Theories of Nationalism and Ethnicity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Theories of Nationalism and Ethnicity - Essay Example This is what they call the â€Å"Toyota Way†. Whatever characteristics it may carry, it must be systemic, truly lasting and valuable to them. Along this line, the main concern of this paper is the Japanese ethnicity prominent in the Japanese-based Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC). The intended framework is to scrutinize the uniqueness of the much researched management style_ the â€Å"Toyota Way† at the same time determine which sociological perspectives and paradigms that would apply to the characteristics of Toyota’s Japanese ethnicity as well as determine how it has given great impact to the success of TMC. This paper seeks to draw some answers to questions like has Japanese ethnicity posed more of a problem or an advantage to TMC? What techniques does TMC use on its people to be able to build and attain such reputation which won the confidence of the public to patronize TMC’s quality-made vehicles and services within a Western-dominated work area? What i s this Toyota Way? How does Japanese ethnicity affect the quality performance of TMC? This academic exercise would attempt to relate selected socio-ethnical principles to the established ethos or principles used by TMC as well as possibly draw out some answers whether these principles overlap, contradict or complement each other? It is then within these parameters that the discussion on this paper will revolve. On the other hand, the limitation of this paper will only be on the time frame used to feature actual conditions of TMC as this paper uses data and time series, specifically a year before to date or prior to the March 11, 2011 tsunami disaster and nuclear meltdown. Keywords: Toyota Way, Ethnicity, Ethnocentrism, Corporate culture Toyota Motor Corporation’s Domain Before interpolating the sociological perspectives of ethnicity to TMC’s management principles and to understand better the subject understudy, it is important to have knowledge first of Toyota Motor Co rporation, its corporate philosophy, values, vision, and how it operates. TMC’s domain belongs to the automotive industry and thus, its main product is the automobile. However, â€Å"TMC today has expanded its business to other non-automotive related business activities to include: community livelihood support, education, financial services, among others. Their stakeholders include: customers, business partners (dealers and suppliers), investors, consumers, nongovernmental organisations government, community, stockholders.†(â€Å"Toyota Company Overview†, 2011) A Window to Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) Toyota’s Significant Achievements Through the years, â€Å"Toyota has repeatedly outperformed its competitors in quality, reliability, productivity, cost reduction, sales and market share growth, and market capitalization† (Spear, 2010). TMC, within its domain, has gained public confidence in the quality of its luxurious, economical and environmenta l-friendly vehicles and other hi-tech products it produced. It has also expanded to venture on enhanced advanced technology products like robotics, prototyped environment-friendly electric cabs; spearheaded activities that lessen carbon emission in the environment and in its other involvement related to its aspiration to actualize its corporate social responsibility. Not to forget, TMC has expanded also its non-automotive activities like community education and livelihood support packages as

Trends in Arabic Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Trends in Arabic Music - Essay Example Trends in Arabic Music Music The Arabic music that is now heard is known for the rich styles, evolution of popular trends and different implications within the entertainment industry. Recently, the popular music has expanded into international reaches that are able to present the ideologies of the culture. This moves into the folkloric elements, which use specific instrumentation and rhythms which are known throughout Arabia. These musical productions are combined with the newer elements of technology, specifically with the ability to present the music through performances, television and other multimedia images. Combining these factors has allowed the trends in Arabic music to expand and to move into the popular ideologies that reflect the culture while allowing the music to be one which is equal to the popular concepts that are now used within society (Aziz, 1). There are several divisions with the popular Arabic music which continue to set trends throughout the region. The first is known as Rai, which i s the most accepted type of music in the world today, specifically because it associates with the folk type instruments and rhythms while combining with the technology of today. . This is combined with the Sudanese and Nubian rhythms that are within the society, both which consist of fast paced rhythms, polyphonic accents and movements in the music that are specific to the Arabic culture. The rise of Arabic popular music; however, was led by the Egyptian style music through pop stars such as Amr Diab. This has created a hybrid of the Rai and specific rhythms while combining the tribal sounds with the up to date electronics known to many as the new world music (Werner, 1). Creating a Musical Style The overall trends in popular music have also led to specific styles which are now identified as Arabic in nature. This consists of both images and sounds which are used among Arabic music and which distinguish the various features of those that are listening to the music. The first part of this is based on combining the current situations with the ideologies of musical style within the region. The strong commitment to religion, secular beliefs with love and fulfillment in life and leisure activities is the main themes which are presented among those interested in the popular music. This is combined with the ideologies of art, leisure and entertainment as reflecting the ideas of society specifically with making statements about the beliefs and conditions which are in the region. The musical style is then able to create a hybrid component with the folkloric elements that drive the rhythm and sound while creating a style that is reflective of the themes of religion and relationships within the Arabic world (Neiuwkerk, 169). Another component which is now reflected in the musical style is coming from the ideal of moving into globalization. Many of the musical styles are now reflecting the elements of hybrid forms of art and transcultural realities. There are several popu lar trends which are showing this with the musical styles that are present within society. For instance, reality TV is creating a sense of critical transculturalism, which is based on political, economic and cultural changes of the time. Politically and economically, the Arabic world has changed into one which is intertwined with the associations of the Western world and

Characteristics of Gothic Literature Essay Example for Free

Characteristics of Gothic Literature Essay The Gothic In 1798 an anonymous author published a commentary that revealed exactly how some writers received the Gothic during this time: â€Å" Take—An old castle, half of it ruinous A long gallery, with a great many doors, some secret ones. Three murdered bodies, quite fresh. As many skeletons, in chests and presses. An old woman hanging by the neck; with her throat cut. Assassins and desperadoes, quant. suff. Noises, whispers, and groans, threescore at least. † (1-7) After reading many of the selections in the anthology, I found this poem on a Gothic’s â€Å"recipe† to be quite true (602). However, in the case of this anonymous writer, he considers all of these characteristics to be negative. I, on the other hand, find it very intriguing that this type of novel developed in a time ruled by writers whose main focus was politics and poetry. Many influential writers including Coleridge and Wordsworth criticized the characteristics, morality, purpose, and significance of these novels; however, I believe many of the features they disliked actually broadened the scope of literature. The Gothic novel was often attacked for being too formulaic. Although the specifics of the plot changed from novel to novel, the characteristics were often similar, which is something that is pointed out repeatedly by the Gothic’s critics. The similarities encountered in the characteristics of these novels include the setting, mystery, and characters to name a few. The setting of this type of novel is usually in a castle of sorts, or in some other mysterious place that produces suspense and terror within the reader. Although these settings were often alike, they â€Å"exist to convey the atmosphere† and are used â€Å"for ends that are fundamentally psychological† (Hume 286). This characteristic is one that set up the entire feeling of the novel, one of suspense, horror, and mystery. The setting of various novels was not uniform because it was the easy or obvious choice like many critics believed, but because it created a certain atmosphere that was needed for the plot. If the story had been set on a sunny beach, the atmosphere would have been much different and the reader would not get the same affect. Like the settings, the mysteries that develop within Gothic novels are usually somewhat similar. From what I have come across, many include a murder or deep, dark secret that is unraveled by an ordinary person. While this may support Wordsworth’s claim that these novels are â€Å"sickly and stupid German tragedies† because of their straightforward plot, I find them to be quite interesting (266). These mysteries create suspense, and were the first â€Å"page-turners† that were ever written. Readers no longer had to decipher long and complicated meanings from pieces such as the â€Å"Lucy Gray† poems; instead, they could sit back, relax, and enjoy these novels that created an escape into a mysterious world. Another piece of the â€Å"formula† that was important to the genre were the characters that were used throughout the novels. The characters were often simple people who were thrown into a situation that required extraordinary actions. While the simplicity of the characters was often criticized by writers who considered themselves to be â€Å"high culture,† these characters had the ability to â€Å"involve the reader in special circumstances† (Hume 286). Unlike the pieces that came before them, the Gothic novel had the capacity to draw the reader in, and put them in the shoes of the main character. For me, it was very hard to feel for the personas in earlier poems that we came across. I think the main reason for this is that the characters tended to be somewhat generic, but interesting. They allowed for anyone to understand the character and immerse themselves within the character’s thoughts. They also allowed for people to sink in to a particular character and feel the terror that they were feeling. Another aspect of the Gothic that was often called into question was the morality of the characters and authors. There are many instances in which these novels incorporated grotesque scenes that included rape and murder among many other things. In The Monk by Matthew Lewis the main character, Ambrosia, is a virtuous and ethical man who seduced by the demon Matilda. In one scene â€Å"his desires were raised to that frantic height by which brutes are agitated†¦ and [he] hastily proceeded to tear off those garments which impeded the gratification of his lust† (598). Ambrosia is obviously an immoral character, and he is criticized for not being so. To me, it seems like critics were getting to the point where they were trying to find anything and everything to criticize about the Gothic novel. While this genre may involve some unseemly characters, they are needed in order to create an interesting plot. Having some sort of villain is necessary in any type of writing that has a mystery or murder involved. Without villains, we cannot have heroes, and both are very important aspects of literature. Coleridge, for example, not only attacked The Monk as a novel but also attacked Lewis as a person for having the ability to create such an immoral character. He believed that â€Å"the merit of a novelist is in proportion†¦ to the pleasurable effect which he produces (604). I highly disagree with this statement because I believe controversy affects change, and change is needed in order to forward society. Novelists and poets were no longer writing poems that had the sole purpose of making a person feel good or empowered; instead, they were writing for entertainment. Also, many of the writers before The Monk addressed political issues that were not considered pleasurable, but controversial and hard to confront. Coleridge’s statement seems to contradict everything that literature stands for. Authors and the literature they create are unpleasant at times, and that is not wrong—it is merely a necessity for the forward movement of society and evolution of literature. Another important issue to address when it comes to these novels is their specific purpose. It seems that every literary movement in history had some sort of motive or driving force behind them. For the Gothic, this driving force or purpose seems to be to induce terror while entertaining. Before this movement, we never really encountered works of literature that were straightforward, suspenseful, and enjoyable all at the same time. In an essay by Aikin and Aikin, they claimed that people would â€Å"rather chuse to suffer the smart pang of a violent emotion than the uneasy craving of an unsatisfied desire† (584). By this, they mean that terror is pleasurable, and that is exactly what these novels delivered to their readers. It was not an emotion that was regularly produced when readers came into contact with the typical works of this time. For a piece of literature to induce such error was something novel and interesting that affected many of their readers. Because terror is an emotion that is hard to come by, these novels were, like I said, an escape for readers. Terror is not something that a person wants to encounter in their real life, but is something they can enjoy and acquire through reading these novels. Their purpose was not to confuse the reader with complicated meanings full of allusions. Instead, these terrifying novels have the ability to â€Å"render the poorest and most insipid narrative interesting when once we get fairly into it† (584). Although many of the authors of Gothic novels may not have been the best composers compared to standards during this time, they were still able to draw in a huge audience because they gave the people what they wanted. I would not consider the narratives â€Å"insipid,† but compared to the works that came before them, they were much simpler and used language that was not considered to be as articulate. This simplicity that is encountered when reading a piece of Gothic work, though criticized, says much about how society was changing during this time. These novels significantly altered the way in which literature was composed and whom it was available to. Instead of being read by the elite few, it was accessible to pretty much anyone who could read. During this time, the percent of literate people was rising rapidly, especially in the middle class. These books appealed to these people, and sold millions upon millions of copies because of this. I think that much of the distaste that so-called â€Å"high culture† writers had for these novels is because of their success. They were extremely popular, more so than the most popular of the poets during this time. For example, Wordsworth was said to be a commercialized version of â€Å"real† poetry because it was easier to understand than many other pieces out during this time. However, he never even came close to selling as many copies of Lyrical Ballads as the Gothic writers did with their own works. For Wordsworth to criticize a genre that feeds off of the readers’ ability to comprehend seems to be extremely hypocritical of him. Also, I think that when something appeals to the masses, it is a good thing. Change cannot occur unless everyone is on the same page, and that is what the Gothic provided to the people. Finally, I would like to confront just how significant this movement is to the literature we have today. This was the first time we encounter a genre that is similar to the types of genres we see today. The Gothic genre was criticized because the novels were too alike—but that is exactly what a genre is, according to today’s standards. One could argue that the novels that are published today are not of the same caliber as novels published 50, 100, or 200 years ago. And maybe that is true, but is it necessarily bad? In my opinion, having novels that are more accessible to more people makes for a better, more unified society. Having works of literature that are too complicated, wordy, or abstract leads to more ambiguity, and eventually creates a divide among social classes. I am not saying that all written works should be easy to understand, but I do think that the Gothic novel was the first in a wave of works of literature that helped society grow more literate. Finally, scholars and everyday people were able to read and talk about the same kinds of things. Although scholars who thought they were better writers were constantly criticizing it, they could not appeal to the masses. Gothic literature had the ability to do this, and you can still see its influence in novels on shelves today. It has a definite place in literary history, and should not be overlooked. It may not have had the deepest plots or the most complicated characters, but the genre had an impact during the 18th century, and continues to have an impact today.

Enumerating Identical Skyline Prospects

Enumerating Identical Skyline Prospects ABSTRACT We took the problem of enumerating the skyline for uncertain data sets with N elements. We are introducing a method, called skyline, which returns the objects that are not overruled by any other objects in some aspects on a multi-dimensional space. We present probabilistic skyline model where probabilities for uncertain data sets are calculated. If we have ak-dimensional data set, an entityxdominates another entityyif it is better than or equal toyin all aspects and prominent thanyin at least one aspect. We also used k-dominant skyline algorithm in order to retrieve top k-data objects which are dominating the other objects in the skyline. Skyline Queries are also place one of the most prominent role in the skyline computation. While the existing system only focused on dominance tests only, but we need to consider another aspect called Incomparability between Entities, this trait plays major role in enhancing the skyline computation method. In this we will develop a frame work for mul ti criteria decision making system, through this frame work we can analyze Sates involved in enumerating skyline. To inquire incomparability and dominance in between two entities we need to construct tree structured patterns, Z-curves and Z-trees are used in this inquisition. This paper revisits the routine Pivot selection based algorithm in order to optimize the solution space, through this algorithm we can retrieve a minimal data set based on multiple scenarios for a given threshold. CONTENTS TERM PAPER REPORT FORMAT Staple Binding using Transparencies white No. of pages : 35-45 Font: Times new roman Line spacing 1.5† Text size: Chapter name size- 14 small bold Main heading -14 All caps Bold Sub heading- 12 Small bold Text body-12 small alignment: justify margin: Left -1.5† Right-1† Top-1† Bottom-1† table numbering: eg: Table 1.1 table name figure eg: figure 1.1:Description of the figure header : Term Paper name (left) page numbers(right) font size -8 ,italics gray color footer : college name(left) dept name(right) font size -8 ,italics gray color Algorithms or pseudo-code are often presented in papers. Unless your subject matter deals explicitly with a particular language, pseudo-code is advised. Algorithms must be presented is a clear, readable format with lots of comments. If possible, use a typewriter-style font (the â€Å"tt† font in LaTex, for example). Page order: Cover page, Contents, abstract, Type of paper Abstract: Give the overall view of the paper. Three hundred word summary of your paper that appears at the beginning of the paper that includes Scope: That at which one aims which is purposed to be reached or accomplished. Objectives: State main objectives. (What you will investigate? Why?) Describe methods. (What you will do?) Summarize the most important results. (What you will find out?) State major conclusions and significance. (What do the results mean? So what?) Introduction Prerequisites: Describe the Keywords given in the paper. Describe concepts required to comprehend the paper. Some material with diagrams should be enclosed with explanation Literature Survey: Literature survey is the documentation of a comprehensive review of the published and unpublished work from secondary sources data in the area of your paper that describes current research. Give Literature survey on at least 15 references Problem Statement/Description: This section provides specific details about the problem. What is the crux of the research problem? Existing Solution: What are the existing solutions and methodologies available? Detailed explanation should be given with diagrams. What are some alternative approaches to address the research problem? Existing methods, Algorithms and Architectures should be enclosed. Give at least 3 existing solutions. Proposed Approach and Methodology: (with diagrams) Describes the methodology of the solution or the steps to solve the problem. What are the claimed contributions of the paper? How do the authors substantiate their claims? Describe methods, Describe Algorithms, Describe Architectures and Some material with diagrams should be enclosed Conclusions and Future Work Summarize the paper, draw conclusions about the proposed solution, and chart future directions of the research. How can the research results be improved? Can the research results be applied to another context? What are the open problems raised by this work? Describe results of experiments References Budd, T. (1997b), An Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming, 2nd edn, Addison-Wesley. Ghezzi, C., Jayazeri, M. Mandrioli, D. (1998), Fundamentals of Software Engineering, 2nd edn,Prentice-Hall. K. Appel and W. Haken. (1976), Every Planar Map is 4-colorable, Bull. Amer. Math. Soc., vol. 82, pp. 711-712 Appendices Enclose your Research Paper

The Legalization of Marijuana :: Legal Illegal Marijuana Pot Law

The debate over the legalization of marijuana is active in the United States. The problem is, most people aren’t fully educated on the good things that marijuana can bring forth. For thousands of years marijuana was not only legal, it was a common crop. It is only in the past ninety years or so that marijuana has been found to be not only unusable, buy also harmful and extremely illegal in the United States. With all the information I have received and statistics I have discovered, I am a strong advocate for the decriminalization of marijuana in the United States. It is very understandable if people believe that the use of marijuana is morally wrong. This is an argument that many people have against the legalization of the drug. My belief is that, there are many things that people find morally wrong and would never do themselves, but are still legal. Just because marijuana is legal does not mean it is being forced upon you. Everyone should be able to make that decision on his or her own. Marijuana use is known as a â€Å"victimless crime,† which means it can only harm the user, therefore shouldn’t the user make that decision on their own? I believe that one of the main reasons marijuana should be legal is because of the way it was criminalized in the first place. In the years before the depression there was a significant growth of Mexican-Americans in the Western part of the United States as a result of the revolution in Mexico in 1910. As the depression hit, larger farms started using the Mexicans as cheaper labor, which in turn put many smaller farmers out of business and caused much tension. These Mexican laborers were known to use the marijuana plant as a recreational drug by smoking the leaves of the plant. Sprouting from the many Mexicans working on farms, many farms harvesting the hemp plant popped up in Mexico itself. Around the same time many Mormons from the Salt Lake City area were traveling to Mexico. In their return they would bring back marijuana for the sole purpose of recreational use. The Mormon Church did not approve of this behavior and ruled against it, which in turn prompted the very religious state of Utah to pass the first known law against marijuana in 1915. Many other Western states followed in years to come. But, it was not until the state of Montana outlawed the drug in 1927 that the truth behind the outlaw came out.

Two Great Rebellion Films :: essays research papers

Rebellion is a common topic in movies because it draws in audiences with its bad boys and bad attitudes. Two of the greatest rebellion movies of all time are Rebel Without a Cause, starring James Dean, and Bonnie and Clyde, starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway. The opening scene in Rebel Without a Cause shows a drunken teenage boy lying in the street, giggling, while he plays with a toy. The directors of these two films show rebellion using the same elements: themes, characters, and memorable scenes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In both films, the main characters are all rebelling against common things that audiences can relate to. In Rebel Without a Cause, Jim Stark is rebelling against his parents because he is upset with the fact that his father will not stand up to his mother. His girlfriend, Judy, is also rebelling against her parents, but for a different reason. Her father refuses to give her any affection because she is too â€Å"grown up.† Jim’s friend, Plato, is rebelling against his parents because they have abandoned him. These three characters rebel in many ways. Jim and Judy both smoke because they were told not to. Plato shot and killed puppies to get attention. Jim and Judy are both involved in a gang because it is â€Å"wrong.† Jim and Judy both pay a visit to jail: Jim because he is drunk and Judy because she ran away from home. In Bonnie and Clyde, Clyde Barrow is rebelling against the law and the common way of making a living. He rebels by robbing b anks. Bonnie also rebels against the law and her old life working as a poor waitress in a small town. She rebels by helping Clyde rob banks. C. W. Moss rebels against his overbearing father. Buck Barrow rebels against the law, but his wife is never too keen on the whole rebellion thing. Clyde, Bonnie, C. W., and Buck all rebel by robbing banks and stores, stealing cars, and killing. C. W. also rebels by getting a tattoo on his chest because he knows that his father will not approve of it. The theme of rebellion can be seen in both films by showing what the characters rebel against and how they rebel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Comparable characters can be seen in both films. Jim Stark is just like Clyde Barrow in that they are both the leading men and the main rebels. They are also played by cute actors.

Bmgt 488 Chp 8 Exercise 6

Page 286-287 6. You have prepared the following schedule for a project in which the key resource is a backhoe. This schedule is contingent on having 3 backhoes. You receive a call from your partner, Brooker, who desperately needs 1 of your backhoes. You tell Brooker you would be willing to let him have the backhoe if you are still able to complete your project in 11 months. Develop a resource schedule in the loading chart that follows to see if it is possible to complete the project in 11 months with only 2 backhoes.Be sure to record the order in which you schedule the activities using scheduling heuristics. Activities 5 and 6 require 2 backhoes, while activities 1, 2, 3 and 4 require 1 backhoe. No splitting of activities is possible. Can you say yes to Brooker’s request? Legend |ES |ID |EF | |SL |RES |SL | |LS |DUR |LF | RESOURCE | | |Schedule the resources load chart with ES and Slack updates | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 ID |RES |DUR |ES |LF |SL | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |1 | | | | | | | | | | | |1 |1 |1 |0 |5 |4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |2 |1 |2 |0 |3 |1 |1 |1 | | | | | | | | | | | | |3 |1 |3 |0 |3 |0 |1 |1 |1 | | | | | | | | | | | |4 |1 |2 |2 |7 |3 | | | | | | | |1 |1 | | | | | |5 |2 |4 |3 |7 |0 | | | |2 |2 |2 | | | | | | | | |6 |2 |2 |7 |9 |0 | | | | | | | | | |2 |2 | | | RESOURCES SCHEDULES |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |1 |1 |2 |2 | | | |RESOURCES AVAILABLE |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 | | Yes, you can give Brooker one backhoe, however, you have increased the risk of being late if a delay should occur. List the order in which your activities were scheduled. (3, 2, 1, 5, 4, 6)