortium comprising of The Royal Bank of Scotland, Fortis Group NV of Belgium & Santander Central Hispano SA of Spain.(Forton,2007). However, during this whole process during which the efforts to acquire the bank were undertaken, Barclay’s- one of the oldest banks in UK- also remained active for the acquisition of the bank. It is also important to note that negotiations between Barclays and ABN Amro were almost finalized and Barclays was on its way to become the largest banking group in the world worth  £94 Billion however, due to certain legal complications and higher bid by RBS led consortium, the deal between Barclays and ABN Amro could not be materialized. The actual deal between both the firms was to be materialized through 70% of the cash and 30% of the RBS shares given to ABN Amro shareholders. Since this deal was brokered through a consortium therefore as per the mutual understanding of the consortium members, the operations of ABN Amro were to be divided. The Royal Bank of Scotland- as the main player in the deal- therefore planned to take over the Chicago operations of the bank, its wholesale operations while other two banks would take its Brazilian as well as Dutch operations. Barclays in its bid also agreed to shift its headquarters to Amsterdam and was even ready to cut most of its UK workforce as a part of the deal. However, RBS was able to attract the attention of investors because of high value of cash involved in the overall deal. RBS promised to pay  £16 Billion for the wholesales operations of ABN which was considered as 32 times higher than the profits of that segment of the business. At that time, it was considered as the bargain as RBS was banking on the possibility of cost saving through restructuring of the operations. Both ABN and RBS were working in the same industry at the time of acquisition and the industry as a whole was faring well. It is also however,

Attachment in the United States and Amae in Japan Essay Example for Free

Attachment in the United States and Amae in Japan Essay Culture enables people to adjust to their physical as well as social environment. Culture enables the members of society to develop ways of coping with the exigencies of nature as well as ways of harnessing their environment. People also have to learn to relate themselves with others in order to survive. As Schwartz (1998:48) pointed out, the culture of any society represents an adaptation or adjustment to the various conditions of life, including their physical, social, and supernatural environment. No culture is completely static. Every culture is in constant flux; and the changes represent adjustments to the environment. Culture changes at different rates. The changes occur as a result of discoveries, inventions, and cultural borrowing. In some areas, control of the natural environment has been pursued to a point that the society has become endangered. Natural resources, such as bodies of water, forests, plant and animal life and minerals, have been so exploited that the environment is close to destruction. The acceptance of change depends on the exposure of the members of society to new ideas and ways different from their own and their opportunity to accept ideas and ways through diffusion. United States and Japan are belonging to different continents, locations and have different set of people; however, these two countries have similarities in some ways. Its people adapt and practice different cultures. Its culture shapes the behaviors and characteristics of its people that will make them noticeable that these groups of people are come from United States and Japan. Thesis Statement: This study will conduct a cross cultural psychology comparison of Attachment in the United States and Amae in Japan; thus, describes its functions, similarities and differences. II. Discussion A. Its culture, similarities and differences o United States There are a lot of groups of people that reside in United States; whites made up 83. 2 percent of the populations; blacks 11. 7 percent; American Indians, Eskimos, and Aleuts 0. 6 percent; Asian and Pacific Islanders 1. 5 percent; and other nonwhites 3. 0 percent. The nonwhite groups are concentrated in various parts of the country. Freedom in matters of education and the right of every child to have an education are basic principles in the United States. Unlike many other nations, the United States does not have a central or federal system of education, Establishing and administering public schools is one of the powers exercised by each state (Fritsch, 2001). The state, in turn, delegates much of this responsibility to local school districts. Literacy in the United States is high just like in Japan. In comparison to Japan (which only has two major religions), no other country in the world has a greater variety of religions, communions, denominations, and sects than the United States. More than 220 religious bodies report membership figures. Nearly all branches of Christianity and almost all Protestant denominations are represented. Japan and United States has the same views when it comes to religion (Katzman, 2003). The United States also believe that religious freedom and separation of church and state should be made. Government cannot interfere with religion or show preference for one religion over another. It cannot set up an official, or established, church, nor give support to any religion or to all religions. In the early days of the republic, United States artists and writers were generally regarded as inferior to those in Europe. Be the end of the 19th century, however, an independent national literature of high quality had been established by renowned writers (O’Neill, 2004). Music in the United States was strongly influenced by European music, and study in Europe was considered a necessary part of musical training far into the 20th century. America’s most influential contribution to music was jazz, a form originated by blacks and based on African rhythms. The musical which evolved from burlesque and operetta, was another American innovation. For many years, architects in the United States simply adapted European styles to American climate, landscape, and materials. The favorable economic position and amount of leisure enjoyed by the people of the United States give them unusual opportunities for recreation. Paid vacations became the rule for most industrial and office workers. The most popular outdoor spectator sports are football and baseball. Horse racing and automobile racing have large followings (Kurelek, 2005). o Japan The Japanese people are largely of Mongoloid stock, but little is known about their specific origin. Successive groups of migrating Asians from the mainland are believed to have settled on the islands some time before 300 A. D. Confronting them were the islands’ earliest known inhabitants— the Ainus, a Japanese people have developed from the mingling of these different ethnic groups. Only a few hundred full-blooded Ainus remain, on Hokkaido. Japanese culture is partly of Chinese origin and partly indigenous, for the Japanese adapted and did not merely imitate the culture of the mainland. Since the middle of the 19th century, Japan has been influenced more by the culture of Western countries than by that of its neighbors (Morton, 2004). Adoption of many Western ways produced sharp contrasts between the new and the old. Buildings and clothing, for example, are now seen in both traditional and Western styles. Among forces that have helped to mold the Japanese character are Buddhist, Shinto, and Confucian religious beliefs, the effects of a long feudal period, and the influences of the Japanese industrial revolution. With industrialization came a change from rural to urban living. American influences have been particularly strong since World War II (Smith, 2005). Moreover, its art has been strongly influenced too by Chinese art. From the mainland came the technique of ink painting on silk and the Buddhist influences in sculpture and painting. Flourishing throughout Japan are no, classical plays in which the actors wear masks depicting their character; bunraku, puppet plays; and kabuki, drama with stylized chanting and dancing. An important part of Japanese culture is the tea ceremony, a highly formal ritual, of which there are many variations. As a way of entertaining guests, it is regarded as the best expression of traditional etiquette. Some of the traditional arts—especially classical Japanese music and dance and the tea ceremony—are part of the repertoire of geisha, female entertainers who perform for groups of men. In addition, the family is a traditional and strong institution in Japan. It has a formal structure with authority vested in the male head of the family. The wife is expected to be subservient. Children learn discipline and their respective roles in the family at an early age. Sons are given preference over daughters, and the eldest son is superior to all others (Elkin, 2004). However, many of the more repressive aspects of the family, such as that of parents determining marriages, have weakened since World War II. Japanese homes are noted for their simplicity. Nearly all are built of wood. In many homes, paper-covered wooden frames, called shoji, are used for windows and doors. Being light and easily moved, they allow much of the house to be opened to the out-of-doors. Some homes are adjoined by landscaped gardens. Rooms usually have thick mats, called tatami, on the floor and very little furniture (Elkin, 2004). With regards to Japanese language and religion, the Japanese language is unrelated to other Oriental tongues. However, it is written in characters that originally adapted from Chinese writing. Furthermore, like in the United States, the Japanese constitution provides for freedom of religion and separation of church and state. The two major religions are Shinto and Buddhism. Many Japanese adhere, in varying degrees, to both. With regards to their education, six years elementary education and three of lower secondary school are free and compulsory for children 6 to 15 years of age. At the three-year upper secondary schools, tuition is charged. Education in Japan is highly competitive, and admission to upper secondary school and to college is determined by rigorous entrance examination. As a result, many Japanese children spend their after-school hours attending jukas, â€Å"cram† schools that specialize in preparing students for entrance examinations and other school tests. Japan has virtually no illiteracy (Christopher, 2003). III. Conclusion In conclusion, as I study the two different cultures, I have realized that United States and Japan have some similarities when it comes to their origin. Japan was most influenced by the Westerners and its origin was contributed by other indigenous groups and so is with United States. Everything that we can see from the Japanese and American culture are already been modified by other influences. However, in spite of the strong adaptation of different culture, Japanese remained their being family-oriented. They value the essence of having a united family; thus, a well-structured family role is formed so that each member can have its function. Unlike with the United States, it is very much influenced by the European settlers and based their competencies in European countries. Its culture is more focused on its development to the extent that internal competencies are suffered. I would say that Japanese culture is superb compared to United States because Japan is able to maintain their traditional ways in spite of economic development. Reference: 1. Fritsch, A. J. (2001). The Ethnic Atlas of the United States (Facts on File). 2. Katzman, D. M. (2003). Plain Folks: the Life Stories of Undistinguished Americans (University of Illinois). 3. O’Neill, Thomas. (2003). Back Roads America: a Portfolio of Her People (National Geographic Society). 4. Kurelek, William (2005). They Sought a New World: the Story of European Immigration to North America (Tundra Books). 5. Morton, W. S. (2004). Japan: Its History and Culture (McGraw-Hill). 6. Smith, R. J. (2005). Japanese Society: Tradition, Self, and the Social Order (Cambridge University). 7. Elkin, Judith. (2004). A Family in Japan (Lerner). 8. Christopher, R. C. (2003). The Japanese Mind: the Goliath Explained (Linden Press).

Anasazi Great Houses of the Chaco Canyon Region Essay -- essays resear

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Native American architecture varies greatly from region to region throughout North America, and was influenced by factors such as climate, kind of community, and the natural environment. Whereas some buildings were designed and constructed for specified functions, others, such as Anasazi great houses, were massive multi-purpose structures. Because great houses from Chaco Canyon are so well preserved, it is possible to have a decent understanding of the structure of Anasazi architecture for analysis. A close examination of the innovative Anasazi great house architecture of the Chaco Canyon region reveals its utilitarian value.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Chaco Canyon, located in northwest New Mexico, is full of plateaus and canyons. Though the area may appear unsuitable for habitation, the Anasazi were able to adapt to this environment by building homes using materials found in abundance around the Chaco Canyon region. (Fig. 1) The apartment style of building of great houses, â€Å"multistoried communal strongholds†1 , began to appear during the late ninth century, dying down into the twelfth century A.D.2 While wood usually had to be imported from a distance, sandstone was readily available and used primarily in this geometric style of architecture. Although no one knows the exact reasons why, the Anasazi moved to create these large complexes now known as great houses, breaking away from previously more traditional pithouse communities. Perhaps it was safer to commune as a large group, protecting themselves from enemies. Another possibility can be seen through examination of the heating and cooling benefit s of the Chaco Canyon great house style of architecture.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Solar energy and climate were major contributing factors in the building plans of Anasazi architecture. The climate can be harsh in the Four Corners region of the country, with extremely hot days and very cool nights, unbearably hot summers, and frigid winters. In order to protect the inhabitants from their environment, the Anasazi architects incorporated their knowledge of the effect of solar energy on building materials, as well as location of the sun in determining how the structures may most efficiently either absorb or reflect heat. â€Å"A southern exposure would have taken advantage of the low, southern winter sun angle, helping keep rooms wa... ...sp;  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pueblo Period in New Mexico.† Journal of Field Archaeology (Winter 1989)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  405-25. Schreiber, Stephen D. â€Å"Engineering Feats of the Anasazi: Buildings, Roads, and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dams.† In Anasazi Architecture and American Design, ed. Baker H.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Morrow and V.B. Price, 77-87. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Press, 1997. Stuart, David E. and Susan Moczygemba-McKinsey. Anasazi America: Seventeen   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Centuries on the Road from Center Place. Albuquerque: University of New   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mexico Press, 2000. Van Dyke, Ruth M. â€Å"The Chaco Connection: Evaluating Bonito-Style   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Architecture in Outlier Communities.† Journal of Anthropological   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Architecture (December 1999)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  471-506.

“All the Years of Her Life” and “The Gentlemen of Rio en Medio” Essay

The thing about synonyms is that even though they though they might seem like they are the same thing, if put in a different context they can mean something completely different. It’s interesting how two characters with very similar traits, goals and morals can be so different when placed in different stories, like when you switch a word for its supposed â€Å"synonym†. Don Anselmo and Mrs. Higgins are two very similar people. Both are traditional, respected, a little on the old-fashioned side and good at being seen as proud and confident. But it’s their greatest linking factor, their love for their families and communities, which divides them. Don Anselmo is a proud, traditional and very well respected man who has kept up the tradition of planting a tree for every child in the village to the point where a â€Å"gnarled but beautiful† orchard had become a part of his property. And when he is confronted with the request to ask the children to refrain from playing in the orchard, he explains that it is not his choice nor his place, as â€Å"the trees do not belong to him†. To him, nothing is more important than respecting the honor of his family. And to him, every child in that village whether they’re related to him or not, is his family. On the other hand, Mrs. Higgins has too close of an association with her son to the point where she sees his problems as hers. She has a proud and confident facade that hides a spirit broken by reasons that are out of her control. She appears to blame herself for her son’s inability to keep a steady job and lead a good life. Like Don Anselmo she closely identifies herself with her family that in her case seems to have an ill effect on her lifestyle. â€Å"You’ve disgraced me again and again,† she told Albert as they left the pharmacy. She feels as if her son’s shenanigans are her fault and this causes her spirit to crumble. This isn’t the first time that her family has failed her, which in her eyes translates into failing as a mother. So as you can see, both characters have almost identical personality building blocks. On one hand, Don Anselmo has used his love and respect for family to create a bond between him and his village that lead to a tight knit  community. And on the other, Mrs. Higgins chose to use her tolerance and pride to create a poisonous relationship between her son’s lifestyle and her happiness.

The Dependency On Fossil Fuel For Energy - 1779 Words

The dependency on fossil fuel for energy has made an irrevocable imprint on this Earth that can affect our economy, climate, and the future of humankind. There is no debate that growing issues over pollution, deforestation, and conservation have been a perpetual concern for many global citizens. Now with the global accessibility of technology being employed for awareness, environmentalist have used this universal tool in helping to spread the knowledge of growing concerns regarding the destruction of the environment. They also, used this technology to aid in challenging and holding responsible many big corporations for the ruination of Earth’s natural resources. Environmentalist efforts such as spreading awareness, creating organizations, and policy making are helping to slow down and lessen the detrimental effects of global warming on the general public. 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