Globalization and Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Globalization and Culture - Essay Example In my opinion, globalization is a modernizing force than can nurture local cultures and allow them to spread across the world. Globalization is not a destroyer of local cultures and traditions. It is an opportunity for local, regional, and ethnic cultures and traditions to spread and grow. Owing to cultural globalization, cross-cultural contacts have significantly increased. These interactions have shaped the world to be what it is today. For example, religion may be considered a cultural practice. On that note, religions such as Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam all began in specific places of the world (Fu and Chiu 637). Today, thanks to globalization, these religions are practiced in almost every corner of the world. These common religions have been embraced and accepted by different people from all over the world because of globalization. Globalization has enabled the crossing of international boundaries, therefore, allowing cross-cultural contacts that have led to the spread of these religions. This shows that globalization is not a destroyer of cultures and traditions. It is, in fact, a promoter of cultures and traditions (Fu and Chiu 638). Other cultural practices such as traditional music from Africa, for example, have been able to reach the Western world because of globalization. Globalization has allowed locally recorded music to reach audiences from all over the world (Fu and Chiu 639). Also, Anglo-American pop music has been able to spread everywhere through mediums such as MTV. These cultural practices have not been destroyed. In fact, globalization has helped to spread them all over the globe, and they are constantly being accepted by more and more people. Traditional recreational practices such as sports, games, and other leisure activities have also gained popularity in regions that they never used to be practiced before. Football is a good example (Fu and Chiu 640). Language, being part of culture, has also benefitted from

Quality Issues in Qualitative Research Assignment

Quality Issues in Qualitative Research - Assignment Example Triangulation refers to use of more than two different methods in research as a means of confirmation of results (Miller, 2012). It aims at increasing the validity and reliability of data in research. With regard to this particular research, it is important for the researcher to use a variety of individuals in answering the research questions. Also, it is important to carry out sequel interviews and observations in order to verify the results of the initial study. Transferability relates to the ability of a piece of research to be applicable to other fields with similar characteristics to that of the researcher. It is advisable to ensure transferability by stating central assumptions as well as proper authoring the context of the project. (Miller, 2012) Fine Motor Skill Disability can be related to similar fields and the findings of the author can be used to determine if technology may or may not be used in said fields. Trustworthiness in research is all about credibility of all the information stated in the research project (Miller, 2012). This research involves the use of interviews and observation as means of data collection. These means are all first hand and cannot be verified by a third party therefore, it is the duty of the researcher to ensure that the interviews are carried out without bias, and are reported exactly as they occurred. The researcher must not doctor results in order to suit his own personal

Why does work matter for modern societies Essay

Why does work matter for modern societies - Essay Example The complexities of the modern world have also led to people changing their forms of production in order to fit into the world. Modernity has led to a change in labor division from the usual organizational division of labor to social divisions. Divisions of labor have changed and there is a clear varianceamid the pre modern societies and the modern societies. In the pre modern societies, labor was divided based on social units, similarity and familial basis while in the modern world it is divided based on market, state and the civil society. Work is important to the modern world since the modern world has brought about a lot of social differentiation and hence increasing structural complexity. Despite each individual participating in different careers, work holds the society together and wipes away their differences. The pre modern societies were faced with similar challenges, problems since they all belonged to similar locations, families, religion and their levels of education were equal a situation termed as mechanical solidarity. However, in the modern society, people are very different and they have to inter-depend on one another in order to survive. The modern population has different abilities and each human being can do something in a unique and better way than another. This characteristic of the modern society makes it important for every human being to work so that they may serve another human being in their area of specialty and at the same time, get services form other human beings in their different areas of specialty. The pre-modern societies were undifferentiated since they shared strong beliefs and sentiments and this characteristic is termed as collective conscience. The modern societies have a characteristic of being more differentiated due to them having less defined beliefs a nd sentiments but instead have norms and values. This characteristic of the modern society being different and in some way

Quality Issues in Qualitative Research Assignment

Quality Issues in Qualitative Research - Assignment Example Triangulation refers to use of more than two different methods in research as a means of confirmation of results (Miller, 2012). It aims at increasing the validity and reliability of data in research. With regard to this particular research, it is important for the researcher to use a variety of individuals in answering the research questions. Also, it is important to carry out sequel interviews and observations in order to verify the results of the initial study. Transferability relates to the ability of a piece of research to be applicable to other fields with similar characteristics to that of the researcher. It is advisable to ensure transferability by stating central assumptions as well as proper authoring the context of the project. (Miller, 2012) Fine Motor Skill Disability can be related to similar fields and the findings of the author can be used to determine if technology may or may not be used in said fields. Trustworthiness in research is all about credibility of all the information stated in the research project (Miller, 2012). This research involves the use of interviews and observation as means of data collection. These means are all first hand and cannot be verified by a third party therefore, it is the duty of the researcher to ensure that the interviews are carried out without bias, and are reported exactly as they occurred. The researcher must not doctor results in order to suit his own personal

Discussion 2 Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion 2 - Article Example t will require continued changes in the nursing practice because the learners and faculty have to learn how to respect the diverse population with different beliefs and values. As noted by Diekelmann, (2012) in page 6, there is also a shortage of nursing faculty which has a constraint on nursing education. There are also changes in student demographics because the racial and ethnic diversity among students in schools is increasing. In addition, students are now entering nursing schools at older ages with different work experiences. Many are raising families and there are those with full-time careers. This has a constraint on their education because it needs a lot of flexible schedules. The other factor affecting nursing education is the technological explosion in the health sector. A look at the current scenario in the health care sector shows that there is rapid growth in technology resulting to a radical impact on how nurses get educated (Willis Commission on Nursing Education, 2012). It has promoted the technological applications for example, telemedicine. Therefore, nurses in this century not only have to learn on concepts of health promotion, reduction of risks and disease prevention among others but need to be skilled in the use of computers. There is also distance learning that links students from different locations with the nursing faculty. The advancing technology continues to stimulate the critical thinking of students and their acquisition of skills in environments which are

To what extent do you feel that the presentation Essay Example for Free

To what extent do you feel that the presentation Essay In Shakespeares time a womans status in society was very much based upon their fathers or husbands success. This subsidiary status was based on religious conceptions of hierarchy whereby according to the medieval church, Adam was created first, and Eve from his body; she was created specifically to give him comfort, and was to be subordinate to him, to obey him and to accept her lesser status. Furthermore, it was also based on the renaissance stereotype of women, which was split between the Virgin Mary and the Whore of Babylon. The Virgin Mary being represented by Ophelia to show her innocence and purity, and the Whore of Babylon by Gertrude to show her impurity and experience. These misconceptions show that although Shakespeare uses Gertrude to portray his view of women he does not highlight the naivety of Ophelias character and is instead clouded by the idea of imperfection within Gertrudes character. The concept of equality between the sexes was non-existent in Shakespeares time. Renaissance and Medieval literature was often misogynistic so there was a general distrust of women, which is portrayed in Hamlet. The husband was given the accepted role of head of the household, his duty being, to give his wife and children moral guidance as women had very little authority and were made out to be insignificant citizens. However, a modern audience would view Hamlet differently with a more educated opinion because of the changing situation of women in society since the Elizabethan era. Many people would find the derogatory and anti-feminist comments made in Hamlet profoundly offensive and nowadays they would be unacceptable. The role of women in Hamlet is represented by the two characters of Ophelia and Gertrude. Ophelia, who is Hamlets lover and the daughter of the kings prime minister Polonius, and Gertrude, Hamlets mother, who is the widow of the old king Hamlet and the wife of the current king of Denmark; Claudius. Both of these characters are portrayed as weak and nai ve to depict Shakespeares views and the views of the society on women. Women had little rights; they could be educated, although they could not go to university. Also, they were not allowed to vote, enter the professions, or become heirs to their fathers titles. One of the main themes within Hamlet is obedience as women were expected to remain obedient to their husbands or fathers throughout their lives. Obedience is key to Ophelias character as her actions are derived from her obedience towards Laertes and her father, Polonius. Nowadays obedience is less of an issue and a modern audience would probably not understand its importance to the play and why Ophelia goes to the extreme length of not ever seeing Hamlet again after Polonius orders her not, to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet. Her relationship with Polonius is a stereotype of the father-daughter relationship in Shakespeares time whereby her opinion is not relevant. He does not listen and is very dismissive of her, Ay, fashion you may call it. Go to, go to, yet she still shows him the utmost respect by referring to him as, my Lord. Although he cares for her he is very patronising towards her and treats her like a child, Affection? Pooh! You speak like a green girl. His tone towards her brings out the notion of her inferiority. Polonius forcefully orders her to, Look tot, I charge you. Nevertheless, Ophelia does as she is told, I shall obey. This is similar to Gertrudes language to Claudius as she also tells him, I shall obey you, when he informs her of his wish to spy on Hamlet with Ophelia. Ophelia agrees to let Claudius and Polonius spy on Hamlet because she believes that she must obey him. Furthermore, she may want to prove to her father of Hamlets devotion to her. This is shown when she notifies the Queen by referring to her wanting Hamlets madness to be caused by his love for her, I wish it may. However, Ophelias relationship with Laertes is much less strict than with Polonius in the sense that she seems to feel more comfortable around him than Polonius and tends to listen to him more. She promises to take his advice by telling him that she, shall the effect of this good lesson keep as watchman to my heart. However, at the beginning of the scene Laertes goes straight into his advice when he tells her, My necessaries are embarked. He does not show her any brotherly love and is straight to the point, which makes him seem cold and unaffectionate. There is an extensive use of shared lines between the start of Laertes and Ophelias discussion: (Laertes) No more. (Ophelia) No more but so? This method helps to emphasize the power relationship between the two characters. He speaks first then she follows with her short and general answers to his long speech, which highlights her natural carelessness of innocence. It seems as though he is undermining her when he gives her advice. Although, she acknowledges and accepts his control over her as she tells him his advice, Tis in my memory locked, and you yourself shall keep the key of it. Ophelia is unable to make her own decisions about Hamlet as she tells her father, I do not know, what I should think. Therefore, as a result she turns to her father who tells her, I will teach you. Which, later on leads to her destruction as she thinks Hamlets madness is caused by her rejection of him. Shakespeare uses her inability to think for herself to represent how women had very little independence and their roles were confined. They were expected to be silent observers and according to Michael Best, a dominant woman or one that showed any attempt at asserting their views was seen as, unnatural, a symptom of disorder. Shakespeare demonstrates this by Gertrudes limited intelligence as she makes a very general comment towards Hamlet, All that lives must die. Her speech seems tentative and she tends to echo Claudius when she Thanks Guildenstern and gentle Rosencrantz. In present society the Queen has more authority and would have a more equal relationship with the king than Gertrude does with Claudius. Although Gertrude is obedient towards Claudius she makes less sacrifices for him unlike Ophelia, who risks her relationship with Hamlet to obey her father. In fact, marrying Claudius helps Gertrude to remain within the royal family of Denmark after the death of old king Hamlet. Hamlet is incredibly unkind to Ophelia. In act 3 scene 1 Hamlet perceives from Ophelias strange behaviour, that she was not acting of her own accord but as a decoy. We notice this as he begins contradicting himself: he tells Ophelia, I did love you once and goes on to say, I loved you not. There is also a change in the direction of his speech as it is aimed at the spies. Those that are married already-all but one-shall live. The caesura in the line allows the audience to pick out this particular line and helps us to understand its significance as a threat directed at Claudius. Hamlets crude comments suggest Ophelia is false and impure when he tells her to get thee to a nunnery in order to save herself from being corrupted by sexual temptation. Although another interpretation could be that he believes women corrupt men and she has corrupted him by falling in love with him. However it can be argued that his unforgivable behaviour towards Ophelia was a pretence to make her believe in his antic disposition. Furthermore, whenever Hamlet is in his antic disposition he uses prose, which is what he uses to talk to Ophelia in this scene. According to feminist critic, Lee Edwards, We can imagine Hamlets story without Ophelia, but Ophelia literally has no story without Hamlet. This is because Ophelias character is used to create a sub-plot, which involves the relationship between her and Hamlet. This creates more interest as the focus is diverted from Hamlets revenge plan. However, it then leads into the wider context of the play as Hamlet is betrayed by her and later on kills Polonius, which is followed by Ophelias madness. Ophelia uses verse, and formal rhyme towards the end of her soliloquy and concludes with a rhyming couplet, O, woe is me thave seen what I have seen, see what I see. This method is used in order for the audience to pay particular attention to Ophelia noticing the contrast within Hamlets violent and irrational personality now, with the harmonious and high qualities he used to show. Although Hamlet humiliates her with sexual disgust and gross innuendo, Ophelia avoids his meaning be saying he is, blasted with ecstasy using his madness to block out the negative elements of his change. Shakespeare brings out his own views of women in Hamlets character. According to R. S White, Hamlet projects upon Ophelia the guilt and pollution he believes exist in Gertrudes behaviour. He has strong feelings about her marriage to Claudius and describes it as, A bloody deed, almost as bad as kill a king, and marry with his brother. It is because of her actions that he begins to condemn women and makes rather derogatory comments, Frailty, thy name is woman. Hamlet comments a vast deal on Gertrudes sexuality and lets her know that he, thought-sick at the act of her making love over the nasty sty. He uses this sexual imagery to show his disgust by describing Claudius with beast like references. Gertrude loves Hamlet and shows genuine disbelief when he confronts her, speak to me no more, these words like daggers enter in mine ears. She trys to protect him from the king after all that he has said to her. Hamlets behaviour towards Gertrude and Ophelia would create much more sympathy now than it would have done in Shakespeares time, as the audience would have been used to the treatment of women and would have agreed with the Hamlet, the heroes opinion. Gertrude dies by drinking poison from the cup, which, is provided by Claudius and meant to kill Hamlet. Her death has no major significance unlike Ophelias death. The ultimate fate of Ophelia, madness and eventually death, is a result of her fathers death and her inability to cope with it. She is driven to her madness by Hamlets betrayal of her. This is reflected in her songs as she sings, Before you tumbled me, you promised me to wed. According to Charney Maurice, within Renaissance drama madwomen were more strongly defined than madmen, and womens madness was interpreted as something specifically feminine. For Ophelia madness is the only time she is able to express her repressed feelings without being challenged or punished. Her death is beautified with the image of her lying in the water surrounded by her garlands of flowers, which are used to symbolize her innocence. Gertrudes extensive use of imagery creates a pretty image to represent Ophelias character like the hoar leaves, which symbolize a grey colour to represent age, to emphasise her youth and innocence. Her symbolic meanings are purposefully created to appear specifically feminine. Ophelia can be seen as a representative of women in Shakespeares time because of her strong emotions, which were stereotypically womanly. Although, her madness can be seen to symbolize womens oppression in society. She is the ultimate victim and is on the receiving end of Hamlets revenge plan and his male desire. It is her suffering from Hamlets wild and insulting behaviour, which creates our greatest sympathy for her. However this would be limited in a Shakespearian audience because of the stereotype and general distrust of women. Gertrude can also be seen as a victim although she does not gain as much sympathy as Ophelia because of her inconsiderate behaviour towards Hamlet and old Hamlet. Yet we would feel sympathy, as we know she is oblivious to the conspiracies surrounding her. Bibliography http://absoluteshakespeare. com/guides/hamlet/hamlet. htm http://web. uvic. ca/shakespeare/library/SLT/intro/introsubj. html http://www. tk421. net/essays/hamlet/hamlet. html http://www. clicknotes. com/hamlet/questions. html.

Resource Based View Strategy Formulation

Resource Based View Strategy Formulation Resource-based view (RBV) is a tool to determine strategic resources and how it affects the performance of the firm based solely on reviewing its internal environment while the external environment remains fixed. Firms using RBV competes in terms of their resources and capabilities. The aim of this paper is to study the factors that influence firms performance. The RBV emphasizes on the firms resources as the essential elements of competitive advantage and performance. It assumes two assumptions in examining sources of competitive advantage which are that the firms are heterogeneous in terms of the resources they control and that resource heterogeneity can continue over a period as the resources used to implement their strategies are not easily portable across firms (Bridoux, F, n.d).. The RBV method of analyzing firms performance is focused that other vital factors tend to be disregarded. Resources are not valuable of themselves; instead they are valuable because they allow firms to perform activities that in return create advantages for them. The competitive value of resources can be enhanced or eliminated by changes in technology, competitor behavior, or buyer needs which an inward focus on resources will overlook (Sheehan, N Foss, N, 2007). Resource uniqueness is essential as this differentiates between the firms. However, resource uniqueness is not sufficient to achieve sustainable competitive advantage and thus the resources must also be valuable, rare, imperfectly imitable and non-substitutable. RBV suggests that business processes that exploit valuable but common resources can only be a source of competitive equality; business processes that exploit valuable and rare resources can be a source of temporary competitive advantage; and business processes that exploit valuable, rare, and costly-to-imitate resources can be a source of sustained competitive advantage (Bridoux, F, n.d). The merits and demerits of RBV as the best strategy route One of the important contributions of RBV is the ability of it to measure and identify the internal environment of the firm. The importance of using RBV as a strategy route is to be able to work the inside-out approach. This means that companies using RBV focus on their internal strengths more as it is the root of their competitiveness. Furthermore, RBV recommends that effective management of operations can create uniqueness in the firms resources. Louis Vuitton is one firm in a competitive industry which has the edge over their competitors because of their product uniqueness. Louis Vuittons expertises are their design skills and manufacturing efficiency (R. Duane Ireland, Robert E. Hoskisson, Michael A. Hitt, 2008). While they may not be able to control the external environment, Louis Vuitton can use the RBV model and analyze their position and work on their strategies. Many organizations have been faced with dilemmas on how to use their resources strategically. Organizations that fail to efficiently convert their resources and capabilities into business processes cannot expect to recognize the potential competitive advantage of these resources. The RBV has little contribution in terms of predicting firm performance because of its nature of being tautological (Truijens, O. (n.d) and its focus is too narrow. Also, as a measure which only focuses on the internal environment, the RBV cannot be taken as the best strategy route. Many firms which focus mainly on the internal environment encounter competitive disadvantages to their business. For example, when IBM, a successful company achieved its success many of their competitors entered into the market. IBMs competitors included other big names such as Hewlett Packard (HP), Dell and Compaq (McNeilly, 2000). IBM did not pay close attention to their competitors because they were focused greatly on their in ternal strengths and not those of their competitors. Some other firms which have experienced failures from the strategies are Marlborough. Marlborough took the price cut strategy too far as they did not consider their competitors possible moves. The CEO of Marlborough started a price war by reducing their prices to attract consumers and gain more market share. However, their competitors also followed in reducing their prices which resulted in Marlborough facing losses. (McNeillly, 2000). RBV is not the only factor which determines performance of the firm. In industries such as the airline industry, other external factors such as timing and marketing are also essential. Entering into the industry requires good timing and this can be influenced by the economic position and consumer choice of quality and lower price. For example, Southwest airlines which are one of the well-known low cost carriers in the United States used the niche market strategy to maintain competitive advantage from its rivals. They avoided large airports, focused mainly on short flights which are ideal for families and business people, as well as excluded seating requirement and on flight meals to reduce their cost (Anonymous, 2010). Porter also mentions the common strategy of lowering cost, and product differentiation allows firms to access its strengths. Firms achieve superior positions based on being a cost leader or earning price premiums at the activity level (Anonymous, 2010). In the cost leader method of achieving sustainable competitive advantage, the firm would sell its products either at the average price to earn profits or below the average price to gain market share. The broader market usually adopts cost leadership. Wal-Mart is a cost leader. Their strategy was to form a close relationship with their suppliers which allowed them to reduce cost when purchasing in bulk (Walden University, 2010). Differentiation is another strategy mentioned by Porter. Firms produce products that vary from others and have unique features to compete against their competitors. This uniqueness of the product also allows firms to charge higher prices for their product. However, there are a few different types of differentia tion strategies. The few common ones include differentiation based on additional features, packaging, and design and positioning (Scribd, 2011). Louis Vuitton is an example of a firm that applies differentiation through design and positioning. Exploring processes, capabilities and the ability to appropriate rent and Porters industrial analysis Porters framework discusses the role of firms in formulating appropriate competitive strategy to achieve superior economic performance, and competitive approach. Also, the source of profits is not to be found in the firm but rather in the structure of the industry, especially the nature and balance of its competitive forces (Bridoux, F, n.d). However, the assumption of any relationship between firm performance and rent generation may be inaccurate. The RBV states that performance consists of rent generation and rent appropriation and we cannot predict firm performance from rent generation only. One such example is IBM. IBM assembled the strategic capabilities that built most of the modem for the personal computer industry. Yet Intel and Microsoft were ultimately able to appropriate a lot more of the related rent (Russell W. Coff, 1999). The factors that allow resources to generate rents should be valuable, rare, imperfectly imitable and non-substitutable. This issue was addressed by identifying the conditions under which a firms resources become valuable by bringing the external environment into the resource-based view. Through nurturing the internal competencies and applying them to an appropriate external environment, a firm can develop a viable strategy. Thus, for a firms resource to become valuable, it must allow the firm to exploit opportunities or neutralize threats in the firms environment (Russo, M Fouts, P, 1986). Resources as an option or real options refer to resources which are bought in present time and are either used or kept to be used in a later period. For example, land can be bought and used right away or it can be kept for use later. Real options create strategic flexibility for firms and when used effectively they can retain or increase in value. These types of resources are very useful in indus tries that have high competitiveness and use high technology. The pharmaceutical industry is one industry where there is high competitiveness. Firms such as Johnson Johnson, and Pfizer invest hugely in research and development in order to develop large numbers of drugs which can used to treat different illnesses although most of the time these drugs fail. Due to the uncertain nature of the products, these firms have to focus widely (R. Duane Ireland, Robert E. Hoskisson, Michael A. Hitt, 2008). However, firms resources on their own accord do not contribute to competitive advantage. Thus, these resources must be combined to form capabilities which in turn develop into core competencies and are used by firms to create value. Capabilities result from combining resources. Honda uses its capabilities in product design, engineering and manufacturing. Moreover, they place a great deal of emphasis on their workforce. Honda encourages their engineers to dream. This allows their employees to discover new things which add to their knowledge. This knowledge in turn will simplify their daily work. Core competencies are the capabilities which the firm pursuits and performs well. Core competencies have a competitive edge when the firms add value and outperform their competitors. The factors of core competencies which lead to a competitive advantage are valuable, rare, imperfectly imitable and non-substitutable (R. Duane Ireland, Robert E. Hoskisson, Michael A. Hitt 2008). Conclusion In conclusion, the RBV cannot be accepted as the best strategy route due its nature of being narrowly scoped and ignorant of the external environment. This measure does not provide accurate information on the firms performance. However, in a stable industry the RBV can be considered as one of the best strategy route. A firms performance should undertake many other factors which include timing, marketing, and advancement of technology, competitor behavior as well as the needs of consumers. I disagree that RBV is the best route as external factors are also very crucial in determining the performance and rent generation of firms as other external factors must also be considered. Porters external environment analysis focuses on the external factors that affect a firms performance. Dynamic industries focus more on the external environment thus preferring to use Porters theory In order for the RBV method to be more effective and efficient; it has to be studied along together with the exter nal environment. That way, firms are aware of their resources and capabilities and can nurture the internal competencies to apply them with appropriate external environment, which will allow the firm to develop practical approaches.