Chivalrous Code :: essays research papers

Chivalry began in the 12th century in the form of a knightly code of conduct, with special emphasis on courtly manners toward women. Thirteenth century stories that showed the ways a warrior should behave in romance became popular . Churchmen liked the idea of high standards and made the knighting ceremony a religious occasion with a church vigil and purifying bath. Books on the subject soon began to appear. Many forms of chivalrous code can be found today, from The Cowboy’s Code to the Rules of Courtly Love. These codes are stated with the hope that people will try and follow them to some degree; yet only the perfect could adhere to them all. Considering the fact that such perfection is impossible, the authors merely set out a guideline for honorable behavior. In the context of medieval times, a knight was expected to have faith in his beliefs; for faith was considered to give hope against the despair that human failings create. I chose to use ‘The Code of Chivalry’ for my comparisons on literary characters great successes and failures. For my first example, I chose the brave and fearless Beowulf. According to the 19th code of chivalry, one must ‘Destroy evil in all of its monstrous forms,’ and also ‘Exhibit courage in word and deed.’ Beowulf proclaimed to fight the evil Grendel, saying â€Å"We shall fight for our lives, foe against foe; and he whom death takes off must resign himself to the judgment of God (1200).† After the battle, the terror-filled Grendel crept away, mortally wounded. Beowulf had upheld this particular code with valor and bravery. For my second example, I looked to Sir Gawain. The story of the Green Knight is seeped with instances of chivalry, and honorable men. â€Å"Always keep one’s word of honor,† was an obvious code for this particular story. Not only did Sir Gawain show respect for the codes of chivalry by serving his king, exhibiting courage, and fighting with honor; he kept his words of honor that had been spoken with the Green Knight. Although he was distracted in his course, he kept the appointed new year challenge with the knight. Not a perfect instance of chivalry, yet his example leads nicely into my next character assessment. Don Quixote, if nothing else, must be praised for his valiant efforts to follow the laws of the great knights. After encountering a man beating a half naked youth, he informs him that â€Å"it is a caitiff’s deed to attack one who cannot defend himself.

Sneaker War

Nike currently enjoys a 47% market share of the domestic footwear industry, with sales of $3. 77 billion. Nike has been manufacturing throughout the Asian region for over twenty-five years, and there are over 500,000 people today directly engaged in the production of their products. They utilize an outsourcing strategy, using only subcontractors throughout the globe. Their majority of their output today is produced in factories in China, Indonesia, and Vietnam, but they also have factories in Italy, the Philippines, Taiwan, and South Korea. These factories are 100% owned by subcontractors, with the majority of their output consisting solely of Nike products. However, Nike does employ teams of four expatriates per each of the big three countries (China, Indonesia, Vietnam), that focus on both quality of product and quality of working conditions, visiting the factories weekly. They also developed their code of conduct in 1992 and have implemented it across the globe, as its goal is to set the standard for subcontractors to follow if they wish to do business with Nike. However, due to a manufacturing network of this magnitude, they have faced numerous violations involving factory conditions and human rights issues, which have been widely publicized. They have responded to these issues through the Andrew Young report, the Dartmouth Study, and Ernst & Young's continual monitoring, but are still approximately two years away from completely addressing these problems throughout the globe. Reebok Reebok, as the second leading manufacturer of footwear, has domestic revenues of $1. 28 billion and a market share of 16%. Similar to Nike, they also utilize a 100% outsourcing strategy and manufacture their products throughout Asia. They have created and implemented their own code of conduct for manufactures to follow, but have less infrastructure than Nike across the globe to enforce it. They are facing scrutiny in regards to wage, overtime, and air quality issues, and like Nike, are working to address these issues. However, their strength, the creation and distribution of a global brand, is allowed to foster under this manufacturing strategy, as hey focus on their core competencies, and out source their production. Adidas is currently enjoying the fastest growth of any brand domestically, with a market share of 6% and revenues of $500 million. They have been shielded from bad publicity by the two Goliath's of the industry, Nike and Reebok, and are reaping the rewards substantially. They have adjusted their manufacturing strategy, from a vertical operation in Germany in the 60's and 70's, to an outsourcing focus today throughout Asia. Unlike the big two, they do not have a code of conduct, and their factories are considered to be the worst in the industry. It is just a matter of time before they are exposed, with an underground swelling of negativity already occurring today. In order to avoid the negative effects and lost revenues that Nike and Reebok have received, they need to immediately begin to take a pro active stance in regards to the working conditions of their factories.

My Own Cultural And Ethnic Identity - 987 Words

Using the diagram you developed in class (in response to Exercise 10.7) discuss your own cultural and ethnic identity in terms of your values, beliefs and attitudes. During your discussion you should refer to the theoretical framework provided by either Hofstede or Trompenaars. From the discussion we had during class I was about to find out about how there are some cultural paradoxes between two cultures values, beliefs and attitudes. According to Geert-Hofstede cultural paradoxes can provide us with many answers on how and why people behave differently around the globe. As indicated by Keegan W. J. Culture can be understood as â€Å"ways of living, built up by a group of human beings, that are transmitted from one generation to another†. Culture also includes both conscious and unconscious values. The United Kingdom has a large number of mixed cultures from the research I conducted using the theoretical framework provided by Geert-Hofstede for my own cultural, which is British. The United Kingdom is considered to have individualism society with a score of 89 meaning that the people look after their own family interests, rather than a collective one the British are a highly Individualist and private people. All the kids are taught from an early age to think for themselves and to find out what their unique purpose in life is and how they uniquely can contribute to society. As indicated by Geert-Hofstede with a score of 89 the UK is amongst the highest of the IndividualistShow MoreRelatedA Reflective Educator And My Pedagogical Agenda1216 Words   |  5 PagesMy research during this course has allowed me to become a more reflective educator and to determine my pedagogical agenda. While studying James A. 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