Modernization of Japan

Introduction The industrial revolution brought modernisation to most European countries. Most of these countries took at least 150 years to get to the level they are in today. However, some countries missed the opportunity to develop during the industrial revolution. One country that missed such an opportunity was Japan.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Modernization of Japan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This was because by the time the industrial revolution was taking root, Japan was under the Edo period of isolation and was therefore not allowed to take part in the revolution. It is surprising therefore, to note that despite Japan having been left behind while the other countries were modernising it has managed to catch up and even surpassed most of them within a short period. Although historians have varied theories for the rapid modernisation, they agree on some common things. (Gootzeit 8) One thing that w ithout doubt contributed to the rapid modernisation of Japan was its geographical location. Japan is strategically located at the edge of countries like China, which have an already developed culture. The induction of an already developed culture into Japan made the country’s modernisation phenomenal. In reality, Japanese people love importing things more than producing them. This was why Japan unlike other countries gladly welcomed Western Culture. These imported things, which include science and religion in a great way account for the rapid spread of modernisation in Japan. (U.S Library of Congress) Another thing that directly contributed to the rapid modernisation of Japan was the high importance placed on education. In the beginning of the 16th century, Catholic missionaries who came to Japan placed much emphasis on the intellectual ability of the citizens. The Sorai Ogyu and the Ching Dynasty before them had also tried introducing education through the advancement of Con fucianism. On top of the Catholic fathers’ emphasis on education and the introduction of Confucianism, the study of Buddhism and the Manyo-shu by the Nakamoto Tominanga and the Keichu dynasties respectively helped a great deal in advancing education. When the school system was introduced in Japan in 1872, it gained quick acceptance from the people. One year after the system was introduced attendance immediately rose to 28%. By the turn of the century, attendance had risen to 81.5% and 99.0% by the end of World War 1. Since the middle of the 20th century, school attendance has remained at a modest figure of 99.9%. This rapid spread of the education system helped Japan in modernising at a quick rate than other Asian countries. (Naofusa)Advertising Looking for essay on asian? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Another thing that made Japan to rush her modernisation was the fear of colonisation by Western nations, and the urge nt need to make improvements on unequal treaties with neighboring nations. At the beginning of the 20th century, Japan had solved the urgent problems and began colonising other countries in imitation of Western nations. This was done to feed her population that was growing at a fast rate. In return, this policy gave neighboring countries a hard time and prevented them from colonising Japan. By the end of the World War II, a directive had been issued that required a clear separation between the church and state. This was something that many countries had not yet been able to achieve. (Hall 19) Another thing that comes out as the reason for Japan’s rapid modernisation was the reforms brought about by the Meiji era. After the Meiji took over from the Tokugawa, they adopted a different mode of operation. Since the beginning of their rule, the Meiji leaders adopted the model of a market economy. In order to achieve this, they emulated the British and North American models of liber al enterprise capitalism. This model was quickly adopted by private sector. Immediately after this, the Meiji rulers introduced other economic reforms that included trading in yen, banking, marketable and levy laws, introducing a stock exchange, and building a strong communication network. By the year 1890, the government had succeeded in building an institutional structure that was fit to work in a capitalist economy. Afterwards, the government surrendered the modernization process to the newly created institutions. The institutions, which were highly efficient, helped in speeding up the modernisation process. During the first 20 years of the Meiji rule, the manufacturing market grew at a fast rate to match the Western technology and other large privately owned investments. By the time the World War I had ended, Japan was among the industrialized nations. This rapid spread of modernization can only be attributed to the economic reforms introduced by the Meiji rulers. (Christensen) Conclusion Japan is considered as a country that took the shortest time to modernise. While other Asian countries took almost 150 years to modernise, it took Japan only 40 years to become modern. Although there are different reasons given for the rapid modernisation, some things come out clearly as the main reasons.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Modernization of Japan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One of this was the willingness of the Japanese people to borrow from other established cultures. Another reason for the rapid modernisation was the importance that the Catholic fathers and other dynasties accorded education. This gave rise to an established education level and led to a high enrollment rate. Lastly, the Meiji era introduced economic reforms that led to the rapid modernisation. Works Cited Christensen, Maria. The Meiji Era and the Modernization of Japan, n.d. Web. Oct 29. 2010. http://www.samurai-a rchives.com/tme.html Gootzeit, Michael. Economic Thought and Modernization in Japan. American Journal of Economics and Sociology, 1999. 1-9. Print. Hall, John. Changing Conception of the Modernization of Japan. Changing Japanese Attitudes Toward Modernization. Princeton Univ. Press, 1965. 15-19. Print. Naofusa, Hirai. Traditional Cultures and Modernization: Several Problems in the Case of Japan, 1999. Web. Oct 29. 2010. http://www2.kokugakuin.ac.jp/ijcc/wp/cimac/hirai.html U.S Library of Congress. Modernization and Industrialization, n.d. Web. Oct 29. 2010. http://countrystudies.us/japan/26.htm This essay on Modernization of Japan was written and submitted by user Myles Park to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Analysis of Two Robert Frost Poems, Desert Places and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Analysis of Two Robert Frost Poems, Desert Places and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Robert Frost takes our imaginations to a journey through wintertime with his twopoems 'Desert Places' and 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening'. Frostcomes from a New England background and these two poems reflect the beautifulscenery that is present in that part of the country. Even though these poems bothhave winter settings they contain very different tones. One has a feeling ofdepressing loneliness and the other a feeling of welcome solitude. They showhow the same setting can have totally different impacts on a person depending ontheir mindset at the time. These poems are both made up of simple stanzas anddiction but they are not simple poems.In the poem 'Desert Places' the speaker is a man who is traveling throughthe countryside on a beautiful winter eventing. He is completely surrounded withfeelings of loneliness. The speaker views a snow covered field as a desertedEnglish: Handwritten version of 'Happiness makes u...place. 'A blanker whiteness of benighted snow/ With no expre ssion, nothing toexpress'. Whiteness and blankness are two key ideas in this poem. The whitesybolizes open and empty spaces. The snow is a white blanket that covers upeverything living. The blankness sybolizes the emptyness that the speaker feels.To him there is nothing else around except for the unfeeling snow and his lonelythoughts.The speaker in this poem is jealous of the woods. 'The woods around ithave it - it is theirs.' The woods symbolizes people and society. They havesomething that belongs to them, something to feel a part of. The woods has itsplace in nature and it is also a part of a bigger picture. The speaker is so aloneinside that he feels that he is not a part of anything. Nature has...

Is the reaffirmation of regional identities compatible with Essay

Is the reaffirmation of regional identities compatible with globalisation - Essay Example Globalisation is the latest buzzword that is most commonly expressed from the economic point of view, without really comprehending the full relevance of the word. Globalisation needs to be viewed from many sides to understand what it truly means as it is multi-dimensional. These dimensions of globalisation include a wide spectrum of factors namely development in communications, economics, work organization, ecology and last but not the least culture and civil society. It would be but natural to ask that globalisation as is commonly referred to has only economic considerations and the other factors are hardly experienced or subservient to the economic factor of globalisation and hence globalisation has only an economic substance. This is a misunderstanding of globalisation and places emphasis on the global market place and not on the many faceted dimension of globalisation. Barriers to trade have collapsed or are in the process of collapsing among all the nations of the world and that makes it possible to understand the concept of a global market. Extend this aspect to allow for the borders of the nations to become gradually irrelevant to the daily behaviour of the various other facets of globalisation namely information, technology, ecology, culture and civil society. In short globalisation implies that the artificial national boundaries gradually collapse to allow for the creation of a single social village, as would have happened, but for the erection of political boundaries as humankind evolved.

Business Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Business Strategy - Essay Example There are other products and services that were added which include Shops, sothebys.amazon.com, electronics, home improvement products and many others. Their continued broadening of spectrum is directly related with their goal of making customers find anything they want online. Huge market capitalization of Amazon.com enabled it to stage an aggressive expansion in the market through introduction of several products and services. Websites were opened in several countries and are expected to continue by also forging partnerships with other internet service providers around the globe (Paavo, Arash, and Alain 2013). The amazon.com in United Kingdom and Germany are listed as the leading sites in sales. In Amazon.com followed a strategy of developing software specialized to their type of business and acquiring commercially made applications. 2,461 million dollars’ worth of assets with inventories representing 7 per cent of total assets was realized in 2002. This shows the strength of the company significantly in that year even before they had began their expansion process in France and Japan. The Amazon.com Commerce Network strategy basically leads the company to earn high revenues with high margins which is also risky provided it acts as a venture capitalist. The company reduces significantly the cost of goods sold by increasing their own distribution channels which allows to the company concentrate on their main focus which is customer service. Ravi suria an analyst at Prudential Securities Company was concerned Amazon was not generating good cash flow essentially because it was swiftly expanding from less than 10 million dollars cash out lay. He also had a genuine worry about the reducing stock turnover of the company as it increased their distribution channels in 1999. Despite of Amazon being one of the largest online retailers, they had been able to hold on to profit making and had fallen in the eyes of the investors. (Rainer, Turban,

Sonoco HR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Sonoco HR - Essay Example The packaging industry as a whole have began to alter the landscape of the industry, a change towards â€Å"packaging end-to-end solutions† instead of individual packaging services have become the norm (Sand, 2009). Sonoco’s leadership for its part have at the onset implemented strategies to control cost that is in-line with its target of generating growth by stimulating sales and its capacity (Gase, 2007). The plan involved modernizing its commercial packaging division to enable it to respond to the demands of clients with dynamic requirements due to these clients’ need to respond to consumer tastes. However, the changes only granted autonomy to the General Manager of each division in managing his own personnel contrary to the required cross functional cooperation to meet the changing customer needs (Heinecke, 2011). Sonoco has been known to encourage a family-oriented, paternalistic, collaborative, and team oriented corporate culture amongst its employees. Unde rperformance and indolence are often times overlooked if it does not affect the bottom line too much. Cindy Hartley was hired to align Sonoco with the ever changing requirements of the packaging industry. ... There is a need to ensure that the performance is reflective of the actual contribution of the employee to the company (Neal, 2009). Sonoco’s employee training should not be limited to hard skills training but also on soft skills training to ensure that employees are developed overtime that will satisfy the third focus area of Cindy which is succession planning (Brinkerhoff & Mulder, 1995). Succession planning is ensuring that any position in the company can be replaced by individuals easily to prevent down time (Sims & Gay, 2007). Sonoco’s existence has been marked with several acquisitions of small companies mainly for its customer base if not additional capacity it will bring to the organization. The strategy is not only sound but it makes more sense, since instead of acquiring new equipment and getting fresh employees to be trained at considerable cost while spending on marketing to acquire new clients, buying companies will accomplish all in a much shorter time fra me (Clemente & Greenspan, 1998). The strategy while sound similarly created specialization amongst and between the employees of the acquired company (Prof Jarillo & Straub, 2012). It should be noted that the acquisition of the different companies equally resulted to the acquisition of employees with unique skill set that is applicable to the acquired company’s operation (Stahl & Mendenhall, 2005). However, the best scenario is to have employees that are multi skilled if not ambidextrous (Kortmann, 2012). The expanding employee base and the expanding customer base did not bode well for leaders within Sonoco and the companies it integrated due to its acquisition. Leaders were not trained to

The Importance Of Project Management Construction Essay

The Importance Of Project Management Construction Essay The purpose of this report is to demonstrate the importance of project management and the attributes the client should seek when selecting a project manager. By defining measureable objectives, project managers offer strategical qualities and direction to the desired milestones as well as to the completion of the entire project. The employment of their services allows for the organizing of information and activities including future risk assessment that leads to a quality product within the time and budget restraints. In addition to the purpose of a project manager, there are certain background attributes that would contribute to the success of a project such as managerial skill and technical expertise that are relevant to the clients goals. Introduction According to the Association for Project Management (APM), project management is identified as the process by which projects are defined, planned, monitored, controlled and delivered such that the agreed benefits are realised. A project manager is appointed by the client and serves as their representative throughout the entire progression period of the project, if permitted by the contractual agreement. It is the project managers responsibility to predict as many possible dangers and problems in time to plan, organize and control activities so that the project remains on schedule (Lock, 2007). Various risks can be avoided by planning strategically including defining measurable objectives at the start of the project so that those issues can be accounted for before reaching the construction phase. It is essential to incorporate a project manager because they are able to coordinate and organize information or activities, increase product quality, reduce risks, manage budgets, as well as complete the project under strenuous time restraints. In order for a project manager to bring these successful traits to a project they must possess an array of managerial and technical skills. This report will closely evaluate how defining measurable objectives, organisation, product quality, and budget management will improve the overall construction process as well as evaluating various attributes that project manager should have to effectively deliver a quality product. 1.0 Why hire a Project Manager? 1.1 Define Objectives Defining measureable objectives-the scope of the project-at the start of the project is crucial to any successful project. Scope Creep is one of the most common reasons why projects are unsuccessful whether it is due to schedule delays or drastic unexpected increases in budgets. For example, Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia had major increases in the original budget. The Federation Square opened in October 2002 with an original estimated budget at $100million but, due to poorly defined objectives, the budget has increased drastically to approximately $460million over the last 7 years. (VAGO, 2003) Scope creep, refers to tasks that are added to the initial reasons or scope of the project, which can occur both after the project as well as during the process. During the planning period, the engineer is not always certain of what the problems are before the construction phase. This is mostly due to the lack of research. If the construction phase commences as planned and there ar e utility lines unaccounted for, this would introduce complexity to the project as well as alter the original objectives. The lack of definition could throw the entire project off course from the original purpose of construction. The project manager hired will be able to take the necessary actions to combat these issues with the client. 1.2 Organise Information and Activities Construction projects are unique in the aspect that each project presents its own complexities. With any complex system, it is a requirement that information and activities be well organised which is one of the many reasons for commissioning a project manager. There are a variety of programs that aid the project manager in this area including Microsoft Office Project. Organization allows for optimal communication between the project manager and the key players that could take the form of graphs, charts, etc. This information keeps the involved parties aware of their preparation time before their services are needed. If a problem occurs, organization also allows the project manager to make quality decisions based upon the progression of the project in relation to the next milestone or deadline. In addition to organizing activities, labelling the distribution of funding is equally important. The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) classifies these in the form of Work Breakdown Structure, or WBS, which is a deliverable-oriented hierarchical decomposition of work to be executed by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables (PMBOK, 2004). In regards to the budget, a WBS allows money to be distributed based upon its original intentions in a way that keeps the project manager up-to-date with the remaining funding. WBS is just another way to keep complex projects simple and easy to manage as well as keeping the client in the know. 1.3 Increase Product Quality Due to the economic crisis, many clients desire a high quality product associated with little cost. During the planning process, the project manager has the opportunity to research the services and products necessary to complete the project with the clients best interest in mind. Generally, most project errors occur during the construction process possibly due to unforeseen circumstances, field issues, and the work ethics of the contractors involved. Particularly in the US, based on a study done in 2006-2008 on the most common reasons why contractors fail in which performance and management issues were ranked in the top 5. Performance issues accounted for 36% of failures and management issues accounted for 29%. To assist in eliminating these problems, it is the responsibility of the project manager in conjunction with the construction manager to ensure that the structure is built with minimal errors and safety hazards. Through this checks and balance system, field issues can be succe ssfully managed with little to no effect on the schedule or future structural performance. 1.4 Manage Budget The budget is the primary skeletal system to a successful project. In any project, whether in the public or private sector, financial funding is essential. Without it, delays in financial support progress are inevitable. During the planning process, the project manager uses the WBS to assist in organizing and managing the funds as well as ensuring that there are funds allocated to future risks also known as the contingency. In a recent survey conducted by the National Audit Office (NAO), approximately 24% of delays in schedules were due to the incurred additional costs. This information conveys that the given budget was not managed properly or there were too many unforeseen risks involved. With the assistance of a project manager, such risks can be accounted for during the planning period to avoid schedule delays. 2.0 What attributes should be considered when hiring a Project Manger? 2.1 Managerial Skills When selecting a project manager, the client should not only be aware of how a project manager can enhance the overall performance of a project but also what skills to look for when employing their services. In order to produce a successful project the client should hire a project manager based on their leadership skills. Leadership skills consist of team building, problem solving, and communication skills, just to name a few. Project managers are faced with difficult situations throughout the course of the project which cannot be solved by themselves. The project manager must depend equally on all of the key players by building an effective and efficient team that may or may not be temporary and motivate them to the clients desired vision. With those difficult situations, quick and quality problem solving techniques are equally critical to the completion of the project. For instance, if there is an unpredicted pipe underneath the work site and there is change in the initial scope, t he project manager must be able to make a quality decision based upon the time and budget restraints. This issue can also be affected by the communication links between the key players. As stated earlier in this report, communication can be conveyed through organisation, charts, graphs, and schedules to keep the involved parties informed, especially the client(s). Leadership is just one attribute that covers an array of sub-skills that a project manager should possess to help determine the success of a project. 2.2 Technical Expertise In addition to the managerial attributes, technical expertise is also important to have when working with a clients vision. Technical expertise may include scope, cost, risk, contract, and construction management and helps to aid the clients knowledge beyond the initial concept of the structure. When managing the scope, the project manager must keep the primary vision in mind so that cost, contracts, and the construction process of even the most complex project remain simple. The project manager is able to make the client aware of the different risks that they might encounter before the project progresses past the conceptual phase as well as offer advice throughout the construction process. Again, these attributes are just a few that a project manager can contribute to a successful project and should be considered during the selection process. 3.0 Conclusion 3.1 Overall Conclusion In conclusion, defining measurable objectives, organisation of information and activities, increased product quality, budget management, and managerial and technical skills are all very important to a project that is classified a success by the client and the parties involved. The client should be increasingly mindful when employing the services of a project manager that, A leader is only as good as his followers. Without the stable foundation of any team or project, the product is bound to fail but if they are somehow incorporated from beginning to end, the temporary and longevity use of the product is sure to be met.

A Mongoliod Child Handling Shells On The Beach by Robert Snyder :: essays research papers

Diction, Theme and Imagery in Richard Snyders Intro To Poetry "A Mongoloid Child Handling Shells on the Beach" When you first read Richard Snyders narrative poem, "A Mongoloid Child Handling Shells on the Beach", it may be perceived that the poem is indeed about a child, happily gathering shells upon the shore. However, if we closely consider the diction and connotations that Synder uses, we can speculate that the meaning of the poem depicts a deeper and darker theme. The title itself gives us an idea from the beginning. The word Mongoloid, as identified in Websters New World Dictionary (675), is an early term for Down's Syndrome, a state of mental retardation. Therefore I believe that the poem represents the child as an outcast from the norm of society. There are several words in the text that refer to the child that we usually wouldn't associate with youth. An early clue would again be found in the title, "A Mongoloid Child Handling Shells on the Beach". Notice that Snyder used the word "handling" instead of playing or collecting, words wich we might think of while envisioning a young girl investigating sea shells. Snyder also uses the word 'slow' to describe the child on more than one occasion, as we see in line one and line eight : "She turns them over in her slow hands/ ...hums back to it its slow vowels." Yet another example could be in line four, which reads: " they are the calmest things on this sand." Calm is yet another word that we would not most likely use to portray a young child. It very well could be that the author is trying to paint a picture of her impairment and symbolize her condition through her actions. Considering Snyder depicted the ocean as "..the mazarine maze,"(3) instead of simply stating that it is the "deep blue sea", it is easy to speculate that the ocean represents life itself. Her being outside of the water while all the other children are swimming is a key example of her being isolated. The way that she is presented, which is slow and rather solemn, contrasts with the other children who are "rough as surf, gay as their nesting towels."(6). I feel that this kind of symbolism is repeated throughout the remainder of the poem. The sea shells, for instance, are another important representation of her isolation. It reads in line three: " broken bits from a mazarine maze,". If we look at the mazarine maze as being life, and the shells are broken bits of it washed ashore, it becomes clear that