Commodification and the Zulu Culture Essays

Commodification and the Zulu Culture Essays Commodification and the Zulu Culture Essay Commodification and the Zulu Culture Essay Commodification and the Zulu Culture Commodification is often seen as the process by which raw materials are extracted, packaged and eventually turned into a product of value that can be sold. Now days because of the growth of globalization and commodity fetishism; commodification has become the transformations of a variety of things (things that may have had no previous value) including different goods, services and ideas into something of value that may even be sold. In other words commodification is when products, services or ideas are turned into a commodity. Now days just about everything is being commodified, including cultures and their practices. Culture is where a community or group of people, be it a national community, a religious community or even a sporting community share values, beliefs and rules. It is also important to note that it is still possible for two people to be a part of the same national community and have the same national culture but still be a part of different religious communites and have different religious cultures. This is because the two different communities are categorized in different genres and thus the values, beliefs and rules of these genres are not related. Therefore there shouldn’t be much contradiction or limit in the values, beliefs and rules of different types of communties and cultures. The fact that different cultures of the same genre all over the world all practice their values, beliefs and rules differently has created a large market in the tourism industry. Many tourists are more than willing to spend their money on travelling to specific destinations to see and experience specific cultures and authentic cultural practices. The problem is that with the commodification of cultures and their practices; which ironically is the consequence of the same market that looks for authenticity; a loss in the authenticity of the culture and its commodified practices can be expected. In this essay I will be looking at commodifiction in the Zulu culture and the effects it has on certain practices authenticity as well as the customers perception on commodified Zulu products. Before I discuss commodification in the Zulu culture and the effects it has on specific practices, it is important to have a basic understanding of the Zulu culture and its characteristics. The Zulu culture is made up of men, women and children who all speak Zulu and have originated from KwaZulu Natal, known as home of the Zulu. The Zulu people are still very strongly linked to their culture and not much has changed in their cultural practices since the traditional and authentic practices the native Zulu people of KwaZulu Natal practiced hundreds of years ago. The Zulu treasure their heritage and are known to be conservative, friendly and very hospitable people. They display an unquestioned loyalty to their Inkosi, which is their traditional leader. Zulu people’s lives have for a long time revolved around their cattle. This has reflected in creating a slow paced and relaxed culture, they also do not see the need in rushing, and may even find it rude. Zulu people have a very strong spiritual belief where ancestral spirits and demons being apart of their everyday life. They have large religious ceremonies where they communicate and pay their respects to the spiritual world. Dancing and singing is very much a part of the lifestyle of the Zulu people, and each dance formation or movement symbolizes an event within the clan. Zulu people also express themselves in arts and crafts very well and often these crafts have messages in them and play important rolls in the society’s culture. For example Zulu bead work has encoded messages where an individuals tribal status, feelings and moods can be expressed as well as messages of love and affection. Zulu husbands also receive wooden headrests (izigiki) from their new wives which are used as stools during the day and as pillows during the night. These decorated headrests are full of variety in shape and are carved from a single piece of wood. As we can see from this brief look at some Zulu culture characteristics it is clear that there could be a large market of tourists travelling to KwaZulu Natal to see and experience the unique practices and cultural characterisitics of the Zulu Culture, creating large potential and need for the commodification of certain Zulu cultural practices. So much so that it could generate a large amount of tourism for not only KwaZulu Natal but on a national scale as well.

blitzkrieg essays

blitzkrieg essays The First Phase: Dominance of the Axis Man for man, the German and Polish forces were an even match. Hitler committed about 1.5 million troops, and the Polish commander, Marshal Edward Smigy-Rydz, expected to muster 1.8 million. That was not the whole picture, however. The Germans had six panzer (armored) and four motorized divisions; the Poles had one armored and one motorized brigade and a few tank battalions. The Germans' 1600 aircraft were mostly of the latest types. Half of the Poles' 935 planes were obsolete. Result of German Blitzkrieg on Poland On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. The Polish army expected the attack to come along the Polish frontiers. But Hitler introduced a new kind of war called a blitzkrieg, which means lightning war. Waves of German bombers targeted railroads in Tczew, shown here, which crippled Polish military mobilization. Hundreds of tanks smashed through Polish defenses and rolled deep into the country. The Poles fought hard, but on September 17, the Soviet Union invaded their country from the east. By the end of the month, Poland had fallen. Polish strategic doctrine called for a rigid defense of the whole frontier and anticipated several weeks of preliminary skirmishing. It was wrong on both counts. On the morning of September 1, waves of German bombers hit the railroads and hopelessly snarled the Polish mobilization. In four more days, two army groups-one on the north out of East Prussia, the other on the south out of Silesia-had broken through on relatively narrow fronts and were sending armored spearheads on fast drives toward Warsaw and Brst. This was blitzkrieg (lightning war): the use of armor, air power, and mobile infantry in a pincers movement to encircle the enemy. Between September 8 and 10, the Germans closed in on Warsaw from the north and south, trapping the Polish forces west of the capital. On September 17, a second, deeper encirclement...

Yamaha Marketing Channels Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Yamaha Marketing Channels - Research Paper Example When the Company started, it manufactured auto parts, scooters, sewing machines and even three wheeled motors. However, due to the stiff competition from other manufacturers of these machines, the Yamaha Company specialized on the production of motorcycle. In the year 1954, the first model of Yamaha motorbike (YA-1) was complete. After a rigorous road test of the this motorbike, the founders of Yamaha Company built a factory too start the mass manufacturing of the YA-1 motorbike at a place called Nipon Gakki. On first of July 1955, the Yamaha Motor Co., LTD was founded. During that year, the Company had over 270 who were able to manufacture 200 YA-1 motorcycles in one month. This fast growth influenced the company to engage its motor cycles into the two top races in Japan; the Asma Highlands race and the Fuji mountain race. In the year 1956, the Company came up with another model; the YC1, followed by YD-1 in the year 1957. Two year after Yamaha’s engagement in motorbike races , they made a step into the International racing in the year 1958. They finished in the sixth position in the Catalina Grand Prix, and became the first Japanese motorbike to compete in an International race. The participation of Yamaha in the Catalina grand Prix gave this brand an international recognition, since many people worldwide began appreciating the Yamaha technology, especially in the USA (Smokie, 2013). That same year, the Company began marketing their own machines independently in the United States of America. Two years later after this venture, an American motor Company, The Cooper Motors, started selling the YD-1 and the MF-1 bikes from the Yamaha Motor Co., LTD. This continued up to the year 1960, when the Yamaha International Company begun advertising motorcycles in the United States of America through merchants. Having explored the motorcycle market, Genichi, the President of Yamaha International, began focusing on manufacturing of outboard boats and the Yamaha motor boats (Smokie Riders, 2013). In 1966, the Yamaha Company opened motorcycle-manufacturing industries in Mexico and Thailand. In late 1960s, Yamaha produced an off road motorcycle, DT-1 model. This off road model brought a very huge impact in the motorbike industry in the United States and was a very big success to the Yamaha Company. In the year 1972, the Toyota and Yamaha Companies came together and designed the Toyota 200 GT. With more inventions in the Yamaha International, the Company continued to grow in terms of the machines they manufactured. Among the machines that they created since then includes; race kart engines, snowmobiles, ATVs, generators, scooters, and personal watercraft. The greatness of the Yamaha International Company is attributed to its first President, Mr. Genichi Kawakami, who believed that, production of goods with character and honesty in service to the clients is the key to success of any business. Activities of Yamaha International Corporation Apart from manufacturing of electronics and automobiles, the Yamaha Company has engaged in so many activities. The Company is involved in sporting activities where they participate in motorbike racing competition (Yamaha Motor Co., 2013). The Company aims at promoting sporting activities in Japan, for example, the Japanese Rugby Team. They are actively involved in operating training schools for young sportsmen for yachting, soccer, and rugby. After sale services is another activity that the Yamaha Company offers to its customers. Raw materials and the Manufacturers of Yamaha The products of Yamaha Company are made of metal alloys, wood, and plastic and rubber materials. The Company uses metal alloys in the manufacturing of its pianos, for example, the acoustic pianos that is