Influence of tv on children Essay

Television has come a long way since its invention in the 1900’s. People around the world have got to witness many historical events such as, the first man to walk on the moon, to even the inauguration of our first African American president. Although there were many great moments in history viewed on television, not many of the programs offered on stations are valuable. There have been many arguments on whether or not television has been a good influence on our children. I feel there are many advantages and disadvantages to television. But sometimes, television may not always be a good source of information for children and their development. There is also no excuse to use television to babysit children. Children become affected from over exposure to television. I feel television is fine if viewed in moderation. There are many alternative activities we can do instead of sitting on our couch and watching pointless shows. The usefulness of television has been a very controversial argument over the years. I feel there are a lot of both positive and negative properties about television. The positive side of television, there are many educational programs that help inform us. The news channel is an excellent example of such. News broadcasts can tell us about disasters that may have occurred, weather forecasts, and current events. Children may also watch shows that help with learning basics. Another pro is the integration of culture into our society. However, with the pros come many negative effects. Spending too much time watching television, consumes the precious time that can be spent in productive and healthy activities like exercise or reading. It also uses up the time that you can spend interacting with your family and friend. Children today watch television for long periods. The dependence to television deprives them of their time to play. It would be better for children to involve themselves in physical activities during the evenings instead of sitting inactively. Physical activities can help them live a healthier life. In addition, watching television is damaging to vision. Researchers claim that attention deficit disorders in children result from watching television for long periods. Television leads to developmental disorders, damaging the capability of the brain which is in control of  language skills. Children who watch more television show difficulties in paying attention or concentrating. Television is one of the effective media used to promote all kinds of products. Unsupervised television watching in children can lead to early exposure to things they may not understand. Television advertisements may influence the children to use wrong methods. Eye catching advertisements and film stories deeply impact young minds. They associate their life to television shows and films. Studies in psychology have shown that watching intense emotions on television leaves a long-lasting impact on one’s mind. Horror scenes, ghosts, unpleasant scenes that are shown on television have a negative effect on the minds of people watching them. Violence, killing, massacre and physical abuse that is shown on television impacts the thoughts and emotions of the viewers. Research shows about 25% of parents use television to occupy their children; or in other words babysit them. Some 70% of the 1,000 mothers & fathers were polled as part of the national year of communication survey say they do not feel guilty about allowing their children to watch TV. And 42% think it is a great way for children to learn. On the bbc.com website, a survey was taken and many parents say bring conversations on about what they’ve learned from watching the shows on television. In actuality only 15% of families start conversations based on tv. There is certainly no excuse to have your child sit in front of the television screen. Children can do a whole list of activities that are better worth the time such as reading or going outside and getting active.

Enron Accounting Fault Essay

Enron is frequently given as an example of creative accounting. It is also given as a good example of accounting fraud and insider trading. This is a good example of creative accounting taken too far – not many would disagree that it was accounting fraud, although some would say they were just unlucky to get caught. after all, the auditors were Arthur Anderson, at the time one of the most respected auditing firms. Creative Accounting – Example 1 – Creating multiple trading entities The creative accounting involved setting up other entities and then trading with these entities. This is a common practice; many businesses divide their operations into sectors that perform specialist functions and then trade is carried out between these various entities. However, normal applicable accounting standards (GAAP), would require that some sort of financial consolidation is performed and the full picture reported. However, there was a bias to record income, revenue, and profits from transactions with these entities; rather than costs, expenses, and losses. Creative Accounting – Example 2 – Moving business segments offshore Enron created these entities offshore. This is also a common practice in accounting and tax planning. Many businesses do this to reduce the amount of taxes they pay, this can be done legally (tax avoidance) and it can take illegal forms (tax evasion). Offshore entities usually enjoy an enhanced level of privacy, this can make it difficult for local governments and auditors to gain insights into what is going on. Enron appears to have manged to succeed for a long time in hiding what was going on from both auditors, investors, and potential whistle-blowers. If Enron was recording profits, and assuming not much else was happening in these other entities, then these offshore entities would be recording losses. These losses were conveniently recorded away from the financial statements and therefore investors and many staff never new about them. Creative Accounting and Insider Trading The executives didn’t stop here. By using creative accounting and fraud to manipulate profits, they were able to affect the stock price, the next logical and illegal step was to start to trade the stock to benefit from the inside knowledge they had. This is know as insider trading and is illegal in most countries.

Apple Marketing Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Apple Marketing Analysis - Essay Example 1). Price; Apple being in a business that deals with technology and the advances that come with technology requires that it keeps up to date. But how will Apple keep up to date with changing technology and not escalate up its prices? As a marketing strategy, Apple has come up with pricing games which it has used to maintain a competitive edge in the business. To begin with, Apple has implemented the use of decoys. These are commodities presented in advance of the real commodity and their aim is to capture the attention of the consumer hence compelling the consumer to purchase commodities from Apple. An example is the iPod going for $399 yet Apple displays others being traded for $199 yet they do not exist, compelling the customer to purchase the $399 iPod (Kunz, 2010, p. 1). The other price marketing strategy utilized by Apple Company is the use of a reference range to market its commodities. This is aimed at showing the consumer the previous higher price and the current lower price that Apple is willing to sell the commodity. An example is that Apple can present an IPod at $100 and state it as 50% down from the previous $200. The consumer will find the current deal being offered by Apple better than the previous price and hence purchase the product from Apple instead of its competitors (Kunz, 2010, p. 1). Moreover, Apple uses bundle price as a marketing strategy as pertains to its prices. An example is a TV from Apple Company. It will be purchased for as low as $100, to play the TV, the customer will need to pay Apple through the purchase of a stereo, video and spares to use the TV (Kunz, 2010, p. 1). Product; Apple Company products change with the technological advancements since Apple Company has to keep at par with its competitors and provide the consumers with the latest technology. The current products which have been produced by Apple include: Apple TV, iPod, iPad, iPhone, iWork, iLife, Mac OS X, and iOS (Kunz, 2010, p. 1). Place; this entails the market niche of the company and especially where the company has its largest market share. Being based in the United State, Apple Company has expanded to involve other continents in the distribution of its products. It has been able to capture market in Africa, Asia, and America and also in the Middle East Europe. It has about 200 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, in bid to achieve its objective of supplying technologically enhanced commodities to the global community (Kunz, 2010, p. 1). Promotion; Marketing is anchored in promotion of a Company’s products and services to its consumers. Apple Company has gone a great mile in promoting its products which it accomplishes by the use of advertising in the electronic medium. As earlier foretold in the goal of Apple Company, it works in collaboration with the consumer prior to the launching of a product like emphasized in the decoy pricing. This is aimed at stimulating the consumers to expect a new product from Apple Company (Kunz, 2010, p. 1). A11. Stakeholders Analysis Stakeholders in marketing strategy illustrate the entities to which the organization is accountable to as pertains to its performance: customer, competitors, company, and community (Abila, 2010, p. 1). Company; Apple Company is a multinational Company in the United States that was founded on 01, April 1976. It is a company that specializes in the provision of technologically enhanced facilities to the global community. This is through the introduction of software, hardware, digital

Stakeholders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Stakeholders - Essay Example Also, the main ingredients of successful report are: the opening paragraph should state any terms of reference; some presentations may give a sum ­ any recommendations at the beginning; the body of the presentation should be set out in clear statements and side headings may be shown. The rationale means that stakeholders are motivated and persuaded to accept and approve the project. Obviously, this approach does not take cultural or political considerations into account. The appeal is the communications approach that relates to the motives of the target audience (internal and external stakeholders). A part of presentation, based on a rational approach, will depend on logic and speak to the stakeholders’ intellect. Another part, based on emotional approach, will appeal to the heart of the intended audience. Also, visual aids (graphs, tables, schemes etc.) can help the audience to grasp the idea at once (Adair, Thomas 2003). In order to address needs and expectations of external stakeholders (the American society and global community) emotional approach will be used. (1) Facts and current statistics concerning terrorist attacks and number of deaths per year will help to persuade this group in crucial role of the project X for the global community (tables and graphs can help to present the information). Lots of politicians are sure that the terrorists have an access to the weapon of mass destruction, but they either are afraid to use it or wait for a suitable moment to do it. (2) The USA has a reliable Defense System, but technology (and Information Technology) needs some improvements and changes over time. The project X is aimed to develop state-of-the-art AMDS. Only in this case, it will be possible to protect major cities of the USA from enemy missile attack. Apart from the grief and pity the events of 11 September brought to millions of American people, it has also granted the U.S citizens

Leadership Communication Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Leadership Communication - Research Paper Example From the essay it is clear that the concept of leadership communication comprises of two terms such as ‘leadership’ and ‘communication’. The term leadership has been defined in a number of ways. However, generally it is agreed that a leader is an individual who coordinates, guides, directs, motivates, and controls others. A leader persuades his followers to work for achieving the predefined goals and objectives of the organization. In order to influence his followers, leaders may adopt a wide variety of leadership strategies including simple structure, machine bureaucracy, and adhocracy. Through the application of those leadership models, leaders motivate and command his subordinates and control various situations in different manner. This discussion declares that every leader obtains better or poor results based on the efficiency of his operations. A leader cannot influence his followers and hence achieve desired goals if he lacks proper communication skills. Effective flow of leadership communication may be often interrupted by either the sender or the receiver even though other external factors can have also an influence on this process. Better communication ability would be a key tool for a leader to create and maintain well understanding and trust that are essential to foster his subordinates so that they may follow his operational tactics. A leader with good communication skills can maintain a healthy relationship with his followers.

International Logistics Road Transportation Industry in Turkey Essay

International Logistics Road Transportation Industry in Turkey - Essay Example The Turkish Highways Directorate belongs to Ministry of Public Works and Settlements (Bayindirlik Bakanligi). It is responsible for construction, maintenance and operation of the highway network in Turkey, but it is not autonomous since revenues come from the general budget.It is responsible for 63 000 kilometers of roads of which 31 000 are State roads, 1897 are toll roads, and the rest are provincial (vilayet) roads.Village roads belong to the MoT.The Highway’s Directorate includes 18 Regional Offices of which one is in Ankara. All roads are realized with public funds.The Turkish General Directorate of Highways, KGM, has an annual estimated budget of about EUR 1 billion. The investment budget, amounting to approx. 60% of KGM's total budget is thinly spread over numerous projects with an average completion time of nine years.Investments are dominated by works on an over-designed motorway program. Total expenditures on the program reached about EUR 10.4 billion in 2001 with an nual allocations in the last few years of about EUR 468 million. The operational budget, on the other hand, is mostly consumed by wages, with minimal allocations for maintaining existing assets.Turkey's road/traffic accident rates are 3-6 times above those of EU countries. About 7 000 people die each year in road accidents and the losses due to injuries and property damages are estimated to be in the order of 2% of GDP. â€Å"The state in Turkey still plays a major role in basic industry, banking, and transportation†, ( CIA world factbook, 2007).... Issue The Turksih Highways Directorate belongs to Ministry of Public Works and Settlements (Bayindirlik Bakanligi). It is responsible for construction,maintenance and operation of highway network in Turkey, but it is not autonomous since revenues come from general budget.It is responsible for 63 000 kilometres of roads of which 31 000 are State roads, 1897 are toll roads, and the rest are provincial (villayet) roads.Village roads belong to the MoT.The Highway's Directorate includes 18 Regional Offices of which one is in Ankara. All roads arerealized with public funds.The Turkish General Directorate of Highways,KGM, has annual estimated budget of about EUR 1 billion. The investment budget,amounting to approx. 60% of KGM's totalbudget is thinly spread over numerous projects with an average completion time of nine years.Investments are dominated by works on an overdesignedmotorway programme. Totalexpenditures on the programme reached about EUR 10.4 billion in 2001 with annual allocations in t he last few years of about EUR 468 million. The operational budget, on theother hand, is mostly consumed by wages, with minimal allocations for maintaining existingassets.Turkey's road / traffic accident rates are 3-6 times above those of EU countries. About 7 000 people die each year in road accidents and the losses due to injuries and property damages are estimated to be in the order of 2% of GDP. "The state in Turkey still plays a major role in basic industry, banking and transportation", ( CIA world factbook, 2007) Every two years the number of fatalities on the roads equals the death toll of the tragic Marmara earthquake in 1999. 8.2.2. Highways Since

Should Tiger Woods or Brad Pitt mow their own lawns Essay

Should Tiger Woods or Brad Pitt mow their own lawns - Essay Example The National Council on Economic Education 1998, p. 118, defines absolute advantage as â€Å"A person has an absolute advantage if he or she can produce more of a product with the same amount of resources as another person†. The concept of absolute advantage points to a professional lawn mower mowing the lawn more cost effectively than either Tiger Woods or Brad Pitt. Tiger Woods and Brad Pitt enjoy absolute a advantage in entertaining people through playing golf and acting in movies respectively, and earning more than they would by the time and effort spent on mowing their lawn. To make this clearer let us look at the example of the famous cyclist Lance Armstrong and his fan mail. Being a cycling champion he is bound to receive fan mail and respond to them. He can do it himself or with the help of a secretary. Lance Armstrong may be a good typist, but he does not enjoy comparative or absolute advantage over his secretary in typing the response letters. He is economically wiser to leave the typing and sending of the responses to the fans to his secretary, while he spends his time and efforts in furthering his professional career in

Political Implications of Sophocles Book - Antigone Research Paper

Political Implications of Sophocles Book - Antigone - Research Paper Example Lack of satisfaction on the form of leadership attracts criticism while what they deem to be the best form of leadership that leaders ought to adopt is exalted by different authors. Thoughts of authors could either have positive or negative influences on the people who read their work. In analysing the dangers of different authors, this paper will look at two thinkers and authors of ancient history. An analysis of Sophocles’ ideas in Antigone and Plato’s The Trial and Death of Socrates will be used as the reference to the analysis. In his book Antigone, Sophocles explores on the punishment which disobedient people in Thebes, the kingdom of Greek. It also showed the various methods used in ruling the kingdom. The author, in his choice of using a woman as the main character, showed the theme of the plight of women in the times, though in a negative way. He chose to support the plight of women, as the episodes of the book progress. On his part, however, Plato in his book, the trial and death of Socrates, he explores the influence of political leaders and their influence on the subjects. The book portrays Socrates in a devilish way as he manipulates the people around him with his philosophical influence. Plato himself was an astute follower of Socrates and had done so out of choice. Socrates believes that Plato’s closeness to him made him vulnerable to manipulation. Rarely would he speak on his first-person voice, as he often made reference to a different force behind his words, that of Socrates? His reasoning and ideas, though very dynamic and radical as an influence from his mentor, does not make him much dangerous as his counterpart Sophocles. Sophocles develops personal ideas and thoughts and sends his sentiments through his book. Through his book, he portrays himself as a dis-respecter of humanity.

Environmental engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Environmental engineering - Essay Example Note that oxidation occurs in the presence of organic matter, so nitrate acts an electron acceptor in the absence of free oxygen. The chemical reaction in this phase can be represented as: The precipitation of ammonia in the form of MgNH4PHO4 (MAP) through the addition of phosphoric acid and magnesium oxide is called MAP process. In this process the pH value is critical in the precipitation of MAP. It has 90% efficiencies (Siegrist, 1996). This is a physico-chemical process. When the pH of wastewater is maintained to 10 is easy to convert NH4+ to free ammonia. Then, an air stream is used to capture NH3 and it is absorbed in a solution with sulphuric acid to form (NH4)2SO4. It has 97% efficiency, (Siegrist, 1996). This is a physico-chemical process called air stripping process. Finally, biological phosphorus removal technique offer advantages over chemical processes, reduced energy consummation and reduce sludge production (Park, 1999). This method is justified because phosphorus exists in several forms in wastewater: orthophosphate, polyphosphate and organic phosphates. Note that phosphorus comes from human excrement and detergents presents in domestic wastewater. 1. There are some microorganisms that without oxygen and nitrates (anaerobic atmosphere), assimilate and store fermentation products produced by other facultative bacteria. The microorganisms derive energy for this assimilation from polyphosphates organisms, which are hydrolyzed to liberate energy. The free phosphorus that results from the hydrolysis reaction is released to the mixed liquor (Sankaramanchi, 2010). 2. In the following anoxic or aerobic phase these same microorganisms, consume both phosphorus and oxygen to metabolize the previously stored substrate for energy production and cell synthesis. The organisms take up the phosphorus in excess. The phosphorus is removed from the system during the normal sludge wasting procedure (Sankaramanchi,

Comic Book Anti-Heroes Essay Example for Free

Comic Book Anti-Heroes Essay The frequently talked about, critically celebrated – and to some extent excessively hyped – comic book miniseries Watchmen is most often described as a revisionist take on superhero conventions and narratives, and with good reason. Now retroactively referred to as a graphic novel, Watchmen sees writer-artist team Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons deal with costumed adventurers or ‘superheroes’ and attempt to place them within a ‘realist’ context. Moore and Gibbons do not appear to denigrate superheroes so much as purge them of the conceits that have become necessary for comic book readers to be able to suspend their disbelief. Watchmen takes place in an alternate reality of 1985, where Cold War tensions are at their highest and multiple term extensions have allowed Richard Nixon to remain President of the United States. Furthermore, the United States has a long and troubled relationship with costumed adventurers dating back to the late 1930s. While the sensational nature of costumed adventurers acquire much admiration in the initial decades of their appearance, public sentiment turns strongly against them and by 1977, the government passes the Keane Act, which outlaws vigilante heroism. As a result, the protagonists of Watchmen are divided evenly among those costumed adventurers who have retired and those who have not. In the former category lies the perpetually bored ornithologist named Dan Dreiberg, formerly the gadget reliant ‘Nite Owl’, Laurie Juspeczyk, a moderate feminist with assertion issues who was formerly the martial arts oriented ‘Silk Spectre’ and Adrian Veidt, a genius-level intellect and self-perfected athlete once known as ‘Ozymandias’ and now channels his talents towards a billion dollar business empire and renowned philanthropy. Those adventurers who have continued to operate despite the Keane Act provide the most fertile area for ethical and moral analysis, especially in the context of the historical background that Moore and Gibbons have constructed. These include Edward Blake, a brutally gung-ho ‘superpatriot’ known as ‘The Comedian’, Jon Osterman, a former physicist turned emotionally detached god-like being code-named by the U. S. government as ‘Doctor Manhattan’ and Walter Kovacs, an uncompromising moral absolutist and the only one who operates without government sanction as the cruel vigilante called ‘Rorschach’. Rorschach, The Comedian and Doctor Manhattan effectively function as anti-heroes in the sense that although their adventuring careers have persisted beyond the Keane Act, they are far removed from the heroic intentions that have been the traditional feature of costumed adventurers in comic book literature. Furthermore, the morality and ethics which governs their activities is shaded with far darker tones than the unwavering idealism of a Superman or the commitment to vigilance that characterizes a Batman. However, their anti-heroism character is owed in large part to the ways that they evoke the characteristics of traditional superhero archetypes. This is not an entirely unfounded observation. It is no secret that the characters of Watchmen originate with characters from a relatively obscure comic publishing company known as Charlton Comics. Pustz (146-147) and Jensen (47) both recount that the genesis of Watchmen was in a request made by Dick Giordano, then executive editor of DC Comics, that Moore apply his talents to characters that DC had just acquired from Charlton. Moore was selected primarily because of the revisionist skills he had displayed in books such as Swamp Thing and Marvelman. In the former, Moore turned a formulaic horror series into a melancholy drama with an environmentalist streak while in the latter, he toyed with what was a British Captain Marvel knock-off and subverted into an existentialist look at relationship between superhero and alter ego. Because Watchmen presented superheroes as sexually frustrated, politically emasculated and psychologically unstable, it would have presented problems for the commercial longevity of the Charlton characters, making them unusable for future stories. As a result, Moore was instructed to re-write his story with original characters, and the Charlton characters were ultimately re-introduced by DC Comics through different means. This meant that the specific histories of the Charlton characters no longer imposed any limitations on the story that Moore and collaborator Gibbons had chosen to tell. Pustz (147) observes that this was for the better: fewer readers would have the prior knowledge necessary to appreciating the Charlton characters than those who would appreciate original characters. However, for these original characters to resonate properly with audiences on a similar level as established characters it became necessary for Moore and Gibbons to develop them beyond what could be communicated in a finite number of comic book panels, even when allowing for flashbacks and copious amounts of background detail. To do so, Moore and Gibbons made use of various fictional documents such as a report on the political implications of Doctor Manhattan’s super-powered existence and the autobiography of Hollis Mason, the first Nite Owl and predecessor to Dan Dreiberg. The characters of Watchmen, as already suggested above, ended up being evocative of superhero archetypes. As Pustz notes: â€Å"Dr. Manhattan [†¦] echoes every omnipotent superhero from Superman to Miracleman to the Spectre. The Comedian refers [†¦] to patriotic heroes such as Captain America and superspies such as Marvel’s Nick Fury. Rorschach is [†¦] every other obsessed vigilante from Batman to the Punisher. † (Pustz 147) By converging the evocation of superhero archetypes with a dysfunctional alternate history, Moore and Gibbons impose profound effects on the psychology of Watchmen’s protagonists. Simply put, Watchmen’s protagonists really are anti-heroes in multiple senses of the word. This is because what Moore and Gibbons have done is make it impossible for their characters to sustain a heroic purity over the course of their careers, especially in the face of history. Many of the longest-running comic book series are those that feature superheroes, and require a moderate suspension of disbelief that allows them to persist in a constant state of present tense. Therefore, in addition to a diminished aging rate (if any at all), the psychological and political development of the characters is limited in order to allow them to sustain continued adventuring careers. Thus, while the Spider-Man of the 1960s hangs out with his pals at soda parlors and the Captain America of the 21st century faces personal uncertainty in the face of international anti-American sentiment, neither never fully achieve any personal disillusionment or psychological resolution that would end their stories. By contrast, the costumed heroes in the Watchmen world do not and cannot possess the static personalities that have allowed the likes of Captain America or Batman to function continuously in their own comic books, despite the changes in cultural and political zeitgeist. Even if their personalities weren’t so troubled and their motivations so void of nobility, the forces of history would still have gradually eroded the initial foundations of their adventuring careers, which they do. As such, the relationship between crime fighting and society changes radically in the decades between 1938, when costumed heroes make their first appearance, and the year 1985, which is when the primary events take place. Klock notes that ahistorical conditions are necessary to support the superhero narrative, opining that â€Å"superheroes only make sense in world where masked opponents support their fantasy, and masked opponents only exist to fight superheroes,† but because history and personality carry greater weight in Watchmen than they traditionally do in other superhero narratives. As a result, Watchmen’s protagonists encompass varying levels of cynicism, neuroticism and societal alienation. They become anti-heroes simply because it is impossible to for their heroism to remain pure at all. It is from this angle that Moore and Gibbons proceed to interrogate the effect of history on the individual viewpoints of costumed adventurers and superheroes, as well as their effects upon history itself. In addition to the geopolitical implications of Doctor Manhattan’s nigh omnipotence, Moore and Gibbons examine how personal humanity is profoundly altered by nigh omniscient awareness of history, whilst the Comedian is the expression of how historical tumult and a life of violence has corrupting effects on the patriotic character, rendering an almost irredeemable cynicism. In the case of Rorschach, who is Watchmen’s most (dis)reputable anti-hero, he experiences constant exposure to the endurance of social and cultural malaise which serves to only harden his moral and ethical absolutism. The result is an unwavering dedication to the pursuit of justice, one which would ordinarily and unquestionably admirable in traditional superheroes, but not in one who ultimately comes across as a fascist. Jackie Earle Haley, the actor who is to portray Rorschach in a feature film adaptation of Watchmen, notes that Rorschach’s personality centers around his contention with the oft-declared complexity of the world that is maintained as the excuse for its ills and woes: â€Å"Rorschach’s complexity is [†¦] an attacking complexity. He tries to simplify the world in black and white. [†¦] Rorschach thinks that you’re not what you say you mean, you’re what you do. You are your behavior [†¦] That sort of forced me to look at my own behavior, to ask myself, ‘Who’s my behavior victimizing today? ’ [†¦] We justify our behavior with complexity. Not for Rorschach. † (Adler 2008) Thus, it is not Rorschach’s relentless commitment to the pursuit of justice that gives him his anti-heroic character, as it is a quality he shares with Batman. Although portrayals of Batman have varied over the decades in both print and film, his ideals are not closely linked with his view of society, giving him a sense of ambivalence towards society’s collective responsibilities to its own welfare. Rorschach on the other hand, views the world with utter contempt, with little faith in its ability to redeem itself. His moral absolutism originates from humanity’s consistent inability to live up to the nobility it ascribes to itself. His development as a vigilante stems from humanity’s failure and inaction. In the case of a woman who had been raped, tortured and killed outside her own apartment building, he remembers that: â€Å"Nobody did anything. Nobody called cops. Some of them even watched. Do you understand? I knew what people were then, behind all the evasions, all the self-deception. Ashamed for humanity I went home. I took the remains of her unwanted dress and made a face that I could bear to look at in the mirror. † Traditional superheroes do not view the world with this much contempt, but Rorschach does. His contempt for humanity is most strongly articulated when he declares, â€Å"This rudderless world is not shaped by vague metaphysical forces. It is not God who kills the children. Not fate who butchers them or destiny that feeds them to the dogs. It’s us. † While Rorschach articulates the most complex relationship between an individual’s ideals and his perception of society, Doctor Manhattan expresses how ambivalence towards the value of human affairs leads to a sense of detachment that reduces an individual’s moral compass down to dehumanized utilitarianism. This is not to suggest that Manhattan’s nigh-omnipotence makes him morally apathetic. Rather, it alters his ethical code in such a fashion that the welfare of a numerical majority takes precedence, regardless of the cost. This is made most evident when he teleports an angry mob, which is a peaceful means of negating conflict, but it also leads to two shock-induced heart attacks. Manhattan maintains that this is statistically preferable to the larger number of casualties that would have been caused by mob violence. Towards the end of Watchmen, Manhattan becomes even more indifferent towards the redemption of humanity, opining that despite the attempts of individuals such as Ozymandias to bring about a peaceful new world order, â€Å"nothing ever ends. † While Rorschach’s desire is to impose his will and â€Å"scrawl [his] own design on this morally blank world,† and Manhattan dismisses the notion that human problems can ever be resolved, The Comedian simply doesn’t care. As a nihilist, the Comedian shares Rorschach’s belief that there is no moral or ethical principle which guides the universe. Despite the fact that he fought for the U. S. during the Vietnam War, he concludes that its outcome matters only to Americans and holds no meaning to the average Vietnamese. The Comedian is so utterly devoid of delusions about the moral value of geopolitical affairs, and his participation stems primarily from his loyalty to Uncle Sam rather than from any sense of idealism. His credo is that existence is one big joke, and he’s one of the few who is in on the gag. These three – Rorschach, Doctor Manhattan, The Comedian – are antiheroes not because they are devoid of any heroism, but rather because they express how a purity of ideals will always be shaped by the forces which history exerts upon them. They do not operate from a corrupt morality let alone from villainy: several moments reveal deeply obscured or twisted nobility within them all. Instead, they are anti-heroic because the gritty realities of society and the debilitating effects of continued crime fighting take hold upon them in ways that are denied to their conventional counterparts. Works Cited Pustz, Matthew J. Comic Book Culture: Fanboys and True Believers. Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi, 1999. Klock, Geoff. â€Å"Who Watches the Watchmen? † SF Crowsnest, April 2003. Retrieved December 17, 2008 from: http://www. sfcrowsnest. com/sfnews2/03_april/news0403_6. shtml Adler, Shawn. â€Å"Is Rorschach ‘Watchmen’s’ Most Heroic Character? Jackie Earle Haley Thinks So. † MTV Splash Page, 21 August 2008. Retrieved December 17, 2008 from: http://splashpage. mtv. com/2008/08/21/is-rorschach-watchmens-most-heroic-character-jackie-earle-haley-thinks-so/

The Many Faces Of Kindness Today English Language Essay

The Many Faces Of Kindness Today English Language Essay Kindness is an act of compassion, humanity, love, concern and sympathy. Kindness is worship, kindness is religion. Kindness is a behaviour that spreads joy, joy that has no borders, joy that is universal. And its relevance in modern day and every day cant be discounted. Acts of simple kindness make us the humans we are. Kindness of varying degree separates us from any other species. Its kindness and love that people seek and that people give. DEFINING KINDNESS: Kindness is the language which the dumb can speak, the deaf can hear the blind can see.   ~Mark Twain kindness_01.jpgKindness is the act or the state of being kind and marked by charitable behaviour, mild disposition, pleasantness, tenderness and concern for others  [1]  . It is a recognized value in many cultures and religions. Kindness In philosophy According to book two of Aristotles Rhetoric it is one of the emotions (see list of emotions), which is defined as being helpfulness towards someone in need, not in return for anything, nor for the advantage of the helper himself, but for that of the person helped  [2]  . Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche argued that kindness and love are the most curative herbs and agents in human intercourse Kindness is considered to be one of the Knightly Virtues. Kindness In religion It is considered to be one of the seven virtues, specifically the one of the Seven Contrary Virtues (direct opposites of the seven deadly sins) that is the direct opposite to envy  [3]  . The Talmud claims that deeds of kindness are equal in weight to all the commandments. Paul of Tarsus defines love as being patient and kind (I Corinthians). In Buddhism, one of the Ten Perfections (Paramitas) is MettÄ , which is usually translated into English as loving-kindness. Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama wrote my religion is kindness and authored a book entitled Kindness, Clarity, and Insight  [4]  . Confucius urges his followers to recompense kindness with kindness. Kindness In psychology In a study of 37 cultures around the world, sixteen thousand subjects were asked about their most desired traits in a mate. For both sexes, the first preference was kindness (the second was intelligence)  [5]  . CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK: I expect to pass through life but once.   If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.   ~William Penn compassion.jpg History of Kindness: Every civilization -the Aryan, the Greek, the ancient Chinese laid utmost emphasis on kindness and many a holy books have kindness as their central theme. For instance, we find the usage of kindness in the Holy Bible through the following verse. One of the reasons for salvation and eternal life is to display the kindness of God in the ages to come. Ephesians 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. Titus 3:4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared Components of Kindness: Kindness is a very broad term. Anything the first person does, to make the second person feel good can be categorized as kindness. However, in our study we would consider the mathematical formula for kindness and the accompanying components in it given by Chuck Wall, Kindnessusa.org. Mathematical Formula for Kindness  [6]  :   A mathematical formula was created to explain the components (K= à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¾/à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ CH(R+D)/i=1). Kindness means that compassion (C), humility (H), dignity (D), and respect (R) equal the sum of everything together set in motion by just one person for all time. The four virtues are explained in the following manner. Compassion is empathy and caring about the feelings of others. Humility is to be humble, not boastful or arrogant. Respect is to treat others with courtesy and honour. Dignity is being worthy to be honoured or esteemed. Put simply, kindness is the conscious act of engaging others in a positive way without asking whether those individuals deserve to be treated kindly. All living beings thrive on kindness. A single, sincere compliment can turn a persons entire world around. Holding a door or thanking someone who has held a door for you can inspire others to practice politeness and make already kind individuals feel good about their efforts. Smiling at people you meet-even those who make you feel like frowning-can turn a dreary encounter into a delightful one, for both of you. Every kind act has a positive influence on the individual who has performed said act as well as on the recipient, regardless of whether the act is acknowledged. Kindness brings about more kindness and slowly but surely takes a positive toll on humanity. Kindness to an Individual and in a Group: Genuine and unassuming kindness is one trait that people never fail to undervalue. As someone said, kindness is like snow it beautifies everything it covers. Kindness is the elixir to happy life. Hence, a positive impact of kindness is to be seen; whether its to an individual or once one is kind to others in a group. Kindness is all pervasive, it instils warmth in everyone to whom its meted out to, and its difficult for anyone to stay indifferent. REVIEW OF LITERATURE: Of neighbourhoods, kindness is the most beautiful. How can the man be considered wise who when he had the choice does not settle in kindness. ~ Confucius We would try to review different literature forms, for instance from contemporary art form (books and movies) to different mythological sources for finding reference of kindness there. Lets start with contemporary works, a book on kindness. A Short Course in Kindness by Margot Silk Forrest: This wonderful little book is full of stories that inspires and motivates, that are thought provoking and gives perfectly plausible ideas to make world a kinder place. Margot Silk Forrest in her book says Kindness is the wise use of the heart. A purely heartfelt action wont necessary be a kind one it could be misguided or uninformed. It takes wisdom and heart to notice when someone needs our help and to see what kind of help they need. Kindness wont necessarily be kindness if it is not put to use. Action is required. Thinking kind thoughts is all well and good. It will calm and purify your mind stream. But at some point, we have to get up and act on our kind intentions  [7]  . Its this message of moving from kind thoughts to real actions that makes this book different and a fun read. Kindness in Sacred Scriptures: Without a single exception, all sacred scriptures talk about kindness to fellow beings and to the greater environment in varying extent. For instance, Colossians 3:12 from the New Living Translation Bible says: Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Citing from the Holy Quran, it talks about Prophet Muhammad being the embodiment of mercy and he showed compassion and kindness to all those around him family, orphans, friends, strangers and even enemies.   Quran says Prophet even emphasized kind treatment of environment and animals, with respect and mercy.   He taught his followers that because animals were part of Gods creation they must be treated with dignity and due care. Following is our reference for the same, a citation from Quran 21:07. And We have sent you O Muhammad not but as a mercy for all of humankind, jinn, and all that exists. Similarly, we understand kindness we realize the very purpose of life is to be happy. We desire contentment and thats from the very core of our being. His Holiness Dalai Lama says the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being. Cultivating a close, warm hearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. It helps remove whatever fears or insecurities we may have and gives us the strength to cope with any obstacles we encounter. It is the principal source of success in life. Since we are not solely material creatures, it is a mistake to place all our hopes for happiness on external development alone. The key is to develop inner peace.  [8]  Even according to the sacred texts of Hinduism, kindness and hospitality are considered key values. Its a cardinal virtue and finds mention in Vedas the Hindu holy scriptures. Kindness is one of the four virtues in Buddhism that if practiced has the power to cause the practitioner to be re-born into a Brahma Realm. According to the Buddhist scripts, these virtues are highly regarded as powerful antidotes to negative mental states (non-virtues) such as avarice, anger and pride.  [9]   Kindness in Modern Art (movies): Lage Raho Munna Bhai: A study on any behaviour can never be complete without taking into consideration the popular impact. Many movies with Kindness as their theme have been made. We would do a small case study on the hindi movie Lage Raho Munnabhai (2006) as it had kindness and non-violence has its theme and comment on the results of a survey, presented in the following pages. EMPERICAL STUDY: To study the behaviour of kindness and how people view it, we have adopted the method of survey. A questionnaire comprising 14 questions was circulated among the students of XLRI, with 80 students taking the survey and responding.  [10]  The survey questionnaire was designed so as to reflect different aspects of the Kindness behaviour and how people react to and practise it, against an individual or in a group. The questionnaire also tried to take opinions on first what they think is kindness and also, the concept of being kind to be oneself, as against being to an individual or kindness in a group. Also, a case in the form of hindi movie Lage Raho Munnabhai was given and the survey included 3 questions on the same. We would take the survey results in the next section as we analyze them. FINDINGS OF STUDY AND GENERALIZATION: Let us analyze the findings from the results of the survey. We would do so by taking blocks of questions of varying size. How important do you think kindness to others is in your day to day life? https://www.google.com/chart?cht=pchs=345150chco=0000e0chl=Not%20Important%20%5B2%5D%7CImportant%20%5B41%5D%7CVery%20Important%20%5B37%5Dchd=e%3ABmgydl Response Choices No. of Responses Percentage (%) Not Important 2 3 Important 41 51 Very Important 37 46 Total Responses 80 100% The first question of the survey, tried to assess how important individuals think kindness to others is. Results are along the expected line, with 97% respondents attributing varying degree of importance to kindness. This goes on to show that people lay great emphasis on kindness and value it quite a lot. Do you think people who love you, do so because you are kind and compassionate towards them? https://www.google.com/chart?cht=pchs=345150chco=ff9900chl=Yes%20%5B30%5D%7CNo%20%5B17%5D%7CMay%20be%20%5B33%5Dchd=e%3AX.NmaZ Response Choices No. of Responses Percentage (%) Yes 30 38 No 17 21 May be 33 41 Total Responses 80 100% Does kindness promotes peace and friendship? https://www.google.com/chart?cht=pchs=345150chco=d00000chl=Yes%20%5B69%5D%7CNo%20%5B3%5D%7CMay%20be%20%5B8%5Dchd=e%3A3LCZGZ Response Choices No. of Responses Percentage (%) Yes 69 86 No 3 4 May be 8 10 Total Responses 80 100% Do you think your kindness towards people who dont really like you, would bring about a change in their attitude towards you (for instance, from hostility to friendliness)? https://www.google.com/chart?cht=pchs=345150chco=dcca02chl=Yes%20%5B38%5D%7CNo%20%5B9%5D%7CMay%20be%20%5B33%5Dchd=e%3AeZHMaZ Response Choices No. of Responses Percentage (%) Yes 38 48 No 9 11 May be 33 41 Total Responses 80 100% Do you make a conscious effort to be kind to others? https://www.google.com/chart?cht=pchs=345150chco=00d000chl=Yes%20%5B37%5D%7CNo%20%5B12%5D%7CSometimes%20%5B31%5Dchd=e%3AdlJmYy Response Choices No. of Responses Percentage (%) Yes 37 46 No 12 15 Sometimes 31 39 Total Responses 80 100% How do you feel about yourself after a random act of kindness? https://www.google.com/chart?cht=pchs=345150chco=9601acchl=Good%20%5B67%5D%7CBad%20%5B0%5D%7CIndifferent%20%5B13%5Dchd=e%3A1lAAKZ Response Choices No. of Responses Percentage (%) Yes 67 84 No 0 0 Sometimes 13 16 Total Responses 80 100% In todays competitive world, do you think kindness as an organizational behaviour makes sense? https://www.google.com/chart?cht=pchs=345150chco=0000e0chl=Yes%20%5B53%5D%7CNo%20%5B7%5D%7CMay%20be%20%5B20%5Dchd=e%3AqYFmP. Response Choices No. of Responses Percentage (%) Yes 53 66 No 7 9 May be 20 25 Total Responses 80 100% Is there any correlation in the performance (and growth) in an organization of an employee because of the kindness he/she shows towards his/her colleagues? Response Choices No. of Responses Percentage (%) High Positive Corelation 12 15 Mild Positive Corelation 52 65 Zero Corelation 11 14 Mild Negative Corelation 3 4 High Negative Corelation 2 3 Total Responses 80 100% Do you think you are kind to yourself and do activities that are not in conflict with what your heart says? https://www.google.com/chart?cht=pchs=345150chco=d00000chl=Yes%20%5B39%5D%7CNo%20%5B41%5Dchd=e%3AfMgy Response Choices No. of Responses Percentage (%) Yes 39 49 No 41 51 Total Responses 80 100%

School Violence :: School Violence Essays

From decade to decade, there has been a new type of fad to sweep the country. In the 50’s it was dancing and having fun. In the 60’s it was to dress freely and avoid the draft. The 70’s were full of pot smoking has-beens, the 80’s big hair and radical clothing. From the smallest of fades, the children in the 90’s have taken a whole new approach to the game. The changed the rules, that would affect the country for the rest of their existence. The fad? To act out in violence in school against eachother, not just fist to fist physical altercation, but from one boy’s fathers gun to another. The new fad is to take a school by a surprise attack and make news headlines. Quite a change from the early 50’s. So the question that boggles ever Americans mind, is why and how we allowed these children to invade and inhabit our lives and allow them to take the control they have at this point. The question can only be answered by figuring out the exac t problem to a â€Å"T†. We need to figure out every aspect of what they are doing. What are the exact statistics on the teen crime rate? How can we stop it? Let’s start by recognizing the problem and deal with it from there. Here is the first step. Here are some solutions to the high rising problem, I have supplied part of the solution, it is now up to the public to take action. Three-quarters or more of all schools reported having zero tolerance policies for various student offenses. "Zero tolerance policy" was defined as a school or district policy that mandates predetermined consequence/s or punishments for specific offenses. About 90 percent of schools reported zero tolerance policies for firearms (94 percent) and weapons other than firearms. Eighty-seven and 88 percent had policies of zero tolerance for alcohol and drugs, respectively. Seventy-nine percent had a zero tolerance policy for violence and 79 percent had a zero tolerance policy for tobacco. Tobacco seems to be a rising problem on its own, and we as citizens, teachers and peers, need to do more to let the children know that this behavior is unacceptable, that they are in fact still children. Another way to help stop the prob lem is Requiring School Uniforms Public school principals were presented with a list of crimes and asked to report the number of incidents of each type of crime that had occurred at their schools during the 1996-97 school year.

Free College Essays - Hidden Sin in Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays

The Scarlet Letter: Hidden Sin People often keep secrets in an effort to hide their sins from others. This is a risky since secrets have a way of manifesting themselves externally, and thus, letting everyone know of their owner’s sins. Hidden sin is a prominent theme in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter. Names like Chillingworth and Dimmesdale let the reader know how, in reality, these characters are, before ever really encountering them. Characters whom the reader will encounter in this novel are going through some type of dilemma on the inside, which begins to show itself in the exterior of the particular individual. In The Scarlet Letter, two studious individuals, Roger Chillingworth and Arthur Dimmesdale, two of the main characters in the novel, each possess their own sins which begin to show themselves in their outermost features, each brought apon themselves for their own respective reasons. Roger Chillingworth's features begin to display his inward deformities externally as the novel progresses due to his attempts at finding the man who violated his marriage. When he is first seen in the novel, "there was a remarkable intelligence in his features, as of a person who had so cultivated his mental part that it could not fail to mould the physical to itself and become manifest by unmistakable tokens." He also has a left shoulder which is slightly higher than the right originally, which only gets more ugly and misshapen with the rest of his body. Chillingworth then takes up residence with Dimmesdale and begins his quest to punish the minister and find out the true identity of this man. After he begins his quest the townspeople observe "something ugly and evil in his face which they had not previously noticed, and which grew still the more obvious to sight, the oftener they looked upon him.† Soon his wife, Hester, finds "the former aspect of an intellectual a nd studious man, calm and quiet, which was what she best remembered in him, had altogether vanished and been succeeded by an eager searching, almost fierce, yet carefully guarded look." Chillingworth, the injured husband, seeks no revenge against Hester, but he is determined to find the man who has violated his marrige: â€Å"He bears no letter of infamy wrought into his garment, and thou dost; but I shall read it on his heart.† Chillingworth comments: â€Å"Believe me, Hester, there are few things.

Rutherford B. Hayes Essays -- essays research papers

Rutherford B. Hayes (19th president)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rutherford Bichard Hayes was not a well know president. He was not president that had the opportunity to lead us through a war. He was not a president that would draw much attention to the public eye. He was however one of the presidents that had a great triumph over a major U.S. problem, economics and civil rights following a war. The United States was just coming out of the Civil War and was in need of a new president. They were in need of one that could lead them into a booming economic system, start the process of paying off the national debt, and show them the benefits of a nation-wide unification of the North and the South.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On October 4th 1822, Sophie Bichard Hayes gave birth to Rutherford Bichard Hayes. His father Rutherford Hayes passed away two months prior to Rutherford Jr. being born. Along with his 4 other siblings, Rutherford was raised in Ohio by his mother for most of his life. Rutherford went to school in Norwalk, Ohio and Middletown, Connecticut. In 1842 he graduated from Kenyon College, in Gambier, Ohio, valedictorian of his class. After a year of study in a Columbus law office, he entered Harvard Law School and received his degree in 1845. Hayes began his practice in a small town called Lower Sandusky. Not finding many opportunities here, he left for Cincinnati in 1849 where he became a successful lawyer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1952, Hayes married L...

Scorpio Case Study Analysis

Case Analysis Brand promise: â€Å"Luxury of a car. Thrill of an SUV. † Emotional benefits Thrill Excitement Power Rational benefits World Class Vehicle Good Looks Car-like comforts Great value Relational Benefits Young Modern Premium City companion Infrastructure Showrooms were redone Decor depicted imageries of sportiness, movement and technology movement Showroom Experience Uniform customer experience Unique experience and not just the product Exclusive sales people Selected people from current employees and trained them Advertising and promotions strategy Car plus positioningPremium imagery of SUV in city context â€Å"Hero† in advertisements – Product International feel Communication Strategy â€Å"Big Brand feeling† Role of media High impact launch- 15th August High visibility Television: Emotional benefits and international imagery Print: Functional Benefits Phase 1: Metro Cities Phase 2: 20 cities Coved 50 cities within an year BRANDZ Bonding Thril l of driving SUV while enjoying comfort and luxury of a car. Advantage Style added to UV. â€Å"Car plus†more comfort +mileage +space Performance Relevance Presence Power and pickup. Ease of gear shifting. Smoothness of clutch.Quietness of the vehicle Luxury + Sophistication + Value for money Advertisements , Launch on independence day with wide press coverage, Public events. Expand to global markets Devise strategies to counter the players entering the UV and B and C segment 1. 2. 3. High share of category expenditure in bonding stage: 109 Scorpios sold daily. 4 lakh units sold globally since launch. Within 4 months of launch M&M achieved 22% market share in premium hard top SUV. (Source: http://articles. economictimes. indiatimes. com/2012-06-17/news/32270172_1_alan-durante-projectscorpio-pawan-goenka)

Compare and Contrast the Philippines and Indonesia

Airah Mary Michaela Diaz (Task: Indonesia) Maegan Martinez (Task: Philippines) South Asia | Philippines| Indonesia| Type of Government| -known as the Republic of the Philippines. Is a sovereign state in SEA. -it is called republic or democratic form of government, where the power is in the hands of the people. -it has three branches: Executive, Legislative and Judicial. | -Republic of Indonesia – official name of the country means â€Å"Island of the Indies†-Head of government – President| Political History| -Discovery of katipunan (Aug. 19,1892)-Dr. Jose Rizal was killed by the Spaniards in bagong bayan or luneta park (December 30, 1898)-Philippine Independence (June 12, 1898)-death of President of Ramon Magsaysay (March 17, 1957)-The assassination of Senator Ninoy Aquino (August 21, 1983)-Proclamation of Martial Law by President Marcos on September 21, 1972| -October 1908- the first nationalist movement was formed, Budi Utomo-September 10, 1912- first nationalist mass movement was formed – Sarekat Islam-by December 1912 Sarekat Islam had 93,000 members-The repression of the nationalist movement led to many arrests, including Indonesia’s first president, Sukarno, who was imprisoned for olitical activities on December 29, 1929| Questions: 1. ) In what aspect does the government of Asian countries differ from one another? The government of Asian countries differ from one another by the laws, each government have different laws that people must obey and respect. Another one is the kind of government, there are many kinds of government in Asia like democratic, communist, federal republic and many more. They have their own government to follow. And in Asian countries, they have a leader who can make their country much better. 2. ) As a student, what concrete actions do you do to prove that you are pro government? As a student, I will obey and respect the laws of the government. I will simply apply the rules and regulations of our government and I will prevent myself from violating the rules. To be a role model to other students like throwing the trash to its proper dance. 3. How are they similar? They are similar on their type of government. 4. ) Disadvantages and advantages of the political system on the countries implementing it. The advantages of the political system are that it makes the country in o rder. It also makes the country to develop and also to organize the things in their place. The disadvantages are that sometimes the leaders cheat the country. They sometimes get money in the fund of their country; it affects the country’s progress. References: – Collier’s Encyclopedia #18 p. 685-694 – Lexicon universal encyclopedia – The new book of knowledge, volume I p. 218 – http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/HistoryinIndonesia

Consequentialist Versus Deontological Ethical Systems

What is â€Å"good†? How does a person decide what is good? Over the course of history, various thinkers have tried to develop systems which guide human thought on this question. Some of the most important ethical theories are the â€Å"normative† theories — that is ethical theories which try to establish authoritative standards by which conduct can be judged. Under the general heading of â€Å"normative,† two of the most important schools of ethical thought are the â€Å"consequentialist† and the â€Å"deontological schools of ethical thought. (â€Å"Normative Ethics† n. d. )Consequentialism is the school of thought which asserts that the morality of a given action is to be judged by the consequence of that action. If the consequences are good, the action is good. Consequentialism is generally divided into a number of theories, including: utilitarianism and ethical egoism. Utilitarianism holds that the right action is one that produces the greatest good/pleasure (and least pain) for the greatest number of people. Utilitarianism has its root in the seminal figures of Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill, and Henry Sidgwick.Classic utilitarians developed a system which is could best be described as â€Å"hedonistic act consequentialism. † Their system was â€Å"consequentialist† in that its proponents claimed that an act is morally right if the act causes the greatest good. To calculate this, one had to compare the total amount of good that the act caused, minus the total amount of bad that the act caused. If the net total net amount of good was greater than this net amount of good for any other act that the agent might have performed, then the act was good.Their system was â€Å"hedonistic,† in that they claimed that pleasure was the only true â€Å"good† and pain is the only true â€Å"bad. † This system was summed up in the common statement, â€Å"the greatest happiness for the greates t number. † (Kemerling, 2002; Hollinger, 2002, p. 31-34: â€Å"Normative Ethics,† n. d. ; Lee, 2000, â€Å"Utilitarianism†; Sinnott-Armstrong, 2006) As Mill articulated this system, utilitarianism was consequentialist rather than deontological because included certain key points of denial. Utilitarianism denied that the moral rightness of any act depended on anything other than the consequences of the act.This left the utilitarian system open to attack because of the hedonism it advanced. (Hollinger, 2002, p. 34-36; â€Å"Normative Ethics,† n. d. ; Kemerling, 2002; Lee, 2000, â€Å"Utilitarianism†; Sinnott-Armstrong, 2006) From the beginning, critics of hedonism attacked utilitarianism. They criticized John Stuart Mill as trying to degrade the value of human life to an animalistic level. One of the more commonly used arguments was that vulgar acts, such as orgiastic sex might produce greater transient pleasure than some disciplined higher act such a s studying fine poetry. (Hollinger, 2002, pp.34-36: â€Å"Normative Ethics,† n. d. ; Kemerling, 2002; Sinnott-Armstrong, 2006)Mill tried to respond to these charges by setting up a distinction between lower and higher qualities of pleasure. (Mill, 1861, 56) This did not satisfy Mill’s critics, who contended that in the end, utilitarianism supported hedonism. Critics find these systems overly technical and confusing, and utilitarianism fosters an â€Å"end justifies the means† line of reasoning. Further utilitarianism does not accept the notion that some acts are absolutely ethically wrong, so that potentially it can be warped into a system justifying any means.Hollinger, 2002, pp. 34-36; â€Å"Normative Ethics,† n. d. ; Kemerling, 2002; Lee, 2000, â€Å"Utilitarianism†) Egoism is the view that a moral person is a self-interested person. The primary exponents of ethical egoism, include Epicurus, Adam Smith, and Ayn Rand. Critics charges that the eth ical system of Epicurus leads to an austere hedonism. Adam Smith’s â€Å"invisible hand† would cause the most productive state of an economy to be reached by allowing all of the people in the economic unit each to pursue his own self-interest.Ayn Rand professed a view of rational self-interest, saying that altruism was irrational. (Hollinger, 2002, pp. 28-31; â€Å"Normative Ethics,† 2002; Sinnott-Armstrong, 2006) Deontological ethical theory takes its name from the Greek root â€Å"deon,† meaning â€Å"that which is obligatory. † It is ethical theory based on a concept of duty or obligation. Turning then to principled ethical systems, stem from Socrates, who felt himself duty bound to accept the ruling of the court in Athens, which had ordered him put to death.From Socrates, one can move ahead to Immanuel Kant, whose philosophical system led to his system of the â€Å"categorical imperative†: â€Å"Act so that you treat humanity, whether i n your own person or in that of another, always as an end, and never as a means only. † To develop his â€Å"Categorical Imperative,† Kant looked to the roots of morality in humanity's rational capacity and meticulously developed a system based on moral absolutes. He argued that these are inviolable duties, rules which must be followed absolutely and in every possible situation. (â€Å"Normative Ethics,† n. d. ; Hollinger, 2002, pp.37-39)Another school of deontological thought is the contractarianistic school exemplified by John Rawls or Thomas Hobbes. This theory asserts that moral acts are those act that all people would agree to if they were completely unbiased. (â€Å"Normative Ethics. † n. d. ) Finally, there are philosophers such as John Locke, also considered deontological, who presented the idea that all men are endowed with certain inalienable rights. (â€Å"Normative Ethics. † n. d. ) Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) set forth what is generally a ccepted as the most advanced theory of deontological or duty-based ethics.Contrary to the consequentialism of Mill, Kant’s theory judges morality by examining the nature of actions and the will of agents rather than the goals sought or the ends achieved. To describe this in general terms, this deontological theory focuses on the inputs leading to actions rather than outcomes produced by those inputs. This does not mean that Kant did not care what the outcomes of his actions were. Like other men, he wished that things would go well. But Kant insisted that as far as the moral evaluation of our actions was concerned, consequences did not matter.  (Hollinger, 2002, pp. 37-39; â€Å"Normative Ethics,† n. d. ; Kemerling, 2002)In his philosophical studies, Kant tried to establish a rational principle that would stand as a categorical imperative for ethical judgments. He insisted that the imperative, or duty, had to be categorical, not merely hypothetical, or conditional, be cause true morality could not depend on such things as individual likes and dislikes, abilities, or opportunities. These were mere the â€Å"accidents† of history, and an ultimate principle of ethics had to go far beyond such incidentals.Eventually, Kant developed his categorical imperative, which he articulated in several different versions, including: Always act in such a way that you can also will that the maxim of your action should become a universal law. and Act so that you treat humanity, both in your own person and in that of another, always as an end and never merely as a means. The first version of the categorical imperative emphasizes an idea important to Kant’s thinking of the idea that any rule was valid only if it could be applied universally. The second statement of the rule stresses the importance of respecting persons as more important than things.(Kay, 1997)Deontological ethical theories are strongest in the areas where utilitarian theories face the g reatest difficulty. Ethical rules based on duty have the great advantage that the ends can never justify the means. For example, suppose a ruler wished to revive the Roman practice of public crucifixion of criminals. Even if it was determined that the general populace was so caught up in a blood lust that the pleasure of the masses who would watch the agonies of the condemned far, far out-weighed the suffering of the victim, the categorical imperative demands that individual human rights be acknowledged and held inviolable.No matter how much the public wants this spectacle, it must be dismissed from our moral deliberations. (Hollinger, 2002, pp. 38-39: Kay, 1997) Putting Kant’s categorical imperative into practice, however, has presented a number of serious problems. First, the categorical imperative gives only absolute results. Actions are â€Å"good† or â€Å"bad. † There is no room for â€Å"gray areas. † For example, lying is always wrong — eve n the â€Å"polite lie† or the lie told for noble reasons. Second, duties often come into conflict, and the categorical imperative gives no means to resolve these conflicts.Utilitarianism permits a ready comparison of all actions, and if a set of alternatives have the same expected utility, they are equally good. Conflicting duties, however, may require that I perform logically or physically incompatible actions, and my failure to do any one is itself a moral wrong. (Hollinger, 2002, p. 39: Kay, 2002) Because neither theory is satisfactory in its pure form, I am compelled to use a blend in real life. I follow a utilitarian approach in the sense of trying to maximize the good that I bring to people, but with an awareness that there are categorical situations beyond which I will not go.

The Truman Show Essay

The Truman Show Utopia – A perfect world. Truman's world was an utopia. Everything, including the weather, was controlled in a huge Hollywood dome. Truman grew up having no idea he was being watched every hour of the day, and that every step he took was being viewed by millions all over the globe. As the show progressed, it became clear how much media influenced Truman's life, and also how Christof played a huge role in Truman's well-being. First, the influence of media affects our lives in many ways. As The Truman Show ran 24/7, there were no commercials. Therefore, the show had to generate an income by advertising products to the viewers. For example, when Truman's wife showed off her recent purchase, a Chef Pal, she listed many unique characteristics about the product, hoping some of the millions of viewers would purchase it. This shows how much commercials and advertising can persuade us to purchase a product. Without even realizing it, TV viewing can influence people's purchases. Second, a form of media displayed in the show can be described as broadcast media. The Truman Show was broadcasted all over the world and millions of people were watching it. You could see this because during the movie people were shown watching the show in various places. For example, there was a man watching TV while in his bathtub and two security guards enjoyed the show while on patrol. This shows how TV can be addictive, and possibly interfere with our ability to complete everyday tasks. Finally, Truman was basically living in an artificial world. Everything was planned, and the actors were well educated to make Truman believe everything about his life existed in Seahaven. This shows how people can be influenced to believe that something is real or true but in reality it is not. He had a wife who did not love him, a teacher who did not support what he was trying to go after, and a friend who did not actually mean what he said. Truman was influenced by the world and people around him, making him believe everything was normal and not planned out. The world Truman was born into would not have been the way it was without the help of Christof, the show's producer. Everything in Seahaven was operated by machines and computers. These computers were basically controlled my Christof's orders. Early in his life, Truman was traumatized by his father's death at sea. He grew up thinking it was his fault. Because of Christof's planning of the death, Truman was always scared of water. The only way off of Seahaven was by boat, therefore Christof knew he would be able to keep Truman under his control. Christof also did a good job of increasing his audience numbers. When viewers saw the heart-felt moment of Truman reuniting with his father years later, the number of viewers increased. Christof made the scene stand out by changing camera angles and playing background music. In addition, since Truman wanted to make his way to Fiji, Christof strategically planned different events in order to slow Truman down so he wouldn't leave the island. An example of this is when Truman went to purchase a plane ticket, but the flights were all sold out for over a month. Also, when the bus he was going to ride broke down. This proves that Christof manipulated Truman for his own purpose. Christof controlled everything in Truman's life from the weather to who Truman was going to spend his life with. All these points prove how Truman was being used for Christof's benefit; to increase the show's ratings and to gain an income. The storyline of The Truman Show shows us how media affects our lives in many different ways. From something as simple as watching a reality TV show like Survivor to using 5000 cameras to produce a movie. Truman grows up with his world, friends, and even family all being a lie. Christof is the one who did this to Truman. When publicity and fortune become more important than what is right, some people may not realize that what they are doing to others may be harming them. When an opportunity arises, it is sometimes all about what will benefit them. With Truman going through this experience, his eyes most likely opened up to what the real world could be like, and how the world is not always as it seems. The Truman Show Essay The Truman Show Utopia – A perfect world. Truman's world was an utopia. Everything, including the weather, was controlled in a huge Hollywood dome. Truman grew up having no idea he was being watched every hour of the day, and that every step he took was being viewed by millions all over the globe. As the show progressed, it became clear how much media influenced Truman's life, and also how Christof played a huge role in Truman's well-being. First, the influence of media affects our lives in many ways. As The Truman Show ran 24/7, there were no commercials. Therefore, the show had to generate an income by advertising products to the viewers. For example, when Truman's wife showed off her recent purchase, a Chef Pal, she listed many unique characteristics about the product, hoping some of the millions of viewers would purchase it. This shows how much commercials and advertising can persuade us to purchase a product. Without even realizing it, TV viewing can influence people's purchases. Second, a form of media displayed in the show can be described as broadcast media. The Truman Show was broadcasted all over the world and millions of people were watching it. You could see this because during the movie people were shown watching the show in various places. For example, there was a man watching TV while in his bathtub and two security guards enjoyed the show while on patrol. This shows how TV can be addictive, and possibly interfere with our ability to complete everyday tasks. Finally, Truman was basically living in an artificial world. Everything was planned, and the actors were well educated to make Truman believe everything about his life existed in Seahaven. This shows how people can be influenced to believe that something is real or true but in reality it is not. He had a wife who did not love him, a teacher who did not support what he was trying to go after, and a friend who did not actually mean what he said. Truman was influenced by the world and people around him, making him believe everything was normal and not planned out. The world Truman was born into would not have been the way it was without the help of Christof, the show's producer. Everything in Seahaven was operated by machines and computers. These computers were basically controlled my Christof's orders. Early in his life, Truman was traumatized by his father's death at sea. He grew up thinking it was his fault. Because of Christof's planning of the death, Truman was always scared of water. The only way off of Seahaven was by boat, therefore Christof knew he would be able to keep Truman under his control. Christof also did a good job of increasing his audience numbers. When viewers saw the heart-felt moment of Truman reuniting with his father years later, the number of viewers increased. Christof made the scene stand out by changing camera angles and playing background music. In addition, since Truman wanted to make his way to Fiji, Christof strategically planned different events in order to slow Truman down so he wouldn't leave the island. An example of this is when Truman went to purchase a plane ticket, but the flights were all sold out for over a month. Also, when the bus he was going to ride broke down. This proves that Christof manipulated Truman for his own purpose. Christof controlled everything in Truman's life from the weather to who Truman was going to spend his life with. All these points prove how Truman was being used for Christof's benefit; to increase the show's ratings and to gain an income. The storyline of The Truman Show shows us how media affects our lives in many different ways. From something as simple as watching a reality TV show like Survivor to using 5000 cameras to produce a movie. Truman grows up with his world, friends, and even family all being a lie. Christof is the one who did this to Truman. When publicity and fortune become more important than what is right, some people may not realize that what they are doing to others may be harming them. When an opportunity arises, it is sometimes all about what will benefit them. With Truman going through this experience, his eyes most likely opened up to what the real world could be like, and how the world is not always as it seems.

HRM on International context Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

HRM on International context - Essay Example It can be noted that Germany labour systems have been characterised by collective agreements where the workers agree on collective bargaining instead of embarking on industrial action to press for more wages. However, the issue has been to test to see if MNCs and larger national fast food employers would respond to sectoral level bargaining as well as the extent of effectiveness of the German system of statutory employee representation in practice. Thus, the research mainly focused on these two groups of industries in Germany particularly McDonalds which has dominated the Germany food industry for many years and its labour relations practices. According to the research, the industrial relation in Germany are characterised by collective representation where industrial action is not advocated. Most unions are affiliated to the German Trade Union Federation (DGB) which by far is the largest and most important federation. In 2001 after mergers, there were six unions affiliated to DGB with the most important mergers taking place between service sector unions to form the new service workers union where the union representing the food, catering, drink and tobacco industries did not take part. Collective agreements negotiated at sectoral levels are legally binding but this excludes other companies in Germany. Focus in this case is on the fast food industry in Germany which broadly includes motorway service stations, retail sector restaurants and airport restaurants excluding hotels and other â€Å"leisure† sector. McDonalds tops the Germany food service sector in terms of turnover. Management at McDonalds believed that wor ks councils and collective agreements with unions would seriously undermine its system and this attracted criticism. However, the company later capitulated to pressure. However, the 1952/1972 and 1976 Acts do not apply to McDonalds because it has retained US registration in the state of Delaware. There are few

Human Resource Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Human Resource Management - Assignment Example Employees have started relating their career success in terms of their upward mobility in the organization. The major vehicle for climbing up the ladder is the promotional system of the organization. The study would mainly focus on promotional decisions of the organization and present different facets of promotional system in the companies. Stumpf and London (1981) had developed a representation that included the influence of the organization and the individuals on the promotion decisions. It also involved the types of promotion decisions, such as potential of the individuals, performance level, etc. Later Stumpf and London (1981), found that the promotional decisions should be based on the potential ratings of the employee. The other research states that there are many other informal and formal criteria of evaluation for taking the promotional decisions based on the ability and the seniority (Halaby, 1978; Mills, 1985). Other features like performance, education and demographic char acteristics also matter in this case (Taylor, 1975). The two major inputs considered by most of the organization for taking promotional decisions are potential of the employee and the performance. Still the question remains unanswered, as how can we understand that an employee has potential. The well-designed tool for the measurement of potential can be done at the assessment center. According to the results from a study, bad hiring and poor promotion in organizations are increasing and about 51 percent of the survey respondents in the survey agreed to the fact. Poor promotion decisions include undeserved promotions, favoritism, etc. Among all the reasons that can be stated for poor promotion decisions, favoritism is the most common. In US, about 92 percent agreed that favoritism takes place in almost all large organizations. 75 percent have witnessed this and about 23 percent have practiced this. The surprising element is that about 83 percent executives agreed that favoritism lead s to poor promotion decisions, yet they follow it blindly. The promotion decisions include searching competencies of the employee to fit in to the new job profile and match up to the manager's expectations. However, it is difficult to identify competencies. Managers face the dilemma while selecting the appropriate candidate. If they consider new candidates or even the existing employees, they have to evaluate, assess and monitor their performance and potentials. This is a time taking and laborious method, though the most efficient one. In this scenario poor promotion decision-making creeps in. Ineffective promotion can increase the inefficiency of the organization as well. Poor Promotional decisions can rouse suspicion, and fear among the employees. For example, promotions given to those employees who have good relation with the upper management are often seen in organizations. When such employees are given promotion, they might threaten the managers to complain against them to the members of the top level management. It can also become a major issue for discrimination. After considering the significance of promotional decisions and the general factors that affect the poor promotional decisions in the organization, further study on the issues related to poor promotion decisions would be done in context of Peter Principle. Peter Principles states that the individua

Select an item of clothing, or an accessory, and contextualise it Essay

Select an item of clothing, or an accessory, and contextualise it historically, culturally and critically - Essay Example dition to the Monroe’s white dress, Travilla designed other Hollywood costumes that attracted attention from a plausible population of lovers of fashion. Was the Monroe’s white dress the most celebrated design throughout Travilla’s professional life as a designer of Hollywood costumes? The main body of the research outlines the biography of William Travilla. An insight of the iconic Monroe’s white dress as one of Travilla’s designs will form the next part of the text. An outline of other designs by Travilla will precede an in-depth analysis of whether Monroe’s white dress tops for attracting the most attention among the other designs. The final analysis outlines the extent to which the design attracted high sales after its auctioning, nearly fifty years after the death of Monroe. Born in March 20 1920, Travilla was brought up in Catalina Island, CA. He served in his career as a costume designer in most part of his lifetime and designed costumes in a number of Hollywood films. The 1953 designed costume used by Monroe in the 1955 film remains one of the best designs he produced during the time he served in his profession. This was the snow-white costume with a cocktail shape, which offered him appreciated fame. Travilla started costume designing in 1941 (FDM 2012, p.1). He served as a designer with the Warner Brothers for three years from 1946 to 1949. He later joined the Twentieth Century. Fox thereafter until 1956. He earned popularity for what was known as the â€Å"California† fashion while designing foe film as well as the small screen. He, however, turned to major on television in the 1970s. Among the most viewed among his works was the 1983 TV mini-series, The Thorn Birds. He featured in several nominations Emmy awards for his plausible work. Tra villa died in 1990, leaving his career to Bill Saris. The most memorable scenes of the Hollywood actress Marilyn Monroes was in the 1955 film directed by Billy Wilder. Monroe’s Hollywood constume

How can English Government Gain Trust Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

How can English Government Gain Trust - Article Example According to the report  in the view of many scholars it is the prime duty of the government to gain an adequate level of public trust because governmental bodies are fundamentally supposed to guard the interest of people. If the general public has not been able to trust government officials anymore then it simply means that government has failed in terms of representing interests of the public. However it is also important to note that ordinary people cannot decipher the level of government’s ability to fulfill public interest and therefore the duty of evaluating governmental machinery’s tendency to serve the public lies with political analysts, writers and other intellectual persons such as religious scholars.  This paper outlines that  the prevailing law and order situation in the society is considered as an effective measure of government’s power to protect public interests. Moreover the financial well-being of each and every citizen can also be taken a s a mean of determining governmental effectiveness. Additionally citizens trust those governments that provide them with state of the art medical services at an affordable price.  The governmental bodies can do that by bettering the overall law and order situation of the society and it is also expected to sponsor sporting musical and cultural events in a particular society.  The e-mechanism causes the problems of people to resolve quickly that fosters trust and respect for the government.... Additionally citizens trust those governments that provide them with state of the art medical services at an affordable price. Based on the above argument government can win public trust by offering an ample amount of job and business opportunities while it has to provide healthcare and safety services as well. According to Offe the governments should work towards providing the citizens with a fulfilling life (42). The governmental bodies can do that by bettering the overall law and order si tuation of the society and it is also expected to sponsor sporting musical and cultural events in a particular society. Levi added that the role of government in terms of releasing the citizens from a job and work stress is a significant indicator of growing social activities in the community (6). Silcock identified electronic form of government as an ideal way of providing public services because in this way the governmental issues are run with the help of computerized and automated system. The e-mechanism causes the problems of people to resolve quickly that fosters trust and respect for the government (88). According to Wang and Wart the governments that involve citizens in the decision making process will reap more trust than those that follow an authoritative style of governance (268). Thus the decentralized chain of command can really help the government in fostering trust within people. Nevertheless it is interesting to know that those governments that follow the raw public o pinion in order to devise policies tend to fail because the mere public viewpoint is a crude way of policy development. The governments are suggested to invite the opinion of experts before making critical decisions.  

International Students Problems Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

International Students Problems - Assignment Example Schlossberg Theory of Transition is a model of psychosocial advancement that analyzes life occasions which influence different parts of a singulars life and their societal parts. The individuals' observation of the move is as critical to see how an individual is influenced by his/her changing life occasions to the extent that the sort, setting, and effect of the move itself. Schlossberg delineated the moving process with the terms of "moving in", "traveling through" and "moving out". Methods for adapting to move, whether constructive or pessimistic, hail from surveying an individual's advantages and liabilities in the four zones which Schlossberg termed as the 4 Ss – the circumstance, self, backing, and procedure. The principle utilization of Schlossberg's theory is with grown-up learners and they've come back to higher instruction. Compared to conventional scholars, non-custom understudies are for the most part at numerous distinctive focuses throughout their life because of the different sorts of moves they have experienced. Programming created on the 4 Ss can help grown-up learners to distinguish and draw upon their advantages in adapting to the discernment of moving into the test of coming back to class rather than just seeing what their restriction could be. Schlossberg Transition Theory is generally dependent upon the singular and what they think about to be a move in their life. Here is a snappy survey of the steps and thoughts behind Schlossberg's Theory: Indeed, inside Europe societies might be distinctive. It may be troublesome to get used to another society. You may wish to discuss this with other universal understudies in a help supportive network run by the advising administration You may think that it troublesome to comprehend your teacher or different learners. You should not be humiliated. It is paramount to tell somebody of your troubles, with the goal that you can accept help.

Financing the Short Term Obligations of The Business Assignment - 1

Financing the Short Term Obligations of The Business - Assignment Example b. Retained earnings Retained earnings are profits that have been retained within the business for use in the operation of the business instead of being paid out as dividends to its shareholders. One of the operational uses of profits retained in the business is meeting the business short-term obligations. c. Capital Market Sourcing funds through the capital market simply meant getting additional funds through the issuance of new shares of stocks. If a company is unquoted, it simply has to obtain a Stock Exchange quotation to be able to issue shares of stocks to raise funds for the operation of the business (Macdonald and Cheng 1997). d. Financial leases Finance leases are lease agreements between the user of the leased asset (the lessee) and a provider of finance (the lessor) during the leased asset’s useful life (Macdonald and Cheng 1997). This arrangement is usually resorted to in obtaining fixed assets whereby a creditor agrees to act as the lessor by purchasing the asset and lease it to a company. The company will then use the asset and make regular payments to the creditor under the team of the lease (Macdonald and Cheng 1997). II. ... In fiscal year 2009, it experienced a slowdown due to the adverse macroeconomic conditions that includes high unemployment rate caused by the financial crisis in addition to H1N1 pandemic. It still managed to increase its net earnings during the year of comparison (2009). Liquidity Ratio Current Ratio (Current assets/current liability) Current assets (in million) 370.6 Current liabilities 482.3 Current ratio .76 Acid test (Cash + Accounts Receivable + Short-term investment/current liability) Cash 121.7 Accounts Receivable 130 + Total cash and equivalents 251.7 Current liability 482.3 / Acid ratio .52 Efficiency Creditor days 16.78 (see appendix) Debtor days (debt/salesx365 days) 67.5 million/2,537.4 million x 365 days =9.7 days Inventory turnover = 0 (see appendix) McDonalds McDonald's is the leading global foodservice retailer with more than 33,000 local restaurants serving nearly 68 million people in 119 countries each day (McDonalds 2012). It is headquartered in the US and derives its revenue mainly from rent, royalties and fees paid by its franchises in addition to the company sales. McDonalds is also one of the most recognizable brands in the world. Financial Analysis Liquidity Ratios Current Ratio (Current assets/current liability) Current assets(in millions) 3,416 Current liabilities 2,988.70 / Current ratio 1.14 Acid test (Cash + Accounts Receivable + Short-term investment/current liability) Cash 1,796.0 Accounts receivable 1,060.4 + Total 2,856.4 Current liabilities 2,988.70 / Acid test ratio .96 Efficiency Creditor days 18.44 (see appendix) Debtor days (debt/salesx365 days) 181 million/22,744.70 million x 365 days =9.7 days Inventory turnover = 117 Summary 2009 Burger King McDonalds Current Ratio .76 1.14

The relationship between executive remuneration and corporate Literature review

The relationship between executive remuneration and corporate performance - Literature review Example At a normative level, the managers are expected to align their personal goals with that of the shareholders and aim toward maximising their values (Chaubey and Kulkarni, 1988). Many of the studies have identified that managerial compensation is linked with the firm’s performance, which is a critical factor in the maximization of shareholders value. The managerial compensation includes base salary, deferred compensation, perquisites and cash bonus. This paper deals with the literature review related to the relationship between compensation of the executives and the performance of the firm. Executive Compensation and Firm performance The advent of the â€Å"new economy† industries is a recent phenomenon and not much literature is available which concerns the relationship between performance and pay. Anderson, Banker and Ravindran (2000) have used simultaneous equation model for estimating the performance of the firm and compensation of the executives in the information te chnology industry and has found evidences that suggest that the share of both pay and bonus increases with the performance. Along with this, the study also suggested that the extent of incentive pay and the level of pay are responsible for positively affecting the performance of the firm. ... The performance of the firm and its size serves as determinants of the pay, which has been suggested by a standard empirical model based on CEO compensation. The firm size is the component that measures the managerial discretion. The compatibility of managerial incentive is indicated by the performance of the firm. The literature related to the compensation of the CEO lacks consensus with respect to the appropriate functional specification. The research scholars like, Coughlan and Schmidt (1985), Hall and Liebman (1998), and Gibbons and Murphy (1992), prefer elasticity specification where the change in or level of the log of executive compensation is linked to the change in or level of log of the firm performance. A different approach has been taken by Jensen and Murphy (1990). They had used sensitivity approach that had linked the change in the compensation level with the change in the performance of the firm. These specifications imply that the relationship between the firm’ s performance and the compensation of the employees is contemporaneous only. This signifies that one-time increase in the performance leads to an increase in the compensation of the executives within that period of time. These specifications help to remove the fixed effects related to the firm. In other words, it omits the consistent effect of the time invariant factors such as, the diverse personal characteristics of the CEO, which otherwise might have diverted the estimation of the pay related to performance relationship. A wide spread interest and media attention had thrown light on the pay packages of CEOs in United Kingdom (UK). Eruption of public indignation was seen for the first time in 1995

Philosophy of Art Essay Example for Free

Philosophy of Art Essay Introduction This paper attempts to establish what practitioners of philosophy can learn from practitioners of Art. In doing so, the paper first looks into art and philosophy so as to offer a clear understanding of the subjects, before turning into the main theme. What is Art?   Ã‚  Ã‚   Even though the above question appears simple, it is interesting and can, and is answered by reverting to the philosophy of art. In addition, art embraces descriptions of beauty, taste, symbolism as well as representation. Philosophy of art also explores the association existing between the individual artist (ideas), and the bigger congregation (audiences, culture, and universe) (Carroll N, 1998). That being the case, what does philosophy of art tell us about art? Some versions assert that art is a creative activity, expression or process of humans. According to Leo Tolstoy ‘Art is that human activity which consists in one human consciously conveying to others, by certain external signs, the feelings he has experienced and in others being affected by those feelings and also experiencing them.’ (Carroll N, 1998). On the other hand, when something is done perfectly or acquainted by study and practice; it is referred to as an art (Carroll N, 1998). For instance, driving a car, dressing in a nice dress, laying a child to sleep or even the art of conversion. In essence, art includes objects developed by humans that have aesthetic value or present symbolic meaning encompassing drawings, paintings as well as sculpture. Thus from the above observations, art can be said to be a symbolic representation of peoples association with nature (reality/environments). It is able to offer the concealed relations between things. It is beauty, it is truth. However, what does truth and beauty imply? This is where philosophy comes in as philosophy is the art of establishing the truth such that this truth is applied to life. In the same manner, art can be based on established truth that express the wonder and beauty of a relationship to the universe as it is acknowledged in the works of Marcel Proust and Henry Mattisse (Diffey T, 1995). ‘Art is a selective recreation of reality according to an artist’s metaphysical value judgments. An artist recreates those aspects of reality which represent his fundamental view of man’s natures.’   Ã‚  (Marcell Proust)( Diffey T, 1995), while Henry Mattisse writes ‘when we speak of nature, it is wrong to forget that we are ourselves a part of nature. We ought to view ourselves with the same curiosity and openness with which we study a tree, the sky or a thought because we too are linked to the entire universe (Diffey T, 1995).’ The different forms of art are visual arts which involve aspects such as painting, photography and sculpture among others, and fine arts which embrace music, dance, theatre, literature, poetry, etc. What is philosophy? As William Thomas points out, ‘Philosophy studies the fundamental nature of existence of man and man’s relationship to existence†¦in the realm of cognition, the special sciences are the trees but philosophy is the soil which makes the forest possible’ (Bender J, 1993). A philosophy is an all inclusive organization of ideas concerning human nature as well as the nature of the truth we live in. it is a guide of living since the subjects it deals with are crucial and enveloping, establishing the course we take in life and how we treat other people. Among the most important field that philosopher’s deal with fall into a number of separate fields. Among them, the most imperatives ones are; metaphysics which deals with the theory of reality, epistemology that connotes the theory of knowledge, ethics which is theory of moral values, politics which is theory of legal rights and government and aesthetics which refers to theory of nature of art (Carroll N, 1998). The vehicle for philosophical guidance is religions such as Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism as well as Islam. Religions vary from philosophers not in the issues they deal with but in the ways they employ to address them. Religions are based on mythic stories that existed earlier before discovery of unequivocally cogent methods of inquiry (Bender J, 1993). The present day religion (majority of) appeal to mystical faith as well as revelation sort of belief that claim legitimacy independent of logic, and the scientific method, at least made for the biggest subjects. However, majority of religions are in their commencement pre-rational as opposed to anti-rational, a story teller’s account of philosophic issues as opposed to scientists (Bender J, 1993). Philosophy in Greek connotes ‘love of wisdom’. Philosophy is founded on rational arguments and appeal to facts (Bender J, 1993). Modern science history began with philosophical enquiries and the scientific method of research and proof is an aspect of the general approach that a philosopher attempts to bring to a question; one that is coherent and vigorous. Philosophy is known to offer deep and wide questions presently. Dealing with the issues in each branch of philosophy calls for integration of everything one knows concerning reality (metaphysics) or humanity (epistemology, ethics, politics and aesthetics) recommending reasonable inclination in philosophy therefore is not a simple job. Frankly, philosophers more often than not disagree about principle subject; some slipping their own positions in the mix as well (Diffey T, 1995). Thus, there is no particular philosophy world wide as is the case with physics, chemistry among other disciplines.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Having clearly distinguished the two disciplines, then we can embark on the issue of what a philosopher can learn from an artist. This calls us to explore the subfield of philosophy. It relates to nature of art, in addition to performing of arts as well as painting, sculpture and literature (Diffey T, 1995). Major concerns in aesthetic comprise of how artistic creations should be construed as well as assessed and how the arts are linked to one another, to natural beauty, morality, religious science as well as other crucial aspects of human life. The association between art and epistemology has been everlastingly tenuous and burdened with a lot of arguments (Diffey T, 1995). It is acknowledged that there is something meaningful from experiences as well as interactions with works of arts. However, it is not considered as obvious that whether or not the experiences one has with art can produce propositional understanding that is represented by true vindicated belief (Diffey T, 1995).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Whereas engaging objects aesthetically is both insightness and emotionally burdening practice, it is also essentially cognitive. Therefore, it can be said that aesthetic engagement is based on various epistemological concerns (Carroll N, 1998). For instance, philosophers claim to know about art. People say that they believed the play was good or bad, but the emotions it produced were called for, justified, manipulative or suitable. In most cases, people allege that they learn from art, that art alters their view of the world and that art has influence on the way they view as well as make sense of the world (Carroll N, 1998).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It also widely acknowledged that works of arts particularly good works of art, can cause view points about the world and can in turn offer knowledge concerning the world (Carroll N, 1998). However, what can exactly be known about art? Does art have any sort of propositional content that resembles the context that philosophers claim to require for other sort of knowledge claim?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The subject of whether philosophers have something to learn from artists revolves back to the period of Plato. Plato warned about the perils of making a fuss of mimetic as well as narrative demonstrations of the world and human actions. A practitioner of philosophy by his engagement with art permits certain emotions or activities that are able to facilitate or produce knowledge. It should be acknowledged that some aspects of art work that are able to produce greater understanding of the surrounding world (Carroll N, 1998).   In this case, art becomes a source of insight as well as awareness, even though it cannot be put into propositional language.   It can help people (philosophy practitioners) see the world in a new or different way (Carroll N, 1998).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   They are often those who view art as being incapable of offering knowledge primarily because it does not generate any truth; they argue that since art cannot offer facts or produce arguments then there is nothing to learn from it (Diffey T, 1995).   They further argue that art cannot be acknowledged as a source of knowledge as it is not productive of knowledge, construed in the convectional sense of vindictive true belief. They assert that art is devoid of propositional content capable of being learnt the conventional way, whereas it has influences that promote knowledge and that can promote or weaken the development of understanding. Thus the net effect is to reject art as a source of knowledge as it does not offer true beliefs and furthermore because it does not as well as cannot vindicate the views that it does express (Diffey T, 1995).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, those who are for and those against concur that art is a source of knowledge, the only way that it can probably satisfy such a function be it that knowledge neglected something crucial to art’s nature as well as value (Diffey T, 1995). Plato articulates that it is possible for an artist to make a representation of a thing without having advance knowledge of his presentation.   For instance, painters represent cobblers when the painters have no idea how to make shoes, and poets write about virtue such as beauty and courage without any clear knowledge of these attributes (Carroll N, 1998). To Plato, it is only philosophers and moreover, those who struggle to intuit (feel) the forms and employ abstract reasoning are able to have know-how of these virtues.   To him, the same things exist even for the literary arts in particular.   He asserts that the more one engages in emotions brought about by representations, the more likely one is to suffer the influences of an unstable soul and finally the growth of bad attitude (Carroll N, 1998). Aristotle seems to have agreed with Plato that art influences the development of one’s moral character.   These two philosophers believed that people learn from art, however, Plato argued that the gained knowledge was harmful while Aristotle argued that it was beneficial (Carroll N, 1998). Going back to the period of renaissance and beyond it should be noted that the works of art such as poetry and fiction engages the emotions of a philosopher in a healthy way rather as opposed to detrimental manner (Bender J, 1993).   Some philosophers point out that there are there crucial types of knowledge claims that can be made concerning arts which are distinguished by objects. The first is what philosophers claim to know or believe concerning the art object itself and anything unreal or fictional worlds might be linked to that object. The second aspect of knowledge claim about art relates to what is known or believed to be appropriate emotional reaction to the art work. It is crucial to note at this point that works of art are correct, understood through having a certain kind of emotional response to them (Bender J, 1993). The only problem encountered in this course is that it is not possible to establish the kind of response that is appropriate in relation to a particular work of art (Bender J, 1993). The last kind of knowledge claim that is available as far as art is concerned relates to the nature of information art can offer about the whole world (Bender J, 1993). It is important to note that art affords imperative insight into the way philosophers order and understand the world. Art gives a certain degree of meaning to the lives of philosophers. Art, particularly literature, draws out novel views (beliefs) as well as new knowledge concerning the world (Bender J, 1993). Conclusion From the above, it is noteworthy that philosophy practitioners have a lot to learn from practitioners of art. It is important to acknowledge what constitutes knowledge so as to be able to understand how art impacts the subject. Reference Bender, John (1993).   â€Å"Art as a Source of Knowledge: Linking Analytic Aesthetics and Epistemology.† In Contemporary Philosophy of Art, ed. John Bender and Gene Blocker. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Carroll, Noel (1998). â€Å"Art, Narrative, and Moral Understanding.† In Aesthetics and Ethics: Essays at the Intersection, ed. Jerrold Levinson. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Diffey, T .J (1995): â€Å"What Can We Learn From Art?† Australasian Journal of Philosophy 73 202-11.