...American Intercontinental University Social Structure HUMA 215 – Topics in Cultural Studies 9/8/12 Abstract Cultural syncretism has transformed and shaped our world today; because of encounters years and centuries before our time we have religion and even art. Our modern culture was contributed to by the happenings of yesterday. Social Structure Introduction The legacies of cultural syncretism in the Americas and Africa can be compared and contrasted with the resistance to cultural change that westerners experienced in China and India. These encounters have left many legacies of change and differences in the culture today. Had syncretism not occurred or if syncretism had taken root during earlier encounters in China or India the world today would be different. Various cultural factors in would affect the outcome of syncretism tremendously. Compare/ Contrast Cultural Syncretism Cultural syncretism was active in some societies but not in all; syncretism was not affective in more cultures because some cultures were simply more developed. With the expansion of cultural syncretism, it was easier for Africa and the Americas to adapt than China and India Westerners. Africa and the Americas separated into different tribes which caused them to be weaker than China, India, and the Westerners who created a nation (Sayre, 2013). An example of this cultural syncretism is the Aztec tribe, which was a fairly large tribe; the Aztecs had so many neighboring enemies because of...
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...primarily that of Ancient Rome, but also the pre-Roman Celtic and Iberian culture, and that of the Phoenicians and the Moors. Japan Japanese is the official and primary language of Japan. Japanese is relatively small but has a lexically distinct pitch-accent system. Korea The traditional culture of Korea refers to the shared cultural heritage of the Korean Peninsula. Since the mid-20thcentury, the peninsula has been split politically between North and South Korea, resulting in a number of cultural differences. Cameroon Over 250 ethnic groups live in Cameroon's 10 provinces. Across the different regions, communities have an allegiance to local chiefs as well as being ruled by central government. Brazil The culture of Brazil presents a very diverse nature showing that an ethnic and cultural mixing occurred in the colonial period involving mostly Indigenous peoples of the coastal and most accessible riverine areas, Portuguese people and Africans. New Zealand The culture of New Zealand is largely inherited from British and European custom, interwoven with Maori and Polynesian tradition. Thailand The culture of Thailand incorporates cultural beliefs and characteristics indigenous to the area known as modern-day Thailand coupled with much influence from ancient China, Cambodia, Laos, India along with the neighboring pre-historic cultures of Southeast Asia. It is influenced primarily by animism, Hinduism, Buddhism, as well as by later migrations from China, and...
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...years revolving around 500 BCE, great advances in religion, philosophy, science, democracy, and many forms of art - occurred independently and almost simultaneously in China, India, the Middle East, and Greece. In these times of social upheaval and political turmoil, a new crop breeds became the carrier of a new cultural and social order. Great religious leaders rose to prominence attracting a mass following, and many sociological, cultural, economic and spiritual changes were made. In China, for instances many individual thinkers, such as Confucius, Lao-Tse, and Mo Tzu, began to reflect on the ethical and metaphysical implications of human existence and reasoning. From their teachings arose Confucianism, Daoism and Jainism ideologies of religion. In India, the authors of the Upanishads expanded the scope of their explorations to include metaphysical thinking in the search for the ultimate truth and the meaning of life , death & its causes of existences. India experienced a dramatic socio-political and intellectual transformation, and produced the teachings of the Buddha and Mahavira. Like China, new teachings ran the whole gamut of philosophical schools of thought, including even materialism, sophism, and nihilism religion beliefs. In ancient Mesopotamia, cultural developments were relatively close to those in ancient Israel. However, concepts including the belief in a transcendent creator God, and full subservience of the political rulers to a God did not materialize for the Mesopotamia...
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...Wine - historical & Archaeological OVERVIEW INTRODUCTION: Archeological studies of alcohol can provide deep insight into societies past and present. Around the world and throughout time, humans demonstrate a nearly universal proclivity towards alcoholic beverages. As cultural anthropologist David Mandelbaum writes, cultural attitudes towards alcohol vary around the world from adoration to proscription of drink, but there are few cultures [1]that completely ignore alcohol (Mandelbaum 1965: 281). Distillation of hard spirits happened only in recent times and for much of human history, wine and beer[2] were the only alcoholic beverages available for common consumption (if a bar or tavern was present in a particular culture). Archeological evidence shows that while during the last 10,000 years alcohol consumption was common, it was also uniquely culturally contextual. Dutch archeologist Marijke Van der Veen claims that “[studying] the production, preparation, consumption, and disposal can help identify the social context of food” (Van der Veen 2006: 407). A more traditional archeological approach focuses less on the production of food due to its “transient nature”.[3] Ethnographic research can provide more information about consumption practices as can historic sources, but we need more information from actual artifacts found at sites around the world. With artifacts, we can provide a more conclusive picture of how different cultures produced, consumed, valued or...
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...advertising function is organized also varies.Therefore,companies decentralize their budgets and placed in the hands of local subsidiaries, resulting in greater use of local advertising agencies.(Susan P. Douglas and C. Samuel Craig New York University).As the result of local advertising agencies, the advertising strategies are different for the multiple cultures and diverse religious believe to some extent, even these advertisements introduce the same productions. The region culture affects everything people do (Crewkerne Business park 2014). In the long process of development of advertising industry, culture had a close connection with almost every aspects when making advertisements such as communication style、colors、numbers、images and cultural values in advertising (Crewkerne Business...
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...Compare and contrast the legacies of cultural syncretism in Africa and the Americas with the resistance to cultural change Westerners encountered in China and India. What cultural factors caused the differences in outcomes? What legacies have the differences in types of encounters and degrees of cultural change left today? Had syncretism not occurred in the Americas, how might modern culture be different? If cultural syncretism had taken root during early encounters in China or India, how might they be different today? The quest for wealth and power brought Europeans to Indian shores in 1498 when Vasco da Gama, the Portuguese voyager, arrived in Calicut (modern Kozhikode, Kerala) on the west coast. In their search for spices and Christian converts, the Portuguese challenged Arab supremacy in the Indian Ocean, and, with their galleons fitted with powerful cannons, set up a network of strategic trading posts along the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf. In 1510 the Portuguese took over the enclave of Goa, which became the center of their commercial and political power in India and which they controlled for nearly four and a half centuries. Economic competition among the European nations led to the founding of commercial companies in England (the East India Company, founded in 1600) and in the Netherlands (Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie--the United East India Company, founded in 1602), whose primary aim was to capture the spice trade by breaking the Portuguese monopoly in Asia...
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...with the same beliefs. Religion is the biggest factor that will cause division and it is already proven between Christianity and Islam. From the ancient times until this very day religion and our beliefs is the cause of war, because we fight for what we believe. Rise of civilization against the other started in the ancient times. And until today, the conflict continues. It will never be solved because we have differences and those differences are what make us unique as a person and as a nation. You may hate someone because of the type of civilization, and you may also like someone because of it. Civilization is the identity of a nation. The Next Pattern of Conflict The source of conflict is not merely ideological or economical, cultural tradition is the greatest reason for division in our world. The western countries had conflicts between princes, their armies, even constitutional is because of their economic stand and the land that they ruled. During the ancient times, the Americans fought for their land because of the British Empire that wants to colonize their land. The Founding Fathers stood against them and later on made a move to make a constitution for their protection. The western civil war is not because of their religion but because of the borders that they can conquer, they want to own more territories for power. The conflict was set because of the difference in our culture, style, and way of living....
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...1 ANCIENT CHINA 1 Introduction and General Remarks for Ancient China Ancient civilizations of the Egyptians and Mesopotamians have long disappeared, but Ancient Chinese civilization and its transformation to modern times has lasted as the largest and most enduring one in human history. This is even more remarkable when observing the numerous leitmotifs of the Chinese society that were inaugurated so long ago, and many of these themes still resonate today. Ancestral worship, the Mandate of Heaven, and the numerous philosophical ideas, especially of Confucius, have been practiced or used for thousands of years. Remote and mysterious are two adjectives that Western Society has applied to China until recently. China is the only civilization where western thought had no influence until modern times, and also practically the only large region in the world where western men never ruled. For westerners, Chinese customs seem reversed to theirs. White is the color of mourning for the Chinese not black, and for them the left side is one of honor not the right side. Writing is read vertically from the top right-hand corner downward. These few differences reveal that Chinese culture evolved independently of western influences. One can only marvel at the longevity of Chinese civilization. Influence of Geography 2 Geography has played an important role in Chinese History as in most ancient, medieval, and modern cultures. While 85% of China is arid or inaccessible steppes...
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...Introduction to the case 2 2 Critically and systematically analyse the global strategic advantages of IKEA 3 2.1 Branding , designer appeal 3 2.2 Critical mass, low cost, low price 3 2.3 Quality, green credentials 3 2.4 Global appeal, local sensitivity 3 3 What were the key challenges that IKEA faced in a) China and b) Japan? 4 3.1 Key challenges faced by IKEA in China 4 3.1.1 Cultural 4 3.1.2 Structural 4 3.2 Key challenges faced by IKEA in Japan 4 4 Critically discuss the marketing strategies used to address the challenges the company faced in China and in other markets. 6 4.1 China 6 4.2 Other markets 7 5 Discuss and justify what IKEA’s marketing strategies should be in the future in these two markets. 8 5.1 China 8 5.2 Japan 8 6 Conclusions 9 7 Bibliography 10 1 Introduction to the case From humble origins in the woods of Sweden in 1926, IKEA has developed into a major retail experience in 41 countries / territories around the world, with a current turnover of €23.1 Billion (IKEA, 2010). This case study explores the establishment and development of IKEA’s retail ventures in China and Japan – its first moves outside westernised countries and its first significant retail activity in Asia, despite substantial sourcing activity in the region, and discusses how IKEA might continue its market development in these territories. 2 Critically and systematically analyse the global strategic advantages of IKEA...
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...collectively held values.” The concept of a culture has been around for a very long time; in-fact, when people exist in the same place together they end up following a set of rules. These rules can be called a “social norm” or culture and can be made up of simple things like how to act in certain situations all the way to a very devout set of beliefs or values. This paper will focus on the role that culture plays on multinational businesses around the globe and the differences that culture plays from one area of the globe to the next. An in-depth look will be taken on the obstacles that may arise due to culture, adjustments that need to be made, and any ethical conundrums that may arise due to different cultures. Literature Review D. Elenkov and d. Kirova, state that “MNCs should not underestimate the importance of the cultural specificity of the host countries because different staffing, selecting, training, motivating and compensating practices should be applied in accordance with the characteristics of the local cultural context,” (2008, p. 71). A unique perspective on culture is taken by Hill, Hynes, and Johnson by analyzing the international student in the American business culture. “A relatively unrecognized challenge is knowledge of contemporary American business customs and culture. International students enrolled in two business schools formed focus...
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...Global connections in the past Rapid communication and price convergence rarely characterised global interactions before the late eighteenth century, when the unparalleled position of Britain made it a global Empire, as it dominated international trade and production, secured by its overwhelming military power . However, earlier interactions still generated effects linking economic and political changes around the globe – these changes were different but no less transformative than those accompanying the modern globalisation . Soon after Vasco da Gama’s voyage to India (1497-1499), the Portuguese established commercial routes with pepper-trading states and opened factories across the world. Benefiting from its strong maritime power, Portugal managed to dominate the spice trade in the sixteenth century and was, according to many historians,...
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...‘Messiah’. Christianity began in Palestine in the 1st century CE as the claimed fulfillment of God’s promises to the Jews. There are many different types of Christianity practiced; the major division is between Western (itself divided into Roman Catholicism and Protestantism) and Orthodox Christianity. Christianity is a belief system that has had immense cultural and political consequences. Christianity comes from the life and teachings of Jesus (5BCE-30CE approximately), a Palestinian Jew. Worship is undertaken in buildings called churches. Entry in to the Christian Church is via Baptism and is usually undertaken when the person is a baby though denominations such as Baptists wait until the person is old enough to confirm personally their own Christian faith. In denominations where Baptism is the norm for babies, Confirmation is undertaken where the person personally affirms the vows undertaken for them when they were baptized as a baby. Christians believe worshipping in a group is important and this is usually called a service which takes place in a church on a Sunday (Christians believe that Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday). Each denomination worships in a different way. Some may be only slight while others are more noticeable. The most important differences are in the celebration of the Sacraments. Roman Catholics celebrate seven sacraments while Protestants accept only two (Baptism and Holy Communion). The Most important is the Eucharist (Holy Communion,...
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...consequences of oil boom in the Middle East. Population estimates for different civilizations are provided at the end. Introduction The theory of a clash of civilizations has been with us for some time. British historian Arnold Toynbee used the term in a series of lectures he delivered in 1953. The Middle East specialist Bernard Lewis wrote in 1990 that the Muslim rage against the West is “no less than a clash of civilizations” (Lewis, 1990, p 60). Samuel P. Huntington, a Harvard University political science professor, has given new currency to the notion of a clash of civilizations. His 1993 article in Foreign Affairs has gained global audience. A few years ago, I lectured to a political science class at Pondicherry University in Southern India. I was pleasantly surprised by the extent of the knowledge that Indian students possessed on this topic. A majority of the Indian students agreed with Huntington(s conclusion. The bipolar division of the world based on political ideology (communism versus...
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...Industrialization, advanced transportation, globalization, multinational corporations, and outsourcing are all having a major impact on the international trade system. Increasing international trade is crucial to the continuance of globalization. Without international trade, nations would be limited to the goods and services produced within their own borders. International trade is, in principle, not different from domestic trade as the motivation and the behavior of parties involved in a trade do not change fundamentally regardless of whether trade is across a border or not. The main difference is that international trade is typically more costly than domestic trade. The reason is that a border typically imposes additional costs such as tariffs, time costs due to border delays and costs associated with country differences such as language, the legal system or culture. Another difference between domestic and international trade is that factors of production such as capital and labor are typically more mobile within a country than across countries. Thus international trade is mostly restricted to trade in goods and services, and only to a lesser extent to trade in capital, labor or other factors of production. Trade in goods and services can serve as a substitute for trade in factors of production. Instead of importing a factor of production, a country can import goods that make intensive use of that factor of production and thus embody it. An example is the import of...
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...Contents Executive Summary 2 A-1 Trading Company 3 Global production of beans that our company export 4 Importing Countries 5 Exporting Countries 6 Production of Myanmar 6 Export of Myanmar 7 Vision of the A-1 Trading Company 7 Mission of the A-1 Trading Company 7 Cross-cultural business between Myanmar and India 8 Information about India 9 Absolute advantage of the company 10 Addressing international trade to expand our company 11 Attracting FDI to fund and expand our company 12 Taking advantage on International Opportunities 13 Benefits to consumers 13 Strategies 14 Corporate Strategy 14 Business Strategy 14 Distribution Channel 15 Markets and Segments 16 Customer Segmentation 17 Customer Value Proposition 17 Conclusion 19 Executive Summary The purpose of this assignment is to develop a business strategy for our company, A1 Company Limited. Our company export beans and pulses to India and planning to attract FDI on strategic assets of company to produce value added products made of bean. In this report includes business relationship between Myanmar and India, the advantages we currently have and opportunities for entering other international markets. Also, our marketing plan of targeting customer segments, our company value to customers and our plans to help our suppliers with sophisticated technologies which will be a great help in improving the quality of our products. Finally, our future plan for producing value added products...
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