The Population Of Azerbaijan Cultural Studies Essay

The Population Of Azerbaijan Cultural Studies Essay I was born and raised in Azerbaijan and currently I live in Texas, United States. Geographically Azerbaijan is located where East meets West, therefore it is not surprising that the culture in Azerbaijan has been influenced by Western and Eastern set of values. Ive always believed that Azerbaijan has a very unique culture compared to other countries that share the same demographics and religion with it. To the outside world the Azerbaijan culture may seem very modern and Westernized however if one spends considerable amount of time living in Azerbaijan they will realize that the culture in this country is rather conservative. The culture in Azerbaijan has been considerably shaped due to globalization especially during the last two decades. The population of Azerbaijan consists of one racial group leaving very little space for diversity. People that are different race that reside in Azerbaijan are from foreign countries and speak a foreign language. Therefore Azerbaijanis are not very open minded and are not used to being around people that are different than them. Discriminating different races or cultures is considered something acceptable due to lack of exposure to other cultures. In addition to the social circumstances of Azerbaijan acts as a major influence on Azerbaijani society, morals and values. Islam is practiced by 90% of the population and controls every aspect of a persons life. Market exchanges and great religious associations integrate the social system of Islam, and although Islam is the core influence on the life of Azerbaijanis. I was born into a Muslim family and I still practice Islam. I believe the reason behind the conservative nature of Azerbaijani culture is that religion is still taking very seriously in this area. Every culture has negative and positive aspects to it. One of the positive aspects of my culture is that families are very close to each other and are always there for each other. I like and admire this about my culture. However, there is a downside, which is that there is a very little sense of privacy. Everyone always wants to know everything about each others personal life and they feel that they are entitled to know whats going on in other peoples personal lives. In other words there is no respect for privacy and I find this to be quiet embarrassing about my culture. Living in the United States has exposed me to a lot of new things including different social norms. One thing that I really admire about the culture here is how people are professional and organized. I believe being able to deal with all kinds of circumstances in a professional manner shows good manners. I also like how people are organized; it helps society to function better and more efficiently. Most of the people in Azerbaijan are racist towards black people, simply because they have never really interacted with them. A couple of years ago Azerbaijani soccer teams started recruiting African soccer players. This resulted in a number of African soccer players living on my native hometown Baku. Unfortunately they were not very welcome by the local population. People would stare at them, laugh at them and make rude remarks about them. I made friends with couple of them and would hang out with them on regular basis. During these times people would often stare at us and make rude comments. I would always make sure to stand up for my friends and explain that it is wrong to act this way towards them. A few years earlier we a had a class project regarding Geography and everyone was free to come up with a creative idea that involved some foreign country. Every stood in front of the class one by one and explained their project. When it was turn for one of my classmates he opened a map of the world with Middle East and North Korea crossed out in it. He then explained that he would drop a nuclear bomb on North Korea and Middle East and kill everyone that lives there. No one in class said anything including the teacher. I was shocked and wanted to say something but kept quiet. If this incident happened today I would definitely stand up and let him know that he was being ignorant and offer him more information about Middle East. In addition to the social circumstances of Azerbaijan, religion acts as a major influence on Azerbaijani society, morals and values. Islam is practiced by 90% of the population and controls every aspect of a persons life. Market exchanges and great religious associations integrate the social system of Islam, and although Islam is the core influence on the life of Azerbaijanis. The moral value system of Islam is based on the absolute equality of man, irrespective of race, wealth or lineage. The only distinction in Islam is based on piety. I believe that Azerbaijans reaction to westernization has been a negative one due to the fact that previous Western culture has failed to penetrate it. The reason for the Azerbaijans rejection of globalization is because of their social circumstances. Socially, Azerbaijani culture is the opposite of what the fundamentals of globalization are. In Azerbaijan people are interdependent individuals, highly family oriented and they think analytically. In addition, Azerbaijani people do not base their activities on a timeline and are far more lenient in terms of tardiness or leaving a business setting to converse with a friend. Azerbaijani people embody the idea of putting someone else needs before their own as well as choosing to do business amidst their own social circles. The culture of Azerbaijani people to not do business with a stranger is one of the core reasons why globalization does not work there. In order to give a better understanding of how people there view doing business with in their own social circle Id like to tell a story of man whose friends frequent his uncles taxi company and would rather walk if there are not taxis available opposed to calling upon the services of another company. In order to sum up how culture influences each generation differently Ive divided them into three categories. 1-Those who reject westernization as the highest stage of imperialism and cultural invasions based on the idea that it is designed to dominate, intimidate and destroy a cultures heritage. 2-Those who welcome the scale of globalization as the age of modern science, advanced technology, global communications and knowledge-based information. This second group of thinkers debate that its people can no longer remain confined to the boundaries of their heritage 3-Lastly, the third group does not agree with the idea of globalization nor does the group disagree with it. It can be described as a group that is positive neutrality and has a variation of attitudes when it comes to globalization. The reaction of westernization depends of which group of population it is affecting. It seems the first group mentioned above is that of the elderly group around the age of grandparents. This group is made up of individuals who still hold on to tradition and religion allowing it to determine every aspect of their life. With this group Islam is the practiced religion and the traditions of Islam go against the idea of westernized globalization. The third group is made up of those who are middle aged, who at the moment feel indifferent about the idea of globalization. These people still allow specific parts of religion and tradition to dictate their lives yet they still entertain the thought of allowing the change to take place. It is safe to say that this group agrees with Frank Griffel who quoted, Instead of rejecting globalization, the Islamic world is finding its own way of globalization. The two processes use the same means and the same tools and are indeed inseparable. Lastly, the second group is primarily made up of the younger generation. The younger generation is a lot more respectable to the change of things merely because that is the age in which he or she was born and raised in. Since the third group entertains the prospect of utilizing everything good in globalization, that is the idea the middle aged (parents) are passing on to the second group (children of the third group). To the first group the religion of Islam plays a major role in how globalization is reacted upon, however, the way the world is changing and the younger the generations, globalization will soon outweigh the power of religion.

Managing Marketing Function

Managing the Marketing Function Project Management Course work MKT2280, 2011-2012 Lecturer: Masoumeh Mahdieh (m. [email  protected] ac. uk) Coursework description: Read the following questions and make sure you answer all parts listed for each question. You must email your coursework as one document in MS Word format to m. [email  protected] ac. uk by the deadline of 12 noon on Friday the 20 January 2012. You must also submit an identical hardcopy of your coursework to the Student Office at William building by the same deadline. Late submissions or submission through other methods will not be accepted. This coursework is worth 25% of your overall mark. Make sure that you clearly show your name and student number of all the group’s members and module code on the Cover sheet of your Report (use cover sheet template in appendix 3). Keep the submission receipt and a copy of your assignment in a safe place. Questions: 1. You are conducting a market research project for FUN Inc. Given the project information that follows, draw AON project network and complete the forward and backward pass. Compute ES, EF, LS, LF and slack time for each activity. Identify the project completion time and critical path. Also use the information to create a Gantt chart for the project. Be sure to show slack for noncritical activities. ID| Description| Duration | Predecessor | A| Contract signed| 3| None| B| Survey designed | 2| A| C| Target market identified | 4| B| D| Data collection| 7| B, C| E| Develop presentation| 3| B| F| Analyze result| 2| D| G| Demographics| 5| C| H| Presentation | 2| E, F, G| Note: To draw project network, Gantt chart and timing use the project templates from Appendix 1. 2. You are in charge of organizing a dinner-dance concert for a local charity. You have reserved a hall that will seat 30 couples and have hired a jazz combo. A. Develop a scope statement for this project that contains examples of all the elements. Assume that the event will occur in 4 weeks and provide your best guess estimate of the dates for milestones. B. What would the priorities likely be for this project? (Draw project priority matrix) Note: Use appendix 2 for project priority matrix and scope statement. 3. Nicolette Larson was loading the dishwasher with her husband, Kevin, and telling him about the first meeting of the Manchester United Tournament Organizing Committee. Nicolette, a self confessed â€Å"soccer mom,† had been elected tournament director and was responsible for organizing the clubs first summer tournament. Manchester United Soccer Club (MUSC) located in Manchester, New Hampshire was formed in 1992 as a way of bringing recreational players to a higher level of competition and preparing them for the State Olympic Development Program and/or high school teams. The club currently has 24 boys and aids (ranging in age from under 9 to 16) on teams affiliated with the Hampshire Soccer Association and the Granite State Girls Soccer League. The club’s board of directors decided in the fall to sponsor a summer invitational soccer tournament to generate revenue. Given the boom in youth soccer, hosting summer tournaments has become a popular method for raising funds. MUSC teams regularly compete in three to four tournaments each summer at different locales in New England. These tournaments have been reported to generate between $50,000 and S70,000 for the host club. MUSC needs additional revenue to refurbish and expand the number of soccer fields at the Rock Rimmon soccer complex. Funds would also be used to augment the club's scholarship program, which provides financial aid to players who cannot afford the $450 annual club dues. Nicolette gave her husband a blow-by-blow account of what transpired during the first tournament committee meeting that night. She started the meeting by having everyone introduce themselves and by proclaiming how excited she was that the club was going to sponsor its own tournament. She then suggested that the committee brainstorm what needed to be done to pull off the event; she would record their ideas on a flipchart. What emerged was a free-for-all of ideas and suggestions. One member immediately stressed the importance of having qualified referees and spent several minutes describing in detail how his son's team was robbed in a poorly officiated championship game. This was followed by other stories of injustice on the soccer field. Another member suggested that they needed to quickly contact the local colleges to see if they could use their Fields. The committee spent more than 30 minutes talking about how they should screen teams and how much they should charge as an entry fee. An argument broke out over whether they should reward the winning teams in each age bracket with medals or trophies. Many members felt that medals were too cheap, while others thought the trophies would be too expensive. Someone suggested that they seek local corporate sponsors to help fund the tournament. The proposed sale or tournament T-shirts and sweatshirts was followed by a general critique of the different shirts parents had acquired at different tournaments. One member advocated that they recruit an artist he knew to develop a unique silk-screen design for the tournament. The meeting adjourned 30 minutes late with only half of the members remaining until the end. Nicolette drove home with seven sheets of ideas and a headache. As Kevin poured a glass of water for the two aspirin Nicolette was about to take, he tried to comfort her by saying that organizing this tournament would be a big project not unlike the projects he works on at his engineering and design firm. He offered to sit down with her the next night and help her plan the project. He suggested that the first thing they needed to do was to develop a WBS for the project. A. Make a list of the major deliverables for the project and use them to develop a draft of the work breakdown structure for the tournament that contains at least three levels of detail. What are the major deliverables associated with hosting an event such as a soccer tournament? B. How would developing a WBS alleviate some of the problems that occurred during the first meeting and help Nicolette organize and plan the project? C. Where can Nicolette find additional information to help her develop a WBS for the tournament? Appendix 1: Project network template: ES LS LF EF A 3 Project Gantt chart: A| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | B| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | C| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | D| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | E| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | F| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | G| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | H| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | time| 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| 6| 7| 8| 9| 10| 11| 12| 13| 14| 15| 16| 17| 18| 19| 20| 21| 22| Project timing: Activity ID| Earliest start| Earliest finish| Latest start| Latest finish| Slack time| A| 0| 3| | | | B| | | | | | C| | | | | | D| | | | | | E| | | | | | F| | | | | | G| | | | | | H| | | | | | Appendix 2: Priority matrix: To fill the table, type X or shade the appropriate box with any colour | Time | Performance | Cost | Constrain| | | | Enhance | | | | Accept| | | | Scope statement: Project Objective: | Deliverables:| Milestones:| Technical requirement:| Limits and Exclusions:| Customer review:| Appendix 3: Cover sheet template Managing the Marketing Function Project Management Course work MKT2280, 2011-2012 Lecturer: Masoumeh Mahdieh (m. [email  protected] ac. uk) Date: Group’s details: Name| Student number| Signature | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

Hmong Culture

Prior to writing this research paper on the Hmong culture, I did not know anything about their history or beliefs. The only time I had heard of Hmong people was in the movie â€Å"Gran Torino. † The movie revolves around a Hmong family living in Michigan and the cultural stereotypes and discrimination they face each day. After reading a few chapters in Anne Fadiman’s The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, I felt it was necessary to take a further look into the Hmong culture for a better understanding of their way of life. I.Hmong migration from China to various Southeast Asian countries The Hmong have not had the easiest or most simple life. After reading many different sources reporting their history, I couldn’t believe how many times they were forced to relocate. The Hmong originated as a culturally unique group from Asia. Their original homeland was Central Siberia which was where most of them lived. The first time the Hmong were forced out of their homelan d was in 2500 B. C. The Chinese and other Asian groups conquered Central Siberia and forced its people to flee south into northern China (Moua).Because of this, they resettled and started a new civilization on the banks of the Yellow River. Fortunately, their civilization was prosperous and successful until history repeated itself and the Han Chinese attacked them again for their fertile land along the Yellow River. The Hmong were faced with a decision to either fight or flee. They decided to fight for their land through a series of warfare but were outnumbered and therefore lost their land as well as many men. Consequently, the Hmong were forced to flee yet again.This time, they settled in the southern parts of China in today’s provinces known as Hepeh, Hunan, and Hubei (Xiong). â€Å"There are approximately 8 to 12 million Hmong still living in this region of China† (Quincy, 1988). Throughout history, the Hmong people continued to face hardship. During the Qing Dynas ty, three major wars pushed hundreds of thousands of Hmong even further into the Southeast Asian countries of Laos, Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam. The first war erupted in 1735, the second in 1795, and the third, the largest and longest in 1854-1873 (Xiong).II. Hmong migration to the USA In the early 1960’s during the Vietnam War, the Hmong in Laos were recruited and trained by the United States Central Intelligence Agency to assist the United States as a secret guerrilla force army. The Hmong fought directly against the North Vietnamese and Lao Communists. That same year, the American forces pulled out of Vietnam and in result, the Lao Communists came to power in Laos. The Hmong were forced to flee yet again. â€Å"As a result, hundreds of thousands of Hmong escaped the genocide of the Lao Communist Government.This time they settled in France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, West Germany, the United States, and even Argentina as political refugees in order to continue their peaceful way of life. Statistically, the majority of the Hmong refugees (about 200,000) settled and restarted their new lives in the United States† (Teng Moua’s personal record, 1999). The states with the largest number of Hmong immigrants are California, Minnesota, and Wisconsin (Yau). III. Hmong religion The Hmong are a very spiritual group of people.They are animist/pantheist which means that they believe in a variety of natural and supernatural forces. Their world is inhabited by spirits and gods and they believe that their spiritual world has the capability to coexist with their physical world. Some of these spirits that influence their human life are ancestral, household, natural, and evil. If there is contact with a supernatural spirit, the Hmong believe that their life will be affected, either positively or negatively. Ritual ceremonies are performed to please ancestral spirits.If the spirits are pleased, they will protect the believer’s descendents from illness and natural disasters. To maintain communication with the spiritual world, the Hmong refer to the shaman, who is a healing practitioner who acts as an intermediary between the spirit and physical world. The shaman is the main communicator chosen by the spirits and performs the rituals (Tapp). â€Å"While there is no standardization in Hmong religious rituals and practices, Hmong rituals usually revolve around the practices that their ancestors passed onto them.Clan and lineage variations also are prevalent between and within individual clans as practices are traditional passed down from generation to generation through oral tradition† (Hmong Cultural and Resource Center of Minnesota). Hmong also believe in afterlife. With the guidance from Hmong musical performers during the rituals, the souls of the deceased will come back to their ancestors for reincarnation. IV. Hmong education and language Many Hmong have had no formal education. In Laos, public schooling was limi ted and in some areas, completely unavailable.Even after Laos achieved independence, ethnic minorities such as Hmong were still denied schooling. It was not until 1939 that the first village school was built. Even then, only students from the wealthiest class were admitted. Once the Hmong arrived in the United States where they were free people, education has become a main priority. The Hmong have their own language, called Hmoob (Hmong in English). It braches into two main dialects: White Hmong and Blue (or Green) Hmong. The colors represent the colors used in traditional clothing of the different groups in the different regions of China. The Hmong language is one of a group of closely related languages of Southeast Asia and Southern China often referred to as the Miao-Yao languages. Besides being spoken by Hmong people in Laos, Thailand, Burma, and Vietnam, the Hmong language is widely spoken by the Miao minority in Southern China. The Hmong language is also related to the Yao lan guages which include Iu Mien, spoken in Laos and Thailand as well as China, and five other languages spoken by minority groups in the larger region† (Vang).Because of the lack of education, for many centuries, the Hmong language was only an oral type of communication. There was no alphabet system, no written texts, and no literacy system. Culture and learning was passed down from one generation to the next from memory. Elders had the most knowledge, memories, skills, and abilities. Older Hmong residing in the United States often do not speak English and, because of the recent development of the written Hmong language in the 1950s, may be illiterate in the Hmong language (Helsel, 1993; Queensland Health, 2004; U. S.Census Bureau, 2000). Young Hmong may be literate in English, but may not be able to read Hmong or Lao, though there is an effort in the Hmong community to teach young people to speak and read their traditional language (Lipson et al. , 1996). V. Hmong beliefs about illness and curing individuals Hmong believe that an illness is caused when one’s soul is lost, captured by evil spirits, or by having offended an ancestral spirit. The shaman will discuss with ancestral spirits who may have been offended by the ill person and see what the spirits want to ask from the living.Shamans may bargain and struggle with wild spirits who have capture the patient’s soul or locate the lost soul and force it back into its body. When a shaman cures a sick person, he goes into a trance and veils his eyes with a black cloth to see the spirits. He sits on a bench and faces the altar. Then, he calls his teacher spirits to help cure the ill person (Lewis). Shamans differ in ability so when a shaman is unable to help the family, they will look for a more powerful one. VI. Hmong attitudes toward Western medicineAs previously mentioned, Hmong believe in natural and spiritual healing. Most older, traditional Hmong are opposed to Western medicine and practic es. Not only does it go against their beliefs, but they also fear that Western medicine may be too potent for Hmong bodies to handle. People of more recent generations, however, are becoming more and more accepting of Western medicine and surgery. Hmong are also using a combination of Western medicine and traditional techniques such as massage, acupuncture, and dermabrasion (Yau). Reading about Hmong culture has been extremely interesting.I was so surprised to find how spiritual they were. It saddened me to learn about the numerous times they were forced out of their homeland. It’s unfortunate that their people are so dispersed throughout the world, however, in a way it is neat that the Hmong culture is so prevalent in various cultures outside of China. Researching Hmong culture has been a big help in reading Anne Fadiman’s, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Now, I have a much better sense of the Hmong way of life and can see a different perspective on their at titudes and beliefs.

Duality As Vitality Israel s Democratic And Jewish...

Duality as Vitality: Israel’s Democratic and Jewish Identity Israel is both a Jewish and Democratic state. The skeleton of the state is that of a binary philosophy: a dual identity which on the one hand is a democracy and also a Jewish state. A democracy is a state which respects the inalienable rights, such as freedom of expression and suffrage, and intrinsic dignity of every human being. A Jewish state is a state with a core Jewish cultural and national identity, which respects equality of religion for all and is not theocratic. The foundational documents, the Declaration of Independence and Israel’s Basic Laws, are unambiguous and unrelenting on the centrality of these two traits, and without them, Israel would be stripped of its core identity. Israel has maintained the necessity of these two core principles since Israel declared its sovereignty. The democratic nature of Israel is stated in Israel’s founding document through which Israel came into being in 1948, the Proclamation of Independence. Explicit mention is made of the standing and rights of Israel’s Arab (and by extension, other non-Jewish) inhabitants, as the document promises them â€Å"full and equal citizenship and due representation.† The document, which essentially serves as Israel’s identifier, the codification of the purpose and nature of Israel, also reinforces the centrality of the Jewish nature of Israel, declaring that â€Å"the Jewish people ... are to be masters of their own fate, like all other nations,Show MoreRelatedOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pagesmanaging, organizing and reflecting on both formal and informal structures, and in this respect you will find this book timely, interesting and valuable. P eter Holdt Christensen, Associate Professor, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark McAuley et al.’s book is thought-provoking, witty and highly relevant for understanding contemporary organizational dilemmas. The book engages in an imaginative way with a wealth of organizational concepts and theories as well as provides insightful examples from the