Logic Of Logic Essays - Religious Controversies, Magic, Witches

Logic Of Logic Logic Test 1. The most obvious unscientific theory that I can think of today, would be religion. Religion is possibly one of the biggest influences in our lives, and there is no scientific way to even prove that it exists. I asked a few friends of mine, who are religious, why they believe in a God. The first that I asked hemmed and hawed and when I finally had to threaten him to spit out an answer, he said, ?I don't know.? The next person I asked answered a little more intelligently by saying, ?I just don't believe that we all came here without any divine help. I don't believe in the Big Bang theory, and believing in God fills in a lot of gaps for me.? None of the people I spoke with fit this next category, but I believe that there is one last group of people who practice religion. These people practice it because they really believe in God, and many claim to be able to ?feel? him. I am not saying any of these people are right or wrong, but I can say that none of them can prove there is a god. This belief is not empirically verifiable, nor is it testable. The first group who practice religion just because it is the socially expedient thing to do, do not worry about justifying whether or not there is a god. He just knows that he is expected to show up in church on Sunday. The second group who believes in religion over the Big Bang theory, or look to religion for answers that Science cannot answer yet aren't any closer. They see two possibilities for how we got here. There is the Big Bang theory, or this God thing. They really don't believe in the Big Bang theory, so that must mean the other alternative, God, must be right. The last group that really believes in God has no proof either. They say, ?I feel God with me!? How do they know that it is in fact God that they are feeling. Maybe their lunch didn't set well with them. They feel something, don't know exactly what it is, and come to assume that it is God. 2. This next example of an unscientific system is one that is no longer practiced, but it is a perfect example of the ignorance of humans and their willingness to embrace anything that will make them feel superior. Back in Mid evil times, people would burn women at the stake who had different ideas then the societal norm. They would call these women witches. How does one prove another a witch? In this time period, any woman found thinking differently from society, would be branded a witch and burned at the stake. By these standards how many woman today would be witches. I think far more then I can imagine. It is funny, almost comical trying to imagine the mindset of the people who did these things long ago. I can just see someone thinking, ? Ok, so, she's not like me, she's not like everyone else?.so, that must make her different. Ok, so if she's different from me, and I'm normal, what could she be. She must be a Witch!!!!? Once again there is no empirical evidence proving her a witc h, and there is no way they could prove her a witch. Some tried to prove it by creating tests, like throwing the ?witch? into a lake and if she doesn't try to swim she isn't a witch, and if she tries to swim to stay alive, she is a witch. It is downright hilarious. There is no real way to test if she is a witch. This was just societies very unscientific system of weeding out people who did not fit their norms. Logic Test 1. The most obvious unscientific theory that I can think of today, would be religion. Religion is possibly one of the biggest influences in our lives, and there is no scientific way to even prove that it exists. I asked a few friends of mine, who are religious, why they believe in a God. The first that I asked hemmed

Life as a sioux indian essays

Life as a sioux indian essays These days as a Native American have become almost obsolete. My people are moving up the trail of tears in search of a better way of life and hopes of peace again. As we move the elderly grow weak and fall more and more. The children are restless and continually asking how much farther. I must keep my composure though and know that it will be all right someday. However, many of my Sioux brothers have lost their lives and now there are not much left to hope for. News spreads through the different tribes that the cavalry officers have been harassing and raping the Sioux women. As we make our way up the trail, bounty hunters and renegades come up out of the woodworks. Not only are our people defending their lives against the army but also our own Indian people who have abandoned our culture and become traitors to the white mans lifestyle. Thus, we must stick together in order to save our civilization. As we pass by some skeletons on the ground, I envision Sioux warriors being scalped and skinned by the white man; as well as a battle on a hilltop where the Sioux warriors prevail. The conditions are growing slightly worse as the winter is going to be a long and harsh one. My family has almost been but completely destroyed due to the white man. The only loved one I have left is my youngest daughter. In hopes of raising a proud warrior like myself, the white man came along and destroyed those dreams by taking my sons lives as well as the rest of my family. As I sit down and comfort my sole survivor, my daughter asks me feebly if we are going to make it. I say, Yes, a Savior, will rescue us. With hopes that she will trust that everything will be all right and the journey is soon over, I doubted what I had told my daughter. We are traveling hundreds of miles to a place weve never been in which the white man set up a reservation. There we are restricted to a remote piec ...

Personality in Human Beings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Personality in Human Beings - Essay Example In this essay I shall shortly describe my own views on personality and then discuss some theories that are popular in their descriptions of the human personality. The theories of three theorists namely, Sigmund Freud (1856 - 1939), Carl Gustav Jung (1875 - 1961), Albert Bandura (1925- ), and their work on human personality shall be discussed here. In the process I shall envisage to understand the differences and similarities in the theories of psychoanalysis. In my perspective human personality is complex, and is constituted of many factors such as 1) physical attributes and genetic make-up, 2) cultural and ethnical background, 3) personal aptitudes and beliefs. The first two factors are largely inherited with little scope for alteration; like for example, skin color, height, propensity towards some inherited diseases, are inherited and do have a bearing on one's personality. The second two factors are socially constructed, partially inherited and partially changeable, but, nevertheless have great influence on the human personality. For example, the work-culture and perception of opportunities by a Chinese is more likely to be typically inherited from his/her parents and very specific to that ethnic and cultural background. I call it partially changeable because, the same Chinese immigrated to the U.S. ... The third set of factor is important and is mostly responsible for making a qualitative difference in one's personality. For example, physicist Stephen Hawking suffered from the degenerative Lou Gherig's Disease (www.hawking.org), but never allowed it to come in the way of his scientific quest. Battling with pneumonia, he lost his voice; but his sheer love for science and integrity made him to overcome all his set-backs. He is a good example of the power of personal beliefs and aptitudes, and what it can achieve, despite handicaps. Theories of Psychoanalysis Consciously or unconsciously, my concept of personality is derived from three theorists: Freud, Jung and Bandura. Importantly, the 'structure of personality' (Ewen 6) as per each construct shall be delineated here, with a further discussion of how they have helped in my understanding of the human personality. 'Construct' refers to "a set of terms and principles constructed or applied by the theorist" that constitutes a theory and they are useful in explaining the particular theory of personality and comparisons between them (Ewen 4); like for example Jung's theory of psyche and the human personality is marked by the terms and descriptions like the 'collective unconscious' and archetypes (Ewen 6). First in the discussion shall be Sigmund Freud. Von Schubert, Carus, and Schopenhauer, had already done some research in the field of 'unconscious' (Ewen 7-8). Freud's concept consists of the constructs - id, ego, and superego (Freud 1923 p.8). He holds that the human being is driven by powerful instincts which get activated when the body is mature. Human beings are born with an Id which may be understood as basic instincts like hunger, sleep and so on.

The Interactional View by Watzlawick Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Interactional View by Watzlawick - Essay Example The Interactional View says that the first axiom is people are always communicating, even when they are not saying anything. It says that communication is content plus relationship. Content is what people say, while relationship is how people say them. Metacommunication is also the relationship, which the way people communicate about their communication. The last time my grandmother and I talked, the content of our topic is dating. She warned about dating white Americans because of her stereotyping that they can have very sexual views of women. I did not want to correct her that even Chinese men also have sexual views of women. Then, I told her that I am not currently dating any white or any other ethnic or racial group, but if I did, it should not be a problem because I own my heart and life. She got angry and yelled at me over the phone and hanged up. I was very hurt, but I called her again and said sorry. I remember now that my metacommunication regarding this topic is angry and d efensive. I have disrespected my grandmother. To understand more my communication with my grandmother, I can use the concepts of complementary interchange, one-up communication, one-down communication, and one-across communication. Complementary interchange means that parties know that they have power differences. One-up communication is a move to control the exchange, one-down communication is a move to give control of the exchange, and one-across communication is the move to level the control of the exchange.  

Minutes of associated student organization Essay

Minutes of associated student organization - Essay Example In fact, Sarah and Michael had a screaming match about the amount the fees had increased in the past for the next half hour. Although it was facetiously entertaining, it emphasized the degree of seriousness this particular issue has brought the student community. A resolution was passed collectively to protest against this increase; nevertheless, one of the students, Bob, refused to sign his name to anything due to his phobia about commitments. The second issue that was discussed was the lineup for the next semester’s musical events. Bob remarked that there were too many country acts, and not enough alternative acts. He noted, â€Å"A little country goes a long way†, which spurred conflict with Marty, another member of the body. Marty vented, â€Å"What do you want, some idiot in leather who spits up fake blood.† He added that country acts are popular in the whole community as compared to alternative acts, which draw audiences very poorly. With the current policy of up-front deposits required by Elite Productions, the body agreed to ensure that we don’t book any weak acts, which could deplete the whole budget of the student organization for the entire year. Bob replied that he did not mean to neither degrade nor insult country acts, and the two agreed to discuss the issue at a deeper

Rivalry Among Firms In Global Hospitality

Rivalry Among Firms In Global Hospitality The Porters 5 forces framework is an outside-in approach whereby the industry forces affecting the business performance is analysed to facilitate managers in decisions to direct their resources in achieving maximum profitability. The 5 forces identified by Porter are the horizontal competition from substitutes, new entrants and existing rivals as well as the vertical competition from the bargaining power of suppliers and buyers (Porter, 1980). In this essay, the author would like to analyse the competitiveness of the hospitality industry by critically evaluating the strength of each force individually with relevant examples and identify the most influential force. 2.1 Threat of new entrants Threats of new entrants are one of the principal forces of Porters theory of five forces (Porter, 1980). Bain (1956) who initiated the study of entry barriers identified the major barriers as capital requirements, economies of scale, product differentiation, government approval and absolute costs. These barriers create constraints for new entrants to enter the industry, creating fewer competitors therefore retaining the market shares of existing firms to achieve higher profit (Botten and McManus, 1999). International hotel chains enjoy large economies of scale (Salinger, 1990) as they have huge numbers of hotel chains and brands therefore expanding their market power. The Hilton Worldwide brand shares the same source of supply through their supply management system and customer database through their technology platform, the OnQ system across all hotel chains (Hilton Worldwide, 2012; Hilton Franchise, 2012), forcing new entrants with small scales to accept the cost disadvantage which directly affects their profits and sustainability (Pearce and Robinson, 2009). Due to the analogous product and service offerings, brand identification is the best way for hotel chains to differentiate themselves from competitors (Dubà © Renaghan, 2000; Makadok, 2010). International hotel chains has succeeded in creating brand awareness through rapid expansions of brands such as Hilton and Holiday Inn (Okumus et al., 2010) with assurance of quality as well as the implementation of different loyalty programmes, causing new entrants the challenge to overcome customer loyalty (Kandampully and Suhartanto, 2000). Capital requirement of opening a new hotel is very high. It incurs high fixed costs (Chung, 2000) for the land and the construction plus renovation of the hotel. Huge amount of start-up and running cost is also required to recruit employees and roll-out marketing activities such as the development of the hotel brand through advertising as well as research and development activities (Matovic, 2002). Huge budgets must also be allocated for maintenance and u pkeep of the hotel property (Hall, 1987). Besides structural barriers which are influenced by the nature of the industry, there are also behavioural barriers which Sigfried and Evans (1994) describe as the retaliation strategies firms implements such as patents, predatory pricing, and exclusivity agreements with suppliers and distributors. However, the liberation of trade barriers by governments due to the trend of globalisation lowers the entry barriers especially in developing countries which do not have the resources to provide sufficient hospitality services and requires foreign firms to help develop the tourism sector (Hitt and Hoskisson, 1999). Conversely certain government do limit entries and provide exclusive rights to the local firms. Weighing the facts in this study, barriers of entry to the hospitality industry is still considered relatively high, especially to the luxury segment where more investment and development of brand is required, and customers loyalty in existing luxury brands are already high which is proved by the high prices the consumers are willing to pay for a hotel room. In the budget or midscale segment, new entrants could attempt price penetration but the sustainability of the business could be unfeasible if consumers choices are dependent on the pricing only (Graf, 2011). Generally the threat of new entrant is fairly low, but could increase if there is liberal trading policies and high concentration of the industry in the particular location. But once a new entrant decides to take the high risk of entering the industry and has the ability to innovate and make differentiation in products and services, they will aggressively pursue market share to cover the high fixed cost invested (Matovic, 200 2), raising the competition level in the industry. 2.2 Threat of substitutes Porter (1980) has also identified the threat of substitute in increasing intensity of rivalry. Substitutes give consumers more options often with better prices or value in achieving the same basic needs or wants. Substitutes are often not identified as primary rivals, making them difficult to be anticipated by firms (Magretta 2012). The presence of substitutes limits the profitability of firms by placing a ceiling in prices and increase price elasticity of the hotel product (Porter, 1980). When the pricing factor is considered, threats are formed when substitutes offer lower prices for the similar product, offer better quality products with a slight increase in price and when lower quality of products is provided with a significant drop in prices (Lewis et al., 1989). Technological advancement supported by the high speed of internet has posed significant threat to the meeting and conference facility of a hotel which are the main revenue source of business hotels with the availability of teleconferencing. Many corporate companies would consider teleconferencing to be an ideal choice as it eliminates the high cost incurred for flight tickets, lodging and rental of conference facilities and equipment as well as the time consuming trips (Leocha, 2009). Other potential substitutes for the business traveller segments could be corporate guesthouses and long stay hotels (Regal Wing, 2011) whereas leisure travellers could opt for cheaper alternatives such as rented apartments, informal lodging with friends or families, RVs, camping, simple capsule hotels or make plans for overnight rides by long hour flight, train or bus. Business of airport hotels are also affected by the availability of sleeping capsules and rooms in airports (USA today, 2009) which remo ves the need of transit passengers to rent day rooms in hotels. However, threats of substitutes in upper-scale luxury hotels are relatively low because consumers of this segment demands for exceptional comfort along with exclusive service standards, amenities and recognition which typical substitutes could not meet (Griffin et al., 1997). There are many substitutes in the hospitality industry except for the high end hotels. The author concludes that the overall threat of substitute is moderate as the availability of substitutes is very dependent on the location of the hotel and consumer preferences as hotel provides more comfort, convenience and security compared to the substitutes. 2.3 Power of suppliers The power of suppliers has direct impact on the profitability of hotels as it controls the input of the hotel which is vital for the operations of any hotel and provides flexibility to a hotel to give surplus to their customers. The hospitality industry is considered a matured industry (Martel 1974) and there are many suppliers who are readily in the market (Kim and Oh, 2004; Olsen and Roper 1998). Hotel suppliers include outsourced firms providing operational services such as accounting, maintenance, security, promotion and storage (Burt and Pinkerton, 1996) or even off-premise laundry services. Real estate agencies are important suppliers when hotels are planning their pipelines and there are many which are available and competing for businesses from hotels as the investment is very huge. With active mergers and acquisitions in the industry, many hotel chains are actually affiliated with real estate companies such as Hilton Worldwide, La Quita Inn and Motel 6 being acquired by Blackstone group with active real estate businesses (Wikipedia, 2012) eliminating the need of suppliers. However, power of a particular supplier would be high if hotels are searching for unique locations. Another main input of a hotel would be the employees. With the development of hotel schools and relevant courses, many qualified personnel are available for management trainee programmes and further contribute to the hotels. Hotels are often given credit to the ability to reduce unemployment rate of an area, proving that the ratio of supplier to firm is higher (Hassan, 2000). However hotels face the issue of shortage in manpower during peak seasons due to the employment strategies of hotel establishments to have a core of full time employees and employ casual and part-time labour to meet fluctuation of demand (Lufferty, 1998). The nature of part-time employment results in high turnover rates and high training resources. A centralised supply management system and is often integrated across brands of major hotel chains, giving strong negotiation power to the hotel, making business from hotels indispensable to suppliers (Cox, 1999). With the vast growth of the information technology sector, there are many property management systems without significant product differentiation for hotel chains to choose from, thus giving hotels high buying powers. Another plus point for hotel groups is the practice of vertical integrations and the opportunity of backward integration (Lafferty and van Fossen, 2001) by owning own real estate agencies, manufacturing plants and hotel schools such as the Accor training academy. Summing up the relevant facts shows that the power of suppliers in the hospitality industry is low. 2.4 Power of buyers The hospitality industry has many buyers including corporate companies, travel agencies and individual travellers or the user itself. Price sensitivity of buyers depends on the hotel segmentation (Go and Pine, 1995). Buyers of budget hotel segments are generally more price sensitive than those of the luxury segment who appreciates higher quality of services rather than affordability. Switching cost of buyers could be increased through loyalty programmes which provide more value and benefit to buyers as a reward of repetitive patronisation (Kandampully and Suhartanto, 2000). Corporate and travel agent discounts are also given reduce the power of buyers to switch their suppliers (Jones et al, 2007). Buyer power has increase through distribution channels of hotels in the internet. It gives buyers access to information and reviews of different hotels available and compare them instantly (Law and Hsu, 2005). Gu and Canoon (1998) suggest that buyer power could be subject to seasonality depending on the availability of disposable income and leisure time or the geographical factors of the location such as weather, and hotels implement yield management to gain maximum profitability with considerations of these factors (Burgess and Bryant, 2001). During peak seasons when there is an undersupply of rooms and lower price elasticity, hotel products would be sold at rack rates, decreasing buyer power of price negotiating. In contrast with low season and periods of slow economy growth where hotels strive to fill up occupancy to achieve minimum profit to breakeven, buyer power will increase significantly with attractive packages of value and choice of accommodation in the available hotel chains (Kandampully and Suhartanto, 2000). In summary, the power of buyers in is moderate depending on different circumstances. 2.5 Rivalry among firms The level of competition within existing firms in the hospitality industry also affects the profitability of firms (Porter, 1980). Despite the uncertainty in economy, the tourism sector is showing steady growth and remains strong across the globe. It is forecasted that at the end of year 2012, there would be 1 billion international tourist arrivals globally. Growth is shown in every region, with comparison with the previous year, Asia Pacific showed the highest growth of 8%, Africa with 7%, America with 5%, and Europe with 4%, Middle East only showed growth of 0.7% as the region is still recovering from the effect of the Arab Spring (UNWTO, 2012).The growth in tourism increases the demand in the lodging industry therefore encouraging international hotel chains to develop strategic planning to accommodate the tourist by the expansion of their brands in potential markets (Lafferty and van Fossen, 2001). Expansions can be done rapidly with the trend of franchise licensing and management contracts (Chen and Dimou, 2005). The hospitality industry involves many firms including international and domestic hotel chains ranging from luxury, full service, mid-scale, boutique and budget hotels to accommodate needs of different customer segments. Main international chains found around the globe would be The Intercontinental group, Wyndham Hotel Group, Marriot International, Hilton Worldwide, Accor group, Choice hotels, Best Western, Starwood, Carlson and Global Hyatt with growing numbers of room each year. The hotel industry performance outlook of 2012 provided by tripadvisor shows that 58% of global hotels believe that their firm can gain more profitability in future. Survey done by Travelocity shows that 76% of consumer are planning to spend more on travelling and 53% of consumers are planning to travel more compared to year 2011. This implies a positive growth in the hospitality industry (Marketing chart, 2012). The nature of the hotel business shows the need of international expansion to meet demands with wide dispersion of geographical spectrum (Matthews, 1997) as the carrying capacity is fixed and the services provided by hotels can only meet the demand of consumer if it is present in the location. Firms such as international hotel chains operating in the same location have market similarities as they share the same sets of market (Chen, 1996). They compete for the same resources or customers and face the same constraints affected by the external environment. Location is the key determinant of ones rival as the role of a hotel is to satisfy the guest need to get accommodation at that specific area. The strategic decision in deciding the geographical location of a hotel is very crucial as it is the attribute of a hotel that is fixed the fixed cost incurred is very high and (Matovic, 2002). Hotel chains develop in the same location to justify the attractiveness of the area thus reducing the perceived risk of investment by managers (Markussen, 1990). Go and Pine (1995) argues that product segmentation which includes pricing and level of facilities should be considered while determining primary rivals but pricing is highly variable and the change in pricing could cause the hotel to meet new competitors and increase the number of competitors (Roginsky, 1995) therefore damaging the profitability potential of the industry. Rivalry is often high with firms existing in the same strategic group. Pearce and Robinson (2009) stated that a strategic group would consist of hotels with similar competitive strategies and market positioning; while Hatten and Schendel, (1977) propose that members of an industry can be classified into groups of similar strategy and structure. They have the same distribution channel, features of products and services provided, target market, and identical technology advancement. Strategic groups can be identified by comparing the competitive characteristics of firms by using almost a hundred possible variables (Ketchen et al. 1993) such as the quality range, geographic coverage, degree of service offered and degree of vertical integration. Firms that are present in the same strategic group are identified as a close rivals, assisting managers in constructing competitive strategies and allocate resources efficiently to be ahead of rivals (Matthews, 2000). Structural similarities of fi rms in the same strategic group cause them to be affected in the same way by external environmental changes and competitive strategies within the group. Imitation of strategies can be easily done within the same group which is supported by the institutional theory that shows the occurrence of similar competence between firms (Selznick, 1996) under the same internal and external environment causing isomorphism (Oliver, 1988). Isomorphism is the condition when firms competing in the same population share same characteristics. The environmental forces have mimetic influences on hotels (DiMaggio Powell, 1983), where the successful chain is often imitated by the rest to reduce uncertainty the need of investment in their own market research. Obligatory action also causes imitation, March (1981) quoted that obligatory action happens when enough firms do things in a particular fashion, it becomes the norm and from that point on, things are done that way without conscious thought. Caves and Porter (1980) suggest that the existence of strategic groups gives an advantage to members of a strategic group by creating a high entry barrier to new e ntrants because of the saturation of competition within. Besides the factors mentioned above, rivalry among firms are intensified due to the high exit barriers (Dess et al, 2004) associated with significant capital investment as well as the high exit cost such as the depreciation cost of fixed assets, severance pay for employees and compensation cost for breach of contracts with suppliers and buyers. Exit barriers are especially high for large hotel chain with multiple locations, extensive interconnection with different suppliers and buyers, and large pool of employees. The high amount of sunk and exit cost pressures the exit- prospective hotel to keep its market share and continue running the business along with the implementation of new strategies in hope to revive the performance of the hotel and maintain the employment of the large labour force involved. Perishable products offered by hotels create the urgency in selling the product as soon as possible to capture revenue, elevating the competition especially during off-peak season with oversupply of rooms (Matthews, 1997). For leisure travellers who do not travel frequently and has no brand preferences, the switching cost is very low or almost nothing as they would be attracted to any hotel chain which gives more perceived value or has lower price without considering the brand of the hotel chain, making them a potential customer for any hotel chain (Kandampully and Suhartanto, 2000). Hotel products have very limited potential of differentiation because the basic need of accommodation and shelter for tourist could easily be met and strategies of one hotel could be easily imitated by the other because of the lacking in patented knowledge and technology (Dunning McQueen, 1982). Weighing the factors and reasoning contributing to the rivalry among firms, the author suggest that this is t he strongest force in Porters five forces affecting level of competition in the hospitality industry. 3.1 Conclusion Given the analysis in the many competitive forces found between rivals, the author suggests that the intensity of rivalry among firm is strong but not to the brutal stage yet. Although growth in mature industries such as the hospitality industry is generally slower, the emergence of complement products such as cheap flights and additional frequent routes has facilitated tourism growth therefore benefiting the hotel businesses (Rey et al., 2011). Development of outbound tourism in emerging BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, Africa) countries and other Asia Pacific region which is expected to capture 29% of total international tourist arrival in 2030 (UNWTO, 2012) encourages the growth of hotel pipelines, giving the hotel business a very good prospect of the future. The hotel industry is also a multi-billion dollar industry with signs of rebound due to the healing economy (Hotel News Now, 2012) with large hotel chains co-existing enjoying great amount of profitability especially with the increase growth in the tourism and motivation in travelling. Furthermore, although many hotel chains exist in the industry, different hotels define competitors with different criteria such as segmentation, price and proximity (Whitla et al, 2007) depending on its strategic group. Word count: 3289

Personal Narrative: Term Paper Procrastination :: Free Essay Writer

3:30 A.M. finds me in front of a glowing computer screen yet again. I’m waiting for inspiration. My friends, kind enough to let me use their dorm room and their Macintosh, are asleep in their beds just feet away in the half-darkness, reaping the rewards of their wisdom: they haven’t waited until the night before like I have. I take swigs of Mountain Dew from a plastic mug; it’s the sweet nectar of the Gods of Last-Minute Paper Writing. No, make that bittersweet nectar -- the taste of sugary green goodness reminds me, with every swallow, that I’ve sentenced myself to another unnecessary all-nighter. I have few ideas and even less time†¦ The blinking computer cursor on an otherwise empty screen was the college version of the blank white page of my earlier years, before technology had taken us so far. But for me it was, in many ways, the same old problem. With early drafts of a paper rarely required, I came time and time again to a point where a significant portion of my grade rested on what was essentially a single night’s work. I usually left myself no option but to write in one long session on a computer - there weren’t enough hours remaining to compose a version on paper to be typed up afterward. And time and again, my method, such as it was, worked for me. I not only survived but prospered. But I sometimes wondered, and still wonder: this works, but am I progressing? Has my writing grown? Should it be possible to turn out an â€Å"A† paper in a night? What standards are being used to judge these papers? Do my desperate all-night writing sessions somehow, in ways I don’t understand, hel p me improve? How did I learn to write at a level that has helped me succeed up to this point? My early writing education is mostly lost to my conscious memory, but I do think that regular reading, from a young age, of books of all sorts loomed large in that education. I remember a prose piece from sixth-grade â€Å"honors† English And Reading class called â€Å"Mutants†. It was my response to an assignment to write â€Å"a book†; about thirty handwritten pages, it was made up of two separate stories about young people with super-powers. I was at the time a huge fan of a comic book (recently popularized on film) called â€Å"The X-Men†, about a group of people born with strange powers who fought for good even though they were feared and hated by the public.

The Devil from “Young Goodman Brown” Nathaniel Hawthorne

Character Analysis of: The Devil Sometimes there is a feeling that reeks of â€Å"no†, because what is about to be done is immoral, but there is an even larger, overpowering feeling that says â€Å"yes†. This, in the minds of many can be interpreted as the devil working his way into our in our daily lives. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†, the devil does just that. The devil is not, in fact, the main character but has the most impact on Goodman Brown. The devil has worked his way into many of the puritan’s lives, leaving them with horrid secrets to bear. But, the devil worked his way into Goodman Brown’s soul, which leaves him spiritually dead before he actually dies. The devil is a part of mans everyday life whether it is liked or not. In â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†, Hawthorne makes this clear by using different characteristics, actions, symbolisms, and the relationship that the Puritans have with the devil. The devil is a very sly but wise character; he will try to find ways to make a man sin without, man, necessarily knowing about it. The devil has many different personas, but to Goodman Brown he looks like a normal man from the village. This is an example of a wise decision, because looking like a â€Å"normal† man from Salem makes him seem more trustworthy and more attractive to Goodman Brown. The devil makes several wise decisions that put himself ahead of man. The most important and only goal that the devil has is to get Goodman Brown so far lost into sin, â€Å"the forest†, that he can no longer find his way out, or â€Å"his faith†. The devil is trying to get Goodman Brown away from the holy Puritan lifestyle, tempting him to leave the safety of his home and head to the uncertainty of the forest. In the mid 1800’s the Puritans thought of the forest as being the â€Å"devil’s domain†, or the â€Å"devils breeding ground. † They associated the forest with Native Americans, which in that time the Puritans thought that if you didn’t believe in â€Å"the God†, then you were of the devil. The devil is consistently referred to, in the text, as â€Å"his fellow-traveler†, this could be symbolic for the fact that they both are traveling to the same place, or that they have sin in their lives and were headed in the same direction. The devil is never far from his staff, nor is he without knowing its location. His staff symbolizes the snake from the Garden of Eden, and the sin in life. He can get where he needs to be very quickly, this and the fact that Goody Cloyse’s broomstick flies leads me to think that witchcraft and the supernatural play a big part in the lives of these characters. Throughout the story the devil does not change his view on life, the way he acts, or the way he treats others. These characteristics make him a flat character. Hawthorne hints that the devil could be Goodman Browns father; this creates a link between these two main characters. This could mean that the devil and Goodman Brown actually are related or that the devil is actually Goodman Brown’s internal opposing force, almost as if he had multiple personalities. The devil tells Goodman Brown that he has, â€Å"†¦been as well acquainted with your family as with ever a one among the Puritans†¦Ã¢â‚¬  this means that everyone in the Puritan world has met with the devil himself. This may also mean that all of the Puritans have a secret sin that they have to bear for the rest of their lives. The devil found his way into Goodman Brown’s soul and vanquished faith. The rest of Goodman Browns life was lived with excruciating pain, not physical pain but emotional pain. He was able to see what everyone was hiding behind their own personal mask. Goodman Brown lived the rest of his life not with the devil on his right shoulder but with the devil as this conscious.

japanese history essays

japanese history essays What essential roles did the ubasoku play in the assimilation of the Buddhist religion into the folk culture? Of the most influential people in early Buddhism the ubasoku were the main driving forces in the integration of rural Japan. These traditional shamanistic, Buddhists had come over from China and Korea. In their own country states they had supported the wrong group of politicians or they were just run out of their homelands for other various reasons. They had brought over the ways of Buddhism and superiour technology to help the native Japanese. The ubasoku were exiles, but with their superior technology they had no problem gaining acceptance in the upper class of Japanese society. The ubasoku had many unusual magical powers that intrigued both the upper and rural classes. Many of the ubasoku dwelled in the mountains and relied on the mountins to provide them with shelter and hard to come by land. On occasion a powerful member of the upper class would come to need the services of a shaman, and make the journey out to the mountains. The powerful person and their entourage would usually draw the attention of the rural people. This would provide the obasoku with sort of a commercial endorsement. This was probably one of the reasons that the peasants first elected to make the difficult journey into the mountains to observe the powers of the ubasoku. The peasants may have also needed guides on their pilgrimages to pray in the mountains. The style of ubasoku that they would encounter in the mountains would have been the yama-bushi, or holy men who sleep in the mountains. The only way that these men would have been discovered or sought out would have been with the reputation that the their cousins the junrei, known as pilgrims who traveled the country side with the intention of helping remove evil sprits or just helping people on their way to nirvana. Most of the ubasoku had strange mystical powers. Ma ...

buy custom Corporate Social Responsibility essay

buy custom Corporate Social Responsibility essay For a long time, there have been endless debates on whether businesses should give back to the society, especially the communities in the vicinity of businesses. It can be argued that any person who establishes a business does it with the purpose of gaining profits and furthering personal interests. However, civil society and other advocacy organizations have been pressurizing business entities to give back to the community as a way of paying them back for allowing them to operate in their environment (Hughes 2008). Due to this, most corporations have felt obligated to give charitable services to the society, such as promoting health and education by building institutions to offer such services. Corporations also give back to the society though employing local personnel as well as improving infrastructural facilities, such as roads, building play grounds and places of worship. However, most corporations feel that by being socially responsible, their ultimate goal of making profits is compromised. The argument for this case is that, when a company focuses on making profits, in the end it will be socially responsible as all stakeholders will benefit from it. Therefore, corporations fulfill their social duties by pursuing profits and should not be pushed to forego this goal since by doing so the benefits that come with it will be lost. Do Businesses Have Social Responsibilities? Classical View As mentioned above, the social responsibility of corporations is to make profits since it is in such a pursuit that everyone benefits; shareholders gain profits from their investment whereas other stakeholders, such as customers get high quality products. For example, in the pursuit of profits, a company that deals with the processing of foods can focus on producing foods that are low fat and healthier so as to attract more customers. This will benefit the company in that more people will buy such foods hence increasing the company sales. On the other hand, customers will be healthy and avoid eating related diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, and blood pressure. According to McWilliams (2008), corporations end up improving social welfare by focusing on making profits. A theory of corporate social responsibility by Friedman concurs with Adam Smiths view that, when companies pursue the goal of making profits, the whole society benefits (Hood 1998). Friedman, in his classical view of social responsibility, argues that since the ultimate goal of any business corporation is to make profits, managers should never at any time use shareholders money to pursue social interests. Therefore, any money spent in any activity should proof to be worth it. Further, Friedman argues that businesses do not have any responsibilities and hence can not be held to be socially responsible, only their owners. As quoted in Hood (1998), Friedman holds the strong view that any business has only one social duty of making use of its resources and being involved in activities aimed at increasing its profits as long as it operates under the set rules. Moreover, in the pursuit of maximizing profits, companies end up delivering unique social benefits. In support of Friedmans views, Hood (1998), states that any private business fulfills its social responsibility only when it tries to make profits. Additionally, an argument by Visser (2007) is in support of Friedmans view that companies should be left to pursue the goal of making profits. In this argument, Karnani holds the view that by forcing corporations to be socially responsible through doing some acts of charity, shareholders in turn lose their profits. Therefore, any manager who would not focus on making profits for the corporation is going against the stakeholders aim of maximizing profits. These stakeholders include the customers, shareholders, government, generl public among others (Branco Rodrigues, 2007). In some cases, such managers can face dismissal. As a result of the pressure to give back to the society, some companies claim to be socially responsible only though talking, but no action accompanies such words (Haynes 2010). Therefore, companies according to Kalind (2001) should be left free to maximize their profits since at the end social benefits will be realized. Branco Rodrigues (2007) maintains that businesses do not owe anything to the society as long as they conform to the set rules and regulations. However, Janda Pitts` (2009) view differs with that of Friedmans in that, it supports some degree of dishonesty when undertaking any business activity. Janda Pitts (2009), in support of his pure profit-making view argues that dishonesty is part of the strategy for success in business since business people have lower moral standards as compare to the rest of the society. Moreover, Janda Pitts (2009) holds the opinion that as long as a business operates under the legally set of laws, it has no moral obligation towards the society. On the other hand, Friedmans view supports honesty in business, which according to Branco Rodrigues (2007), can be referred to as the constrained profit-making view. Another argument against corporate social responsibility is by the chief economist, David Henderson (Branco Rodrigues 2007). In his 2005 publication, Henderson argues that corporate social responsibility affects a companys resource allocation procedure (Branco Rodrigues 2007). His argument is that, when companies engage in CSR activities, they lose focus of their ultimate goal of profit making. This will in turn end up misappropriating company finances which will lead to losses. The losses will then increase poverty, since it will make the shareholders poorer (Sun 2010). Moreover, Henderson holds the opinion that CSR regulations or laws that are formulated to support CSR lead to decreased business operations, which will translate into ineffective markets, reduced wealth generation and increased social inequity and poverty (Branco Rodrigues 2007). Hendersons views in general support that businesses have the ultimate goal of profit making and wealth creation and, therefore, are not obl igated to serve the community in any other capacity. Branco Rodrigues (2007) is in support of the view that a businesss sole purpose is profit maximization. These authors argue that managers find it difficult to carry out their duties as well as to make decisions in cases, where the company has multiple objectives. Therefore, it is vital that businesses hold the shareholders interests of profit maximization close at heart so as to create wealth, which in the end will lead to more benefits to the society at large. Stakeholder View This is a theory that supports the involvement of companies in CSR activities. The theory holds the view that apart from shareholders, there are other groups that are interested in the actions of any business. These groups are generally referred to as stakeholders and are in one way or another affected by the actions of a business entity. Stakeholders range from customers, employees, suppliers as well as the communities around the business entity. This theory holds the view that a company should not only focus on profit maximization and wealth generation but should also strive to improve the welfare of its stakeholders (Roper 2007). Therefore, despite businesses being established solely as profit making entities, they have some responsibilities to the general public (McWilliams 2008). Other strong supporters of the stakeholder view are Janda Pitts (2009), who argue that, corporations are owned by interrelated groups of people who are affected by the actions of the corporations in diifferent ways, either positively or negatively (Branco Rodrigues 2007). Corporations should, therefore, embrace CSR so as to be sustainable and to brig forth benefits for all stakeholders. According to Cohen (2005), businesses should embrace moral values, since economics is deeply infused with ethics. Any business activity being undertaken should always strive to protect the interests of all stakeholders. For example, a cement manufacturing company has the responsibility of ensuring that all its employees always wear protective gear so as to protect them from work related disease, injuries among other dangers that may arise in the work place. This company also has the responsibility of ensuring that proper pollution control measures are put in place so as to ensure that the communities around them are not affected negatively. In addition, such a company has a responsibility to protect the environment from pollution as well as to ensure that it harvests natural resources in a sustainable way. This example shows that the shareholders will achieve their interests of profit making, whereas the community and the environment who are stakeholders will be protected from harm (Hart 2011). Another supporter of the stakeholder view is Sacconi (2004), who, in his three- dimensional conceptual model argues that, any company has several social responsibilities. This model describes CSR as having four categories that include legal, social, ethical, and philanthropic (Friedman 1970). Economically, any company is expected to produce high quality products that are good for customers, whereas legally it has the responsibility of conforming to the set rules and regulations. On the other hand, ethical responsibilities of a company include undertaking of business activities in a way that respect societal values, norms, and standards. The philanthropic category entails a companys responsibility to voluntarily support the society with the intention of improving its welfare. For example, an automobile manufacture industry has the economic responsibility of manufacturing vehicles that meet the consumers needs, while at the same time conforming to the governments regulations. Such a co mpany can also build an engineering institution for the community around so as to support science and technology in that community. In summary, the stakeholder view holds that corporations should undertake their activities with the aim of fulfilling the interests of all stakeholders. A strong argument in this theory is that, a corporation should establish good relations with all stakeholders so as to grow and be successful. Any business should not only focus on wealth creation and profit making, but also on improving social interests (McWilliams 2008). Businesses have been for a long time been pressurized to be socially responsible to enhance their short and long-term sustainability. However, this has been met by opposition from various economists who argue that the sole purpose of any business is profit maximization and wealth creation. Therefore, any deviation from this objective will lead to great losses for shareholders. The classical view has been supported by such authors like Friedman and Carr who argue that businesses should strive to make profits, while conforming to the set rules and regulations. This view holds that businesses are obligated to serve the shareholders interests only and hence are not obligated to serve the interests of the society. On the other hand, the stakeholder view supported by authors, such as Freeman and Carroll, calls organizations to be socially responsible. Generally, companies are urged to embrace CSR at all levels of their operations. By doing this, they are able to attract and retain customer s, investors among other key stakeholders, who ensure short and long-term growth of the business. In addition, the companies are required to fulfill ethical, economic, philanthropic, as well as legal obligations so as to be successful (McWilliams 2008). Buy custom Corporate Social Responsibility essay buy custom Corporate Social Responsibility essay Introduction Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a form of policy where a business organization employs a self regulating mechanism that will provide the business with appropriate information. These policies ensure that the company complies with the set laws, ethical and international standards of there business activities (Grace, 2005). The main objective of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is to encourage the companys actions and also support a constructive impact through its activities with the aim of conserving the environment and also maintaining a good relationship between the company and its employees, customers, shareholders, community and all the other members of the public (Garriga Mel 2008).. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a way in which the organizations incorporates the views and interests of the public in the decision making process of the organization as a strategy used by an organization to maintain the close relationship with the public (Ismail, 2009). It also encourages public interests into the organization by eliminating practices that will harm the great coexistence between the community and the organization; while promoting the growth and development of the community and customers of the organization. It should be noted that this is also a strategy that is being used by the organization to generate extra financial gains and also increase its customers outreach (Lantos, 1998). Incase the organization doesnt record any increase in the sales and customer improvement the organization has no reasons of continuing with its activities as it is a waste of time and resources. Therefore it has to stop undertaking the Corporate Social responsibly role and thus i ndulge in other activities that will increase its sales and productivity (Smith et al, 2006). 1. Marks and Spencer is a leading British retailer company that specializes in the selling of clothing and extravagant food products. The store headquarters is located in the city of Westminster, London with more that 700 stores in England and more than 300 more stores spread allover the world (Murray, 2009). The company had introduced a new Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy commonly known as "Plan A" (Marks Spencer Inc, 2010). The plan was launched as an initiative by Marks and Spencer MS January 2007; and will last for the next 5 years. It was intended to be used by the organization to ensure that it would be in a position of providing its customers with efficient environmental and ethical operations that will benefit the customers well being in the society (Garriga Mel 2008). Some of these measures that the company employed included the uses of Fair-trade products, use of environment friendly dyes on its clothes and sustainable fishing (Murray, 2009). As these aspects were seen as some important ways in which the organization can be able to conducts it business fairly and at the same time improve the relationshp that exists between the organization and its customers. The plan A that was initiated with the organization back in the year 1997 had vowed to undertake more than 100 commitments that were seen as the key factors that were seen as the greater challenges. These challenges were both in the organization and the entire universe some of these challenges they included the health, fair-trade (Partnership), climate change, waste products, and raw materials sustainability. With all these plans the companies was aiming at tackling these challenges and at the same time improve the livelihood of the communities in the world and at the same time benefiting from the social welfare of the customers and the community that is around the organization (Grace, 2005). The company will be in a position of making it as one of the major retailer store in the world by 2012; this is because it has been able to achieve and fulfill the key possible strategies that will be more responsive in ensuring that the organization relationship with its customers is improved. Thus the plane will ensure that the customers, employees and the surrounding community is in a position of becoming one of the most successful retail store organization in the world (Marks Spencer Inc, 2010). The first target that is set by the organization is to ensure that the organization is environmental friendly; this is by Becoming a carbon neutral organization. This is seen as the most pressing issue in the world today and this will add some credits on the organization as this will be seen as a good initiative used by the organization in conserving the world today. This is by reducing the rates of carbon gas emissions into the atmosphere; thus making it the friendliest organization as it is concerned with the environment of where it conducts its activities (Lantos, 1998). The organization will also be the most sorted after Retail Store Company this is when the organization implements its Corporate Social Responsibility that will help improve the lives of the people in the supply chain (Visser, et al 2008). This is well categorized when the organization will tend to strengthen the relationship that exists between the organization and its competitors. This is when the organization will negotiate with its competitors and thus come to a point of selling its products at a slight lower price that will be of great benefit for the customers of the retail store. With the implementation of this will definitely result to an increase in customers who will be purchasing their products from the stores; this is as a result of the store selling its products at reasonable and affordable prices (Smith et al, 2006). 2. The 2010 Mark and Spencers CSR report that was released by the organization ensured that the organization was in a position of achieving its 100 commitments that are supposed to be of greateer benefit the customers, employees, suppliers and the environment in general (Pitts, et al. 2009). This will subsequently make it easy for the organization to be able to supply and be of great benefit to the organization that is more beneficial to both the organization and the community around the organization. Plan A also known as the How we Do business ensured that the company was in a position of succeeding in the retail industry by ensuring that its 5 main objectives of the Plan A are successfully completed without interfering with the ways in which the organization performs its activities (Marks Spencer Inc, 2010). The organizations main way or Corporate Social Responsibility was aimed at ensuring that the organization fulfill the social, environmental and ethical performances this will efficiently ensure that the organization is in the point of facilitating the recommended plan that will oversee the success of the organization Plan A. It is noted that all these recommended commitments that were established and initiated in 1997 with the aims of ensuring that the customers, employees and the other stakeholders are incorporated in the decision making of the organization (Visser, et al 2008). In matters that pertain to the environment conservation the company has bee able to monitor its contributions in the emission of carbon in the atmosphere. This eventually made it easy for the organization to reduce and regulate the rates in which the environment is destroyed. This reduced the rate of emission of carbon into the organization by 8% (Marks Spencer Inc, 2010). The organization has also managed to reduce the rate of waste matters it disposes to the world by approximately 33% of the previously recorded cases. This has been as a result of sensitization that has been constantly been conducted by the organization on the importance of the waste disposal management (Ismail, 2009). In social welfare the organization has achieved in the improvement of the lives of the people who are less privileged in the society; this is from the initiative that the organization had implemented of buying green palm certificates. These would be used by the organization to raise money by employees and the customers in order to ensure the organization funds all projects. Such projects were directed and stated in the third world nations as a way of raising the social status of the of the people living in these critical situations. The organization has also achieved in its health plan; this is in both the employees and the customers. This is by introducing them into healthy eating habits that will help reduce the cases of obesity and heart failure conditions (Marks Spencer Inc, 2010). Thus the organization stated the selling of cakes and bread that contains marginally reduced calories; in view of the fact that they will pose no health risks on the people eating them and this is when its sells these products to the entire store it has worldwide. Buy custom Corporate Social Responsibility essay

Market Segmentation and Muslim Loyalty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Market Segmentation and Muslim Loyalty - Essay Example the above needs and have, with professional help and advice, divided the markets into various segments catering to different groups and sub-groups of customers. They have done this by discovering their needs and determining the want of their customers. In order to attract a large customer base of Muslims it has on offer Halal Food in its stores, especially in areas where there is large concentration of Muslim population. The decision is based on their current habits, needs and the affluence that makes them potential and recurring customers. The question however arises whether is it sufficient to just introduce Halal food and sit back and expect loyalty from Muslim customers? For testing the veracity of Tesco’s move to introduce Halal Food it was necessary to make a survey. Hence a survey was carried out to find the perceptions of Muslims about the Halal Food offerings at Tesco outlets and to give it credibility; both Positivist and Post-Positivists Methods were applied. Positivist methods are based on Descriptive and Experimental Research. Their justification lies in Internal and External reliability of content and Validity through Random and Deliberate sampling of data. In case of Post-Positivist Research the method adopted are Naturalistic Inquiry and Narrative Inquiry. Here the justification is based on Trustworthiness, as the result is credible, confirmable, dependable and transferable. It is further validated by fairness of the research. The reason for adopting a mix of both methods is that while in Business and Management researches, the quantitative or the numerical approach to analysis is based on Positivism, unless this is qualified by qualitative means (post positivism), the numbers alone can often be misleading. For instance Sales figures of a particular time period are of little value unless they are further divided into sales of individual items with prices and costs for each treated separately, from which the contribution to profit or loss of

Employment Law in Ireland Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Employment Law in Ireland - Case Study Example What this means to Pisces is that Pisces is obligated to ensure Antonias safety, health and welfare. It also means that it has the obligation to conduct work activities in such a way that ensures her safety and to provide arrangements for her welfare and safety. In other words, if Antonias doctor states that the chemicals that she is exposed to on the job is hazardous to her health or the health of her baby, Pisces must make arrangements to ensure her welfare and safety. This does not necessarily mean that Antonia is automatically entitled to a desk job; there could be other arrangements that can be made, and it would be up to Pisces to discover what these are. If Pisces can find a way for Antonia to safely work in her current job, then this what they may be able to do, assuming that there might not be a desk job for Antonia. But, if there is a desk job for her, and she is qualified for it, then this would be best, for this would be safest and there would be no question that Pisces h as made accommodations and arrangements the ensure her safety. What they cannot do is summarily dismiss her. Lets assume that Pisces does not have a desk job for Antonia and there is no accommodation that can be made for her otherwise. Antonia is protected to some extent by the Sex Discrimination Order 1976, which states that an employer cannot treat an employee less favorably if she becomes pregnant than she would be treated if not pregnant (Sex Discrimination Order 1976). Antonia can arguably use this Order in her favor if Pisces decides to fire her, for, on its face, Pisces cannot fire her simply because she is pregnant (Hitch v. Smyth). Moreover, she might be covered by the Employment Equality Acts 1998-2008, which states that employers must take appropriate measures to enable a person with a disability access to employment (Employment Equality Acts 1998-2008 (1.7)). Although Antonia is not