Television is an Integral Part of Our Lives - 752 Words

Television, which was nonexistent just a few decades ago, has become an integral part of our daily lives. There are thousands of shows to choose from, varying from soap operas to cooking shows to science fiction. These can all be easily accessed with just the click of a button. If what you want to watch is not on, you can access just about every show there has been through the Internet. This is convenient in our growing need for constant entertainment. However, this ease of access presents problems. The ability to watch any show at any time applies to children as well. Because of this it has become increasingly difficult to monitor what children watch. The result is the increased exposure of youth to violence. This is not limited to†¦show more content†¦A study done in Canada shows the dramatic effects of this. In three different towns children with low aggression levels were exposed to TV that contained a higher amount of violence than usual. The level of aggression display ed by the children rose significantly. Not only were the children directly affected, the adults in the household began to act more violently as well. Violence is not just an element of adult shows, many kid shows incorporate violent behaviors. Many cartoons include what would actually be considered extremely graphic and disturbing in real life. People or animals are depicted as being chopped up, blown up, falling off cliffs, and even being shot repeatedly. These are considered humorous behaviors, and the result is a bundle of laughter. Essentially, children are being taught to laugh at violent acts. There are even show that contain real people being injured falling down stairs and slipping off roofs that are intended to be funny. This leads to an association of injury with humor. Even non-humorous violence, such as real stories of criminals and shootings on the news, are constantly being shown to children. Overall it leads to children being desensitized to violence. This means that the natural reaction that humans have to violence, which should naturally be fear or discomfort as part of our fight-or-flight response, is erased. Vio lence no longer provokes any negative reactions. AnShow MoreRelatedIs Television good or bad?700 Words   |  3 PagesIs Television good or bad? Over the years, television has become an integral part of our lives. Television serves many different roles in our daily lives including educating and informing us about things happening in the world. There has been a long lasting debate over whether a pessimistic view of television is justified in today’s society. A pessimistic view is not justified in today’s society. Television can help save lives. Television can help save lives through its health programs such asRead MoreHow Web 2.0 Has Forever Changed Online Communication And Communication1200 Words   |  5 Pagescommunication and communication in general. Reddit has opened up new ways to communicate and be a part of communities. These communities are now so integral to our modern culture that they are used for more than just people discussing interests online. Reddit has given has given content creators, business men, and politicians among others to manage and monitor community activity. Filmmakers/television executives use these communities to monitor the fan base of their respective media. They monitorRead MoreThe Truman Show By Peter Weir Essay1236 Words   |  5 Pagesto the interests of more powerful people. If we want to live an authentic life and be free, we should put distance between ourselves and the comfort that is our media filled culture. We have to leave the safety that is th e media’s grasp and be willing to live in the world the way it actually is. In the 1990’s, television culture in particular was in full swing. Television is such a powerful tool as it has the potential to heavily influence our mindsets on topics. The Truman Show showed us an exaggeratedRead MoreEssay On Indian Television868 Words   |  4 PagesDesiTVBox Ranked at the 1st spot in our long countdown, this website offers you all your favorite shows. For the ones who are new to the concept of Indian Television, this website offers a plethora of channels along with the option to choose from multiple shows and serials. Alongside, you can also find rankings for various serials, thus helping you make the right choice. If you are an existing viewer of the Indian Television, use this portal to stay updated with all the happenings from your TV showRead MoreMass Media Milestone1700 Words   |  7 Pagesbeginning of mass media production. Mass media refers to a communication channel that enables a large number of audiences to communicate and interact in different languages. It can be an image or high technology, all in all, mass media forms an integral part of our lively hood today. 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Technology plays a big part of daily life in today’s world, especially in the States. It is difficult to imagine what daily life would be without computers, television or cellphones. Let us take a look at computers first. Computers and the internet have become a vital part of our daily life for today’s generation. Both are used for the ability to access information, store data. To name a few optionsRead MoreDefining Popular American Culture1039 Words   |  5 PagesDefining Popular American Culture The study of culture is very important to our society, as we have been studying our past and identities for as long as we can recall. Studying our cultures allows us to understand each other as a people, so we can comprehend what we have done, and possibly, what we may do. As we study American popular culture, we see something that began as almost nothing, to a group of patterns that has captured the minds of not only the American people themselves, but the wholeRead MorePostwar America: The Golden Age of Television Essay1255 Words   |  6 PagesThe ‘Golden Age of Television’ is what many refer to as the period between the 1950s and 60s when the television began to establish itself as a prevalent medium in the United States. In 1947, the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), and the Du Mont Network were the four main television networks that ran stations with regular programming taking place. 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Uae ; Cultural Differences Free Essays

string(124) " Jebel Ali Free Zone no taxes had to be paid and foreign companies could establish subsidiaries without a domestic partner\." List of Abbreviations GDPGross Domestic Product MASMasculinity PDIPower Distance Index UAEUnited Arab Emirates UAIUncertainty Avoidance Index UKUnited Kingdom Table Of Contents I. – List of Abreviations II. – Introduction2 III. We will write a custom essay sample on Uae ; Cultural Differences or any similar topic only for you Order Now – The United Arab Emirates2 III. 1 – History2 III. 2 – Economy4 IV. – Important values for a successful business in the UAE5 V. – Culture7 V. 1 – Cultural differences at the national level7 V. 2 – Cultural differences at the organizational level10 VI. – Kuhne + Nagel12 VII. – List of References14 II. – Introduction In the current business environment, in times of globalization, financial crisis and terror, there is a growing consciousness about difficulties that can occur when different cultures collide. These difficulties especially need to be regarded when wanting to expand a business internationally or wanting to enter a foreign market. In this paper the United Arab Emirates is analyzed with focus on critical information for operating a business there. This paper will take into account the history, the cultural aspects as well as differences, the business development and opportunities based on an example of the German logistics company Kuhne Nagel, which is doing business in the UAE since the 70`s. III. – The United Arab Emirates III. 1 – History The Palm islands, The World, the Burj al Arab and the Burj Dubai and other superlatives come to our mind when thinking about the United Arab Emirates, but they only represent the timeframe since the 1990’s. The UAE was founded in 1971. To really understand the UAE and its culture it is important to take a look at the history and the developments before the foundation and the oil. About 1500 years ago the people in the Arabic region were living in tribes, their lives were dictated by the harsh natural conditions and pearl fishing was the prevalent dedication[1]. The community was very important within the tribes and a deep social family structure was established. [2] At that time the Islamic Belief was introduced to the gulf region and is therefore deeply rooted in the history and its culture. 3] As trade and piracy rose in the 18th and 19th century the area became known as the Pirate Coast until the British navy launched several attacks on the pirate strongholds to secure the trade. [4] This lead to the signing of 3 truce treaties in total, including the final treaty in 1892, which made them become the â€Å"Trucial States† and preventing them from entering into relationships with any other country but the U nited Kingdom (UK) as well as disposing territory to anyone besides the UK, in return for coastal protection and support in case attack of land[5]. The first discovery of oil in 1958[6] in Abu Dhabi, which led to many more, was very fortunate as the region, which relied heavily on pearl fishing, saw the pearl market collapse between the First and Second World War. [7] The discovery of oil and the hence evolving wealth had a strong influence on the further development of the area. When the British first announced their intention of withdrawing from the Arabian Gulf by the end of 1971, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi immediately wanted to establish closer relationships between the Arabic states. 8] He and Sheikh Rashid of Dubai, became the initiators towards an union of Arabic Emirates, including the Trucial States, Bahrain and Qatar. [9] Since no agreement could be reached between the nine and Qatar and Bahrain became independent, the rulers of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid, decided to form a union between their emirates and later on present its constitution to the other 5 emirates with the of fer to join. [10] One day after the Britsh-Trucial Sheikdoms Treaty expired, the United Arab Emirates were founded on December 2nd, 1971. Four emirates joined immediately and Ra’s al-Kaihmah followed on Febuary 10th, 1972. [11] Since its foundation the UAE has experienced an incredible growth and has managed to go from one of the least developed countries, to achieving an income level comparable to that of the industrialized nations in less than 30 years. [12] The oil revenues of course have contributed in a major way to the modern development and prosperity, but also political stability as well as the leadership by Sheikh Zayed were very influential. 13] The sheikh, who was born around 1918 and raised under poor circumstances, wanted his people to benefit from the country’s resources, while making sure that the people are aware of their roots and that the country’s history and culture are kept. [14] Through his efforts the Arabian culture has been preserved and passed on to the following generation. He was very popular not only within the nation but also in Europe and the US due to his pro-western mentality. 15] His open-mindness also had a big effect on the UAE and enabled it to become one of the most liberal and pluralistic countries in the Gulf region, with its now massively multicultural population. [16] When he died in 2004 his oldest son HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan became the ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the UAE. [17] III. 2 – Economy Since the oil was discovered the oil sector was the main contributor to the GDP of the UAE. [18] However the country has steadily tried to reduce its dependability of oil and to diversify its economy. 19] The oil revenues were at first reinvested in to healthcare, education and the national infrastructure to raise the standard of living and pave the way for a sustainable economic development. [20] In 1985 the first free zone of the UAE was opened. In the Jebel Ali Free Zone no taxes had to be paid and foreign companies could establish subsidiaries without a domestic partner. You read "Uae ; Cultural Differences" in category "Papers" [21] The concept of the free zone became very popular in the region and was the first step towards being an attractive location for subsidiaries of companies that want to open up the Middle Eastern market. Today more than 850 companies have registered in the Jebel Ali Free Zone and almost 6,000 companies from over 110 countries conduct business there. [22] All in all more than 10,000 companies are registered in one of the 15 free trade zones in the UAE. [23] Due to the geographical location of the UAE in the Middle East and between the markets in the east, whose importance to the western companies has been steadily rising, and Western Europe the United Arab Emirates has become the hub for the complete Middle East, India, Afirca and the Commonwealth of Independent States. 24] This development is especially explicit in Dubai, which has evolved with over 140 scheduled fairs into one of the top locations for international trade shows and multilateral negotiations. [25] Due to the booming construction industry and tourism after 20 years of budget deficit there has been a balance surplus since 2005. [26] The GDP in 2007 grew by 7,5% to 192,6 billion US$. 27] The United Arab Emirates now has one of the most diversified economies in the gulf region and managed to lower its dependence on the oil industry to a GDP-contribution below one third, as sectors like manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, tourism, construction and real estate increased their share. [28] IV. – Important values for a successful business in the UAE To successfully operate a business in the UAE it is mandatory that certain basic values of the Arabian culture are known and respected. [29] One has to aware of his own culture and depart from the wrong and right thinking of rong or right and better or worse when it comes to cultures, as cultures are just different without any judgement. [30] First of all one needs to be aware that time is seen in a totally different way in the Arab world and is not considered to be an issue. Business meetings and negotiations take longer, people are not as punctual and deadlines are often not met. [31] Since personal relations are of highest importance for a successful business it is crucial, when first entering into business relations with people from the United Arab Emirates, to establish a trustworthy and respectful relation, much like a friendship. 32] The first face-to-face meetings are commonly time absorbing and used to become acquainted with the prospective counterpart. [33] Impatience or anger because of the often lengthy process should not be expressed as it would be conceived as rude and disrespectful possibly leading frustration of the business relations. [34] Business meetings generally take longer in the Arab world as at the beginning time is usually spent on inquiries on the well-being of the family members. [35] A strong effect on the business practices has the religious faith. The working hours are for example interrupted for praying[36] and during the holy month of Ramadan overall business slows down in the Arabian area. [37] In normal business practice the religion also comes into play, inasmuch as some decisions are left to â€Å"fate†. [38] Therefore negotiations might end with the term â€Å"Insh’allah† – â€Å"if God wills†, which underlines the strong belief that the course of events cannot be controlled by the individual meaning that the decision will be made by god and not by them. [39] One of the highest values in the Arabian culture is the belonging to groups, especially the family. 40] Family matters are of higher significance than business[41] and interruptions of e. g. business meetings due to family and personal matters are no exception and should not be misinterpreted as rude. [42] Since age also plays a significant role in the Arabian culture, greater respect must always be shown to the more elderly person, by e. g. greeting the most senior person in a meeting first. [43] Often age and status has a greater influence on the career of an Arab than the actual personal achievements. 44] The interaction with women is not always straightforward and therefore the behavior of the Arabs in the situation should be adopted in terms of how to greet a woman for example. [45] When negotiating and also in normal interactions with Arabian counterparts the concept of saving face needs to always be kept in mind. Criticism should not be expressed publicly and one should avoid to put anyone in a uncomfortable situation, since it could result in loosing face which seriously harms the person’s and his family’s reputation. 46] Dignity and respect are key elements in Arabian culture and saving face, through the use of compromise, patience and self-control is a means by which these values are maintained. [47] Since confrontation and conflicts are to be avoided in the Arabian culture business communication is done differently. Arabia has been identified by Edward T. Hall as a high context region where one has to read between the lines in contrast to Germany with a low context country where explicit words have specific meanings[48]. A yes for example may mean a perhaps as the Arabs often communicate indirectly through body language or other forms of non-verbal communication like eye-contact or facial cues rather than communicating directly through words. [49] As, one should be aware of the so called â€Å"High Context Communication†[50] and try to carefully observe his counterpart during a conversation and always pay attention to the way the complete message is conveyed. [51] Management in the UAE is mostly done through centralized decision making and tall hierarchies. 52] Employees in the UAE expect to receive clear instructions and orders from their superiors, rather than having the freedom and the responsibility to manage their own work. [53] Due authority being an element of the Arabian culture, the orders are normally obeyed and only rarely questioned. [54] V. – Culture V. 1 – Cultural differences at the national level The biggest difference between the German culture and the culture in the United Arab Emirates obviously is the religion. Religion in Germany exists and is practiced, but not in an extent comparable to the United Arab Emirates. The culture in the UAE can be defined as the Arabian Culture as it is mostly the same in all Arab nations with some local differences and is mainly influenced by their history and even more their religion. [55] Arabs living in the United Arab Emirates are almost all Muslims and believe that the Islam is not only a religion but a way of living. [56] Their God Allah controls their entire life and even the law called Sharia is partly build on the Holy Koran. Praying five times a day as well as drinking no alcoholic drinks, eating no pork and fasting during the holy month of Ramadan is usual Islamic behavior. 57] Where as in the UAE religion dictates to a large extent the life of the people, in Germany to the contrary, religion is practiced as well, but it’s done in a considerably more relaxed way. [58] The most popular religion in Germany is Christianity, but Islam, Judaism and Buddhism are among other practiced as well. [59] Even though a majority of the Germans consider themsel ves as Christian, it has only minor effects on their lives. [60]. The way people eat, dress or behave is rather set by themselves and their parental education than by their religion. The Christian calendar defines the national holidays like Christmas and Easter and the day of rest being Sunday. The festivities of Christmas and Easter are celebrated in most of the Christian families, but on the normal every day life religion has almost no effect, compared to the United Arab Emirates. [61] The calendar in the UAE is also influenced by the religion, as the Muslim New Year is around February and March and Ramadan in October. [62] Even the weeks are separated differently, since Friday is the day of rest and either Thursday or Saturday is given off respectively to form the weekend. 63] The Islam also has influence on the way Emiratis have to dress. Women have to wear the traditional abaya, which is a garment that covers their whole body with exception of the feet, hands and face. They might even have to cover up totally, depending on how strictly the husband practices his religion. [64] Men are required to wear a white cotton thobe at with a guthra covering the head. [ 65] Leaving aside the religious influence on the people in the UAE, Arabs are very conservative as it is. Emotions and feelings towards each other are not openly expressed in public, as they generally try not to attract any attention. 66] This behavior and urge for privacy can also be found in the way the houses are built, as a lot of space between buildings and thick walls are preferred and used to clearly keep the family inside and leave the rest out. [67] The family in the interior is of highest importance to the Arabs and stands over everything. Family members are very loyal and close to each other, which has originated from the past. [68] Traditionally the father is the head and leader who provides the family with what is needed for living. [69] Although nowadays the situation s slowly changing and women gain e. g. opportunities in regards of education and are not as underprivileged anymore, the role of the woman still predominantly includes taking care of the children and the house as well as being the center for love and emotional support. [70] Additionally women are still treated differently by the law. [71] German family members also live closely together and parents are very caring for their children, but at the same time statistically every third German marriage fails and commonly children have to grow up in different homes. 72] Generally men and women are more equal in Germany in terms of the law as well as in terms of family. The man is not the predetermined head of the family, as the power is more or less equally divided between the father and the mother. [73] The role of the father as the sole provider is slowly diminishing as more and more women work and have careers even though men yet have to get used to the concept of staying at home to take care and raise the children. [74] Similarities in the development towards equality can be seen in both countries, although Germany seems to be a little bit further than the UAE. Like the family, the community is also of high importance to the Arabs. Relatives, friends and neighbors always support each other in every life situation, while one cares for each other and the community. They are usually very patient and open to compromises, as conflicts or embarrassment are avoided. [75] Criticism is not openly expresses because they do not want anyone to feel inconvenient or harm their dignity, because it could lead to someone loosing his face. [76] To â€Å"keep face† is very important and if someone lost face there would be a strong impact on the family’s reputation. 77] Guests are also always taken care of very generously, since the Arabs are known for their hospitality. [78] Such a strong community cannot be found in Germany, where the people are more independent and concerned of their own good. [79] Germans behave very differently and are a lot more individualistic. People are primarily concerned about themselves and secondly about others. [80] There is no concept of â€Å"keeping face† and therefore conflicts are common, issues are openly addressed and discussed. Germans can be emotional and loud publicly unlike the people living in the Arab world. 81] Their openness for new things is also more distinct and attracting and standing in the middle of attention is not regarded as improper behavior in contrast to the conservative Arabs. [82] Another big difference is the outwards appearance of the people in Germany to the people in the UAE since there is neither a predefined kind of clothing nor any limit to the individualism due to the constantly changing fashion trends and styles. [83] V. 2 – Cultural differences at the organizational l evel To show the differences between the two cultures of Germany and the UAE at the organizational level Hofstede’s analysis is a good instrument to apply. The Dutch professor and influential author Gerard Hendrik Hofstede performed from 1968 to 1972 a survey among 116,000 IBM employees about their preferences in management style and working conditions. [84] Through his study he demonstrated that the behaviour of societies and organizations are affected by national and regional cultural groupings. Out of the results Hofstede identified the four dimensions called Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, Individualism/Collectivism and Masculinity/Femininity among which the different groups can be differentiated. 85] The first dimension Power Distance is defined as the extent to which less powerful members of institutions and organizations accept unequal distribution of power. [86] In the Arab world, which includes the UAE, a high Power Distance Index of 80 points has been recorded, meaning that people tend to follow orders without hesitation and organizations have a rather steep hierarchy. It can also be said that there are a lot of laws, r ules and regulations that have to be followed to reduce the amount of uncertainty. 87] The Power Distance Index in Germany is considerably lower than in Arabia with 35 points. Hence Germans have fewer superiors and their orders are more likely to be question than it would be the case in Arabia. Subsequently unequal distribution of power is not unconditionally accepted, the organizational structures are much flatter and decentralized decision making is common applied. [88] The Uncertainty Avoidance Index describes the level of discomfort people feel in insecure situations and the beliefs and means like organizations and institutions that were developed to reduce the uncertainty. 89] In this dimension the UAE and Germany are almost at the same level. [90] Both countries have adopted and implemented strict rules, laws, policies, and regulations to avoid those uncertain situations. A high need for security, structured activities and a strong belief in the knowledge of experts mutually applies as well. [91] The way of conducting business though differs, since the Arabia n way is affected by their religious belief. They believe their time is controlled by Allah and that they have no influence it. Long talks with lots of coffee and tea are very common in a business meeting and should not be refused, whereas Germans certainly belief that they control their time themselves and are usually on tight schedules and have fixed dates which they administrate. [92] Germans are even famous for creating appointment schedules and seemingly never missing them too. The third dimension is the Collectivism and Individualism (IDV) respectively. This dimension displays whether people rather take care of themselves or other people around. [93] The Arabs have a very low IDV score of 38 points compared to the world average of 64 points. This makes the UAE a collectivistic country, where a strong relationship to the member group is very important. That is e. g. the family offering life-long protection and loyalty, which is prior to all other rules. [94] This translated into business as most jobs and promotions are obtained due to age and family status. In Germany to the contrary the IDV score of 67 is relatively high and above the world average, meaning that it is an individualistic country. People rather take care of themselves in stead of others and e. g. job promotions are based on one’s own efforts and market value rather than the family background. 95] In the last dimension the Masculinity Index (MAS) shows the people’s preference for â€Å"masculine† values like competitiveness, authority and materialism. [96] The MAS of 53 in the Arab World is slightly above the average of 50,2, but still 13 points lower than in Germany, which means that Arabians prefer both â€Å"masculine† and â€Å"feminine† values. [97] They like authority and materialism, while valuing quality of life and relationships at the same time. Germans are mostly â€Å"masculine† in this respect and value especially competition, power and high salaries. 98] Considering the results of Hofstede’s analysis it can be said that religion and tradition have a great influence on the way business is done in the UAE and that there is a fast differences to the Germany, which can not be neglected when doing business. VI. – Kuhne + Nagel Kuhne + Nagel is a German logistics company, which was founded in 1890 in Bremen by August Kuehne and Friedrich Nagel. [99] Since then it has evolved from a traditional international freight forwarder to a globally leading transportation and logistics provider offering integrated supply chain solutions. 100] The company today has 850 offices in  over 100 countries with more than 54,000 employees. [101] Their concept of helping to turn the customer’s logistic challenges into a competitive advantage through superior service and integrated end-to-end supply chain management solutions has been successful and still is. [102] Kuhne + Nagel has entered the market of the United Arab Emirates in 1977[103], when an office was established in Dubai. [104] For internationally operating logistic companies a global network of representations is very important in order to guarantee a smooth transit of goods. That way in case of any problems the local office can cope with it and is familiar with standards and processes at that location. Like in most Arab countries, a subsidiary can only be established with a domestic sponsor or partner. [105] Therefore the office in Dubai was not owned by majority by Kuhne + Nagel and there was not a lot of business actually taking place in the UAE, but an increasing number of goods passed through, thus the office was at first mainly used for project support. [106] Kuhne + Nagel also moved their office to the Jebel Ali Free Zone and could thus conduct their business independently. With the increasing business activities in the UAE, the branch office in Dubai gained in importance as well. In 2008 there were 120 employees in three Dubai offices, which makes Kuhne + Nagel the 7th biggest German employer in Dubai. [107] Since the company had already established many offices in other countries they are experienced in dealing with different cultures and mentalities. They have always been aware of the cultural differences between e. g. Germany and the United Arab Emirates and paid attention and adjusted to them. As Germans though they enjoyed good reputation and made only positive experiences in making business with the Arabian people as long as they were treated respectfully. [108] With the hotel industry booming, Kuhne + Nagel introduced in 2001 an innovative product containing a tailor-made logistics solutions associated with the construction and furnishing of hotel and tourist facilities. Apart from warehousing, the service portfolio further includes the entire management of suppliers and transport. [109] In 2005 this service was even deepened as firstly introduced to the hotels in the UAE by Kuhne + Nagel, which includes supplying amenities to hotels on a regular basis. [110] Kuehne + Nagel is responsible for the entire supply chain, including order management and procurement. Due to its great acceptance the global availability of this service followed in 2006. [111] The general trend towards becoming the â€Å"hub† of the Middle East, makes the location Dubai logistically even more important. [112] The success of Kuhne + Nagel in the UAE is also displayed through the plans of the company to expand its logistic infrastructure as part of the Dubai Logistics City adding about 52,000 m2 to its existing facilities in the Jebel Ali Free Zone. 113] This new logistic centre will allow the company to optimally provide all the markets in the Middle East and meet the increasing storage requirements of many companies due to the relocating of their stock to the Middle East rather than supplying the area from Europe or Asia in order to reduce their costs and delivery time. [114] VII. How to cite Uae ; Cultural Differences, Papers

Censorship Of The Arts In Singapore Essay Example For Students

Censorship Of The Arts In Singapore Essay The commonly accepted definition of censorship- that certain texts, images, or films should be banned. The Longmans English Dictionary defines censorship as to examine books, films, letters etc, to remove anything that is considered offensive, morally harmful, or politically dangerous. Narrowing down the definition to cover The Arts scene in Singapore, the question beckons should anyone have the power to place restrictions on an individuals freedom of expression? One might liken that tying a gag over someones mouth! In a recent dialogue with Minister Mentor Lee (Friday, October 5th, 2007Â   Singapore: From Arts to censorship), students posted the view on the natural contradiction in censorship codes and Singapores efforts to promote artistic expression. MM Lee answered simply by suggesting that artists can find expression through many other areas without crossing the red tape. An individuals rights end when they impinge on the safety and rights of others. By enacting laws against pornography and other deviant sexual practices, we have accepted that freedom of expression should have limits. In addition, art, like any other form of free expression, should be subject to the same restrictions on an individuals freedom of expression. To create a legal loophole for content such as racially intolerant speech, which could then seek protection on the grounds that it was a form of art. Other content such as race, religion, violence, coarse language, nudity, homosexuality are less clear cut. However can one say that so long as no illegal acts were committed in the creative process, the public should have a choice in deciding whether to view the resulting content? In recent years (2002-2007) the level of Arts activities in Singapore has gone up. We have many more events in our annual Arts calendar, higher enrolments in our arts schools, larger number of Singaporeans who make the Arts a career or serious hobby. At the advent of Singapores Art scene in 2002, Mr David T E Lim, Acting minister for Information, Communications and the Arts. 13 April 2002; 2:35PM) stated the 3 core factors in shaping censorship locally; namely a Multi-racial society, Globalisation, and technological advancements. He argues that due to our geographical and historical context we are constrained to keep the peace and social harmony first over assertion of rights. One might argue from a point that one who pleases all pleases none at all. Global influence, although with its economic merits might introduce ideas that would destabilize our society or introduce divisive elements, hence the need to filter such influences to suit the maturity of the country. The onslaught of technology has enabled us to command information at our fingertips, hence making it a near impossible task to keep track of; thus undermining controls and safeguards society has in place. In summary, his views (the government views) the resultant stifling of free expression outweighs the potential for exposure to unacceptable material. Censorship, even when age rating systems are used, is a very blunt tool. It takes no account of the differing standards of education or maturity between children and youths, or the varying attitudes towards parenting in different households. By imposing an external standard of censorship, the government is depriving parents of the right to raise their children in a manner that they see fit. We lose the element of parental discretion, which is arguably part of the right to lead a private family life as one sees fit a right that is enshrined in many international human rights conventions. The European convention of Human rights, article 8 states that everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence. .ucb731d99f4b42fad152ec080e49e1449 , .ucb731d99f4b42fad152ec080e49e1449 .postImageUrl , .ucb731d99f4b42fad152ec080e49e1449 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ucb731d99f4b42fad152ec080e49e1449 , .ucb731d99f4b42fad152ec080e49e1449:hover , .ucb731d99f4b42fad152ec080e49e1449:visited , .ucb731d99f4b42fad152ec080e49e1449:active { border:0!important; } .ucb731d99f4b42fad152ec080e49e1449 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ucb731d99f4b42fad152ec080e49e1449 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ucb731d99f4b42fad152ec080e49e1449:active , .ucb731d99f4b42fad152ec080e49e1449:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ucb731d99f4b42fad152ec080e49e1449 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ucb731d99f4b42fad152ec080e49e1449 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ucb731d99f4b42fad152ec080e49e1449 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ucb731d99f4b42fad152ec080e49e1449 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ucb731d99f4b42fad152ec080e49e1449:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ucb731d99f4b42fad152ec080e49e1449 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ucb731d99f4b42fad152ec080e49e1449 .ucb731d99f4b42fad152ec080e49e1449-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ucb731d99f4b42fad152ec080e49e1449:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: A Critical Analysis Of A Midsummer Nights Dream EssayLooking at adults, one can see that they have the right to vote, bear arms, die for the country. Why should they be the deprived of the ability to decide what they wish to see, or what their children should be allowed to watch? Lastly, we should note that people are not being forced to view artwork at gunpoint. Every member of the public has the right to avert their eyes not look at art that offends them. Similarly, they can refrain from entering a gallery with an exhibition of offensive works. The risks of stifling free expression far outweigh the potential for unacceptable material. Content which we consider perfectly acceptable today would have been regarded as taboo 50 years ago. In the report of the Censorship Review Committee of 2003, it was noted that the report was kept relevant against the backdrop of our social evolution and changing global landscape while understanding the need to fan the creative flames of the new generation and to accommodate the diversity of views. The social glue that bonds our society was not to be compromised, namely Singapores core values, identity, shared memories, religious and racial harmony. But the question one has to ask would be, are these changes coming fast enough to cope with the blooming arts scene here, or is it a tightening noose fighting progress and growth? The report declares that censorship is not just about classification, or access control; nor is it simply about liberalisation or tightening up. Censorship is multi-dimensional, relating media and artistic expression to the social values of community. (Part IV, 9. 0, Conclusion, pg 71) I beg to differ.

Origins Of Human Sexuality Essays - Sexual Selection, Sexuality

Origins of Human Sexuality Soc. 471 The Origins of Human Sexuality Daly & Wilson Theory: In their book Homicide, Martin Daly and Margo Wilson put forth a theory that challenges human societies common notion of human sexuality. They do this in an attempt to bring about a better understanding of homicide and male aggressiveness. According to Daly and Wilson, males instigate the overwhelming majority of dangerous altercations and they contend that this is due to status competition. Status competition is the idea that males must aggressively compete for sexual access to females in order to pass on their genes. Daily and Wilson cite the work of Charles Darwin, who in 1859 published a famous work on the theory of natural selection. The concepts presented in his book were later elaborated in his second work, which dealt with the concept of sexual selection. Sexual selection according to Darwins theory, was based on the observation that not all evolutionary adaptations serve a survival function; that in many cases, a trait might be penalized by natural selection and yet win out by sexual selection. Darwin argued that surviving and living a long life did not ensure reproductive success and therefore an animals goal of longevity is secondary to its goal of passing on its genes through procreation. These ideas form the foundation for Martin Daly and Margo Wilsons theory. Daly and Wilson also refer to the research done by a British geneticist named A.J. Bateman to strengthen their arguments for the idea of status competition. Batemans research focused on lab experiments done on Drosophila or fruit flies. The experiments consisted of taking fruit flies with distinct genetic markers and placing them in jars. It was made sure that each jar contained an equal number of males and females. The jars were then put under observation. Bateman noticed that there was a difference when he compared the reproductive success of the females to the success of the males. According to Batemans research a female fruit fly could expect to have about 60 to 80 offspring regardless of the number of male fruit flies she copulated with. However the reproductive success of a male fruit fly depended on the number of females it had mated with. Those who copulated with one female produced about 40 young, those who copulated with two produced about 80, and so forth. Bateman also not es the difference each sex of fruit fly could expect to produce-females could expect to have about the same amount of offspring, whereas some males had a great number of offspring (far above average) while others failed to produce at all. In general males had a much wider range of potential offspring and therefore the males had potential for great success or complete failure. These finding prompted Bateman to conclude selection would produce tactics of male mating competition, as well as an undiscriminatory eagerness in the males and a discriminatory passivity in the females. Daly and Wilson claim that the conclusions made by Batman on fruit flies reproductive condition also hold true for Homo sapiens. According to Daly and Wilson, human females have a lower maximum number of offspring they can produce when compared to males. Females also have a much smaller range of mating outcomes when compared to males. Daly and Wilson cite the work of Robert Trivers to corroborate this idea. According to Trivers, the key to understanding the difference between male and female fruit flies, as well as humans, is by determining the amount of parental investment given by either sex. According to the their theory females make the largest parental investment and consequently can not expect to increase her chances of passing on her genes by mating indiscreetly. Women typically must invest time in pregnancy as well as feeding the child (Female fruit flies investment comes in the form of producing eggs). Whereas a male increases his chances of passing on his genes with each fe male he mates with, due to his relatively small parental investment. Because male success is determined by the amount of access he has to females, males must compete for access to females much more than females must compete for access to males. This competition, according to the theory, makes the winners win bigger, and the losersmore

buy custom History of Solar Power in the United States essay

buy custom History of Solar Power in the United States essay Solar power is seen as one of the renewable energy that would reduce the United States, overdependence on oil as a source of energy. The technology of harnessing energy has grown over the years, with the use of photovoltaic in generating electricity and solar thermal for heating water. The latest technology, which is still under development, is the use of CSP systems to generate electricity. The United States is advancing in the use of this technology, and currently it is the leading in the generation of power using CSP technology. This paper will discuss the history of solar power in the United States, the technologies used in the production of power using CSP, and the benefits of using this technology. The paper will also explore the barriers to large-scale production of CSP power and possible intervention, and discuss the future for CSP in the United States. History of Solar Power in the United States In 1970s, there was there was a first environmental regulation in the United States, but first, there was a Clean Air Act, that researched on air pollution and emission standards for automobiles. During this time, the Council on Environmental Quality was set up by the NEPA to carry out a national environmental impact assessment for projects funded by the federal government (Cohen 103). These developments led to the creation of limits to emissions from industrial plants, fuels and electric utilities. In 1074, there was an embargo that shook the US, which depended more on oil for energy; this made the United States to think of alternative ways of meeting its energy demands. In 1977, the power behind CSP emerged with the development of the DoE, which was put in control of the federal energy agencies. More research was carried out by the DoE and other research groups on energy activities, which led to the development of policies and incentives for renewable energy resources such as CSP (Cohen 123). California led the nation in pushing for renewable energy resources, it used the DoE research and the attractive incentives provided by the PURPA to build SEGS; a 354 MW plant using a trough design was installed in Majove Desert (Cohen 147). This gave way to the construction of other CSP projects in California, and today, California has the first 80 MW plant, and this plant has remained the largest CSP in the United States. The CSP Technology CSP is a technique that is used for generating electricity using heat from the sun, this is a technology that is expanding quickly and is commercially viable. It requires a strong and direct solar radiation, which is used as a centralized source of power for many utilities, and produces more power in the late afternoon when the demand is high. The CSP technology uses mirrors to focus the sunlight on a heat transfer medium, the heat transfer medium is then heated to produce steam to power and engine or a generator that generates electricity (White 219). This technology has a potential of producing close to 300MW and supply approximately 100 megawatts; however, this value depends on the type CSP used. An effective CSP requires approximately 5.5 kWh/m2 of solar radiation per day; in California, the average solar radiation for an effective CSP ranges from 6.75-8.25 kWh/m2/ day, and its best performance is realized in flat and arid locations. The worlds best performance of CSP is realized in Australia, Sahara Desert and the U.S Southwest. The largest CSP in the United States was built in the 1980s and 1990s, in California desert, and today they are among the largest and most powerful solar generating systems around the globe. The United States has a number of plants, which have been operating since 1980s, and are located in the Southwest (Johnson 142). The United States is planning to install many more of CSP systems, and others are in construction states. Types of CSP Systems CSP has different technologies of power production, however, they all involve concentrating sunlight at a focal point located at a tube with a heat transfer material, the material is usually molten salt or synthetic oil. The synthetic material is usually pulled together and stored in a unit, and later used to produce steam to power conventional generators. All systems have arrays of mirrors for concentrating the sunlight. Parabolic Trough Parabolic troughs are long, curved mirror pivoted to focus sunlight on tubes with a heat transfer medium, which is generally water or oil, and the steam produced after heating the heat transfer medium is directed o move a power generating turbine. The parabolic troughs are installed in a way that allows they to track the suns path, and this increases the amount of heat reaching the heat transfer material (Price 261). The parabolic trough CSP system is the most developed system, and it has been in use in the United States ever since. The maximum capacity size for this system ranges from 150MW to 250MW, the power within this range can power close to 44,000 homes; however, today, the largest parabolic trough CSP plant is 80 MW. Solar Power Towers In this technology, flat mirrors are used to focus sunlight on a central receiver containing a heat transfer fluid, which is often molten salt that can keep thermal energy for a long time. Solar power towers, unlike parabolic dishes, they concentrate heat energy at higher temperature, and this makes to have a higher efficiency when it is compared to parabolic dish CSP systems. This system had 10 MW facility, which operated between 1996 and 1999 in California, this system had a storage tank could store electricity for 3 hours after a sunshine (Price 124). In 2009, a 20MW power tower was put online in Spain; this is largest power tower demonstration plant. Dish System In this system, mirrors are organized in a parabolic shape, which is like the shape of a satellite dish. The mirrors focus the heat on a central receiver that is mounted above the dish center. The receiver has a Stirling engine, which translates heat energy to mechanical power through cold fluid compression; the fluid can either be synthetic oil or water. The fluid is heated and allowed to expand through a turbine or a piston to produce mechanicl power, which is converted to electricity using an alternator or a generator (Price 169). This system can be utilized to produce electricity in large scale by arranging many dishes in a large array. The newest system that uses this technology has 31.5% energy conversion efficiency, which is the highest efficiency of CSP technology plants. However, this system has a smaller production capacity, which ranges from 0.003 to 0.025 MW. Recently, this system has been approved in California for construction. Linear Fresnel System This system is among the new CSP technologies. This system resembles the parabolic trough system; however, it utilizes multiple flat mirrors arranged in rows to focus sunlight on a set of tubes, which increases the heat of the fluid inside the tubes. When this system is compared to the systems that use curved mirrors, it is less expensive; the flat mirrors are less expensive to manufacture. However, this system is less efficient when it is compared to other CSP systems. Generation CSP systems generates power during daytime, this is the time when electricity demand is high. The heat transfer process used in generation ensures a stability time of 15 to 30 minutes; this time is enough for the system to endure a passing cloud. The systems are affected by extended cloud cover and night, when the sun is not shining; therefore, they need thermal storage and supplemental fuels (White 284). Most of CSP systems are supplemented with natural gas for them to provide baseload power all the time. Most plants that use natural gas use steam engines in power generation and since the CSP also use steam engines in power generation; the two systems are easily hybridized. CSP systems can also be made to meet baseload demand using thermal storage technology; this storage can help the CSP system to operate for 70 percent of 365 days without fuel backups (Price 302). The thermal storage technology is a great improvement of the CSP system, which can only run for 15-30 percent of 365 d ays when it is generating without storage. Production Capacity In 2008, the solar power produces only 0.09 percent of energy supplied in the United States; however, the production capacity is growing. Today, the United States have 429 MW installed CSP capacity, which makes it the leader in CSP generation, and the nation is still developing more generating plants, which totals to 7,000 MW. By 2020, the United States is sure of powering 2 million homes using CSP; this is from the projects that are under development. CSP Projects under Development in the United States California has 34 projects, which are planned to produce 9,183 MW; this is a potential capacity that includes 1600 MW to be produced from Stirling engine systems, 177 MW produced using Linear Fresnel System, 747 MW to be produced using power tower systems, and 8 projects with a potential of 4228 MW that are still in review process. The Mojave Desert has some CSP projects that are planned for construction; there is one project of 553 MW potentials that are still under construction since 2009. In 2007, there was a 25 year agreement between Pacific Gas and Electric and Solel to purchase power. In Florida, there is a hybrid of parabolic trough and gas systems with a potential capacity of 75 MW solar power. This power is projected to power Martin county and 11,000 homes will benefit from this project. Florida Power and Light and Lauren Engineers have an agreement of power purchase and this would benefit the nation. Costs of CSP The construction of a CSP plant takes approximately two years, it requires concrete, plastic, copper and steel. The cost of construction is about 80% of the plants total cost, this is higher when it is compared to a fossil fuel plant. However, unlike natural gas or coal power plants, CSP plants have zero fuel cost, the operational costs are 30 percent less when they are compared to those of gas and natural gas plants (U.S. Department of Energy 412). An installed CSP plant generates power for decades; in 1984, the first CSP plant was installed and this plant still generates power efficiently. These power plants might be expensive to construct but the benefits are huge and like the CSP plants, these benefits last for decades. The Benefits of CSP Economic Benefits The United States average price of electricity generated from Coal and natural gas costs 6 and 9 cents/kWh respectively, and the cost of CSP electricity is 14-16 cents/ kWh. This shows that CSP is expensive when it is compared to Coal and natural gas, however, during peak demand, the CSP becomes more cost effective; this means that those who use the CSP generated power save a lot during this time, remember that the peak demand is during afternoon, and this is when generating using CSP is high (Sioshansi and Denholm 176). According to research, as the industry mature, the cost of building CSP system would come down, and the prices of power generated using these system would reduce to about 5 cents/ kWh. The economic benefits of producing power using the CSP system might not be realized soon because the high cost of product of construction, however, if a nation continues to construct such plants, it would realize the benefits in a major way (Sioshansi and Denholm 179). For instance, the United States requires much power and its needs continues to increase as the population increases, as they are installing the CSP systems, their future costs of power generating are reducing because the nation will spend less of coal and natural gas power production (Kolb et al 197). The savings from the use of CSP would be used to fund other important developmental projects. The development of CSP systems has created employment opportunities in the United States. The construction of the systems requires different expertise such as the engineers, geologists and the unskilled labor, and after it has been installed it requires the administration to facilitate its operations, therefore, the Americans with the skills in the respective field are employed in the CSP plant (Sioshansi and Denholm 181). This is bound to increase with the other projects that have been planned for construction in California as well as other parts of the country that have CSP potential. Most of the CSP projects in the United States are constructed in areas that have less agricultural potential, and initially such areas such as Mojave Desert had little economic contribution to the nation, but now with the CSP projects, this region has a large economic contribution to the nation (Kolb et al 238). The energy produced from these projects has help residents around Mojave deserts and other citizen who use energy from this region to power their businesses; this has helped them extend their operation time, which has improved their earnings. The residents have also managed to put up businesses that use machines that depend on electricity for their operation. The companies producing CSP energy has managed to sign power purchase agreements such as the Florida Power and Light and Lauren Engineers, which help the company to sell its extra power and gain from the funds received. Environmental Benefits The CSP projects produce energy with no harmful gas emissions, this is as opposed to natural and coal based projects which emit green houses gases. The United States which consumes much power, and has had many problems with complying with the Kyoto protocol, has managed to produce more energy adding extra green house emissions to the environment. The nation is investing more in CSP projects, and if the country continues to produce more of CPS, it will reduce its dependence on coal and gas producing plants, and thus reducing the CO2 and other green houses to the environment. The construction of the projects does not require heavy digging of the ground, and this does not destruct the land, this is as opposed to coal and gas power production, which require heavy digging and installation of heavy machines that destructs the land. The Barriers to large-Scale Deployment of CSP Production The United States of America plans to produce power using CSP systems, but the projects are later converted to PV projects; recently, more than 2,500 MW that was planned for CSP projects was reconverted to PV projects (Kolb et al 292). This is because the CSP projects are costly to construct when they are compared to PV projects as well as the gas and coal power projects, and most countries such as the United States are shying away from deploying the CSP project for large-scale production. According to research, CSP projects can be made more efficient and produce more reliable power through dispatchability and storage, but this approach does not produce a more competitive power when it is compared to the oil-parabolic CSP hybrid systems (Johnson 216). Therefore, the nation is still afraid of investing in a technology that has high cost of construction, and the electricity produced is not competitive enough. The problem of high cost f electricity from CSP technology can be solved by i nvesting in research to find better ways to come up with the technology to reduce the production costs using gas or coal to supplement CSP systems. More research on advanced CSP concepts such as molten salts and solar trough, direct steam and Fresnel, and molten salts and solar tower; this approaches have a potential of reducing the CSP cost of power production (Johnson 231). If a more efficient technology is used and the cost of producing electricity lowered it will result in the development of the CSP technology The future prospects of CSP in the United States The United States has a potential of CSP production with the planned CSP projects and more in places that has a potential, and with the ongoing research to reduce the cost of energy produced using CSP systems, as well as its efficiency, CSP is expected to be a key player in the nations future. Solar energy is the biggest resource not only in America, but around the globe and if efforts are not made to commercialize it, then regions with the potential might not realize its importance (Johnson 163). The cost of construction of CSP system is very high; therefore, many private investors shy away from investing in such projects. The government of the United States should find a way to cut the construction costs to easy the investors investment costs (Hamilton 215). This can be done by giving incentives to those wishing to invest in CSP production; building infrastructure in areas of potential solar power production and reducing or eliminating import duties on CSP construction materials. T his would help the CSP industries to produce power that is competitive in the market by offering lower prices. The government should also come up with a tariff that will increase the consumption of power produced, for instance, for those who consume CSP power during the time when the CSP plants are generating more power are charged less; this will increase the market for CSP (Hamilton 217). The increase in market will attract many investors to invest in CSP, and more regions with energy solar resources will be exploited giving the nation more clean and cheap energy. The United States should also invest more in research on efficient ways of CSP production and solar energy exploration; this will ensure that the solar resource is fully exploited in the United States. The future for solar energy in the United States is promising, but any further achievements will depend on the governments efforts to make it exploit and commercialize the resource. Conclusion CSP technology is a technology that utilizes a free energy resource, which is the sun, this technology has been proved to be viable in United States; there are several projects that are already generating and supplying energy. There are several projects, which are still under construction, others planned for construction, and there are some areas that are still unexploited; this shows its future potential in the United States. However, the low efficiency and cost of constructing the plants hinders its exploitation and production in large-scale. The hindrances can only be eliminated by doing more research on efficient and less costly techniques for CSP production. This technology should not be quickly assumed because of it costs, however, the government of the United States should provide incentives to investors in this industry to encourage them to exploit the CSP. Buy custom History of Solar Power in the United States essay

Free sample - Euthanasia. translation missing

Euthanasia. EuthanasiaEuthanasia is the intentional termination of life of a very sick person's life in order to relieve them of their suffering. This is usually in cases where the person has an incurable condition. There are other instances where some people want their life to be ended. In many cases, it is carried out at the person's request but there are times when they may be too ill and the decision is made by relatives, medics or, in some instances, the courts. Euthanasia is classified in three different ways. These include voluntary, non-voluntary, or involuntary. Voluntary euthanasia is also termed as assisted suicide and refers to a situation whereby a patient brings about his or her own death with the assistance of a physician. In this case, the patient consents to his or her life being terminated. Those who believe in voluntary euthanasia argue that if an individual has a tormenting illness, he may have intolerable pain that may be a burden to his life. Terminal illness also makes one to be too dependent on others especially the close relatives and friends. It is argued that a patient who has been on a life support machine for long may have voluntary wish to die. However he may not be able to commit suicide without assistance, and therefore voluntary euthanasia may be applied if the patient had expressed such a wish. Non-voluntary euthanasia is conducted where the consent of the patient is unavailable. This is implemented when a person is not in a position to decide or have his wishes known. It mostly occurs in cases where the person is in a coma, the individual is too young, senile, or has severe brain damage. If an individual is disturbed mentally to such an extent, then they should be assisted through non- voluntary euthanasia (Kaveny Murphy, 1997). Involuntary euthanasia is conducted against the willpower of the sick person. In this case a patient's life is ended without the patient's knowledge and consent. Often, the patient may be unconscious or extremely sick to depict what is going on. Voluntary, non-voluntary and involuntary euthanasia can further be categorized into passive or active variants. Passive euthanasia may involve the withdrawal of basic treatments such as the administration of antibiotics that are necessary for life continuity. For active euthanasia, poisonous substances that are lethal may be used to terminate individual’s life and hence making this the most controversial means. There are arguments about whether euthanasia is a moral issue or not. These arguments are brought out in the arguments against euthanasia which puts through the issues that life is sacred, the act devalues life, it is against the will of God, the act is against the best interests of the person, it can be abused due to pressure from other interested parties, improved palliative care can be a solution to the suffering of the patient, if unregulated doctors may use it as a loophole not to be committed in their noble duty to care for patients. Arguments against euthanasia have been supported by current practical arguments which states that:  · Proper application of painkilling measures may render euthanasia useless.  · There's no way of properly regulating euthanasia  · Allowing euthanasia will lead to less good care for the terminally ill  · Allowing euthanasia undermines the commitment of doctors and nurses to saving lives  · Euthanasia may become a cost-effective way to treat the terminally ill  · Allowing euthanasia will discourage the search for new cures and treatments for the terminally ill  · Euthanasia undermines the motivation to provide good care for the dying, and good pain relief  · Euthanasia gives too much power to doctors  · Euthanasia exposes vulnerable people to pressure to end their lives  · Moral pressure on elderly relatives by selfish families  · Moral pressure to free up medical resources   Patients who are abandoned by their families may feel euthanasia is the only solution (Kaveny Murphy, 1997). There are also ethical arguments about euthanasia. some of the ethical arguments states that euthanasia weakens society's respect for the sanctity of life, accepting euthanasia accepts that some lives (those of the disabled or sick) are worth less than others, voluntary euthanasia is the start of a slippery slope that leads to involuntary euthanasia and the killing of people who are thought as undesirable, euthanasia might not be in a person's best interests, euthanasia affects other people's rights, not just those of the patient (Moreno, 1995). On the contrary arguments for and against euthanasia seem to be superseded by the principle of double effect. The principle of double effect; also commonly referred to as double-effect reasoning, involves ethical criteria for analyzing the permissibility of acting on behalf of the patient. For instance, terminating a patient’s pain will lead to an effect of death, which should be avoided under normal circumstances. However, for this principle to hold there are certain things which must be in place. The criteria mention that an action may be justifiable when the harmful effects cannot be separated from good effects. The nature of the act should however meet the basic moral ethics and harm should be minimized. In the society today euthanasia is also met with negative reception in the religious perspective of life. Religious people don't argue that we can't kill ourselves, or get others to do it. They know that we can do it because God has given us free will. Their argument is that it would be wrong for us to do so. They believe that every human being is the creation of God, and that this imposes certain limits on us. Our lives are not only our lives for us to do with as we see fit. To kill ourselves, or to get someone else to do it for us, is to deny God, and to deny God's rights over our lives and his right to choose the length of our lives and the way our lives end. Religious people in the soci ety may at times discredit euthanasia due to the belief that human beings are bound to suffer, as it brings them closer to God. Other arguments against euthanasia state that we need to demystify the myths and stigma associated with terminal illness by helping the patient and their relatives to cope and face the inevitable challenges (Panzer, 2000). This will help in adjusting to the sad scenario that is experienced upon the diagnosis of a terminal illness. It is important to encourage the patient to remain hopeful of the eventual healing. Talking to loved ones about ones illness will help interact freely with those who care about you. It is important to learn about the physical effects of the illness and control the symptoms in order to reduce pain, with loss of appetite and fatigue. In the American society today euthanasia has been met with morals, values and religious undertones. As a national Policy euthanasia is not supported in America. America as a nation stands firmly on the line of morality and societal values. However, there some states in America which have legalized euthanasia. The argument for making euthanasia legal is that the individual's freedom entails liberty or choice in all matters as long as the rights of any other person are not infringed upon. In the contrary, the argument that does not support the legalizing of euthanasia is that it negates the value of human life. It therefore follows that euthanasia may be abused by people who have wrong criminal intentions. A financial motive is sometimes advanced in favor of euthanasia (Keelan, 2006). It is quite expensive to maintain terminally ill persons and this may amount to wastage of resources when such patients succumb to their suffering in the long run. It costs money from the family of the government to keep terminally sick people on life support which will be wasted resources if they eventually die. These arguments informed the passing legal framework in three states of America, Washington, Oregon and Montana. However, looking at the national level public opinion on euthanasia is purely informed by religious affiliations and culture. In Christian perspective the church and especially the catholic and the Anglican Church euthanasia is not advocated for. According to the catholic catechism an act that is administered to reduce pain by causing death goes against the human dignity and it is disrespect to God. The error of judgment into which one can fall in good faith does not change the nature of this murderous act, which must always be forbidden and excluded (Murray, 2005).   However, the Lutheran church in November 9, 1992 adopted the famous "End of life decisions'' which seem to support euthanasia as a way of relieving those with severe suffering out of terminal illness. This included several decisions just to quote but one: When medical judgment determines that artificially-administered nutrition and hydration will not contribute to an improvement in the patient's underlying condition or prevent death from that condition, patients or their legal spokespersons may consider them unduly burdensome treatment. In these circumstances it may be morally responsible to withhold or withdraw them and allow death to occur (Benoway, 1992). The Orthodox Church firmly does not support euthanasia as it is perceived as committing murder by the people involved. This act is therefore sinful in nature (Perrett, 1996). Islam and Buddhism also respects the sanctity of life and therefore euthanasia is firmly prohibited and is seen as a violation of God's work and interfering with human kind. Euthanasia has since time immemorial attracted serious legal battles. In Montana in the United States of America a lawsuit was brought against the local government to allow euthanasia. This land mark judgment gave way for competent terminally ill patients to make decisions about when to take their lives. On December 5, 2008, state District Court judge Dorothy McCarter ruled in favor of a terminally ill Billings resident who had filed a lawsuit with the assistance of Compassion Choices, a patient rights group. The ruling illustrates that competent, terminally ill patients have the right to self-administer fatal doses of medication to as prescribed by a physician (Kaveny Murphy, 1997). Physicians who prescribe such medications have not broken any legal law to prompt their punishment. Recommendation Euthanasia is an act which continues to elicit reactions from the world over and this comes from mainly religious affiliation and culture. On one hand this research has found out that ethical arguments which points out that if supported it can lead to undesirable execution of people, it can also erode the professionalism of medical personnel who should be committed to offering care to patients. On the other hand this research points out that even practical arguments against euthanasia clearly shows that proper measure for pain reduction makes euthanasia unnecessary. Since there are no proper measures for the regulation of euthanasia, it is almost impossible to justify the reason of applying it regardless of the situation. References    Appel, J. (2004). "A Duty to Kill? A Duty to Die? Rethinking the Euthanasia Controversy of 1906". Bulletin of the History of Medicine, Volume 78, Number 3, pp. 610–634.   Benoway, E. (1992). End of Life Decisions. Journal of Lutheran Ethics. Vol. 602 (54), 25-33. Colabawalla, B. (2008). Understanding voluntary euthanasia: a personal perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Kaveny, C., Murphy, J. (1997). "Assisted Suicide, Euthanasia, and the Law.† Theological Studies. Vol. 45(23), 34-35. Keelan, N. (2006). The euthanasia debate. The University Standard. Vol. 12 (814), 54-60. Kevorkian, D. (2007). Euthanasia: the wrong way. The New York times. Vol.102; 231, 78-81. Moreno, J. (1995). Arguing Euthanasia. London: Simon Schuster Murray, D. (2005). "Archbishop says Church cannot back euthanasia." Times Online. Vol. 92 (27), 42-50. Panzer, P. (2000). Hospice patients alliance. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Perrett, R. (1996). "Buddhism, euthanasia and the sanctity of life". J Med Ethics. 22 (5): 309–13.

Wheelchair Experience Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Wheelchair Experience Assignment - Essay Example So I decided to bring him to a mall in his wheelchair and have lunch there at the same time. The first difficulty we had was looking for a space to park our car which had to be somewhat near the entrance. We were fortunate to find a spot very close to the mall entrance, but found it frustrating that there were no ramps to access the curb. I finally rolled my cousin up to the entrance, where a nice young man held the door open for us. Upon entering the mall, my cousin found it somewhat simple to move the wheelchair through the aisles and walkways. Deciding to have lunch, we had to take an elevator to the first floor to get to the food court. We got directions from a store map to find where the elevator was, and we found out it was on a far side of the mall. However, we were pleased that the elevator was quite fast and spacious. After that, we found the entrance to the food court very easily, and my cousin was able to maneuver to the food court by himself. As soon as we arrived at the food court, my cousin commented that the brick flooring made it a quite uneven ride up to the food counters. After selecting a food stall, my cousin was able to hold and stretch for the orders with my help, until it was time to look for a table. My cousin had to let me carry his food to me until I got seated at the table. We finally managed to find an oval table with enough room to get my cousin’s body conveniently level to the table. Eating in the wheelchair appeared fairly alike to eating while in a regular chair, and my cousin shared that it was easy to do so. However, we noticed that he needed to lock the wheelchair in place to keep from rolling away while he ate or stretched for the food. After eating we decided to visit some shops. We went inside several clothing shops, and all three were just about the same in construction. The first shop was the easiest of the stores to maneuver, since there was a

Powering service workers at Harvester Restaurants. Personnel Review Assignment

Powering service workers at Harvester Restaurants. Personnel Review - Assignment Example TASK C – Strategic Fit Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦12 4a) Segmentation  Strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦12 4b) Marketing strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.13 4c) Advertising strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦13 4d) Branding†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...14 4e) Selling†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦14 4f) Manufacturing†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..14 4g) Human resource strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦15 References NIKE 1. Introduction: Nike Inc was founded in 1962 by two partners Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight. The name was originally Blue Ribbon Sports. The goal then was to start a business that broke the domination of German sportswear in the domestic American retail. Market regions have expanded to more than 100 countries in regions like United States, Europe, Asia pacific and the Caribbean. Distribution channels have expanded into both traditional and non tradit ional ones with social media marketing also increasing. It is the world’s leading supplier of athletic shoes and apparel and also a manufacturer of sports equipments. For 2009 the revenue was about $19.2 billion and employees amounted to 30,000. The company’s name was changed to Nike Inc in 1978; it is derived from the Greek goddess of victory’s name. the other brands Nike has are: Nike Golf, Nike Pro,  Nike+,  Air Jordan,  Nike Skateboarding, and subsidiaries including Cole,  Hurley International,  Umbro  and  Converse. Nike’s sport ambassadors are huge personalities, from Michael Jordan to Roger Federer that further promote their products. The ‘swoosh’ logo and the slogan ‘Just do it’ has become recognizable everywhere due to the company’s worldwide presence and quality goods. Products: Primary product is athletic footwear and athletic apparel. Newer product offerings include Performance equipments like bal ls, timepieces, eyewear, bats and other equipments designed for sporting activities. Product categories are: Running Basketball Cross-Training Outdoor Activities Tennis Golf Soccer Baseball Football Bicycling Volleyball Wrestling Cheerleading Aquatic Activities Auto Racing Other athletic and recreational uses Phil Knight was responsible for entering into their fist ever agreement with a Japanese manufacturing company named Onitsuka Tiger company. They were to be the sole supplier of BRS in the United States of high quality athletic shoes. The first worldwide successful shoe design was Cortez designed by both Bowerman and Tiger and it was sold at the first BRS store. In 1972 however Tiger left the company and the company changed its name to Nike inc. in the late 70s, famous sportspeople started wearing the shoes and the company was made famous. In 1980 Nike went public on the New York stock exchange. 2. TASK A – Market Environment Analysis   ANALYSIS: 2a) Environmental Analy sis Internal – Strength Nike’s own management style, its history, its product range all are strengths that the company utilizes. They have

African Americans and Southern Racism During Reconstruction Essay Example for Free

African Americans and Southern Racism During Reconstruction Essay Introduction At the end of the Civil War, America faced the difficult task of uniting not only two separated territories of the United States, but also two races long separated by racism and culture. Devastated and embittered by the damage of the war, the South had a long way to go in order to achieve true equality between the former slave owners and former slaves. The majority of the South remained set in racist behavior, finding post-Civil War legal loopholes to diminish African American rights (Tindall Shi, 2010, pp. 757-758). Southerners continued to marginalize Blacks in their behavior toward ex-slaves and the later African American generation, continuing the escalation of racial tensions through white terror and discriminatory attitudes (Tindall Shi, 2010, p. 759). Most subversively, southern newspapers propagated stereotypes against African Americans in their coverage and descriptions of constitutional conventions (Logue, 1979, p. 342). Although Radical Reconstruction offered some progress toward social equality after the Civil War, its success was short-lived as African Americans suffered vast disenfranchisement through racist rulings, attitudes, and media representation in the South at the turn of the century. Rulings against African Americans After the Civil War had come to an end, African Americans in the South quickly made use of their new-found political and social rights, employing their right to vote from the Fifteenth Amendment and serving as prominent political figures (Tindall Shi, 2010, p. 722). However, the formerly fervent commitment to Radical Reconstruction soon dwindled (Tindall Shi, 2010, p. 739). Many of the advances toward civil equality were soon erased: In 1883, the Supreme Court declared the Civil Rights Laws of 1875 unconstitutional, and the political power Blacks had gained, especially in the South where 90% of Blacks lived, was completely undone. Black voter  participation dropped from 96% to 26% in South Carolina in just 12 years (1876-1888); in those same 12 years, voter participation of Blacks dropped from 53% to 18% in Georgia (Burris-Kitchen Burris, 2011, p. 5). Even while African Americans enjoyed an uninhibited freedom to voting rights, many still suffered disenfranchisement at the hands of rampant racial discrimination in the South. Although discontent Southerners could not impede the Black right to vote, they found ulterior methods to marginalize African Americans. â€Å"Since the Fifteenth Amendment made it impossible simply to deny African Americans the right to vote, disenfranchisement was accomplished indirectly, through such devices as poll taxes (or head taxes) and literacy tests† (Tindall Shi, 2010, p. 757). â€Å"Jim Crow† laws mandated racial segregation in public areas in the South and were often accompanied by physical abuse and terror to African Americans (Tindall Shi, 2010, pp. 756-759). These underhand activities in the South demonstrated that while African Americans were technically free, they continually suffered from unjust rulings and actions. These sprang from the rampantly racist attitudes in the South: Although great strides were made toward political and economic freedom for Blacks following the Civil War, the progress made was quickly squashed by political movements and rhetoric, which implied that Blacks could not handle their newly-found freedom and that the White working class was threatened by Blacks who were trying to take their jobs, their property, and their government away from them (Burris-Kitchen Burris, 2011, p. 5). Racist Attitudes Many Southerners continued to believe and propagate these ideas that African Americans had a subversive agenda to the White working class. These ideas culminated in deep-seated attitudes against African Americans in the South: â€Å"During the 1890s the attitudes that had permitted moderation in race relations evaporated. A violent ‘Negrophobia’ swept across the South and much of the nation at the end of the century† (Tindall Shi, 2010, p. 756). However, African Americans at the turn of the century had become weary of disenfranchisement and were ready to stand up against these attitudes: â€Å"This generation was more assertive and less patient than their parents. ‘We are not the Negro from who the chains of slavery fell a quarter century ago, most assuredly not,’ a black editor announced† (Tindall   Shi, 2010, p. 756). Unfortunately, this may have simply increased a White agenda of racial discrimination, as â€Å"a growing number of young white adults, however, were equally determined to keep ‘Negroes in their place’† (Tindall Shi, 2010, p. 756). Whether Southerners felt that African Americans imposed a threat to their jobs, their safety, or their rights, the overarching attitude of the South clearly displayed a strong desire to maintain racial dominance of the pre-Civil War era. Part of this attitude motivated a desire to limit education for African Americans: To keep Blacks uneducated meant Whites could boast of their superior intellect; this had been in the arsenal of Whites for hundreds of years prior to Reconstruction and continues to be used over 130 years after Reconstruction. Denial of education for Blacks existed through Reconstruction as a form of White racism and a justification for their inferior political and economic status (Burris-Kitchen Burris, 2011, p. 6). Any kind of advantage Whites could claim in the South became ammunition in their discriminatory attitudes. These ideas and attitudes fed the propagation of racist stereotypes and bias in southern newspapers. Prejudiced Media in the South Perhaps the most subtle yet shocking form of racism in the South during Reconstruction was the biased reporting of many southern newspapers. Whether the ideas and attitudes of many southern Whites influenced these published stereotypes or vice versa, it is clear that southern publications often encouraged and promoted racist attitudes at the end of the century. A publication in Charleston, South Carolina displayed this racist subtext: â€Å"While promising its readers ‘truth,’ the Charleston Mercury mocked journalistic license by actually printing racist ridicule. A favorite method was to scorn African-Americans in the convention as a race, exploiting racist attitudes saved by white readers from slavery† (Logue, 1979, p. 339). Covering the constitutional convention in Columbia in 1867, white journalists used racist stereotypes in describing the black delegates’ involvement: â€Å"Reporters emphasized how blacks would chuckle and grin, thereby exploiting th e racist assumption of many whites that blacks were mere fun-loving, animal-like creatures who had to be protected from themselves† (Logue, 1979, p. 341). The Charleston paper encouraged racist  attitudes through the ridicule of black speech and pronunciation, mocking ex-slave â€Å"ignorance† rather than reporting important issues discussed at the convention: When blacks debated the issue of ‘changing the title of districts to counties,’ for example, the only thing the reporters heard was the very awkward sound of deestrict as district is pronounced by some of the delegates. Because of their preoccupation with such factors, reporters seldom informed their readers about issues that were discussed, such as public education, relief from debts, taxes, and so on (Logue, 1979, p. 342). In this manner, the South remained entrapped in a media-fueled suspicion and fear of African Americans, feeding the continued presence of racism and discrimination during the post-Civil War reconstruction. Conclusion In conclusion, the progress of Radical Reconstruction largely failed to reform the disenfranchisement of African Americans in the South on a long-term scale. The attitudes of the Southern whites continued to influence the freedom of former slaves as they faced discriminating rulings, racist attitudes, and biased media. While some African Americans from further generations were largely unwilling to bow subserviently to the effects of white terror and discrimination, civil rights equality had a long and arduous path to completion in the South. While many of the racist attitudes of the post-Civil War South seem shocking to a modern-day reader, the influence of the actions and attitudes of white Southerners serves as a reminder of the power of repeated falsehoods, particularly within media subtext and bias. The disenfranchisement of African Americans during reconstruction displays the extent of deep-seated racial prejudice based on fear, stubbornness, and ignorance. As Burris-Kitchen and Burris point out: Throughout American history, Blacks have been demonized and criminalized, and this history has led us to where we are today. Until we can change the perceptions of Blacks through the media, political and economic arenas they will continue to pay the price for an inherently racist political, economic, educational, and criminal justice system (Burris-Kitchen Burris, 2011, p. 14). References Burris-Kitchen, D., Burris, P. (2011). From slavery to prisons: A historical delineation of the criminalization African Americans. Journal of Global Intelligence Policy, 4 (5), 1-16. Retrieved from http://0-web.ebscohost.com.library.regent.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=adef70d4-c4d9-4d2b-b5c9-3b1efa487879%40sessionmgr14vid=2hid=127# Logue, C. M. (March 1979). Racist reporting during reconstruction. Journal of Black Studies, 9 (3), 335-349. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2784304 Tindall, G. B.; Shi, D. E. (2010). America: A narrative history (8th ed.). New York: W.W. Norton Company.

The Global Warming Debate Essay -- Climate Change Debate, 2015

"Global warming is not a conqueror to kneel before - but a challenge to rise to. A challenge we must rise to." -- Joe Lieberman INTRODUCTION Global warming is a controversial environmental topic in today’s society. Global warming is when greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, chlorofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and nitrous oxide) act as a blanket that insulates the earth and prevents heat from escaping into space, which in turn causes the global temperature to rise. This â€Å"greenhouse effect† is a naturally occurring phenomenon; without it, the earth would be too cold for any life to inhabit. However, due to fossil fuel burning and other human activities, there is an excess amount of greenhouse gases (mainly carbon dioxide) in the atmosphere. Even though there is significant evidence of global warming, there are still skeptics whom believe that global warming is not occurring. BACKROUND INFORMATION Global warming is an increase in the earth’s temperature due to the use of fossil fuels and certain industrial and agricultural processes, which lead to a buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Fossil fuels are energy-rich substances that have formed from long-buried plants and microorganisms. They provide most of the energy that powers modern society. Fossil fuels include petroleum, coal and natural gases. Petroleum or crude oil, is a naturally occurring oily, bituminous liquid composed of various organic materials. Coal is a solid, dark-colored fuel found in deposits of sedimentary rock. It is burned to produce energy and is used to manufacture steel. Natural gases are any combustible gaseous mixture used as fuel to produce energy for domestic or industrial use. ... ...e Backlash Against Global Warming Has Begun.† The Economist. â€Å"Sample Errors and Biases in the Global Warming Theory.† . Date accessed: 12 April 2000. â€Å"Still Waiting for the Greenhouse.† . Date accessed: 12 April 2000. Taubes, Gary, â€Å"Apocalypse Not.† Science, Nov 7, 1997. â€Å"Trends.† EPA Global Warming Site Climate. . Date accessed: 8 April 2000. â€Å"Vector and Zoonotic Illnesses.† . Date accessed: 7 April 2000. â€Å"What Future Changes in Climate Can We Expect.† . Date accessed: 12 April 2000. Joe Lieberman Quote http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/global_warming.html#H2fdTgav5l6VVGt8.99

Newell Company Corporate Strategy Essay

1. In assessing Newell Company’s corporate-level strategy and whether the company adds value to the businesses within its portfolio, it is necessary to identify its overarching strategy and then explain it with context to how it affects the various businesses within the larger corporate body. Newell Company’s main corporate-level strategy as defined by Dan Fergurson was â€Å"build on what we do best†. The company focused on growth through strategic acquisitions of firms that sold low cost and high volume products to large retailers, but that were underperforming due to high operating cost. After an acquisition, Newell would then change the existing operational systems of the firm to align it with its corporate structure. The aim was to increase operational efficiency and profitability and to focus it on a key product. In 1990, Newell also recognized the importance of internal growth and included it in its corporate-level strategy. Newell’s corporate-level strategy had a high level of positive impact because it was internally consistent. The corporate office maintained control over legal, administrative and financial functions while allowing individual divisions to control marketing, manufacturing and sales. It also retained strict control over each division’s product lines as it disallowed any deviation from the key product focus defined by Newell. This ensured that the decisions made by various divisions remained in line with the Newell corporate office strategies. Overarching company goals were also aligned with its business strategies and acquisitions, and this was beneficial for the various companies it acquired over time. One of Newell’s corporate strategies was selling products across different price points. This remained in accordance with its goal of being a provider of low cost and high volume goods to large retailers and helped to keep the company competitive against new entrants to the different price categories. This was advantageous to businesses under Newell as its respective product lines were able to retain important shelf space, ensuring better sales of products. Focused growth via streamlining strategic acquisitions was enabled by Newell’s appropriate use of available resources. One of Newell’s core competencies was its operational efficiency and its system of bringing acquired companies to its high standards of efficiency and profitability. Its success in the streamlining process can be seen from the rapidity with which changes were made and the results of the process. As stated in the case study,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Newellization† typically took â€Å"less than 6 months† to implement. After acquiring Anchor Hocking, the management from Newell achieved cost savings by letting go of unnecessary resources within the company such as its glass factory and its retail stores and introduced new systems which helped to bring about improved efficiency such as reducing its cust omer lead order period from â€Å"18 to 7 days†. While the businesses within Newell may have encountered issues due to the restrictions on innovative growth, they ultimately benefited from the focus on operational efficiency and cost savings resulting in higher operating margins. Newell’s corporate-level strategy was reasonably dynamic relative to the environment. While it maintained a strict focus on certain goals, the corporate strategy was also modified to include new ideas that would ensure sustainable growth. This can be seen from the case where Newell’s growth strategy was expanded to include the international market, widening their acquisition target field to include companies based overseas. This was due to the fact that Newell’s target market, retailers like Walmart, was expanding into foreign markets. In 1989, corporate management recognized the importance of internal growth within the respective divisions instead of simply focusing on each division generating higher levels of profit, and the growth of the company being driven by acquisitions. They reflected this change in attitude by changing the corporate bonus structure to encourage executives to pursue internal growth in addition to its existing goals. Newell’s corporate-level strategy was effective for many years as can be seen from the fact that it had higher returns to investors compared to the S&P 500. This was due to a number of factors such as maintaining internal consistency, efficient use of resources and keeping corporate strategy dynamic relative to the changing environment. Businesses acquired were in synergy and this was beneficial to individual businesses in ensuring less wastage and improved levels of service and efficacy. In addition, businesses were also able to take advantage of Newell’s economies of scale and economies of scope. However, despite its positive financial returns, as financial returns are indicative of past policies being effective, it would not be symptomatic of future success. Newell’s strict enforcement of focus on key product lines without allowing for more innovative expansion of those product lines could lead to much slower levels of growth after initial operational synergie s were realized.  This would in turn be detrimental in maintaining its competitive advantage in the long run. 4. While the acquisition of Calphalon could pose some problems in the integration process, it was aligned to Newell’s overall corporate strategy and would be beneficial to Newell in the long run if Calphalon was incorporated without eroding its premium product offering. Calphalon’s acquisition was beneficial to Newell in two ways. It allowed Newell to branch out into new markets that had not reached saturation without cannibalizing its existing product lines. While Newell focused on mass market retailers such as Walmart and Home Depot, Calphalon’s products were sold to high end retailers such as Williams Sonoma and Macy’s. Calphalon’s product offering and strong brand recognition would enable Newell to reach out to the premium market and diversify its product portfolio further. At the same time, Newell’s strong focus on customer relationships and Calphalon’s attitude of building partnerships with its retailers are similar and would eas e its assimilation into the firm. Calphalon’s pull strategies could also be leveraged by Newell to differentiate its product portfolio from other low cost competitors, enabling it to maintain its existing market share. Newell’s core competencies would be useful in reducing Calphalon’s rising costs while concentrating on its strength as a premium product. As can be seen from the financial statements, cost of goods sold increased significantly from 1996 to 1997 without a correspondingly large increase in revenue. The problems faced by Calphalon in terms of operations would be easily manageable for Newell given its strong background in operational efficiency and its experience with assimilating acquisitions to its corporate system. However, as Newell’s product offerings were primarily utilitarian while Calphalon’s products focused on an emotional connection between the product and the premium end user, Calphalon’s integration into Newell would be more delicate than other acquisi tions. As the â€Å"Newellization† process typically removes the acquired company’s systems to replace it with Newell’s system, its stringency could erode Calphalon’s brand equity as a premium cookware producer. While this would be difficult, it would still make sense in the long run given the potential benefits to Newell and the relatively low amount of risk present in the acquisition.  The acquisition of Rubbermaid would seem beneficial given the numerous advantages that Newell would gain, but the many complications associated with the process as well as the fundamental differences between Newell and Rubbermaid make the acquisition too risky to undertake, and thus strategically unsound. The advantages associated with the Rubbermaid acquisition are obvious. Rubbermaid fit into Newell’s criteria for acquisition. It sold targeted product lines to mass retailers, and had strong brand equity. It also suffered from troubled operations, which â€Å"Newelliza tion† would help to address. In addition, the purchase of Rubbermaid would enable Newell to â€Å"cross the $10 billion threshold† that would in turn lead to an increase in market power against retailers like Walmart who implemented harsh policies which were nonnegotiable. However, these advantages are offset by a number of issues. Newell and Rubbermaid, while pursuing the same product offerings, had fundamentally different bases for competitive advantages. While Newell focused on operational efficiency, Rubbermaid was known for its product innovation. This would mean that the processes that helped to streamline Newell-led companies would probably lead to the erosion Rubbermaid’s core competencies. At the time of the acquisition, Rubbermaid was only slightly smaller than Newell. The integration process would be more complicated and difficult due to the fact that Rubbermaid had many different product lines, all of which would have to changed to fit Newell’s corporate system. At the same time, Rubbermaid’s large size would mean that it would be more challenging for Newell to change corporate strategy without alienating the existing workforce. Both of the factors above combined would mean that in order to pursue the acquisition and realize all the benefits associated with it, it would be necessary for Newell to change its corporate strategy to address the differences between Newell and Rubbermaid. However, this was not mentioned in the case study. Thus, without implementing a large-scale change in Newell, it would be difficult to merge both companies to create synergy and value for the overall firm. The difficulties in integration, the high risks associated with the integration, and the lack of change in Newell’s corporate strategies translate to an illogical acquisition by Newell.