Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Meet the Nubian Pharaohs of Twenty-Fifth Dynasty Egypt

By the chaotic  Third Intermediate Period  in Egypt, which came the in the first half of the first millennium B.C., a lot of local rulers were battling it out for control of the Two Lands. But before the Assyrians and Persians made Kemet their own, there was a final resurgence of culture and classic Egyptian iconography from their neighbors to the south in Nubia, who made this spot their own. Meet the fantastic pharaohs of the Twenty-Fifth Dynasty. Enter Stage Egypt At this time, Egypts decentralized power structure allowed one powerful individual to sweep in and take control, as a Nubian king named Piye (ruled c. 747 to 716 B.C.) did. Located to the south of Egypt in modern Sudan, Nubia was intermittently ruled by Egypt over the millennia, but it was also a land full of fascinating history and culture. The Nubian kingdom of Kush was alternately centered at Napata or Meroe; both sites exhibit Nubian and Egyptian influences on their religious and funerary monuments. Just take a look at the pyramids of Meroe or the Temple of Amun at Gebel Barkal, and it was Amun who was the god of pharaohs. At a victory stele set up at Gebel Barkal, Piye portrays himself as an Egyptian pharaoh who justified his conquest by acting as a truly pious monarch whose rule was favored by the patron deity of Egypt. He slowly moved his military power northward over several decades, all while solidifying his reputation as a pious prince with the elite in the religious capital of Thebes. He encouraged his soldiers to pray to Amun on his behalf, according to the stele; Amun listened and allowed Piye to make Egypt his own by the late eighth century B.C. Unusually, once Piye conquered all of Egypt, he went home to Kush, where he died in 716 B.C. Taharqas Triumphs Piye  was succeeded as pharaoh and king of Kush by his brother, Shabaka (ruled c. 716 to 697 B.C.). Shabaka continued his familys project of religious restoration, adding on to Amuns great temple at Karnak, as well as sanctuaries at Luxor and Medinet Habu. Perhaps his most famous legacy is the Shabaka Stone, an ancient religious text that the pious pharaoh claimed to have restored. Shabaka also re-established the ancient priesthood of Amun at Thebes, appointing his son to the position. After a brief, if unremarkable, reign by a relative named Shebitqo, Piyes son Taharqa  (ruled c. 690 to 664 B.C.)  took the throne. Taharqa embarked on a truly ambitious building program worthy of any of his New Kingdom predecessors. At Karnak, he built four majestic gateways  at the temples four cardinal points, along with many rows of columns and colonnades; he added to the already beautiful Gebel Barkal temple and built new sanctuaries across Kush to honor Amun. By becoming a builder-king like the great monarchs of yore (such as Amenhotep III), Taharqa both established his pharaonic credentials. Taharqa also pressed Egypts northern boundaries as his predecessors had done. He reached out to create friendly alliances with Levantine cities like Tyre and Sidon, which, in turn, provoked the rival Assyrians. In 674 B.C., the Assyrians attempted to invade Egypt, but Taharqa was able to repel them (this time); the Assyrians were successful in taking Egypt in 671 B.C. But, during this series of back-and-forth conquests and tossing out of the invaders, Taharqa died. His heir, Tanwetamani (ruled c. 664 to 656 B.C.), didnt hold out long against the Assyrians, who sacked the treasures of Amun when they captured Thebes. The Assyrians appointed puppet ruler named Psamtik I to reign over Egypt, and Tanwetamani ruled concurrently with him. The final Kushite pharaoh was at least nominally acknowledged as pharaoh until 656 B.C. when it became clear Psamtik (who later expelled his Assyrian patrons from Egypt) was in charge.

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Activity-Based Costing Is It Still Relevant by William, Stratton, et Article

Essays on Activity-Based Costing: Is It Still Relevant by William, Stratton, et al Article The paper "Activity-Based Costing: Is It Still Relevant? by William, Stratton, et al" is a delightful example of an article on finance and accounting. The article talks about how the Activity-based Costing (ABC), which was developed to improve the accuracy of cost-profit measurement and decision support systems, was failing to provide desired results. The system has not been able to capture the complexity of most of the companies operations. Hence, they have stopped using it. A survey was therefore carried out by the Business Research and Analysis Survey Group (BRAG), to study the particular uses of the ABC method to find out whether it is still relevant or not (William, Denis and Raef 2).   Main Point: There are other organizations that apply the use of the ABC method and still achieve positive results. The main point in this research is to change the mindset of many managers and organizations about the ABC method and show that it is still relevant, worth committing time and resources in and provide desired results with better implementation. Points of Interest: Among the points of interest is that the results of this study refuted many assertions that portray ABC as an unsuccessful costing method that is being abandoned by many organizations and practitioners. The results also show that, out of 144 organizations that were involved in the survey, only 4 had used ABC and were no longer using it and only 22 knew about it and had never used it. The rest, 116 organizations had implemented ABC and were using it. It is, as a result, a point of interest as it disapproves of the fact that organizations are abandoning ABC. Why the article is important to the class: this article is a very important one to the class as it plays a part in informing us about the relevance of the ABC costing system and its implementation. At the same time, it informs us about other alternative methods that organizations can use and whether they use them as their first choices or alternative choices. The article, for this reason, gives us the opportunity to decide for ourselves, through the benefits and drawbacks of ABC, whether the method is relevant or not. A list of at least three points to discuss in class: Given an opportunity, I would wish to discuss some points in class and these points include: (a) The cost- and profit measurement method methods across the value chain, (b) ABC and the cost allocation, and (c) the Decision Support and the ABC method. I would discuss these points because, by discussing them and their benefits, we get to understand the relevance of the ABC costing method.

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Similarities Between Men and Women Free Essays

Sociology of Women October 18th, 2012 Are men and women more similar or different from each other? What are the strengths and weaknesses of each position? If not a gender dichotomy (male/female), then what? Can we unlearn, as a culture, the ins and outs of gender? Is gender a question of exclusion or is it a question of difference? Women and Men are more similar than people believe them to be. People focus on the evident physical differences we see on a daily basis in men and women. Women are commonly described to have breasts, a vagina, and are considered more â€Å"voluptuous† or curvy than men, Whereas men are known for their manly tools, their penis, and all the preconceived social and cultural notions that go along with that. We will write a custom essay sample on Similarities Between Men and Women or any similar topic only for you Order Now However, aside from these minor physical differences men and women are innately the same. Although most people do not realize this, the only legitimate difference that is scientifically proven between men and women is that a woman’s body contains two X chromosomes and a man’s contains an X and Y chromosome (Connell, 2012, pg. 1). This biological difference then allows a woman’s body to develop slightly differently to enable reproduction, such as a womb, breasts, and wider pelvis. A man then develops testes but surprisingly both men and women’s genitals come from the same embryonic tissue. In other words biologically a penis and clitoris, scrotum and labia, come from the exact same starting place, and until people age these physical characteristics aren’t drastically visibly different (Connell, 2012, pg. 52). One of the most ridiculous arguments about the differences between men and women comes back to our hormones. Many people are taught the differences between men and women throughout popular culture and education but not similarities. We are taught that our gendered bodies do not share any of the same physical characteristics. Men should be buff, taller, and able to do more in terms of strength while women should be graceful, dainty, caregivers that are objects to look at. Most people are unaware of all the commonalities that men and women share. In fact our hormones function in the same ways, and there are not â€Å"male† or â€Å"female† hormones. The difference is the levels and patterns our hormones take on. Men generally have higher levels of androgens such as testosterone whereas women have higher levels of reproductive organs at certain points. What most people are unaware of is that the same reproductive hormones present in women also work in men to enable the process of sperm production (Women’s Studies Collective, 2005, pg. 87). There is a huge overlap in the levels and process our bodies take on. As explained in the text, â€Å"Even in early adulthood the physical characteristics of males and females as a group overlap extensively† (Connell, 2009, pg. 52). Height is used as an example, because adult men are generally slightly taller than adult women, but the variety of heights within each biological group is large, in relation to the average difference. Many argue that the build of a man and a woman are completely different. It is true that men on average grow about 10 to 15 percent larger than females and tend to have more upper body strength, but in comparison to other mammals the margin is slim. Universities across the United States are providing new research that suggests it was similarities among men and women of our early ancestors, not differences which helped early humans evolve to become the dominant species that we are. To understand the similarities of men and women you must understand that sex is a biological categorization based primarily on reproductive potential, whereas gender is the social elaboration of biological sex. Not surprisingly, social norms for heterosexual coupling and care of any resulting children are closely intertwined with gender. But that is far from the full story. Gender builds on biological sex, but it exaggerates biological difference, and it carries biological difference into domains in the world which it is completely irrelevant. There is no biological reason, for example, why women should take more delicate roles in the world and men should dominate in society, or why women should have red toenails and men should not, but as we consider sex as biological and gender as social, this difference is not clear-cut. Men and women require the same types of emotional and physical care from the time of birth to adulthood, in order to remain healthy and functioning members of society. Both male and female brains are exactly the same. An argument that is commonly seen about the male and female brain is that on average a man’s brains grows for a bit longer and are a bit larger than females, but aside from the slight size difference both a male and females brain can function the same way. Size does not relate to function. Both men and women go through life trying to fulfill a desire to have emotional connections with others. Whether these are positive or negative emotional connections based on the persons experiences, men and women still try to fulfill the same voids. Men and women also require the same physical care from birth to adulthood. Both men and women need to be physically cared for in order to survive. Men and women both require the basic needs to have food, water, shelter, and personal hygiene in order to maintain their health. Without one of these things either sex could die. This is explained clearly is Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs which explains that you satisfy your biological needs before your personal and social needs. According to Maslow, when it comes to satisfying your needs, you begin at the bottom of the needs hierarchy, with physiological needs, and then work your way toward the top. Every level on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs explains needs that both men and women require such as Level 1-Physiological needs: Food, water, sex, and sleep, Level 2-Safety needs: Protection from harm, Level 3- Love and belonging needs: Affiliation with others and acceptance by others, Level 4-Esteem needs: Achievement, competency, gaining approval and recognition, Level 5- Self-actualization: Fulfillment of one’s unique potential (Plotnik ; Kouyoumdjian, 2011, pg. 33). Another huge argument regarding the differences between men and women is sexual behaviors and urges. However, it is becoming more obvious that both men and women have the same sexual desires and urges and it’s becoming more socially acceptable for both man and woman to engage in these behaviors in Western Society. In previous ti mes men were described to have more sexual urges and behaviors than women which excused them from any promiscuous behavior they engaged in. However, if a woman chose to do similar things she ould be shunned and looked down upon because she was being â€Å"too promiscuous† or a â€Å"whore. † Reality is that both men and women have very complex sexual lives, with few major differences. Often time’s differences are seen across sexes because of societal and cultural beliefs within that community. If a woman having sex with more than one partner is considered a sin and dirty in many cultures these instances are kept quiet to keep order. The same goes with a man, but often only men’s sexual tales are spoken of as less sinful. Society proves time and time again to be sexual biased on what is acceptable for men and women. Men and women are both simply results of societal and cultural upbringing. A woman in a Western society versus a Middle-Eastern society would behave differently due to family, beliefs, values, and Religion. Strengths for a man versus a woman are based on personal beliefs. I think that both men and women have too many similarities to not be considered equal, but there are not enough strong-willed women such as myself with the same thought process. Western culture presents men as stronger physically, and ultimately the bread winner, where a woman is considered a caregiver, and delicate. It’s very hard to explain the strengths and weaknesses of two different sexes that are innately the same. A dichotomy is any splitting of a whole into exactly two non-overlapping parts, meaning a gender dichotomy is a procedure in which biological sex is divided into two parts, male and female. Societies around the world use a gender dichotomy to keep order and help better organize and understand sex and gender. Although with how much evidence there is on both man and woman overlapping we have no use for a gender dichotomy, and yet society remains the same to keep gender in order. With the elimination of a gender dichotomy society may eventually be able to see both man and woman as equal, but truth is we are still so far from that. In order to eliminate the separation of biological sex into two parts people would need to unlearn what they know about gender, which is far from happening. As a culture to unlearn something mass groups of people need to step forward with new information proving the previous to be wrong. However, feminism is still a growing movement with small numbers, and in order to make social change, sadly enough, we need large numbers of people to explain the facts. If people understood the real depths of feminism and what it entails in a positive way, The Feminist movement could help move forward how people view men and women as more similar than different. Human beings are like sponges for knowledge, and are able to obtain new information to help remove the old, so I am not saying that it is impossible to unlearn the ins and outs of gender, I am simply saying that as most progression does, it will take time. References Connell, R. (2012). Short introductions gender. (2nd ed. , pg. 50-71). Massachusetts, USA: Polity Press. Women’s Studies Collective, H. C. (2005). Women’s Realities, Women’s Choices- An Introduction to Women’s Studies. (3rd ed. , pg. 85-87). New York, New York: Oxford University Press. Plotnik, R. , ; Kouyoumdjian, H. (2011). Introduction to Psychology. (9th ed. , p. 333). Belmont, CA, USA: Wadsworth- Cengage Learning. How to cite Similarities Between Men and Women, Essay examples

Friday, December 6, 2019

Cross-Cultural Communication & Business Relation-Free-Samples

Question: Discusss about the Cross-Cultural Communication and Business Relation. Answer: Introduction People from different cultural background communicate with each other and sharing cultures for business, social reasons of education or art related works are considered as cross-cultural communication. This is a change and enhancement that helps in the economic development of the countries. The relationship between countries and their politics and technologies will also prosper through this process (Okoro 2012). Employees from one nation can come and share their business with another nation through this cross-cultural communication. Thus, a business enhancement and development aspect is related to the thing and helps to expand the business globally. In this case study, Mary has to penetrate her business in China so etiquettes of China and their cultural development is one of the concerning aspects of Mary. Mr. Lau is a Chinese man and the first meeting is always very special for business so maintaining Chinese etiquette is special attention for her. The essay illustrates the possible penetrating issues of "The Aroma Shop' condiments business in China. Some of the products are really unknown to Chinese, so they may have taken those condiments but in long-term business retention an economic, political and social support is needed and that is the main concern for Mary. Chinese business etiquette In case of business mentality, Chinese people are expecting well-prepared person for the meeting. The speaker may take more than 10 copies of the proposal that what needs to be addressed but a fluent manner is needed from them. Introducing the meeting with some words at the beginning is another aspect of meeting that Chinese people generally do. Establishment of the strong relationship is also important in case of closing the deal, and Chinese people value this kind of relationship for the further progression of business (Liu 2013). It is vital that composure is being maintained by all the people in the meeting and that impacted a good attitude towards the meeting. In case of decision making, Chinese people are taking lots of time for making their decision. Sometimes the deals are heading towards the ultimate deadline but they used to do this kind of things for gain some advantages. Chinese people enter their meeting venue in hierarchical order (Harzing et al. 2012). They have mainta ined this thing and that showcase the promotable respect for the executives or managers. In between the meeting hours, they usually take 2 hours break for the refreshment. In case of greeting, handshakes are the most common thing that Chinese people are usually done at any of their meetings. Through the handshakes, a sophisticated greeting mentality and respect to the person in all forms have been evolved. In case of titles of courtesy, most of the people used their last name for interaction and communication. The thing is very relevant and dignitaries when the last name is used (So and Walker 2013). In case of the appreciation in the meeting, Chinese people use a couple of words in Chinese and respect the person for his or her deeds. In case of pleasantries, traditional approaches of food or to know about the situation are being asked by the other members and that create a bonding with organization employees and managers (Okoro 2012). In meeting, politically related discussions are not allowed as some of these interactions are creating conflict between employee In meeting, Chinese are not allowed to use strong negative statement in meeting, this kind of situations are setting back the moral of the meeting, thus problems are not considered as not a big issue of the nation. In case of body language or body movements, Chinese business etiquettes are always calm and controlled. This process will encourage the personality of Chinese people and their body posture is always formal and self-control and respectfulness are reflected through their body (Okoro 2012). Proper dress code and simplified way of talking is the best approach in case of business dealing. In case of slurping and belching while taking food is signifies the enjoyment. In a meeting projection cases, these etiquettes are also important and that is the reason all these etiquettes are needed to be judged by the people. If the idea of business is strong then all the business meetings are merely a deal signing section and Mary has to present herself in that manner so that Mr. Lau will accept the business and allowed the business in China. Cross-cultural miscommunication Cross-cultural miscommunication is a barrier in case of business advancement. If executives are not understood the culture and etiquette of the penetrating country then it will be quite tough for the business to expand their market over there. In case of law, morality, ethics, culture, art, belief, custom, and knowledge the new company and their executives will suffer in the penetrating country. The miscommunication starts from there and the in case of the globalised market it is a threat to the world (Moran, Abramson and Moran 2014). So socialize thoughts are implemented by the company executives in all over the world so they can adopt the culture of another nation and also know the foreign culture and ethics to deal the business in a right way. A sensitive look at the other people's culture is important and their physical environment is a learning factor for the business extension. Ethnocentrism is a challenging process as the process is dealing with the competition and the paramet er of competition may be production, quality of the upgradation but the approach of the approach of the company is important in that section to get better result form that (Zhu and Bargiela-Chiappini 2013). In this case, communication with customers is also important and the relevant attitude, in that case, will state the future of the business. HOFSTEDE Cultural Framework Figure 1: HOFSTEDE comparison between Australia and China (Source: hofstede-insights.com 2018) In case of Power Distance, the score of Australia determines the team efficacy or the way of communication with employees. The communication is informal and participative as the managers think that employee will work more efficient way if more team engagement can be enrooted (Bain et al. 2012). On the other hand, Power abuse by the superiors is a common thing to them. The leaders are the supreme power of the team and employees have to admit the work that leader has stated. In this case, Mary, have to think about presentation approach so that optimistic response expected from Mr. Lau. Individualism is almost at per its best in Australia as the people can lead their cultural ability and their families support and governmental help influence them to perceive the situation. A self-reliant approach and the promotion of decision making is the main aspect of this country, which helps employees to pursue their aspired thing perfectly (Saunders 2012). In case of China, the situation is completely different. Individual relationship or commitment in the organization is not expected by the employees, rather collectivist cultural enforcement and co-operative relationship with groups and companies are important in this nation. In case of motivating people or masculinity, Australian people are feeling proud of their success in the workplace. In the basis of hiring and promotion, behavioral shared values of achievement and success are related to the employees merit and productivity, the Australian people things so in that case, thus objectives are achieved as the conflict situation is being mitigated. On the other hand, China is a success-driven organized nation where motivations are provided from the leaders and the nations think about the future as well so the impactful work culture with direct gaining process is important in that case. In case of uncertainty avoidance in workplace and society established belief and situation understating is the most influencing matter for the country (Goodrich and De Mooij 2014). In that case, Australia is heading above China as more control to avoid this kind of situation handling is in hand of China. Cultural threat and created belief are also important in that case. The long-term orientation is a process where past challenges have examined and dealt with present scenario and future understating is also analyzed. In that situation, time-honored tradition and encourage employees for the better future is approached in a less propensity way in Australia. The score is almost four times in case of China as they are very pragmatic in culture and all the past situation analysis and traditional changes are adopted by them. In case of indulgence, Australia is far above than China. The societies and people in Australia are willing to do their desire and having fun in their life by possessing a positive attitude with them. In case of China, the situation changes for the autocratic behavior of the leader and government and the policies, this bound the desire and aspiration of the people and employees. Recommendation There are some recommended outcomes that help cross-cultural communication and active learning. Knowledge of cultural background of the penetrative nation is important. Follow the non-verbal communication style and maintain a relationship with the person that business deal will be finalized. Open minded conversation is also helpful in case of interacting with people and makes a crucial decision at the right time so that planning can proceed at that very moment (Triandis 2018). Learning practice about the nation is also important in that case and all these processes of recommendations help cross-cultural communication. Conclusion Therefore, it can be concluded that cross-cultural communication is a concern situation that helps in every aspect of market penetration and business extension. In this case, Mary has to retain all these etiquettes when the meeting will organize. The non-verbal communication and cultural context through Hofstede model also addressed the same thing of cross-cultural motivation and practice. References Bain, P., Vaes, J., Kashima, Y., Haslam, N. and Guan, Y., 2012. Folk conceptions of humanness: Beliefs about distinctive and core human characteristics in Australia, Italy, and China.Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology,43(1), pp.53-58. Goodrich, K. and De Mooij, M., 2014. How socialare social media? A cross-cultural comparison of online and offline purchase decision influences.Journal of Marketing Communications,20(1-2), pp.103-116. Harzing, A.W., Brown, M., Kster, K. and Zhao, S., 2012. Response style differences in cross-national research.Management International Review,52(3), pp.341-363. Liu, H., 2013.Chinese business: Landscapes and strategies. Routledge.Chaney, L. and Martin, J., 2013.Intercultural business communication. Pearson Higher Ed. Moran, R.T., Abramson, N.R. and Moran, S.V., 2014.Managing cultural differences. Routledge. Okoro, E., 2012. Cross-cultural etiquette and communication in global business: Toward a strategic framework for managing corporate expansion.International journal of business and management,7(16), p.130. Saunders, M.N., 2012. Organizational trust: A cultural perspective.Development and Learning in Organizations: An International Journal,26(2). So, Y.L. and Walker, A., 2013.Explaining guanxi: The Chinese business network. Routledge. Triandis, H.C., 2018.Individualism and collectivism. Routledge. Zhu, Y. and Bargiela-Chiappini, F., 2013. Balancing emic and etic: Situated learning and ethnography of communication in cross-cultural management education.Academy of Management Learning Education,12(3), pp.380-395.