Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Emergence of Global Markets (BUS 250) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Emergence of Global Markets (BUS 250) - Essay Example Technological developments have been immense over the years in all sectors. There are a number of advantages and disadvantages. This essay aims at understanding the effects of technological developments. Technology can be a rather empowering at times but often can also be very frustrating. The computer related technology is becoming one a very important part of the society, and the usage of these technologies has increased a lot over the past few years. With the introduction of Internet there has been a great improvement in the overall lives of many. Internet has infiltrated almost every aspect of life, making it a necessity rather than a luxury. The internet has to a great extent provided a strong ability for globalization. As discussed, the technological developments have been immense over the years in all sectors. The technological developments over the past few years have been immense in almost every field. These developments have been clearly noted a transformation in the commun ication, transport and travel industries and has also led these industries towards a converging harmony. The technological development has been able to push and force attention to the isolated ‘Third World’ Societies into contact with the products of modernity and globalised products. As mentioned earlier, the access to higher and more advanced technology has led to the ability for the industrial activities to flow easily within the markets. It has also provided a chance to allow for better and more flow of finances across the industries. Also it allows for hampering the national government controls. This in simpler terms means that the companies are able to now take on a different approach. Instead of providing customized items, companies have now led to developing more standardized products to meet the global standards. The focus is to provide

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Ethical Responsibility Of The Airline Industry Management Essay

Ethical Responsibility Of The Airline Industry Management Essay The internal and external environment of an organization is related to managerial ethics and also corporate social responsibility in the process of management. This report focuses on the airport industry. In my report, there is the meaning of all factors and also an analysis of the airport industry. I expect that this report will help us know more about some key areas that need to be improved and understand key management. Ethical Responsibility of the Airline Industry Introduction The business of international airline has developed as businesses progressively are rotating worldwide in periods of their investments, provide and output chains and their consumers. The fast development of world business in items and services and worldwide direct buying have furthermore supplemented in the development of enterprise travel? One thing that actually influenced people about the industry of airline was their proficiency to sustain high earnings and sustain high clientele groundwork even after the September 11 attacks and the 2002 recession (John, 2005). The worldwide charges have expanded due to advanced security methods while localized or nationwide charges are very inexpensive to consumers. Discussion Airlines achievement is mainly due to their pointed aim. This is apparent through their no-frills, low-cost model; their aim is to supply the safest and cheapest pattern of air travel between two destinations. Driven through the concept that consumers can be persuaded without having costly choices accessible for them, International Air Transport Association, IATA, outlooks a boost in worldwide air travel through an mean 6.6% a year to the end of the ten years and over 5% a year from 2000 to 2010 (John, 2005). These rates are alike to those of the past 10 years. According to the last four years, outcomes of airlines economic advancement have sustained stable snare sales. In 1999, they had a mean snare sale of $6,739 million, which is an increase to $7,565 million. Their minor fall in 2002 to $7,225 million was due to the September 11th occurrence (Graham, 2010). However, this is not anything contrasted to other foremost commerce that had lost so much more. Since then, numerous airline s and airports have filed for insolvency and have been compelled to close down. In detail, airlines are the only foremost US carrier to stay money-making since then; airlines were influenced through the poor financial situation (John, 2005). A number of components are compelling airlines to become more proficient. In Europe, the European Union (EU) has directed that authorities must not be permitted to sponsor their loss-making airlines. In several other countries, governments anxieties over their own investments and acknowledgement of the advantages of privatization have directed to a stepwise move of possession of airlines from the state to the personal area. In alignment to apply to potential shareholders, the airlines have become more effective and aggressive. There are other causes as to why there has been a boost in air travel. Firstly there has been a decline in employed time since 1971 producing and boost in free time. Emerging trends Fast rising volumes of traffic and estimations of continued expansion into the next decades has damage on the airport capability. Industries of Airbus, for instance, expects a standard yearly traveler traffic development rate of 5.0 percent throughout the next 20 years, which means that throughout this time traffic will raise by 168 percent. At the same time, tolerance of the public environmental effects of air traffic around airports like noise, air contamination and third party danger would emerge and have to be reduced. These contradictory styles of direct airlines, airports , organizations of air traffic control and the industry of equipment and aircraft to plan latest innovative ways and technologies of working aircraft and airports in order to gather both the capacity demands and the environmental limitations. Safety is not the objective of these developments; it is a mere constraint. Consequently, new hazards emerge and accessible dangers become complicated to maintain unless proper concentration is given to security features in this arrangement of rising trends. A latest aspect, third party danger, presented itself as a security distress in a rising number of European states. Airports are centers in the system of air transport. Therefore, their attendance causes a junction of air traffic over the region nearby the airport. For the people living in the surrounding area of an airport this involves unintentional experience to the danger of aircraft mishaps. Even though the possibility of a mishap per flight is extremely small (normally in the order of 1 in one million), local danger levels around airports are higher than one may think. The resulting yearly possibility of a mishap at a distinctive large airport is so much larger than the small possibility of being concerned in an aircraft mishap as a passenger. In addition, mishaps have a propensity to happen throughout the landing and take-off stages of flight and therefore close to an airport. Security information from researches describes that approach and landing stage mishaps account for a major part of fatal air transport mishaps. It can be observed that 82 percent of the accidents of world jet aircraft fleet 1988-1997 happened in these flight stages and recorded for 58 percent of every wounded. Historical information verifies that accidents of aircraft relating significant numbers of third party sufferers happen numerous times a year. Perhaps the best recognized example is the terrible mishap of a Boeing 747 in suburban Amsterdam in 1992. Latest mishaps happened in Taiwan (Taipeh), Russia (Irkoetsk), Paraguay and Zaire (219 3rd party victims). This environmental effect is of rising consequence to airports security liability and decision making on airport improvement and land-use development for airports. Airports play a significant function in the security of air travel. A current study of mishaps described that around 30 percent of these mishaps related at least one airport concerned aspect in the fundamental chain leading up to the accident. Airport related factors in this case are taken as those factors which are specific to the airport environment but are not necessarily owned by the airport (and can therefore include concerns like fog, snow, inadequate ATC guidance, etc.). The comparative value of airport fundamental aspects can be anticipated from their comparative frequency of incidence in fundamental series of mishaps in the dataset. To this end, the 76 various airport connected fundamental aspects discovered, were grouped into seven groups. These groups are:  · Marking and Lighting  · Taxiways and runways  · Information  · External dangers  · Ramp and apron and  · ATC procedures and operations  · Aerodrome Definition of social responsibility Social responsibility is the managerial obligation to take action that protects and improves both the welfare of society as a whole and interests of the organization means, not an end. To be socially responsible, the airline industry must have a clear, rational definition of social purpose, a system of setting priorities based on their social implications, and a structured, integrated approach to financial and social action (Graham, 2010). Implicit in social responsibility is a new definition of success for small business. Area of Social Responsibility When defining its sense of social responsibility, airline industries typically confronts four areas of concern: responsibilities toward the employees, environment, customers and its investors (John, 2003). Social responsibility towards employees In the best tradition of participative management, the airline industries invited all its employees to join in forging a new statement of values to avoid massive layoffs. These included teamwork, mutual respect, and professionalism, all duly inscribed on, among other places, coffee cups at office, so that, every time you had some coffee, you drank the values, too (Gurpreet, 2003). Employees needs must be met if the business itself is to prosper. Relationships of decency and trust are central to the achievement of the airline industries aim. Employees who in the form of dirty lavatories, lack of privacy or unjust wage structures, will be unwilling to contribute to the airline industries. Do people imagine a worker might be inclined to maximize his/her profits by stretching out the work to get more overtime or perhaps even a little Sunday double time? And just as employees need to believe in the companys commitment to treating them with decency, they expect to be treated justly and fai rly, not be used and then arbitrarily rejected. If they can strike a fair deal with people theyll come back for more. In the long run, airline industries will do that much better. Social responsibility towards investors The views of shareholders / investors might have encouraged responsibility in the airline industries. Stockholders want the company to make as much money for them as possible (Gurpreet, 2003). Their objectives differ and they are not confined to furthering the strictly economic role of companies. Indeed, recent developments in the area of ethical investment trusts would seem to indicate that many investors, like employees, are very keen to feel good about the firms in which they are involved. Certainly not all of them are simply after a quick financial return and they are often clear about areas like tobacco, alcohol, gambling, or arms into which they do not want to, put their money (John, 2003). Social responsibility towards customers Obviously, a company should act responsibility towards its customers and provide quality products and pricing product fairly based on consumer rights (Graham, 2010). Consumers have a right to safe products, most completed instruction and product testing. Consumers have a right to be informed about all relevant aspects of a product. Social responsibility towards environment Good environmental management can improve employee morale and help attract better quality staff, cut costs by eliminating waste and saving energy, and bring competitive advantage by putting the company at the forefront of technical and regulatory development. Firms in numerous other industries have also integrated socially conscious thinking into their production plans and marketing efforts. The production of environmentally safe products, for example, has become a potential boom area, designing products to be environmentally friendly. Sales of vegetable-based cleaning products, recycled paper products and all natural toiletries are a few examples. Approaches to social responsibility There are four approaches to social responsibility. First is obstructionist approach. Second is defensive approach. Third is accommodative approach. And fourth is proactive approach. Advantages of behave social responsibility Using social responsibility to spot out new markets isnt a matter of recognizing that these opportunities exist. That means we may have to be content with a smaller profit margin in exchange for gaining a new market, and never make the mistake of assuming that a less-affluent market is any less choosy than the well off when it comes to buying habits. Disadvantages of behaving in an unsocial manor Unethical and irresponsibility business practices towards customers can result in government fines and loss of clientele. Collusion occurs when two or more firms agree to collaborate on such wrongful acts such as fixed pricing. However irresponsible behavior towards investors means abuse of a firms financial resources. In such cases, the ultimate losers are indeed the owners who did not receive there due earnings or dividends. Companies can act irresponsibility by misrepresent ting company resources such as improper financial management, check kiting, insider trading, and misrepresentation of finances (John, 2003). Case study There is an example of Malaysia Airlines System (MAS) as a case study. As an employer, insurer, consumer and investor, MAS has studied that the social responsible can be reflected in its environment, community, workforce, human rights, health and safety, suppliers, customers and standards of business practice. Every member is committed to continuous improvement in the corporate social responsibility program and this encourages those business partners to strive for matching performance. Thus, they recognize that the business activities have direct and indirect impacts on the society in which is operating all the time and carried out some policies as below: a) Employee appreciation and prizes: MAS realizes that workers are inclined to enlist in demeanor that is identified and paid and bypass demeanor that is punished. The system of employing, chartering, encouraging, reimbursing and openly respecting workers all may be conceived to encourage business communal duty. b) Communication, education and training: MAS identified that workers will not be held responsible if they are not cognizant of its significance and supplied with the data and devices they need to proceed properly in bearing their job requirements. They announce the significance of business communal blame internally, encompass it as a subject in administration teaching programs, and supply managers and workers with decision-making methods that support them accomplish to blame results. c) Environment: MAS has an encouraging dream of a cleaner, smarter development in aviation which maximizes the affirmative advantages for humanity facilitating prosperity, regeneration, local and UK competitiveness, heritage exchange and communal addition while minimizing contradictory communal and ecological influences (David, 2009). d) Practices of business: It has habitually integrating schemes, inducements and pay schemes to make sure that sustainable improvement main concerns are echoed in day-to-day conclusions and procedures at each of the airports. By advancing presentation through objectives, externally audited goals, key presentation signs and by mirroring these main concerns in connections with enterprise suppliers and partners. By looking through MAS past accomplishments, they have struggled to assist the buyer better and have obtained worldwide acclaim from numerous unaligned associations for diverse facets of their services. Their peak administration group obtained an accolade from the Asian Institute of Management and the World Executive Digest, for its excellence in general administration and achievement in positioning itself in the airline industry. Going as far back as 1957, they obtained the Cumber Batch Trophy for no misfortune record (John, 2003). In year 1995, the Boeing Commercial Aircraft Company provided Malaysia a Pride in Excellence Award in accomplishing reliability excellence for the B737-400 fleet (David, 2009). Malaysia Airlines performance has a crucial function in projecting Malaysia as a favored and worth for cash tourist place traveled to through comprehensive on-going junction advancements with tourism in Malaysia at main markets to boost tourist appearances into Malaysia. Conclusion Malaysia Airlines can play a role of leadership in influencing the behavior of others, from business partners to industry colleagues to neighboring businesses. The entire company has been acting conscientiously and thinking long term because they recognize that eventually it is in everyones best interests to have as several companies as possibly honoring the expectations and requirements of responsibility of corporate social. It endeavors to control every procedure in a responsible approach, believing that sound and provable performance in relation to business social responsibility rules and practices is a basic element of business success.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Hong Kong Artist :: Jackie Chan Actors Movies Films Essays

Hong Kong Artist Have you ever seen "Rush Hour" or "Shanghai Noon"? Were you excited when you see all the stunts and kung fu fighting in those films? All these film starred a famous international artist and singer, Jackie Chan, who was originated from my hometown, Hong Kong. It is interesting to know about his childhood, and how he became who he is today. Jackie Chan's Childhood was not very pleasant because his family was very poor. Jackie Chan's real name was Kwong-Sang Chan, and he was born in Hong Kong on April 7, 1954. His Chinese name Kwong-Sang means "born in Hong Kong." Jackie was delivered after twelve months of pregnancy. That was three months more than usual delivery. Therefore, his mother had to have a surgery to bring him out. At his birth, Jackie weighed more than twelve pounds. Jackie had a nickname called "Ah Pao" which means a cannonball. Jackie was not a kid who loved school. He attended the Nah-Hwa primary school in Hong Kong, but he disliked school and left after finishing first grade. At age of seven, his father took position as chief in the American Embassy in Australia. His father determined that the boy should learn some skills and sent him to the Peking Opera School. In Peking Opera School, Jackie learned dancing, singing, acrobatics, acting and martial arts. Also, Jackie met Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao who became successful actors today. During the school days, Jackie and his friends had to train everyday from morning till night. Jackie had mentioned it was the hardest period of his life. They needed to study and work 19 hours a day. Jackie and his friends would be punished and beaten up if they did not fulfill their practice or failed to achieve the standards. After days of practice, they would perform in a troupe called "The Seven Fortunes". Among them, Sammo Hung was the big brother of the group. They often performed in public performances at the Laiyuen Amusement Park and other venues. This was the childhood of Jackie Chan. The early years of Jackie Chan in the film industry was not successful at all. As time changed, the Peking Opera School declined. Their master started to loan "The Seven Fortunes" out as stuntmen to film company. Jackie worked as a stuntmen or the Shaw Brothers Film Company. He performed many dangerous stunts for the company and soon got noticed.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Animal Rights Opinion Essay Essay

To have a liable viewpoint on the topic of Animal Rights, one must practically have the abilities of a well-practiced philosopher. You must be able to fully evaluate the characteristics of every possible relationship, good or bad, between man and his fellow members of the Animal Kingdom, and their potential outcomes. You must also decide if you believe in human exceptionalism, that is, whether or not we are equal to animals. â€Å"A rat is a pig is a dog is a boy.† Says Ingrid Newkirk, head of PETA, in 2003, â€Å"They are all mammals†. Other individuals, however, such as Wesley J. Smith (2010), believe that this attitude will devalue the â€Å"the unique status of humans†. Everyone has their own take on this topic, and, if we resolve this in a civilized and orderly fashion, we can potentially have a perfect balance between humans and the world’s diverse flora and fauna. Across the globe, there are hundreds of organizations that are constantly fighting for the equality of animals, and the elimination of their mistreatment. Some of the bigger names include the World Wildlife Fund, (WWF), and PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). These groups rally, lobby, and petition against criminal acts against practically every species of animal, and believe you me they have their hands full! In some laboratories, primates are being rigorously forced through difficult tests, and on some farming facilities belonging to today’s big corporations, such as the large restaurant chain known as Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), animals are being harvested in an inhumane manner. Among the worst cases is the solicitation of â€Å"crush films†, in which puppies and small, cute animals are â€Å"slowly crushed or impaled by women wearing heels,† reports David Michael (2010). These videos were banned in 1999 by the Supreme Court, until the federal law had overreached, and the law was overturned. These acts are clear examples of cruelty towards animals, and can never be truly justified. If we take the rights steps, in a warranted and honest manner, then we can stop animal abuse, and save future species from an unruly and unjustified future as slaves to man-kind. There also exists a whole other group of people who believe that life is just a game of the survival of the fittest, which is similar to the point of view of Wesley J. Smith, author of A Rat Is a Pig Is a Dog Is a Boy: The  Human Cost of the Animal Rights Movement. He, and many others, believe that â€Å"valuing humans over animals is a form of discrimination† against humans, which he describes in his new book published in 2010. He also tells us that giving animals the same legal status takes away from who we are, as the dominant species of Earth. I personally, do not believe this is completely true. We moved these creatures out of their homes to build our houses and buildings, and then polluted them with the carbon outputs of our cities and towns. This makes it our responsibility to help them find new homes any way we can. On the other hand, he did mention something I could partially relate to. â€Å"Humans do indeed have a moral obligation to promote animal welfare, but they are also entitled to use animals, particularly if the use of animals alleviates human suffering.† I can get behind this statement to some extent. There are hundreds of scientists using animals to research possible cures for certain diseases that affect thousands of humans daily. However, harming these animals would be completely unacceptable. We could use alternative solutions, like observing animals in their natural habitats, if possible, and study them there, or at least let them go, unharmed, after the experiment is completed. Although many groups and individuals are taking the right steps to put an end to this epidemic, not everyone likes to play by the rules. There have been numerous cases of arson, theft, and animal right activists terrorizing companies that test on animals. In fact, â€Å"fifty-one out of fifty-eight of the incidents of domestic terrorism identified in the FBI’s report Terrorism 2002-2005 were suspected to have been perpetrated by animal rights activists,† claims Smith (2010). â€Å"Which is surprisingly violent for its (animal rights movement) allegedly non-violent goals,† agrees David Michael (2010). Some of the more extreme cases include lighting entire laboratories on fire, death threats, and, in 2007, a researcher’s children being sent HIV-infected needles in the mail. Even PETA is not completely innocent of such acts. In 1995, they donated over $45 000 to the defense funds of Rodney Coronado, who was guilty of burning down a Michigan State laboratory. PETA finds these are â€Å"acceptable crimes†¦when used for the animal cause,† says Alex Pacheco, a co-founder of PETA. They also compared animal cruelty to the Holocaust in one of their many campaigns, to get their message across crystal clear, which offended many members of the public, and therefore raised many eyebrows. I believe that we must find was  to eliminate animal abuse with this ‘militaristic’ component. In conclusion, I believe that, a long time ago, before man first started his evolutionary track, a balance of rights and respect between our kind and the rest of the world’s fauna existed. However, as we evolved, this balance shifted into our favor. We became the dominant exception in the Animal Kingdom, removing inferior species from their homes, either by enslaving or killing them. This behavior is unacceptable, and must be stopped, because of its excessive injustice towards animals. I also believe that organizations like PETA are on the right track. In order to make change, we have to fight for it, but to certain extents. Arson and burglary are deplorable, and will only make the problem even worse. We must deal with these issues in a civilized and organized manner. Burning laboratories simply won’t do. Once these steps are taken, and if we are able to treat animals with the respect and value, we will be able to coexist in harmony with the rest of the Animal Kingdom, and the balance we once had can be restored. Works Cited Michael, D. (2010, July 21st). Animal Spirits. Retrieved July 30th, 2010, from the Book: http://www.tnr.com/book/review/animal-spirits

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Japanese Culture Essay

social forces which influence the society and its values. Every culture has its own unique qualities not found in other cultures. Japan is no exception. It is culture is centered on the core values and traditions. They lead Japanese people to have different ways of looking at the world largely from differences in language and religion. Japanese culture determines specific way of living and social relations, cultural and religious views. History, Culture and Lifestyle Japanese history rises mistily out of the period known to archeologists as the Tomb or Tumulus period. During this important period Japan was unified under the imperial court of Yamato and became intimately involved with South Korea, pathway for many cultural elements of continental origin into Japan. Writing was one such element. Japan began to have historico-legendary records of its own and gradually moved from its protohistoric to the historic period. The main historical period were â€Å"Asoka period (522-710), Nara Period (710-784), Early Heian (784-897), Middle and Late Heian (897-1185), Kamacura period (1185-1336), Murimachi Period (1336-1393), Memoyama period (1573-1614), Edo Period (1615-1867), Meiji Restoration (1867-1911)† (Martines, 1998). During all historical period, Japanese lifestyle was influenced by political, economic and social changes, new perception of the world and religion. Japanese culture is based on unique traditions and values influenced by religion and life style. The Japanese learned to view the world from the perspective of traditional versus modern values after the Meiji Restoration in 1868 following the opening of Japan’s doors to the world. This attitudinal structure started to fall apart in 1978, and its disintegration became definite by 1988. For example, the â€Å"conquering† nature was an important value during the era of Japan’s modernization process, but it has since been replaced by the â€Å"following† nature. In the middle of the XX century, the traditional perspective of catching up with the West and categorizing what is Western and Japanese has become meaningless (Oxtoby 2001). While the industrialization process produced divergent values for Japan and the West, it also is responsible for the development of some homogeneous cultural values. Researchers found three levels of similarities: (1) frequency distribution of single variables, (2) similar impacts of age and gender on attitudes, and (3) similar structures in the way people categorize their experience (Oxtoby 2001). Modern Japanese lifestyle is influenced by industrialization and innovations coming from other countries. Thus, Japanese value their old traditions and rituals adapting them to new social environment. For instance, Japanese take off shoes inside the house, they pay 5% commission tax for purchases, they follow bath and toilette design according to norms and practices of century old traditions (Oxtoby 2001). In short, the Japanese self, characterized by its diffuse nature or collective orientation, represents a self who lost its space to be free of the omnipresence of the giri-ninja social network in Japanese society in return for being taken care of by its group. The strong sense of belonging to one’s company and family assures one materially a comfortable life at the individual level and stability and safety at the social level, making Japan relatively free of violent crimes. Such a life is stifling and meaningless to Americans even if they must pay a high price of alienating from the rest of society (Shelley, 1992). Japan managed to keep a sense of alienation to a minimum as it industrialized and urbanized by maintaining its virtually â€Å"village† mentality and social network. However, the value the Japanese gain by observing the traditional code of conducts, the giri-ninjo, is material and psychological welfare, which is provided to members of Japanese society more or less equally and fairly at the individual level, and public safety, which is provided at the collective level in Japan today. Another pair of terms often used in discussing Japanese culture is tatemae and honne. The former refers to the proper role expectation as defined by society and the second to one’s real inner feelings, however irrational they may be. Often, to act in accordance with giri is to act in conformity with the norm of a community (tatemae). The role language plays in culture cannot be underestimated, for it offers a way of organizing one’s life experience in a particular way that is shared by its speakers but not necessarily by people in other cultures (Davies and Ikeno, 2002). Family is one of the most important social institutions which keep century old traditions and human relations. In response to the traditional call for harmony, the Japanese are expected to conform to group norms. This proclivity yields situational ethics based on flexible standards (Shelley, 1992). There are no absolute criteria by which one passes judgment. The Japanese spend a disproportionately large sum of money for socializing, as embodied in semiannual gift exchanges between friends, relatives, and colleagues and after-work drinking of working men and women among co-workers and friends. Religion In Japan, nearly 100 % of the population are Buddhists and in many cases Scientists. The Japanese are, of course, not religious in the sense that they believe in God. Christians constitute about I % of the total population. Most Japanese are not very concerned with religion. They celebrate the birth of children in accordance with the Shinto rituals and bury their dead with the help of Buddhist priests. Meanwhile, they may get married in civil ceremonies, Christian churches, or other facilities. That is perhaps what makes it possible for the Japanese to accept more than one religion at the same time, an unthinkable option for monotheistic people of the West and West Asia, accustomed as they are to dialecticism. The Japanese approach the world in a diffuse fashion or inclusively. The number of Japanese with a religious faith increases with age (Davies and Ikeno, 2002). Fewer than 10 % of the Japanese in their early twenties and about 50 % of Japanese senior citizens over sixty years of age are religious. The older one becomes, the more religious one becomes. Likewise, Japan never had any revolutions such as experienced by China, France, and the United States. Revolutions are carried out by those who believe in the total destruction of the old regime and the establishment of a radically different doctrine. The Japanese seem to be incapable of totally denying their past. They are always interested in improving (kaizen) their existing system–be it via fax machine, Buddhism, or television sets. The majority of the Japanese do not take religion very seriously from the Western perspective (Oxtoby 2001). Japanese mythology distinguishes two categories of deities, the heavenly gods and the native or territorial gods. Some myths represent the heavenly deities as descending to the land of Japan to conquer or rule its autochthonous deities. The myth of land transfer in Izumo is one instance. Two generals of the heavenly gods were dispatched to Izumo to demand of O-Kuninushi, chief of the native gods and master of the territory of Japan, that he hand over sovereignty to the heavenly gods (Oxtoby 2001).