Cultural Impacts Essay Example for Free

Cultural Impacts Essay â€Å"Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning to cultivate,) generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activity significance. Different definitions of culture reflect different theoretical bases for understanding, or criteria for evaluating, human activity. In general, the term culture denotes the whole product of an individual, group or society of intelligent beings. It includes technology, art, science, as well as moral systems and the characteristic behaviors and habits of the selected intelligent entities. †(Wikipedia) Any culture can be viewed as a blend of values, norms, institutions and artifacts of a civilization that has been passed on from generations through learning alone. The ideological perspective of life and the significance of things in it form the values of a society. Norms, are the expected collective behavior of the people where as the institutions are the structures within the society that transmit theses values and norms. Also, artifacts are the relics or the materialistic representation of a culture, derived from within it. Thus, cultures basically evolve and thrive on the basis of religion, historical background, environment and the social structure. Religious beliefs are typically the central themes of different cultures and more often than not the basic values are a derivative of them. For example, the 10 Commandments of Christianity or the five precepts of Buddhism are guidelines that transform the behavior of their followers. Similarly, religion occasionally is also implicated with government, as in a theocracy. The European and the New World cultures have been profoundly influenced by Christianity for at least the last 500 to 1700 years. Likewise Islams influence has fashioned a great deal of the North African, Middle and Far East regions for more than a 1000 years. Historical incidents also add new dimensions to any culture. For instance, most of the Commonwealth countries and the Europe celebrate a public holiday on the Boxing Day. On this day, the people organize feasts, festivals and certain sports in order to celebrate and also to share these rejoicing moments with the poor and the needy. There is no precise basis of this cultural carnival but only some theories that stem out from some historical happenings. Some believe that it was a day when people presented gifts to those who had worked throughout the year for them. Others argue that it was an annual gathering of extended families in the feudal times in which the lord of the estate handed out stipends to the serfs. Another group disputes that it was basically the day of the year when the church would distribute its donation money to the poor. Whatever may be the explanation, the Boxing Day is now an integral part of the western culture. (Wikipedia) The influence of different cultures on trade and commerce is profoundly instrumental and therefore it is not surprising that business tactics have diversely evolved in different regions of the world. In fact, the technological developments of the late 1990’s, in the arena of electronic media have added new dimensions to the concept. Consequently, the global giants of the corporate sector have been lavishly investing in examination of the cultural influences on the regional economies in order to maximize profits. â€Å"In China, for example, the foundation of Chinese respect for hierarchy and the family social collective is based upon the relational norms expounded by the Confucius and legal codes such as those developed during the Tang Dynasty. This institutionalized relational logic has shaped a society whose transactional order rests on social obligation to higher authority and to the family rather than on rules oriented to protecting the individual. Chinese capitalism is seen to be intrinsically different from the Western capitalism because of this contrast in institutional framing over a long period of time. † (Warner 2003) These and other brands of cultural values of a society are carefully considered when industries are being setup or when corporations are being established. This facilitates in determining the managerial skills required in the executive professionals who are responsible for communicating and representing their companies within the local industries. A working paper series issued from the George Washington University, discusses the U. S. /Mexican business alliances negotiations and the impact of their respective cultures on them. Mexico’s mestizo culture with its strong collectivist touch has embedded the people with the capacity to share power or authority equitably and the gift to accept and tolerate uncertainty and ambiguity in situations. However, they have also inherited the aptitude for individualism and tend to get involved in a loosely held social structure with little or no care for others. This is contrary to the culture in the United States, where people long for absolute power, are highly skeptical of ambiguous scenarios and more often than not downplay relationships. All, this along with the socio-political history of the two nations-which has been marred by discords and suspicion- is significantly determining in their mutual business alliances. (Teegen and Doh 2002) Moreover, the cultural heritage of a region characterize the production and sale of several products that otherwise do not correspond to the world wide demand. For instance, the annual Basant euphoria in the Punjabi region of the Indo-Pakistan, in which people fly kites and festivals are organized, much business is spawned. It becomes the very attraction for the tourists who converge here from all parts of the world, and the economic activity generated only in the city of Lahore has been estimated to be around PK Rupees 1. 5 to 2 billion annually. The proceeds of the events are shared by almost every one including the people belonging to the seasonal cottage industries and even the local vendors. Thus, the big corporations plunge into the scene and grab at every opportunity to escalate sales. The competitive environment forces them to inspect the cultural characteristics of the event and then to employ this knowledge in launching innovative products in the market as well as in transforming their already existing marketing techniques. (The News 2007) For a progressive business structuring in a region or country, political culture-which itself is a subsidiary of the social culture-can be of immense significance. An illustration can be vividly observed in the political history of Pakistan and the revolutionary rule of its Premier Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (1973-77), which was influenced by the socialism philosophy of the Soviet Union. He aggressively followed these policies and nationalized most of the Pakistan’s industries. (Wikipedia) Consequently, the foreign investors and the big multinationals lost faith in the country and capital were taken out of the country. Locally, twenty two families in Pakistan had owned most of these nationalized banks, companies and industrial units. Sadly, this resulted into a deindustrialization in Pakistan, as none of the families have ventured in to even a single industrial project since the last 28 years. (Pakistan link) â€Å"In the fall of 1991, in the midst of the NAFTA negotiations, Vitro Sociedad Anonima (Vitro), the $3 billion Mexican glass maker, had signed a tentative $800 million joint venture with Corning Inc. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Just two years later, the joint venture was dissolved. According to company officials and external analysts, cultural differences were a principal cause of the alliance’s failure. † (Teegen and Doh 2002) Investigations showed that the Mexicans believed that Corning was a bit impulsive in their decision making; the Americans felt Vitro had a very time-consuming approach. Vitro management despised the frankness of the Americans, while polite Vitro executives, sometimes gave Americans the impression that they were reluctant to admit concerns and errors. (Teegen and Doh 2002) Thus, when businesses are being setup in different regions of the world, there is a need to develop a correlation between the corporate and the social cultures. References Babar Sattar. Immorality of Basant http://www. thenews. com. pk/daily_detail. asp? id=45221 Accessed: June 9, 2007 Boxing Day Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Boxing_Day Accessed: June 9, 2007 Culture Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Culture Accessed: June 9, 2007 Hildy J. Teegen (The George Washington University) and Jonathan P. Doh (Villanova University)-April 2002. â€Å"U. S. /Mexican Business Alliance Negotiations: Impact of Culture on Authority, Trust and Performance†. White Paper (The George Washington University). Malcom Warner . Culture and Management in Asia. Routledge, 2003 Who Owns Pakistan http://www. pakistanlink. com/hussaini/09-10-99. html#top Accessed: June 9, 2007 Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Zulfiqar_Ali_Bhutto Accessed: June 9, 2007

The Assyrian Sacred Tree Essay -- Mythology

A traditional interpretation of what has become known as the Assyrian Sacred Tree conceives of it as the date palm. Consisting of a series of nodes and interlacing vines, the depiction of the â€Å"tree† contradicts the morphological appearance of a date palm seems at best to be a highly abstracted consolidation of various botanical characteristics from separate distinct species. Despite recent proposals by several art historians and botanists to conclusively determine its proper classification, indubitable evidence unlocking the enigma behind this timeless symbol—a sacred fountainhead for many western religions originating in the Near East—has yet to uproot the deep seeded academic insistence on the date palm. The â€Å"Sacred Tree,† (fig. 1) was originally positioned behind the king’s throne. The scene shows two genii, sometimes with birds’ heads and sometimes with men’s heads and the horned hats of gods. Each of the winged figures holds a bucket and reaches out with an oval object toward a stylized â€Å"tree.† The composition has been read as being based on bilateral symmetry, with the vertical stalk-like structure crowned by a palmette. A meticulous examination reveals that although balanced, it has many discrepancies on both sides that deviate from perfect mirror symmetry. Ashurnasirpal appears twice, shown from two sides, dressed in ceremonial robes and holding a mace connoting his authority. The figure of the king on the right makes an invocative gesture a god in a winged disk in the top center of the relief. Ashur, the national god or Shamash, the god of the sun and justice, may be identified as the god who confers the king divine right. On t he left, the king holds a ring, an ancient Mesopotamian symbol of divine kingship, in one... ...ee of Life." Economic Botany 56, no. 2 (2002): 113-29. Parpola, Simo. "The Assyrian Tree of Life: Tracing the Origins of Monotheism and Greek Philosophy." Journal of Near Eastern Studies 52 (1993): 161-208. Porter, Barbara Nevling. "Sacred Trees, Date Palms, and the Royal Persona of Ashurnasirpal II." Journal of Near Eastern Studies 52, no. 2 (1993): 129-39. Reade, Julian. Assyrian sculpture. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1983. Richardson, Seth. "An Assyrian Garden of Ancestors: Room I, Northwest Palace, Kalhu." State Archives of Assyria Bulletin 13 (1999): 145-216. Tylor, Edward B.. The Winged Figures of The Assyrian and other Ancient Monuments. London: Society of Biblical Archaeology, 1890. Winter, Irene. "Ornament and the 'Rhetoric of Abundance' in Assyria." Eretz-Israel: Archaeological, Historical and Geographical Studies 27 (2003): 252-264, at 253.

A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand

â€Å"A house divided against itself cannot stand† The phrase, â€Å"A house divided against itself cannot stand† became famous as a quotation from Lincoln’s â€Å"A house divided† speech delivered at 17 June 1858, in what was then the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, upon accepting the Illinois Republican Party's nomination as that state's senator of the United States . The speech became the launching point for his unsuccessful campaign.Abraham Lincoln was not the first one who used the â€Å"A house divided against itself cannot stand† phrase: Sam Huston used it during the Senate debate on the Compromise of 1850,during the War of 1812; a similar line appeared in a letter from Abigail Adams to Mercy Otis Warren. Thomas Paine in 1776 and Thomas Hobbes, in 1651 used something very similar. We, as humans, are social beings†¦so we cannot live alone. We need friends and people with whom we can share our thoughts, our feelings, our life, our e xperiences and so on. For this reason we form all kinds of groups (friends group, school group, workplace group).If the members of a group are not united, they will be much more easier to defeat by a â€Å"common enemy† or by nature itself. If a group (house) is divided against himself, members will be more easier to beat one by one, then if they are united and their power cumulated. Even if, hypothetically, there is only one group and there will be no external danger, if the member of that group is disunited, the group could not stand and, sooner or later, if the conflicts are not solved, the group will divide in at least two other smaller groups( each one more powerless than the original group will be if its members are united).The â€Å"A house divided against itself cannot stand† phrase applies very well to smaller (but more bounding) groups. For example, a family where the partners are always arguing against each other, it will be very hard (if not impossible) to get over the life challenges and succeed together in life. It is even worse if that family involves at least a child, because it is very probably that he will follow his parents` example and be more rigid with his partner when he will grow up.Another good example are the groups formed in a world full of sharks all running for the biggest prey and winning: the businessman world. If two (or more) business associates are not united they will surely lose because bigger or more cunning sharks will profit from their division against each other. In conclusion a house divided against itself cannot stand (SEE What I did there? ) because it is much more difficult conquer it if its members are united than applying the famous quotation : divide et impera! .

How Is Energy Transferred - 1431 Words

How is energy transferred? This question can be answered in many ways and forms, let’s elaborate.†¨Energy in the dictionary meaning is, ‘the strength and vitality required for sustained physical or mental activity’. In my own view, energy is the most vital and unrecognized strength this world has. Energy can make anything move or perform certain movements or tasks, it can even be used to make non-living things move. That is called Kinetic Energy. Kinetic energy is energy that is stored and used by any moving object. When an object is using kinetic energy, it creates another form of energy called Gravitational Potential Energy. This is energy that is stored in an object, it is also the energy of a particle acquired from position, or condition, rather than motion. Things that have potential energy are a raised weight, coiled spring, a charged battery or even food etc, energy causes change within systems.†¨The dictionary meaning is ‘the energy possessed by a body by virtue of its position relative to others, electric charge, electric charge, and other factors’. Elastic potential energy is the potential in which when you pull something such as an elastic band, and the further you pull and stretch the item, the more Elastic potential it possesses upon release of the object.†¨ The way energy travels is by vibrating in waves which can either be a path through longitudinal or transverse waves. These waves are the path to transferring energy. Longitudinal waves travel and vibrate in aShow MoreRelatedInvestigation Into The Heat Of Combustion Of An Alcohol1669 Words   |  7 Pagesand are going to be used to warm up a known amount of water in a beaker. Therefore, the mass of alcohol that will be burnt is going to be measured. 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