Thursday, January 30, 2020

What Is Mento Essay Example for Free

What Is Mento Essay Mento is a distinct style of Jamaican music that emerged in the early 1900s and is not to be confused with Jamaican calypso. Mento, much like other Caribbean folk music, is a blending of African rhythms, Latin rhythms, and Anglo folksongs. Mento draws its traditions from African slaves brought to Jamaica and some European folk culture. Slaves were sometimes made to play music, singing European folk songs which largely influenced the development of Mento. Inevitably, the slaves would infuse their own traditions with the music and it became common practice to sing Mento songs about social lives of the people. In Jamaica, Mento is sometimes referred to as country music, because of it light hearted and simplistic lyrics as well as the omitting of electric instruments. A Mento band typically consists of a banjo, an acoustic guitar, hand drums and rumba box and is characterized by a 3:3:2 rhythms with an emphasis on the fourth beat in each bar. Mento came to real prominence in the 1940s and 1950s before being displaced by ska, rock steady and reggae. It wasnt until the early 1950s that true Mento recordings first began to appear on 78 RPM discs. This decade was mento’s golden age, as a variety of artists recorded Mento songs in an assortment of rhythms and styles. It was the peak of mentos creativity and popularity in Jamaica and the birth of Jamaicas recording industry. These recordings reveal Mento to be a diverse musical genre, sometimes played with reckless abandon and other times with orderly precision. In addition to mentos African and European roots, by this time, it had also encompassed pan-Caribbean influences, as well as from American jazz. Although it was informed by a world of music, mento is clearly, uniquely Jamaican. And as Jamaicas original music, all other Jamaican music can trace its roots to mento . Mento is still listened to in Jamaica today, but mostly be heard in tourist destinations. Early recordings of traditional mento are difficult to find. Some early mento practioners were Slim and Slam, Count Lasher and Everard Williams.

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Prison Studies Considered Essay -- Essays Papers

Prison Studies Considered In "Prison Studies" Malcolm X briefly details how, during his incarceration, he embarked on a process of self-education that forever changed him and the course of his life. Malcolm writes of his determination to learn to read and write, born out of his envy and emulation of Bimbi, a fellow prisoner. His innate curiosity, sense of pride, and ambition to learn and be someone of substance motivated him to study relentlessly. As he learned more about the world he developed a great thirst for knowledge that left him with a lifelong desire that only his continued studies could satisfy. He believed that prison offered him the best possible situation in which to educate himself. This idea of Malcolm's, that prison was the best situation in which to educate himself bears some examination. He dismisses the idea of going to college as being inferior to the education he received in prison. He speculates that college is perhaps filled with too many distractions (both ideas are found in the last paragraph of his essay, 19). While Malcolm states his argument in a way that is simple, direct and compelling, it is not an argument that is appropriate for every potential student. One would do well to consider Malcolm X's particular circumstances and his intended audience. As far as his education in prison being superior to one he would receive in college, one should consider why he would think in this way. It is obvious that his education would have put him at about the junior high school level. For a man of his age and race and resources, at the time in which he lived, there were probably very few options available for remedial education. It is remarkable and admirable that Malcolm was invested with the intelligenc... ... distractions. There are, however, a number of disadvantages to prison studies beside the obvious threats to life and limb. The requirements of colleges are intended for a greater purpose than to extract the maximum amount of time and money from the hapless student. The requirements of higher education are intended to provide a wide-ranging and well-balanced view of the world and our place in it. A complete education is intended to provide us with the tools to understand and interpret what we study. A balanced education teaches us the hard-learned lessons of history, the logical methodology of mathematics and philosophy, the transcendent vision of the poet and the artists and the skeptical review of the scientist. While I have great respect, admiration and even affection for Malcolm X, I suspect that even this great man would have benefited from a formal education.

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

The Nike shoe company

AS known to all, international relations between commercial organizations is one of today’s strongest trends in business industries. The truth is that every single organization, whether small or large scale, is considerably involved in reaching the goal of being globally known through international trade. Just what is meant by the terms international trade, international relations, and international strategy; and how are they particularly related to each other?   These questions shall be given answer through the discussion that follows through. Business entrepreneurs around the world all have a common goal, to influence a larger scale of market who would appreciate their products and services thus giving them the opportunity of increasing their revenues and strengthening their chances of increasing their profitable gains as well. This is the primary reason why it is an essential for entrepreneurs of the present-day business organizations to discuss to their employees the different aspects of international relations that particularly affects the major operations of the business that equips it with the necessary strength that it needs for further organizational growth in the future. The possibilities of both increasing the competence of the business in the field and making the aims of progress more efficient in becoming factual and practical for the organization to take. This is perfectly the same with the situational goals of Nike with regards their global relations. THE Company: A Brief Description Nike Shoe Company, Nike inclusive is a company that basically indulges in the designing, developing and international marketing of quality apparel, equipment, footwear, and accessory products. The company started trading actively in sportswear back in the year 1999. The footwear is precisely designed and manufactured for athletic use. A large portion of Nike's products is however used for leisure and casual purposes. Nike inclusive operates it own subsidiaries for manufacturing and the distribution of sports apparel. The main competitors of this company are Adidas, Reebok among others. Describe the market structure within which the company operates and the pricing strategies adopted by the company Nike operate in a very competitive field of business. For some reasons, the said industry of sport shoe production and distribution has already weakened through the years of operation. For this reason, companies hosting the said situation actually tried to access different procedures of marketing their products and their services to the society. The seasoned process of the appreciation that consumers have towards the said products actually makes it possible for the production activities of the said materials to fluctuate. (Porter 1985) The selling price adopted by a company for its products directly affects the profitability and eventually the viability of the company. This area usually receives a lot of attention from Nike's management. To ensure the viability of the company products in the market and rise above its competitors, Nike uses the following pricing strategies, (Thompson, and Strickland, 2001). Setting rather than managing prices; The brand manager adopts a reactive approach in making pricing decisions rather than a proactive approach. This means that the setting of prices at Nike inclusive depends on the prices adopted by competitors and the sales figures that Nike has. Avoidance of customer value when pricing; It is not always accurate to predict the value that a customer has towards a given product. It is also not possible to quantify the value that the products give to customers. For this reason, Nike avoids the use of customer value when making pricing decisions. Although consumers may not buy a product whose price is higher than the satisfaction derived from the product , they will at all times purchase a product that has a price lower than its perceived satisfaction. By avoiding this approach, Nike keeps off under pricing its products in order to maintain the brand equity and customer loyalty, (Porter, 1985). Establishing customer value for products; the brand managers at Nike inclusive rigorously engage in attempts to know the value that customers have for their brands. This is undertaken by carrying out detailed interviews with the customers on Nike's brands. Through this process, the organization is able to comprehend better with the needs and the demands of the people, their clients, who are the primary target of the changes that the organization particularly want to work on. The precise information obtained is used by brand managers to establish a basis for the pricing decisions in the company. Such information is reliable in developing an effective pricing strategy that is proactive. (McGahan, 2004). The changing Global Economy Nike is keen on the changing global economy and has been seeking competitive advantage over its rivals. Several changes have taken place in the shoe industry and this has been greatly beneficial to the industry. These changes are; (Hunger, and Wheelen, 2003). Rapid growth in footwear production Manufacturers today must have flexible designs and high output. There is a massive increase in shoe designs increasing competition and volatility in the market. High innovation and quality designs are a must for success. . Producers have to be protective of their information and manufacturing technology. One of the main reasons for the success in seeking competitive advantage in the changing global economy is flexibility. Nike has at all times remained flexible in the changing market by subcontracting to international countries that have low cost of labor. Secondly, Nike highly focuses on differentiating of its products. Rather than dealing in one line of a product, the company has diversified and differentiated the products it offers to the market. For instance, Nike began as small company that distributes sport shoes, however, as time passed, the developments began to grow thus giving the company a better reputation in the industry. Today, Nike is known in the industry as it produces and sells a variety of products ranging from equipment, clothing all the way to even offering accessories. This differentiation has enabled Nike to successfully obtain and gain loyalty from buyers on its brand. Certainly, register an increase in sales command a fine price for all the company products. Conclusion From the SWOT analysis featured within this paper, the different elements needed to be considered by Nike to face the global business competition has been carefully presented (Bakan, 2004, 66). From the said assessments, it could be observed that there is huge attention needed to be placed on the situation of the organization when it comes to cost alignment of both expenses as a balancing matter with that of the revenues gained by the company in an annual procedure. (Egan, 1998, 11) Aside from financing, the process of marketing and product shifting should also be given clear attention as it also gives a fine description and certainty with regards the situation that the organization would likely face within the global picture of the international trade. The issue of globalization offers both threats and the opportunities to the current human generation. Undeniably, the said progression of industrialization that affects the entire global operations of the trading industries bring an impact on how local business organizations work towards the dreams and goals that they have particularly set for themselves to reach (Goldman, 1999, 10). The consequences through in being involved in the said revolution of business systems in the society today involves the adjustments that organizations must take risk of to be able to jump into the bandwagon of international progress. True, international business industries offer a larger market. The involvement of Internet and modern communication applications today within the systems of business connections worldwide has even made the said international commercial invasion a faster process of progress for entrepreneurial beginners in the said field. Understandably, to be able to gain progress, the risks and the opportunities should be grabbed by each individual business organization for the sake of part taking in the process of globalization of industries today. References Joel Bakan (2004). The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power. London: Constable. Egan, Timothy.(1998). â€Å"The swoon of the swoosh†. New York Times Magazine. J. B. Strasser. (2003). Swoosh: Unauthorized Story of Nike and the Men Who Played There, The (Paperback). Collins Publishers. Robert Goldman. (1999). Nike Culture: The Sign of the Swoosh (Cultural Icons series). Sage Publications. Grant, R.M. (2005) Contemporary Strategy Analysis. Blackwell Publishing Ltd., Oxford (U.K.) Hunger, J. and Wheelen, T (2003) Essentials of Strategic Management. New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc. McGahan, A. (2004) How Industries Evolve – Principles for Achieving and Sustaining Superior Performance. Harvard Business School Press, Boston. Porter, M.E. (1985) Competitive Advantage. The Free Press: New York. Thompson, A. and Strickland, J (2001) Crafting and Implementing Strategy. Irwin McGraw-Hill.

Sunday, January 5, 2020

Why Nike Kicks Butt in Sustainability - 3007 Words

This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the author for internal non-commercial research and education use, including for instruction at the authors institution and sharing with colleagues. Other uses, including reproduction and distribution, or selling or licensing copies, or posting to personal, institutional or third party websites are prohibited. In most cases authors are permitted to post their version of the article (e.g. in Word or Tex form) to their personal website or institutional repository. Authors requiring further information regarding Elsevier’s archiving and manuscript policies are encouraged to visit: http://www.elsevier.com/copyright Authors personal copy†¦show more content†¦Nike is making choices today that are intended to position the ï ¬ rm for effective competition in a sustainability-based economic environment. Several features of the ï ¬ rm, which have been fundamental to the company’s ï ¬ nancial strength, are also instrumental in the company’s sustainability performance. Among the factors most important in its sustainability positioning are:      Leadership Organizational design Market strength Market positioning Culture LEADERSHIP The primary reason for Nike’s sustainability advantage is leadership. The chief executive ofï ¬ cer (CEO) and board are very supportive of sustainability and believe it to be an essential component of the company’s long-term strategic objectives. Power is concentrated in the board chaired by founder Phil Knight, who retains controlling ownership in the ï ¬ rm. This allows the company greater ï ¬â€šexibility in the options available for balancing social and ï ¬ nancial objectives, and enables the company to make sustainability investments with a very long payback period. The board plays a signiï ¬ cant role in pushing the focus on sustainability. One critical move has been the shift from positioning sustainability as a compliance-related or riskoriented activity, as many companies do, to an opportunity for innovation. For example, in the past, one way Nike pursued sustainability was by reducing the level of regulated toxins used in its shoe designs. Today, the company uses theShow MoreRelatedThe Sustainability Strategy of Nike Company Essay2748 Words   |  11 PagesIntroduction and the objective of the study Nike is one of the biggest footwear and apparel manufacturing companies in the word. The company came into existence in 1964 by Bill Boweman and Phil Knight and named it as the Blue Ribbon Sports. The company changed the name to Nike, which is Greek word meaning victory, in 1972 after producing a good brand of shoes that became popular among the athletes (NIKE, Inc., 2001). Since then, the company has been successful, dominating the world market of athleticRead MoreMarketing Mistakes and Successes175322 Words   |  702 PagesMcDonald’s, Google, Starbucks Product Starbucks, Nike, Coke/Pepsi, McDonald’s, Maytag, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Newell Rubbermaid, DaimlerChrysler, Kmart/Sears, Harley-Davidson, Boeing/Airbus, Merck, Boston Beer, Firestone/Ford, Southwest, MetLife, Borden, United Way, Vanguard, Continental, Euro Disney Distribution Nike, Coke/Pepsi, Newell Rubbermaid, Harley-Davidson, Vanguard, Starbucks, Kmart/Sears, Hewlett-Packard, Dell Promotion Nike, Coke/Pepsi, Maytag, Vanguard, Merck, Boston BeerRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesCharacteristics Model 263 Ethical Dilemma Spitting Mad 264 Case Incident 1 Multitasking: A Good Use of Your Time? 264 Case Incident 2 Bonuses Can Backfire 265 3 9 The Group Foundations of Group Behavior 271 Defining and Classifying Groups 272 Why Do People Form Groups? 272 Stages of Group Development 274 The Five-Stage Model 275 †¢ An Alternative Model for Temporary Groups with Deadlines 276 Group Properties: Roles, Norms, Status, Size, Cohesiveness, and Diversity 277 Group Property 1: Roles