Why There We Have Winners and Losers in the Automotive Industry

One reasons that has exposed some automobile companies to severe vagaries of recession while sparing others is the existence of structural differences between the so called auto â€Å"transplants† or foreign auto mobile manufacturing in the United States and the major automobile companies incorporated and domiciled in the United States i. e. General Motors, Chrysler, Ford and the like.The so called ‘transplants’ better represented by Toyota, Hyundai and the like are structured in such a way that they can access credit from their mother countries most of which for instance were not severely affected by the recent recession if compared with the United States (Ohno, 1988). Their deep pocket and this ready pool of credit from their mother countries made them less susceptible to the vagaries of financial meltdown. Another factor that has prejudiced some automakers while favoring others is what analysts have called bad practices of the Big Three United States automakers .These ‘bad’ practices are the ones that are responsible for the big cost differentials that have existed for some time now between them and the ‘transplant’. Another tragedy that has benefited the transplants at the expense of the Big Three is the high prices of automobile fuels that have been occasioned by the recession (Ohno, 1988). In this regard the Big Three US automakers known for their SUVs and Pickup Trucks which normally consume more fuel have found themselves uncompetitive due to the avoidance of fuel guzzlers in the United States due to the high oil prices and reduced disposable income due to inflation.Most of those who have avoided these fuel guzzlers have migrated to the cheaper and more fuel efficient car made from the so called transplant i. e. Toyota, Hyundai, et al. The labor costs have also overwhelmed the Big Three US automakers more than others from foreign countries manufacturing in the United States (McCracken, 2006). This is due to t he fact that their workers are unionized and therefore able to press for high salaries while their non-unionized counterparts in the so called transplants do not have such powers (McCracken, 2006).Importance of the New Product Development for Corporation In regard to Toyota’s New Product Development Process with the launch of the Prius The development of new product whether in form of new innovations, new applications or even completely new goods is a necessary component in business because it enhances the viability of the company. By developing new product the company is able to make a mark in the industry which is one of the best survival strategy that today’s companies have perfected in their bid to withstand cutthroat competition that characterize today’s business environment.The importance of continuously and consistently developing new product in today’s business world is better captured in the statement â€Å"innovate or die† which has of la te become a popular catchphrase adopted by both small and large corporate bodies in reference to increasingly knowledgeable consumer demand for the latest and finest products. One of the companies that have embraced the idea of developing new products in an effort to remain competitive while still providing their customers with the newest and finest goods in the respective market is Toyota Corporation.Toyota which is the second largest automaker globally realizes that in order to maintain its brand visibility as a top automaker worldwide it has keep on innovating and coming up with new and more superior models (McCracken, 2006). All these Toyota models that have been launched in succession by Toyota Corporation are informed by this strategy. This strategy has been employed by Toyota for a long time now. However the most recent product of Toyota’s innovative product development is Toyota Prius. The development of Toyota Prius is in line with Toyota’s management desire t o develop newer and more superior cars for this century.The superiority of Prius as a new and different product from the other is better demonstrated by its superior features that include more spacious cabin space, relatively higher seat position, aerodynamic exterior, a 20km/little fuel economy, and a relatively small engine placed horizontally with a variable automatic transmission (McCracken, 2006). References Ohno, Taiichi, (1988). Toyota Production System: Beyond Large-Scale Production. New York: Productivity Press McCracken, Jeffrey, (2006). Detroit’s Symbol of Dysfunction: Paying Employees Not to Work. The wall street journal online. 06 March 2006

Learning Team Reflection Essay

Owners and managers in the business need to make working capital management decisions such as inventory management, cash-flow management, accounts receivables, and supplier or vendor trade credits to ensure the company has sufficient cash-flows to pay short-term obligations. There are a few different working capital strategies a business can employ. Flexible current asset management involves holding large cash balances and inventory. The restrictive current asset management strategy requires companies to keep current assets low. Finagle a Bagel is a young, growing business that applies the working capital trade-off strategy to manage their working capital (Parrino, Kidwell, & Bates, 2012). Married entrepreneurs purchased the business when it was a few years old and had four to five stores (University of Phoenix, 2014). The owners encountered many of the same issues commonly associated with running a young business. They had to learn to deal with customers, vendors, and suppliers; how ever, the larger issue was discovering how to manage their working capital. Maintaining and continually producing working capital is imperative for any business. Effective working capital management ensures the company has enough money to pay the bills. Managing their current assets, inventory, and liabilities are all part of working capital management (Parrino, Kidwell, & Bates, 2012). Finagle a Bagel owners focused on mapping out their future and ensuring the business would grow enough to produce a successful cash flow. A successful cash flow, and keen understanding of their banking relationship, will allow the companies to more comfort when taking on debt or liabilities. The strategies Finagle a Bagel use for managing working capital are no different from the plan many companies utilize. The owners established a good rapport with their bank, vendors, and suppliers (University of Phoenix, 2014) which enables them to create the opportunity for positive interest rates and  trade-offs. The good interest rates assist in the short-term and long-term when they need to acquire a line of credit to pay suppliers or to expand the business. The working capital trade-off strategy requires the manager to balance shortage costs against carrying costs (Parrino, Kidwell, & Bates, 2012). The business must be flexible. To allow for more time to pay another business back, trade credit is a strategy businesses extend to one another. Businesses work out a type of credit line to provide the other business with a suitable amount of time to pay their bill (Parrino, Kidwell, & Bates, 2012). Credit lines are ideal and prevent banks from getting involved. Finagle a Bagel uses the strategy of trade credit regularly. Improper working capital management may jeopardize a company to default or bankruptcy. Upon reviewing the working capital management video, it is inevitable that the owners and managers in a business should monitor cash inflows and outflows periodically by computing financial ratios such as efficiency ratios – inventory turnover, and account receivable turnover and working capital ratio to ensure that the company has adequate cash-flows all the time. References Parrino, R., Kidwell, D. S, & Bates, T. W. (2012). Fundamentals of Corporate Finance (2nd ed). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. University of Phoenix. (2014). Week 3 Electronic Reserve Videos. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, FIN/571 – Foundations of Finance course website.

Gay Marriage: the Recognition of Equal Human Rights Essay

In America, people hold on to the Declaration of Independence as an implementation of their rights. Part of the Declaration of Independence clearly states, â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness† (Jefferson 80). Gays are human beings too, and they should equally be able to enjoy the human rights. If we believe that human rights are equal regardless of their sexual orientation; then why do gays have to struggle for equal positions in the church, law, and psychological equality? Gay people, their families, and their friends are fighting for these rights. They want equality for gays including legal marriage, and marriage benefits that the regular man-woman marriages enjoy. Gay marriage becomes an option because many gay couples want the equality of human rights. Gays realize their rights are being abolished by the fact that they are not allowed to legally marry and enjoy the privileges as married couples. Only twelve states in America and District of Columbia legally allow gay marriage. The twelve states are: Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington (Millstone). Massachusetts is the first state that legalized gay marriage on May 2004 (Tying the Knot). Although gays can legally marry in these states, the couples have limited rights. DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) restricts federal marriage benefits; therefore, it prevents gays from receiving the insurance benefits for government employees, Social Security benefits, immigration, and the filing of joint tax returns (Burns). The documentary, Tying the Knot shows that many gay couples stay together for a long period of time, whether they are married or not. They share their lives: mentally, physically, and economically. But when a spouse dies, the other spouse does not get his/her rights as a normal opposite-sex spouse would get, which includes pension benefits and/or the house (belongings). The movie shows a sad reality to this current unfairness toward gay couples. While gays’ rights are being suppressed, the questions start to come up, â€Å"Is being gay an option? †. This question becomes a part of controversy for gay marriage. According to Dan Eden, a writer for an online journal Viewzone since 1996 on his research, â€Å"Homosexuality is a congenital condition much like being ‘left-handed’. † He provides a scientific point of view that homosexuals are born that way; hormones also affect sexuality, beside chromosomes. Homosexual is not a lifestyle, homosexuals are born gays and they do not choose being gay as a lifestyle. The National Memo, a political newsletter since 2011, interviewed people and asked them, â€Å"Do you think people born gay or choose to be gay? † When they answered, the interviewers added another question, â€Å"When did you choose to be straight? † which made people think. The National Memo wants people to think about this, while Eden wants to make a clear statement that â€Å"being gay is not an option†. The Obama Administration has been trying to bring equal rights for gays, by stating that LGBT’s rights (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) also part of the human rights (Clinton). Hillary Rodham Clinton, the US secretary of state in 2009 stated, â€Å"All people deserve to be treated with dignity and have their human rights respected, no matter who they are or whom they love. † It is clear that people have an equal rights and freedom to love, to choose their partner, and to get married despite their sex’s orientation. On the other hand, according to Ben Newman, a public relations director who had been in position as a â€Å"healed gay†, being gay is an option and can be cured. His name has been changed to protect confidentiality. Newman explained this in his story regarding how his family background and childhood experiences made him being attracted towards men, although he was already married to a woman and had children from her. Later on, he followed a reparative therapy: a reverse treatment through psychotherapy to change his sexual orientation. He succeeded to come back to the society as a â€Å"straight† man after 2 years and 3 months in the reparative therapy (Newman). In this situation, although gay marriage is already legal in some states, gay couples still struggle with their positions in government and law, and also with their positions between church and state. In government and law: when will gay couples receive an equal law for their marriage? Does government have the power to define marriage? It seems that even when gay couples are allowed to marry, they are without any marriage rights, because of DOMA. In regard to their position between church and state, there is much religious objection towards gay marriage. In the United States, Christianity and Catholicism are the primary religions. These religions believe in God and believe that the marriage is rightly between a man and a woman. Although certain churches approve gay marriage (Tying the Knot), the fear is, how it might affect the government, and how it might cause people manipulate the marriage to get the government’s benefits (Boston). Furthermore, in State of the Union 2004, President George W. Bush stated: The union of a man and woman is the most enduring human institution, honored and encouraged in all cultures and by every religious faith. Ages of experience have taught humanity that the commitment of a husband and wife to love and to serve one another promotes the welfare of children and the stability of society. Marriage cannot be severed from its cultural, religious and natural roots without weakening the good influence of society (Burns 7). President Bush described marriage as cultural and natural way to expand the society, because of the fact that marriage between man and woman would produce and foster children. These man-woman marriages are honored by faith and beliefs. He does not want the changes in marriage values affect the society in a bad way. In addition, for people that do not agree on gay marriage, they have skepticism about how gay marriages will affect children in the future. Although people assume that gay couples will not have children, but in reality they do, either from previous relationships, adoptions or simply have to raise children from other family’s member. However, children who are raised by gay couples need legal assurance from their â€Å"gay parents†. According to Anne Pollock, a graduate student in social studies from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, â€Å"The first priority of civil marriage should be to provide a secure environment for all children. The religious right’s claim that children benefit from their [antigay activists] assaults against gay families is nothing less than hypocritical. Burns)† If the gay parents do not have equal legal rights, like what stated in DOMA; so that, if something happens to one of the gay parent, their children also will suffer from the consequences. For example, if a working gay spouse gets into accident at work and dies, the problems would show up for the other surviving spouse when they are denied for the support, which she/he needs to live with the children. For this reason, the benefit is future’s assurance for children themselves; lastly, it seems self-righteous to take away these rights from the children. The other skepticism towards gay marriage is that it will harm children. An author of several books about marriage, Maggie Gallagher states, â€Å"First and foremost, children need stable families to become the kind of adults who will in turn provide stable families for their future children†¦ Legalizing same-sex marriage would sanction families that would deprive children of the experience of either motherhood or fatherhood. (Burns)† Gallagher wants people to think that a normal family has a father and a mother to raise their children; these children will look upon their parents to build their own family in the future. The family that does not have man-woman parents will create a different effect to their children. Therefore, Gallagher believes that man-woman marriage will produce children, and on the other hand, gay couples could not produce children. Specifically, gay marriage will harm children mentally and in long term, our population. Moreover, there are other questions toward gay marriage: will it promote social stability or harm society? For years, gay people have been struggling for their recognition, although they get married in a party with friends and families, but they did not get marry legally. However, they have not think about their future assurance such as: the insurance benefits for government employees, Social Security benefits, immigration, or the filing of joint tax returns. Their futures seem uncertain; something might happen and take away the rights that a normal opposite-sex marriage would legally have. In addition, The California Health Interview Survey held a research regarding physical distress from legal same-sex marriage and how they legally recognized themselves affect their mental heath, and it showed various numbers about how important the recognition from society for whom they are (Wight). If gay marriage becomes legal, there is some assurance for their future; and, if they are socially accepted for whom they are, the society will move forward and become a stable and better society. On the other hand, there are skepticisms that gay marriage will harm the society. According to Sam Schulman, a popular New York writer, gay marriage is selfish and degrades moral values from our society (Burns). People deserve to love and choose their partner, but if their choices are not base on acceptable morality, then they should not do it. Gallagher is strengthening Schulman’s opinion; Gallagher points out about how marriage is the needs of man and woman, in terms sexually, to produce children, financially, and socially (Burns). In conclusion, in term of human rights, gays are human too. They have rights to be treated equally. The searching of equality has been happening for years, from the rights of black people, women’s rights to mix-race marriage rights. People have the rights to choose their own partner, their love, and their assurance in the future. Why legalize gay marriage if the marriage itself has taken its rights (DOMA)? People mention morality and society in terms for our children future, by rejecting gay marriage and its rights. Gay marriage is not the only problem that people have nowadays, there are other occurrences that ignore the morality and society; there are crimes that ignore morality values (rape), shooting in schools or public places, robbery, and many other crimes that occur. We live in a world that demands morality in society; but, what kind of morality and society that we have now – do we value ourselves better than gay people?

Femicide, the deliberate killing of females Speech or Presentation

Femicide, the deliberate killing of females - Speech or Presentation Example The researcher states that beside misogyny, there can be other motives for the killing of females which include pleasure, anger, revenge, malice, jealousy, arguments, separation, sexual assault, robbery, and the exuberant feeling of finally being dominant and triumphant over a female. In terms of the perpetrator, it could be any male such as the father, the husband, a boyfriend, a close friend, an acquaintance, a brother, a lover, or even a complete stranger. In almost all cases, there is a gender-related issue behind the killing and usually accompanied by a victim-perpetrator type of relationship and a prior history of either verbal, psychological, or physical violence. This is a gender-selective violence that often includes the rape, torture, and mutilation of victims. Femicide can be viewed within the larger context of the gender wars as manifestation of a stringent form of anti-feminism, designed to terrorize women into submission. It is also a part of the larger cultural context where women are expected to be pure, submissive, always ready to obey the wishes of the men, and especially in the Chicano culture, to adhere to three Marias concept and avoid being labeled into the third Maria category. What is happening at the Ciudad Juarez in Mexico is a very visible form of this bias against the female gender. As stated earlier in the previous page, there are many motivations in femicide. In the global context where religious and social norms can take a jaundiced view of female killings such as honor killings in many under-developed countries, a female who committed a sin that is seen to dishonor the family can redeem such honor by becoming the ultimate sacrifice. The male family members will even do the actual killing or consent to it if perpetrated by another person, as family honor is the paramount consideration only and not suffer from shame. The problem of femicide is a global phenomenon, although world attentions is much focused on what is presently happening in Ciudad Juarez due to the activists and feminists. It forms a part of the larger problem of human rights violations, and in particular, the violations of women's rights and the curtailment of those rights by whatever means necessary. Femicide can be seen as social prejudice against females, going back to antiquity when monarchies are passed down from generation to the next generation by primogeniture, or right of a first male offspring to inherit the kingdom through the divine right to rule. This bias also manifests in a lot of modern institutions, where previously only males were qualified and accepted, such as the military organizations in prior years which barred all women from combat roles or assuming command positions. The Catholic Church is example of this gender discrimination, not allowing women priests to be ordained and serve. India and China both have a strong cultural

LEGITIMACY THEORY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

LEGITIMACY THEORY - Essay Example Conflation of these concepts can be a very difficult proposition though such organizational contingencies existing within its operational environment could act as a compulsion to achieve such fusion so that legitimacy becomes an institutionalized organizational goal. Financial reporting mechanisms and the connected objectivity perspectives have been questioned by researchers and analysts on the ground that organizations present such annual financial reports with a view to legitimizing their activities in the eyes of the society. This social obligation arguably reinvigorates the existing debate on the dichotomy between the legitimacy theory and reliable financial reporting as an organizational requirement. While theoretical underpinnings of accounting and financial reporting are concerned with professional impartiality and numerical accuracy as explicitly required under IAS, legitimacy of organizational behaviour in the food sector is determined by a series of endogenous and exogenous variables ranging from industry-centric environmental factors to national and supranational regulatory compulsions. Food industry-centric environment has been subject to a revolutionary paradigm shift in quality and safety. This evolving scenario of extreme choices has invariably predicated upon the stricter legitimacy-prone standards that are being witnessed in it today. A variety of theoretical approaches have been developed over the years to build a comprehensive framework of analysis to study an otherwise complex concept in organizational beahviour. Legitimacy theory is just one such theoretical postulate that has evolved into what’s now known as the yardstick of organizational behaviour concerning that particular aspect of its ethical responsibility to the very society in which it operates as a corporate entity. Thus the very logic of organizational behaviour hinges on the fundamental premise that organizations are bound by a universal requirement to justify and

Yellow Womanand Hills Like White Elephants Essay

Yellow Womanand Hills Like White Elephants - Essay Example Leslie Silko, in her short story, â€Å"Yellow Woman†, has tried to explore boundaries between tradition and modernity, and between myth and reality. The narrator is a young, married woman, who enjoys a brief affair with a strange man named Silva in a faraway place near the waters. The myth of the Yellow Woman and the katsina spirit of the mountain is brought into question, as Silva calls her his Yellow Woman, luring her into going with him. When the woman returns to her home in Peublo, she finds herself meeting the reality, but she still waits for Silva to return to her one day and take her with him, like the katsina spirit of the mountain took the Yellow Woman with him. Silko has described how the modern day woman is in search of her sexual and gender identity, and how she uses her imagination to feel in love with a man dominating her, as we read, â€Å"You don’t understand, do you, little Yellow Woman? You will do what I want,† says Silva to her (Silko 370). T he woman is in search of a man who loves her, but comes back to reality much sooner than she realizes that it is all over. Earnest Hemingway, in the short story â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants†, has also made use of symbolism, like Silko did in her story. Silko symbolized the modern woman with the Yellow Woman, and the stranger named Silva with the katsina spirit. Likewise, Hemingway symbolizes the mountains with elephants. For the heroin of the story, Jig, mountains seemed like white elephants, slow and stable. She wanted to have the child so that her stable married life could start. The man did not want the child, as for him, life would become slow and stagnant just like the mountains. Jig was in search of her new identity as a mother, and the man wanted to reject this new identity by having the child aborted. Hence, we see that the two characters are faced with the dilemma of either choosing or rejecting their new identities as parents. But, Jig admitted to the man’s idea of abortion because

Federal Government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Federal Government - Essay Example After the great depression, however, when people were starved and had lost most of their properties, people believed that the Federal Government through its structures ought to provide necessities to its population. In as much as the then leadership under Roosevelt focused on fighting the great depression, and heeded the cry of various organized corporations and labor unions, the belief among the citizens was that such strategies were aimed at assisting bankers, large farmers and employees who belonged to certain unions. In a rather unfamiliar manner, even those who had been benevolent supporters of the strategy rebelled including Huey Long, who was the then senator for Louisiana. Such moves prompted the government to take charge of certain responsibilities including creating a social security fund project for the elderly and compensating workers who lost their jobs. Amidst all the challenges that existed nevertheless, the United States did not refuse to believe. And in as much as some of their recovery strategies stalled, the nation adopted mechanisms that has made it become a model nation to the whole

Amazon's Kindle 2.0, (Pricing) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Amazon's Kindle 2.0, (Pricing) - Essay Example Therefore, Amazon decided to use the skimming model to make sure that they had increased short term profits and portrayed image of Kindle as a high end product. Later, in July 2009 the price of Kindle 2.0 was dropped to $299 when the new model Kindle DX was launched (Kindle Dx vs Kindle 2.0). There are numerous reasons why this would have been done. The most plausible reason for this is that the newer version, i.e. the DX had better features than Kindle 2.0 and it was priced above $400. Another reason was a report by PC World that stated that each Kindle 2.0 device cost approximately $186 to build (The Kindle Pricing Strategy & The Kindle Pricing History). While PC World forgot to include the price of the software that the device hosted, it made a mark on the audience and Amazon had to reply by reducing prices. Similarly, the reduction in price was also made possible by the decrease in manufacturing costs resulting from the Prime View International’s acquisition of E-Link. Prime View is Kindle’s assembler and E-Ink provided them with the screens. By the acquisition Amazon was able to get better prices which it passes onto its consumers by reducing the price of Kindle 2.0. The future pricing of the Kindle devices should be done by taking in to account the prices of competing devices such as Sony E-Reader and the Apple iPad. The E-Readers by Sony are available in three different models each priced at $399.99, $299.99 and $199.99 respectively (All Reader Digital Books) . While the Apple iPad (16GB) is priced at $499 and the one with 3G support is priced at $629 (Apple- iPad - Price ). Therefore, the future pricing of Kindle devices should be done based on the comparison of the features offered by the Kindle devices and the Sony’s E-Reader and the iPad. Today, Amazon charges $259 for the Kindle 2.0 and $489 for the Kindle DX. I propose that they should charge about $200 for the Kindle 2.0 and $300 for

Beyond the All Blacks Representations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Beyond the All Blacks Representations - Essay Example The article by Uperesa, Fa‘anofo Lisaclaire (Lisa) addresses a number of issues with relation to how that Samoan has received support in American field football. In American SÄ moa (and other transpacific Samoan groups), football has come to speak to both a genuine and envisioned approach of getting out of what appears to numerous as a choked field of plausibility. The permeability and liveliness of football in American SÄ moa are established in Samoan histories of relocation to the United States, Samoan social sensibilities, the changing business sector of the American football industry, and narrowing financial opportunities (Uperesa, 2014). The transnational way of football relocation is vital to understanding the offer of playing football, the prizes that collect to effective players and how these assets have kept on changing states of probability. These changes have been in relation to the ideology and materialistic approach that the youngsters in the islands consider A merican Football to bring about. Through the author, this article investigates the layered and complex inspirations for football interest as molded by forthcoming types of capital, authentic possibility, and transnational brandishing organizations. Concentrated on history, economy, and a changed vision without bounds, it offers a basic ancestry of football in (American) SÄ moa and Samoans in football is an instrumental breakthrough in shaping the societies that participate in such competitions (Uperesa, 2014).

Indigenous Tradition Essay Example for Free

Indigenous Tradition Essay In the past people have mistaken about their tradition Indigenous originality or occurring naturally (country, region etc) To be indigenous kinship (relation to one another) and location(connection of particular place) Indigenous religion beliefs, experience and practices concerning non-falsifiable realities of people who have kinship and location Syncretism: Syncretism merging of elements from different religions. Eg : north American tradition have been influenced by Christianity, some African rituals are influences by Islam. * Change occurs everywhere. * Traditions are less authentic (accurate) than thousands year ago Indigenous can be found anywhere: * Anishinaubae: drumming ceremony in Toronto * Yoruba: Funeral rites in London * Maori: Purification ritual in opera house Sydney Australia Misconceptions * Common to Indigenous traditions is colonialism * Oglala (Indigenous community) – a theorist explained them as â€Å"warriors without weapons basically they were incapable to adapting a new economy lifestyle they focused on how to make them â€Å"modern Indians† * Outsider lack insider knowledge. * Scholars often used terms such as fetish, myth, mana, taboo to explain Indigenous traditions. * Eg â€Å" Indigenous stories are called myth where the bible is considered to be true. Primitive Cultures that are unchanged from the beginning primitive Christians, who believed in god and their tradition, had superiority and began to spread their religion to who didn’t know about gospel Indigenous traditions are tend to think more primitive Due to non-literate * But writing to not better than oral speaking * Mayan did use writing * Most Indigenous people are very literate. Indigenous tradition are tend to think more primitive – consider everything to be sacred (untrue) * Eg : Navajo : ceremony that transforms normal house into a scared place. So everything such as eating, sleeping is considered to be sacred. * Australian aborigine knows where to pray(know the difference between sacred and non sacred mountains) Primitive term is now disagreeing by many scoloars Mohawk and Cree (Dr Clare Brant) Mohawk: Indigenous traditions who give more food to their guest to show their wealth. Cree: Indigenous tradition who eat all the food offered to show scarcity. These two traditions did not go well together and this shows that Indigenous traditions are different from each other. Another point is that we see other cultures according to our own cultures. Gender roles: * Male: hunting and warfare * Female: healing and food preparation * Maori carvers were men and weavers were women. Bunu men frow cotton and women turn it into clothes. * Sometimes the roles switch just like other traditions * Usually religions practices are different for men and woman too. Power of speech Oral speaking is very imp for Indigenous traditions things are passed down oraly. Many people think oral primitive (untrue). Both Quran and Bible was passed down orally before written into text Stories : After life : * Kewa: a man finds a tunnel where his dead people wre living together and they gave them many things and asks him not to speak of it. When he goes and tell everyone about the tunnel, he breaks the promise and when he returns the tunnel is gone. * Anishinaubae : young man fiance died, and he go on a journey to find her and when he found her , he returns home heartbroken, keeping his promise. * These stories tell us about importance of relationships tell us about how we should live than about dying Writing stores often â€Å"fixed in time†. Trickster: * Considered as â€Å"culture heroes† because they are the central figures in many stores * Usually shape shift usually into animals * Can change genders sometime biological and sometime just clothes changing * Outer form is reflected into infidelity * They can appear as fools, selfish, kind, scandalous etc. * Usually driven by self interest alone * Trickster stores show us how we should behave and how we should not * The stories often explain the origins of world and connect to a community more deeply. * Embodies the extremes of humanity: human weakness and strength Practice (rituals). Indigenous tradition rituals are very similar to our traditions * Rituals remind us on what is imp in our life. * In religious terms, rituals, communicate some ways with gods, ancestor and spirits. * Rituals are roots in the human needs and relationship Rituals : * Every rituals varies * Usually involves food Muslim and Jews have specific food eating habits * Many Buddhist set food portions aside for ancestors * Anishinaubae put small amount of food for the spirits * Some rituals are more complicated * Such as marriage, death, birth * Sometimes these rituals mark transformation and sometimes they help to bring the transformation about. * Indigenous tradition rituals serve in some ways to recreate some aspects of the world, order and life Journey: * Going on a journey/quest: rites of passage * Journey to a new place is where a transformation occurs. * The person returns home with physical change, such as tattoo, scar or a body part to symbolize their new self. * Pondos: moved into a special hut to become sacred healers- if they go into town before they must be covered in white * White usually symbolize the color of transformation in Africa * Anishinaubae vision quest – yong man travels far away from home only with water and be completely alone. Then late he become a â€Å"adult man† and comes home with food and the ritual is complete . Sacrifice Mel Gibson: sacrifices in Indigenous traditions are vey common Bear sacrifice: raise a young cub, and raise it for two day and kill it. Head is emptied and filled with flowers and then the animal is cooked and eaten. They think that the bear is the gold’s spirit and they see it as freeing the spirit. Sun dance : dance till days and community provide support. Some sun dance involves sacrifice . the pole and lodge are buil to show the creation of the world Nuer : sacrifice ox for healing. Xhosa : when a woman fall ill the community gathers and kill a cow and do many rituals. This is due their thinking that the ancestor or spirit is angry with the women. * above rituals shows the involvement of community even though there is sacrifice involved. * The rituals ultimately brings people together * Sacrifice like rituals create order and meaning * Those rituals join people to the past and respond to current situation Cultural Expression What you see is not always what you get Art in Indigenous traditions is aout relationship objects are coonected to people Weaving : * Intertwine and connect * Weavers work together , helping one another , passing knowledge. * Shows bonds among people Maori Tradition : * All weavers are female * A girl is said all about weaving more said more discouraged if people saw true commitment then they let the girl into whare pora(caretakers of the weaving) * Whare pora have rules no sex before dying, no food allowed during weaving, special garment should be weaved during the day and not strangets can view the weaving * Traditional colors : black, red and white * Sacred thread is sewed on all garments to show the bond Underlying cloth : * Clothing declare who we are and how we fit into social fabric * Has two side : can hide much as it reveals and help us create a public face * Lady gaga : he masks and clothes hide part of her but also reveals her identity that she wishes to show * Special clothes are associated with imp rituals * Bunu : believes that the special clothes are kind of womb, enveloping the body as like a fetus is being born. Clothing only wears it does not die old cloth is replaces by new, as old spirits is reborn Spirit basket : * Oldest arts * In pomo community men makes the heavy basket for hunting and fishing * Women were responsible for religious baskets. * Mable mckey : was a traditional healer in pomo community and famous basket weaver in the world. Masks : * Masks are used in imp rituals wedding , funerals, hunting celebration etc * Masks are ment to ring spirit into the community lesser deities (gods) * Mask represent certain animals does not mean they worship the animal * Epa mask in Yoruba community extremely heavy show the strength require to dance with the mask and enter the adult hood with responsibility. * Carvers are usualy male Totem poles : * Very specific to each communities * Function of totem poles also varies in each tradition. * Meaning varies serve as a supporting structure or grave makers and other as a symbol for power * Most also tell stories such as historical, achievements and religious * Grizzly bear at the base holding a human represents self-preservation or survival. Moko * Maori carvings are less likely to be displayed outside the original physical context * Moko tattoos * In the beginning the women were only allowed tattoos around their lips and chin where men can have tattoos all over their face * Moko story remind the Maori people their ancestor and importance of meeting ones obligation and treating one another with respect Ancestoral House. * Marae Maori religious and social home. Site of wedding , funeral, celebration. * Authority is held by community elders where they use the space to pass n traditions, stories and arts, carving, weaving. * If the artist when wrong painting the place, they could be put to death. * Location is very imp it must be located in a place where the previous generation carried out the religious and social activities. * Whare Whakairo physical form which represents the body of the ancestor * The building is divided into body parts of the ancestor Three points and Shrine : * Some traditions are very plain, harder for an outsider to see * Three issues : * Most rituals are performed outside * Think bout the function of religious structures that are used in the rituals * What you see is not often what you get * Mbari shrine : represents the founder of the community, a great healer and was forced to flee because they were attacked by another community. Elder stands her to protects the shrine all the time. * The guard signify the change modern development Hogans * Navajo Hogan traditional living space as well as the site for many rituals. * It is the site for daily activities and some are religious and some are not * Before new Hogan is occupied a song is performed. * Known as Blessing way ceremony four divining earth, mountain woman, water woman, corn woman also the song speaks everyday things * According to them world is structure – Hogan All these things symbolizes: * Link btw past and present * Btw community and place * Btw our world and world of spirits Colonialism * Colonialism process where people from one place maintain a settlement in another and to the effects of people who were already there. * Changes include – subjugation or removal , new laws, social practices and new economy. * Power and profit are factors that drive colonialism. * Religion is also one of the reason Colombus : * He destroyed a community Arawaks * He wanted to tell him where the gold was people who gave him gold were left alive and people who didn’t were killed(by cutting hands) * Then he realized that the most valuable are the people, so he sent them back to Europe by the boat land. Genocides : * 20 million African were taken as slave and only 11 million returned * 96% od aboriginals were dead in Australia * factors of depopulation : military action, torture, starvation, suicide and slavery. * More aboriginals are killed when the Americans want more land Masters of continent : * As settler population growed the indigenous population reduced less friendly for land * Terra nullius no ones land was the phrase that European settlers used no owner ship primitive – they do not count as people Conversion : * Many converted to different religion due to colonialism * In Indonesia indigenous tradition is not recognized by lay so all are counted as muslim Loss of religion : * Europeans tried to convert them into chistianity rarely worked * Europeans used military strengeth and religion â€Å"our people is tronger because our god is stronger â€Å" * Missionaries. * Also sometimes the colonial government made the indigenous religion illegal * Eg : potlatch and sundance was made illegal ? Die to the felf harm and economic hardship is potlatch(poverty) * Colonialism lead to patriarchy The potlatch : * Feast that are hosted by a family and hosting family presents the guests with gifts * Demonstrate hospitality and redistributing wealth. Loss of language : * Colonialism language disappeared forever * 20 languages extinct * when communities died, the languages died with them * children’s were forbidden to speak their own languages â€Å"Stolen generation† Loss of Land: * Many religious and indigenous land were taken and was destroyed * Two problems that non-indigenous people had: * Very common belief, no specific belief and are mostly about practice * Religion such as Christians can pray anywhere but indigenous people had to pray at a specific site Identity : (the sympols of indeginous people in sports) * Cleveland Indians play at Atlanta braves : it’s a reminder of ongoing colonialism that has been taken from the indigenous people. * Indigenous oriented names : â€Å"eskimo pie† to market the products evoke a primitive stereotype that is best suited for the product.

Effect of Neo-Geography on Professional GIS

Effect of Neo-Geography on Professional GIS Will Neo-geography cause the end of professional GIS Almost everything that happens, happens somewhere (Longley et al. 2005) meaning that everything happens in geographic space. It can be of critical importance to know not only what happened and when but where something happened as well. A GIS is a computer-based system that provides for the storage and representation of geographic data. GIS data are most commonly stored in a relational database format, from which they can be analysed, combined and displayed as maps or in other data formats. In recent years there has been a large increase in the use of neo-geography, that is the use of applications such as Google Earth, Google Maps, Bing Maps etc. to create maps. These maps usually use a base map from one of the above applications with spatial data collected and displayed over it. The large increase in people using neo-geography has led to discussions as to whether neo-geography will cause the end of professional GIS. GIS GIS is a tool that allows users to visualise data (generally on a map) in order to see patterns and relationships in a given area or subject. (Kemp (ed.) 2008) defines GIS as â€Å"fundamentally concerned with building shared understandings of the world in ways that are robust, transparent and, above all, usable in a range of real world settings.† According to ESRI a GIS â€Å"lets us visualise, question, analyse, interpret, and understand data in many ways that reveal relationships, patterns, and trends in the form of maps, globes, reports, and charts.† (GIS DEMYSTIFIED) however claims that this is too general a definition for such a complex and wide ranging set of tools and says that: â€Å"GIS is, in essence, a central repository of and analytical tool for geographic data collected from various sources. The developer can overlay the information from these various sources by means of themes and layers, perform comprehensive analysis of the data, and portray it graphically for the user.† It is a computer application designed to perform a wide range of operations on geographic information. Geographic information is defined as information about locations on or near the surface of the Earth, and may be organized in a variety of ways (Goodchild 2009). A GIS includes functions to input, store, visualise, export, and analyse geographic information. With GIStechnology, people can compare the locations of different things in order to discover how they relate to each other. For example, using GIS, the same map could include sites that producepollution, such as gas stations, and sites that are sensitive to pollution, such aswetlands. Such a map would help people determine which wetlands are most at risk. GIS can use any information that includeslocation. The location can be expressed in many different ways, such aslatitudeandlongitude, address, orZIP code. Many different types of information can be compared and contrasted using GIS. The system can include data about people, such as population,income, or education level. It can include information about the land, such as the location of streams, different kinds ofvegetation, and different kinds ofsoil. It can include information about the sites of factories, farms, and schools, orstorm drains, roads, and electricpower lines. Neo-geography Neo-geography is a term that refers to techniques, tools and practices of geography that have been traditionally beyond the scope of professional geographers and geographic information systems (GIS) practitioners (Turner 2006). (Castree, Kitchin Rogers 2013) describe neo-geography as follows: â€Å"The new forms of geographical knowledge enabled by Web 2.0 technologies where in geographical data are sourced through the collective actions of many individuals, and processed and displayed through online resources. Neo-geography produces geographical outputs that have not been produced by professionals, but rather through crowdà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ sourcing. These data range from place tags on virtual globes, to uploaded GPS traces of locations, to georeferenced communication that can be mapped and combined with other data to create large, dynamic, open data sets.† Szott (2006) describes neo-geography as â€Å"a diverse set of practices that operate outside, or alongside, or in the manner of, the practices of professional geographers.† He goes on to explain that rather than being scientifically based, methods used in neo-geography tend to be based on more personal and artistic tendencies that are â€Å"idiosyncratic applications of ‘real’ geographic techniques† which can be of value to the cartographic and geographic sciences but don’t conform to professional practice. As mentioned in the above quote from Castree et al. (2013) neo-geography has been enabled by Web 2.0 technologies. Web 2.0 is a term that was introduced in 2004 and refers to the second generation of theWorld Wide Web (TechTerms 2008). While it suggests new version of the World Wide Web the term actually refers to technological improvements in software and changes in how software developers and end users use the web (Fu Sun 2011). These improvements and changes lead to the introduction of services such as Google Maps, Google Earth, Bing Maps and MapQuest among others. These services are referred to as WebGIS. WebGIS is any GIS that uses Web technologies (Fu Sun 2011). As these services became more popular developers such as Google started to release an application programming interface (API) for their programs. An application programming interface is a set of programming instructions and standards for accessing a Web-based software application orWeb tool (Roos 2007). Releasing APIà ¢â‚¬â„¢s to the public allowed software developers to design products powered by WebGIS. The term ‘neo-geography’ was coined by one of the founders of platial.com, Di-Ann Eisner (Maguire 2007). She used neo-geography to describe the ‘new’ geography of overlaying or ‘mashing up’ two or more sources of geographic information. The release of API’s allowed developers and users to quickly and easily show geographically based data on shareable maps creating what has become known as a ‘mashup’ (Turner 2006). This could, for instance, be a Google Maps base layer overlaid with mobile phone coverage. Using the Google Maps API a software developer was able to take the original application (Google Maps) and overlay content (the mobile phone coverage over it) effectively ‘mashing’ the two together. Web 2.0 has resulted in a rise in user-generated content (UGC) of which volunteered geographic content (VGI) is UGC of a geographic nature (WEBGIS pg250). VGI is digital spatial data that is created voluntarily by citizens rather than by formal data producers (webgis pg279 goodchild 2007a). â€Å"The availability of mapping APIs like Google’s has facilitated the concept of a ‘mashup’ as the ideal presentation vehicle for VGI by providing a geographical backdrop† (Learning From the Crowd: The Role of Volunteered Geographic Information in Realising a Spatially Enabled Society). VGI has become a hugely important channel through which geographic data is collected. The table below taken from WEBGIS (XXXX) shows the geographic information collected from popular websites. Example websites and essential geospatial questions asked Use cases Geographic information contributed Wikimapia What places do you know? Users draw a rectangle and describe the place with a few sentences Constructing a comprehensive global gazetteer database Picasa, Panoramio, and Flickr online albums (geotagging) What photos can you share about places you have been? Users upload geotagged photos or upload and geotag the photos by zooming to a location on a map Recording and reporting the past and present conditions of places or events with the use of photos OpenStreetMap What GPS data do you have for the roads you bike, walk or drive? Users upload the track logs of their personal GPS receivers Constructing street and highway data layers for many areas SeeClickFix Where and what problems do you see that need to be fixed? Users report problems such as potholes and graffiti by drawing on and annotating maps Identifying problems for local authorities Twitter (GeoTweeting) Whats going on here? Users report personal activities, other events, or incidents at their locations Monitoring and reporting activities Conclusion Neo-geography has caused a large shift in the way people view and use maps. The Conclusion Focus on data quality Focus on analysis that gis’s can carry out, neogeo can’t really do this – only really displys at the mo planning Also focus on fact that most neogeo is built on a gis foundation. These reasons neogeo will not end prof GIS GIS has a huge amount of uses including: Managing business activities Planning Emergency services Land management Transport Utility operations Benefits of GIS include: Fundamentals of GIS (intro to GIS first few pages) GIScience – the professional arm? Introduction Geography (use demystified, use GIS: an introduction, use gis and science)( The use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Business PDF) They will explain gis from geography How much gis used now in daily life, business etc (google gis in daily life)( CONCEPTS AND THEORIES OF GIS IN BUSINESS)( The use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Business PDF) Mention neogeo; use intro to neogeo try to rehash what it is in a few lines with examples The hardware and software functions of a GIS are as follows: Acquisition and verification Compilation Storage Updating and changing Management and exchange Manipulation Retrieval and presentation Analysis and combination These actions are applied to the data held in the GIS. All of this data is georeferenced i.e. linked to a location on the earth’s surface using a coordinate system. Information can be attached to locations (Heywood, Cornelius Carver 2011) tell us that in general, the definitions of GIS cover three main components: It is a computer system comprising of both hardware and software, It uses spatially referenced or geographical data and, Carries out various management and analysis tasks. Hardware is used to collect and input data. Analysis of the information can then be undertaken using the software. By providing spatial analysis of suitably coded data it is possible to provide striking, visual representations of data. These representations can often reveal patterns and trends that might otherwise have gone unnoticed without the use of GIS techniques.