Japanese Katana Essay -- Art, Sword, Samurai

A popular ancient Japanese saying states that â€Å"The sword is the soul of the warrior.† (Buchanan 120) The warrior in the proverb pertains to the samurai of feudal Japan and the sword refers to their most prominent weapon, the Katana. An ancient blade made through a complicated forging process, the Katana is truly a work of art. Also known as the Japanese long sword or the samurai sword, the Katana is a curved, single-edged blade with ridges along its exterior. It is primarily used as a weapon to cut down or slash its foes (Robinson 28). The ridges along the blade, called the hamon, divides the soft metal components, the shingane, from the hadagane of the hard metal components used to forge the sword to give it its trademark razor sharp edge and flexibility (Turnbull 12). The blade of the Katana is around sixty to seventy centimeters in length and is often likened to the arc of the new moon. With its signature curved edge and its fusion of hard and soft metals, the Katana i s considered to be the greatest offensive weapon ever created (O’Neill 114,116). It is a hallmark of Japanese sword history and is a noteworthy aspect of Japanese craftsmanship. The Japanese Katana is an important symbol of Japanese culture whose significance must be asserted. Stories about war and implements of such can be observed throughout the course of Japanese history. This shows the prevalence of martial training and the profession of arms as a tradition that has not faded since ancient times (Friday and Humitake 13). Japanese sword history spans several centuries. It is commonly divided into five major periods, the Jokoto and Koto periods or the ancient swords, pre-650 A.D, and the old swords from post-650 A.D. until 1596 A.D. when the Shinto... ...h their swords. [†¦] All lived by a code that valued death over defeat. They were the samurai, the elite warrior class who ruled Japan for nearly 700 years, leaving an indelible mark on a land [Japan][†¦].† (O’Neill 101) This quote taken from a National Geographic publication is one of many others that speak of the tenacity of the samurai. Noble and aggressive, the samurai wield their swords with killing intent, confident that a simple strike from their blades can cause certain death to their foes. This was the primary reason the Katana is made in such a way. It is to create a weapon of absolute destruction. An implement comprising of aspects that symbolize elegance and devastation, the Katana not only is the finest weapon ever made, it is also a beautiful work of art (Yumoto n.p.). The elegance of the Katana stems from its shape and the method used to create it.

Zara and H&M

We have been given an assignment, where we have been divided into groups. In our group we have analyzed two companies, namely Zara and H&M. These two companies are both very big companies within clothing. The fashion business is very tough, and we will explain to you what we believe the two companies does well in this hard business, and why this is good. We have been giving time to solve the assignment in some of our classes with Gitte and Peter, the rest we have made at home. After we have analyzed the two companies we will compare their 4 P’s and their value chain, likewise we also will make a five forces analysis.Z A R A * Company profile – Zara Zara is a very big clothing chain from Spain. The chain was founded in 1975 by Mr. Ortega, and it now has more than 1. 000 stores in approximately 63 countries – so it is a very big chain. However Zara has its biggest market in Spain, where they have 364 stores in total. They sell fashion clothes of a fairly good q uality to reasonable prices – this also means that they have a broad target group, which we believe to be from kids to adults younger than 50, both men and women.Over the years Zara has expanded their product line heavily, so now they also sell accessories, cosmetics, furniture and perfumes. They have made a whole new store called Zara Home where they are selling furniture’s; we will however focus on their clothing. The founder of Zara is naturally very wealthy, in fact he is the richest man in Spain, and the second richest within the business of fashion. Also Zara’s stores are very big, most of them are between 800 and 1. 000 square meters – which makes room for a lot of fashion clothing.Inditex, the mother company of Zara has many stores under them, but it is worth mentioning that Zara stands for 77 % of Inditex’ overall sales, which is very impressive, and their plan for the future is to continue expanding and growing bigger and bigger. Zara clo thing is sold worldwide, and not long ago the first store opened on Stroget in Copenhagen. * Generic strategies Generic strategies is a marketing tool invented by Michael Porter. It is very popular and many companies use it. The generic strategy tells about the product(s) and its target group(s). Beneath you will see the generic strategies model. Low cost| Unique product / high cost| Broad target group| Overall cost leadership| Differentiation| Narrow target group| Niche – Cost focus| Niche – Differentiation focus| As seen above we believe that Zara uses the overall cost leadership strategy. Zara’s target group is very broad but their prices are also fairly low, this is why they use the overall cost leadership strategy. To a certain extend you could also say that Zara uses the differentiation strategy. This is because they have very beautiful products which are a bit more expensive than their closest competitors.But also because they have so many different produ cts – they have everything from clothes to furniture’s. But mainly we are certain that they use the overall cost leadership strategy. * Growth strategies Ansoffs growth strategy is a well known toll within marketing. The strategy is used by marketers who have objectives for growth, and Ansoffs matrix offers different strategic choices to achieve the goals. The model is shown below this text: | Old product| New product| Old target group| Market penetration| Product development| New target group| Market development| Diversification|We believe that Zara uses two growth strategies, and we will know explain why. The two strategies that Zara in our opinion uses is, market penetration and product development. If we have focus on their clothing line we believe that they have penetrated the market very much, naturally because they use the same products, clothing, and also because they aim for their existing target group. If your growth strategy is market penetration it would be obvious choice to promote your products, but that is not what Zara is doing.They are relaying on good store locations and loyal customers who will talk in nice words about Zara to their friends and family. As mentioned we also believe that Zara uses another strategy, namely product development. We base this on the fact that they have expanded their product line. Now they don’t just sell clothing, now customers also have the opportunity to buy accessories, cosmetics and furniture in Zara stores. Even though Zara is introducing new products, they still relay on their existing target group. Inditex has expanded very heavily, and to put this in perspective we have some facts that show this.In 1995 they had 500 stores worldwide, and in 2004, nine years later they had 2. 250 stores. * PEST analysis The PEST analysis is a marketing tool in the macro environment who tells about the political, environmental, socio- cultural and technological forces that may have an influence on your company. These are uncontrollable forces which we do not have any influence on. Also, it is vital that a company considers its situation before beginning the marketing process. Political factors: Zara has stores in a lot of countries; therefore it is hard to get a good view over the political factors.But if we focus on some countries we know it is easier. In Denmark we don’t see any political obstacles for Zara – we have a stable political environment, and the only thing we see as a â€Å"threat† for Zara is new tax-laws, that could influence our buying possibilities, but on the other hand it could also go the other way around. One important global thing that could affect Zara could be new laws regarding the cheap â€Å"work power† in the east. New laws regarding this area could end up raising their costs. Economic factors: We are right now in the middle of a global financial crisis, and many fear that we will have a recession.This will of course influenc e Zara. If the recession comes, customers of Zara will have less money to spend on their products then they used to. This can be very crucial for Zara, because we might fear that their customers will tend to buy products from their greatest competitor, namely H&M. Hennes & Mauritz products are a bit cheaper then Zara’s, and therefore we fear for Zara that they would lose customers during a recession. Socio- cultural factors: Some people are against the fact that big companies use cheap production in foreign countries, but in this situation Zara has an advantage over its competitors.They produce 80 % of their clothes in Europe which is a lot more than their closest competitors. This subject we will also talk about in the SWOT analysis. Teenagers are also spending a lot of money on clothes, and they often do this without influence from their parents. This creates â€Å"a golden group† for Zara who are willing to buy a lot of fashion clothes, so they can look nice . Technological factors: When we are in the clothing business technological factors does not have a very big influence compared to other businesses.But there are things that are relevant for Zara. Because of all the technology we have today, Zara also has new opportunities to get in touch with their customers. The internet is in this case a brilliant example. Zara can promote on the internet, and they also have a homepage where you can learn more about them, and check their products. * The value chain A value chain is a chain of different activities which aims at creating value for the end user, and leaving the company with a positive margin. The activities culminate in the total value delivered by an organization.The value chain is divided into primary and support activities. UpstreamDownstream Research & Development| Inbound logistics| Production (outsourcing)| Outbound logistics| Sales and marketing| Service (After market)| It’s very important for Zara to create as muc h value in the value chain as possible, because there is a tough competition within the market for relatively cheap, but still good quality clothes. Zara creates value in production. –Their production takes place in some of the countries with a low salary, which minimizes the production cost.But they also produce their products in Spain and Portugal, which we believe many customers will like. In outbound logistics we also believe that Zara creates a lot of value. This is the place where the products are sent to the stores – and at this point Zara creates very good and vital value. We know that Zara are very fast at getting their products sent out to the stores, likewise they also can call them back very easily compared to their competitors, and this of course creates value for Zara. In the sales and marketing Zara does not gain much value.They don’t advertise for their products, and we believe that this would be a good idea, especially in the countries where Zar a still needs to get its big â€Å"break trough†, instead Zara depends on good store location. We believe that they should give advertising a chance. * SWOT analysis A SWOT analysis is another strategic method within marketing. It is used to evaluate a company’s, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Strength and weaknesses are internal factors, while opportunities and threats are external factors. We will start out with the strengths. One of their great strengths is their fast production.When their clothes are designed for the first time, it can be bought in their stores around the world only 2-5 weeks later. This means that they have a very fast production and if something goes wrong or doesn’t sell they can easily call the product back. At the same time they will also have new clothes with a great variety in the stores every second week. The fast production also gives a good control of your stock, which means that they â€Å"only† have 15-2 0 % unsold inventory each year and a good profit margin. In H&M, Zara’s worst competitor, it takes 6-8 months before their designs are in the shops – therefore it is a great strength.Location of Zara stores is also one of their strengths. They are placed where a lot of people walk by, and therefore a lot of people see the store, and they will go in, and eventually end up buying something. Because of their production, they also have a good reputation among their customers. Most of Zara’s production takes plane in Spain and Portugal. This is a good thing because many people don’t like the thought of underpaid workers. When you buy products from Zara you have a lot of different things to choose of, which is also a strength – and the products you buy are of a high quality and a reasonable price.A weakness for Zara we definitely mean to be their homepage. It is very confusing, and it is not easy to browse around. When we looked at it, we were actual ly very disappointed, and we even got a little bit â€Å"frustrated† – because it is so confusing. We also think that despite their good quality and prices they are a bit unknown among the young generation in Scandinavia. Before this assignment we didn’t know too much about Zara. We believe that H&M is more known then Zara in Scandinavia, and this is due to Zara’s lack of advertising.Right now we have a global financial crisis, which influences the customers buying possibilities. This also affects Zara’s customers, and they will think more carefully over the things they choose to buy. If the financial situation became more positive and we were facing a boom, Zara’s customers would have more money to spend on their products – therefore a boom is a possibility for Zara. Of course Zara has their competitors as a threat, especially H&M and Gap. The business which they operate in is very competitive – therefore it is vital t o â€Å"be on the marks† at all times. Zara also has some production in Asia. Therefore new political laws about salaries and â€Å"working hours† is a threat for Zara, which could end up making their production more expensive. * Price / quality grid The price/quality grid is a tool you can use to analyze a product and the company’s strategy with the given product. First it is worth mentioning that a product is anything that can be offered to a market for purchase or use, which might satisfy a want or need. A product consists of three levels, namely the core benefit, the tangible product and the augmented product. Beneath we have shown the model and we will explain which strategy we believe Zara uses. High price| Low price| High quality| Premium strategy| Good value strategy| Low quality| Overcharging strategy| Economy strategy| In our opinion Zara uses the good value strategy. This is of course because they have a high quality, but also a fairly low price. When buying clothes from Zara the customer at least get the same quality as if buying from Armani, but buying clothes from Zara also gives you a low price. This tells us that the customer gets more then he pays for, when talking about the actual product. Others would say that the brand and status other products give them is more important.But when using a good value strategy, the company will get a lot of satisfied customers. It is worth mentioning that Hennes & Mauritz in our opinion uses the same strategy, namely the good value strategy. Hennes & Mauritz * Company profile Hennes and Mauritz is a very big company, it was founded in Sweden, 1947. They started selling clothes to women and at that time their stores was called Hennes. –Later, in 1968, they founded a store that started selling clothes to men, and this store was called Mauritz, and Mauritz also started selling accessories.Later they changed the name to Hennes & Mauritz (H&M), which is the store we know today, who sells their products to both men and women. Since H&M was founded they have expanded heavily, and today you can find them in 24 different countries, with more than 1. 345 retailers worldwide. Hennes & Mauritz has their biggest market in Scandinavia; likewise their target group is very broad. –They sell clothes to small children but also to adults, both men and woman. * Generic strategies Porter’s generic strategies were made in the 1980’s, and since then it has been a very popular marketing tool.Today it is still very used among companies worldwide. | Low cost| Unique product| Broad target group| Overall cost leadership| Differentiation| Narrow target group| Niche – Cost focus| Niche – Differentiation focus| The generic strategy is used to find the company’s competitive advantage, so they will know what to focus on while they are maintaining their core competitive advantages. –H&M has a very broad target group, and their products are also at a relatively low price. Therefore they use the strategy which is called overall cost leadership.They can sell their products at a low price because they produce them in countries such as China and other Asian countries. H&M has used this strategy with great success. * Growth strategies Ansoffs growth strategies were first published in 1957. Today it is still used by many marketers who have objectives for growth. This model offers different choices of how to achieve your goals. | Old product| New product| Old target group| Market penetration| Product development| New target group| Market development| Diversification| H&M operates uses the market penetration strategy, obviously.They have their existing products, mainly their clothes, which they sell to their existing target groups. They have a good brand within clothing which they are trying to make stronger and stronger. You could say that they over the years also have used market development. Because in the beginning they only sold clothes to women, but know they also sell clothes to men. This is why their strategy for many years has been market penetration. * PEST analysis Before a company begins its marketing process it would be wise to consider its environment. This can be done with a PEST analysis.Political forces: In Denmark we don’t believe that the political forces play any role, but in their production countries it can affect them. New laws about salary and working hours can make production more expensive, which won’t be good for H&M. Economic forces: Not long ago we had a boom period in Denmark, therefore people had â€Å"more† money to spend on clothing for example. But now we are slightly heading towards a recession. But actually we don’t mean this has any negative influence on Hennes & Mauritz. People will still have the money to buy their products because they are cheap compared to others.So maybe they will even experience to get more customers, if the population does not feel that they so much money to spend on clothes. Socio- cultural forces: The trends are very important for H&M. We believe that many girls like having clothing from H&M. This we believe to be their biggest target group also. They have lots of different products which can be bought at a good price, and they feel comfortable wearing clothes from H&M. Therefore it is important that H&M keeps them self updated on new trends. A more negative factor could be the fact that some people are against cheap production in foreign countries.This will hurt their image among some people, because they have so much production in the east. Technological forces: On the technological forces H&M is â€Å"up to date† in our opinion. They have cheap production, partly because of good technology. Also they have a very good homepage where you can see their collection, and also shop online. Furthermore you have the opportunity to r ead about the company and get the newsletter via their homepage. * The value chain UpstreamDownstream Research & Development| Inbound logistics| Production (outsourcing)| Outbound logistics| Sales and marketing| Service (After market)|Above we have shown the value chain. Earlier we have mentioned the purpose therefore we will now start with the analysis. When we look at their production we know that many of their products are produced in China. This makes production cheap and therefore also the products that are sold to the end users. This creates value for H&M. Also they have 700 independent suppliers, primarily in Asia and Europe. Hennes & Mauritz only produce 30 percent of their own clothes, the other clothing they get from firms such as L. O. G. G. , which they have a permanent contract with.This way they don’t spend too much money at their own production, while having lots of independent suppliers. And due to all the suppliers they will naturally get a good p rice, because they order a huge amount each time, but also because the suppliers would like to have their products in H&M stores. H&M has a â€Å"top of mind status† when we think of cheap and fashionable clothing. And this is very valuable. Not many company’s has achieved to make the same brand and position as H&M, therefore they gain great value in sales and marketing.Many big designers has designed clothes for H&M such as Stella McCarthy and now also Madonna wants to design clothes for them. She wants to make a series of clothes for women called â€Å"M by Madonna†, which we believe could be a huge success. If Madonna designs clothe for H&M it will be good promotion and great value. * SWOT analysis Strengths| Weaknesses| Good repetition Loyal customers Good quality Reasonable prices| Slow production Some think of H&M as discount label Recall of products| Opportunities| Threats|Economy (recession, to a certain extant) Growth in the Asia n retail sector| Rising salaries for the workersNew political laws regarding productionCompetitors – intense competition| The purpose of a SWOT analysis we have already mentioned. We believe that their strongest strength is their quality and brand compared to their prices. In H&M you get something in return of your money. But as we see it they also have one very big weakness, especially compared to their strongest competitor, Zara. H&M has a very slow production compared to Zara and it takes up to 8 months before the new designs are available in the stores.If something goes wrong it won’t be easy for them to call the products back, so at this point they have to improve. Regarding the economy we believe that they are well prepared for both a boom and a recession. If we experience a boom people will buy even more clothes then they usually do, and if we experience a recession they will maybe get some new customers. The biggest threat we believe to be new laws rega rding their production, this would give them extra costs. Comparison * The 4 P’s The marketing mix, also known as the 4 P’s, is probably the most famous marketing term.The marketing mix is very simple, and it tells us something about the product, place, price and promotion. We can also say that the marketing mix is the company’s offer to its potential customers. We will start out with the most important P – the product. Product: As we know both Zara and H&M primarily sells clothing. Their products are very similar; they both sell fashionable clothes, so at this point we don’t see any big differences. But Zara has expanded their product line. They have made new stores where it is possible for their customers to buy furnitures, so at this point we see a difference.Also Zara offers cosmetics to their customers. Price: At the price there is a little difference, but again these two companies are very similar. H&M is a little bit cheaper then Zar a and this is a result of their cheap production. Zara is also fairly cheap, but H&M, their closest competitor is a bit cheaper. Place: We believe that we roughly can divide their markets into two in Europe. Zara has their biggest market in the Southern Europe, while we believe that H&M has their biggest market in Northern Europe and Scandinavia.This is also naturally because of the firms â€Å"birthplaces†. Furthermore they both operate worldwide in hard competition with each other. They sell their products worldwide, and they both have good locations – especially Zara. Promotion: Zara is against promotion, so they do not advertise for themselves, instead they rely on good store locations and a good repetition among their customers. The case is different for H&M, they advertise for their products, so that they can create attention upon their products. The 4 P’s have been a very good way at comparing these two companies.Overall we can conclude that t hey look alike each other a lot, and they are in a very hard competition against each other. They both have strong sides which they will use, both they also have weak sides which they can improve. But one thing is certain – the competition is very tough. * Porters 5 forces Five Forces Analysis helps the marketer to contrast a competitive environment. It has similarities with other tools for environmental audit, such as PEST analysis, but tends to focus on the single, stand alone, business or SBU (Strategic Business Unit) rather than a single product or range of products.Five forces analysis looks at five key areas namely the threat of entry, the power of buyers, the power of suppliers, the threat of substitutes, and competitive rivalry. Analysis for Zara and H&M There will always be a thread of new comers on the market. In many cases these companies will not become a big threat, because there on the clothing market is such big competition, that they will be ousted within a relatively short period of time. The Power of buyers is if big buyers like Magasin choose how much they want from a certain company like e. . Bruuns Bazar. Then Magasin sets the standard, they can do this because of their good reputation, and because many costumers do their shopping in this mall every day. Therefore they got a big buying power. The threat of Substitute Products will always be there, for example the walkman was substituted be the MP3 player, and the horse-wagon was substituted by the car. There will always be a development, and companies must be sure to be updated at all times.Therefore it’s extremely important to use a big sum of money in the Research and Development Department because that’s the companies â€Å"future†. The suppliers also have a certain power. –They are the ones providing the company with the raw-materials, so that they can produce the products. * The value chain In the value chain we believe that Zara and H&M gain s value at different places. Zara creates value in their production because some of it takes place in â€Å"good production countries†, while some of it also takes lace in Spain and Portugal which also creates value. But at this point they are similar, because also H&M creates value in the production chain. Most of their production takes place in foreign countries, and this makes their products cheap which will give them more customers. The place where there is a big difference is in the inbound logistics where Zara creates a lot of value, and H&M does not. As we have mentioned earlier Zara can send their new designs quickly to their stores, and also call them back again.H&M can also do this, naturally, but for them it takes much longer time. But then Hennes & Mauritz are good at creating value in Sales & Marketing, where Zara is not so good in our opinion. H&M has huge stars like Madonna who wants to design clothes for them, this is very good promotio n and it also creates a lot of attention. Zara, on the other hand doesn’t even promote their products – they are depending on good store locations as mentioned.[ 1 ]. http://www. marketingteacher. com/Lessons/lesson_fivefoces. htm

Media Censorship Essay examples - 662 Words

Media Censorship Today there is much controversy over whether there should or shouldn’t be censorship of the media. Censorship should not be imposed on citizens by the government or other agencies; adults have a right to view or listen to what they choose. Additionally, if children’s media is censored, parents are the ones who should monitor and regulate it. Parents should be the ones to monitor children’s viewing of television and also what they hear on the radio, CD’s, and tapes. Censorship includes the examination and blocking of books, periodicals, plays, films, television and radio programs, news reports, and other communication media that is shown to, or available to the public. Media censorship is sometimes put into place†¦show more content†¦If the government were to bring censorship to these stations, adults would not see the news reports in their area or around the world. For this to be avoided, the government must leave censorship to parents. To facilitate parents’ exercise of censoring for their children Congress passed a law in 1996 that required manufacturers of television sets to install a special computer chip called the V-chip into every television; This allows parents to block shows with excessive violence. For the V-chip to be effective, a rating system was developed. When the law was passed, opponents saw the requirements as a threat to free speech rights of the First Amendment. This argument is true; however, it is a closer step to having parents control television viewing of their children instead of the government censoring without parental input. Opponents of censorship and parents should be in favor of the V-chip because it allows control, blocking, or censoring of television rather than having no control over it. The V-chip allows individuals to monitor their own TV and their children’s consumption of media, while not putting it into the hands of the government, but by adults and parentâ€℠¢s of children who can control for themselves what they want to watch. 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About Happiness in Literature - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1445 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2019/05/07 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Happiness Essay Did you like this example? In the novel, The Awakening, by Kate Chopin and the play, A Dolls House, by Henrik Isben, both undress the situation revolving around a persons belief and what society is set to believe. In, The Awakening, a female is lead to commit an enormous sin, adultery. Edna, from the novel, is held to responsibilities and titles that she knows are not fitted for her. So, Edna chooses to follow her spirit which make her feel free and alive, but in the end do lead to an unfortunate event. In, A Dolls House, a women struggles against social conformity causing a downfall in her marriage. Torvolt, from the play, is torn between the two ideas of ones values and societys values due to being blinded by his desire to be accepted. He knows that with following his beliefs theres a chance of happiness, but also exclusion from society he tries so hard to please. As a result he lets fear take over and tells him to stick with the patriarchal beliefs to be safe. Nora, from the play, does what she plea ses as long as Torvolt, her husband, does not know about her matriarchal actions. If she is caught she risks her marriage and children which she holds dear. The three characters test the topic by realizing the patriarchal societys wrongs and imagine themself being matriarchal which is supporting what they value. Chopin and Ibsen demonstrate that one must defy social norms to protect ones personal beliefs in order to achieve self discovery. This is presented by Edna, Torvolt, and Noras daily actions in their life. Ednas rebellion against the patriarchal world allows her to preserve her views and realize ones purpose in life. Edna is given responsibility, but denies it any attention because she values herself and sees no gain in her duties. One of Ednas duties since she is a parent is her children, to nurture and love them. ?I would give up the unessential; I would give my money, I would give my life for my children; but i wouldnt give myself. I cant make it more clear; its only so mething which I am beginning to comprehend, which is revealing itself it me'(Chopin 47). Edna is not necessarily saying she would die for them as a way of giving up her life but rather money, clothes, and her status. When Edna says she would not give herself up, its an effort to say she will not give up her values, morals, beliefs, or anything that makes up her mental state. To prove that her views truly go against what society says are her actions and how they are perceived by other individuals. ?but she doesnt act well. Shes odd, shes not like herself. I cant make her out, and I thought perhaps youd help me'(65). Edna is finally back in the city and Robert, her dear companion, is now gone for Mexico. People believe that Edna is acting this way as a result of Robert being gone, but in reality this how she truly feels she should act. She has been acting this way because she knows this is not something she wants to be doing. In the end the world she lives in does not accept her wh ich she does not tolerate and swallow. She thought of L? ©once and the children. They were apart of her life. But they need not have thought that they could possess her, body and soul. How Mademoiselle Reisz would have laughed, perhaps sneered, if she knew! (116). Edna does not let herself be devoured by the society that does not support her and instead chooses to be taken away by the heavens in hope to feel accepted. By disobeying and not living up to the expectations she is given she exemplifies not fitting into the worlds status quo. Torvolt ignores his values to secure his reputation in the social structure which leads to his self misery. Torvolt, seeming like a down to earth man, but is actual controlling in order to feel content in his life affairs, yet in the long run is still not satisfied. He is always worried about being in debt or owing others and living up to an expectation of a successful man and having an ideal family. In the end Torvolt and Nora have a serious di scussion and debate over being ones true self, which Torvolt believes is not necessary. NORA. I have other duties just as sacred. HEL. That you have not. What duties could those be? NORA. Duties to myself. HEL. Before all else you are a wife and a mother(Ibsen 68). He assumes that in order to feel free from the society one must follow its norms. Torvolt expresses that ones values should be based off of their role, but little does he know that accepting and believing in their beliefs will make let the individual feel whole. Torvolt also stresses the idea of morals, of right and wrong. HEL. I suppose you have some moral sense?You talk like a child. You dont understand the condition of the world in which you live. NORA. No, I dont. But now I am going to try. I am going to see if I can make out who is right, the world or I(69) Torvolt himself needs to understand the environment around him in order to justify his beliefs and tell if they are actually his. Torvolt unable to defend his belief will help him realize that they were never his to believe, and will learn what he believes is right. Torvolt is in a world under the patriarchal impression that prevents him from understanding sacrifice. I would gladly work night and day for you, Norabear sorrow and want for your sake. But no man would sacrifice his honor for the one he loves(70). Torvolt needs to sacrifice something dear to grasp the feeling it feels like to have gratitude and self satisfaction. Sacrificing someone or something dear helps you see little details that will help an individual cope with their lost. Torvolts ability to notice ones values will help maneuver him to accomplish his own. The way Nora handles the social norms help guide her to discover her own priorities. Nora defies the rules given to her by taking advantage of the any type power she knows she has. Nora is capable to survive the walls and boundaries that her husband, Torvolt, has set by creating her own decisions. [Puts the bag of macarons into her pocket and wipes her mouth] (2). Noras ownership of the macaroons gives her a taste of freedom and displays that she has thoughts of breaking free from the obligation that humanity upholds her to. Nora tends to depend on herself to keep the other individuals around her. MRS. L. And did your husband never get to know from your father that the money had not come from him(12). Nora knows that society and especially Torvolt would not be pleased with her actions so she keeps secrets and burdens to herself. To follow the norm Nora tries to stall, sacrifice, and think on her feet while playing doll house with her husband. NORA [quickly]. He mustnt get the letter. Tear it up. I will find some means of getting money(44). Nora tries to stall Mr. Krog from exposing her wrong deed to her husband by saying she will find the money, and that is also a way she thinks on her feet since she is so flustered. Noras courageous behavior lead her to take a step in life towards acknowledg ing her power and influence on the world. The novel and play prove that one shall stand up to the patriarchal ideals to shield the individuals value and views to accomplish ones character. Edna admits with actions that she does not care for the norms and will not follow them. Torvolt during his conversations with Nora reveals what he needs to be open-minded and sacrifice to feel self fulfillment. Nora unrolls how she deals with the norm, which she cannot handle, with the help of Kristine. For their actions of understanding themself, others and society each character was able to grow spiritually as a person. As a society we are restricted to fully express our emotions and thought, and have to give confidence to our self to share our ideas that will be rejected by some form of group in the world. Everyone in the world struggles with finding their purpose in life, what they believe in, what could be right and wrong, and telling if what they think is okay think because instead of being embraced for the knowledge they carry, they are shunned. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "About Happiness in Literature" essay for you Create order

Effects Of Gender Inequality On Children - 1275 Words

After colonization and gender inequality began to exist, there were causes and there were effects of gender inequality in Nigeria and these effects were: Child Mortality: According to Unicef, Nigeria loses about 2,300 under five-year-olds and 145 women of childbearing age every single day and this makes Nigeria the second largest contributor to under-five and maternal mortality rate† (Unicef). What people tend to forget is that this is an effect of gender inequality, gender inequality decreases maternal health and can harm children both the unborn and born kids. Gender inequality increases the incidence of low birth and malnourished kids and this causes the death of kids before the age of five. If these women were educated or at least taken a better hospital and not depending on their village herbs and all those medicines, then the rate of child mortality will be decreased in Nigeria. This is also a part of the UN millennium development goals, so as to reduce the rate of child mortality and help this women learn more about how to take care of themselves since they were never educated because they are â€Å"Women†. No rights to properties: Some women in Nigeria have no right to own a property or even inherit a land as it seen as an abomination in some traditions. Generally, land ownership is very rare among women in Nigeria, and this affects their ability to make income especially women in the rural areas. For example, when a man leaves all sorts of wealth to his children,Show MoreRelatedGender Inequality And The Corporate World : How Do You Feel About Women Holding Higher Positions Within Corporations?1516 Words   |  7 PagesGender Inequality in the Corporate World How do you feel about women holding higher positions within corporations? In today’s society, there are several inequalities between women and men. 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Unplugged Mobile Phone and Portable Music Player Free Essays

Unplugged The world is full of technology; Almost everywhere you look you will see some form of technology, from a cellphone that can speak to you, to a computer that can run anything your heart desires. As Martin Lindstorm writes in his article â€Å"Friends who have accidentally left home without their iPhones tell me they feel stressed-out, cut off and somehow un-whole. † (Lindstorm). We will write a custom essay sample on Unplugged: Mobile Phone and Portable Music Player or any similar topic only for you Order Now People tend to be overly attached to their phones, as if they were people capable of loving them back. I see how this could be possible because your phone does connect you to the people that you care about and when you can’t contact them life is a little bit more difficult. The people of this country seem to always need the fastest and newest piece of technology, often because it is viewed as a part of one’s social status. For this assignment I was tasked with going a full 24 hours without using technology. Since, society is so connected, I found this project to be very interesting, and relevant to the present day. This seemed like it would be an easy task that would not take much effort or thought; however a simple 24 hours unplugged from technology subsequently unplugged me from the world. I have never seen myself as someone who needs their devices so much; however we often learn new things about ourselves. Once I began tracking my usage I noticed for the first time how much I use technology. I thought that I only used my phone and other technology when the situation required it as well as a little bit of recreational use. In my usage log I recorded mostly a few texts, my laptop usage and the movie I watched on my Xbox. I did more in my trial period then my log shows. I texted more then it displays; I really texted people once or twice to set up plans with them to hang out later in the day. 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For example, my roommate loves his music and it was impossible for me to be in my room without listening to it so in this aspect I failed to go the full 24 hours. Still, I made it through most of the day without technology but I was left thinking that the only true way to be able to successfully complete this assignment is to stop everyone from using technology. Today everyone has some kind of a phone, portable music player or handheld game. This is why this assignment is so difficult, because even though you are not allowed to use technology everyone else is. Every junction yields a reminder that the use of technology is restricted; a reminder of what you cannot do which then provokes you to break the rules. My experience was not difficult because of my deprivation but because everyone else still could. We rely so much on technology and to be the only one not using it makes the world just seem to pass by. Time seems to slow down, and the more I think about it, is not because I couldn’t use technology to pass the time but because everyone else still was. My 24 hours unplugged were spent doing almost nothing. I decided to go from 6pm on Friday to 6pm on Saturday, not that smartest idea. I started hanging out with my friends about 15 minutes before 6, which was good so that I could hang out with them without having to use technology to make plans. But the next morning was a different story. I didn’t plan for the morning because I wasn’t thinking of the fact that I wouldn’t be able to use technology. So I wound up just sleeping until about noon and then didn’t really do much for the rest of the time. I tried to study some chemistry but to no avail to do to the fact that I needed to look something up but I couldn’t. Experiences can change us. We can look at the world completely differently because of one small adjustment to our routine. This assignment has changed my perception of myself. I started out thinking that I didn’t really use technology much and that it didn’t completely run my life and that I could live without it. However; now that I have grown used to my phone in my pocket and my laptop on my desk, they are comfortable parts of my life and are hard to do without. I don’t know if I could go longer than 24 hours but I think I would be willing to try this again with a different view and a etter plan of attack; a view that technology is important in my life and a better understanding of how I use it. Admittedly I had a bit of trouble finishing this assignment but I think it is because I could not escape technology, it was everywhere I turned. In an article by Tamar Lewin, the author noted â€Å"The average young American now spends practically every waking minute à ¢â‚¬â€ except for the time in school — using a smart phone, computer, television or other electronic device, according to a new study from the Kaiser Family Foundation. (Lewin). Most of society is wrapped around their technology unable of putting it down. I now acknowledge that I need technology to stay connected to the world and up to date with my homework. It is a vital part of my life that previously I did not think was essential to my day to day life. I saw technology as a toy to be enjoyed but now I see it as a very important tool to accomplish the task at hand. How to cite Unplugged: Mobile Phone and Portable Music Player, Papers

Knowledge Management for Technology and Structure-myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theKnowledge Management for Technology and Structure. Answer: Critique of Analysis Knowledge management refers to the systematic management of an organizations knowledge asset in a bid to create value and strategies towards success through enabling information and knowledge flow between people at the right time. Implementation of knowledge management calls for selection of the right people, processes, technology, structure, and a matching culture to initiate knowledge transfer (Alavi Leidner, 2001). The analysis on the knowledge management remains incorrect and likely to cause a crisis. Uninstalling of the knowledge management system is not the best remedy for the situation. Knowledge management might result in a slough if it is implemented in a wrong manner and will require structural changes as a result. The decrease in return on investment might be cause by a wrong implementation strategy and consideration in place (Alavi Leidner, 2001). Selecting the wrong people or target group, improper use of technology, structures, and lack of preparation can result in a disruption. Hence, it is proper to consider a number of factors during an implementation stage. The right people for the change have to be selected to ensure the right influence of knowledge to others. At the same time, individuals in the organization ought to be prepared for change and their concerns addressed for full implementation to take place. An organizations culture should be changed progressively to match the knowledge acquisition required (Donate de Pablo, 2015). At the same time, use of the right model of communication and technology has to be applied along with involved individuals undergoing training to match the required change. Initiating change with the wrong communication channel leads to reduced productivity among workers. Thus, a knowledge sharing culture has to be cultivated and the right procedures involved in achieving the benefits of knowledge management. Thus, the organization should focus on strengthening the system through a monitoring and evaluation plan to ascertain the steps missed during implementation and take necessary changes. Knowledge management remains of essence to organizations and thus cannot be trashed away. Pros and Cons of Transfer Process Socialization is the most probable means of knowledge transfer. The process involves personal presence of an expert with the persons in need of knowledge thus fostering an easy transfer of tacit knowledge. The process is important as individuals can observe, act, and ask questions in the process of implementation. The ease of association assists in grabbing much knowledge on given aspects. However, it is difficult for the tacit knowledge to be passed over to people in distant locations given the presence needed between an expert and the other party in need of knowledge (Webb, 2017). Moreover, using simple forms to communicate a given message assists in getting the layout on target issues and processes involved in the provided information. The documentation assists in future referencing and understanding of key aspects of a process. However, the process remains challenging in the acquisition of tacit knowledge as the real and practical knowledge and skills remain hard to transfer (Martn-de Castro, 2015). As a result, half knowledge is passed leading to lack of experience and real time transfer of knowledge. Best Approach A direct transfer through socialization is probable as persons of similar tasks can grasp aspects quickly through observation as well as actual engagement in a particular knowledge process. The lesson learned approach can also assist in ensuring that the mistakes made are not repeated and thus boost the process and speed of knowledge acquisition. Transfer to Multiple Parties I would recommend socialization accompanied with showing your work approach. As a result, apart from giving out instructions, an individual is expected to generate a video or visual explanation of the task being tackled. The recipient individuals all over the world can repeatedly watch one doing and compare with the explicit knowledge thus gaining experience therein. The approach not only provides internalization but also gives a procedural approach to the recipients of knowledge. References Alavi, M., Leidner, D. E. (2001). Knowledge management and knowledge management systems: Conceptual foundations and research issues. MIS quarterly, 107-136. Donate, M. J., de Pablo, J. D. S. (2015). The role of knowledge-oriented leadership in knowledge management practices and innovation. Journal of Business Research, 68(2), 360-370. Martn-de Castro, G. (2015). Knowledge management and innovation in knowledge-based and high-tech industrial markets: The role of openness and absorptive capacity. Industrial Marketing Management, 47, 143-146. Webb, S. P. (2017). Knowledge management: Linchpin of change. Routledge.