Junk Science That is Eugenics Essay

In Dan Agin’s Junk Science: How Politicians, Corporations, and Other Hacksters Betray Us, he scoffed at eugenics as one of the â€Å"most disastrous examples of the ignoble application of science†. In the age where scientific breakthroughs and development have been achieved, scientists have devised some ways in which selective breeding are used in plants and animals to improve the chance of survival of their species. Of course, they did not throw away the idea of applying the same process of improving humans and eliminate undesirable characteristics in them. British biologist Francis Galton (1822–1911) coined the word â€Å"eugenics† in 1883, which in Greek literally meant â€Å"good in birth†. Galton believed that marital unions between people of what he regarded as â€Å"excellent genetic stock† could be expected to produce offspring with the same or similar qualities (Last, 2007). However, the eugenics movement was frowned upon by many people because it was used by the Nazi regime in Germany, as it pushed improve to human race by eliminating the people they despised – the Jews. Thus, eugenics and racism are linked by the fact that every person will have their own rights and it is prone to be abused by people who want to dominate the weak. As a cousin of Charles Darwin who introduced to the world the theory of evolution, Galton incorporated the Darwin’s idea of survival of the fittest into his notion of eugenics. The goal of eugenics was the improvement of the human species through the careful selection of parents. Galton identified two primary processes to achieve this end. Positive eugenics encouraged individuals who were above average both mentally and physically to produce more offspring. Negative eugenics proposed that individuals who were below average should have fewer or no children. This second proposal could be achieved through institutional segregation, marriage restrictions, or sterilization (Berson & Cruz, 2001, p. 300). His exact words for these processes were eugenics’ first objective is â€Å"to check the birth-rate of the unfit †¦ the second object is the improvement of the race by furthering the productivity of the fit. † Galton used the word race in its nineteenth-century sense to designate the population of the nation state and not in the broader twentieth-century sense. Galton seems to have believed that the reason why it would be desirable to improve the genetic quality of a nation’s population is that this determines the quality of its civilization and the economic and military strength of the nation. It is clear that eugenics can be used for racism. Since racism is defined as a form of prejudice based on perceived physical differences and usually refers to unfavorable or hostile attitudes toward people perceived to belong to another race, eugenics would definitely fall in this category because racism usually results in a belief in the superiority of one’s own race. The trigger of prejudice and racism is the â€Å"human tendency to form stereotypes, generalized beliefs that associate whole groups of people with particular traits†. Racial stereotypes are described to be â€Å"exaggerated or oversimplified† descriptions of any person’s â€Å"appearance, personality, and behavior† (Cavalli-Sforza, 2005). Actually, Galton and his cohorts were well intentioned and progressive in their idea of suggesting eugenics because they were just concerned with bettering humanity. After all, this was during the Progressive Era, where it was characterized as a time of hope and reform. Gerald Grob (1991) pointed out that eugenics advocates were persuaded that they were acting on behalf of a noble cause that would benefit humanity. They believed that medical and scientific knowledge, combined with a new technology, had reached a point in time in which the eradication of inherited defects was possible. With all that intention, eugenics was welcomed in the United States. As Rosen (2004) writes: Beginning in the early years of the twentieth century and spanning the decades of the 1910s, 1920s, and 1930s, eugenicists in the United States called for programs to control human reproduction. They urged legislatures to pass laws to segregate the so-called feebleminded into state colonies, where they would live out their lives in celibacy; they supported compulsory state sterilization laws aimed at men and women whose â€Å"germplasm† threatened the eugenic vitality of the nation; they led the drive to restrict immigration from countries whose citizens might pollute the American melting pot. Their science filtered into popular culture through eugenics advice books and child-rearing manuals, eugenics novels, plays, and films, and scores of magazine and newspaper articles (p.6). With the growing presence and perceived virility of African Americans, immigrants in the early 1900s, and the working class—as well as the increasing visibility of working-class â€Å"women adrift, this threatened white middle-class male authority in both power and numbers, proponents of eugenics in the United States targeted a factor in middle-class decline: the limited fecundity of this new woman. As Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed in the 1900s, white middle-class womanhood had willfully abandoned its fertility. The white birthrate was rapidly declining: whereas the average American family of 1840 had produced six children that of 1900 generated only three children. Roosevelt propelled sociologist Edward Ross’s term race suicide into the public arena. In a 1901 address, â€Å"The Causes of Race Superiority,† Ross warned that the advancement and progress of the â€Å"superior race† could lead to its demise; manhood had become overcivilized, decadent, and impotent. But Roosevelt, significantly, placed the blame on white womanhood. Women of â€Å"good stock† who chose not to have children, he declared, were â€Å"race criminals† (Paul 1995, p. 102). Yet, the shocking turnout the eugenics movement was that in 1902, when an Indiana physician named Dr. Harry Sharp urged passage of mandatory sterilization laws that would require all men in prisons, reformatories, and paupers’ houses to be sterilized. Before any such law was passed permitting it, he had involuntarily sterilized more than five hundred men. Following Dr. Sharp’s lead, in 1907 Indiana became the first state to pass a eugenics-based sterilization law. By 1912, eight states had sterilization laws. Eventually nearly thirty states followed suit (Paul 1995, p. 81-82). In the course of the rise and fall of eugenics, we can see that there are obvious problems with it. The first is that there is more at stake in creating a superior human than in creating a superior species of vegetable. Vegetables do not have rights but humans do, and these human rights are possessed by all persons because they are human; human rights do not cease to exist if an individual is â€Å"imperfect† in one or more ways. At its core, eugenics tends to cancel out the right of the less than perfect individual to existence and this type of presumptive arrogance is inherently immoral and racist. A second harmful outcome of eugenics could be that through screening programs privileged groups might act on their prejudices against, for example, Black people being linked with criminality. Since being Black is neither a crime nor a defect, it would be a grave injustice for advocates of eugenics to try to eliminate such classes of people from the human gene pool. Another possible harm of eugenics is that those who promote it do so at the expense of the harmony of the human community. This community, as we know it, is made up of people of all kinds, some more gifted than others, some more troubled than others. The solidarity and prosperity of the human community depend on cooperation and respect among all members, not on a screening policy, like eugenics, through which some members lose their right to membership based on the values and biases of those in influential positions. The biggest problem with eugenics is probably the fact that, even if the program were embraced and employed, it would be impossible to carry it out effectively without trampling on human rights. Thus, eugenics is a certified â€Å"junk science† and a good learning experience that science cannot be used to improve humans. References Agin, D. (2006). Junk Science: How Politicians, Corporations, and Other Hacksters Betray UsI, New York: St. Martin’s Press. Berson, M. J. , and Cruz, B. (2001). Eugenics Past and Present. Social Education 655, p.300. Grob, G. (1991). Introduction, in The Surgical Solution: A History of Involuntary Sterilization in the United States, ed. Phillip R. Reilly, Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. Last, J. M. (2007). Eugenics. A Dictionary of Public Health. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Paul, D. B. (1995). Controlling Human Heredity: 1865 to the Present. Atlantic Highlands, N. J. : Humanities Press. Rosen, C. (2004). Preaching Eugenics Religious Leaders and the American Eugenics Movement, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Modern Accounting Systems Essay

All the organizations in the world are aiming at expanding both in terms of the gains they make and the number of customers they have and this has seen a lot of improvements in almost all sectors of the organizations. The accounting sector has encountered a high level improvement due to the introduction of the modern accounting systems. Modern accounting systems have ensured that the organizations carry out their accounting work with the use of modern accounting systems that are more efficient compared to the earlier accounting systems. Organizations that have adopted the modern accounting systems have had an added advantage over those that have not. In the current dynamic economic world organizations are trying very hard to be more competitive than their rivals and adopting the modern accounting systems has helped organizations attain a competitive advantage. Most of the leading accountants in the world both in the private and in the public sector have realized the need for better and effective accounting systems. In addition to the modern accounting systems organizations have realized that there is need to have knowledge of accounting principles because the modern systems cannot achieve their anticipated results without the proper knowledge. For organizations to best manage their resources they have to come up with a way of measuring the resources and this has seen the accounting sector of many organizations to be very crucial in the management of the organization. Basically an accounting system is supposed to help an organization in understanding its operations and also know if it is making profits or losses. Without an accounting system the organization may not be able to predict any shortages in the cash flow or in other crucial resources. An accounting system allows an organization to have a record of all its debtors and therefore it is able to know those customers or clients that have not cleared their debts or those who are paying at a slow rate. This helps the organization to determine the credit worthiness of its clients and therefore it knows the limits to which it may extend its credit services. Organizations in the early days needed an accounting system that would meet the basic needs of an accounting system but currently due to the revolution in the sector most organizations have become very innovative ion the accounting sector (Jae and Joel, 2000). The accounting perspective of both small organizations and large organizations has currently undergone a huge revolution with the introduction of the modern management accounting systems. Most organizations have therefore concentrated on their accounting systems with the hope of improving them by use of modern management accounting models. Modern accounting systems have played a very crucial role in organizations in that they help the managers make decisions regarding the organization. Managers are also able to set realistic strategic goals for the organization and ensure that the goals are achieved within the set timeframe by use of the modern accounting systems. Compared to the earlier days managers would set goals that would not be achieved by the organization and therefore the organization ends up spending a lot of time and resources in efforts to achieve the goals. This means that organizations are now able to use their resources and time in achievable goals and therefore they attain a competitive advantage over their rivals in the market. Issues related to planning and controls within the organization are catered for by the modern accounting systems and so the workers and the management work toward achieving a common goal for the improvement of the organization. Due to the use of modern accounting systems most organizations are getting to their full capacity levels and also enjoying an increase n their sales leading to an increase in the profits. The modern systems have also encouraged an increase in the level of automation and computerization in organizations because most of these systems require organizations to automate or computerize their operations. Automated operations have been seen to be more efficient as compared to manual operations. This is because the number of errors made in an automated system is far below the errors on a manual accounting system. An accounting system that has a lot of errors will result to errors in the whole organization which then leads to losses. Organizations that have automated their systems due to the use of modern accounting systems are more likely to expand at a higher rate as compared those operating manually. For organizations to succeed in the current competitive economic environment they have to ensure that all the necessary requirements by the law are met. One of the major reasons why organizations fail is because of increased problems with the law authorities and other tax collection authorities. The early accounting systems did not have an effective means of ensuring that the organization does not collide with the authorities. This is different with the modern accounting systems because they reduce the problems that used to exist between the organization and the authorities. An organization that has fewer problems with the authorities is able to reduce its expenses because it does not fall a victim of the fines that are put on organizations that evade tax and laws. The traditional accounting system did not give the required attention to the internal and external cost controls and so it ended up matching the expenses and the revenues of organizations in the wrong way. This wrong match led to organizations mismanagement due to wrong estimation of the revenue or the expenses. Modern accounting systems emphasize on internal and external cost controls and therefore organizations get the right match of their revenue and expenses (Brynjolfsson and Hitt, 2000). The use of modern technologies that enable organizations to collect, monitor and disseminate information has made it possible for organizations to enter into transactions with other organizations and this has ensured that organizations become more profitable. Modern accounting systems have allowed organizations to enter into successful inter organizational markets. Organizations have therefore been able to come up with joint ventures so as to be more competitive in the market and has seen organizations dominate markets hence high and continued profits. The success of joint ventures depends on the availability of information to both organizations and the modern accounting systems are a good source of information because all the information regarding the organization is stored in the systems (William, 2007). The modern accounting systems have helped organizations to plan their resources in the right way. Resource planning in organizations is very crucial since lack of planning leads to losses within the organization or the organization is unable to attain its goal. One of the major resources that the modern accounting systems have been known to plan is the human resource. An organization that adopts the modern accounting system finds it easier to manage the employee because information regarding all the employees is stored in the systems. The old accounting system did not have a way of storing all the information of the employees’ especially in large organizations and so the organizations could not achieve the best out of the employees. Those organizations that have adopted modern accounting systems are able to manage their cost more efficiently as compared to other organizations. Cost management is different from the cost accounting in that it is concerning with the management of costs whether or not those costs impact directly on the financial accounts or the inventory. Modern accounting systems simplify the cost accounting procedures and this helps the managers of organizations to effectively manage and control the costs in the organization. Organizations that achieve effective cost management have increased quality, improved overall management and a better cost. The traditional accounting systems were very complex due to the many transactions that were involved and the numerous data that had to be handled by the systems. This made them quite tedious as compared to the modern accounting systems that are easy to work with and therefore the accountants do not get exhausted when working with these systems and this ensures that they do not make errors in their work. The modern accounting systems support the management needs of the organization and therefore they are useful in making decisions regarding the pricing, marketing, design of the product and they enhance continued improvements in the operations of the organization. Organizations that have adopted the modern accounting systems have been seen to reduce their levels of inventory and this means that they invest less in inventories. The overall inventory level is reduced because the systems require the smallest quantity of inputs and materials at any time (Charles and Walter, 2007). The other major difference that the modern accounting systems have brought to the modern organizations is that there is easy access to the financial statements of the modern organizations. When an organization’s financial statements are easy to access it becomes easier for other individuals outside the organization to detect any mistakes in the statements and demand explanation. Organizations that have an easy way of accessing their financial statements will also develop a positive reputation from the general public and therefore more people will like to be associated with the organization. This means that the organization will increase its sales and consequently the profits will also go up. The organization also builds a strong relationship with the employees because they are able to access the financial statements and this helps them gauge their productivity to the organization. Accountability is a very crucial issue in the current market environment. Modern accounting systems ensure that the management of the organization is accountable for all the resources that are at their disposal. Accountability of the management has seen most of the modern organizations eliminate the issue of corruption which greatly harms the organization if it is nurtured. The stakeholders of the modern organizations have also increased their confidence in the organizations because they find it easy to access the financial statements of the organization. Organizations that have adopted the modern accounting systems are able to acquire more finances compared to others. This is because the financial institutions are able to access the financial statements of these organizations and at the same time monitor their cash flow so as to determine if the organization is able to repay the amount of money borrowed. Organizations that use the modern accounting systems have an easier system of monitoring their accounts and so the government finds it easier to work with such organizations. This means that this kind of organizations have now started receiving government support unlike in the past when it was quite difficult for the government to gain access to the financial accounts of some organizations (Brynjolfsson, and Hitt, 2000). Organizations that use the modern accounting systems are able to cut down their workforce because the systems do not require a huge labor force. This is because most of the modern accounting systems are computerized and therefore the tasks that would be done by a group of employees are carried out by a single employee with the help of a machine like a computer. The accounting information is also stored in a safe manner and this means that the information may not be tampered with. Tampering with the accounting information of an organization may result to huge losses or the organization may damage its reputation and therefore it looses its customers and employees. Service offering organizations like banks and hospitals have felt the effect of the modern accounting systems in that unlike in the past when attending to their clients was a tedious and time consuming exercise, the modern systems have made it possible for employees to attend to clients at a higher rate and effectively. This has increased the number of clients that the organizations attend to and therefore there is an increase in the profit of the organization. Currently there is uniformity in the accounts of many organizations and this has made it easier for government and the public to scrutinize the accounts unlike in the past when each organization had its own way of recording its transactions. The cost of communication and transport that organizations used to incur in the early days has been reduced by the evolution of the modern accounting systems. This is so because the systems are mostly computerized and therefore most of the transactions can be made over the internet instead of having to travel long distances. On the other hand the modern accounting systems have some disadvantages although they do not outweigh the numerous benefits to organizations. One of the major disadvantages of the modern accounting systems is that they have made many individuals lose their jobs. One example is that in the early days when all transactions had to be done on paper there were bookkeepers and other employees who were in charge of maintaining the files, these group of people lost their jobs with the evolution of the modern accounting systems. The other problem is that the modern accounting systems make use of the internet to make transactions which many see as a risky way because of the numerous internet hackers. In conclusion the current modern accounting systems have led to an improvement in the management and the productivity of most modern organizations.  Apart from improved accounting systems most organizations have had improved managerial operations derived from the modern accounting systems. The systems have made the following major differences in the modern organizations: reduced the problems of tax authorities, it is now easier to access the financial statements of most organizations, the systems provide an excellent tool for management of organizations and it is easier to report the transactions of organizations.

To what extent is marketing a hindrance or help to democracy in the Essay

To what extent is marketing a hindrance or help to democracy in the 21st century - Essay Example How can we explain the effects of marketing in a democratic political system? This question cannot be addressed without establishing marketing as a concept and its relationship with the dynamic social, technological and economic landscape of the 21st century. The terms, mass-market, consumer culture, commodification, among others, characterize the 21st century societies. This underscored how marketing dominates the public sphere with the advent of technology. Here, the masses are either homogenized and heterogenised by marketing through technologies and media platforms that could deliver messages to a whole population simultaneously and real time. The consumer seduction has been so successful that economic models such as Fordism was able to develop expansionist strategies wherein mass markets have worked against the perpetuation of material class distinctions as economies of scale expanded the size and composition of the consuming population. (Dunn 1998: 119) Schumpeter (1976) talked about this agglomeration of people as some phenomenon that deprives individuals from their capacity to reflect rationally, arguing that when gathered together, people are easily worked into a state of excitement in which primitive impulses, infantilisms and criminal propensities’ replace moral restraints and civilised modes of thinking. (pp. 257) In relating this phenomenon to democracy and politics, we have the fact that leaders compete for votes in the same way that business people compete for customers. Subsequent application of economic theory to politics reached similar, if not identical, conclusions. John Corner and Dick Pels (2003), for instance, drew attention to the impact of imperfect information on political behaviour in a democracy, to quote: In a situation where views of voters are not immediately transparent to parties and party policy is unclear to voters, each has to incur costs in finding out information. Such costs have to be weighed against the benefits of the

Consequences of Pragmatism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Consequences of Pragmatism - Essay Example They understand the people but not their philosophy. Sometimes we continue to live our lives without realizing that our perspective has become stagnant. We consider our viewpoints to be true because the people around us accept it as the truth. When we went to war against Afghanistan, we saw them as the bad guys. But when we read about the horror that we inflicted upon them, we realize that we are the bad guys. The truth changes meaning for different people and different times. Therefore I argue against fact that there is something known as the absolute truth. Absolute truth changes with the viewpoint of the society. It changes with people, time, ideals, leader etc. For instance, the absolute truth changed for me when I came to America. Even as I interacted with the people in America, their viewpoints also changed and so did their absolute truth. Considering the fact that stereotypes guide our understanding of the people and world around us, is it possible for us to embrace the concep ts of the positivists. The positivists came as a reaction to the prevalent racism and nationalism that was hindering man’s search for the absolute truth. These positivists aimed for a universal language that could bring together people from different wakes of life. But when asks whether it is possible to develop that one universal language, the answer is not that simple. According to Wittgenstein, ‘It is only in language that one can mean something by something’ (Rotary).Therefore, in order for a word to mean something, there must be people giving meaning to the world. The people giving meaning to this word already have a lens on their eyes that makes their world from the other person who though has a lens but his is a little... The truth changes meaning for different people and different times. Therefore I argue against fact that there is something known as the absolute truth. Absolute truth changes with the viewpoint of the society. It changes with people, time, ideals, leader etc. For instance, the absolute truth changed for me when I came to America. Even as I interacted with the people in America, their viewpoints also changed and so did their absolute truth.Considering the fact that stereotypes guide our understanding of the people and world around us, is it possible for us to embrace the concepts of the positivists. The positivists came as a reaction to the prevalent racism and nationalism that was hindering man’s search for the absolute truth. These positivists aimed for a universal language that could bring together people from different wakes of life.But when asks whether it is possible to develop that one universal language, the answer is not that simple. According to Wittgenstein, ‘I t is only in language that one can mean something by something’ (Rotary).Therefore, in order for a word to mean something, there must be people giving meaning to the world. The people giving meaning to this word already have a lens on their eyes that makes their world from the other person who though has a lens but his is a little different according to his cultural and social background. The different lenses thus become a major impediment towards the development of a universal language.

Team Building Course Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Team Building Course - Research Paper Example It must be noted here that the company is striving hard to achieve HSE standards. The staff of the planning division of Abu Dhabi Oil Company underwent a team building course to develop its work force into a team with a focused aim. The course was conducted at Abu Dhabi on 30th and 31st of November 2012. Scientifically designed managerial approach was followed to develop the work force as a good team. In order to achieve this larger objective, the course initially explored the key strengths and potential of the team. The areas where the team has to focus in terms of further development of the company were highlighted in the course. However, it is very important to identify the obstacles that current team faces in terms of having focused objectives and working towards achieving them. It is very important to overcome these blocks so that the company and the team could grow further. It becomes the responsibility of the planning division to develop strategies in order to tackle these cha llenges. These four key areas were thoroughly assessed as a blueprint of the current status of the team was created. This motivated the team to a large extent and also provided clear insight on areas of intervention and also on the organizational weaknesses. A brainstorming on each team member’s understanding of the team was conducted. This process revealed the attitude that the team members had towards the department. The team members came up with the feeling that the planning division is the Heart and Brain of ADNOC. Several strengths and characteristics of the department were highlighted. The team was found to be well connected, multi disciplined, balanced in gender, well experienced, and diverse. The inevitable role of the planning division in supporting the management with strategic inputs, training support, decision making support and technical and commercial monitoring was confirmed and highlighted. The brainstorming also brought out the strength of the database that t he division provides to support the company. It was identified that the team dynamics of the team lied somewhere between storming and norming phase. The strengths of the team were clearly defined. This motivated the team members to a large extend. Some of the important strengths of the team which were identified were its cooperative and coordinative nature, its foreseeing and analytical capacity. The communicative precision of the division along with its hardworking nature and self motivation were specially highlighted during the course. The team’s capacity to serve as the data source for all the other divisions of the company was identified as one of its very distinguishable strengths. The planning division acts as the focal point for every other activity of the company. This, however, prevails as the strength of the division. A major step in developing the performance of the team and improving its efficiency is formulating strategies in overcoming those blocks which hinder the perusal of organizational objectives. One of the major lacunas in the operational effectiveness of the team was pointed out to be the increased delivery time on information. It was identified that this increased the time required for the completion of a particular activity, which resultantly altered the whole action plan. A contrary opinion on the motivation level in relation with the team being referred as a well motivated

Case Study Analysis Paper Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis Paper - Case Study Example It's not very clear from the case whether this was Carl's first job. In any case Carl missed the 2nd Habit that Stephen Covey preaches. He was ill-prepared for the magnitude of work required to follow through his recruitment decision. He never had a plan and practice. When Operations Supervisor contacted him in mid-May he claimed to be in full control of the situation. The enquiries from Monica should have alerted him. Believing in his verbal assurances she proceeded with her own orientation programme. Businesses are never run on the spoken words. Capabilities and means to asses are primarily important. This is a mistake that Carl Robins and Monica Carrolls must understand. Both are at fault in this case study. The most important fallout of this crisis would be delayed orientation for these new recruits giving a bad image of the company leading to a early exit of these potential employees in future. One cannot expect this to be a great organization. The application forms have to be verified and corrected now to begin with, this will take time and in business time is money. Lost time means loss of money and an opportunity loss for the company. Carl should be more principled and be organized. One of the most important disciplines is - to learn, to work and to think.

Academic Sucess Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Academic Sucess - Essay Example Success in education is determined by the interplay of many factors that contribute to an individual’s success both in academics and life. To be successful, extreme effort needs to be applied to reach your goals. Purpose, responsibility, hard work all lead to success. Students who apply these principles have a greater chance of achieving success. Therefore, this paper focuses on discussing the necessary steps an individual has to take to ensure or increase the probability of success in academics. Purpose in life is the greatest motivator in life, a life without purpose is at most meaningless because it lacks direction and the passion necessary to live a fulfilling life. When this is applied to academics, it plays the same role of charting a path for the student and determining the kind of attitude that a student is going to have towards achieving their academic goals. For a student to be able to properly harness the true capacity that is induced by purpose, they should first evaluate what motivates they desire to excel in academics and apply these motivators on self (Moon, 2008). According to Moon, students should endeavor to understand that excellence can only be achieved through individual commitment and participation and that no external factor can influence their success without their direct involvement. Applying oneself to the objective of excelling requires an individual to have a healthy self-esteem by thinking highly of themselves and being worthy of the high aspirat ions that they desire (Moon, 2008). Lack of self-esteem in individual confines the limitless potential that can be realized by the belief in one self. A student should be capable of identifying the reasons behind their aspirations and justify them as being able to satisfy their desired objective. The need to lead a better life, through improved living standards, can be cited as the drive towards achieving academic excellence because

Global pattern of earthquakes and seismic energy distributions Term Paper

Global pattern of earthquakes and seismic energy distributions - Term Paper Example Most of these papers have offered the evidence that chances are particularly limited for the seismicity to exist beyond 65 degrees towards the North. Additionally, the studies have pointed out that evidence is limited that the distribution of the released energy is limited to the zones, where maximum is considered to be the equator and other areas lying beyond 45 degrees north. The crucial question is whether these points hold relevance for events with magnitudes supposing magnitude 7. Importance of this study Since time immemorial, earthquakes have been ranked among the world’s most recurrent and devastating tragedies. Regions that have been most susceptible include the Asian countries, (especially China and Japan), the Caribbean, South America and Middle East. The recent events have seen other nations such as Turkey and Chile also ranked as countries prone to earthquakes. Even so, there are various insights that have been attached to catastrophes such as earthquakes. For ins tance, the severity of 2011 Japan quake can best be approached basing on the Steinberg’s insights on disasters. Steinberg (2000) focuses on how human economic and social forces turn natural events into calamities. Steinberg comes up with a compilation of a series of events that support his insights. According to him, events that culminate disasters are as a result of human decisions, such encouraging development on flood plains or in earth-quake ravaged zones, as well as attempts to divert river channels by using dams and dykes. Steinberg argues that responses to natural calamities do not work out effectively. They instead increase destruction and death, as well as social injustices. Stein erg elucidates how response teams eventual turn out to attribute the disaster events as the acts of God, when some people are to take the blame. Steinberg attributes the significant number of casualties in disasters to human decisions to desire economic growth, as well as decisions to provi de cheap housing in the disaster zones. Governments are concerned about the plight of property developers than those who would rent the property. Steinberg draws example from Earthquake that struck San Francisco in 1906. Government did not want to give impression of possible recurrence of the earthquake for fear that it would discourage the investments within the city. Moreover, the State did not want to fund scientific research and examination of the situations. Steinberg cited various recurrent catastrophes in United States, elucidating that the causes for the natural disasters, as well as their severity, were instigated by the human social, political and economic forces. Even pertinent give that globalization is deeply rooted, an impact of the earthquake in one areas has also an impact on other areas and this comes directly or indirectly. It requires contingency measures. Of course, contingency measures may only be effective once the dynamics of the Global pattern of earthquakes and seismic energy distributions are well know; hence, the importance of the subject. It also functions to demystify some of the notions attached to the seismicity. Focus of the Paper A typical approach to analysis of earthquake events is that which incorporates seismic energy, abbreviated as E, the number of earthquake events (N) on the earth surface along the radius, as derived

The Evolution of a Fairy Tale Essay Example for Free

The Evolution of a Fairy Tale Essay In the universe of fairy tales, the Just often find a way to prevail, and the Wicked generally receive their comeuppance. But a closer look at the stories reveals much more than a simple formula. Behind the seemingly innocent tales of old lie undeniable truths about women—how they were treated in society, and how they wanted to break free from the mold their surroundings had built around them. To fully understand this, I will be examining â€Å"fairy tales† where women were not weak and vapid, where they became the heroes, and where a reversal of roles that was ahead of its time, arose. But first, a brief look at its history. The Origin of Fairy Tales Once Upon a Time, fairy tales werent written for children. According to Bob Huang’s essay, in spite of their name, the popular fairy tales usually have very little to do with fairies. We took the name from the French contes des fee, and the French literary fairy tales of the 17th century do feature far more fairies than the tales which are best-known today. The Grimm brothers collected the folk tales of the German people to make up their volume, but fairy tales are more than just folk tales. The German term for them is Marchen, a word for which there is no satisfactory English equivalent it is the diminutive of Mar, a story or a tale, and has come to mean a story of wonder and enchantment, as the fairy tale is. Although large numbers of literary fairy tales were written in 17th century France, most of the tales which are still told and retold now are far older in origin. Many of the stories were edited and changed as they were written down, removing the darker and more gruesome elements of the stories. The intended audience of the stories has also changed. Perraults collection of tales was written to be presented at the court of Versailles, and each tale ended with a moralistic verse. At the same time, literary fairy tales of great imagination and invention, often quite cruel and gruesome, were being created by the women surreptitiously rebelling against the constraints placed on them by their restrictive society. They were not written for children. Today, when asked to name authors of fairy tales, most people now (if they knew at all) would answer the Grimm Brothers or Charles Perrault, and perhaps Hans Christian Andersen. Yet throughout history, fairy tales have been womens stories, passed down orally by the mothers and grandmothers. When the tales began to be a literary form, the number and output of female authors vastly exceeds that of the males. The Grimm Brothers collected their tales from peasants and edited them to suit their audience; most of Perraults stories are retellings of old tales. Although the female authors included familiar elements, their now-forgotten tales were largely more inventive, original and fantastical than their male counterparts and frequently nastier, too. The Authors of the â€Å"Real† Fairy Tales In 1634, a cycle of fifty tales was published by Giambattista Basile, in which can be found some of the earliest written versions of familiar stories like Sleeping Beauty. Basiles tone is bawdy and comic; his narrators within the tale are old women, hags, crones and old gossips, the stereotypical tellers of the old wives tale. The women who brought the literary fairy tale to popularity fifty years or so later were anything but old wives. The story which marked the beginning of the form was written by the Countess dAulnoy, an aristocratic woman who tried to implicate her husband in a crime of high treason, but was discovered, and managed to flee Paris. She had been married to the husband at the age of 15; he was 30 years her senior, and a gambler and libertine. The cruelty of enforced marriages is remarked on by the heroines of many of her stories, and the tales of other women of the time. 0 years after fleeing Paris (she returned in 1685), Mme dAulnoy is thought to have assisted a friend to kill her husband, who had abused her. The friend was beheaded. The Countess de Murat was banished from Louis XIVs court in Paris for publishing a political satire about him; she then shocked the people of Loches, where she had her chateau, by holding gatherings where she and her friends would dance, talk, and tell fairy tales, as in the salons of Paris. Her tales concern marriage, the power struggles of the aristocracy, and true love. They do not always have a happy ending, either. Marie-Jeanne L Heritier led a less controversial life. She did not marry, choosing to dedicate herself to writing. Her father was a historian and writer, her sister was a poet. She was also the niece of Charles Perrault, and quite likely influenced his interested in fairy tales. Her Adventures of Finette features a heroine who wins by her wits, in spite of two lazy sisters and an evil prince. The Secret Messages In a time of political censorship, where women had few rights, fairy tales were one way that they could make their opinions known. The fairies themselves in the tales often stand for the aristocrats, having power over many but often caring little, bickering amongst themselves, concerned with their own power struggles. The heroines comment on the double-standards of the times, arranged marriages, and the false glory of war; the tales also illustrate the authors ideas on the standards of correct manners, justice and love. The tales were also written in opposition to the literary establishment at the time, which championed Classical literature as the standard for French writers to follow. Fairy tales were modeled on French folklore and the courtly love of medieval literature. When Perrault joined them in writing fairy tales, he was taking a stand for the modern style and for womens tales (although his tales did not exactly feature liberates females). The Quarrel of the Ancients and the Moderns was part of the society which the fairy tales rebelled against for most women there was no choice over which side to take, as they werent thought worth educating in Latin and Greek anyway. Instead of being forced out, they formed their own style. A Fresh Look at the tale Donkeyskin (Feminism at work) We begin with a dying queen, a king who is described as being the most powerful monarch in the world, and their daughter. In the queens final conversation with her spouse, she extracts a promise that should he wed again, he will marry no woman who does not fulfill a particular condition: to match her in beauty, to fit her wedding ring, to have hair of a hue as golden as her own, and so forth—conditions differing from culture to culture. The king remains single for a number of years, unable to meet the conditions of his promise to his wife. At least not until their only daughter matures. It becomes apparent that she, and she alone, fulfills the necessary conditions, and he resolves to marry her, much to the horror of kingdom and princess alike. Seeking to evade her fate, the princess follows her mothers example by attempting to set an impossible condition to prevent, or at least delay, the impending union (in some versions, through her own wiles; in others, through the advice of a substitute mother figure such as a fairy godmother; and sometimes, though more rarely than is common in other tales such as Cinderella or The Goose Girl, through the direct advice of her dead mothers spirit). Typically, she asks her father for a dress as shining as the sun, a dress as lucent as the moon, and a coat made from the skin of either a single precious animal, or from skins representative of all of the animals in the woods. In some variants, the princess asks directly for the source of her fathers wealth, such as the skin of the donkey. Regardless, the father is so driven by his incestuous urges that impossible condition after impossible condition is met. It is interesting to note that in this particular story, the action which fits the mold of unassertive femininity starts the ball rolling, indirectly causing a series of harmful effects, while the more assertive, independent actions of the daughter are both required and rewarded. When her conditions are met, instead of choosing to follow her fathers path and acquiesce to immorality, our heroine chooses to take her fate into her own hands and flees, disguised by her coat of skin, her link to the natural world, carrying the precious dresses that represent her heritage and worldly position. Once this character is away from civilization, she finds herself at something of a loss. Her only advantage in her new environment is the cloak of skins, which she has finagled away from her father. The implications of this garment are interesting. First, there is the fact that it was created, whole cloth, from the harm that her father wished to do her and the manner in which she avoided that fate. As such, it can be described as being the product of courage and cunning. It is also a resource that allows her to tap into a deeper part of nature and thus succeed in her future attempts at happiness through craft and cunning. After a time spent wandering the forest, a place symbolic of change and transformation, the princess is discovered by a hunting party, and taken to a foreign court on the strength of her value as a curiosity. After spending some time persevering by dint of hard labor in the court kitchens, the princess develops a strategy. She determines to catch the interest of this kingdoms prince through traditionally feminine gifts. She uses her physical appearance, her cooking skills, and her general ability to maintain his continued interest and fascination. This threefold plan succeeds. Aside from the aforementioned aspects of feminism that the princess displayed: the independent streak, the stubbornness, the unwillingness to conform, there are also the symbols that the story made use of in terms of the other central characters. The King, for instance, whose incestuous intent, for its time (and now), extremely amoral, symbolized the power that men of that era had. It did not matter that the relationship was a no-no, nor the fact that his daughter did not want to go through with it. He wanted her as his wife, and he intended to have her—come what may. The century in which this story was written clearly had women and men in set roles. Men were the hunters, the leaders, and the autocracy. Do you not often wonder why quite a few of the mothers in tales we know, died to start the story off (Cinderella, Snow White)? It was as if the women during that time wanted to relay to the readers how hard life was for them that the maternal figures for the protagonists were dead to begin with. And then the authors branch off. We’ve established the role of the man as the â€Å"obey-me† figure, now there’s the fairy godmother who always rushes in to help. What this character clearly meant was the supposition of a female as a powerful figure; A magical creature who could do anything with a flick of her wand. The author clearly wanted to show that despite the antagonist’s presence, something could be done, and it would be a woman to do it. If you notice, a lot of other tales incorporate the â€Å"Fairy Godmother† figure (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Hansel and Gretel). Then there’s Prince Charming. He is the culmination of all the hardships that our heroine goes through. A rich, handsome, not-too-bright fellow who can’t seem to recognize the love of his life when in costume! Research has shown that women in the olden days did want rich husbands and a comfortable life. It was as if the Prince was their way of saying, â€Å"this is what I want, and what I deserve. Now, about our Donkeyskin heroine†¦her femininity did come back (the cooking, the vanity), but one could see all through to the end of the story, that she was willing to assert her authority, and not play second fiddle anymore. She ran away from her situation in the hope of finding a better one, and in the process, found she really needed (in her time, a husband seemed to fit the bill). Modern Feminist Fairy Tale Authors In our modern arts, as in ages past, women storytellers have understood this best. Margaret Atwood, Olga Broumas, Carol Ann Duffy, Denise Duhamel, Sandra Gilbert, Theodora Goss, Liz Lochead, Lisel Mueller, Lisa Russ Spar, Gwen Strauss, Jane Yolen, and many other contemporary feminist poets have used fairy tale themes to powerful effect to portray the truth of womens lives. (Anne Sextons collection Transformations, in particular, is an extraordinary work which no lover of fairy tales or womens writing should miss. ) Prose writers, too, have used fairy tales themes in a variety of interesting ways, exploring tradition stories from fresh, shrewd, modern perspectives. Some of their fairy tale novels and stories can be found on the mainstream fiction shelves, such as Angela Carter’s ground–breaking collection The Bloody Chamber, Margaret Atwoods The Robber Bride, Kate Bernheimers The Complete Tales of Ketzia Gold, Loranne Browns The Handless Maiden, A. S. Byatts Possession, Kathryn Daviss The Girl Who Trod on a Loaf, Berlie Dohertys The Vinegar Jar, Emma Donaghues Kissing the Witch, Alice Hoffmans The Blue Diary, Susanna Moores Sleeping Beauty, and Gioia Timpanelli’s Sometimes the Soul. Similarly enchanting works can be found tucked away on the fantasy shelves: Gwyneth Joness Seven Fairy Tales and a Fable, Peg Kerrs Wild Swans, Tanith Lees Red as Blood and White as Snow, Patricia McKillips Winter Rose, Robin McKinley Beauty and Deerskin, Rachel Pollacks Godmother Death, Delia Shermans Porcelain Dove, Sheri Teppers Beauty, Patricia C. Wredes Snow White and Rose Red, Jane Yolens Briar Rose, and the stories in the Snow White, Blood Red anthology series, to name just a few. Still more can be found on the Young Adult fiction shelves, including Francesca Lia Block’s The Beast and the Rose, Shannon Hales The Goose Girl, Sophie Massons Serafin, Edith Patous East, Ursula Synges Swans Wing, and the many fairy tale novels of Donna Jo Napoli. In The Feminine in Fairy Tales, a collection of her lectures at the Jung Institute in Zurich, Von Franz discusses themes in The Girl With No Hands, equating the heroines flight into the wilderness with the inner journeys we make into the unconscious and the lands of the soul. The forest [is] the place of unconventional inner life, she says, in the deepest sense of the word. It is there, in solitude, that the heroine can look deep inside herself and find the space, time, and clarity to heal, symbolized by the restoration of her hands at the end of the tale. Gertrude Mueller–Nelson builds on these ideas in her book Here All Dwell Free: Stories to Heal the Wounded Feminine in which she uses two fairy tales — The Girl With No Hands and The Sleeping Beauty — to examine the ways the ‘Feminine’ is devalued in modern culture, and in men and womens lives. Conclusion Such tales were passed down through the generations by word of mouth, woman to woman, mother to child — using archetypes as a mirror held to daily life, particularly the lives of those without clear avenues of social power. Why do we continue to be ensnared by fairy tales, after all these centuries? Why do we continue to tell the same old tales, over and over again? Because we all have encountered wicked wolves, faced trial by fire, and found fairy godmothers. We have all set off into unknown woods at one point in life or another. Women had found their voices through the â€Å"tales† and were set free.

African American Dance Essay Example for Free

African American Dance Essay Assignment: After viewing the video Dance on the Wind: Memoirs of a Mississippi Shaman what is your opinion of the connection that Mr. Washington makes between African dance and African American Dance? Do you agree or disagree? Please be specific as to why and use examples. If you agree give an example of a popular African American dance in which you see the connection with African Dance. Your assignment should be in essay format and a minimum of one page typed. My Response: The connection in my opinion is the Mr. Washington made a connection between African-American Dance from his child-hood memories because his parents had to complete personalities as for his mother’s side of the family he took the memories of the dancing in church and being in the mist of the Holy Spirit and brainstormed some stick figures and contemplated on how his body could smoothly get through each step flawlessly. As for his father side of the family enjoyed dancing every. Saturday and he realized the common factor was the rhythm and blues and that they each danced to feel freedom and immortality and to show enjoyment and fulfillment of hard work. As he grew older he gained more access to the world and traveling. So he went a paid his ancient ancestors, he was amazed at what he saw and immediately put himself in his ancestors shoes. Culturally he is an American but religiously, spiritually he is an African American. So the connection was the rhythm and blues and the ancestors’ roots of music.

Choice Of Companies At Pick N Pay Business Essay

Choice Of Companies At Pick N Pay Business Essay Choosing Pick n Pay as the general retailer I would focus on for this project was very easy. Everyday families buy products from different retail stores namely Checkers, Spar, Woolworths and Pick n Pay. Because we are so involved in these shops and have such a limited choice of retail food stores I thought it would be interesting to see their contribution to corporate social responsibility. A lot of consumers are unaware of a businesses behind the scene ethical practices and I think it is important one realises the significance of large groups like The Pick n Pay Holdings limited group to give back to the community and contribute to sustainable projects. Because of such a wide range of socio-economical issues in Africa businesses need to focus on them and be able to sustain that project. I have heard a lot about Pick n Pay contributions to society and often are exposed to it by visiting their shops (bandanas for sale for the sunflower fund). CSR has a huge impact on the businesses p ublic image and I wanted to investigate why people would or would not want to support Pick n Pay as their grocery store. Introduction into businesss micro environment: A sound mission: We serve With our hearts we create a great place to be With our minds we create an excellent place to shop Key values: We nurture leadership and vision, and reward innovation We are passionate about our customers and will fight for their rights We care for, and respect each other We take individual responsibility We support and participate in our communities We are all accountable We live by honesty and integrity (Anonymous n.d) The Pick n Pay Store limited board runs on a flat organisational structure and has the overall responsibility of all the stores. The board consists of eight non-executive directors and five executive directors. Operational responsibility is divided up into three main groups: The Pick n Pay retail division, the Group enterprises division and the Franklin division. Each division has its own management board and they, as the board members believe this structure allows local operations to make decisions, be accountable for their actions and grow personally. Flat organisational structure: Some people in the lower levels are given more responsibility and fewer managers are needed Senior manager Middle managers Workers The company also believes in decentralisation and this means each store is responsible for everything they do, including budgets, marketing and operations. Each business is responsible for everything they do but run overall by the board of the Pick n Pay Holding limited group The board is assisted by groups of specialised people, one of which is the corporate governance group which ensures all the correct structures are in line with both national and international standards and are appropriate and effective Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability: Definition: Corporate social responsibility: CSR is about how companies manage the business processes to produce an overall positive impact on society. (Baker n.d.) Since 2005 Pick n Pay have published an annual report to give to suppliers, customers and employees. This focuses and is dedicated solely to their Corporate Social responsibility and sustainability plans as well as the increasing attention customers are placing on companies to be socially responsibility. Pick n Pay has a dedicated General Manger, Tessa Chamberlin whose specific task is to ensure that their sustainable strategies reach their full potential. In conjunction with this Pick N Pay, in 1990 launched their green range of products AND completed its first environmental inspection. Not only do Pick n Pay focus on outreach and community involvement, they are concerned about the sustainability of where there food products and ingredients come from. Pick n Pay are also involved and are one of the main sponsors in the carbon disclosure project which is aimed at growing and processing organic products. In 2007 Pick n Pay contributed R47 million on social initiatives. Pick N Pay stri ve to be practical on there approach to there responsibility to their consumers and communities in which they operate. Pick n Pay aims: Formulating a vision and action plan that is sustainable Appointing a General Manager that promotes sustainable development R30 million over the next 3 years to encourage broad-based black economic empowerment Investments in promoting staff training and development Looking into some of there other CSR which includes (Broader social responsibility): Activities to reduce our impact on the environment: Projects to conserve energy and water consumption A waste, energy and water assessment study . Initiatives to decrease the impacts of transportation All coolants containing CFCs have been stopped. Investigating further packaging to decrease waste produced Alternative locally produced, and more environmentally friendly Green Bag shopping bags are made available to shoppers. Corporate social investment: Total expenditure on CSI : R46 million Focusing on education and literacy; entrepreneurial development; access to primary health care; assistance to the disabled, street children, Aids sufferers; HIV/Aids prevention and support programmes; road safety; housing; feeding schemes; and sponsoring various sporting events. (Marketing division of Pick n Pay n.d.) Campaigns like the Sunflower Fund for the bone marrow registry, the Kids in Parks initiative; and the Pick n Pay School Club programme. The Board of directors, management and all employees are committed to a high standard of corporate governance. Pick n Pay take pride in moral and ethical business standards. The Pick n Pay Holdings Limited group is committed to transparent business practices. The Board is committed to complying in all material respects with the principles contained in the King II report, as well as to the additional requirements for good corporate governance stipulated in the JSE SRI Index. (Marketing division of Pick n Pay n.d.) King II Report on Corporate Governance King II states: The Board is responsible for the total process of risk management, as well as for forming an opinion on the effectiveness of the process; The Board should set the risk strategy policies in liaison with executive directors, and senior management; The Board must decide the companys appetite or tolerance for risk; The Board should make use of generally recognised risk management and internal control models and frameworks in order to maintain a sound system of risk management and internal control to provide reasonable assurance regarding the achievement of organisational objectives; and The Board is responsible for ensuring a systematic, documented assessment of the processes and outcomes surrounding key risks is undertaken, at least annually, for the purpose of making its public statement. (Marketing division of Pick n Pay n.d.) Is it Sustainable? Although a lot of Pick n Pays CSR is contributing money towards various charities and organisations, I think they are also very involved in the community. They do many projects that run once in a year for example the kids in parks project mentioned above, the Sunflower Fund for the bone marrow registry, the Quadriplegic Association of South Africa (QASA) and the Pick n Pay School Club programme. However all these projects are with -standing and are all still functioning today in society. Socio- Economic issues and strategies used: Although Pick n Pay do a lot of CSR I have decided to focus on one specific project. Pick n Pay are very involved in corporate social responsibility and address almost all socio-economic issues including education, poverty, the environment, sponsorship for sporting events and diseases like cancer (sunflower fund) I have chosen a project called Kids in Parks which Pick n Pay has been involved in and a sponsor of for 5years. This project entails both environmental and local community social responsibility and therefore addresses both environmental and underprivileged children/poverty issues. The Kids in Parks initiative uses money from plastic bag sales at Pick n Pay. R1 from every R5 bag sold is donated to a special environmental fund which is now the financial support for the Kids in Parks project. Because of the 2003 legislation put in place by government people now have to buy plastic bags. Consumers are more aware of the importance of keeping bags to re-use and therefore this has had a huge reduction in the number of plastic bags in circulation and litter in the environment. The sale of over 9 million Pick n Pay Green Bags made it possible for them to make available resources for over 20 000 children to participate in this project. Sixteen national parks are used and Pick n Pay has purchased 3 60 seater buses to transport the underprivileged children from the local community to and from the parks. Pick n Pay also sponsor meals, T- Shirts, goodie bags and equipment needed for the fun day. The children stay overnight in dorms and are provided with all the necessary learning equipment. The Kids in Parks Programme provides a unique opportunity for learners and their educators to visit a national park and learn a lot about natural and cultural heritage. The three-day programme allows for loads of discovery, learning and fun for kids.(South African National Parks 2010) The programme shows the importance of national parks to children from an underprivileged background. The children learn to identify, name and describe different fauna and flora. The children learn about biodiversity and how to sustain and look after our environment. Activities make learners aware of water conservation and also allow children to look into different environmental careers that are available. The Kids in Parks initiative is being phased in over a period of three years. Each year five different parks will welcome ten groups of 50 learners and 2 teachers. This means that eventually a total of 7 500 learners, 300 educators from 150 primary schools will have visited 15 parks. The programme is a partnership between SANParks, Pick n Pay and the departments of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) and Education (DoE) (South African National Parks 2010) Code of Ethics Pick n Pay ensures that all employees act with the top level of honesty and respect. Pick n Pay was one of the first companies to make a real commitment to corporate social responsibility and they do this by acting in a manner which portrays good corporate governance. They are unbending in their view of their code of Ethics and ensure that all employees follow these rules. New employees are trained and are sensitive to their CSR involvement. Pick n Pay take pride in having in depth knowledge of every aspect of their business, be it operations, interaction with society, environmental involvement and customer satisfaction. This knowledge is always communicated through their comprehensive training schemes in an ethical, honest and respectful manner, whether it is with employees or suppliers, customers and the general public at large. The maintenance and on going development of their code of ethics coupled with their CSR programs is constantly monitored by their board of directors. Any d eviations from their code of ethics are addressed through their disciplinary review procedures. Choice of companies: ] Spur: I chose Spur because it is a well known, well established brand and therefore should be doing corporate social responsibility. Spur has international outlets and are aware of international standards of corporate governance. Spur South Africa has achieved huge growth this year with turnover increasing to over R2.2 billion, is an increase in corporate social responsibility and governance programs responsible for this growth? Spur targets the fast growing middle class population group in South Africa in the family sit down restaurant market. They are in an ideal position to capatalise on this market although there is huge competition in this sector. They should therefore execute social responsibility programs and show good corporate governance to keep their market share. Introduction into businesss micro environment: The Spur Corporation listed on the JSE in 1986 and currently has 240 franchised spur steak ranches The Spur Corporation assists all their franchisees both before and after opening. The well-trained operations team provides consistent back up and support to all franchises. The Spur corporation are very involved in all there franchise companies. This team ensures Spur upholds the brand name and quality food they are expected to provide. The board comprises of one independent non-executive director, three non-executive directors and six executive directors. The board meets twice annually, the non-executive directors can have direct access to management without the directors being present. This allows problems, if they do occur to be sorted out. Spur corporation is centralised as: Marketing- dedicated marketing team that come up with new ideas for all franchises to use such as promotions and flyers Procurement and manufacturing- there is a manufacturing facility which is responsible for the testing of products Training- dedicated team of trainers who ensure that the franchisees and employees have the necessary skills These divisions are headed up at the head office. Because Spur steak ranches is a franchise the board requires all franchisees to remain at the same standard, these operations named above are headed-up at the head office to ensure this does happen. This structure will minimize duplication of effort and documents. Head office Franchisees: Spur Panarottis John Dorys Vision and Mission Our vision is to be the best family sit-down restaurant in the markets in which we trade. Our mission is to be dedicated at all times to our customers and  employees to provide a taste for life for our customers and be a great place to work for our employees. (Spur Corporation,2003) Other micro- environment challenges which Spur has faced in the current year are high rentals, increased costs of electricity rates and taxes, reduced disposable income of customers, high food price inflation and increased wage demands. Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability: Spur Corporation is committed to achieving high standards of corporate governance to protect the interests of the company and its shareholders The group endorses the Code of Corporate Practices and Conduct as exemplified in the King Committee report on Corporate Governance( King 2) Governance structures are continually enhanced to take account of changes within the group and ongoing developments within corporate governance (Spur Corporation,2003) Spur is very conscious and committed to improving the lives of disadvantaged people in South African through the use of there brand. The Spur Corporation assists in the upliftment of the communities focusing mainly on people development through sport. Corporate social responsibility is an essential part of Spur. Spur has established many community-focused events for disadvantaged children. Funds generated from these events are used for a feeding initiative in rural schools. The Spur Corporation in conjunction with Joint Aid Management (Non profit organisation) provides meals to 350000 throughout SA daily. Sport and recreational events: Spur soccer Masidlale (lets play) is a series of one-day soccer learning clinics. National Schools Mountain Biking league receive continued support for the development of young cyclists Spur adventure provides a fun day for the family Rugby development- Spur is committed to transformation at a schools level partnering with FNB to present classic clashes on TV. Spur also sponsor disadvantaged rugby playing schools Annual charity golf tour- raised over R300 000 for the development of underprivileged potential players and food for many schemes HIV/AIDS: an AIDS awareness campaign has been established for the past seven years Spur, because of their adventure image have used sport as their corporate social responsibility outlet. Is it sustainable? These projects are definitely sustainable as they have long term aims of continuing the projects established. . Through sport disadvantaged children are being taught valuable life skills including team work and personal gain. Children will be able to use the skills they learn throughout their lives and will get much enjoyment out of playing sport. Often disadvantaged children are depressed and unhappy and sport can be a recreational outlet for them to enjoy. Socio- Economic issues and strategies used: Spur is very limited in the socio-economic issues they address however I decided to focus on the Spur Soccer Masidlale initiative which uses soccer as a bases to integrate children from all walks of life. This initiative is part of Spur Corporations corporate social investment (CSI) This experience is a fun and interactive. Properly qualified coaches conduct the standardised drill sessions which are followed by a mini-tournament. The Spur Corporation sponsors lunch for all players, soccer kit, equipment as well as the coaches. Every child involved will receive their own soccer ball. Last year the theme of the initiative was Self discipline which is being followed up this year with the theme of Follow your leader This programme ensures the coaches revisit the schools regularly, enforcing the learning experience. Spur has collaborated once again with Joint Aid Management to feed less fortunate children which will also experience the Spur Soccer Masidlale clinics. The aim: To ensure the youth of South Africa maintain a healthy, active lifestyle. This is why Spur has partnered with the Supersport initiative, Lets Play which aims to get children into the outdoors and enjoying the fresh air. Together, with the same direction in mind they want to get children off the streets and playing sport. This project can contribute towards decreasing crime to self esteem issues. Children need a good basis of moral education and programmes like this one can provide this. Sport is fun and one has to work in a team to achieve a common goal. This program encourages children to follow their dream and introduces them to soccer at a young age. This will help them to find their own identity and promote a life free of alcohol and drugs. A participant enjoying a Spur hamburger A team wearing the sponsored soccer kit Eating a Spur hamburger Eating a Spur hamburger Code of Ethics Spur requires all their employees to maintain the highest moral and ethical standards with all stakeholders including 1) relationships with other collegues 2) interaction with suppliers in order to meet stringent supply and food safety requirements 3) Bond with customers 4) enhanced interaction with corporate governance structures and NGO groups 5) establishment of remuneration committees as part of their corporate governance program 6) interaction with employee groups for example labour unions, environmental interest groups and disadvantaged In dealing with all stakeholders Spur adheres to the principles contained in their code of Ethics, these principles are : integrity, honesty and good faith, impartiality, transparency and openness, accountability and responsibility(Spur Corporation,2003) This code of Ethics does not mention CSR but does detail how they go about dealing with society in an ethical, moral manner. Analysis of information, comparison and opinion Pick n Pay and Spur: The outlook for Spur is very positive. There financial performance is underpinned by a sound, well thought out corporate governance program, which includes: an audit committee, remuneration committee, risk committee, nominations committee and operational committee. These groups ensure the running of the company is smooth and the public can then be reassured the company is practicing ethical behavior and good governance. This linked with there proposed restaurant growth in South Africa coupled with the 2010 Fifa world Cup will mean that the potential for Spur to become more involved in CSR is there (more money to contribute and make use of) I think Spur need to make the public more aware of their CSR to boost their public image and therefore, becoming more involved will be an advantage and not seen as money spent without return on investment (ROI) However, the spur corporation as a hole focuses on growth and customers and needs to become aware of the need for the businesses to get more involved in CSR. Pick n Pay are very involved in CSR and show a real interest in giving back and doing good in the community. They show this by doing a broad range of CSR that help many different socio-economic problems. Pick n Pay are involved in projects that are not just once off and require a commitment form the business to be sustainable. The Pick n Pay holdings limited group are encouraging good corporate governance across all stores and this is proven in their code of ethics and CSR programmes. VS Discussion and Conclusion Definition: Corporate governance is the set of processes, customs, laws and institutions affecting the way a corporation (or company) is directed, administrated or controlled. Corporate governance also includes the relationships among the many stakeholders involved and the goals for which the corporation is governed. The principle stakeholders are the shareholders, management, and the board of directors. Other stakeholders include employees, customers, creditors, suppliers, and the community at large. Looking at the evidence presented above Pick n Pay is better governed. Although both companies have corporate governance programs in place one can see that Pick n Pay are more committed to their ethical behavior/ corporate governance and CSR. Spur corporations only uses sport to promote CSR where as Pick n Pay has a comprehensive list of different CSR programs they are involved in. Pick n Pay addresses a range of socio-economic issues like education, poverty, the environment and diseases, Spur focuses on the upliftment of children in South Africa. Pick n pay uses there involvement in so many CSR programmes to promote their positive image to the public and therefore having a good effect on sales. Pick n Pay have an extensive view and plan on promoting both broad based and primary bases social responsibility. They have put together a code to develop the Pick n Pay employees (as seen under the corporate social responsibility and sustainability heading). By being corporate social respons ible Pick n Pay are giving back to the society and the environment and at the same time promoting there good corporate governance. Looking at Pick n Pays social involvement and promoting the well being of their own employees who are encouraged to be ethical and work with integrity Pick n Pay does uphold corporate governance.

Religion in Joshua and The Children :: Joshua and The Children Essays

Religion in Joshua  and The Children    Herm’s question, â€Å"Josh, what do you think of Religion?† becomes the beginning of a period of both joy and conflict for Joshua as he is then often encountered with many related questions and, later, contradiction from the Church. These questions all lead to similar answers, in which Joshua expands on his ideas. And because of this further discussion, it’s important to read all of his responses throughout the book in order to understand his reply and to intelligently decide to agree or disagree. Therefore, my reaction to Joshua’s reply is based on everything he said concerning religion.   The question arises from a discussion between Pat, Herm, and Joshua concerning his lifestyle. They are walking home from breakfast at the diner and the other two are interested in why Joshua doesn’t mind living alone. â€Å"Don’t you get lonesome living by yourself?† Herm asks (72). But Joshua explains to them that he values the serenity of living alone. He tells them that he can peacefully enjoy the beauty of nature outside and the animals also keep him company at times. But the main reason why Joshua never feels alone is that God is always with him, loving him always, and will never abandon him: â€Å"No. I like being by myself†¦ God is with us all the time† (72). Pat and Herm agree but still can not imagine living alone without any feeling of loneliness and this discussion of God leads to Herm’s question.   Joshua’s response is similar to a sermon or speech, and is over a page in length; he is firm in these beliefs and reiterates them several times throughout the book. He is very prepared for the question; before saying a word he asks, â€Å"the way it [religion] is or the way God intended it to be?† (73). And when he is sure of the latter, releases everything inside him, as if he was just waiting to explain what people had been doing wrong. His main point is that Jesus wanted to free those under the pressure of rules in their religions and offered a comforting God who loved them, asking only for honor and worship in return. Joshua is also disappointed in the way the clergy preside over their congregations: â€Å"Jesus did not envision bosses†¦ He wanted his apostles to guide and serve, not to dictate and legislate† (74).

In What Ways Does Brownings use of the First Person Narrative in his :: English Literature

In What Ways Does Browning's use of the First Person Narrative in his Dramatic Monologues Help to Reveal the Thoughts and Feelings of his Characters? Robert Browning was a highly respected Victorian poet. He lived from 1812-1889. Browning eloped with and married the daughter of a family Tyrant, Elizabeth Barrett. They loved each other until death parted them and both poets wrote moving love poetry, having experienced the happiness of true love for themselves. The two poems I shall study in this essay give a whole different side to Browning's poetry and a whole different view of love. Both of them have little to do with love as most of us would understand it, yet both give very interesting studies of two contrasting characters. Browning uses the first person in his poetry to reveal the thoughts and feelings of his characters, and does this very effectively. The poem "My Last Duchess" gives us a complete character study of a Renaissance nobleman. Although he never talks directly about himself in his narrative, the Duke reveals a lot about his personality: it is made quite obvious that he is a very proud, arrogant and self-centred person. The poem is written as a monologue given by the Duke to a servant of a prospective new wife of his. He drops subtle hints to say that his prospective wife will have to behave in a way he sees fit, casually saying: "That's my last Duchess painted on the wall, Looking as if she were alive" He also twice mentions how the painting is by Frà   Pandolf. This name-dropping reveals that he is arrogant. He obviously wants the servant to offer some sort of praise about the painting as he asks him, "Will't please you sit and look at her?" He obviously likes to be in control seen as he keeps a picture one presumes he would like everyone to see behind a curtain, so that men that he doesn't wish to look at her can't. He went to the sitting for the painting because he was so jealous. He makes this clear by saying: "Sir, 'twas not Her Husband's presence only, called that spot Of joy into the Duchess' cheek" He disliked the way she took pleasure from all things. He considered that this meant she saw him to be as important as her white mule or a beautiful sunset. One wonders if he was possibly quite an insecure man, seen as he could not believe, "She thanked men." I think one would think this of any man who was jealous of a sunset! He seems to think it a disgrace that he didn't think she appreciated the title he

DDT and Ethics Essay

Introduction Paul Muller, a Swiss chemist and Nobel Prize winner was the one who discovered the DDT which was found to be very effective as a pesticide. In the 40s it was used in the agriculture sector to help kill crop-eating insects. From 1942 onwards it started being commercialized with big companies such as the Montrose Chemical Corporation at the frontline of this pioneering product. At first, the product proved to be quite a sensation drastically reducing the amount of malaria resulting in saving many lives. It also had a huge impact in agriculture with its effective control on pests. Later on there were reports of DDT being harmful to the environment, people and animals. In fact, there was a book that was published by Rachel Carson entitled â€Å"Silent Spring† that outlined the dangers of the DDT. A year after the book was published, President John F Kennedy ordered a committee to investigate the book’s veracity and it was found to be accurate and that persistent toxic pesti cides should be phased out as soon as possible. What followed was DDT being banned from the public by government decree after conclusive research of how dangerous it is to the environment. The product was however still sold to other countries outside of the US for some time before some of the countries themselves decided to ban it. The purpose of this report is to explore ethical issues and philosophies brought forth by some of the world’s ethicists and philosophers in an effort to advocate for the ban of DDT. Violation of Ethical Standards in manufacturing and selling DDT Any manufacturing business should have a code of ethics that should me more than just a set of rules set for its employees. It should go beyond the organization and be a set of rules that protects all its stakeholders and most importantly they must be enforceable. The Montrose Chemical Corporation did violate some of the ethical standards in the manufacturing and selling of DDT to the public as the case may suggest. It is evident in the case that the DDT has brought about many problems such as toxicity to some animals, cancer and spoilage of breast milk. Therefore, the company can be held responsible for the damage this has caused because they should have worked out the dangers and have predicted the risks involved for everyone’ s sake. According to Environmental Protection Agency, the Montrose Chemical Corp used heavy amounts of chlorobenzene as a raw material for making DDT  and this substance is in its innate form is non-aqueous meaning it remained in the ground and mixed with the other raw materials that resulted in making the groundwater in the area contaminated. Consequently, the surface soils around that area were found to be contaminated with DDT residues. This is something that the company should have considered and anticipated. Also, the company did not demonstrate in any way health concerns by warning people about the dangers of usage even after the publication of Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. Human life as well as animals’ should be valued and the manufacturing of DDT resulted in damages as serious as cancer based on some reports. Things Montrose Chemical Corporation should have done differently As part of their social responsibility, instead of rushing into getting as much DDT out for sale as quick as possible, the company should have paused and conducted enough preliminary research to really outline the potential dangers of this substance in the environment and also find alternative ways of fixing those problems without damaging the environment. Perhaps the company should have also provided training and education on usage so that consumers can take the right precautions when using for their benefit and for the benefit of the environment. Even after the risks started being talked about like in the book published by Rachel Carson, Montrose Chemical Corporation showed carelessness and no effort in trying to mitigate the problems caused by the result of their business’ existence. They could have at least provided financial aid for the damage caused by this product and to protect life and environment from the effects. That would have shown some sense accountability. For example they could have helped develop fish farms around the area to help with the population and maintain the ecosystem. Effective Corporate Social Responsibility is a fundamental ethical code and its initiatives should look at issues that affect its stakeholders in the long run. So perhaps the company should have revisited their CSR objectives to really improve their planning on manufacturing and selling. The Stakeholder theory coined by Edward Freeman and others argue that instead of starting a business and looking out into the world to see what ethical codes they need to be obligated to, they can begin in the world itself; they list out individuals and groups that will be affected by their operation and recognizes their right to participate in directing it. Also, the company could have been more transparent in their manufacturing operations. This  might have prompted other researchers out there to point out DDTs disadvantages much sooner and do something about it. It had to take the government’s decree to ban it in order for them to stop their activities and if that was not there they would have presumably gone on with their business. Environmental Protection Agency’s Ethicality Even though DDT was not banned in other countries, it was still very unethical for the Montrose Chemical Company to go on selling this product to them. The Righteous moralist philosophy holds that multinational home standards are the right ones for companies to abide by in foreign countries. Ethical issues arise when environmental regulations in host nations are far much inferior to the ones in the home nation. At that point, all the dangerous effects of this product were proven and known yet they still carried on selling to people across the world. The reason it was banned in America was because of the hazardous effects it had overtime affecting people, animal life and the environment as a whole. With this information conclusive and very well documented, the company should have ceased manufacture and selling of this product not just in America but to all the other countries that were getting this product. Instead they knowingly continued manufacturing and selling, disregarding compl etely the dangers that other people are going to face. It is also important to mention that even if the company did not know about the studies that revealed all the effects of DDT, they had a duty to be aware of it to avoid the carelessness that they ended up showing resulting in the harming of people, animals and the environment. They cannot simply ignore the dangers the people, animals and the environment are being put in even if it is beyond their borders. The Environmental Protection Agency had no choice but to ban the whole operation because the DDT had been proven to having caused damage to the environment and harm people and animals as well. Even though this probably meant many people losing their jobs, the ultimate damage that the company’s operation would have brought about would have been far more overwhelming. If they hadn’t done that, naturally the company, being a business might have gone on with the selling of DDT and that’s a possibility that is not worth the risk. After all, at that point, they had not shown any signs of stopping anyway because in the ten years between the Silent Spring publication by Rachel  Carson and when the EPA officially banned the use of DDT, business continued as usual in other countries continents such as Africa, Asia and Europe. Also, according to the EPA official website, the quick success of DDT as a pesticide and broad use in the United States and other countries resulted in many of the insect pest species mutating and developing a resistance to DDT and so finding new ways of dealing with the problems would be what’s next. In a nutshell, the EPA would have to be answerable to the damage caused in the environment and so this was the right step. Muller’s award discussion Muller’s award for his work on DDT should not be taken away from him because first and foremost, Muller had demonstrated a high level of understanding in chemistry and he did it in an honest way. For that alone he deserved the award because it is something remarkable in the field of Chemistry. In fact, his product helped solve many problems in Agriculture and even health care and so this is only more of a reason to celebrate his great work. He cannot be held responsible in any way for the misfortune DDT has brought about. His intention was good in that he was trying to find a way to protect human life from insect borne diseases. Many other advantages followed such as pest control in the agriculture sector. It was only when this product started being heavily commercialized did the problems of land pollution, toxicity and cancer came about. How the discovery was used cannot be blamed on Muller. Prior to DDTs commercialization, Mueller did express his concerns about the inherent nature of DDT ; of how stable it is, meaning it would not be able to decompose harmlessly in the environment so from that, people should have been more careful at how they manufacture and sell DDT. Also, Muller did not take part in its commercialization that led to the environment’s deterioration. Therefore taking Muller’s award away from him would only be unfair and outrageous. Saving lives versus environment risk The ability to save lives is not worth the risk the environment has to be put in. From the case, it may seem that DDT is worth it as it helped control pests and saved a lot of lives but this is only a short termed and a smaller issue compared to the entire ecosystem in the long run. The utilitarian and the Kantian philosophy brought forth by David Hume and Jeremy Bentham argues that the moral worth of actions or practices is determined by the  consequences. If the effects are desirable then the actions are worth it. The continual disposal of DDT cumulatively resulted in cases such as cancer, contamination of soil and water; toxicity in milk and egg shells in birds not properly formed for birth. This in the long run disturbs the ecosystem which is essential for all life forms. The cancer only means more deaths and toxicity in milk could as well have the same result, poor health at the very least. Preserving the environment provides a more sustainable future for life and its maintenance. Conclusion In spite of all the credits that DDT probably deserves, the damage that the environment as a whole cumulatively ends up having makes further operations ethically unacceptable and not worth it. As a company with such activities, they have the responsibility to look after its stakeholders and the environment at large. Montrose Chemical Corporation was very careless about how they handled their manufacturing and selling of DDT and it ended up costing damage not only in the US but even in countries outside of the US. More research should have been done to anticipate this and more acts of accountability should have been shown to help mitigate the situation. By placing emphasis on ethical issues at every point in their manufacturing process, the company will ultimately do more good in the long run. A theory that was once proposed by Thomas Hobbes called the theory of social atomism states that individuals always act for their own selfish interests, and in the pristine state of man, there a re no rights. This kind of attitude must be suppressed if there has to be any progress in protecting interests of stakeholders.

Curley’s Wifes’ Desires of Mice and Men

Curley’s wife How does Steinbeck present Curley’s wife’s’ desires in the book ‘Of Mice and Men’? John Steinbeck’s novella, ‘Of Mice and Men’ depicts the struggle of two wayward men during the Great Depression of the 1930’s. Although a variety of characters in the story are presented as the out casts of society, Curley’s wife is perhaps the character in which readers feel most sympathetic towards. Essentially, Curley’s wife represents the image of all women in the society in which Steinbeck lived.Society in the 1930’s discriminated heavily against women; they were essentially objects, whose sole purpose in life was to serve their husbands, objects that were to be simply seen, and not heard. Steinbeck presents the female genders lack of identity and individuality in 1930’s society by deliberately not naming Curley’s wife. Her missing a name emphasizes her second-class citizenship. The woman has no name because she is just an object, the â€Å"property† of someone else.Curley’s wife is deemed unimportant, victimized as a direct result of her gender, the majority of male characters in the novel have names, even Crooks; the stable buck, who because of his race is probably viewed as being beneath Curley’s wife in terms of society’s classification. Curley's wife can only be seen in reference to her husband, who (supposedly) owns and controls her body, and by extension, her. Curley’s wife desires attention above all other dreams. As the only female on the ranch, she has no one she could relate to and is presented by Steinbeck to be incredibly isolated and shrouded in feelings of loneliness.She appears to present a facade on the ranch, burying her isolation with boldness and femininity ‘ She had full, rouged lips and wide spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her fingernails were red. Her hair hung in little rolled clusters, like sausag es’. She continuously uses the excuse of looking for Curley as a means of extracting some sort of communication with others on the ranch ‘I’m looking for Curley’. ‘He was in here a minute ago, but he went’. ‘Oh! ’. She put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward’.Steinbeck presents Curley’s wife in a flirtatious manner in order to highlight her loneliness and isolation on the ranch. She often feels depressed and doesn’t understand why the ranch workers are afraid to communicate with her ‘What's the matter with me? Ain't I got a right to talk to nobody? ’. As a result of her loneliness, she often uses her body and circumstance as the only woman on an all male ranch to extract conversation from individuals. Steinbeck presents her flirtatiousness by displaying Curley’s wife’s liking of the colour red ; red as a colour connotates em otions of passion, desire and love.Curley’s wife is a temptress who leads men into trouble. She represents sexuality and danger. This has led to some commentators who see ‘Of Mice and Men’ as being a biblical allegory to describe Curley’s wife as an Eve figure. Curley’s wife’s isolation also leads her to desire power. Her position in society as a woman virtually denies her of any power, however she chooses to use her position as the wife of the boss’ son to exert what little authority she can muster onto individuals who she believes are beneath her in society’s classifications.Curley’s wife uses her miniscule quantity of authority to insult and manipulate those beneath her ‘I could get you strung up in a tree so easy it ain't even funny. ’ Wants freedom, is suffocated ; pathetic fallacy, when she dies, weather is hot and stifling because that is how she feels on the ranch.. suffocated Alongside Curley’ s wife’s desire for attention, I believe she also seeks freedom. As the only female living on the ranch, she has no one she can talk or relate to, she is Curley’s wife but feels that she cannot relate to him.Curley’s wife admits herself that she has no one to talk to, it appears to the reader that Curley himself observes his wife as more an object to flaunt, rather than a partner who he supposedly loves. She may potentially be jealous of the women that work in the cathouses as they seem to gain more attention I believe she feels, as Curley’ s wife, she is obligated to present a show to the other men living on the ranch, as she is Curley’s prized possession, and he seems to want to flaunt her ‘Well, I tell ya what – Curley says he's keepin' that hand soft for his wife. ’