Cultural Analysis of Saudi Arabia and New Zealand Essay

In terms of cultural dimensions, basically, culture elements are everywhere in our life no matter where are you from. Also, the uniqueness and differentiation of culture in diversified countries are influencing and fulfilling our large communication community—world, people involved in this harmonious place communicate, share ideas, cooperated and integrated every cultural diversity so as to make it better. â€Å"A culture is a society’s personality and our membership in a culture plays a big role in shaping our identities as individuals† (Solomon, Russell-Bennett. 010). The accumulation of shared meanings, languages, rituals, norms and customs, also a range of traditions among the world enriches the cultural diversity. The increasing communication of global events and businesses provides an opportunity for the people who from different regions to learn, understand, embrace and respect every distinct culture element, so that to enhance cultural adaptability in business communication, therefore ensuring cooperation succeed. The following parts would be demonstrating Saudi Arabia and New Zealand two different cultures in terms of four dimensions: Individualism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance and masculinity. All this four dimensions could be explicitly displayed upon customs, language, religion, values and attitudes, manners and even aesthetics. * Individualism Individualism focuses on the degree the society reinforces individual or collective, achievement and interpersonal relationships. A High Individualism ranking indicates that individuality and individual rights are paramount within the society. –New Zealand. A Low Individualism ranking typifies societies of a more collectivist nature with close ties between individuals. These cultures reinforce extended families and collectives where everyone takes responsibility for fellow members of their group—-Saudi Arabia (Hofstede, 2012). When it comes to Saudi Arabia culture, the apparent opinion is a really diversified culture that formed by a range of rules, regulations and principles. However, â€Å"As is seen in their naming conventions, Saudis are cognizant of their heritage, their clan, and their extended family, as well as their nuclear family. Also, they take their responsibilities to their family quite seriously. Families tend to be large and the extended family is quite close† (kwintessential, 2004). The emphases on the family and member group make it to be a high Collectivist culture, according to the Geert Hofstede Analysis for Saudi Arabia on individualism, which ranked at 38, compared to a world average ranking of 64 (see appendix2), it means that Saudi Arabia contribute to highly commitment on family and groups community. New Zealand, with a score of 79 ((see appendix1) on this dimension, is an individualistic culture. This translates into a loosely-knit society in which the expectation is that people look after themselves and their immediate families. In the business world, employees are expected to be self-reliant and display initiative. Also, within the exchange-based world of work, hiring and promotion decisions are based on merit or evidence of what one has done or can do. (Hofstede, 2012). Individualism is highly manifested in New Zealand culture, individually, as the wealth and social status are not crucial for them, personal achievement is more important for them, as they believe everyone has the same opportunity to compete. For a range of young people, even the direct family is also important to them, but independent character makes them to persuade individual opportunity to enhance capacity, not only dependent on family. * Power Distance and Uncertainty Avoidance Power Distance focuses on the degree of equality, or inequality, between people in the country’s society. A High Power Distance ranking indicates that inequalities of power and wealth have been allowed to grow within the society. These societies are more likely to follow a caste system that does not allow significant upward mobility of its citizens. —-Saudi Arabia. A Low Power Distance ranking indicates the society de-emphasizes the differences between citizen’s power and wealth. In these societies equality and opportunity for everyone is stressed—-New Zealand (Hofstede, 2012). Uncertainty Avoidance focuses on the level of tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity within the society, such as unstructured situations. A High Uncertainty Avoidance ranking indicates the country has a low tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity. This creates a rule-oriented society that institutes laws, rules, regulations, and controls in order to reduce the amount of uncertainty—-Saudi Arabia. A Low Uncertainty Avoidance ranking indicates the country has less concern about ambiguity and uncertainty and has more tolerance for a variety of opinions. This is reflected in a society that is less rule-oriented, more readily accepts change, and takes more and greater risks—-New Zealand. According to the Geert Hofstede analysis for Saudi Arabia, which showed Large Power Distance (PDI) (95) and Uncertainty Avoidance (UAI) (80) (see appendix2), demonstrated that their Muslim faith plays a large role in the people’s lives. Large power distance and uncertainty avoidance are the predominant characteristics for this region. Such high result of power distance and uncertainty avoidance can be explained a range of aspects. First of all, in terms of the religion, plays a vital role in the everyday life, ranging from setting moral guidelines, arranging social hierarchies, and a way for salvation after death. Religion also plays a major role in the executive area of government, deeply integrated in the laws of the country. Even the five stated daily pray times could display the strict of religion rules. There are a large number of principles or rules, regulations for Saudis in their daily behaviours, in order to stick to the religion principles. For instance, during the holy month of Ramadan all Muslims must fast from dawn to dusk and are only permitted to work six hours per day. Fasting includes no eating, drinking, cigarette smoking, or gum chewing. So many restrictions like forbidding alcohol, not pork eaten and even women are not allowed to drive indicate that Saudi Arabia is a so strongly based in Muslim religion, also such strict rules, laws, policies, and regulations are adopted and implemented is aiming at controlling everything in order to eliminate or avoid the unexpected. In terms of this two analysis, New Zealand scored 22 and 49 (see appendix1) respectively on Power Distance and Uncertainty Avoidance. The low power distance shows that New Zealand even has hierarchy operating system, which the Queen is in the pinnacle of power distance, however, the shared ideas and opinions in different parties make it more democratic. In small power distance organizations, â€Å"Subordinates and superiors consider each other as or less equal even there is a difference in education level. The hierarchical system can always change depending on the circumstances. The hierarchies are flat with a decentralized organization and a small number of supervisors who are expected to be accessible for their subordinates† (International Business Cultures, 2010). Even in a family structure, or a small group activity, New Zealanders present a high integrated, direct and participative communication without any formal class structure. Although, there is another different Maori culture in New Zealand, which has own language, rituals, customs, etiquette, the power distance in terms of kiwi and Maori is till low. Maori and English are used throughout the country in various television and radio programs. As with other regions in the world where two cultures have been mixed, English has influenced Maori and Maori has influenced English. Not only the language is greatly impacted mutually, but also the politics and economic, culture. The Uncertainty Avoidance score is 49 (see appendix1), which is practical in different aspects. It shows New Zealanders believe both generalists and experts are needed. Emotions are not shown much in New Zealand; people are fairly relaxed and not adverse to taking risks. Consequently, there is a larger degree of acceptance for new ideas, innovative products and a willingness to try something new or different, whether it pertains to technology, business practices, or foodstuffs. (Hofstede, 2012). * Masculinity Masculinity focuses on the degree the society reinforces, or does not reinforce, the traditional masculine work role model of male achievement, control, and power. A High Masculinity ranking indicates the country experiences a high degree of gender differentiation. In these cultures, males dominate a significant portion of the society and power structure, with females being controlled by male domination—Saudi Arabia. A Low Masculinity ranking indicates the country has a low level of differentiation and discrimination between genders. In these cultures, females are treated equally to males in all aspects of the society—-New Zealand (Hofstede, 2012). In Saudi Arabia, there is a range of restrictions and regulations for women, such as Women are expected to be very feminine, and obey male authority. They are expected to grow up, and become wives/mothers. Besides, It is unacceptable in most social circles for women to voice their opinions about many things or question their male guardian’s authority. Furthermore, the labor is assigned by gender; strict gender segregation is sanctioned by the state and society, for instance, â€Å"Women are employed in girls’ schools and the women’s sections of universities, social work and development programs for women, banks that cater to female clients, medicine and nursing for women, television and radio programming, and computer and library work†( Countries and Their Cultures, 2010). New Zealand has a low masculinity ranking, they understood their obligation to the people who worked to establish and maintain the society. In 1893, this British Commonwealth gave women the right to vote, which means Femininity has equal status in diversified organisations. In terms of a company structure, basically the Femininity authority means the organization cares more about employees and even corporate social responsibility rather than profits. Summary The cultural dimensions comparison between Saudi Arabia and New Zealand attempts to develop a tool to measure the different countries’ society structure and development model in terms of individualism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance and masculinity. The comparison shows that Saudi Arabia religion element exert an enormous impact on not only social aspects, but also human rights in gender. Moreover, it present a short cut for international marketers to realize understanding a country cultural uniqueness is good for mutual cooperation, and is able to decrease the unpredictable mistake or conflicts possibility. Furthermore, the cultural dimensions analysis presents a snapshot of country structure and social ecology in terms of diversified customs, etiquette and values. The cultural elements is not only exerting impacts on dwelling’s behavior, but also influence countries’ development. Advertising recommendations Doing advertising for exporting lamb from Australia to Saudi Arabia is an inevitable but at risk assignment. Saudi Arabia as a crucial lamb exporting market for Australia, the burgeoning economy and long history of lamb consumption motivate Australia to adjust market strategy to looking for niche markets for lamb products. In terms of the Saudi Arabia population, which growing at the rate of 3. 8% per annum, the demand of importing lamb would increasing. It is an great opportunity for Australia to make huge progress on exporting lamb to Saudi Arabia if the advertisement could be thoroughly demonstrated in terms of the Saudi Arabia culture dimensions. The biggest problem facing Australia exporters of lamb is that religious beliefs require a revamp of the production process to accord with cultural preferences. First of all, the advertising content should comply with the local religious belief and display the qualification of product. Since Islam has a major impact on the preference for lamb in the market, they regarded a range of western countries such as Australia not qualified in normal slaughterhouse techniques. Therefore, it is such crucial to make sure the techniques in slaughterhouse could meet the stipulations. The equipment for slaughtering and also technique certification should be presented in the advertising to get the trust from Saudi Arabia. Secondly, a thorough understanding of Saudi Arabia religious beliefs and culture customs is particularly essential for developing an outstanding advertising in the market. For instance, the reason why Japanese company able to made such successful achievement in Saudi Arabia market is based on their qualified advertising. They did a range of researching on Islam custom and rituals, knowing that the comparison advertising is not welcomed by the local consumers, therefore, they never come up with the similar advertisements. In the contrary, a major tea company alienated Saudi customers after it aired a commercial that showed a Saudi host serving tea with his left hand to one of his guests. Moreover, the guest was shown wearing shoes while seated, which is considered disrespectful by traditional Saudis. Thirdly, advertising content should be simplified but concentrated. In order to establish a long term brand and image-building, advertising content should be able to get the trust from Saudi Arabia customers, as the religious word-of-mouth effects, the high quality lamb product would be accepted by consumers in a long term. In addition, cooperating with local large media agency to come up with effective advertising based on religious customs could be more easily access to target audience.

Women participation in US public Sector/Government

Research on the male-female balance in numbers, power and opportunities in the government and public sector has included several works and research that highlight the dwindling and adverse ratios in female/male working proportions, status and conditions in the US over the decades, which is also observed as a world wide trend. This is in line with the traditional bias against the female worker that has characterized the world employment scenario for the last several years. Notable works that throw light in this regard are that of Mary E. Guy’s Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Backward: The Status of Women’s Integration into Public Management (1993). Guy wrote, â€Å"When tracing women’s integration into public management, we see pattern of rapid progress in the middle and late 1970s, followed by a period of quiescence in the mid-1980s. The late 1980 and early 1990s, however, are showing enhanced progress again. † Still, â€Å"women occupy the lower rungs on the agency ladders and men occupy the upper rungs,† she wrote (Guy,1993. ) Research and data collected in later years by 2 arious agencies such as the US Department of Labor, the Census Bureau, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission have corroborated similar viewpoints. Table I below clearly displays the trend of female/male composition in federal employment. Table I Composition of Federal Work Force – Ten-Year Trend: Some Progress, Little Overall Change FY 1997 – FY 2006[5] Work Force Participation Rate 2000 CLF FY 2006 FY 1997 % FY 2006 % Men 1,487,030 58. 35 56. 94 53. 20 Women 1,124,463 41. 65 43. 06 46. 80 As compared to 1997 there is a minor increase in female employment from 41. 65% in 1997 to 43. 6% in 2006. The positions in which women work have a strong influence on their earnings, facilities and career growth opportunities. Women in managerial positions have greater job flexibility as compared to those in lower service jobs. In some states and departments in the US, employment in managerial 3 positions varies by race and et hnicity, however much anti discriminatory policies may have been put in place. Amongst women, only 25% of managerial positions were occupied by American African women while white women held 41% of such positions. Overall, women earn 85. 5% of what men earn. A majority of women still continue to work in traditionally women’s occupations. In this regard recently released Census data collected by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research clearly indicated that workplace payment gap between women and men is gradually getting bad as compared to earlier times. Between 2003 and 2006 the median annual earnings for women workers in government reduced by 0. 6% at $ 35000 while that for men was almost unchanged at $ 44000. However the overall situation has improved since 1960, when the average American woman earned 60 cents against every dollar earned by the American male. Presently the situation has improved to a woman earning about 85 cents against a dollar earned by a man. It can be seen that status of women has improved in general and particularly in the federal government as also evedenced from census figures. Major contributors for this have been the gradual changes made in law, social and business practices. Moreover the US ec onomy has grown more than five times since then whereby more 4 opportunities for women have been created. Jobs have also shifted from physical tasks to cognitive and calibre related functions thus opening wider avenues for women. Measured by 1960 standards the overall status of the American woman has improved considerably, but they have not got their due proportional share in as much as the economy has grown. In this context an additional observation is the fact that women and most minorities in the US as also in most parts of the world represent a higher percentage of employees at lower levels in any department or undertaking of the government while being absolutely underrepresented at the higher end of the ladder, implying that a very small percentage of women make it to the top positions of the government and public sector undertakings. This is clearly evident from Table II 5 Table II Senior Pay Level Representation FY 1997 / FY 2006 Senior Pay Level Positions FY 1997 FY 2006 Number % of SPL Number % of SPL Total SPL Work Force 15,381 20,070 Men 12,124 78. 83 14,814 73. 81 Women 3,257 21. 17 5,256 26. 19 It can be seen that in 1997 there were 21. 17% women occupying the senior positions while in 2006 the position improved marginally only to 26. 19% The Federal work force has for decades reflected patterns that show disproportionately high numbers of women in lower ranks in the public ector and government departments. Similarly there is lot of disproportion in the number of women occupying higher positions. In 2005, only 6. 2% of federally employed women were occupying positions ranked as upper middle management positions (General Schedule [GS]-13 and above). Comparitively male representation was as much as four times higher with 28% of all males employed in the upper level of GS-13 and above. 6 This is often referre d to as the glass ceiling concept and has become an important tool to understand working environment particularly in the American working context. Significantly the Civil Rights Act of 1991 established the Federal Glass Ceiling Commission which was entrusted the task of assessing the barriers that hindered the advancement of women to top ranking decision making positions. It also set into motion measures that would hinder such discrimination. Discrimination issues based on gender have long been a subject of debate at various forums internationally and was strongly taken up in the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and in Civil Rights Act of 1964. However it was soon realised by the mid 1980s that although massive changes took place in the emographic, social, and legal aspects of the US society, such discrimination on the basis of gender continued to exist. Hymowitz and Schellhardt used the term glass ceiling to describe this discrimination in 1986. The few women who managed to rise due to their calibre were also blocked by barriers of strongly embedded disrimination practices that continued to exist and they consequently could not break through the glass ceiling. 7 One particular aspect of gender disparity in lowering the status of women workers is the strong pattern in disparity of pay and benefits as figured from he data available from US Federal salary data for positions primarily occupied by females. Figures available from the Department of Labor show that in 2005 the hourly earnings of women were only 76. 5% as compared to men. It is primarily for this reason that women have started to opt out of bureaucratic employment towards entrepreneurship and other part time work. Table III validates the findings of the federal government census. Table III Federal Wage System (FWS) Representation FY 1997 / FY 2006 Federal Wage System (FWS) P ositions FY 1997 FY 2006 Number % of FWS Number % of FWS Total FWS Work Force 243,343 194,858 Men 217,573 89. 41 173,389 88. 98 Women 25,770 10. 59 21,469 11. 02 8 In the light of these stark revelations the Federal government has taken steps to remove the imbalance in gender employment by attempting to make equal opportunity a possibility for women. All government departments have been asked to devise a strategy and adopt policies to remove the glass ceiling that has been pulling back women from rising higher in their careers and to award them with senior management and decision making positions. A strong measure for gender inequality is the salary levels that differentiate the positions occupied by males and females. Data proves that on an average males earn more than females in the federal government. The average salary for male managers in FY 2005 was $45,300; and for females, $35,300. Thus as an average female employees made about 84. 7% of the salary made by her male counterpart. Since Federal pay scales are never based on gender, they are obviously different due to lower ranks occupied by women. It is also clear that majority of the higher positions are occupied by men. Women occupy 1/3 rd positions below the GS-12 level and only 1/6th of positions above G-13 levels thus implying that majority of women are clustered in the lower echelons of the heirarchy. Table IV below illustrates the percentage details of high ranking women with various government agencies. 9 Significantly and in contrast it can be seen that women occupy 75% and 66. 67% of the top positions with the Defense Security Service and Defense Human Resource Activity respectively. Table IV Ranking of Agencies with the Highest Percentage of Women in Senior Pay Level Positions in FY 2006 (Agencies With 500 Or More Employees) Agency Total Work Force # SPL # Women in Senior Pay Level Positions # % Defense Security Service 544 4 3 75. 00 Defense Human Resource Activity 880 12 8 66. 67 Corp. for National and Community Service 558 19 10 52. 63 Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 2,195 32 15 46. 88 Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency 1,140 12 5 41. 67 The years that followed 1991 brought significant changes in the American political landscape and in the entire federal work force. New Presidents brought new concepts and practices regarding women in high positions. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Condoleezza Rice as also Attorne General Janet Reno became the pioneering and powerful women to hold cabinet positions, and other appointees like Donna Shalala as Secretary of Health and Human Services, Alice Rivlin at the Office of Management and Budget, and Sheila Widnall as Secretary of the Air Force caused one dignitary to comment that when senior staff members meet at White House 11 meetings half the attendees are usually women. This is however farfetched and isolated compared to the large array of discriminatory evidence available.

Diante Hardy Hardy 1 Essays - Urban Planning, Settlement Geography

Diante Hardy Hardy 1 Essays - Urban Planning, Settlement Geography Diante Hardy Hardy 1 Professor Palermo CDLP 23 February 2017 Since being in this new semester of the community development program, I've learned a lot. I've learned a lot about gentrification and how it affects people who are low income families and also how it affects the community as a whole . Gentrification is a word for the arrival of wealthy people in an urban area, there's an increase in rent and property value , and changes in the district's character and culture. This word is o ften used negatively, basically saying the displacement of poor communities by rich outsiders. But the effec ts of gentrification are different and contradic tory, and its real impact changes. A neighborhood that is gentrified can become a "victim of its own success." T he upward spiral of desire and increasing rents and property values often makes the property qualities that began attracting new people in the first place. When success comes to a neighborhood, it does not always come to its established residents, and the displacement of that community is gentrification's most troubled problems . . No one is more vulnerable to the effects of gentrification than renters. When prices go up, tenants are pushed out, whether through natural turnover, rent hikes, or evictions. When buildings are sold, buyers often evict the existing tenants to move in themselves, combine several units, or bring in new tenants at a higher rate. When residents own their homes, they are less vulnerable, and may opt to "cash them in" and move elsewhere. Their options may be limited if there is a regional housing shortage, however, and cash does not always help. The gentrification of a neighborhood often produces conflicting impressions on residents and non-residents and it's as a result of capitalism, a system characterized by the pursuit of profit where residents of big cities everywhere face the effects of gentrification, as long-time residents are pushed out of neighborhoods due to rising rents and housing costs and other changes. However, what appears to be the two contradictory problems of gentrification: the improvement of a neighborhood on one hand and the displacement of its long-time residents on the other hand would seem to address the effect and problems of gentrification on low income. Gentrification is violence. I've also learned a major point to help me understand the community. I've learned that in order to understand the community, the people within the communities need to be more interactive with each other to then be able to have a say for what needs to be done inside the community. When people work together, they achieve their goal. A wide variety of different ways to better the community is a great way to create a sense of understanding within the people. Community development made me realize that if society works towards achieving common objectives, then the main goal of bettering society will come with success. As far as learning these things this semester, there are still certain things I would like to improve upon this next semester. One of the main things I would like to improve upon this semester is my motivation to get certain things done. I feel like my motivation was down but I still did my work. Secondly, another thing I would improve upon is my participation within the class. I've could of done way better with that aspect of the class but that all ties back to motivation.

Free Essays on Book Report For Kevin Phillips “William McKinley“

â€Å"Evaluating William McKinley† I. Identification Phillips Kevin. William McKinley. New York: Times Books, 2003. II. Author Information Kevin Phillips wrote William McKinley, Which is part of American President Series. Phillips was born on November 30, 1940 in New York, New York. Phillips has very significant educational background with Bachelors of Arts from Colgate University, Bachelor of Law from Harvard University, and he also attended University of Edinburgh. Although Phillips is a republican many regard him and his political views as â€Å"liberal Republican† (Gale). Phillips is known as one of America’s very influential political analyst. Phillips has been involved in political arena since 1964 holding jobs as Administrative assistant of congressman, special assistant to campaign manager for â€Å"Nixon for president†, special assistant to U.S. Attorney General etc. Besides that he was also a Commentator on major news networks such as National Public Radio, CBS Radio Network, and CBS Television. (Gale) Phillips wrote this book to Walter Dean Burnham and Samuel Lubell Who introduced him to the meaning of the election of 1896 (Phillips). He has written many different books and articles about politics, government, and American Economy. Some of his works include The Emerging Republican Majority; Mediacracy: American Parties and Politics in Information Age; The Politics of Rich and Poor: Wealth and the American Electorate in the Reagan Aftermath; The Cousins Wars: Religion, Politics, and the Triumph of Anglo-America; Wealth and Democracy: A Political History of the Rich; The Dynastic Presidency: Family, Politics, and Fortune in the Bush Era; among many others publications (Gale). When writing this book Phillips wanted to give his readers very clear examples of why William McKinley should be ranked in the company of great presidents in American history such as Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Washington, and Jackson... Free Essays on Book Report For Kevin Phillips â€Å"William McKinleyâ€Å" Free Essays on Book Report For Kevin Phillips â€Å"William McKinleyâ€Å" â€Å"Evaluating William McKinley† I. Identification Phillips Kevin. William McKinley. New York: Times Books, 2003. II. Author Information Kevin Phillips wrote William McKinley, Which is part of American President Series. Phillips was born on November 30, 1940 in New York, New York. Phillips has very significant educational background with Bachelors of Arts from Colgate University, Bachelor of Law from Harvard University, and he also attended University of Edinburgh. Although Phillips is a republican many regard him and his political views as â€Å"liberal Republican† (Gale). Phillips is known as one of America’s very influential political analyst. Phillips has been involved in political arena since 1964 holding jobs as Administrative assistant of congressman, special assistant to campaign manager for â€Å"Nixon for president†, special assistant to U.S. Attorney General etc. Besides that he was also a Commentator on major news networks such as National Public Radio, CBS Radio Network, and CBS Television. (Gale) Phillips wrote this book to Walter Dean Burnham and Samuel Lubell Who introduced him to the meaning of the election of 1896 (Phillips). He has written many different books and articles about politics, government, and American Economy. Some of his works include The Emerging Republican Majority; Mediacracy: American Parties and Politics in Information Age; The Politics of Rich and Poor: Wealth and the American Electorate in the Reagan Aftermath; The Cousins Wars: Religion, Politics, and the Triumph of Anglo-America; Wealth and Democracy: A Political History of the Rich; The Dynastic Presidency: Family, Politics, and Fortune in the Bush Era; among many others publications (Gale). When writing this book Phillips wanted to give his readers very clear examples of why William McKinley should be ranked in the company of great presidents in American history such as Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Washington, and Jackson...

Official Listing of Countries by Region of the World

Official Listing of Countries by Region of the World The 196 countries of the world can be logically divided into eight regions based on their geography, mostly aligning with the continent on which they are located. That said, some groupings dont strictly adhere to divisions by continent. For example, the Middle East and North Africa are separated from sub-Saharan Africa along cultural lines. Likewise, the Caribbean and Central America are grouped separately from North and South America due to similarities based on latitudes.   Asia Asia stretches from former stans of the  USSR  to the  Pacific Ocean.  There are 27 countries in Asia and it is the worlds largest and most populous region, with about 60 percent of the worlds population living there. The region boasts five of the 10 most populous countries in the world, with India and China taking the top two spots. BangladeshBhutanBruneiCambodiaChinaIndiaIndonesiaJapanKazakhstanNorth KoreaSouth KoreaKyrgyzstanLaosMalaysiaMaldivesMongoliaMyanmarNepalPhilippinesSingaporeSri LankaTaiwanTajikistanThailandTurkmenistanUzbekistanVietnam Middle East, North Africa, and Greater Arabia The 23 countries of the Middle East, North Africa, and Greater Arabia include some countries not traditionally considered as part of the Middle East (such as Pakistan). Their inclusion is based on culture. Turkey is also sometimes placed in lists of Asian and Europan countries since geographically, it straddles them both. In the last 50 years of the 20th century, due to a decline in mortality rates and a high rate of the fertility rate, this region grew faster than any other in the world. As a result, demographics there skew young, while in many more developed regions, such as in Asia, Europe, and North America, population bubbles skew older. AfghanistanAlgeriaAzerbaijan (The former republics of the Soviet Union are typically lumped into one region, nearly 30 years after independence. In this listing, theyve been placed where most appropriate.)BahrainEgyptIranIraqIsrael (Israel may be located in the Middle East, but it is certainly an outsider culturally and perhaps better belongs attached to Europe, like its seaward neighbor and European Union member state, Cyprus.)JordanKuwaitLebanonLibyaMoroccoOmanPakistanQatarSaudi ArabiaSomaliaSyriaTunisiaTurkeyThe United Arab EmiratesYemen Europe The European continent and its local region contain 48 countries and stretches from North America and back to North America as it encompasses Iceland and all of Russia. As of 2018, data shows that about three-quarters of its population live in urban areas. Having so many peninsulas, and the region itself being a peninsula of Eurasia, means a wealth of coastline on its mainland- more than 24,000 miles (38,000 kilometers) of it, in fact. AlbaniaAndorraArmeniaAustriaBelarusBelgiumBosnia and HerzegovinaBulgariaCroatiaCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkEstoniaFinlandFranceGeorgiaGermanyGreeceHungaryIceland (Iceland straddles the Eurasian plate and the North American plate, so geographically it is halfway between Europe and North America. However, its culture and settlement are clearly European in nature.)IrelandItalyKosovoLatviaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacedoniaMaltaMoldovaMonacoMontenegroNetherlandsNorwayPolandPortugalRomaniaRussiaSan MarinoSerbiaSlovakiaSloveniaSpainSwedenSwitzerlandUkraineUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (The United Kingdom is the country composed of the constituent entities known as England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.)Vatican City North America Economic powerhouse North America includes  only three countries but it takes up most of a continent and is thus a region onto itself. Since it stretches from the Arctic to the tropics, North Americ includes almost all the major climate biomes. In the farthest reaches north, the region stretches halfway around the world- from Greenland to Alaska- but at its farthest point south, Panama has a narrow point thats only 31 miles (50 kilometers) wide. CanadaGreenland (Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark, not an independent country.)MexicoThe United States of America Central America and the Caribbean Among the 20 countries of Central America and the Caribbean, none are landlocked, and half are islands. In fact, there is no location in Central America that is more than 125 miles (200 kilometers)  from the sea. Volcanoes and earthquakes go hand in hand in this region, as many of the islands in the Caribbean are volcanic in origin and not dormant.   Antigua and BarbudaThe BahamasBarbadosBelizeCosta RicaCubaDominicaDominican RepublicEl SalvadorGrenadaGuatemalaHaitiHondurasJamaicaNicaraguaPanamaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesTrinidad and Tobago South America Twelve countries occupy South America, which stretches from the equator to nearly the Antarctic Circle. Its separated from Antarctica by the Drake Passage which is 600 miles wide (1,000 kilometers). Mount Aconcagua, located in the Andes Mountains in Argentina near Chile is the highest point in the Western Hemisphere. At 131 feet (40 meters)  below sea level, the  Valdà ©s Peninsula, located in southeastern Argentina is the hemispheres lowest point.   Many Latin American countries are experiencing a financial contraction (such as unfunded pensions for an aging populace, deficit government spending, or the inability to spend on public services) and also have some of the most closed economies in the world. ArgentinaBoliviaBrazilChileColombiaEcuadorGuyanaParaguayPeruSurinameUruguayVenezuela Sub-Saharan Africa There are 48 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. (Some of these countries are actually intra-Saharan or within the Sahara Desert.) Nigeria is one of the fastest-growing countries in the world, and by the year 2050, will overtake the United States as the worlds third most populous nation. As a whole, Africa is the second largest and second most populous continent. Most countries in sub-Saharan Africa achieved independence between the 1960s and 1980s, so their economies and infrastructure are still developing. This is is proving most difficult for countries that are landlocked due to the extra hurdles in transportation and right of way they must overcome to get their goods to and from port. AngolaBeninBotswanaBurkina FasoBurundiCameroonCape VerdeThe Central African RepublicChadComorosRepublic of the CongoThe Democratic Republic of the CongoCote dIvoireDjiboutiEquatorial GuineaEritreaEthiopiaGabonThe GambiaGhanaGuineaGuinea-BissauKenyaLesothoLiberiaMadagascarMalawiMaliMauritaniaMauritiusMozambiqueNamibiaNigerNigeriaRwandaSao Tome and PrincipeSenegalSeychellesSierra LeoneSouth AfricaSouth SudanSudanSwazilandTanzaniaTogoUgandaZambiaZimbabwe Australia and Oceania The 15 countries of Australia and Oceania vary widely by culture and occupy a large swath of the world ocean. With the exception of continent/country Australia, the region does not occupy a great deal of land. Islands have been known- since Charles Darwin pointed it out- for their endemic species and nowhere is this more apparent than in Australia and Oceania. For instance, about 80 percent of the species in Australia are unique to that country. Endangered species in the region range from those in the ocean to those in the sky. Challenges to conservation include the remote location and fact that much of the areas oceans are outside the direct jurisdiction of the countries there. AustraliaEast Timor (While East Timor lies on an Indonesian [Asian] island, its eastern location requires that it be located in the Oceania nations of the world.)FijiKiribatiMarshall IslandsThe Federated States of MicronesiaNauruNew ZealandPalauPapua New GuineaSamoaSolomon IslandsTongaTuvaluVanuatu

Advertisment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Advertisment - Essay Example One of its most famous commercial, with a slogan â€Å"Spray more, get more†, which, by the way, has more than 50 million views on Youtube, mat be regarded as the epitome of the utilization of the ‘sex sells’ concept and stereotyping of women. Axe is a brand that produces such hygiene products for men as body spray, body wash, and deodorant. The entire campaign of this brand is comprised of the commercials that have one common theme in all of them. More specifically, in all the commercials of the advertising campaign of the brand, the main character is a man who is chased by a great number of attractive women. The overall idea of the entire campaign is that once a man uses one of the Axe products, he will become desirable for all women he meets. Using such a template for the ads, the advertisers draw a distinctive dividing line between genders and present women as objects in order to target the consumer group. In other words, they tend to create particular stereotypes about genders and use the ‘sex sells’ concept to promote their products. Accordingly to the current studies, the sexual objectification (so-called fetishisation) of female body has become a tendency in modern advertising. Researches show that compared to man, women are portrayed in a sexual manner more often (Brodolini, Giomi, Sansoneti, and Tota 19). The advertisement chosen for the analysis follows the same common scheme of all the ads of the brand. In the very beginning, a young attractive woman feels a particular kind of smell, which is the smell of Axe body spray. She likes it, starts running towards the source of the smell and sees many other girls running through the wild forest in search of the source of the smell. Each of the girls tries to reach the source first. In their pursuit, they overcome a wide range of obstacles: they swim across the sea, climb to the top of the hill and then climb down and finally come to the sea coast. There appears a young man

Collective culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Collective culture - Essay Example With this much understanding, there emerges in each of us a real heart towards the significance of a cultural heritage even beyond national boundaries as well as the history which took to account the many remarkable struggles which its beauty and prominence had been founded by. If each citizen of our nation is made to realize the essence of ancestral efforts in several aspects, building on trust, goodwill, and pride with shared humanity, it would be spontaneously possible to take responsibility of individual actions and possess the initiative to align one’s behavior with a sense of patriotism and selfless interest. This way, respect and the value of dignity are gradually established and a citizen in this position develops profound level of communication and confidence from which to radiate genuine concern to fellow countrymen. Interdependence results in the process instead of indifference so that this enables our culture to prosper to a considerable degree which extends to the aspect of economy and diplomatic relations abroad. It then creates a picture of effortlessly dealing with cross-cultural endeavors and supporting cultural heritage beyond this nation, eliminating conflicts that arise when negative motives are rather perceived in not understanding the meaning of origins in a continuum where potential unseen similarities may gather various cultures together to a point of empowering the stewardship intended for culture well-being (LeBaron, 2003). Besides the character which an academic institution aims for each learner to acquire in breaking unhealthy misconception regarding differences among cultures, one may further assume such role based on a chosen field or profession. For instance, Nova Scotians of Canada are found capable of determining businesspeople to pay special attention for the welfare of cultural heritage through financial contributions, rendering services to or adapting a