Poverty As a Social Evil and its Various Aspects Essay

Poverty As a Social Evil and its Various Aspects - Essay Example This essay stresses that poverty is a social evil and root cause of a number of problems caused to man, two of which have been greatly dealt with in the paper. Most people that are poor or living below the poverty line are not even able to afford square meals and provide their family with the same. They have many mouths to feed and an unstable source of income which forces many of them to even resort to actions like begging for food. Most of them do not have a house or a roof to live under and thus are subject to the worst kind of diseases. They are not able to help their situation because of the perpetual state of poverty that they lie within. Even food and shelter becomes a distant dream for such people and they become socially excluded from a lifestyle of being able to achieve these basic resources from society. This paper makes a conclusion that the question lies in whether or not such people should be provided with external assistance by others in order for them to be able to gain basic food supplies and a place to live in with their families. Governments in many countries provide the socially backward classes and poor people of the society with these basic amenities. There are a number of food programs taken up in such developing and under developed countries where poor people are given food grains so that they can sustain their lifestyle and be able to feed their families.

Organizational Change and Development Assignment

Organizational Change and Development - Assignment Example This discussion identifies three perspectives, people, approach and method of change implementation at the broader level that impact change management process.  Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, is known to be the first person who touched upon the ‘changing’ nature of the world, in his words, â€Å"you never step into the same river twice,† (Cameron & Green, p.10) and â€Å"all is in flux† (Stetson & Conti, p.29). This concept is equally apt to the world of business with increasing competition, meeting customers’ expectations, and finding new opportunities for growth in business, career and sustaining the competitive edge in the changing markets (McGrath & MacMillan, 2005). Organizations will have to embrace these challenges in order to sustain in the competitive world. In order to achieve their goals, while catering to the changing demands of the industry, organizations adopt strategic changes, appropriate for achieving every single objective. These strategic changes are meant to bring about radical or transformational change to the established ways of working from both organizational and employee perspectives. Nevertheless, bringing about change at the workplace, whether structural, procedural, technological or financial, in order to improve the situation or for better business results entails more efforts than planning the change and its implementation.   The forces that cause organizations to opt for radical transformations could be external such as technological advancements, government regulations, increasing competitiveness, and/or changing demands; and internal such as organizational bureaucracy and complacency.   Usually, implementing change is impacted by factors such as time and investment required; the impact of change on the financial performance of the business; return on investment; an intensity of improvement; and importantly, its impact on the end customers.   At an organizational level, planning for the c hange and change management as a responsibility rests with, or is the function of, specific project management team or division, but its implementation at an organizational level requires the involvement of various, or all, other functions/departments failing which the proposed change itself may fail.   This failure can be disastrous for the organization or business and/or to the people associated with the change and the organization, which includes all stakeholders, i.e. employees, customers, and all shareholders. Therefore, bringing about a change should equally be balanced by the way change is being managed in order to succeed.   Michael Dell believes that companies that learn to manage change are in the best position to continue to take the risks needed to stay out in front (cited Matejka & Murphy, 2005; p.19).

Entry Strategy Used By Wal Mart Commerce Essay

Entry Strategy Used By Wal Mart Commerce Essay This report examines Wal-Mart as a case study. An introduction of the history, objectives and strategy was first examined. It later went on to determine what motive the company into international strategy using secondary data obtained through Websites and journal articles. Taking into consideration Wal-Mart operates in about 15 different countries its entry into Brazil was investigated. The entry strategy used by Wal-Mart was examined using the four categories of timing of entry, market choice, and investment scale and entry mode. The companys corporate strategy was examined and it was discussed in terms of whether Wal-Mart strategy was Global, Multi-domestic and Transnational. Wal-Mart strategy was concluded to be more on the transnational strategy as it took into account its global strategy and local strategy as well. Wal-Mart is known for being a company that has competitive advantage in logistics and customer service which are among its functional analysis. The logistics was examined in full as the main functional analysis affecting Wal-Mart in its entry into Brazil. Finally, recommendations were given on what Wal-Mart could do better when entering another international Market and a conclusion was made. Introduction This report discusses the Wal-Mart was first established in America in 1962 by Sam Walton .Wal-Mart is known as one of the Worlds Largest retailers serving more than 200million customers and members per week (Walmartstores.com). As at 2010, its fiscal year sales was $405 billion and is one of the Worldss most admired Companies Survey. Wal-Mart has over 8400 stores in 15 different countries (Wal-Mart.com) due to its need for globalisation. In this report, Wal-Mart entry into Brazil would be looked upon enabling the discussion on what motivated the firm into globalisation, its entry strategy into Brazil, its corporate strategy that enables it success and its functional analysis. Secondary datas would be used for this analysis. Firm Motivation In order to be able to analyse Wal-Marts entry strategy, it would be worthwhile to understand what motivated the firm into globalisation. Management realised, that by the 2000 the market in the United States would become saturated and reduce their market share and decided to expand global. Also in 1990s, Wal-Mart was facing stiff competition from key players such as K-Mart and target (Angela da Rocha 2002). These two companies were taking up Wal-Mart market share and expanding their global strategy. The competition strategy used by Target and K-Mart left Wal-Mart with no choice than to enter the international market with the aim of increasing market share and sales of the company. Wal-Mart believed in its strength and technology development to help in markets abroad. Wal-Mart was also motivated in terms of thinking about the benefits of economies of scale and scope obtained through globalisation. Wal-Mart deals with major international firms like Unilever (food products) which has its own international operations thereby using its large size to demand deeper discount on items (Hills 2008). Also, another reason Wal-Mart might have decided to entry Brazil could be because of the knowledge and expertise to be gained by other firms competing in such a country and be able to integrate the knowledge obtained into other operations in the future. Diagram derived from: http://www.themanagementor.com/kuniverse/kmailers_universe/mktg_kmailers/wal-mart.htm The diagram above details the competitive advantage that Wal-Mart has in order for it to internationally encourage to enter different markets. Entry Strategy According to Hill 2008, there are four categories of entry strategies used by firms they are as following using Wal-Mart as analysis. Market Choice In 1994, Brazil experienced a new thrust in the economy where there was implementation of lower inflation. This improved the purchasing power of Brazilians and also enhanced economic growth, Wal-Mart saw this as an opportunity to invest in the country. In 1995, Wal-Mart began operations in Brazil; Wal-Mart entered Brazil in order to be able to obtain the benefits to be derived from the potential demand of the population and potential the economic growth Wal-Mart did not use one single strategy to enter different countries. The selection of market choice was based on the detailed information of the business, competitive and economic environments of the country of operations. Govindarajan and Gupta stated After choosing the country, and understanding the environment, the management at Wal-Mart would decide on the best entry strategy. The selection varied from starting new stores from scratch (to acquisitions), joint ventures, and alliances. Wal-Mart establishes its presence in local markets by first understanding the uniqueness of each market, and then by adapting its business model to suit that market. Entry Mode Wal-Mart, through partnership with Lojas Americanas which one of Brazils leading discount store chain entered Brazil. Wal-Mart chooses to own 60% whereas Lojas Americanas would retain 40% which is a joint venture. Wal-Mart holds 60% makes decision making easier has they control a larger percentage of the company and can make quick and managerial decision compared to if it was 50:50. According to the data founded by Hill 2008, UN estimated that some 40-80% of Foreign Direct investment were in form of mergers and acquisition. It is easy to execute joint venture than to start a company from scratch .Within the time taken to start a company from the beginning a competitor might have acquired another company within the country and limit the market share to be obtained. Joint Venture makes it easier for Wal-Mart to meet its objective of becoming a globalised company in international market. The logic behind this partnership and its success is that Lojas Americanas brings in the cultural integration whilst Wal-Mart brings in the managerial skills and resources needed for the partnership to work. Wal-mart decided to open Supercenters (50,000 different items) and Sams Club stores (buyers club which required a fee for membership) because it believed its discount operations would work. The idea of the Supercenters was to provide a new product mix and varieties for the Brazilian market at lowest price. Timing of Entry Wal-Mart entered Brazil as a first mover advantage as technology was not readily available in Brazil at the time of entry given them a competitive advantage against Carrefour. This helped the economy to imitate the technological advancement and incorporate them into other businesses. Although, the sharing of technology was an advantage it could have also been a disadvantage as Wal-Mart was sharing its knowledge with its competitors and this could have been used against them. Investment Scale Wal-mart entered with Lojas Americanas which was known for its aggressive strategy in dealing with businesses thereby helping Wal-Mart gain an advantage. It entered with US$120 million to construct its stores with one in the largest city (Kotabe 2003).It entered at a large scale in order to gain competitive advantage this could have also been a problem if Wal-Mart failed in Brazil thereby losing the revenue used in entry. According to Kotabe 2003, it was stated that Wal-Marts objective was to achieve number one retailer position in Brazil and in order to do that they setup a logistics and communication system competent of supporting no less than 80 units in the Brazilian Market Wal-Mart also employed Brazilian executives who understood the market, cultures, and customers and would be able to manage the company effectively. Wal-Mart continued investing into Brazil has the demand was becoming more than the supply for their manufactured goods and services. Corporate Strategy According to Sam Walton, Wal-Mart strategy is low prices always. Wal-mart is known as Wal-Mart greeters where customers enter the store and they are greeted with a sweet face a, huge smile and a shopping cart (Burbano 2004). Wal-Mart also offered attraction of employees at disposals of consumers helping them as they enter into the stores. Wal-Mart company strategy is based on four pillars cost leadership, customer orientation, logistics and information technology (Angela da Rocha 2002). Fig 1 explains the reasons such as pressure from local responsiveness and pressure from global integration helps in determining the corporate strategy of the firms. When a company such as Wal-Mart chooses a corporate strategy it needs to decide how strong would the pressure of global integration or the pressure of local responsiveness affect its overall objective? Global Strategy In terms of Wal-Mart being a global strategy based in the beginning they prided themselves on being global. It brought the cultures, product, ways and products of the United States into Brazil and thought it could work since Brazil could not be different from America. It was later realised that it would not work and it revised it strategy by incorporating the culture of the Brazilians and the product to satisfy customer needs. Multi-Domestic Strategy In terms of localization strategy, Wal-Mart could not be seen as being localised because it never forgot its strategy of lowest prices and it incorporated some of its American product as well as Brazilian products in the market. Wal-Mart had to change its product from being USA focus and included variety of product that was an attraction to the Brazilian people. Wal-Mart prides itself on being a customer oriented in terms of good service, product at lowest prices. Wal-Mart boasts that it has a global strategy but it is also locally focused we people the people first (Walmartstores.com) Transnational Strategy Wal-Mart could also be seen as a transnational company in terms of the striking the balance between global standardization of operating strategy and local customization of store layout and stocking practices. Wal-Mart took into account what the Brazilians want by buying product from the local manufactures thereby integrating the cultures and customer needs. Also Wal-Mart adjusted to the situation of Brazilian market by increasing the deadlines of delivery by manufactures, it did not use the United State to bring in the products. Functional Analysis In order for Wal-mart to be successful in its chosen country it needs to work as a team with different departments. The departments such as Marketing, Purchasing, HRM, Logistics and Distribution etc come together to analyse the details and decide what is best for the companys operation in the chosen country. Wal-Mart prides itself on its logistic systems being that it enables the company have competitive advantage over its competitors. As Wal-Mart began operation the demand of their merchandise was increasing compared to the supply that they had in store. The checkout lines were longer than expected; there was storage of parking space, traffic congestions and aggressive reaction from Carrefour its competitor. In accordance with Kotabe 2003, Wal-Mart experienced an alarming 40% stock out rate in Brazil, as compared to 5% in the United States. Although the stock out rate has decreased since, the problem is far from being completely eliminated. Brazilian suppliers are lagging behind the U.S. counterparts in logistics technology as that level of technological advancement has not been reached, thus making computerized inventory management systems useless. Additionally, the presences of traffic congestion present another major challenge to consistency and predictability in supply of both Wal-Mart stores and distribution center. At the time of entry, Brazil was in no comparison to the United States in terms of technological advancement. Wal-Mart believed that its logistics was good enough to help them in Brazil; what they failed to consider was the population of the Brazilian people and the demand for their merchandise. Consumers were eagerly interested in the lower prices of merchandise sold by Wal-Mart, and there was no indication of stress of traveling long distance to obtain merchandise. Wal-Mart had a flexible logistics, which enabled it realize the problem the problem of distribution and transport costs from the United State into Brazil. It decided to set-up alliances with local suppliers to deliver some goods that the store needed. This enabled reduced costs due to reduce transportation and fuel by drivers of their trucks and due to the technology it had it was able to determine the quality of the products. Recommendation When Wal-Mart decides to enter into an international market it needs to fully understand the market and the potential demands, political and suppliers issues in order to be fully prepared for adverse reactions. Wal-Mart believes in its logistics as one of its competitive advantage and believes it could help them in any market. It is recommended, that they put into account the tastes and cultures of consumers and how they would be able to adapt to the countries ways of doing things. It is recommended that Wal-Mart could go a long way in benefiting internationally if the above recommendations are considered. Conclusions In this report, the motivation of Wal-Mart into internationalisation was analysed. Also, the entry strategy which included the market choice, the timing of entry, the type of entry mode and the investment scale was analysed. The corporate strategy of Wal-Mart whether it being multi-domestic, global or transnational was analysed. Its functional analysis was examined as well taking into account its logistics system. It was finished with a recommendation on what the company could do better in fir the next entry into another market.

Breakfast of Champions :: Breakfast of Champions Essays

Breakfast of Champions "Our awareness is all that is alive and maybe sacred in any of us. Everything else about us is dead machinery."(p.221) Introduction Breakfast of Champions; or Goodbye Blue Monday is Kurt Vonnegut's seventh novel. He wrote it in 1972, as he himself says, for his fiftieth birthday. It is Vonnegut's own parody of himself and his works. "The various themes and mannerisms that have animated the earlier novels are seen here in a grotesque, cartoon version of themselves," (Todd). It is a confrontation of tragedy of America brought forth by Vonnegut's sensitivity to tragedy (Uphaus), where Vonnegut "seems to rub middle America's nose in the sheer ugliness of life." (Merill) The story Breakfast of Champions is a story of "two lonesome, skinny old men on a planet which was dying fast,"(p.???). One of these two men is Dwayne Hoover, a "fabulously well-to-do" Pontiac Dealer, and the other is Kilgore Trout, an "unknown" and unsuccessful science fiction writer. These two characters are destined to meet in Midland City and Kilgore Trout's book Now It Can Be Told is destined to turn Dwayne Hoover into "homicidal maniac". How the novel is written The novel attacks many things: slavery, racism, commercial greed, jingoism, ecology, capitalism, imperialism, overpopulation etc., all of these aimed precisely at modern American society. Vonnegut "brings a remarcable air of discovery to these themes, the pretense that no one has quite seen before the stark outlines of our hypocrisy," (Todd). Vonnegut is "impolite" in his writing about these matters. He was taught to this impoliteness when he was a kid (p.2) by Phoebe Hurty -- the person this novel is dedicated to. The whole book is written in quite familiar style which was used in Vonnegut's previous novel Slaughterhouse Five. The style can be defined by one line from it: "If accident will" (Vonnegut 1969, p.2). Breakfast of Champions also has the vague image of absolute chaos. Vonnegut denounced books that "make people believe that life had leading characters, minor characters, significant details, that it has lessons to be learned, tests to be passed, and a beginning, a middle, and an end," (p.209). But chaos is not only a way in which Vonnegut writes, it is also what Vonnegut writes about. As I approached my fiftieth birthday, I had become more and more enraged and mystified by the idiot decisions made by my countrymen. And then I had come suddenly to pity

How Useful Are Sources A to C To Explain Why The United States Became Involved In The War In Vietnam?

Sources A-C gives us some insight into why the USA fought and got involved in Vietnam and reveals a number of reasons about Vietnam. I shall be reviewing each source from which I have stated above. Sources A, B and C. Source A is a primary public speech made by President Johnson (Lyndon Baines Johnson) in April 1965 just one month after the start of ‘Operation Rolling Thunder' helping to stop communism according to the provenance. In the speech Johnson is stating in the source, I quote â€Å"We fight in Vietnam because we have a promise to keep†. By this statement indeed Johnson did want his opinions to be heard and notified by his fellow American citizens, so they shall believe every word that comes out of Johnson's mouth. This was due to a promise being made by President Eisenhower when he was elected president in the year of 1953. Lyndon Johnson wishes all the Americans to trust in what he is saying to be 100% truthful and is trying to carry on regarding the promise made by Eisenhower and earn everyone's respect. The ‘Truman Doctrine' was also mentioned about. This is a list of every American President who had been elected in year 1948 to agree with a various amount of promises which they written then had to sign. Truman Doctrine was a promise they were fighting for â€Å"promised to help when there are any threats of communism†. So Johnson decided he wanted to do the same thing, so he signed and agreed once president. In the year of 1954, President Eisenhower and JFK started transporting â€Å"advisers† as the first president Kennedy would have wanted. From the tone of Johnson's words in the speech, you can tell he jus maybe talking in a religious manner and might even be a religious person within the speech. President Lyndon Johnson wants to reassure every single American citizen about the â€Å"Domino Theory†. This was a theory of a mid-20th century foreign policy theory. The title ‘Domino' is given to this theory because it can end up like a stack of dominos. This is because if you let one country fall to communism then each over country around that county would then soon follow falling one to another and become communism itself and Johnson was petrified of this happening. Lyndon Johnson is trying to make everyone go and fight in the Vietnam War. As most of the American citizens believed this is what would eventually happen if just one country did fall to communism and it's why Johnson is trying to justify himself. In the year of 1945 nearly all of all the American leaders all offered to help and give their own support of the Vietnam War. President Eisenhower was a well respected and great general of the war. There was one thing which was expected to be achieved or aimed said by President Johnson in the speech, I quote â€Å"the independence of the South and the freedom of the people of South Vietnam to guide their own country in their own way'. The Americans also think that they're available to strengthen â€Å"world order† because the U.S.A as democratic wanting to stop communism. Although there were two countries that relied on the Americans if they were at any point attacked which were ‘Thailand' and ‘Berlin'. If Vietnam was left to fight for itself, then it would increasingly look terrible on some of the promises which the Americans agreed with, due to American's believing it was their duty and their own right to fight for Vietnam. Johnson implied, I quote â€Å"to leave Vietnam to its fate would shake the value of an American commitment and in the value of America's word. The result would be instability and unrest, and even wider war†. I could say this source is being very biased, due to because Johnson is only giving his own opinion on what the American citizens want to hear, whilst he is keeping his real thoughts inside and not expressing his personal opinions. The source can be seen quite useful, but has limitations, as I have stated, it's a public speech where Johnson isn't really voicing his truths about what he thinks of Vietnam. To look at Johnson's person views, then I can begin to study source B. Source B is a private primary speech made by President Johnson in May 1964 according to the provenance. At this point in time, Lyndon Baines Johnson was only just elected president. With Johnson being V.P. (Vice President) he knew a lot regarding Vietnam and knew how everything worked. Lyndon Johnson became the thirty-seventh Vice President in the years from and to 1963-1965. Johnson was one of the major leaders of the ‘Democratic Party'. Also Lyndon Johnson was the one who were in charge of creating the â€Å"Great Society†. President Lyndon Baines in this private speech is discussing a number of things which includes criticizing most of his very own American citizens. I quote â€Å"I don't think the people of our country know much about Vietnam, and I think we care a hell of a lot less†. From Johnson stating these words, he is blatantly calling most of the American citizens dumb, thick and lack of knowledge about the Vietnam. With Johnson saying this, he has a very low profile on the American citizens and implies that the U.S.A cannot win the war. In public no-one would use the word â€Å"hell† like Johnson did in the speech, due to it being a southern religious Texan society which always stayed faithful and don't appreciate foul language such as swearing. Speaking in Private Johnson doesn't care what he is implying and doesn't have to bite his tongue to try and stop himself from voicing his very own opinions like he does when speaking out in public. As Johnson knows that none of the American citizens shall hear what he really thinks about them. In this source President Johnson is really voicing his opinions. You know this by Johnson saying, I quote â€Å"I don't think we can fight them ten thousand miles away from home, I don't think it's worth fighting for. What the hell is Vietnam worth to me?† Johnson is agreeing that the U.S.A need to stand up to communism, as Johnson is terrified of communism. Although, he is trying to get his personal views across which is stating Vietnam is not worth anything at all. It's like Lyndon Johnson isn't really concerned and couldn't care less about his people and about the Vietnam War. It's showing us that Johnson is scared and has fears of communism taking over the world as states and that the political consideration â€Å"Let's move on, let's go into the North† are just being selfish. We have to be very suspicious within this speech, as it hasn't been edited or tampered with and indeed if it's all whole trustworthy. Possibly was it taped? As it has been to believed that since President Johnson been president in the white house his office was monitored by everything that had been said by recorders. But is this really reliable and exactly what U.S.A. President Lyndon Baines Johnson really said? As I have stated before it can be edited in various ways making things sound different from what has actually been said, which could make this source a limitation. Source C is a secondary speech of a modern writer interview with Professor Noam Chomsky, an American critic of the war in October 1982 according to the provenance underneath the extract. The interview is talking about political reasons of the U.S.A and how they went to war which was to dominate Vietnam. Also to discontinue South Vietnam from independence and indeed there was an attack on South Vietnam from the U.S.A. Professor Noam Chomsky says, I quote, â€Å"The U.S. did not want an independent South Vietnam that was no longer dominated by America. It feared that South Vietnam might be able to reform and improve itself – develop it's economy- and that might work†. Chomsky is being biased due to him being an anti-American, and is therefore being biased towards the American country. To sum up the conclusion of sources A-C all have value and limitations. In my view source B is most useful as it's a private speech where Johnson is criticizing most of his own American citizens by using negative comments and is saying what he really thinks about Vietnam along with the citizens plus America. Once this private speech with Johnson's personal opinions and views about Vietnam, the tape was then exposed to everyone. Therefore source B is definitely the most useful out of them all.

Legacy of the Samurai Essay

For seven centuries, the samurai ruled Japan as the powerful warrior class. As a class of warriors and knights, they led society in feudal Japan. The loyalty to his lord was much more important than his allegiance to his friends, family and even the emperor. Their philosophy was one liberated him from fear, and for these reasons, the samurai came to be the dominate force throughout medieval Japan. War played a central part in the history of Japanese samurai. As regional clans gathered manpower, resources and struck alliances with each other, they formed a hierarchy centered around a toryo, or chief. This chief was typically a relative of the emperor and a member of one of the two dominating clan families of the pre-samurai era. Though they were originally sent to regional areas for a fixed four year term as a magistrate, the toryo usually declined to return to the capital when their terms ended. Their sons inherited their positions instead and continued to lead the clans in suppressing rebellion throughout Japan during the middle and later Heian period. (Cook 24) One main reason why conflict between clans was so predominant was because they were typically started as a result of land ownership. Only a fifth of Japan’s land was suitable for agriculture. The struggle for control of land eventually gave rise to the samurai class. The samurai eventually became a class unto themselves between the 9th and 12th centuries A.D. They were called by two names: samurai which means â€Å"knights† and bushi which means â€Å"warriors†. The samurai came from guards of the imperial palace and from private guards that the clans employed. They also acted as a police force in and around Kyoto. These forerunners of what we now know as samurai had ruler-sponsored equipment and were required to hone their martial skills. They gave complete loyalty to their daimyo (feudal landowner) and received land and position in return. Each daimyo  used his samurai to protect his land and to expand his power and rights to more land. The first samurai were servants, yet their advantage of being the sole armed party increasingly became apparent. By promising protection and gaining political clout through political marriages they amassed power, eventually surpassing the ruling aristocrats. (Kure 10-12) In the late 12th century, the two most powerful clans served the emperor of Japan: the Taira clan, and the Minamoto clan. These two families became bitter rivals, and in 1192, Minamoto Yoritomo led his clan to victory over the Taira. The emperor, the traditional head of the Japanese government, declared Minamoto Yoritomo shogun, the head of the military. However, Yoritomo used his new power to strip the emperor of all political power, make his position as shogun permanent, and set up a military dictatorship known as bakufu. So, the samurai went from being servants of the land-owning daimyos to being the rulers of Japan under the shogun. (Dean 21) Over time, powerful samurai clans became warrior nobility, who were only technically under the court aristocracy. When the samurai began to adopt aristocratic pastimes like calligraphy, poetry and music, some court aristocrats in turn began to adopt samurai customs. (Dean 22) In spite of various scheming and brief periods of rule by various emperors, real power was now in the hands of the shogun and the samurai. The reign of the samurai lasted until the late 19th century. The image of the samurai that is probably most well-known is that of a sword expert, brandishing his curved katana with deadly skill. However, for the first few centuries of their existence, samurai were better known as horse-riding archers. Firing a bow while riding a horse was a demanding task, and mastering it required years of relentless practice. Some archers practiced on targets tethered to a pole, which could be swung to make a moving target. For a time, living dogs were used as moving archery targets, until the shogun abolished the malicious practice. (Turnbull 45) The amount and form of a samurai’s training depended on the wealth of his family. In  lower-class families, sons were sometimes sent to village schools for basic education, but they received most of their samurai training from their fathers, older brother, or uncles. Training in martial arts was considered very important, and often began at age five. Sons of wealthy families were sent to special academies, where they were tutored in literature, the arts, and military skills. (Daidoji, Ratti, and Cleary 6-10) Swordsmanship was taught in a similarly relentless manner. The most recognized weapon of the samurai throughout history was the katana. The oldest swords were straight and had their early design in Korea and China. A katana was never worn without its companion sword, the wakizashi; it was a shorter sword with a broader blade. Together the two swords are referred to as daisho, meaning â€Å"large and small.† The word dai (large) represents the katana and the word sho (small) represents the wakizashi. The smiths who created the katana for the samurai are widely regarded as the finest sword makers in history. (Daidoji, Ratti, and Cleary 42) The samurai’s desire for tougher, sharper swords in battle gave rise to the curved blade. One of the biggest problems in making a sword is keeping it sharp. A weapon made with a hard metal will keep its edge, but will be brittle and prone to breaking. Japanese sword smiths solved this problem by making the core of the sword with a soft metal that wouldn’t break. This core was then covered with layers of harder metals that were repeatedly folded and hammered until there were literally millions of layers of metal laminated together. The edge was so sharp that a skilled swordsman could slice a human in half with one blow. Upon completion, the sword tester took the new blade and cut through the bodies of corpses or condemned criminals. They started by cutting through the small bones of the body and moved up to the large bones. Test results were often recorded on the nakago (the metal piece attaching the sword blade to the handle). The samurai often gave names to their swords and believed it was the soul of their warriorship. (Sato 28-33) In addition to swords and bows, samurai used a variety of bladed-pole arms. One of the more common Japanese pole arms was the naginata, which consisted of a sharp blade two to four feet in length mounted on a wooden shaft that  was four to five feet long. The extra reach afforded by these weapons allowed infantry to hold attackers at bay, or make a first strike before an attacker with a sword could reach them. They were also very effective against mounted opponents. (Kure 170) A big change occurred in the late 15th century because of the consistency of war and the introduction of guns into battle. In the 16th century, European traders arrived in Japan for the first time. The Japanese paid large sums for their matchlock guns, quickly mastering the smithing techniques needed to mass produce the weapons. Although the gun is not traditionally associated with samurai, it was a major influence on Japanese warfare from that point on, allowing daimyos to raise large armies of relatively untrained men armed with cheap guns. Many samurai adopted the unreliable weapons, which were best used as a backup to the more trustworthy sword. (Turnbull 73) The sword played a very key role in the methods and philosophies of the samurai. Without the samurai â€Å"bushido†, they would be considered by modern terms to be heartless killers. Bushido means â€Å"way of the warrior†. It was at the heart of the beliefs and conduct of the samurai. The philosophy of bushido is â€Å"freedom from fear.† It meant that the samurai transcended his fear of death. That gave him the peace and power to serve his daimyo faithfully, loyally and die honorably if necessary. Duty is a primary philosophy of the samurai. In order for the samurai to truly be able to serve his purpose, death must be ignored. An excerpt from _Code of the Samurai_ exemplifies this ideology: _†One who is a samurai must before all things keep constantly in mind†¦the fact that he has to die. If he is always mindful of this, he will be able to live in accordance with the paths of loyalty and filial duty, will avoid myriads of evils and adversities, keep himself free of disease and calamity and moreover enjoy a long life. He will also be a fine personality with many admirable qualities. For existence is impermanent as the dew of evening, and the hoarfrost of morning, and particularly uncertain is the life of the warrior†¦Ã¢â‚¬ _ (15) Religiously, Zen Buddhism spread among samurai in the 13th century and helped to shape their standards of conduct, particularly overcoming fear of death and killing, but among the general populace Pure Land Buddhism was predominant. (Kure 12) Honor was so important to the samurai that they would frequently take their own lives in the face of failure, or if they had violated bushido. This honor-bound suicide became very ritualized, taking the form of seppuku. Also known by the more popular phrase hara-kiri, seppuku was a way for a samurai to restore honor to his lord and family, and to fulfill his obligation of loyalty even if he had failed as a samurai. (May 2) Ritualized seppuku involved the samurai wearing the proper garments while he was presented with the ritual knife, wrapped in paper. The samurai would then take the knife and cut open his own stomach, from left to right, with a final upward cut at the end. However, seppuku was not a solitary act, and few samurai were left to die a slow and excruciating death from disembowelment. Another samurai would typically stand behind the one committing seppuku, and behead him with a sharp sword shortly after the seppuku cut was made to spare him from unnecessary suffering. (May 3) The original motivations for this method of death may well have been purely practical. Cutting off one’s own head is impossible, and the spirit was felt to reside in the stomach, slitting the belly open was felt to be the most straightforward (if not quickest) way to die and free the spirit. (May 5) Although, seppuku may seem crude in modern day society, it was the only way to regain one’s honor, and looked upon as honorable even after the samurai’s decline towards the end of the 19th century. The role of the samurai during peacetime gradually declined, but two key factors led to the demise of samurai: the urbanization of Japan, and the end of isolationism. As more Japanese citizens moved to the larger urban centers of Japan, there were fewer farmers producing the necessary rice to feed the  growing population. The lavish lifestyle enjoyed by the shoguns and most daimyos started to eat away at the economic system. Many Japanese, including lower class samurai, grew dissatisfied with the shogunate because of the deteriorating economic circumstances. (Dean 37) In 1853, U.S. ships sailed into Edo Bay with Commodore Matthew Perry at the helm, intending to deliver a message from President Millard Fillmore to the emperor. Although the emperor was still considered a figurehead, the shogun truly ruled the country. President Fillmore’s message was clear. He wanted to open trade relations with Japan, he wanted shipwrecked U.S. sailors to be treated properly by Japanese soldiers and citizens, and he wanted to open Japanese seaports as a resupply stations for American ships. (Kure 167-9) In Perry’s wake, a rift divided opposing views in Japan. Some wanted to reject the American offer, continue with isolationism, and maintain their ancient traditions. Others, however, realized that Japan could never defend their country when faced with the better technology of the western civilizations. They proposed opening the gates of Japan with the intention of learning everything they could from the Americans, terminating isolationism and becoming a stronger world power. Ultimately, the bakufu decided to open Japanese seaports for American resupply, and later decided to establish trade with America. (Avakian 41) The emperor initially refused to approve to the treaty’s conditions, but because he was merely the face of Japanese government, the bakufu went ahead with the treaty anyway. Several factions of rebellious samurai wanted Japan to stay the same, and therefore supported the emperor and began a civil war against the bakufu. To much surprise, they overthrew the shogun, ending the Tokugawa period and restoring the emperor to his rightful power. Lower class samurai took positions of leadership within the administration, controlling the government from behind the new emperor, a young man by the name of Emperor Meiji. This event is known as the Meiji Restoration. (Avakian 43-48) Throughout Japan at the time, the samurai numbered 1.9 million. The samurai in Japan were not merely the lords, but also their higher retainers, people  who actually worked. With each samurai being paid fixed stipends, the upkeep presented an immense financial burden, which provoked the emperor and his oligarchy to act accordingly. Whatever their true intentions, the oligarchs started a slow and deliberate process to abolish the samurai class. First, in 1873, it was proclaimed that the samurai stipends were to be taxed on a rolling basis. Later, in 1874, the samurai were given the choice to convert their stipends into government bonds. Finally, in 1876, this option of conversion was made obligatory. (Avakian 49-54) Finally, in 1876, the emperor banned samurai from wearing their swords, leading to the creation of a drafted standing army. The final bell had tolled for the samurai — they no longer existed. Not surprisingly, this led to a series of riots from disgruntled samurai. One of the major riots, the Satsuma rebellion, eventually turned into a civil war. This rebellion was, however, put down swiftly by the newly created imperial army The new army was trained in Western tactics and utilized more advanced weapons. Ironically, the core of the new army was the Tokyo Police force, which was formed largely of former samurai who had helped the emperor regain his empire. This sent a strong message to the nonconformist, rebellious samurai that their time was indeed up. (Kure 172-174) The samurai continue to impress, and serve as a model for obedience, reverence, and loyalty on so many different scales. The incredibly rich heritage provided by this elite class of warrior leaders can be linked to the foundations of numerous facets of the life we lead today. Although the samurai cease to exist, their spirit of honor and discipline has found a home in modern times. From the kamikaze pilots of Japan in World War II, to martial artists and even modern businessman who look to bushido as a guide to living an honorable life, samurai continue to positively influence Japan today. BIBLIOGRAPHY Avakian, Monique. The Meiji Restoration and the Rise of Modern Japan. Boston: Silver Burdett, 1991. 38-54. Cook, Harry. Samurai: the Story of a Warrior Tradition. New York: Sterling, 1998. 22-35. Yuzan Daidoji, Oscar Ratti, and Thomas Cleary. The Code of the Samurai. Boston: Tuttle, 1999. 10-44. Dean, Arlan. Samurai: Warlords of Japan. New York: Scholastic Library, 2005. 19-37. Kure, Mitsuo. Samurai: An Illustrated History. Boston: Tuttle Publishing, 2001. 10-179. May, Nick. â€Å"Seppuku – a Practical Guide.† Gaijin Gleaner (1997): 1-5. 1 Dec. 2006 . Sato, Kanzan. The Japanese Sword: A Comprehensive Guide. New York: Kodansha International, Ltd., 1983. 28-80 Turnbull, Stephen. Samurai Warfare. New York: Sterling, 1996. 44-73. Yamamoto, Tsunetomo, and William S. Wilson. Hagakure: the Book of the Samurai. Tokyo: Kodansha America, 1983. 17-65.