To What Extent Do Sociologists Agree That Religion Is a Force for Social Change?

To what extent do Sociologists agree that religion is a force for social change? Throughout history, there has been an on-going debate as to whether or not religion is a conservative force, or a force for social change. Whilst many Sociologists such as Durkheim, see religion as a positive conservative force; creating social harmony and solidarity, others disagree claiming religion to be a strong force for social change and as neo-Marxist Otto Maduro believes, religion has the power to initiate revolutionary change.Firstly, both Functionalism and Marxism takes on the approach that religion is a conservative force as both hold the view that religion aids society, in terms of allowing it to stay within its existing practices. However, the two perspectives disagree on why and how religion helps to do this. Functionalist, Durkheim stated that religion is essential in creating shared norms and values. He claimed that practices of religion and in the law, help people to live their lives.In modern Western society there are thirteen bishops in the House of Lords, who all influence which laws are made and passed, in accordance with Christian teachings. Such issues as abortion, euthanasia, and divorce are discussed and decisions are made about them, which are influenced by the church. Through this system of having a religious guidance, a value consensus is created, by which most of society accepts. This is also known as a collective consciousness which Durkheim taught, formed â€Å"social solidarity†; leading to a harmonious and stable environment for people to live in.Durkheim and many other Functionalists viewed social solidarity as highly important, as they believed it allowed people to feel socially supported reducing the risk of people feeling a sense of anomie. Durkheim himself was very focused on the â€Å"sacred† and â€Å"profane†. He claimed that religious procedures are something which societies see as being divine. For example, a supernatu ral being such as an omnipotent God, would be sacred. However, not only that but something does not have to be scared for it to be divine, thus meaning, as the Bible is full of religious teachings it is a divine object.Durkheim emphasised that divine matters, cause strong feelings of respect and defence. These strong beliefs can cause passionate emotions of dedication and encouragement thus establishing group solidarity; again ruling out the sense of anomie. The Functionalist argued that in a more profane manor, the church unites the community by having events like, tea afternoons, fates, jumble etc. This way the church is permitting people to give something back to their society but also receive help or companionship if they need it. Nevertheless, Durkheim is criticized for discarding the idea of a sacred being, being the main attribute of religion.On the other hand, Neo-Marxist Otto Maduro observes how religion contains the authority to inspire a revolt thus generating social chan ge. Maduro refereed to the â€Å"liberation theology† to put his view forward. Between the 1950’s and 1960’s, South America was largely Catholic but many priests started to separate themselves from the Catholic Church; claiming that it was their duty to assist and liberate those who were being oppressed. This is when the â€Å"liberation theology† first started to be taught. These teachings opposed the current situation; leading to a revolution.Oscar Romero was a Catholic bishop who spoke out about the injustice of so many people, and for this he was assonated. His death sparked a huge amount of outrage and fury by the people he was trying to help, groups such as the Democratic Revolutionary front united to oppose what the government was doing, in terms of exploiting the people. Maduro used the â€Å"liberation theology† to highlight how religion can perform as a force for social change. Another example, of religion being a force for social change is the Apartheid system in South Africa.This was the legal racial separation of people from1948 until 1993, which meant that various races were separated into different districts and  discriminated  against in coherence with their colour. White people had priority over housing, jobs, education, and political power, whereas the coloured people were forced to live in poverty and suffer. Reverend Trevor Huddleston travelled to South Africa and spoke out peacefully against the Apartheid, which soon led to his arrest but also put a lot of attention on what was occurring in South Africa for other countries to take notice of.Soon after the arrest, Western democratic countries put into place anti-apartheid policies and took action. South Africa was forbidden from sporting events and trading was made more difficult for them, forcing for them to come to an arrangement. By 1980 the Apartheid had completely broken down and black South Africans were freed. Desmond Tutu then became the first ever black Arch Bishop, underlining how significantly religion had led to social change, for the better. Conversely, Marxists view religion as acting as a conservative force because they propose it prevents revolutionary change.Marx argued that religion is an important form of social control. All through history the church has acted in such a way that people conform to it. This was done through God and Hell, which were exercised as a deterrent. The people in power quickly realised that religion had a great hold over the population and so it became part of â€Å"the power group†. For example, Kings used to give money or land to the church in exchange, the church would preach the peasants whatever the monarchy told them to. Even in today’s society, Queen Elizabeth still has the title â€Å"Defender of the faith† and she is also head of the Church of England.Illustrating that those in power, still have control over the church, and what the republic hear. Marx explo red how the dominant ideology was conveyed through sermons, and Bible teachings. These sermons and Bible teachings could be said to consist of a false hope for some people. Many of the Bible stories communicate that idea that if you are poor in this life and you suffer, when you die you will be rewarded by God in Heaven. These promises of a perfect afterlife, keep the working classes in their place; reducing their aspiration to change society.The Caste system in India is a good model of how religion keeps people in their places. The Hindu Caste system separates the people into four different classes, depending on their occupation and family background. The Kshatriyas are the top class and according to the traditional Hindu principles, they are there to protect the people. The Chandalas also known as the untouchables are the lowest class, and are discriminated against as they are believed not to follow the â€Å"true† Hindu faith. It used to be that these people were not allow ed to walk around the village or city during day time, or speak to anyone other than other Untouchables.The Cate system was enforced through law books, religious teachings, kings and the threatening of being punished in this life and the next if you question which class you are placed in to; again preventing people from changing their social conditions due to fear of God but leaving the alienated. In contrast to this, Althusser rejects the concept of alienation because he feels it is unscientific, and based on an idealistic theory that human being have â€Å"true self†. Nevertheless, Functionalist Michael Robert Bella stated that in modern societies that state connects with religion to unite the country.This is known as a â€Å"Civil religion†. Through creating a religion around the idea of a nation state, the religion acts as a value consensus; creating social solidarity. For example, in America the people pledge their allegiance to the flag, to honour their country a nd to God. On the dollar bills, the words â€Å"In God we trust† are printed, to remind people that God is there for them no matter what. Bella accentuates that religion is not a force for social change as it united a society and makes it stronger as it holds something in common, that being a belief in God.On the contrary, Neo-Marxist Gramsci looked into Hegemony, which is the way in which the ruling class maintain their privileged positions by making them seemed justified. In this instance, Gramsci looks at how hegemony occurs through religious ideas, rather than coercion. The ruling class rely heavily on the majority of the population consenting to their rule. During the 1920’s Gramsci observed that there was a large amount of traditional moral control of the Church in helping to gain support for Mussolini’s fascist regime in Italy.This highlights how the ruling class and religion combined to reach a certain goal, and to achieve the population’s approva l. However, Gramsci also specified that religion does have to potential to develop and either support or challenge the ruling class. For example, The Archbishop of Canterbury recently published his highly critical feelings of the Conservative parties polices. Also the â€Å"Stop Capitalism† campaign outside St Pauls Cathedral was primarily supported by the church; allowing the protesters to correspond their thoughts on our society.This stressed Gramsci’s point that the church is not directly under the influence of the ruling class, and so does have the potential to create social change if an anti-hegemony situation occurs. As well at this, Functionalist Parsons, declared that religion is a positive force in times of uncertainty. People turn to religion to answer those â€Å"ultimate questions† about life, such as â€Å"What is the point? † Parsons maintained that in situations like death, marriage and birth, people turn to God for answers and hope. Religi on does not create social change, as it is not intending to do so.Religion is there for when a person is scared, looking for salvation or just needs someone to care about them. Similar to Parsons, Malinowski, who was an anthropologist, carried out a study to find out if all societies had a religion. He travelled to an ancient society in The Trobiand. Malinowski observed that when the men went out of the lagoon to fish, entering into the open water, it was seen as a highly dangerous event, which not everyone would come back from. He then went on to see that before the men left the lagoon a ritual of yam giving took place.It appeared to Malinowski, that this was a religious ceremony which gave consolation to the families as well as wider society. Consequently, a Functionalist may assert the point that religion does not provide social change, as again it is there to produce social solidarity, in the way that it aids people, giving them something in common again to minimise the risk of anyone feeling unwanted or alone. Conversely, recent research on the Trobiand islands has challenged Malinowski’s research and his interpretation of the meaning of yam giving.Whilst carrying out his research Malinowski did not speak directly to the people, he simply observed; placing his own version of events onto the situation. Modern research has shown, through the use if interpertistic techniques, that the yam giving was a marriage intension, much like a proposal rather than being worried about the fishermen. The modern researches were not looking at what the action was, unlike Malinowski, they were looking at what the meaning behind the action was (commonly known as Verstehen. ) This new research brings to light the fact that these people, who appeared to have no religion, were living happily with each other.This could them further suggest that if religion was introduced to them, their society could change because it something they have never needed to consider before, co nsequently implying that religion could be a force for social change, if it is introduced as a completely alien topic. In addition, Weber wrote â€Å"The Protestant Ethic and The Spirit of Capitalism† examining how Protestantism was a huge part of how society changed into a capitalist economy. He claims that the values of ascetic Calvinist Protestantism shaped a work ethic which encouraged capitalism.Calvinists believed in â€Å"predestination†, the theory that God chooses whether you go to heaven or hell before you are born. This formed a psychological problem for Calvinists, as they did not know if they were one of the â€Å"elect†. As a solution to this they developed a set of values that expressed hard work, frugality and the growth of wealth. These ethics inherently led to the â€Å"spirit of capitalism†, and Weber assured that this is why Capitalism first developed in Northern Europe, where Calvinism and Protestantism were most commanding. Weberâ₠¬â„¢s research is a firm paradigm of religion generating social transformation.His research is still useful when looking at today’s societies, with countries such as Germany and Sweden which converted to Protestantism, and are model countries economically. Whereas, countries which are still Catholic like Spain and Greece are in a financial crisis. Lastly, many feminists view religion as being a patriarchal institution that presents inequalities through religious beliefs; functioning via a patriarchal ideology. Feminist’s dispute that most of the religious organisations are male dominated. Judaism and Catholicism forbid women from becoming priests.Karen Armstrong debates that the clear discrimination against women in this manner, is evidence of women’s demotion. As well as this, in places of worship the two sexes are often segregated, the women being put at the back perhaps behind screen, whilst the men are in the sacred areas. Sometimes women are not allowed to participate in the practices, this maybe reading out a passage or preaching. In the Islamic culture, women are menstruating are not allowed to the Qur’an and could be asked to leave the place of worship all together, so as not to pollute of contaminate the sacred environment.In many of the sacred texts, like the Bible, women are stereotyped as a temptress and blamed for anything that goes wrong, For example, in Genesis Eve creates the fall of humanity by picking the fruit from the forbidden tree of knowledge. This is ironic as the entirety of the Bible stories are supposedly written by men. However, before the rise of Christianity women were not always seen as the males subordinate. Armstrong identifies that in early religions women were central in the beliefs, being the mother of goodness and nature. It wasn’t until Patriarchy began that women lost their godly statuses.This could suggest that when Christianity rose, and people read about the evil of women, Patriarchy was promoted, as women are referred to in the Bible as â€Å"man’s helper†; giving men power to rule over women. Therefore, a feminist may argue that religion does create social change but in a negative way, as it inspired men to take control of women and oppress them, as punishment for their â€Å"sins†. In conclusion, Functionalism and Marxism have strong arguments which describe how religions help to maintain social order and counteract social change.A Marxist may also say social change does not occur through religion, as the ruling class want it to stay the same. Juxtaposing this view, history has revealed that in some extreme cases such as the â€Å"Liberation theology† religion has been a positive force for social change. Whereas, a feminist could say religion has been a negative force for social change as seen throughout the history of women’s oppression. For that reason, I would say religion is a force for social change, but only in extreme conditions where the change happens on a considerable scale.

Fast Food in HK

McDonald's VS KFC Fast Food culture In the worldwide Fast food, as you can understand Is the term referring to food that Is prepared and can be delivered In a fast time. It Is traditionally American style meal that always included French fries, burgers and soft drinks. Restaurants store precooked ingredients, once the customer gives an order, take-away can be ready In a while. To be called as â€Å"Fast food†, these foods must meet a few standards: good time management, quality stability and fixed price. It is a very popular meal style in some well-developed cities, since the people have a totally busy life.The first recorded fast food restaurant A;W is founded in 1919 at the united States of America, and the second one is the famous company White Castle in 1921. In this century, fast food restaurants develop and most of them become chains suppliers. US people spent billions on buying fast food every year. The fast food globalization had now become a huge social issue. Nowaday s there are over 500,000 fast food restaurants and thousands brands in the whole world. And today we are going to focus on the two head quarters in Hong Kong- McDonald's and KFC. Introduction of McDonald's McDonald's Is definitely the biggest fast food chain In the world.It founded In 1940 by Richard and Maurice McDonald. Nowadays, over 33,000 McDonald's restaurants were established in the worldwide. The products of McDonald's are In various types, mainly hamburgers, French fries, chickens and soft drinks. Sometimes, they will provide seasonal meal to attract customers such as ‘Shake Shake French fries'. Following differences of choices, McDonald's would also offer vegetarian food too. In order to fit the culture, they may change the meal a little bit for example not providing beef in India. You can always find one on the street, because there are in total 200 stores in Hong Kong.McDonald's became popular all the time due to busy life schedule of Hong Kong people. Introduction of KFC On the other hand, the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) is the largest fried chicken shop in the world, and the second largest fast food chain after the McDonald's. Harland Sanders founded KFC in 1930 at Kentucky in the United States of America. KFC practically sells fried chicken pieces, coleslaw and drinks. The popularity of KFC's chicken comes trom its original secret recipe which mixed with 11 herbs and spices. Not Ilke the McDonald's, KFC has a smaller scale with only 63 stores In Hong Kong.However, the numbers didn't affect the KFC's second largest place of fast food chain In Hong Kong. Advantages and disadvantages of Fast Food always in busy life schedule. Facing the hard workload, they may only have half an hour to have a meal and rush beck to their work. Thus, these quick service restaurants help to solve to lack of time problem. Meals can be prepared within ten minutes. No matter how delicious other food are, Hong Kong people have not enough time to buy ingredients, co ok or enjoy. Second is the stability of food within one chain of fast food restaurant.Tastes are ainly the same in any store. You will never taste bad with the same meal. And the prices are predictable and affordable too. One fast food meal is always cheaper than you cook alone at home. However, fast food as called as Junk food, affecting people's health. Restaurant usually uses a lot of additives such as salt, flavorings and preservatives. The large amount of calories and additives are harmful to human body. Since the fast food is all pre-cooked, the nutrients of the ingredients are lost. Therefore, some people may say that fast food is only for surviving.Eating fast food in a long term may cause arious diseases such as diabetes and heart attack. Comparison of McDonald's and KFC In Hong Kong, McDonald's is obviously in a larger scale than KFC. Except the differences on the food kinds, the way they run the company are a bit different too. Apart from fast food restaurant, McDonald's have McCaf ©s to provide desserts and coffee like Starbucks. Besides, McDonald's have works in different area of society such as charity, children health affair. But the KFC is Just only a restaurant in Hong Kong. Therefore, people would called McDonald's as a better company than KFC in Hong Kong.

In the film V for Vendetta V says that violence can be used for the Essay

In the film V for Vendetta V says that violence can be used for the good in the context of social justice. Do you agree Why or why not Use specific historical examples to support your argument - Essay Example According to the movie, V has tried to depict a different side to the aspect of violence altogether, by stating that it can be used for the good of social justice and this paper helps to provide an insight into the very aspect of the film through V’s actions and how they may be used for the good of society. V tries to make use of strategy rather that muscle power in order to come up with the best possible way to tear down the tyrannical rule that the society was bound by. The only emotion that motivates him is revenge and he is often seen being overshadowed by the demarcation between revenge and justice. He has a common goal to unite the people of dystopian Britain to overthrow the dictatorship that had been established by the use of force however he soon realises that his own will to seek vengeance gets caught up in the bigger picture. (Huck) He says, â€Å"Anarchy wears two faces, both creator and destroyer. Thus destroyers topple empires; make a canvas of clean rubble where creators can then build a better world.† In the quest for attaining freedom, V decides that he must overthrow the tyranny that existed in the form of the oppression that the people were facing. He was justified in bombing and attacking the place because the people that he ended up killing, namely, Adam J, Susan, Delia and Surridge were people who had committed heinous crimes in the past and had led to the destruction that persisted in the scenario at the time. In this case thus, violence has been justified to be done for a moral cause because someone had to make an attempt to overthrow the people who had been causing social chaos. Violence sometimes does allow for social change to enter because it is the only efficient tool that can be used to stop other forms of violence from happening. As seen in the past however, leaders in modern day reality, like Martin Luther King Jr and Mahatma Gandhi, preached the use of non violence to resist

Communication Technology and Society Term Paper

Communication Technology and Society - Term Paper Example This shows that overall Indonesia does not have an upper hand over technology, other than the communication, that is mobile and internet sectors of technology (Okamoto & Sjoholm, 2001). The paper will analyze the social construction of the country which has allowed it to gain great technological advancement in the communication sector, irrespective of the fact that the overall technology of the country has not been enhanced to the same level. Issues One concern that is been raised in the paper is that the government has taken the right approach towards the technological development in Indonesia. Another matter of concern is the imbalance in communication technology and industrial technology of the country. It also raises the issue that the focus towards communication technology might have diverted the attention of government, policy makers and general people to the same technological advancement in other sectors of the country. Purpose It is defined in the research of Anderson, Carte r, & Lowe (1999) that communication technology is closely related to the social and behavior components and patters of the society. These components are defined as factors in the â€Å"Adoption Model† where there is a room for modification and innovation in the system structure. Anderson, Carter, & Lowe has explained in his report that communication technology is more related to the social structure of the country, whilst industrial technology is more related to the governmental structure and economic outlook. The solidarity of the social structure is thus demonstrated from the communication advancement in the country (Anderson, Carter, & Lowe, 1999) (Daft & Lengel, 1984). The government of Indonesia is well set for starting its 4G communication plan and hardware for... One concern that is been raised in the paper is that the government has taken the right approach towards the technological development in Indonesia. Another matter of concern is the imbalance in communication technology and industrial technology of the country. It also raises the issue that the focus towards communication technology might have diverted the attention of government, policy makers and general people to the same technological advancement in other sectors of the country. The government of Indonesia is well set for starting its 4G communication plan and hardware for implementing the setup has already been established. This paper makes a conclusion that the communication technology swift observed in Indonesia is interdependent on the environment and the social setting of the country. It is not simply the role of companies innovating and advancing these communication services, but also the impact of how these social attitude and behavior which are stimulating the process of technology. Indonesia had initially adopted the communication mediums from other countries. As communication technology served as the source of gratification and satisfaction for people, the government has to associate this perception with other modes of technology as well. Facts from Indonesia demonstrates that social construction and society shift of the country has palsied a significant role in the communication technological up-liftment of the country.

Marketing in the United Kingdom Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Marketing in the United Kingdom - Research Paper Example In general context, U.K. has undergone a distinct demographic transition. This form of transition can be stated as a shift from the pre-industrial population with high mortality rates and birth rate, through a phase of rapid population growth and falling mortality rate, towards a stage of low mortality and birth rate. It is clearly evident that in initial phase there was low population growth rate, which again shifted to faster growth rate and finally witnessed a turmoil, which resulted in low population growth rate. In the last two decades, natural change observed in population growth rate was accompanied with net international immigration within the country. The overall population of U.K., as per 2011 census, was approximately 63,182,000. In the European Union, U.K. is considered to be the third-largest in terms of population size. On the other hand, in context of population density too, the region is regarded as the largest compared to neighbouring countries. Its population densit y can be denoted as, per square kilometre, there are approximately 259 people. The south-east of England accounts for about one-third of the total population. Majority of the population resides in either suburban or urban area. There are about 8million people who reside in the capital city of this region, London. The population of U.K. is majorly White British. This nation was located nearby to Continental Europe; hence, the different regions encompassed within U.K. have been subjected to various migrations and invasions.

Describe in detail the realist perspective of world politics, and Essay

Describe in detail the realist perspective of world politics, and contrast its assumptions with the perspectives of liberalism a - Essay Example Nevertheless, there are political theories that naturally whither away because of trivial foundation, formulation or simply not supported by strong evidence. On the other hand, there are political theories that were able to withstand time and develop itself in the course of history. These theories were proven and tested as accurate and viable and in the process were enriched by different theoreticians and philosophers, thus subsequently branched out and influenced vast ideologies, policies and programs. Among these theories include the realist perspective, liberalism and perhaps the newest inclusion is the world- systems analysis. This paper will lay out the basic principle of these political theories in comparison to each other. However, this document will principally establish the dominance of the concept of political realism in the process of discussing its historical development. This will also present the significant aspects of political realism that influence the different fiel d of political science and world history. Three Major Political Perspectives The liberal perspective Liberalism is a political theory that banks on the significance of equal rights and liberty. Liberal ideology popularized the concepts of constitutionalism, right to suffrage, and human rights. It was born out from the repressive rules of the monarchy and the Divine Right of the Kings. Liberalism used the concept of natural rights and the social contract to confront authoritarianism and absolutism. Liberalists stand by the rule of law and the responsibility of the leaders to subject themselves to the majority of the people and the assertion of the fundamental rights to life, liberty and property of every individual for the full emancipation of humanity. The world-analysis systems perspective The world-analysis system asserts that the capitalist-world economy is a particular historical system. This theory believes that the best possible means to ascertain the mode of function of the c apitalist-world economy is to look at the profound historical evolution of the said system (Wallerstein, World-Systems Analysis An Introduction). The development of the capitalist-world economy in Europe was explained by the world system analysis theory by looking at the continent in tandem with the incorporation of regions through power and colonization and the conclusion in an international division of labor and an interstate system was derived (Wallerstein, Unthinking Social Science, Second Edition). The world-analysis system is a knowledge movement that search to surpass the structures of knowledge from the 19th century. The realist perspective Understanding and grasping the objective laws governing the society in the only way that it can be improve. This is what political realism asserts. Realism considers the objectivity of the laws in the process that in politics, truth and opinion is being distinguished, and truth can only be ascertained through supporting evidence and clari fied by reason. One-sided judgment must be eliminated from the facts so that the society can clearly drive out the laws objectively and rationally. For the realists, discovering truth from the facts by providing meaning through reason is what theory is all about. For example, realism presumes that a foreign policy’s character can only be distinguished through exhaustive examination of the combined effort of the performed political acts and the

General motors Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

General motors - Essay Example At one point, GM was the largest corporation in the United States. It was also the single largest employer in the world but despite being industry leaders for several years, GM could not sustain competition from European and Japanese car makers. The company was beset with financial woes and in November 2005, GM had to lay off 30,000 employees and several plants had to be shut down. This is when its decline started which led to a complete restructuring of the company following the financial crisis in 2008. In this paper, after a brief history of the company, the financial crisis that the company faced and how it handled the situation would be evaluated. General Motors was incorporated on September 16, 1908 in New Jersey by William Capro Durant, a school drop-out. However during this period the auto industry in the US was in a mess with 45 different car companies already existing in the United States. By 1920s the demand for cars was high and GM brought in innovation in design and marketing. They introduced ‘a car for every purse and purpose’ and thus had Chevrolet, Vauxhall and Opel under its banner. The introduction of the Cadillac in 1927 made people see cars as more than a mode of transport. GM’s commitment to innovation continued even during the difficult times. Challenges gave way to changes during the 1960s and 70s as environmental concerns and competition from foreign car makers forced GM to reengineer its cars. This led to much lighter, aerodynamic and more fuel-efficient vehicles. Several innovative concepts were introduced by GM such as air bags, the use of unleaded gasoline while its contribution in r educing emissions is also recognized. In 1990, GM also introduced electric cars. However, as GM recognized the challenges in the US market, it started international expansion by opening its first production unit in Spain in 1982. This was the era of globalization when GM also formed joint ventures

Homework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 30

Homework - Essay Example The incident that included not seeing birds when they were there all along stems from the inability to completely focus that could have helped in watching the organisms in the tree. The being analyzed work is discussing a reality that humans tend to see what they cardinally expect to see and therefore, they do that anyway. In a mental hospital a man was seeing eight fingers instead for four because he is willing to do that. However, the perception of the humans do not change the reality but does so with one’s life as individuals are significantly noticed to base their decisions in life on their judgments which are dependent on their perception. In this way, humans create their own reality and very few of them are able to know what actually lies out there. The actual knowledge can be gathered with the help of following logic and realistic thinking and have you ever used them in order to find out the reality of the

Philosophical issus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Philosophical issus - Essay Example s is mainly because one belongs in, a family may have high standards of behavior code where the members are trained to act and behave in a certain manner which may be very different from others. Additionally, community based behavioral system where they have established rules and regulation on behavior, for example, in some African communities it is wrong foe a young person to salute the elders with their hands instead the young person beds and the elder touched the forehead of the young person as a sign of respect (James and Stuart 100-187). Kantian ethics auger well with the conception of morality ethical this is because it mainly deals with moral realism, which claims that moral propositions refer to objective facts, which are independent of human opinion. Moreover, ethical subject reflects a close relationship between morality and people’s feelings and opinions of some issues creates disagreement of people on correct direct issues that real dispute is not about objective truth but about their own preference(Richard, pp 56-89). According to the social contract theory, in the absence of rules, law, and political order human life would be solitary, poor, short and nasty the element. Personal moral however guides a person on doing what is wrong without being followed by anybody around and prevent them from engaging in immoral activities. (James and Stuart

Pirates of the Caribbean Essay Example for Free

Pirates of the Caribbean Essay There dynamic personalities of the many characters in Pirates of the Caribbean are a huge part of what made the movie so successful. Among those characters, there are some who contribute more to the plot by their actions and some who affect the other characters by their mere presence. Captain Barbosa and the Commodore have some obvious differences that divide them in the movie, but their similarities are much more important. As a pair of comic alazons, Barbosa and the Commodore play an important role in providing basis for comparison against Captain Jack Sparrow and further complicate the love story in the movie. Captain Barbosa is interesting character in that his actions are often represented in an amateur light. It is important remember the introduction of Barbosa if one is to understand his character. It is important to note that he is originally Jack Sparrow’s first mate, which immediately relegates Barbosa to a subordinate and thus, amateur position. He never really grows out of that and through the rest of the movie and there is never much indication that he is capable, either. One such example where this is evident occurs when Barbosa makes the mistake of thinking that Elizabeth is the daughter of Bootstrap Bill Turner. By attempting this important blood ritual using the wrong person, Barbosa shows just how much of an impostor he actually is. In addition to that, one of the primary characteristics of a comic alazon is their unique ability to get in the way of the primary love scene in the movie. In this case, Barbosa’s constant meddling with Elizabeth, Jack, and William spurns a host of different love-filled possibilities in the film. Like Captain Barbosa, the Commodore is an interesting character who has a big role in the film. His primary role as impostor comes from his relationship with Elizabeth. He sets out to marry her and the film allows him to get very close, but ultimately she settles on Will Turner as her true love. This sets up the Commodore as something of a joke from the very beginning. In addition, he can be seen as a comic alazon because of his failed methods in finding Elizabeth when she has been captured by Barbosa. It is interesting to note that the Commodore is completely against piracy, which is something of a strange idea considering how common it was during the movie’s time. It was almost as if he was on a mission to stop something that he had absolutely no ability to stop. The commodore is similar to Barbosa in many ways and the movie adeptly points this out. These two are similar in that they serve as a foil for Will Turner in his relationship with Elizabeth. In addition, both are seen as something of jokes, and they are not taken seriously by the other characters even though the one thing they want more than anything is to be taken seriously. In a way, Jack Sparrow just toys with both the Commodore and with Barbosa and though he is always in reach of them, he manages to make them look foolish and escape at the same time. This is the one reason why they are important to the plot. The basic characteristics of the two characters make them very different simply based upon the fact that Barbosa is a pirate who is hurting Elizabeth, while the Commodore is against piracy and loves Barbosa. Those things are purely superfluous to the story, though, as the more important theme has to be drawn both characters’ abilities to look foolish and completely inept at the same time. All in all, these characters are incredibly important to the story’s development. Though their differences are pronounced, their similarities are even more important. On both sides of the spectrum, they serve as something to laugh at and people for the main characters to constantly toy with for the entirety of the film.

Mise-en-scene is the language of films

Mise-en-scene is the language of films It is vital to understand the meaning of Mise-en-scene before describing it in any movie. Mise-en-scene is basically a French word, which in English means; putting into the scene. In short, Mise-en-scene is the language of films through which the viewer is able to gather and extract relative information. It helps in showing the viewer, about what is going on in the film, the motives, and most importantly it helps conveying the film makers message. Tim Burton however, has a very distinctive style in filmmaking, considering the use of various elements of Mise-en-scene in almost all of his films, especially Edward Scissorhands in 1990. Tim Burton has his own imagination of good and bad people, which have nothing to do with appearance, for him they could be very misleading. In Edward scissor hands, after looking at Edward one can easily mistake it with a horror film and that Edward is some cold blooded monster, just because of his leather garments and his scissor hands, his appearance is deceiving. Behind the clothes, the pale face full of cuts, long sharp scissors and messy hair, there is a child with genuine goodness who can be trusted. Jhonny Depp, who played the character of Edward in Edward Scissorhands, has remarkably carried out the roll, just as Tim Burton would have wanted him to. Due to his acting skills, the viewers were able to sympathize with the character. His expressions showed the viewers how innocent and well mannered Edward was. Behind that horrible attire there laid a heart, which needed some love and care. Whereas, Tim Burton, in order to give the audience the right idea of the main character, other than the acting skills, costume and make up, has competently used the camera angles, lighting etc. But that completely depends on the role that has been chosen for the actors. For instance, in Sweeny Todd, again Jhonny Depp, who played the role of Sweeny Todd himself, was white, pale and lacked a lot of sunlight. Other than sunlight, just after one glimpse anyone could easily tell that he is deprived of life and something terrible has had happened with him. In this movie, he lived up to his getup; He looked evil, and he was evil. The way Tim Burton makes Jhonny Depp dress up, wear his costume, and the makeup itself is Mise-en-scene, which is very either fascinating or unexpected. It is always a mystery after looking at the character, what the movie would be about or what role would the actor be playing. When it comes to manipulating the audiences attention, Tim Burton is always one step ahead. Furthermore, Tim Burton usually uses contrasting colors. Colors also play a high role in his Mise-en-scene which he easily uses for manipulation. For example, in Edward Scissor hands, the mansion where Edward lives and the mountain on which the mansion is are set in a dark grey shade with black clouds above, which strongly contrasts to the pastel colors of the suburb below. This is also seen in the dress code of the people. Edward wears black leather clothes and even later he dresses up in black and white while the others dress up in soft pastels and look too colorful. Since black is denoted for evil, at first glance the viewers mistake Edward for being evil, his Scissorhands complimenting his image. If Edward was dressed up in pastel colors too, the image would have never been able to be achieved. The manipulating part comes in, like already mentioned the suburbs were of pastel colors and so were the people, which are very harmless colors yet the people living in there were more malevolent than the black and white, monster like looking Edward with his terrifying scissor hands. The colorful people kept on taking advantage of Edward and as soon as they had enough of him, the abandoned him. Moreover, the contrast between residents of the suburb and Edward is maintained throughout the movie, denoting every time no matter what Edward does, he shall always remain an outsider. Similarly in Sleepy Hollow, again the colors have enhanced the mood of the film, straight away hinting the viewers what kind of a movie it would be. Tim Burton was able to keep his audiences engaged by the way he was able to create dramatic effects by desaturated colors, using dark colors with splashes of grey, red, white and other bold colors. Which immediately felt oppressive and created a feeling of tension and anyone could tell that the movie is going to be quite unpleasant. In the film, the town of Sleepy Hollow is shown gloomy, dark and lifeless. Even the colors of trees and the landscapes are shown in a cool grey color. That represented the people living there, and how they were feeling with the mishaps going on in their hometown. In fact, the clothes worn by many people in the town are also oppressive and dark except for the Van Tassel family, who rather believed in wearing refined and elegant clothes. The eye- catching part were the clothes Katrina always wore, mostly bright colors perhaps, reflecting her youth and innocence which could not be seen anywhere else in the town. I believe by using bright colors on Katrina and using contrasting backgrounds against her, Tim Burton was able to catch the viewers interest.

All About HIV and AIDS Essays -- The AIDS Epidemic 2015

AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome); HIV is the etiological agent of AIDS leaving the body vulnerable to a variety of life threatening diseases (8). Transmission: AIDS is transmitted from the HIV virus through blood, semen, vaginal secretions, and breast milk to others from infected host (1). The virus can be spread through sexual contact by oral, vaginal, or anal sex; receiving a blood transfusion, injection involving needles, artificial insemination and organ transplants from an infected donor. Transmission from mother to child during pregnancy (intrauterine) from shared blood circulation while in fetus, delivery, or after pregnancy when nursing infant from breast milk of infected mother (9). The exact mechanism of mother to child HIV/AIDS transmission is still unknown (9). Reservoirs: Infected human. Latent reservoirs include CD4 and T-Cells. Reservoirs are still not fully understood (1). General Characteristics: The stages leading to diagnosis of AIDS include Acute HIV infection detected within a few weeks to months, asymptomatic HIV infection having no symptoms, early symptomatic HIV infection, to advanced HIV infection known as AIDS (13). A CD4 count test resulting in less than 200 cells/mm3 is used for diagnosis of AIDS even when the patient shows no symptoms (8). Specific illnesses found only in patients that have AIDS are used to determine further testing for a positive diagnosis. Tests for HIV can be used to identify AIDS. HIV is diagnosed by blood tests involving two or more positive ELISA tests that have been confirmed by a Western blot assay (6). Test include third-generation, fourth-generation, rapid tests, HIV RNA tests, confirmatory tests, STARHS and home sampling tests (6). Once conf... .... http://www.who.int/hiv/data/2011_epi_core_en.png http://www.who.int/topics/hiv_aids/en/ 11. United States. â€Å"Texas HIV Slide Set 2010.† Texas Department of State Health Services. 2010. Web. 4 May 2012. http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/hivstd/reports/default.shtm 12. Goodman, Brenda MA. â€Å"Most Americans with HIV Don’t Have Infection Under Control.† WebMD. 29 Nov. 2011. Web. 6 May 2012. http://www.webmd.com/hiv-aids/news/20111128/most-americans-with-hiv-dont-have-infection-under-control 13. Dugdale, Vyas, Zieve, ADAM. â€Å"AIDS.† MedlinePlus. 9 June 2011. Web. 6 May 2012. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000594.htm 14. Department of Health and Human Services. â€Å"HIV/AIDS.† National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. 05 Jan. 2009. Web. 6 May 2012. http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/hivaids/understanding/howhivcausesaids/Pages/howhiv.aspx

The Differences in Josephine and Mrs. Mallard of Kate Chopins The Stor

The Differences in Josephine and Mrs. Mallard of Kate Chopin's The Story of an Hour "'Free! Body and soul free!'", Mrs. Mallard kept whispering. One person's ultimate freedom may be seen as a tragedy to another. Kate Chopin illustrates this idea in "The Story of an Hour." The story is set in the nineteenth century. Chopin uses the death of Mr. Mallard to show the reader Mrs. Mallard's deep feelings. In the story, Josephine and Mrs. Mallard are sisters. Although the women come from the same background, live in the same city, and outwardly appear to be satisfied with their lives, their attitudes are very different. Chopin uses these two women as foil characters in the story. The differences in the women are seen in their reactions to Mr. Mallard's death. Although both women are expected to maintain a certain role in society, Mrs Mallard, unlike Josephine, is not satisfied with her life due to the societal restrictions. At the end of the story, Josephine and Mrs. Mallard respond very differently to Mr. Mallard's coming home. Josephine and Mrs. Mallard feel very differently about the societal restrictions placed on them. Josephine is portrayed as the perfect nineteenth-century woman. She fulfills her duty as care-giver. This duty is seen when Josephine is kneeling before Mrs. Mallard's locked door pleading for admission: "'Louise, open the door! I beg; open the door-you will make yourself ill,'" Josephine implores. Josephine is concerned about the well-being of her sister. She is present when Mrs. Mallard hears the news of her husband's death and provides comfort and compassion. On the other hand, Mrs. Mallard feels trapped and burdened by the restriction placed on her by society. Mrs. Mallard longs to be an individual who d... ...els. When Mrs. Mallard sees her husband, the chains of bondage are thrown back onto her. The reviving and refreshing experience she has just had in her room is put out, and she dies. The doctors say that Mrs. Mallard dies "of joy that kills." Actually, her soul cannot handle the oppression after it has felt such freedom. Josephine's and Mrs. Mallard's differences are reflected in their reactions to Mr. Mallard's coming home. In Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour," Josephine and Mrs. Mallard are foil characters. The behaviors and values of one contrast with the other. Josephine is presented as a content woman in the nineteenth century. Mrs. Mallard is struggling for freedom. The differences in these women are seen in their reactions to Mr. Mallard's death and return. Chopin uses this story to point out the importance of being an individual and developing oneself.

Shakespeares Hamlet - Comparing Ophelia and Gertrude :: comparison compare contrast essays

Hamlet: Ophelia and Gertrude   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ophelia and Gertrude. Two different women who seem to be trapped in the same circumstances in relation to Hamlet.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Gertrude, Hamlet's mother and the Queen of Denmark. She is married to the present King, Claudius, who is suspected by Hamlet to have killed his father, King Hamlet, who also happens to be Claudius's brother. Gerturde has somehow ended up in the plot of King Hamlet's death and in the eyes of her son, seems to be a monster and an aide to an adulterating deed.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ophelia, the daughter of Polonius who is the King's trusted councilor and is later killed in the play and he forbids his daughter to see Hamlet because of the possibility that he beseech her name and her virginity. She truly loves Hamlet and is devastated when he shuns her and pretends to be mad.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hamlet's treatment towards these two women shapes and brings life to their characters and eventually bring s an end to their characters as well.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Gertrude is a kind and loving mother. The kind that guards after her son through thick and through thin and loves unconditionally. Hamlet had suspected her of aiding in the killing of King Hamlet. That will be discussed later.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Her character is the one character in the play that I believe does not develop but rather stays identical to the scene in which she is introduced(Act I, scene II). She is shown to be a quiet, "stand by your man" type individual who is easily influenced.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This is my belief because in the second scene of the play, Hamlet is shown to be crushed by his mother's hasty remarriage. If marriage within the family was common in the days of Shakespeare, then this is understandable, but, in any other case, this would be considered an act of betrayal that was obviously brought on by some outside pressure, probably from Claudius.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is, however, a slight change in her personality that is not quite noticeable. At the end of the play, the King and Laertes(Polonius's son) have plotted to kill Hamlet for reasons that are irrelevant to my point. One part of the plot was to have Hamlet drink out of a poisoned cup. It so happens that, in some confusion, the Queen ends up with the cup in her hand. Even after the King's warnings not to drink from the cup(she is unaware of the plot), she does. She does in complete defiance of her husband's wishes. I have interpreted this in this way because of the line the Queen speaks before she drinks from the cup.

How to Write a Persuasive Essay

English 1021 Diagnostic Essay Some people believe that writing an essay is extremely hard. They are wrong. If you have the correct information, time, and a cup of coffee you should have no problem. There are many different types of essays, for example, an informative essay, a research paper, or a persuasive essay. Although they all have a different overall theme and purpose for being written, they all have the same outline for how exactly to write it. No matter what you always start off with an introduction, then you move to your supporting paragraphs, and end with a conclusion.Here is the in depth breakdown of what a proper informative research paper should included. First thing’s first, you must always have a topic. The topic of your paper is the focus, the area that you have researched and explored. Once you find your topic, you must make sure that you have sorted out all of the available information. Topics are not always easy to find. There are some that you should avoid using such as topics based solely on one single source, and topics that are brand new or overly broad.Now that you have your topic, you must brainstorm and narrow down the topics to create and issue. The issue of the paper is the question that you are asking. When creating your issue, make sure the avoid issues that can be easily answered by just one single source. Another thing that you need to come up with is a hypothesis or tentative claim, a proposition made as a basis for reasoning, without any assumption of its truth. Test the hypothesis as you continue to research.By having a claim, you can prevent yourself from being overwhelmed by the information that you are finding. Now that you have come up with a topic and claim, you are ready to begin your research and essay. The next step of this process is to direct your essay to your audience. Ask yourself some questions. How much does my audience know about this topic? What are my readers’ expectations, interests, and needs concerning this issue? What evidence have I come up with that will inform them?Once you have asked yourself those questions it is time to start using your sources. Some of the best sources are newspapers, and books. If you are going to use the internet, which most of us do, be careful with the credibility of what you find. Once you have found a source that you believe fits your topic well, ask yourself some questions and see if the criteria of the source meets it. Is this recent information? Is the author credible or an expert on this subject? Does this information seem thoughtful and relative to the topic?Is this evidence reliable? When dealing with web sources make sure that they contain an author or are hosted by a respectable site such as a library, university, or an official association. Now that you have found your sources, it is time to continue. Taking notes on sources can sometimes be difficult. Write down some of the things that jump out to you about the topic that might b e useful. Another thing that you must write down are the page numbers that you are getting the information from.Make sure to think about why you chose to write down a particular idea and always differentiate your ideas and words from that of your source. Never forget to use quotation marks for direct quotations. Your next job is to draft your research paper. Refine your thesis as much as needed. Figure out based on your information where each source may fit in. When writing your draft, avoid using your own comments to hold together another persons idea. Now it is time for you to construct your own essay using the secondary sources that you have found to support your claims.Some things that you may need to know are how to use a summary, paraphrase, and quotation. A summary of something gives a main idea or supporting points. It is short and focuses on the main points to provide background or general support for your point. Paraphrasing put the information that you have found into new words to make sure that you and your audience understand the original information more clearly. A quotation records the exact punctuation and wording of the source that you have received it from and encloses it in quotation marks.You can use quotations when an author’s words are extremely vivid and stand out to you or when the words of that particular reliable authority would lend support to your paper. Now that you know how to summarize, paraphrase, and quote, it is imperative that you do not plagiarize. To avoid plagiarism, document everything you have learned from your sources including their language and ideas. If you express their ideas in your own words you must still give them the credit and documentation. The only exception to this is when something is common knowledge.Now that you know all of the do’s and dont’s of an informative research paper it is your turn to put them into effect. The hardest thing about an informative research paper is finding a t opic and making sure that your sources and information are credible and relative to the topic at hand. Once you have found all of the correct and credible sources for your topic you are ready to write away. Like I said earlier, many people believe that writing a research paper is extremely hard, but if you follow these steps and advice, you will never fail at writing an informative research paper.

The Clash of Civilizations?

The Clash of Civilizations? It is Samuel Huntington’s opinion that conflict in the post-Cold War world would be caused by cultural differences, conflicts amongst nations and groups of different civilizations. In today’s time, it is more common to group countries in terms of their civilization aspects, such as religion or culture, versus that of their economic systems. Huntington explained how interaction amongst the different civilizations will shape the world we live in and any conflicts will occur amongst the differences of each civilization. Huntington gives five reasons for his beliefs. The first reason is because civilizations are basic.The differences occur amongst traditions, culture, language, religion, etc. Secondly, civilizations are seeing increase interaction so people are becoming more aware of those differences. Third, economic transformation and social change are changing how people view certain civilizations from the way they may have been viewed before. Fourth, the West has caused an increase of more people being familiar of other civilizations. Fourth, the differences and characteristics of civilizations are less changeable; those of one civilization cannot simply become part of another civilization. Finally, there is an increase in economic regionalism.Similar to the second point, there is an increase interaction amongst civilizations. Trade has increased, making people dependent upon other civilizations to lead to their success. Huntington uses the Cold War as the time period where the differences between civilizations would cause conflict, replacing the differences between political or ideological boundaries. Huntington breaks the world into â€Å"major civilizations†, The West, Latin America, The Orthodox, The Eastern World, The Muslim World of the greater Middle East, The civilization of sub-Saharan Africa, â€Å"Lone† countries, and â€Å"Cleft† countries.Huntington explains how the West is a superpower compared to other civilizations and it is often reflected in global decisions, such as that of the International Monetary Fund, going in favor of the West. This allows the West to control the world, not only with their interests, but with their beliefs as well. As a result, there is conflict amongst the West and other civilizations. As we compare this article to today’s world in 2012, I believe that issues that are arising are differences in civilization beliefs.Huntington’s hypothesis, in my opinion has been proven true. For example, The West believes in equality, freedom of speech, human rights, etc. Was that not the entire purpose for entering Iraq, to eliminate the power of Saddam Hussein, who did not have any beliefs of the Western ways? The West is truly a powerhouse who believes the world should operate as they do which I do not believe will change. Civilizations have held strong in their beliefs; especially comparing The West to other civilizations, leaving te nsion amongst them.

Oedipus the King as a Tragic Hero Essay

In its simplest definition, a tragic hero is the main protagonist in a tragedy who commits an error or a mistake that subsequently leads to his or her downfall. Although historically, there have been a lot of plays with tragic heroes, possibly the most notable among them is Oedipus the King. In the play Oedipus the King, the protagonist exemplifies traits that a tragic hero possesses as shown in his various actions throughout the plot. One of the traits that make Oedipus a tragic hero is his good nature, his social position, and his true to life consistency. As shown in the play, Oedipus is someone of royal lineage and has helped a lot of people by solving the riddle of the Sphinx. This is further attested by the chorus in the play which said â€Å"People of Thebes, my countrymen, look on Oedipus. He solved the famous riddle with his brilliance, he rose to power, a man beyond all power. Who could behold his greatness without envy† (Johnston n. p. )? These traits are in accordance with the definition of a tragic hero. However, it is his predetermined fate coupled with the error in his actions that prove why he is a true tragic hero. In the play, he unknowingly kills his biological father, Laius, and marries his biological mother, Jocasta, thereby fulfilling the prophecy of the Oracle at Delphi. Upon realizing the reality of his actions, he stabs his own eyes and forced himself into exile, which signifies his fall from grace and fortune. His erroneous action is mainly his excessive pride, which made him initially ignorant of the fact that he killed his own mother and father. However, the true tragedy in Oedipus life is that his fate was seemingly predetermined for him as he did not know that the person he killed on the way to Thebes was his father, and the woman he married is his mother. In other words, he was not in control of his own fate which makes him truly a tragic hero. Works Cited Johnston, Ian. â€Å"Sophocles, Oedipus the King. † 2009. Malaspina University College. 6 May 2009 .

Anu Ano Ang Dapat Tandaan Sa Pag Aalaga Ng Hayop

I have watched so many films before that deals with children that makes me cry because of its sad endings. But this movie really touched and even tore my heart specially now that I’m already a mother. At first, when I see the child on the screen with that attitude I thought that it was just a part of being a kid who does silly things and sometimes gets so stubborn. Until I found out that there is something wrong with the kid that most of the parents don’t understand and what their child is going through?It is true that it was really hard for us parents to admit that our child is different from the others and most of the time we compare them with our other kid and we sometimes say â€Å" Why are you like that? Why can’t you do what your sister/brother’s did? †. Most of us parents don’t realized that â€Å"Every child is a Special† and they are unique as a fingerprints. We’re not suppose to compare them with the other, not to esti mate them on what they can do or even pushed them on the things that they don’t want.Let us be their companion, their security and comfort. Study our kids and help them grow with LOVE, CARE and full support. If our child seems to be different, let us redirect them and help them to live like the others. As a teacher, we also need to be sensitive on the needs of our students. Kids always looked up and believed on us in the way we act, say and do. We as a second parents for these children can be a friend too! Let us help them to share and show their talents.Parents and teachers may work together for the better future of each child. I thank you so much Ma’am Ruby for sharing us that wonderful movie. You’re not just a Prof. that gives us knowledge for the given subject but you’re contributing to us much that will help us not to be perfect parent or teacher but how value our life to the fullest to be a good person with LOVE! Truly, God is good and He really mad e us with a purpose.

What is the relationship between the median household income and Article

What is the relationship between the median household income and student scores - Article Example Also, the number of dropouts and ones with college degrees is also less. On the other hand, Hartford which has the lowest median household income ($38,711) has 46 percent of children in poverty the percentage of adults with college degrees is only 7 percent and many lack even a diploma from school. The data also states that the majority of the students from the Gull Lake are placed among the region’s top test scores while the students from Hartford struggle. This data implies that the better the median household income better will the academic performance of the students. Another important indicator of how a better median household income will lead to better scores is the effect of income on the SAT scores. Data from numerous attempts suggest that the students with a better family income get better scores. The reason behind this is that the students with better median household income get better access to various resources like books, tutorials, etc which helps them to get better scores when compared to those with low median household income who have limited access to such resources (Elert,

UK Government Policies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

UK Government Policies - Essay Example The reasons for the banking crisis were many including low real interest rates, too much liquidity and a misjudged faith in the financial system. These three factors created an entourage that was extremely optimistic and full of opposite opinions. By not understanding the sensitive situation, some banks have only themselves to blame (Singh, 2007). The tradition within the banking sector in the UK has been one of the risks taking type that lead to its ultimate failure. Bankers made a mess of the financial reading and hence the financial situation (Singh, 2007). However, this failure was not just restricted to individual banks but also the system constructed to defend the public from risk. Banks got concerned about the value of their mortgage and also about the mortgages they had purchased from other institutes. For this reason they refused to lend to other banks in the money markets (Singh, 2007) The measures that the governments stuck during the financial crisis were public investments like debt and equity which further resulted in acquiring banks and other institutions. Government investments eased the situation of banks that went bankrupt and failed to meet its obligations. It increased the amount of money or capital they had and able to make them go on with their daily business routine. The banks that did not keep up to their reputations were legally intervened by the government as it is a part of legal procedure. This intervention means taking away the license from the banks if they were under performing to the level that they had huge debts. This practice however is very common in the USA and some examples include the closing of Washington the sale to JPMorgan (Giudice, 2012). In some cases a few banks could not be sold and so the government decided to take over them by nationalization. For example in the UK the government nationalized many banks and took over some by b uying through common stock. Common stock gave them the right to owner ship of some of the largest banks in the UK like Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds (Giudice, 2012). To recover from this financial crisis, the government of the United Kingdom came out with different schemes. One of the schemes was known as the recapitalization program. Under this scheme the government agreed to finance the largest banks in the UK by injecting ?50 billion worth of investment. A company called the UK Financials Investment Limited (UFIL) was created to manage investments in these large banks and to check if they were providing lending with reasonable rates of interest to the general public (Lybeck, 2011). The recapitalization program required an approval from Her Majesty’s treasury for banks to attain it. Eight banks and building societies subscribed to the program including RBS and Lloyds who were granted funds worth ?20 billion and ?17 billion respectively. The government also put some dema nds forward. It said that the banks, after receiving funds should try to help people with their mortgage payments so that they could stay in their homes. The government also kept the right to appoint new non-executive directors. The government recapitalized RBS and Lloyds and taking over 70% and 65% respectively. It took complete control over Northern Rock and Bradford & Bingley. The reason

International management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

International management - Essay Example A case in example is the phenomenon of exclusion of youth that occurs due to political, economic and social factors. The last and most significant aspect is the micro level detail of working conditions in the manufacturing plants. Much has been said and written about these so-called â€Å"sweatshops†. Thus, the biggest challenge before the apparel companies is to ensure that they break out of this stereotype. Q2) Leadership beyond borders means that no matter where the manufacturing plants are and no matter where the supply chain is located, the company that undertakes CSR would do everything possible to make its commitments to the broader society work. It means that one can be CEO of a firm that is headquartered in the US but has manufacturing facilities in South East Asia but, the leadership team is committed to CSR wherever they have the plants. This means a holistic and systems wide approach to CSR that integrates all functions in an organization and all markets in which the companies operate. Thus, the task before the leadership is to treat the world market and the supply chain as one integrated whole and then tailor their products and services without compromising on their commitment to

Ethical Analysis of the Ed Fischer Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Ethical Analysis of the Ed Fischer - Case Study Example Thus, the responsibility of the scientist is to discover new things. In the same way a lawyer helps in the justice, it is lawyer's responsibility to make sure that a proper justice is done to his/her client, so on and so forth. However all professions are governed by something other than just mere responsibility and duty. Sometimes it is not enough to just do your job. There are times when one needs to decide between what can be done and what should be done and at times, there are more choices available. It is slightly more complicated than it sounds. This is because there are other factors that play a role in the decision-making. These other factors define ethics. Ethics is not just about right or wrong or true or false. It is not that simple to define either. Ethics is not governed by rules or laws. Neither is there any ethical book of conduct. Ethics is actually a philosophy that existed for a long time for the betterment of the mankind. So then, one may ask if ethics is not law, neither it's a rule then what is ethics And why should one even bother to think about it Well there are good reasons to do so. Ethics defines the right actions based on the moral conduct and behavior for a greater good of an individual or a society. i.e., following the ethical standards would lead to following the general beliefs of the society. However, having said this, one may ask if it is always good to follow the ethics. Well that is a difficult question to answer. There are occasions when one needs to make a decision on either to follow the ethics or not. This can be elaborated further with Ed Fisher's case. Ed is currently bed ridden and needs assistance for most of his activities. He can't move his arms, can hardly move, and is really week due to eating disorders. His wife has died and is has three adult children. He has lost his desire to live longer in spite of having the possibility. The question that one needs to ask now is should a person who is suffering with so many severe symptoms still be convinced to live. Nevertheless, before asking that question, we need to ask what should be the reason to live, alternatively, if there should be any reason at all. The reason that a person lives, is not simply because he or she can move around or has the ability to do difficult tasks, but it is due to the reason that he has a soul within him or her. Moreover, as long as the soul exists, every living form in this world has the right to live life to the fullest and as long as possible. Having said that, the next question that arises is, everyone has the right to live but does anyone has the right to end his life as per his wish no matter what the circumstances are. What shall one do when a person decides to not to extend the days in his life Shall that person be allowed to die or shall that person be treated to the maximum possible way in order to extend his days fully As discussed in the beginning of this essay, these are the questions of ethics. These questions are toughest to answer and a nightmare for medical professionals. In Ed Fisher's case, it is obvious that he will not live much longer without the feeding tube. Therefore, for Ed, the advantages and disadvantages of undergoing the surgery are as follows: Advantages: He can live longer Can see his children prosper in their careers and personal lives Can see his grandchildren May learn or experience something new because you never stop learning until you

Talk Show Internet Assignment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Talk Show Internet Assignment - Research Paper Example TV emerged in the 50s as America’s dominant cultural form, presenting an image of authority that was mainly middle-class, middle-aged, white, and male. TV soon took over American prime time activity. Beginning in the 60s, family breakdown, religious, and education crises, diminishing state authority, and a growing vocal and visible minority with new ideas and groups. All these led to a dramatic change in public perceptions with the most significant being the impact that progressive movements and social crises had on media talks regarding political correctness and multiculturalism (Quail, Kathalene & Loubna 33). TV talk shows have always been around since the TV was commercialized. They are a crossover from the radio talk shows that had dominated America in the 40s (Grindstaff 22). Therefore, the beginning of the talk show can be considered to have been in 1948, even though most people did not have TV at the time. From the early 50s to the early 70s, almost half of all programm ing on NBC, CBS, and ABC had to do with talk shows. The talk show hosts, rather than kill the talk show hosts that reigned on radio, actually made them bigger stars. For instance, Jack Paar, Dave Garroway, and Arthur Godfrey were all vital in coming up with the talk show format that has been so popular over the decades (Grindstaff 22). One of the reasons why there are so many talk shows is because talk is actually cheap. Talk shows are probably the cheapest TV shows to create (Grindstaff 24). For example, where they can cost as low as $100,000 to produce per each episode, majority of current dramas on TV cost approximately $1 million for each episode. Therefore, if a talk show is successful, it can give the TV Company more profits than most dramas. However, it is still work-intensive. Since their beginning in 1948, very few of them are able to keep the audience’s attention for a long time (Grindstaff 24). Several forms of talk shows that range from outlandish shows like The G raham Norton Effect to Late Show with David Letterman exist. However, all talk shows have similar formats because the format for a talk show is very limited (Grindstaff 31). Most Americans are used to the informal host-guest format where the hosts of the talk shows welcome talk-worthy individuals and celebrities in informal discussions. These are further spiced up using musical and comedic segments. Another common format has to do with public affair show, where the hosts of the show interview individuals who are experts in particular fields, or they are in the news for one reason or another. Specific shows that adhere to this latter format are shows like; Meet the Press and Good Morning America. Issue-based talk shows include The Jerry Springer Show and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Other talk shows are mainly a hybrid of the two formats (Grindstaff 32). The basic goal on TV of talk shows has to do with attraction of curious viewers while also selling services and products, rather than se lling revolutions (Kunkel 11). This results in the need for funny and bizarre participants and topics, as well as the circus-like atmosphere. In addition, the influence by cultural and social movements like feminism, as well as the results, made it contradictory and interesting. Oprah Winfrey, Donahue, and others have been able to reproduce the experience of

International retailing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

International retailing - Essay Example On the 28th of July in 2006 Wal-Mart sold its 85 chain German outlets to Metro AG, which is a diversified cash and carry retail chain that has Germany's largest market share (Clark, 2006)1. 1997 marked the year that Wal-Mart entered Germany when it completed negotiations to acquire 21 outlets belonging to the Wertkauf hypermarket chain (Wal-Mart Facts.com, 2007)2. This was following by Wal-Mart acquiring 74 stores of the Interspar hypermarket chain that is a subsidiary of Spar Handels AG (Wal-Mart Facts.com, 2007)3. The preceding represented Wal-Mart's entry into the European market, using Germany as the launch point. Listening to customers represents one of the first and most important aspects in entering a foreign market as the nuances of consumers differs in their respective countries, thereby requiring adjustments in marketing, presentation, operational and other procedures. Wal-Mart's extraordinarily successful American operations that meshed leading edge marketing, a new approach to its corporate culture as well as organisational structures, resulting in the company being vaulted into the largest and most successful retailer in the world. ... The preceding success in the United States does not necessarily represent an effective, and or workable game plan in other markets. Given Wal-Mart's reputation and successes, the company only entered the international market in 1991 that pales in comparison to Carrefour, which has been retailing in foreign markets for in excess of thirty years (Incandela et al, 1999)4. The international market represents a different set of challenges, experiences as well as internal operating dictates that need to be understood and incorporated into a retailer's operational mode, a lesson that Wal-Mart learned in Germany. This study shall delve into Wal-Mart's entry into the German market to determine the reasons as to why it was not successful there. Wal-Mart and Germany Wal-Mart's lack of success in Germany is a classic example of using a business model that is not applicable in terms of the market it is applied in. A look into the facets that represented a contribution to the foregoing entails delving into the market entry strategies as well as operational tactics that were employed, with the foregoing compared with market entry and expansion theories as well as practices. Wal-Mart's entry into Germany represented the fact that it has the largest market in Europe as represented by its population, strong economic underpinnings, affluence of its citizens as well as the awareness of products made in the United States (United States Department of Agriculture, 2004)5. Germany ranks third internationally in terms of consumer food expenditures (United States Department of Agriculture, 2004)6. Critical recommendations as offered by the United States Department of

Project management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Project management - Essay Example There will also be constraints if sponsor has not described all the details required for the development of the system. It will therefore mean that more rework will be done which will cause further delay to the project. Constraints will be experienced if key-decision makers will be difficult to contact when issues arise in the project. This will cause time wastage in the project execution. It is expected that these decision-makers will be reachable at any time and in all the development phases of the project. Another constraint that might arise is if the project members will be new to the environment and may take time to learn the new developing environment. This will cause the delay to be experienced in the project execution. Project management services. (2009). Project management process inputs, tools and techniques, amd outputs organized by process groups. Retrieved Febuaryr 25, 2012, from Project management services:

The Intersection of Nature and Culture Essay Example for Free

The Intersection of Nature and Culture Essay Semiotics is a discipline which stems from the work and theories of American logician C. S. Peirce and the French linguist Ferdinand de Saussure. The idiom originates from the Greek word seemeiootikee, which denotes the study of signs, what they represent and signify, and how human beings act, interact and think in their universe. This branch of learning and understanding can be best described as a system of many communication theories and techniques which can be viewed as pieces of a puzzle. When these fragments are connected and pieced together, they make visible, the intricate design of human interaction and interpersonal communication. Semiotics lies intermediary between philosophy and philology and is nothing less than an objectification, or self-expression, or interpretation and the formation and comprehension of meaning. This area of study is a combination between scientific discipline and a world-view. Semiotics is an enormously broad approach to understanding such matters as meaning, cognition, culture, behavior, even life itself. At the heart of this discipline lies the notion of sign. A sign, according to Charles S. Peirce, widely acknowledged to be one of the seminal thinkers about semiotics, is something which stands to somebody for something in some respect or capacity. It is the study of signs and symbols as elements of communicative behavior and the analysis of systems of communication. These signs take the form of words, images, sounds, acts or objects, but have no genuine meaning and become signs only when we invest them with meaning- nothing is a sign unless it is interpreted and brings about some form of meaning. Understanding semiology assists in the true understanding of ones self, others, and how we view the world around us. Inherently, humans are reactors. Because it is human nature to act, or react toward people, items, and instances on the basis of preconceived meanings that have been assigned, it is beneficial to understand that each sign or symbol will have a different meaning to each individual it is presented to. Because of communication filters and barriers (which can also be signs and symbols) no message is ever received the exact way it is sent. (See Appendix A)  Similarly, every sign encountered can be decoded and interpreted differently depending on preconceived notions, culture and personal experience. A signifier may induce many different interpretations of the signified (See Appendix B and D). This theory of signs and symbolism is divided into branches including pragmatics, semantics, and syntactics. Pragmatics is the branch of semiotics which deals with the causal and other relations between words, expressions, or symbols and their users. It can be an analysis of language in terms of the situational context within which utterances are made, including the knowledge and beliefs of the speaker and the relation between speaker and listener. Semantics is the study of the relationship between words and meanings. The field of semantics has three fundamental concerns: the relations of words to the objects denoted by them, the relations of words to the interpreters of them, and, in symbolic logic, the formal relations of signs to one another semantics is concerned with such issues as meaning and truth, meaning and thought, and the relation between signs and what they mean. Syntactics is the branch of semiotics dealing with the formal properties of language and systems of symbols. Innis proposes that, fundamentally these areas of thought deal with meanings and messages in all their forms and in all their contexts. There are three ways in which the sign can stand for its object: as icon, index or symbol. An icon is a sign that stands for an object by resembling it, not merely visually, but by any means. An icon makes a connection by similitude. Included in this category of sign are obvious examples like pictures, maps and diagrams and some not so obvious ones like algebraic expressions and metaphors. Indexes refer to their objects, not by virtue of any similarity relation, but by an actual causal link between the sign and its object: smoke is an index of fire. The relation between the sign and its object is substantial in that the sign and object have something in common; that is, the object affects the sign. It is physically connected to the object. Symbols refer to their objects by virtue of a law, rule or convention. Words, propositions and texts are obvious examples in that no similarity or causal link is suggested in the relation between, for example,  the word horse and the object to which it refers. In this category especially the potential arbitrary character of signs comes to the foreground. If symbols need bear no similarity or causal link to their object, then the signs can be considered by the sign user in unlimited ways, independent of any physical relationship to the sign user. The convention between recognizing a sign and the meaning which is provoked is affected by perception and experience. What appears to be a complex ideology is really very simple. Semiotics is everywhere, in every part of daily life. Humans recognize patterns of information and organize them to generate meaning. The sign is the signifier, and what speaks to us is the signified. We see a sign, internalize it, and create meaning. The Semantic Triangle, (Appendix E) shows the indirect relationship between symbols and their referents. Some signs are culturally universal and convey similar meaning in individuals (Appendix F). Some signs act as instructions or directions, and guide or restrict behaviors. For instance, if a sign with a cigarette encompassed by a red circle and a bar through the middle is on display in a business it is understood that there is no smoking on the premises. This image has predetermined meaning. Some signs act as reminders. An image in of a young child in a magazine may serve as a sign for an aging mother and the signified may be a sense of sadness as her children have grown and moved on. The perception of meaning and the ability making sense out of the information that is being transmitted by these signs is an essential element of human communication. The study and application of semiotics is the frame work for representing meaning. Reality is encoded with signs and symbols and life is but to decode and find meaning. We seem to be a species driven by a desire to make meaning: above all, we are surely homo-significans meaning-makers within which signs are meaningful units taking the form of words, images, sounds, acts or objects. Such things have no intrinsic meaning and become signs only when we invest them with meaning. And it is this meaning-making which is at the heart of the concerns of semiotics. The fact that humans can consume and interpret signs which are arbitrary and have no tangible existence in their immediate experience is what makes thought possible and is distinctly human. Ideas can be brought to mind and manipulated without being directly experienced. Meanings can be expressed in various ways, through a variety of sign systems: language, music, gesture and by many other vehicles. The meaning that is found within these signs creates the psychological and emotional environment we live in. Signs can also communicate ideological or connotative meaning, and perpetuate the dominant values of society. Aristotle claimed that a thing either is or it isnt. Semiotics is the arbitrator of this existence and because things can be decoded and deciphered differently by each individual, there is much grey area between the is and the isnt. By being aware of the way we use and interpret signs and symbols, and understanding the effects of these things on communication and interaction we are increasing and recognizing cognitive complexity so as to better approximate the halftones of this symbolically mediated real world. The meanings of signs and symbols are mediated by our experience and understanding of the world can never be the same for each person. Thomas Sebeok proposes that semiotics lies at the intersection of nature and culture. It is human nature to see and interpret signs but many of the signs we see are culturally adopted. However, we create our world of meaning by interpreting signs as we interact with objects in our environment and by personal experience. Having an understanding of Semiotics and its branches can help one to better understand their own psyche, as interpreting and finding meaning has much to do with self-disclosure. It also brings an understanding of others into the framework. The concept of semiotics and the ability to comprehend the notions can become a fortunate thing and be advantageous to the ability to communicate interpersonally, connect on a deeper level, and interact with other people and the world around References Barthes, Elements of Semiology (1967); A. A. Berger, Signs in Contemporary Culture: An Introduction to Semiotics (1988). Buchler, J. (Ed.). (1955). Philosophical Writings of Peirce. New York: Dover Innis, R. (Ed.). Semiotics: An Introductory Anthology. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.1983 Sebeok, T. Contributions to the Doctrine of Signs.Lisse: Peter de Ridder Press.1976. Unknown, Steps towards Evolutionary Semiotics. Semiotica 132, 3/4 (317-342).2000

Description and Evaluation of the St. Andrew Parish Church Care Centre Essay Example for Free

Description and Evaluation of the St. Andrew Parish Church Care Centre Essay Statistics have shown that in 2002 there was 16% of the Jamaican population living below the poverty line (RJR News cast). Additionally, because of restructuring of the economy and downsizing of the private sector many breadwinners have lost their jobs. This state of affairs has led to a growing number of children on the streets fending for themselves. Unemployment and poverty have led to persons reneging from their parental responsibilities of providing adequate food, shelter, clothing and supervision for their children. As a consequence of the harsh economic situation and the deteriorating social conditions, more and more children in urban centres such as Halfway Tree, have decided to congregate at the traffic lights where they can beg or earn money by wiping the windscreens of motor vehicles. Over the last twenty years this untenable phenomenon has developed. At almost every traffic light or major intersection e. g. the junctions of Trafalgar Road and Hope Road, Oxford Street and Old Hope Road, and Maxfield Avenue and Hagley Park Road, boys gather from as early as 6:00 a. m. to solicit alms from generous motorists. This development thought profitable for the boys, often caused other social problems for Jamaica. For example, many of the street boys become a nuisance as they harass motorists. Sometimes the boys would steal from motorists or even abused those who refused to give them money. Many of the boys actually live on the streets where it is reported that they become involved in pushing and taking illegal drugs. It has been reported that some are molested by homosexuals and often they are beaten up. The most unfortunate situation which has befallen the street boys is the lack of education. Very few if any of these boys who beg at the nations traffic lights can ever hope to become useful and productive adults without formal education and training. It is out of this need for strong guidance and help that the St. Andrew Parish Church established the Care Centre. Review of Literature The problem of street children has been a perpetual one that shows no signs of abatement. There have been several attempts by governments and NGOs to find ways of eliminating the problem. One needs to look at what created this phenomenon in the first place before one can determine how to solve it. It is therefore necessary to define the term street children. According to Christina Blank, in Urban Children in Distress, the term may be broadly defined as children who earn money, by legal and illegal activities on urban streets (174). She goes on to state that real street children are the roofless and rootless who live alone or with other children like themselves on the streets (324). Because these children are mobile it is extremely difficult to ascertain their numbers. It has been found that the response of those in a position to help the powerless in society, for street children may be seen as powerless, has been ad hoc or insufficient. Blank sets out various strategies and government policies that may be implemented to deal with the increasing problem of children living on the streets.

Effectiveness of CSR in Achieving Sustainable Development

Effectiveness of CSR in Achieving Sustainable Development CHAPTER I 1. Introduction Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a concept that has acquired a new character in the global economy. â€Å"With the advent of globalization, managers in different contexts have been exposed to the notion of CSR and are being pressured to adopt CSR initiatives† (Jamali and Sidani, 2008; 330). Therefore, even more corporations are increasing conscience about the importance of matching their own interests and the interests of society by taking responsibility for the impact of their activities on employees, suppliers, customers, communities and other stakeholders as well as the environment. Although, this is an obligation that goes beyond economics or law, and in which companies have to act ahead in pursuing long term goals that can also be good for the society and the environment as a whole. Intrinsically related to the topic of CSR is the protection of the environment for future generations through Sustainable actions. Not only because there has been an enormous technological progress that means we are not as much dependent as decades ago of a wide range of natural resources such as air, energy, land, and minerals. On the contrary, driven by the growth of the population and the hectic globalization, competition for those natural resources has been intense. As a result, this competition also brought a powerful driver for both environmental conflicts and damage to our fragile, life-supporting environment. A range of environmental disasters, such as climate change, ozone layer depletion, and soil contamination, have been occurring along the past decades and which turned organizations and society more aware of practice such as recycling, energy consumption, preservation, among others. â€Å"Evolving from an attitude of simply reacting to such disasters and their effects on the physical environment, corporate concerns now include strategic planning and looking at the environment in its multiple social, cultural, political, and institutional dimensions† (Enriquez and Drummond, 2007; 75). Therefore, the instruments of corporative citizenship turned also to the preservation of the environment as a strategic element for enterprises in the whole world. Along with the development for part of the organizations of clean technologies, there is also the concern in getting a green image, which put organizations’ sustainable activities into practice calling for an Ecobusiness. Especially in the past two years, 2008 and 2009, the world was marked by a financial crisis that had an impact in economies of organizations in general. Nevertheless, the financial crisis is not causing firms or governments to abandon sustainable development. In fact, many business and government suggest that a ‘green solution’ can be found to both economic and ecological challenges, creating new jobs and markets by investing in new forms of energy, redesigning or retrofitting buildings and equipment, and managing forests and other ecosystems sustainably. Mineral industries, for example, are using the actual crisis on their own benefit, attempting to identify domains where actions are required and trying to shape a different future to this industry, taking advantage of the actual scenario. To achieve that they make use of available data and information to appreciate the mining sector’s impact, giving support to decision makers in their strategic choices. The actions of Alcoa Inc., for example, are impressive and unique, the company interplays among intangibles as leadership and innovation as well as a strong CSR strategy, wisingly aligning society, workplace and environment, productivity, and financial performance in the context of a traditional manufacturing company. This project research examines the existing literature in an attempt to create a more comprehensive perspective of what has been written about the topic of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development. The project’s approach was qualitative in nature and focused on discovering what researchers and authors have explored and understand about this complex subject. Besides, it looks at some of the principal favourable and unfavourable arguments to the social responsibility of enterprises, especially when they are being considered by multinational enterprises interested in initiating activities into developing countries, with focus into Brazil. We also propose some alternatives of acting in the area of Social Responsibility made by Alcoa Inc., considering the current Brazilian reality, with the aim of achieving Sustainable Development. This dissertation is divided in two parts. Part one will be based in secondary data and involves: Chapter II, which comprises the literature review that examines existent work in current trends involving the subject of CSR as well as paradigms as SD in order to help establish what values associated indicators could contain. Chapter III, the explanation of the methodology used along the development of the project. Part two, comprises Chapter IV, which examines factors involving Alcoa Inc., taking into account its current CSR and SD actions and strategies, making use of a questionnaire, answered by some of the organization’s managers, in relation to the issues encountered in the literature. Chapter V, will draw conclusions, make future recommendations and points out gaps for future research. 1.2 Research Title The Effectiveness of Corporate Social Responsibility as a means of achieving Sustainable Development: a case study of Alcoa Incorporation. 1.3 Research Background In the modern complex and dynamic business environment, most organizations are adopting a global attitude making sure that they are geared for being global. Furthermore, it is common knowledge that the world is constantly developing and changing and no change is permanent because any change is about to be further adjusted in the short or long run to suit the environment and the challenges they face. Organizations are now more powerful and have more influence in the society. Therefore, â€Å"The notion of corporate social responsibility today functions as an emblem, that the company themselves rise towards a consensual â€Å"social revolution† that will eventually benefit all the stakeholders of our society† (Habish et al, 2005; 271). Corporate social responsibility intrinsically relates to environmental issues faced globally, especially in the early stages of the twenty-first century and sustaining in a particular industry has become very difficult task for many businesses. â€Å"Employees, investors and consumers are becoming increasingly more aware of the social and environmental impact to people and planet that a company produces, which are both positive and negative. As consumers become even more aware of sustainable practices, there will be even greater demands for business communities to do the right thing, requiring enhanced ethical leadership and CSR to drive profits, and brand loyalty† (Mamic, 2004; Leffel, Sweeney, 2007 cited by Maass, 2007; 36) Alcoa is â€Å"the worlds leading producer and manager of primary aluminium, fabricated aluminium, and alumina facilities. In the framework of sustainability, Alcoa is considered one of the top three companies in the world in terms of commitment to sustainable development and has made use of an environmental strategy associated with a truthful social responsibility in order to gain competitive advantage and success in the marketplace. For example, for three years the Company has been sponsoring the Internethos program, directed at the development of Corporate Social Responsibility for Sustainability (www.alcoa.com). Moreover, â€Å"Recognition from the Covalence Ethical Ranking drives the company to intensify actions of engagement of strategic publics. In 2006, the company was indicated as world leader in ethics, in the mining and metallurgical Industry, according to Covalence Ethical Ranking† (Alcoa annual report, 2006/2007; 41) 1.4 Research Aims Analyse how corporate social responsibility can ensure competitive advantage and success in achieving sustainable development. To explore, analyze and identify the use of environmental strategy as a tool of achieving global success. Analyse the importance of achieving sustainable development in today’s global environment. 1.5 Research Objectives To evaluate, in an environmental perspective, the effectiveness of corporate social responsibility in today’s global business. To evaluate, in an environmental perspective, the effectiveness of corporate social responsibility on achieving sustainability. To establish the feasibility of using corporate social responsibility within the industry to align strategic planning with sustainable development. To analyse and find out the implications of corporate social responsibility in Alcoa’s Inc. environmental management. To identify the extent to which the environmental management is involved in strategic planning at Alcoa Inc. To identify how important is environmental sensitivity to a company that extracts natural resources. To analyse in depth the integration of sustainability to Alcoa’s overall business giving emphasis to Brazil. To investigate practices used by Alcoa Inc. in its implementation of corporate social responsibility as a means of achieving sustainable development. 1.6 Rationale of the project The objective of this project was to gather information that could be useful and benefit different organizations in engaging in environmental strategies by the concept of corporate social responsibility. Moreover, data collected can also guide corporations by providing them with an understanding of sustainable development and the resources they can make use of to establish a sustainable future for society and the environment. The information gathered for this present work was collected through an extensive literature review as well as the use of different sources of information, such as videos. In addition, a questionnaire was used in order to collect insight information on the organization’s management perspectives and its corporate social responsibility strategies for a sustainable development and prosperous business. CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction Social Responsibility actions are examples of a phenomenon of great proportions, which have been taken into more consideration in the business world, and reflect a new world-wide configuration. Historical recent events, in special environmental catastrophes around the globe, developed the academic discussion on the social paper of organizations, public and private, in the construction of the called sustainable development. Investors originated from richest countries have been realizing that economical survival and social balance is a long-term phenomenon more and more dependent of a constant preoccupation with levels of development of the least favoured areas of the globe (Parker, 1998). In the context of globalization, Social Responsibility has started to be understood as an essential instrument to be considered by organizations’ strategists in the sense of paying attention to the social demands of several economical agents involved. Apart from the internationalization strategy adopted, multinational enterprises installed in developing countries are under pressure in adopting an ethical and responsible posture. Meantime, many actions carried out by multinational enterprises, through their own foundations or partnerships with local agencies, have been questioned for disregarding the participation of local actors in the decision processes, in the resource allocation and in the evaluation of results. 2.2 Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility â€Å"Some vigorous critics and Marxists tend to dismiss the link between business and ethics† (Shaw, 2009; 2). For example, â€Å"It was widely assumed that business and ethics were radically different and that ethical behaviour had little or no return on investment† (Brenkert, 2004; 188). However, on current days, ethical issues are being one of the most important subjects concerning organizations across the world, which now view business ethics not only in terms of administrative compliance with legal standards, rules or regulations as they used to do in the past. Some corporations are even creating their own written and formal ethical codes in addition with the use of different systems, like corporate social responsibility, to help them to create and maintain an ethical organization culture. Accordingly, Shaw affirms, â€Å"Business ethics thus involves studying the ways to refine and reinforce the implicit norms of the business system† (Shaw, 2009; 3). Nevertheless, Corporate Social Responsibility is topic of great value in business ethics, as reinforced by Ghauri and Cateora (2006; 468): â€Å"Ethics and social responsibility go hand in hand†. Organizations are increasing conscience about the importance of matching their own interests and the interests of society by taking responsibility for the impact of their activities on employees, suppliers, customers, communities and other stakeholders as well as the environment. Kotler and Lee (2005; 161) argue, â€Å"The first ethical duty of business is to do not harm. Companies are responsible for minimizing stakeholder’s risks. This is the heart of business ethics.† In fact, when ethical issues come to the organization field, a question is raised: â€Å"Of all these stakeholders, which should or will have the most or least influence over the ‘ethical’ rules that will be applied by the organization?† (Buhalis and Laws, 2001; 88) Despite of all the suggestions given in relation to CSR and business ethics, Jones et al (2005; 19) points out the fact â€Å"†¦ whether business ethics will actually make business more ethical.† In a current globalized environment, companies play an important role in the social structure and more than ever before, are being encouraged to improve their business practices by emphasizing ethical behaviour, not only through the development of new technologies but also through social and environmental initiatives. Companies are increasingly being held accountable for their actions, especially with the growth in demand for higher standards of corporate social responsibility. Sims (2003; 8) links the concept of ethics and social responsibility saying that: â€Å"Being socially responsible, ethical, and a good corporate citizen is important to meeting and exceeding the expectations for any organization’s stakeholders†. And affirms: â€Å"Organizational management that truly cares about business and corporate social responsibility is proactive rather than reactive in linking strategic action and ethics†. The structure of society has changed due to globalization changes, and the importance of businesses impact in society forced organizations to rethink their actions towards profitability, also promoting the development of concepts like sustainability. Nisberg (1988; 43 cited by Kilcullen and Kooistra, 1999; 158) gives an important definition of business ethics, which according to the author â€Å"can be defined as a set of principles that guides business practices to reflect a concern for society as a whole while pursuing profits†. However, with the relentless pursuit of profit in this actual globalized situation, how to maximise profit and act as an ethical company at the same time? A good understanding of what exactly is the term Corporate Social Responsibility is essential in order to answer and explain this question through different perspectives and theories. 2.3 History and Definitions of Corporate Social Responsibility The history of Corporate Social Responsibility can be compared as being as old as the history of business; however, its concept has not been fully formulated until now (Asongu, 2007; 28; Crane et al, 2008). May et al (2007; 4) also adds â€Å"Questions regarding the nature, scope and impact of organizations have been present into various forms for centuries ranging across the ‘classical’, ‘medieval’, ‘mercantile’, ‘industrial’ and ‘corporate eras’†. Taking into consideration only the period after the Industrial Revolution, or better saying the 20th century, the first author who directly contributed to the responsibility issue was Clark (1916; 210 cited by Secchi, 2007; 351) when he affirmed that â€Å"The old idea of free will is giving way to determinism, individualism to public control, personal responsibility to social responsibility.† During the period of 1930s and 1940s, called as the ‘corporate period’ references about social responsibility can be found, for example: Chester Barnard’s, ‘The functions of the Executive’ (1938) and Theodore Kreps’s ‘Measurement of the social performance of business’ (1940). (Crane et al, 2008). Murphy (cited by Crane et al, 2008), on the other hand classified Corporate Social Responsibility in four eras as follows: Philanthropic era (up to 1950s), awareness era (1953 to 1967), issue era (1968 to 1973) and awareness era (1974 until now). According to Secchi (2007; 348), however, â€Å"One of the first attempts at classifying theories on CSR (business and society issues) was made by Preston (1975).† This shows that the concept of CSR has been discussed for long but in fact, has not yet been fully understood and placed among organizations. Recently, empirical research about Corporate Social Responsibility and its relation to Corporate Social Performance and Sustainability provokes many contradictions in the literature. Due especially to the occurrence of different scandals among enterprises as well as the movement towards an environmentalist society rather than materialist, competitive labour market and shrinking role of government, there were a rise of interest in Corporate Social Responsibility in the past decades (Carrasco and Yakovleva, 2007; 15-16). Many authors affirm that business and society are interrelated entities rather than being distinctively separated (Kotler, 2005; Wood, 1991 cited by Moir, 2001). According to Watts et al (1998; 3 cited by Yakovleva, 2005; 12) â€Å"Corporate Social Responsibility is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well of the local community and society at large†. Corporate Social Responsibility, thus, reflect the responsibility or accountability of organizations in pro not only of its stakeholders but also of its surrounding environment, taking into consideration the various practices that can affect those. Carroll (1979), on the other hand, proposed a four-layered concept, which was the most accepted model, suggesting four corporations’ responsibilities related to their economical, legal ethical and philanthropic aspects. All those four aspects are of great meaning to the CSR concept, however, our current work focuses more on the top of the pyramid, which encompasses the philanthropic responsibilities. â€Å"Philanthropic responsibility: Interest in doing good for society, regardless of its impact on the bottom line is what is called altruistic, humanitarian or philanthropic CSR. â€Å"giving back† time and money in the forms of voluntary service, voluntary association and voluntary giving – is where most of the controversy over the legitimacy of CSR lies† (Shahin and Zairi, 2007; 755) According to Carroll, the philanthropic responsibilities are discretionary being, therefore, less important than the other categories; on the other hand, as said before, is the one that brings the most controversial issues. The definition proposed by Gauri and Cateora (2005) follows the same idea, where the role of a company in the society goes beyond its economic goals. As we can see, definitions relating CSR are various and contradictory among the literature which makes its study more exciting. 2.4 Corporate Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility Governance is defined by Dam et al (2007; 1333) as â€Å"the set of informal arrangements that are used in handling the consequences of these unforeseen states of the world†. As a result of globalization, different global governance structures have emerged, transforming the CSR concept more difficult to be understood. This new global governance brought about the participation by firms in tasks that used to be the government’s domain. (Cutler et al., 1999; Scholte, 2001 cited by Albareda, 2008). Corporate Social Responsibility, therefore, â€Å"can be seen as a new governance arena† (Haufler, 1999; Scholte, 2001 cited by Albareda, 2008; 434). Castka et al (2004 cited by Shahin and Zairi, 2007; 761) proposed a useful framework, based on three major assumptions: â€Å"(1) The CSR framework should be integrated into business systems, objectives, targets, and performance measures. (2) The governance system, whose purpose is to control, provide resources, opportunities, strategic direction of the organisation and be held responsible for doing so, is an integral part of business hence CSR system. (3) Central to the CSR framework is the transformation of stakeholders’ needs and expectation into business strategy, where the organisation has to balance the need for CSR from their key stakeholders with entrepreneurship.† Corporate Social Responsibility is considered deliberate governance, however, influenced directly or indirectly by demands from global civil society, Non Government Organizations, or even the government itself. Thus, Corporate Social Responsibility plays a major role in the global economic and political activities of corporations. â€Å"To exercise this political power in international society, companies as private authorities have adopted different mechanisms. The most important of these have been inter-firm cooperative instruments, fundamentally through the creation of CSR business associations† (Albareda, 2008; 434). The implications of poor corporate governance for people’s lives are tremendous, either in a developed or in a developing country, like Brazil for instance. Most of the Brazilian corporations are still dominated by a family-owned management, who are therefore, the main, if not the only shareholders of the company. This fact can interfere severely in the potential of corporate governance. â€Å"Brazil is a country with strong authoritarian traditions, and inadequate corporate governance laws make it possible to perpetuate authoritarian and concentrated influence over governance structures† (Oman, 2003; 35). Nevertheless, especially in the past decades, there has been intensification of businesses in relation to governance and sustainability in countries like Brazil. Paro and Boechat (2008; 533-534) illustrate it: â€Å"One of the most significant Brazilian non-governmental organizations with the specific mission to mobilize companies around this issue – the Ethos Institute of Business and Social Responsibility, founded in 1998 – had 1,266 member companies in November 2007. Around 74 Brazilian companies have published reports based on the Global Reporting Initiative guidelines (GRI, 2007), and the Sao Paulo Stock Exchange (Bovespa) launched in 2005 its own Corporate Sustainability Index (ISE), which now has 32 companies listed†. Well-managed corporate governance can have positive effects on socio-economic development; it also hence sustained productivity growth and reforms on regulatory practices, although its benefits cannot be taken into consideration without strengthening the examination of business practices and the government environment as a whole. 2.5 Building Corporate Social Responsibility into Strategy Corporate and business strategy according to Foss (1997) has different meanings in relation to the kind of decisions to be made. The first relates to decisions that determines the company’s goals and objectives, the latter though, determines how the company will position itself in relation to its competitors, defining its business and resources. McManus (2008; 1069) affirms: â€Å"The term strategy is derived from the Greek Strategia or generalship, sometimes translated as the art of war. The metaphor of business as war, a competition to be won, is pervasive.† The first author who actually exposed the link between strategy and Corporate Social Responsibility was Michael Porter. He argues that â€Å"corporate social responsibility can be a source of innovation and competitive advantage if incorporated into the framework of analysis that companies use to guide their business strategy† (Porter and Kramer, 2006 cited by McManus, 2008; 1077). Corporations have now added value-creation to their core business always considering its stakeholders’ needs to develop a strategy that is going to keep the company in a competitive advantage position. This is what drives a company to strive in management initiatives, especially if those initiatives are driven towards the achievement of sustainable development. Lee (2008, cited by McManus, 2008; 1075) argues, â€Å"There has been an evolution in CSR from the macro-societal level to the organizational level, with a greater emphasis on managerial, strategic, and ultimately financial issues to the point that the key issue in 2008 is how to integrate CSR into one’s core business.† Organizations integrated to societal aspects are trying to be aware of the implications of the environment they are in and building, therefore, its strategy based in a social/environmental mission and vision. On the other hand, â€Å"recent reports reveal that almost six out of ten organizations have no strategy for CSR while many companies are unclear as to how to adequately anticipate which social issues will affect their overall strategy† (The Work Foundation, 2002; McKinsey and Company, 2006 cited by Galbreath, 2009; 109) The importance of keeping the integration of a company’s core business and its strategy according to the society’s (stakeholders) needs determine the effectiveness of a business and its position in the marketplace. Galbreath (2009; 122) also draws a model of corporate strategy in relation to the society as follows: [image] Figure 2 Source: Strategy in the context of society (Galbreath, 2009; 122). Not only the strategy itself, but also a change on the decision-making framework plays an important role. The use of the classical American pragmatic decision-making is one example. â€Å"The use of pragmatic decision making would inherently lead to the consideration of ecological issues within the decision-making process while fostering competitive advantage† (York, 2009; 102) In conclusion, as McManus (2008; 1068) says, â€Å"Perhaps, the greatest contribution of the mash-up CSR and business strategy will be, not in the details of particular approaches to its realization, but rather the change in consciousness of individual business people its emergence may signal.† 2.6 Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility The first important point in the leadership context is to understand that ethics is not something we born with. Many authors say that along the years we are taught by the community conventions, norms, and regulations that guide our ethical behaviours (Trevinâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢o and Nelson, 2004). The same occurs with an organization, where norms, regulations, and values are drawn along the years, guiding their employees and creating its culture, but in this case, the founder has a crucial position, being the one who first underlie most of the organization’s ethics code. Another important issue consists in how hierarchy of power is distributed in the organization; this is explained because the flow of integrity and moral actions always comes from the top to the bottom of the organization hierarchy and this explains why the founder plays a key role in creating the culture and guiding decisions. This relates to the called learning theory, where leaders are perceived as role models. (Hind et al, 2009) Daboub et al (1995 cited by Hind et al, 2009; 8) â€Å"developed a model which suggested a relationship between the characteristics of an organization’s top management team and corporate irresponsibility, even criminality. The model holds that, other variables being equal, the greater the proliferation of formal management qualifications (e.g. MBA’s) in a top management team, the higher the chances of corporate criminality. The implication of this is that management educators do not seem to be addressing the current and future developmental needs of managers who are required to respond to changing social norms for higher ethical, accountable, and sustainable standards in business.† 2.7 Voluntarism and Accountability of Companies There are two contradicting views in the role of voluntarism in CSR: The first view is supported by Carrol and Buchholtz, (1999 cited by Yakovleva, 2005; 14) and suggests that â€Å"CSR refers to both types of corporate operations: operations towards compliance with legislation requirements and voluntary operations towards social benefit not stipulated by law or economic requirements†. The second view, however, suggests that the firm itself should call for the stakeholder’s interest voluntarily and â€Å"considers that CSR starts when law ends† (Yakovleva, 2005; 14). All those contradictions are part of the inconsistency in defining the term CSR. Corporate Social Responsibility according to Keinert (2008) is concerned to how corporations tackle external pressures responding to them accordingly. Moreover, she adds â€Å"It does not question the ‘rightness’ of social expectations from an ethical, theoretical point of view, but seeks way of implementing them† (Keinert 2008; 45) Apart from this point of view, corporations are responsible, nowadays, alongside the government, to the interests of its employees and society as a whole being also accountable for its actions. Thus, accountability is another important feature of Corporate Social Responsibility. Zadek (2007; 10) argues: embracing accountability for their actions, corporations â€Å"contribute to addressing societal needs and challenges in ways that could also deliver economic value and success.† According to the IPEA (Instituto de Pesquisa Econà ´mica Aplicada), â€Å"Social Accountability 8000 is the first norm turned to the improvement of the conditions of work, including the principal labour rights and certifying the fulfilment through independent auditors. The Social Accountability International LEAVES-, a non-government organization created in 1997 in USA, developed it and which has its action turned to the preoccupation of the consumers for the conditions of work in the world. The norm follows the standard of the ISO 9000 and of the ISO 14000, which makes its introduction easier for enterprises that already know this system†Ã¢â‚¬  (www.ipea.gov.br). â€Å"One of the basic propositions from social accountability favourable to the contemporary point of view is based on Keith Davis’ ideas† (apud Certo Peter, 1993; 281 cited by Souza, 2004; 31). According to them, â€Å"enterprises must operate as an opened system with two hands, with information reception from society and opened advertisement about their operations with the public.† (Souza, 2004; 31) In agreement with this proposition, the enterprise must be disposed to hearing the society and working in the construction of its well-being. 2.8 Corporate Social Responsibility and Profitability Whilst some authors defend Social Responsibility as a solution for organizations and society’s sustainability issues in the long-term, others are emphatic, affirming that it is not reasonable to imagine that the