History of Japan Essay

1. What are the key features of the Tokugawa settlements that were worked out under Ieyasu and Iemitsu? What is the rationale behind this system? In what ways might it be considered `centralized feudalism`? The Tokugawa settlements that were worked out under the rule of Ieyasu and Iemitsu were mainly forms of centralized feudalism.   The Tokugawa period, particularly the Ieyasu Shogunate, was based on a strict class hierarchy.   This was based on the old structure created by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Bryant 2005).   It was comprised of the warrior-caste of samurai who were at the top of the hierarchy and they were followed by the farmers, the artisans, and the traders. The key feature of the Ieyasu Shogunate was the implementation of the feudal military dictatorship by Tokugawa Ieyasu.   This system of â€Å"centralized feudalism† was the key tool which helped the ruling body in restoring political and social order after a long period of warfare and chaos.   The system was such that there were feudal lords who controlled their own domains but they subject however to the whims of the Shogun who was characterized as the defacto ruler for Japan.   The ascension to Shogun was hereditary and thus led to the control by the Tokugawa Shoguns from the 1600s to 1868 (Sadler 1937). Tokugawa Ieyasu was able to gain control of the entire country through this method.   Though once a Daimyo himself, he soon became a Shogun and began exercising power over the 250 other daimyos all over Japan.   This was the centralized system that the Tokugawas were able to establish and relevant to this system was the â€Å"Alternate Attendance System† or the sankin kà ´tai (Sadler 1937). This system simply meant that every daimyo had to live every alternate year in the capital city of Edo under the penalty of permanently living in the city and leaving his life and heir behind in case such a task was not fulfilled.   Needless to say, this had immense implications for the history of Japan.   It meant that there were huge transfers of wealth since the daimyos had to finance their trips.   It also led to the fostering of a sense of loyalty to Edo as every daimyo after 1700 felt drawn to Edo as a native of the city (Sansom 1961). The situation was not so different during the time of Tokugawa Iemitsu who was the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu (Bryant 2005).   Iemitsu’s rise to power was predicated by the abdication of Hidetade in his favaor.   Hidetada installed all of his advisors and veteran daimyo in the service of Iemitsu but soon after, Iemitsu appointed most of his childhood friends and was soon able to carry on the installation of a strong and centralized form of administration similar to that by his grandfather Tokugawa Ieyasu.   While there were those who opposed such an act, Tokugawa Iemitsu simply removed all opposition and remained in power (Sansom 1961). The reason that these periods were considered as â€Å"centralized feudalism† was the fact that though there were different domains that were ruled by the daimyos, all power still emanated from the Shogun (Bryant 2005).   The Shogun ruled under the authority of the emperor and in fact ruled over most, if not all, of the activities of the realm.   This was eventually overthrown and replaced during the Meiji Renewal. 2. How would you characterize Meiji Japan`s economic development? In what ways was it distinctive? What role did the state play? Meiji Japan’s economic development was characterized by the Meiji Renewal which was a series of events that led up to major changes in Japan’s political and social structure (Beasley 1995).   The arrival of the Black Ships of Commodore Matthew Perry ushered in a direct response from the Shogunate and thus the Meiji restoration began.   It was during this same period that Japan established itself as an Imperial Power. The foundation of the Meiji Renewal was the formation of the Satsuma-ChÃ… shÃ… « Alliance between SaigÃ…  Takamori, who was the leader of the Satsuma domain and Kido Takayoshi, who was the leader of the ChÃ… shÃ… « domain (Jansen 2000).   Initially brought together to challenge the ruling Tokugawa Shogunate and installing the emperor into power, the Satsuma-ChÃ… shÃ… « Alliance succeeded in altering the political structure of Japan.   The two leaders, SaigÃ…  Takamori and Kido Takayoshi, were supported by Emperor KÃ… mei (Beasley 1995). The distinct characteristic of this period was the fact that it ushered in the industrialization of Japan (Jansen 2000).   It also led to the emergence of Japan as an island nation that possessed military power by the year 1905.   The slogan for Japan during this time was fukoku kyohei, which translates into â€Å"Enrich the country, strengthen the military.† The manner in which this Renewal was accomplished was by creating a group in which all the power was consolidated against the remnants of the Edo period government, the shogunate, daimyo, and the samurai class.   Thus the Meiji Oligarchy was formed.   During this period, the Tokugawa lands were seized and placed under the direct control of the government.   Some of the Daimyos who protested such an act eventually relented and returned their domains to the Emperor which lead to the creation of a central government in Japan for the first time in its history and also allowed the new centralized government to exercise direct power throughout the entire realm (Beasley 1995). The pivotal point came in 1871 when all the Daimyos were brought before the emperor and it was decreed that all domains were now to be returned to the Emperor (Jansen 2002).   These â€Å"returned† domains were converted into prefectures that were under the control of a government appointed governor. The next step came in the abolition of the four divisions in Japanese society that had previously existed.   This led to the abolition of the Samurai class, which at that time numbered nearly 1.9 million, and led to the development of the Japanese military which was now open to peasants (Beasley 1995).   Nationwide conscription was now established in order to fill in the ranks left by the former Samurais and every male was mandated to serve in the new armed forces of Japan for four (4) years upon turning 21. The state therefore played a very critical role in all of this as it was under the state that the abolition of traditional political structures was engineered and the abolition of the social classes was commenced.   The establishment of a strong Japanese Imperial Army also played a great role as it provided the state with the power that it needed in order to institute the reforms that is sought to implement (Jansen 2000).

“How Jews Became White Folk” by Karen Brodkin Essay

In her book â€Å"How Jews Became White Folk†, Karen Brodkin examines the question of how Jews came to be regarded as White. She does this by first explaining how Jews were racially categorized prior to this time, and how they were considered to be inferior to the white race. Whiteness is and has always relied on continually renegotiated interpretations; that has more to do with ones social class rather than skin color. The argument that Brodkin presents is that the claim of whiteness are extended to certain races or ethnic groups at certain times, and that the past experiences of these groups cannot wipe away such indisputable social facts. Brodkin believes that the only way to successfully assimilate into the United States is by becoming â€Å"white†. What does it mean to be â€Å"white†? The history of the United States clearly â€Å"shows changing notions of whiteness to be part of America’s larger system of institutional racism.† (Brodkin, 1994). Being â€Å"white† has its advantages, just as it has its downfalls; I guess you can say it is a double edge sword. To be accepted into the dominant class one may have to shed part of their identity; yet, the rewards for doing this are not what one expects them to be. Yet, what is interesting is how the shift of Jews from being categorized from racial other, to not-quite-white, to white shows us how race in the United States has been constructed. She then goes on to insist that after WWII Jews had increasingly profited from the assortment of social policies set up to aid the rising middle class, like providing them with financial support to pay for their education and loans for houses from the Federal Housing Administration (Brodkin, 1994). She describes the G.I. Bill as â€Å"†the most massive affirmative action program in American history† (Brodkin, 1994). What we need to take into consideration is that these social policies were not extended in the same proportion to African Americans and Latinos. Both groups were denied loans to buy their houses and when they were approved for a loan, they would be approved for lesser amounts; therefore restricting them from living amongst â€Å"whites†. While Jews have in fact been successful in assimilating into the white America, others have not been successful. One example of this is Latino  immigrants, not because they don’t want to but rather it comes from bad past experiences. They are expected to assimilate, but at the same time they are denied legal status and even worst they face the change of being deported at any time. In addition, what many fail to understand is the Latinos, especially Mexicans and African Americans have a much different and unique role within the United States, quite different than Jews or Italians will ever have. To begin, those of us with Latino blood in us have a history that in one way or another originates from this land, something that no white person can claim. As a conquered people we will always remain a threat to whites. African Americans on the other hand were brought by force from another continent only to become slave labor and although their roots are in Africa; this is the only land they have ever known. How Jews Became White Folk does an excellent job at making the reader reflect these unique roles that we have had to take with our society, I would have wanted for Brodkin to elaborate a little more on the definition of whiteness. We can only make that conclusion on our own. Works Cited: Karen, Brodkin (1994). How Jews Became White Folks & What That Says About Race in America. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press.

Five Forces Analysis-US Express Mail Industry Essay

Question 1 asked to complete a five forces analysis of the US Express Mail Industry. A five forces analysis is done to rate the attractiveness of an industry. Threat of new entry is low because the barriers to entry are high. Newcomers to the industry would require an enormous amount of up front capital to set up the distribution networks and infrastructure, such as establishing hubs, and acquiring aircraft and a large amount of ground transportation vehicles (vans, trucks, ect). Economies of scale are significant and would deter new firms from entering because initial sales volumes would be low do to the fact that existing brands already have strong brand identification, and there are no cost advantages to entering, like government subsidiaries or favorable locations. There would also be aggressive reaction from the three main players (FedEx, UPS, Airborne) since the level of rivalry is already so high. Buyer power (customers consisting of businesses and the general public) is high mainly because the large volume of customers have no brand loyalty in the express mail industry. Customers base their selection of a carrier on reliability, price, and convenience and there is not much product differentiation in any of those areas between carriers so customers can bounce around between carriers, essentially playing the competitors against each other, forcing prices down and demanding higher quality and services. Supplier power is high overall. The main inputs, or supplies, for the express mail industry are fuel, airports, aircraft, ground transportation, and the employees. The employees are unionized and have the power to demand higher wages and benefits, they may not always get that, but then there is the potential for strikes, like with UPS, which costs UPS $700 million in revenues and hurt their reputation. Fuel is another supplier power that is high. Fuel is a key component and there is limited bargaining when it comes to negotiating fuel prices. Another key product is the airports, there are only a few in each major city, and the carriers have to go where they have to go, hitting those hubs in major cities, thus causing there to be little bargaining power with airports. The airports and the aircraft suppliers aren’t only relying on the express mail industry, so that also gives those suppliers more power to charge what they want (landing fees, cost of planes). Ground transportation vehicles is the only input that would allow for more bargaining power since there are numerous alternatives available, there is more room for the  industry players to negotiate price. The availability of substitutes is medium mainly because there aren’t a large number of substitutes out there for express mail outside of the industry. Most next day deliveries are business documents, parcels, letters, ect, not typically cargo. So substitutes could include email and faxes, both are faster and cheaper than express mailing. Depending on the nature of the business, video conferencing or the old fashion telephone could be used. If the parcel is going somewhere local maybe could use bike messengers, or just hand deliver. There are also the second tier players, like RPS, DHL and TNT, while they are still in the delivery industry; they tend to specialize in areas other than express mail. With RPS, it is second day service at 40-50% less, and a business that does a large amount of overseas or international express shipments may want to substitute with DHL or TNT, who specialize and differentiate themselves in the international market. The Intensity of rivalry is high. The domestic express mail industry only consists of three major firms, UPS, FedEx, and Airborne, and six second tier firms, such as DHL, RPS, and the U.S. Postal Service so there isn’t a high level of concentration. The big three make up 85% of the U.S. express mail market. There is intense competition, when one company lowers prices, so does another, leading to price wars. When one company improves it technology or offers more service, so do the others, leading to difficulty in differentiating products. Fixed costs are high (planes, hubs, transportation) and when fixed costs are high it causes companies to want to reduce prices in order to sell more and generate more revenue, but the revenues have not kept up with falling prices and has caused the industry growth to be slow so the companies are all fighting for market share. The exit barriers are also high, financially and non-financially. Financially because of the enormous amount of capital that has been invested (fleets of planes and/or trucks, set up of the distribution networks and infrastructures), and non-financially, mainly due to social costs. People conduct business everyday and rely on urgent delivery of time sensitive information (documents, contracts, and perishables like medical samples) and not having the services of the express mail industry to deliver those time sensitive parcels could cripple the economy, for example when UPS when on strike for 16 days, there was a â€Å"noticeable disruption† to the economy as a whole. So in conclusion, based upon this analysis, the US Express Mail Industry in terms of profitability is very unattractive and would be considered unattractive by any firms considering entering as well.

The Easter Rising Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Easter Rising - Research Paper Example The first day of the rebellion was Monday, April 24, 1916, with approximately 1200 rebels participating in the fight against the government. The men were all volunteers but were less than what was expected due to the extreme secrecy of the group and the doubts some did have about the plan of attack. The plan was to use the General Post Office as their center of command due to its solid structure and ease of defense. As was to be proved later on while the GPO did have the advantage of defense, it would prove difficult to command the rebellion factions from it or plan attacks (Friedrich 10). Debate has risen over the significance of the GPO with some experts arguing that it was due to its symbolism of British imperialism that it was taken. The GPO was one of the largest buildings in the city and having being built by the British many saw it as a symbol of their superiority only comparable to Dublin Castle. By Noon on Monday most of those who had volunteered to fight took their position s divided into 4 battalions. The first battalion was led by Ned Daly who was to take control of the 4 courts with 250 men while the second Batallion led by Thomas MacDonagh was told to take charge of a biscuit factory South of the city center (Ciment and Russell 291), the factory was possibly to be a source of food as the fighting continued. The third battalion comprised of 130 men and was led by Eamon de Valera who were to control a bakery and Eamonn Ceannt was in charge of the 4th battalion that was made of 100 men and were to take charge of the Dolhpins barn in Emerald square in the town center and to prevent a counterattack by the Irish Army. The British government as well as most of the Irish population was taken by surprise at the commencement of the attack and responses were disorganized especially since Britain was at the time at war with Germany. The squad that was in City Hall with Conolly came under intense fire and soon had to surrender, Sean Conolly who was the commande r of the group was shot dead in the fight and several others were arrested. The fourth battalion also faced some fire from the British army but they managed to hold their positions ("The 1916 uprising..."). On Tuesday April 25th the battle of Mount street canal was fought between the British soldiers and the insurgents. The British infantry had been commanded to take the most direct route to the Dublin Castle as this was where the British headquarters and so was a point of political and strategic importance. The castle was where the then incumbent Viceroy Lord Wimborne resided in and was also where commands were dispatched from. Sherwood Foresters had to pass through Northumberland Road in spite of the dangers that the place would pose as members of the rebellion had captured neighboring territories. As the group cut into Haddington Road, they were attacked by rebels resulting in Captain Dietrchsen being injured. This also signaled the other rebels to inform them that an attack had begun and they too began to fire on the foresters (Mcnally 76). The foresters attacked the group that was located in No. 25 that was behind them and had initiated the attack. The rebels had however prepared for this and had barricaded the doors and windows resulting in the British Foresters being cornered in the open road. Attempts to escape by dodging to the other side of the street were countered by a brigade that pushed them

Guy Fawkes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Guy Fawkes - Essay Example The political activism of Guy Fawkes, also known as Guido Fawkes, clearly conveys that an individual always has an intention to establish his own understanding about society and politics. Sometimes, such understanding or conceptions take forms of orthodoxy, depending on which a person learns to believe that his method is ultimately beneficiary for the society and its inhabitants. Though development of such understanding is a cumulative and communal process, an individual attempts to rage against any of such policies that violates his own ideologies. A violent form of defiance of such ideologies ultimately gives birth to acts of terrorism, aimed against destroying all forms of socio-political mechanisms which the individual or individuals consider existing in contrary to their respective ideological observations. Such belief of Guy Fawkes and his associates led to planning of the Gunpowder Treason, by which they attempted to bring an end to rule of King James I and the new policies th at he wished to implement for further development of the English society during the 1600s. Guy Fawkes was born on April 13th, 1970 in York as the only son of Edward Fawkes and Edith Blake. Though his early childhood was quite simple, soon he encountered series of tragedies in the form of death of his father and secret remarriage of his mother in a catholic family (â€Å"Guy Fawkes, On the Trail of the Gunpowder Plotters†, 2). Though he was basically from a protestant family, he never really appreciated the protestant religious outlook since his childhood. It seems that the main reasons for his Catholic orientation were his upbringing and education at St. Peter’s School at York. During his education in this school he came into close proximity with several other students, some of whom, later on, became active participants of the Gunpowder plot. The phase of 1582

Communication mix Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Communication mix - Essay Example Communication mix is one of the most important promotional tools, or marketing functions used in the implementations of marketing campaigns. Modern commercial advertising is the persuasive force that aims at changing customers' attitudes and pattern of behaviour to a product or service in ways, which would be favourable to the seller. This is necessary as the needs and wants of consumers continually change as they pass through the different economic stages of the family life cycle. The relative importance of advertising has been determined by the qualities it can add to a marketing campaign in the travel and tourism sector. Additional elements of the communication mix compliment advertising however they are not significant or effective enough to replace advertising within this sector. The essential process of communication involves sending messages to potential consumers using a variety of methods in order to create awareness and understanding of why people should purchase a specific product or service. If the method of communication is the most appropriate, then there is a possibility that the potential consumer will buy the product or service. The simple aim being to raise awareness levels, generate interest and to enhance brand development amongst consumers. Advertising is just one element of the 'communications mix'. The simple aim being to raise awareness levels, generate interest and to enhance brand development amongst consumers. Advertising is one of the most important promotional tools, or marketing functions used in the implementation of marketing campaigns. This is due to its persuasive force that aims at changing customers' attitudes and patterns of behaviour to a product or service in ways, which would be favourable to the seller. This is necessary as the needs and wants of consumers continually change as they pass through the different economic stages of the family life cycle. Advertising, along with other components of the 'communications mix' also helps to identify brand identities, the idea being that customers see these identities as being tantamount with quality and dependability. To inform potential customers and users of the existence of the product which can be valuable to the prospective customer To remind existing users of the continued existence of the product and improvements. To regain lost customers and accounts. To stimulate enquiries Analysis Bad Communication Plan: Red Bull How should Red Bull market its brand in the future even though Red Bull has been very successful in the pervious years , but now times have changed thus the organization as well as products must change as well , or else red bull will most likely lose market share to the numerous competitors in a matter a few years . In the early morning and mid night, Red Bull energy drink was once the selected by the people of every field. But nowadays it marketing communication plan has become worn-out, it is old fashioned and not

Manuel Castells perspectives on the challenges of the network society Essay

Manuel Castells perspectives on the challenges of the network society - Essay Example This paper is a response to the final chapter of Manuel Castells’ work The Internet Galaxy. It will provide an overview of the author’s perspective on the challenges imposed by the network society and Castells’ judgment will be analyzed by comparing with other scholarly sources on the same topic. Manuel Castells has no qualms in admitting the fact that the network society â€Å"offers as many opportunities as it raises challenges† (2001, p.275). In his opinion the beneficial aspect of this network society were features like innovation and freedom of thinking that it encouraged but these were gradually overtaken by oppressive and restrictive ways. Instead of encouraging freedom of expression, it provides the means of controlling information as well as prompts the biased and monopolized use of the data (2001, p.277). This is an honest take from the author regarding the potential and somewhat long-term aftereffects of network society. Chris Kitchen argues by assuring that the most incredible fruit of network society â€Å"is the role of social media in the recent social movements and uprisings, particularly the momentous events of 2011 starting in North Africa and the Middle East† (2012). From this perspective rapid information sharing and globalization that is primarily regulated by information technology has induced awareness among people regarding their human, civil and political rights. On the contrary, Luke Tredinnick disagrees by providing the example of the democracy protests in Buran during 2007.