Abstract This paper studies muscle cars and their accompanying culture. It details the emergence of muscle cars in the 1960's and how the industry met the public needs, and their fall in the 1970's. It concludes that the enforcement of government emissions standards, combined with the switch to lower octane gasoline eventually lead to the death of the muscle car.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
The Industry
Individuality
Muscle Cars Emerge
The End of an Era
Conclusion
Interview
From the Paper "Car culture has been around as long as the automobile. For over 100 years the automobile has been an icon in American history and in people's lives. People have a long history of defining themselves by the car they drive, and judging others in this same way. What you drive can mean different things to different people, but it always means something. It reflects financial and social status, as well as personal expression. For people who wanted to be thought of as sexy, bold, and fast"the muscle car was the answer. After the end of World War II, Americans became obsessed with the automobile. Suddenly, cars become more than just tools, more for just transportation"they became identity to some people. People were what they drove. ?It was only natural that such a state of devotion to an inanimate/animate object should lead to a prominent sub-culture of super-fanatics.? (Anselmi, 1984) That love of the automobile became the catalyst for securing its place into pop culture and ultimately what has been the driving force behind the auto industry ever since. The muscle car was conceived by this driving force."
Abstract This paper discusses an idea of opening a business in Japan. The paper shows that one first needs to understand the Japanese culture and society. Many Westerners try to "go it alone" and without proper research, their ideas often fail, but with good planning, it is possible to open a successful car wash in Kobe, Japan.
Place
Promotion
Product
Price
From the Paper "There are a great deal of factors that need to be considered when evaluating business expansion into Japan. The business culture of Japan is very different to that of the Western world. Tradition and culture are as deeply set in business as they are in everyday life. To put yourself in a competitive position in the Japanese economy, you must first understand the unusual rules of the economy. Culture and tradition must be understood fully, before conducting the expansion."
Abstract In general terms, most Americans agree that the use of bait cars by law enforcement is justified, for they consider it a common sense response by the police to the complexities of reducing car theft. They see it as an effective policy in two ways, for in addition to enabling police to catch car thieves in the commission of a crime, it provides a general deterrent, for active car thieves will be wary of stealing any car because they can never be certain whether a car they are targeting for theft is a bait car. This paper discusses the use of bait cars by police and sheriff's departments in the United States and looks at why, in spite of the many advantages this practice offers, it continues to be a controversial issue in the minds of some people.
Abstract This paper is on the prospects for the hydrogen powered car, noting the stakeholders involved, some of what they want, and how likely it is that the car will be produced in the near future. The paper indicates that the primary problem may be getting the fuel to the consumer in an economical way, given that the ultimate stakeholder is the consumer, who will be asked to buy these cars and who will want to have a car that performs as well as possible and to be able to refuel easily and economically.
From the Paper "Hydrogen-powered cars operate on energy produced by the mixing of hydrogen and oxygen, with the only by-product being water. Stacy (2003) notes that General Motors is to provide $44 million to build a fleet of 40 hydrogen-fueled cars for use in New York, Washington, Michigan, and California, with another $44 million in matching funds to be provided by the U.S. Dept. of Energy. In addition, Shell Hydrogen LLC is to create five refueling stations in New York, Washington, California, and along the east coast, and this is seen as a major step in the development of hydrogen-fueled cars, given that automakers are reluctant to develop hydrogen cars both because of the cost and because of the current lack of refueling stations (Stacy, 2003, para. 1)."
Abstract This paper assesses the strengths and weaknesses of Toyota's product, a hybrid electric car. The car is eco-friendly and it is important that the product is carefully assessed in detail before it is launched in the North American market. The paper also offers some concrete marketing suggestions, which can help the company in successfully introducing the product globally.
Abstract This paper discusses how mass production of cars started at the beginning of the 20th century and grew rapidly and how, since that time, our world has changed virtually beyond recognition. It discusses the changes that this particular technological advance has caused, focusing on changes in mode of production, changes in family life and ecological effects.
This paper reviews Grant McCracken's "Culture and Consumption II: Markets, Meaning and Management", especially his analysis of consumerism and meaning.
Abstract This paper explains the key point that Grant McCracken makes in his book "Culture and Consumption" is that consumerism is a way of creating meaning. The author praises McCracken for pointing out the important role that consumerism can play in creating meaning, to the point of even helping people to define who they are. The paper concludes that this book is very unusual because (1) it has an unusual layout and "architecture", which renders it more accessible, (2) it tackles head-on the ubiquitous intellectual snobbery that belittles consumerism and consumers and (3) it opens up new ways to look at history and contemporary culture, which enables the reader to see meanings that were otherwise invisible. The paper includes some long quotations.
From the Paper "Later, taking an entirely different but certainly related tack, McCracken comments on the concept of meaning-creation within the context of advertising - or more specifically, celebrity endorsement. He notes that there are two accepted, related and oft-used explanatory models for the success of celebrity endorsement in promoting products. One is that of source-credibility, and the other is that of source-attractiveness. As an example, we would believe Tiger Woods if he endorsed a certain brand of golf clubs, as we believe he knows what he is talking about - he has source-credibility."
Abstract The writer of this paper details the manner in which various values and cultural traditions can impact an individual's or group's beliefs, attitudes and actions with respect to their day-to-day existence. The writer contends and explains how cultural differences affect communication, interaction and actions amongst different people. In an environment where little cultural diversity exists, it is likely that cultural differences will have little or no impact on human relations. This paper also discusses the issue of cultural differences in the workplace. Cultural diversity can lead to conflict as well as collaboration within the workplace, depending on whether or not people are willing to embrace people that are culturally different. This paper examines the impact of cultural diversity in the classroom, where teachers are being asked to become more culturally literate so that they can better address the needs of all their students, rather than the few who fall into one or two categories. This paper also explores the issue of students with varying cultural backgrounds that have different perceptions of learning and communicating and the manner in which their needs are met.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Analysis of Cultural Traditions and Human Relations
Conclusions
References
From the Paper "Cultural differences even impact students in the classroom. More and more teachers are being asked to become more culturally literate so that they can better address the needs of all their students, rather than the few who fall into one or two categories. Students with varying cultural backgrounds have different perceptions of learning and communicating, thus may have a difficult time achieving in a classroom that does not recognize their cultural differences and methods of learning. For students to be successful in a culturally diverse environment, teachers must work to improve communications and the methods they use to teach, to ensure that they are addressing the needs of a diverse population. To understand how cultural differences impact human relations one must also understand what culture is."
A review of the articles "Theories of Culture" by Roger M. Keesing and "Marking Boundaries - Culture as Category Work" - Qualitative Inquiry by Anne Ryen and David Silverman.
Abstract This paper discusses articles by Roger M. Keesing and Anne Ryen and David Silverman on what culture is, and how we study it, and see what is different in one culture, as opposed to a different culture, or in a small aspect of culture. The paper explains that Keesing seems to be more inclined to see culture in dynamic ways, as always changing or developing, or that has to do with thinking processes, where Ryen and Silverman discuss culture in more material terms that can affect how people of different cultures understand each other. The paper also discusses how Keesing looks at cultures as structural systems so that the scholar will look at how a culture or a structure began and how it continues to influence human life. The writer believes that Ryen and Silverman seem more tied up in how an outsider looks at a culture, the dynamics of importance of what go on between human beings, as individuals, as opposed to the cultural system that Keesing tried to understand. The writer concludes that both articles manage to get across the care that must be taken when researching cultures that are not one's own, but the writer feels that Keesing's work is still not out-dated.
Outline:
Introduction
Theories of Culture The Human Factor
Last Remarks
From the Paper "A culture may adapt because new technology or kinds of organization have come along, or it may change so that a people survive, as in cultures that begin to conserve something so that they can survive in their environment. A desert people, for instance, may show a culture that is protective of water, does not waste water, or whose art shows themes of happiness as the coming of the rain, or safely getting to a place where water is available. Keesing then begins to look at ideational theories of culture that have to do with cognitive systems and how people decide what is special, appealing or what must be done, as all can influence culture. (1974:77f)."
Abstract The question, What is popular culture and how does it relate to Eastern and Western societies? is an apparently simple query that conceals a complex range of social cultural and economic aspects. This essay examines this question, beginning with a provisional definition of popular culture and an attempt to distinguish it from other cultural forms such as high culture and mass culture. The thesis is argued that popular culture is, in its fundamental elements, a commercial culture that is dependent to an extraordinary degree upon the mass media as a technological vehicle for its messages and products.
Abstract The paper states that it is not complicated to find some globalized places such as airline terminals, international hotels or CNN business news revealing the effects of globalization and its repercussions on our understanding of culture in the modern world. The paper relates that through the growing of global interconnections and the processes of ideas and global goods crossing national borders, cultures fuse across the globe. The paper also discusses the presence of English as an international language, and a homogenization of culture. The paper confirms that, culture is a set of values and practices characterized by its particularity, which nevertheless needs universal criteria as a reference to justify this particularity. It is also crucial to define culture as an "encompassing" concept and to keep in mind that it is difficult to know what is cultural.
From the Paper "In addition, a shared global culture is also relevant as a global dissemination of an American or Western culture. Indeed the processes of globalization are providing fuel for a cultural imperialism, that is to say a global culture liable to be a hegemonic culture. Thus the assertion of a shared global culture seems to be linked to what Friedman describes as "the increasing hegemony of particular central cultures, the diffusion of American values, consumers goods and lifestyles" (Friedman, 1994: 195). The diffusion of dominant standard icons and references such as MacDonald's, Coca-Cola leads to think about an obvious Americanization. In a word, cultures are both confronted by a global dominance of the western culture and by the practices of global capitalism. The result is probably a decrease of cultural differences: a process which undeniably worked to the advantage of the USA and others Western nations. A striking example of this tendency of cultural imperialism is the United Nations Educations Scientific and Cultural Organization's call for a "new world information and communication order" and its politics on global culture."
Abstract This paper presents a study to identify pertinent traits that characterize effective leaders in various societal settings. The paper relates that the mixed methodology used in this study is (1) a qualitative analysis of the relevant peer-reviewed and scholarly literature concerning the specific relationship between leadership styles, organizational culture and the larger society and (2) a review and synthesis of various case studies concerning the impact of leadership on cross-cultural organizational performance. The paper includes a summary of the major aims and objectives of the study and an analysis of implications for leaders and recommendations for organizations such as "treat all people fairly".
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Statement of the Problem
Aims and Objectives
Significance of the Study
Rationale of the Study
Literature Review
Background and Overview
Definitions of Culture Table: Bureaucratic, Innovative and Supportive Organizational Cultures Table: Family-Owned and Operated Organizational Cultures Table: Masculine and Collectivist Organizational Cultures Cultural Aspects of Organizational Leadership
Relationship between Organizational Leadership and Society
Table: Types of Organizational Citizenship Behaviors
Table: Potential Reasons Why Organizational Citizenship Behaviors (OCBs) Influence Work Group And/Or Organizational Performance
Discussion
Chapter Summary
Methodology
Description of the Study Approach
Data-Collection
Sample
Setting
Ethical Considerations
Evaluative Action Plan
Instruments/Measurements
Chapter Summary
Results and Presentation of Findings
Discussion, Implications and Recommendations
Results and Presentation of Findings
Introduction
Sample
Studies
Table: Recapitulation and Summary of Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles Consulted
Setting
Ethical Considerations
Evaluative Action Plan
Table: Noblit and Hare's Meta-Ethnographic Comparative Method
Instruments/Measurements
Chapter Summary
Discussion, Implications and Recommendations
Introduction
Summary of Major Aims and Objectives
Implications
Recommendations
Limitations
From the Paper "These responsibilities frequently involve decision processes that are unstructured, complex, and ambiguous; the studies to date indicate that the outcomes of such decision processes can be affected greatly by the characteristics of the team and its members.
"Taken together, the foregoing suggests that an organization's culture is highly influenced by its top leadership, but workers play a reciprocal role by helping them achieve the organization's goals and keeping it competitive."
Abstract The writer of this paper critically analyzes the ways in which De Munch and Korotayev start out by explaining that it is difficult to research across cultures because of "cross-cultural pollenization" that is, one culture tends to absorb some traits of the other. They point out that without adequate controls, the research can give both false confirmations of the hypothesis as well as false negatives. This paper is a negative critique of Cultural Units in Cross-Cultural Research.
From the Paper "The first group might look culturally diverse at first: 4 Spanish; 4 Iraqi; 1 Russian; 1 Estonian; 1 Javanese; 1 Ganda; one Greek; one Maronite-Lebanese. However, this group had significant cultural similarities, which the authors of course knew because they contrived the group. Some of the clerics were Catholic and therefore celibate. Others were Moslem and allowed more than one wife. It is hard to imagine how this example sheds any light on either cross-cultural studies or statistical and research methods."
Abstract This paper is an in-depth discussion of multiculturalism, it defines it and states that an entirely different view of culture is needed in the intellectual discourse of society. Elst analyzes culture using the example of analyzing sex. Elst makes it clear in his analysis that pluralities of identity are the norm, that everyone is multi-ethnic and multi-racial in some fashion. Finally, the paper concludes that each individual should study and redefine his own culture.
From the Paper "Even in the current, mainstream political debate over what constitutes ?multiculturalism,? it is common cultural parlance to view culture as a static entity. Multiculturalism is defined as the manner in which more cultures are integrated into the fabric of the dominant discourse, rather than as a way of deconstructing notions of how culture itself is perceived and misperceived. As the title of Dirk Van Der Elst's book Culture as Given, Culture as Choice, suggests, however, framing the debate in such a fashion is not necessarily the most radical choice. Elst suggests that nothing really exists as ?culture,? rather culture itself is a constructed, socially produced norm."
Tags:cultural, multiculturalism, Dirk, Van, Der, Elst, social, norm
