Origins of the Ancient Mesoamerican Ballgame

Origins of the Ancient Mesoamerican Ballgame The Mesoamerican Ball Game is the oldest known sport in the Americas  and originated in southern Mexico approximately 3,700 years ago. For many pre-Columbian cultures, such as the Olmec, Maya, Zapotec, and Aztec, it was a ritual, political and social activity that involved the whole community. The ball game took place in specific I-shaped buildings, recognizable in many archaeological sites, called ballcourts. There are an estimated 1,300 known ballcourts in Mesoamerica. Origins of the Mesoamerican Ball Game The earliest evidence of the practice of the ball game comes to us from ceramic figurines of ballplayers recovered from El Opeà ±o, Michoacan state in western Mexico about 1700 BC. Fourteen rubber balls were found at the shrine of El Manatà ­ in Veracruz, deposited over a long period beginning about 1600 BC. The oldest example of a ballcourt discovered to date was built about 1400 BC, at the site of Paso de la Amada, an important Formative site in the state of Chiapas in southern Mexico; and the first consistent imagery, including ball-playing costumes and paraphernalia, is known from the San Lorenzo Horizon of the Olmec civilization, ca 1400-1000 BC. Archaeologists agree that the origin of the ball game is linked with the origin of ranked society. The ball court at Paso de la Amada was constructed near the chiefs house and, later on, the famous colossal heads were carved depicting leaders wearing ballgame helmets. Even if the locational origins are not clear, archaeologists believe that the ball game represented a form of social display- whoever had the resources to organize it gained social prestige. According to Spanish historical records and indigenous codexes, we know that the Maya and Aztecs used the ball game to solve hereditary issues, wars, to foretell the future and to make important ritual and political decisions. Where the Game Was Played The ball game was played in specific open constructions called ball courts. These usually were laid out in the form of a capital I, consisting of two parallel structures that delimited a central court. These lateral structures had sloping walls and benches, where the ball bounced, and some had stone rings suspended from the top. Ball courts were usually surrounded by other buildings and facilities, most of which probably were of perishable materials; however, masonry constructions usually involved surrounding low walls, small shrines, and platforms from which people observed the game. Almost all main Mesoamerican cities had at least one ball court. Interestingly, no ball court has yet been identified at Teotihuacan, the major metropolis of Central Mexico. An image of a ball game is visible on the murals of Tepantitla, one of Teotihuacans residential compounds, but no ball court. The Terminal Classic Maya city of Chichen Itz has the largest ball court; and El Tajin, a center that flourished between the Late Classic and the Epiclassic on the Gulf Coast, had as many as 17 ball courts. How the Game Was Played Evidence suggests that a wide variety of types of games, all played with a rubber ball, existed in ancient Mesoamerica, but the most widespread was the hip game. This was played by two opposing teams, with a variable number of players. The aim of the game was to put the ball into the opponents end zone without using hands or feet: only hips could touch the ball. The game was scored using different point systems; but we have no direct accounts, either indigenous or European, that precisely describe the techniques or rules of the game. Ball games were violent and dangerous and players wore protective gear, usually made of leather, such as helmets, knee pads, arm and chest protectors and gloves. Archaeologists call the special protection constructed for the hips yokes, for their resemblance to animal yokes. A further violent aspect of the ball game involved human sacrifices, which were often an integral part of the activity. Among the Aztec, decapitation was a frequent end for the losing team. It has also been suggested that the game was a way to resolve conflicts among polities without resorting to real warfare. The Classic Maya origin story told in the Popol Vuh describes the ballgame as a contest between humans and underworld deities, with the ballcourt representing a portal to the underworld. However, ball games were also the occasion for communal events such as feasting, celebration, and gambling. The Players The entire community was differently involved in a ball game: Ballplayers: The players themselves were probably men of noble origins or aspirations. The winners gained both wealth and social prestige.Sponsors: Ball court construction, as well as game organization, required some form of sponsorship. Affirmed leaders, or people who wanted to be leaders, considered ball game sponsorship an opportunity to emerge or reaffirm their power.Ritual Specialists: Ritual specialists often performed religious ceremonies before and after the game.Audience: All sorts of people participated as spectators to the event: local commoners and people coming from other towns, nobles, sport supporters, food sellers and other vendors.Gamblers: Gambling was an integral component of ball games. Bettors were both nobles and commoners, and sources tell us that the Aztec had very strict regulations about bet payments and debts. A modern version of the Mesoamerican ballgame, called ulama, is still played in Sinaloa, Northwest Mexico. The game is played with a rubber ball hit only with the hips and resemble a net-less volleyball. Updated by K. Kris Hirst Sources Blomster JP. 2012. Early evidence of the ballgame in Oaxaca, Mexico. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition. Diehl RA. 2009. Death Gods, Smiling Faces Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies Inc: FAMSI. (accessed in November 2010)and Colossal Heads: Archaeology of the Mexican Gulf Lowlands. Hill WD, and Clark JE. 2001. Sports, Gambling, and Government: Americas First Social Compact? American Anthropologist 103(2):331-345. Hosler D, Burkett SL, and Tarkanian MJ. 1999. Prehistoric Polymers: Rubber Processing in Ancient Mesoamerica. Science 284(5422):1988-1991. Leyenaar TJJ. 1992. Ulama, the survival of the Mesoamerican ballgame Ullamaliztli. Kiva 58(2):115-153. Paulinyi Z. 2014. The butterfly bird god and his myth at Teotihuacan. Ancient Mesoamerica 25(01):29-48. Taladoire E. 2003. Could we speak of the Super Bowl at Flushing Meadows?: La pelota . Ancient Mesoamerica 14(02):319-342.mixteca, a third pre-Hispanic ballgame, and its possible architectural context

All Hail the Divine Ruler, Queen of Kish

All Hail the Divine Ruler, Queen of Kish Want to know which monarch of ancient Sumer reigned supreme at any given time? You’d have to check out the aptly named Sumerian King List. But the Sumerians had a super-special idea of â€Å"kingship†: it was a force that liked to travel. For generations at a time, nam-lugal, or â€Å"kingship,† was bestowed upon a particular city, represented by a monarch who ruled for a long time. Only one city was believed to hold true kingship at any given time. After a few hundred years, kingship went from one city to another, which then held the honor of nam-lugal for a few generations. Apparently, the gods, who bestowed rulership as a privilege, not a right, upon humans, got fed up of one place after a period of time, so they regifted it elsewhere. In reality, the list may have reflected a particular city’s rise to power or military defeat in Sumer: if City A came to prominence, then its hegemony could be justified by claiming divine right. This mythological idea wasnt realistic - many cities had individual kings reigning at the same time – but since when did myth have reflect reality? Its Ladies Night Tons of monarchs make an appearance on the Sumerian King List, but there’s only one lady named: Kubaba, or Kug-Bau.  Not to be confused with the monster Huwawa or Hubaba in the Epic of Gilgamesh, Kubaba was a woman alone – the only queen regnant who’s recorded as bearing divine rulership. The Sumerian King List records that the city of Kish held nam-lugal multiple times. In fact, it was the first city to hold kingship after a great mythical flood – sound familiar? After sovereignty bounced around to a lot of different places, it landed in Kish a few more times – although that’s since been cast in doubt. On one of those occasions, a woman named Kug-Bau ruled the city. Drink Up!   Kubaba is first identified in the King List as the â€Å"the woman tavern-keeper.† How could she have gone from owning a bar/inn to ruling a city? We can’t be sure, but female tavern-keepers actually held important positions in Sumerian mythology and daily life. Perhaps that’s because of the mega-importance of beer in Sumerian culture. While some scholars theorized that taverns equaled brothels in Sumer, apparently â€Å"tavern keeping was a common and respectable female occupation until later periods in Mesopotamia,† according to Julia Assante. Regardless of what kind of show they were running, women often ran taverns, holding perhaps one of the only independent female positions of power in ancient Sumer. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, an important character is Siduri the tavern-keeper, who runs an inn in the Underworld. She must be an immortal of some sort to live where she does, and gives Gilgamesh sage advice like â€Å"Who of the mortal can live forever? The life of man is short†¦.let there be pleasure and dancing.† So, in what was probably a very important epic even in antiquity, a female tavern-keeper was seen as a guide  along perilous paths  and a figure worthy of veneration. Real-life politics may or may not have allowed a tavern-keeper co to rule over her city. But what was the purpose in identifying her profession? By associating her with the mythical Siduri and a prominent feminine profession – whether she ran a brothel or not - the recorder of the King List literally immortalized Kubaba and made her the one of world’s most independent women before Beyoncà ©. According to Carol R. Fontaine in her essay â€Å"Visual Metaphors and Proverbs 15:15-20,† there was a sacredness attached to female tavern-keepers. She wrote that, â€Å"given the association of Inanna-Ishtar with the tavern and the sweet (sexual?) wine to be drunk there, as well as female ownership of taverns and involvement with the process of brewery, we should not assume Ku-Baba to be some sort of prostitute but a successful business woman with divine associations herself.† So what else did Kubaba do? The King List says she â€Å"made firm the foundations of Kish,† indicating she fortified it against invaders. Lots of monarchs did this; Gilgamesh even built a lot of walls to protect his city of Uruk . So it sounds like Kubaba carried on a grand royal tradition of building up her city. According to the King List, Kubaba ruled for one hundred years. That’s obviously exaggerated, but a lot of other monarchs on the list have similarly long reigns. But it didn’t last forever. Eventually, â€Å"Kish was defeated† – or destroyed, depending on the version you’re reading – and the gods decided to remove kingship from this city. It went to the city of Akshak instead. A Womans Work Never Ends But Kubaba’s legacy didn’t end there. It seems that later generations weren’t crazy about women occupying traditional men’s roles. A later omen reading indicated that, if an individual is born intersex, it’s the â€Å"omen of Ku-Bau who ruled the land; the land of the king will become waste.†Ã‚  By taking on the duties of a man – a king – Kubaba was seen to have crossed a boundary and transcended gender divisions in an improper fashion. Combining male and female genitalia in an individual would echo her reign as lugal, or king, which the ancients saw as violating the natural order of things. The omen texts indicate that both an individual with the sexual organs of two genders and a queen regnant were seen as unnatural. â€Å"These were linked in the elite mind as a challenge and threat to the political hegemony of the king,† said Fontaine. Similarly, in another omen reading, if a patient’s lung didn’t look so good, it was the sign of Kubaba, â€Å"who seized the kingship.†Ã‚  So, basically, Kubaba’s legacy served as a means of identifying bad stuff that went against the way things should be. Its also worth noting that Kubaba is portrayed as an improper usurper here. Kubaba’s legacy might not have been limited to her reputation. In fact, she mightve founded a real dynasty! After her reign, kingship transferred to Akshak; a few generations later, a king named Puzur-Nirah ruled there. Apparently, Kubaba was still alive at this time, according to the Weidner Chronicle, and Kubaba, a.k.a. â€Å"the alewife,† fed some local fishermen who lived near her house. Because she was so nice, the god Marduk liked her and gave â€Å"royal dominion of all lands entirely over to Ku-Baba.† On the King List, royal power is said to have gone back to Kish after Akshak†¦and guess who ruled? â€Å"Puzur-Suen, the son of Kug-Bau, became king; he ruled for 25 years.† So it looks like the story about Marduk giving kingship back to Kubaba’s family demonstrates her real-life family taking power eventually. Puzur-Suen’s son, Ur-Zubaba, ruled after him. According to the list, â€Å"131 are the years of the dynasty of Kug-Bau,† but that doesn’t add up when you tally the years of each reign. Oh, well! Eventually, the name â€Å"Kubaba† became best-known as that of a Neo-Hittite goddess, hailing from the city of Carchemish. This Kubaba probably didn’t have any relation to our Kug-Bau from Sumer, but an incarnation of the deity so prominent in Asia Minor might’ve become the goddess the Romans knew as  Cybele (nà ©e Cybebe). If so, then the name Kubaba had come a long way from Kish!

What economic future are markets currently pricing in Essay

What economic future are markets currently pricing in - Essay Example Consistent actions such as quantitative easing in money market, though helped to control the money supply in the market, but it also hinted at the weakening of major currencies of the world also specially dollar. UK’s current debt situation and the debate on it during recent past indicated that there are subtle doubts within the minds of investors that countries like UK can default too. This was mostly due to higher budget deficit and faltering in the credit ratings of the country itself. It has been reported in the Bank of England (BoE) financial stability report that the markets have started to put strain on different markets including the sovereign markets. This clearly indicates the overall sentiments in the market and how market actually perceives the future risks. It has been discussed in the financial stability review of the BoE that the overall conditions are improving for the economy as a whole and the financial system of the country has been able to manage its essential activities. This signifies the slow recovery and stability which is emerging in the financial markets of the country and a such the sign of stability in the financial markets can also serve as one of the important indicators for the improved investor confidence and hence the correct pricing of risk of the assets. Financial stability review also indicates that the financial institutions have been able to cushion themselves against the losses which can erode their capital with the systematic increase of their capital base to meet the Basel II requirements. Thus the overall risk faced due to higher sovereign risk in cases of Greece and Ireland may be easily absorbed by the larger UK firms. (Bank of England, 2010) A closer look at the discussion and data presented in the financial stability report would suggest that the overall market sentiments are not good enough. The increasing level of sovereign risk especially in the wake

LAB report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lab Report Example On the other hand, a dry density obtained through impacting of energy on the soil relies on the first initial content of water which is referred to as the moulding content of water. Getting to know the relationship between the moulding content of water and the achievable density is a topic that has been of concern for many years. The dry condition, and a moulding content water increase could lead into a high dry density compaction. The trend will continuous until when the maximum dry density is achieved at an optimum water content moulding. As the water increases, there would be a continuous dry density reduction. Such a reaction would be referred to as the curve of compaction. In order to gain a deeper insight concerning compaction, this experiment was set to investigate the compaction test. The sample mould base and mould mass would be determined to the nearest gram. The mould diameter and depth were measured. The mould depth was about 3 places where as the moulding diameter was about 6 places + or- 0.02 mm. The hammer, mass, proper drop, and square edges was checked for damages. A well-graded sand with fine that are less than five percent was used to ease the laboratory instruction. A material with particles that are oversize was selected to show the test aspects. Enough moist material was selected to give out approximately 12 kg of soil that is dry. The natural content of water was obtained. The amount of materials needed for the point of compaction was estimated. Five samples having contents of water separated by 1.5 percent were prepared. The water contents were adjusted such that they bracket the value that was optimum. The soil was tempered overnight to reduce the scatter in the data thus making it easy to define the curve of compaction. The compaction test was d one in respect to the standards of the ASTM test

Cultural Diversity Essay Example for Free

Cultural Diversity Essay Cultural diversity is a big part of the community I was raised in and apart of today. Many people spend their whole lives surrounded by one race or culture, but I grew up surrounded by many. Having been raised in a society influenced and shared by so many different races, I had very little idea about what or why racism existed in the world. Having never been taught and seeing very little racism growing up I believed benefited me, today and benefited my future. Today being in the Marine Corps I am surrounded by different races and knowing one day my life could rest in their hands I respect them for who they are not what color they are. Martin Luther King once said â€Å"Men hate each other because they fear each other, and they fear each other because they dont know each other, and they dont know each other because they are often separated from each other.† If the rest of the country had been raised in a military lifestyle then I believe racism would be all but extinct in the United States. Sadly racism is not only intertwined with the United States past but also with its present and its future. Racism has been part of the history of the United States, and helped create this country as we know it today. Racism not helped shaped the United States and infiltrated every aspect of American society while showing no signs of decreasing. Many people view racism as an evil minded treatment of one individual to another. This is not a correct assessment though, and would be more easily understood if it was viewed more accurately, an institutional ideology. The reason racism is allowed to subsist because governments and institutions foster and maintain racism. Even when these governments and institutions determine that the practices of a particular group of people are racist, individuals at the top of these hierarchical organizations are hard pressed to bring about change. To understand how racism relates to us in the United States today, one must understand the real definition of racism. â€Å"Racism is the belief that one group of people with a particular biological make up is superior to other groups with a differing biological make up.† So one could infer that the groups deemed superior gain economic and social dominance over the other cultural groups that are deemed inferior, even with the many strides that have been made over decades to mend the situation. An excellent example of a country that has made those strides and still lack racial reconciliation is the United States. From the bus boycotts in the fifties, to the sit-ins and marches in the sixties one could assume that these would be the starting steps to improvement. While the United States was mending the hatred and racism between black and whites another type of racism was creeping its way into American society. Today racism has taken a new face, one that has become multi-coloured and multicultural. To be able for the United States to keep a culturally diverse appeal new legislation and laws are being written against discrimination. Affirmative action has been taken to allow equal opportunity for employment, housing, and even in the military. Television and movies have had to change their format and even some of their characters in order to obtain political correctness. Even with so many fighting for change, there will always be the ancient invisible barriers blocking the few who are looking to main the status quo. Even with so many people trying to seek improvement for this country, it cannot happen unless every individual is working to abolish racism. There is racism in every facet of life no matter who someone hangs out with, or who someone even works for. Being in the Marine Corps I see different races every day, and work with different races every day. Mission accomplishment is the number one goal of the Marine Corps, so when a job needs to get done every one does their part of their job and race is not an issue. That is the way my career has gone so far, so when I read an article about racism in the Marine Corps it shocks me. New websites and social networking sites are being created all the time. A new social network website was created with the logo â€Å"online community for whites by whites†, so it was a social website for only white people. Out of the many number of people who have made a profile there have been about forty personal profile that have listed the military as their occupation. Out of those forty a number of them are wearing their military uniforms in their profile pictures. Even more disturbing a number of the military members have poster racial slurs and racial propaganda. One member states that he hate(s) illegal immigrants with a passion and feel(s) every true red-blooded, white American should do whatever it takes to stop the foreign invasion. While another lists The Turner Diaries, which is a white supremacist novel, as his favourite book. It is important for members of the armed forces to not participate in these types of websites or groups. The first reason not to participate in these organizations is the Pentagon has regulations in affect that prohibit active duty members form participating in extremist groups. The second reason is those racial extremists who serve in the military could be inadvertently training future domestic terrorists, and the United States does not need any more terrorist on her soil. A solution for this problem would be senior military members mentoring their junior service members on the dangers of becoming involved in these organizations. Being in the United States Marine Corp I have many close friends that are from different countries in the world. One of my close friends is from the Philippines, and has a very strong accent when he speaks. Sometimes he gets his words confused and does not make any since when he speaks. Marines tend to point out these faults, not just with him, but with many other Marines that are from different countries and have trouble speaking English. My friend does not believe that his fellow Marines are being racist, but are just having a friendly poke at him. Marines do not mess with only a few Marines, or the Marines from other countries, but every Marine. It is not because we are racist, or are a mean group of people, but picking and jibing on one another is just the way that Marines bond with each other. When my friend says that he is getting picked on, yes it sometimes hurts, but in the end it makes him feel like he is part of the family. If Marines are not being picked on they are usually secluded and out of the Marine Corps family. Racism is wrong and should not be used for any reason, even to bring people together. Racism may start with a good reason, but the final product will fester into an infection that could spread and destroy a family within a short time. Racism is in this world to stay whether people like it or not. Individuals believe that if they spread the word about the dangers and negatives of racism then it will cease to exist, but that is not the truth and will never happen. As long as we humans exist and have emotions, the knowledge of right and wrong, and pride there will be crimes. Whenever a person graduate’s high school as valedictorian or an athlete becomes the fastest man on the planet, stereotypes will follow. Crimes, education, athleticism all turn into a stereotype and stereotypes are a form of racism. Racism is one of the things that drive our great country, and create some of our countries greatest works. Racism is what helped form and mold this country into what it is today. Without racism then this country could be one of a single culture, there would be no freedom to branch out and try new diverse things. The dangers of bringing so many different cultures into one space are there, but I believe the good thing we bring to the table References Vardell, M. (1998). Cultural diversity. Retrieved from http://www.markvardell.com/quotes.htm. Associated press (2009). Congress asked to address racism in military. Retrieved from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31854789/ns/us_news-military/t/congress-asked-address-racism-military/#.Tr3ZM4LSRkY AllAboutPopularIssues (2011). The History of racism. Retrieved from http://www.allaboutpopularissues.org/the-history-of-racism-faq.htm

If real world markets can be made to resemble more closely the model :: Economics

If real world markets can be made to resemble more closely the model of perfect competition, economic efficiency will improve. Explain why Perfect competition is generally regarded as economically more efficient? Chris Simons ============ "If real world markets can be made to resemble more closely the model of perfect competition, economic efficiency will improve." a) Explain why Perfect competition is generally regarded as economically more efficient? (20 marks) The model of perfect competition describes market where there is a high degree of competition. The word "perfect" does not mean that this form of competition produces ideal results or maximises economic welfare in other words, the word "perfect" should not have any normative overtones. A perfectly competitive market must possess four characteristics. Firstly, there must be many buyers and sellers in the market, none of whom is large enough to influence price. Buyers and sellers are said to be price takers. This type of market has many relatively small firms that supply goods to a large number of small buyers. There must be freedom of entry and exit from the industry. Firms must be able to establish themselves in the industry easily and quickly. Barriers to entry must therefore be low. If a firm wishes to cease production and leave the market, it must be free to do so. Buyers and sellers possess perfect knowledge of prices. If one firm charges a higher price than the market price, the demand for its product will be zero as buyers buy elsewhere in the market. Hence the firm has to accept the market price if it wishes to sell into the market (i.e. it must be a price taker). All firms must produce a homogenous product. There is no branding of products and products are identical. There are very few industries in the world that approximate to this kind of market structure. One that might is agriculture. In agriculture there is a large number of farmers supplying the market, none of whom is large enough to influence price. It is easy to buy a farm and set up in business. It is equally easy to sell a farm and leave the industry. Farmers on the whole possess perfect knowledge. They know what prices prevail in the market, for instance from the farming press. Finally farmers produce a range of homogenous products. King Edwards's potatoes from one farm are indistinguishable from King Edwards's potatoes from another. In Europe and in many countries around the world, farming is in certain instances not a perfectly competitive market. This is because governments may interfere in the market, buying and selling to fix a price. Perfect competition is generally regarded as economically more

Export Strategy Information Document

The aim of this assignment is to demonstrate knowledge of the information and data needed to formulate an export strategy. This will be achieved by way of addressing the following: 1. What is meant by the ‘business and market environment’ of a target market? What kind of information would an exporter need to collect? 2. What is meant by the concepts ‘market segmentation’ and distribution channels’? What kind of information would an exporter need to collect? 3. What are the financial issues, export practicalities and technicalities that an exporter would need to know about to in the context of developing an export strategy?Business and market environment of a target market Exporting is a more difficult business task than importing (Weiss 2008). It is a challenge exacerbated by the global economic recession, remarkable growth and emerging economic might of China and India and the increasing pace of globalisation (Albaum and Duerr 2011). Although technol ogical advances such as the Internet have made it possible for even the smallest businesses to sell their products and services around the world with relative ease (Albaum and Duerr 2011), there is still a need for a clearly thought out export strategy.A nucleus of business activity, this master plan is like a satellite navigation system stating the destination of the business and the route it should take to get there. Weiss (2008) believes exporters need to know as much about target export markets as possible before any business transaction takes place. This information, he argues, should be based on a critical evaluation of the target market and tailored to the relevant product to be exported as part of a ‘market-entry plan including an initial marketing mix’ (Weiss 2008, p101).What he is referring to is essentially a blueprint of the business and market environment of the target market. The importance of understanding the business and market environment of the target market, namely, the political, ‘legal, regulatory, financial and institutional systems’ are critical factors in determining success in the export sector (Commander and Svejnar 2011, p309). This can give crucial insights into the levels of corruption, number of regulations, taxation laws, business licensing and macroeconomic policies (Commander and Svejnar 2011).Although target market studies tend to be product dependent, knowledge of local customers’ culture, hopes, language, predilection, buying capability, and the country’s international standards, state of development, infrastructure, transportation and environmental concerns are important considerations when formulating an export strategy. Furthermore, Commander and Svejnar (2011) stress the significance of indicators such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), human capital and social factors such as health care expenditure and tertiary school enrolment.The inference here is that a more highly educated wor kforce may perform better and reduced costs of any necessary training and healthier workers may take less sick leave. In ensuring that a full picture of the target market is obtained, Cadogan et al. (2012) argue that attention should be paid to data other than from the target market and there needs to be more flexibility in export market oriented behaviour. Kalafsky (2009) believes personal relationships can prove influential in some target markets. For example, ‘face-to-face contact is important in the Chinese market’ (Kalafsky 2009, p47).In an adaptation of Porter’s (1979) Five Forces framework, it could be argued that exporters should take into account rivalry among competitors, threat of potential entry into target market, bargaining power of supplier, negotiating capability of buyers and threats of substitutes. Notwithstanding this, factors such as tariffs and non-tariff regulations, quotas, maturity of market, its structure and rival products are also of si gnificance. In this way a heterogeneous range of perspectives of the business and market environment would give impetus to the export strategy. Market segmentationMarket segmentation is where companies establish ‘segments of demand’, ‘target specific segments’ and ‘develop specific marketing ‘mixes’ for each targeted market segment’ (Hunt and Arnett 2004, p7). According to McDonald and Dunbar (2010, p9) it is an ‘alternative to product differentiation’ – the ‘process of splitting customers, or potential customers, in a market into different groups, or segments’. A crucial factor in McDonald and Dunbar’s (2010) definition is the emphasis on customers, who they are argue, are no longer content to play a secondary role, but are more market savvy and experienced enough to specify exactly what they require.Part of the reason for segmentation is that it can be used to divide large markets creating sectors that cater for geographic such as climate, area and location; demographic and socioeconomic like income, education, job, age, gender; family dimensions and house occupier status; behaviour relating to brand loyalty and psychographic in terms of attitude, lifestyle choices and values. Segmenting in such a way can ensure accurate and precise product and service placing. An important dimension of an export market strategy is to determine the segment of the market the company wishes to target.In this way a company will ascertain the potential buyers of its products in the target market, reasons for buying, situatedness of customers and any salient features. Bloom (2005) has argued that ineffective segmentation may lead to strategic marketing opportunities being overlooked and a firm not benefiting from a tactical campaign. Factors such as the proportion of the segment and its profitability are, therefore, crucial features of a marketing plan. Distribution channelsHow to operate distribution channels is of critical significance to the success or failure of an export business (Madsen, Moen and Hammervold 2012). This means making important judgements in utilising options such as the choice of foreign export firm to assume responsibility for the operation abroad. The locally recruited company would be charged with unearthing sales outlets, establishing its own export management, trading by way of local representatives, locating and using storage facilities and handle as decisions and setting up its own sales branch.The level of responsibility assigned to a distributor or agent is dependent on the number of product rights an exporter holds (Madsen, Moen and Hammervold 2012). This may include marketing roles like pricing and delivery strategies, communication and locating customers. However, it is worth noting that overburdening a distributor with too many tasks could make them less effective. Such is the significant role of the distributor that it is essential that good relations are maintained (Zhang, Cavusgil and Roath 2003). ‘Relationships between exporting firms and other members of the international distribution channelcan significantly impede or enhance performance in export markets’ ( Matear, Gray, Irving 2000, p539). With the likelihood of long distances between exporter and their distribution channel trust between parties will be a central feature of this relationship. Financial issues Financial assistance for exporters and investors may be obtained through government schemes, credit export agencies or other financial institutions. According to UK Trade and Investments (2013), such assistance may be available through insurance policies and guarantees on bank loans.This could also be in the form of bond support, overseas investment insurance, credit insurance and loan guarantees (UK Trade and Investment 2013). Notwithstanding this, due to high default risk and the required level of working capital associated with inte rnational trade export, businesses are more sensitive to financial shocks (Amiti and Weinstein 2011). Furthermore, exporters have a greater need for working-capital than those of domestic operating businesses, because of the longer time constraint experienced in international trade, especially when using the sea as the mode of transport (Amiti and Weinstein 2011).The global economic downturn since 2008 has led to export finance being a main casualty of the European Bank retrenchment and having a high dependency on large amounts for long periods has led to limited financial institutions being able to offer monetary assistance (O'Connell 2012). This undoubtedly have had a significant impact on international business operations, limiting trade opportunities and progression. To increase a business' prospect for successful exporting a systematic approach should be employed (Cavusgil, Knight and Riesenberger 2008).The assessment of the potential markets (global market opportunity), organi sing for export, acquiring the necessary skills and competences and executing export strategies are of significant importance (Cavusgil, Knight and Riesenberger 2008). Export practicalities and technicalities A precise understanding of the practicalities for exporting is vital. When exporting within the European Union (EU), for example, these include commercial documents, duties, charging and accounting for VAT, responsibility for trade statistics, sales list and intrastat (Enterprise Europe Network 2013).Even though there may be a slight differentiation when exporting outside the EU, there are necessary considerations such as new export system this permits exporters to make electronic declaration. Export licences is also vital. Johnson and Turner (2010) assert licensing reduces restrictions from the host countries regarding entering foreign markets. Further assistance and information on the practices and technicalities involved in exporting may be obtained from the market access da tabase and International Commerce Terms (Incoterms) (Enterprise Enterprise Network, 2013).