12 Analyse Own Responsibilities For Promoting Essay

Analyse own responsibilities for promoting equality and valuing diversity. The Equality Act 2010 replaced and condensed over 100 pieces of anti-discrimination legislation, at its foundation it is unlawful to treat anyone less favourably on the grounds of his or her sexual orientation, disability, religion, sex, belief or age. As a trainer I should ensure that no student is discriminated against either directly or indirectly by fully understanding this act and how discrimination can arise. The following are protected characteristics and value diversity. Age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation The equality Act says you’ve been treated less fairly if you are a victim of Direct discrimination, Direct discrimination is when an individual has been treated differently and worse than someone else because of the above characteristics, for example if a hotel turned you away becau se you are gay this is direct discrimination. As well as direct discrimination there is indirect discrimination, this is not always as easy to spot. Indirect discrimination is when there’s a practice, policy or rule which applies to everyone in the same way, but it has a worse effect on some people than others. The Equality Act says it puts you at a particular disadvantage. For example a health club only accepts customers who are on the electoral register. This applies to all customers in the same way. But Gypsies and Travellers are less likely to be on the electoral register and therefore they’ll find it more difficult to join and this could be indirect discrimination. A workplace which values diversity is one in which all individuals in the workplace are treated in a fair and non-discriminatory manner. An initial step in achieving this goal is to establish a work environment where there is zero tolerance for any kind of harassment or discrimination and ongoing training is provided to help create a work environment that supports diversity and encourages the participation and retention of all. As a trainer it is my responsibility to ensure that anyone with any of the above protected characteristics or any characteristics not listed are not disadvantaged in any way either directly or indirectly as this is likely to be unlawful. This will be achiev e by ensuring that the environment is suitable for all, safe and that discrimination in any form will not be tolerated.

Causes of homelessness Essay

This essay will focus on two causes of homelessness, financial problems and family issues and illustrate some effects. In the first place, one of the main reasons that people become homeless is financial problems. As a result their physical condition will be very vulnerable. The personal bankruptcy causes their house to be repossessed, forcing them leave home and sleep anywhere they can find. No permanent house to live, no shelter, no bed, leaving them with a poor and unpredictable life. It will be a great danger especially in winter when many homeless people can sometimes freeze to death. Another thing that can affect homeless people’s health is lack of food. Their financial problems mean that they only have little money to live on. They do not even have enough money to buy basic food, not to mention high quality nutritious food. Only the cheapest food can be afforded which usually has very low nutrition and is bad quality. According to the scientific research we know long term insufficient intake of nutritious food can cause people to have a low immune system which makes them vulnerable to disease and that can lead them to another serious problem which is they do not have enough money to see doctor. Due to the financial problem they have to ignore the disease no matter how badly they are suffering. This kind behavior can cause many serious consequences because without medical care even a disease like a cold can be deadly. Although financial difficulty is a common reason for homelessness and has a serious influence on their physical health, family issues, like divorce or domestic violence, is also a significant factor that can lead to homelessness, especially among adolescents. Because teenagers have not developed maturity, in this period they need their parents’ company and guidance to develop psychological health like self-esteem, but homelessness forces them to go out into society when their m ental state is still very fragile. Since human beings have evolved into intelligent and emotional beings, self-esteem has always played a very important role in sustaining people’s mental health. Because homeless people’s living condition is very poor, they always look sloppy and that causes other people to be unwilling to talk to them. As a result the homeless people feel alienated by other people and feel no one cares about them anymore. At first they may become very angry, then they fell frustrated, and finally they quit on themselves and cannot feel their value to this society hence they start to see themselves as a burden to the  society. In this process their self-esteem becomes lower and lower and finally they may suffer severe mental damage.

The New York Stock Exchange Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The New York Stock Exchange - Essay Example The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is a non profit organization whose ownership is composed of 1300 members or â€Å"seats†. Richard Grasso was the Chairman of NYSE for several years during the first decade of the 21st century. He did a good job of as chairman of the NYSE increasing the productivity of the stock exchange. Some of his major accomplishments included tripling seat prices, investing $2 billion in information technology upgrades, and achieved record volume of business in a bad economy and tough competitive environment. The problem with his tenured as chairman is that he took advantage of his position to benefit economically beyond what he deserved. He also colluded with the board of directors creating agency issues that help him inflate his total compensation. For instance the Board of Directors was handpicked by Mr. Grasso. They were his puppets and would approve without debating the outrageous bonuses Richard Grasso paid himself. In 2003 when they scandal was rev ealed Richard Grasso received $2.3 million dollars in salary. The previous four years his total compensation ranged between $9.9 million and $24.2 million. Grasso was a greedy executive that acted in an unethical manner. Upon his resignation due to public pressures Grasso received a lump sum payout which included liquidation of pension plan of $140 million. The NYSE is most powerful and influential stock exchange in the world.

The Constraint of Global Peace and Security by Military Policies durin Assignment

The Constraint of Global Peace and Security by Military Policies during the Cold War - Assignment Example No country is immune from such situation in the future that can lead to a new round of confrontation and arms race, which in turn can cause an irreparable harm to society and to the world at large. It is a common knowledge that war, nuclear weapon, and its tests are destructive in the international conflict solution. However, no matter what, the idea of superiority and supremacy instinctively makes people fighting and trying to win. During the Cold War, our world faced with such situation, when two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union put at stake the further existing of the whole humanity. In the current paper, based on the facts from the analyzed literature, we will try to present objectively the course of a war, understand the reasons that shaped the situation, and draw the appropriate conclusions. In this respect, the main question of the current paper is how the parties of the conflict finally managed to restrain the military tension during the Cold War. After the fall of the Third Reich, there was no power in Europe that was able to oppose the Soviet Union. Therefore, in many Western European countries increased the influence of the left parties (the Labor Party won the elections in Great Britain in 1945) and the positions of the Communists strengthened. The USSR and the USA were the most powerful and influential countries economically, as well as in terms of military power. These countries were divided by the ideological contradiction, specifical communism against capitalism. The latter led to the obvious hostility in the international relations. The internal situation in these countries was characterized by the active impersonating and search of the enemy. The dissidence was also recognized as a form of subversive activity. Such atmosphere was quite a common situation since it was a characterizing feature of the totalitarian regime... In the United States, such internal tension gave birth to McCarthyism, the persecution of the cit izens, who were suspected in anti-American activities (Perry, Chase, Jacob, Jacob and Von Laue, 2012).     

Spration of power Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Spration of power - Essay Example Congress investigations are not limited to oversight of the judiciary or executive, but other matters of national interest that require future legislation. Some of the matters that Congress has investigated include the activities of Ku Klux Klan, Interstate commerce, Vietnam War, organized crime and Wall Street banking practices (Hames and Ekern 101). Congress investigated President Nixon conduct in Watergate scandal that led to resignation of the President. Generally, the power of Congress to investigate and obtain information is broad and Supreme Court has affirmed that such power is essential to the legislative function. The Congress investigations powers were confirmed in the case of McGrain v Daugherty that arose from Harding Administration scandals. The Senate Committee investigated the failure of the Attorney General to prosecute violations of federal law. Mally S. Daugherty, the Attorney General did not honor Congress summons and applied to US District Court in Ohio for writ of habeas corpus. The District Court restrained the Senate from arresting Daugherty, but the Supreme Court reversed the opinion by outlining that that Congress had power to compel testimony that could be used for legislative purposes (Rosenberg 3). The Supreme Court held that a ‘legislative body cannot legislate wisely or effectively in the absence of information respecting the conditions which the legislation will affect or change’. In the case of Watkins v United States, the court held that the power of inquiry was broad and inherent in the legislative process thus encompasses inquiries related to administrat ion of current statutes and proposed or needed statutes (Rosenberg 3). The Courts also extended the investigative powers from wrongdoing to include corruption, wastage, inefficiency in Federal Government departments thus allowing Congress to inquire and publicize corruption and other malpractices in government agencies (Rosenberg 3). Congress has investigated violations

Proposed preliminary research design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Proposed preliminary research design - Essay Example Therefore, defining the scope of romance that will be studied is the first task of the study. In creating a study that examines romance and the way in which it is constructed within social relationships that have a sexual component, creating a methodology that allows for subjective considerations will be necessary in order to develop research. In creating a study that is called The Anatomy of Romance, a built in metaphor will guide the way in which the study is constructed. In creating the concept, providing a bone structure, an internal ‘metabolism’, a pumping heart, the brain, the sex organs, and eventually the flesh that creates a living, breathing organism that is the romantic life of a couple will provide a basis for a framework and a foundation on which to build the study in context. According to Shank (2006), framing a topic within a metaphor allows for the research to present a new way of looking at the topic (p. 124). By starting with this foundation, the study can use a multitude of references in order to build a well structured One approach toward this study might be to see the work through ethnography. However, in order to do that, broad strokes of intention about the context of romance within the culture would then diminish the actual perceptions of romance. Romance seems to be an individual creation that is birthed between two people. Although there are generalities that infiltrate a culture, such as the American traditions of flowers, candy, and jewelry, romance is far more interesting beneath the surface of ethnographic generalizations - which admittedly would be far deeper than the example - but would attempt to represent a culture, rather than the concept itself as an entity of a relationship. Defining romance by its cultural adaptations rather than by the singularity in which it exists between two people is too broad a scope in which to examine

Critical and Rational Analysis of Technology Change Models Essay

Critical and Rational Analysis of Technology Change Models - Essay Example Humanity only has a vague idea of the future, and anticipations and expectations change as new aspects of technology are introduced ("Technology and Change"). There are times when technology change may seem foreseeable but the way it has taken the world by surprise cannot simply be underrated. It has, indeed, created a plethora of advanced skills and expertise. Today's technological advances have it possible for individuals to explore the universe in a blink of the eye ("Technology and Change"). It created a vast and wide understanding of the world around us and instigated a deep-down comprehension of why life has to evolve in such a way that it has to shed its skin from the past and continue to live for the future. Everyday, we see technology change happen on our streets, at our homes, in school, or in the office. We always see technology change in our lives. However, in spite of its clear existence, many people cannot simply accept what type of changes technology has to offer. This is because in some ways, it happens so abruptly that they cannot instantly grasp what it has to offer or what good it can provide them. Modern technology has given humanity the chance to use highly advanced and innovative devices that makes life a bit easier, replacing obsolete and primitive devices that were in use not so long ago. These modern devices and methods all have the potential to make life easier if used properly ("Technology"). And perhaps they were. What used to be an innovative and practical change that created a life full of immediacy and modernization are now feeble and staggering, needled by wrong dispositions, crippled by self demoralization, overwhelmed with selfishness or drained of energy by war and violence, or otherwise threatened by a global phenomenon known as nuclear war. More than ever before, it has become clear that the torch of technology change will be passed to the next generation at a time sooner than we would like to think, or accept, signaling that cycles and passages relentlessly revolve even when we are not aware of it - or particularly when we are not aware of it. However underhanded and terrifying it can be, the way technology change has thrived in human history has always been and will always is a part of it. With the explicit impact of technology change, people do not have any choice but to go with the flow. Hence, they have undeniably submitted their selves to such events and blindly accepted the fact that technology is here to stay. There are various organizations existing today that promotes technological change in spite of the possible repercussions it may bring ("Technology and Systematic Change"). Even if it comes to the point of being both a sociological and technological issue, it may never be denied that it is a part of social change. One of these organizations, nsba.org, states that:Boards of education need to recognize that technology integration is as much aboutchange as it is about technology. How board members feel about change and theirattitudes about people's ability to change or not to change are crucia ("Technology andSystematic Change") Those that support technology and technological change state that in order for technology to truly serve its purpose to society, it has to be integrated and incorporated into social institutions such as educational units. This will

International law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

International law - Assignment Example aw was catalyzed by international trade, which required merchants from one state to be protected against the activities of other merchants of another state. With the increase in international trade, warfare and exploration the need for international law became essential. Treatises between nations became useful as they were intended to be binding between the nations. The proliferation of treatises, practices, rules and customs became complex and scholars started to compile them into systematic treatises. Hugo Grotius provided the first comprehensive conception of international law in his treatise â€Å"De Jure Belli Ac Pacis Libri Tres† (Schmitt 2008). Grotius’s conception of international was grounded on natural law, human reason and custom. His argument in respect to natural law is that relations between nations should be governed by an international body based on divine justice and morality. The law between nations should be governed by the law of the people, established through the consent of the nations and founded on commitment and observance. In his view, things were either good or bad by their nature. According to Grotius, law is not derived from above but from principles which include maxims that promises must be honored and restitution is required for harm to others. These two values have served as the foundation for international law. Additionally, Grotius took a positivist view of international law. In his perspective, emphasis should be given to what is done as opposed to what ought to be done. It is noteworthy that although Grotius based his perspective of international law on natural law, he also posits that nations can create binding rules between themselves. Grotius was instrumental in the formation of the concept of international society. In this respect an international society is a community held together by believes that nations have rules that apply to all of them. Written agreements and customs form the basis of the law that governs this

On Verbal and Non-verbal Communication Essay Example for Free

On Verbal and Non-verbal Communication Essay It is but human nature to try to understand another person. It normal for people to try to interpret another persons actions or words. Interpreting these types of communication means is however, difficult. Each has its own way to be interpreted. Non verbal communication is when person utilizes not his lips and voice when relaying information to another person. It is refers to actions gestures or movements a person does in order to send a message to another person. Usually, this kind of communication is utilized when meeting a new individual. Because too much speech seem to be inappropriate in first meetings, people tend to gesture via facial expression, arm movements, or even bodily gestures. Thus, people interpret this differently, via cues, unlike when the words are spoken (Brunswick Piscataway, 2009). On the other hand, verbal communication relies on the lips or mouth gestures as well as the voice of the person who spoke the words or uttered the information. To some verbal communication is more reliable as people are given the exact information needed to be received. However, there is a tendency for people to lie. Thus, there are those who listen to verbal utterances while at the same time keeping watch of non-verbal gestures. This points that interpreting verbal communication may be literal or based as well to the actions and facial expression that come along with the words (Brunswick Piscataway, 2009). It may thus be concluded that each kind of communication is interpreted differently. Verbal communication sends literal meanings at times, while non-verbal communication is sometimes vague. There is not exact way to point which tells more accurately, however if combined the message will be conveyed easier and faster. Both are also more trustworthy if done side by side. The gestures support the words and the words support all the actions.. While the quote insists that action speaks louder than words, knowing the nature man, it is still better to rely in both words and actions for a clearer interpretation. References Brunswick Piscataway. (2009). Social Perception: How we come to Understand People. Social Psych Lecture. Rutgers University.

Employee Satisfaction and Customer Satisfaction Essay Example for Free

Employee Satisfaction and Customer Satisfaction Essay This thesis will be based on my current and previous practical experience combined with the theoretical basis that I have acquired through the modules on Academy business school. I have 8 years of management experience in retail, but in the last 3 years being employed as a personal assistant for my son who was born with a physical disability. 1 October 2012 I have been employed part-time as a sales assistant in the newly opened shoe Tops, located in Aalborg Mall. My point of view in this project will be from the perspective of the owner / management since my prerequisites for this are realistic and that in the future I have ambitions again to get a job at this level. Presentation of TOPS in Aalborg Shopping Eurosko a purchasing cooperative consisting of independent skohandlere working together on purchasing and marketing. These skohandlerer operated under the name TOPS. This cooperation is intended to give members a better overall economy to meet the increasing competition in the retail industry. The shops sells private labels and various brands of Danish suppliers. TOPS products are designed for the average consumer, and the target audience is the whole family. Product labels within private labels are as follows: Ralf Boston, Taxi, Adi, Mary B and Between. The new Tops store in Aalborg shopping center is located in the new extension which has the name Nygade (pink street). This street connects the input A (main entrance at the grocery store) and input B (input opposite Steak Jensen / Nibevej). Shoe store TOPS is funded by Thorkild Hansen, who every day is trade able boss in Aars. It is his daughter Camilla Hansen, store manager / owner of the new store. They both have a history from the hardware store industry. In the shop there is employed a sales manager, a full-time sales assistant and one part-time sales assistant. You are aware that you have to have some hourly paid sales assistants to cover crooked hours. However, one would first look for the urgent need before hiring more. The store is located in North Jutland most attractive retail area in the city south of Aalborg. The competition here is tremendous, from German Deichmann to skokà ¦derne Skoringen and PAW SHOES. Grocery store is also a major competitor, while the overall industry slippage, as retailers fierce competition is to blame in. The hard struggle with the center of Aalborg has been going on ever since opening in 1997, and its just a matter of time before one can proclaim City South and Aalborg Shopping Center as the victor. City Southern and Aalborg Shopping Center is marketplace for all over Gauteng. The clients who come to Aalborg Mall comes with the purpose to spend money. Unlike customers in the city center, where there are many shoppers. Problem Argumentation In a store like TOPS in Aalborg shopping center, there are many challenges for Camilla Hansen. Problem of the project will be based on one of the issues that are most central to the management, namely the motivation of the staff. Why is it such an important issue? One of the things that can explain the motivation question is the aforementioned competition as TOPS face. Is the sales staff not motivated to provide the best service when they meet customers, customers needs are met in one of the competing shoe stores. There are also other elements such as indirect challenge my question about motivation. These I will elaborate on below. The increasing competition in the retail and policies have been elements in the environment that have helped to pave the way for the long opening hours. This development is currently further escalated with the abolition of the Shops Act 1 October 2012. Another challenge is the union HP, which puts pressure on employers to their employees come to work under some decent conditions, with regard to working hours. At the same time include the cost structure in the retail industry, where labor costs and rent are the greatest. Since the wage cost is the only one who in a short time can be changed, it is here, it is very focused. Rationalisation and maximum benefits of the employees are daily challenge in retail. It obviously has not done better after the financial crisis in 2008. The demand for goods has fallen / stagnated and the demand there is, is not the same as before. At the same time discount concepts in many cases prospered due to the crisis. In the wake of these above mentioned elements have TOPS a need for the core of employees who are employed must be highly effective. Performance would with store personnel must be high, even in the long run. Therefore, it is important to achieve a sustained high staff motivation in TOPS. I therefore think it appropriate to make visible how the job should be structured so as to achieve a high intrinsic motivation of the employees. However, one must create a culture that supports the motivation. Succeeded this, then the employees will eventually provide the same high level. Problem Formulation It is a challenge for management that structures the right job design for the team in the shop, so to create a sustained high level of motivation. This will form the basis for the desired high level of performance. I therefore do the following: Explain the job characteristics model, in relation to the employees of Tops in Aalborg Mall. Provide an analysis of the elements to create a high MPS. Find out what basic assumptions that support a high MPS. Make suggestions for how to achieve sustained high MPS. The method Science Theoretical approach The knowledge / theory which I create in the project is based on social constructionism. My new preconception will therefore be formed by the auto poetry system for which the employee is in TOPS. The way in which the theory is formed on the deductive because my curiosity is based on a theoretical model and problem formulation. The method is the hermeneutical spiral, as my practical / theoretical presuppositions will be further developed through a qualitative method (depth interviews). This illustrates thanks to my depth interviews. First I ask my questions, then I ask detailed questions to their answers. This forms a new pre-understanding, which in turn contributes to a deeper level of understanding. This truth can be characterized as being causal explanatory. This provides functional explanations are operationalized through the quantitative method (questionnaire). Thus, I see the questionnaire as a hypothetical method. The hermeneutic process are processed through circular thinking. This theoretical system finally my deeper level of understanding will be provided by exploring patterns of attitudes of the individuals in TOPS. My interest is to see how employees and management mutually influence each other. This I find out each actors share in relation to the questions that my problem formulation contains. Selection of theory: Motivation Theory Motivation Theory is a very broad theoretical area. The models describe the area very differently from simple to concrete and detailed. Overall divided motivation theory for the following two areas: Process Theories Content Theories Process theories are based on the differences that applies to the employees behavior. The theory describes elements to be addressed in order to get employees to acquire a certain behavior. Content theory concentrates on the needs of the employee and that the behavior is the same from person to person. Need fulfillment creates the motivation that causes the employee to perform a particular behavior (Major intrinsic motivation = better sales performance). I have decided that my topic motivation must be based on job characteristics model, which is made by Hackman and Oldham. I do so because it is necessary to take into account the differences in employee behavior. Otherwise, I would not in practice distinguish between kinds of different factors that motivate employees to TOPS. So they just had the same external and internal work environment, to be equally motivated in their work. The theory will form the basis for the solution of the projects problem. At the same time it will be my starting point, to account for the motivation of employees through job design. Job characteristics model is to provide a common understanding of my explanation of how to design the job so that employees acquire the particular behavior (Major intrinsic motivation = better sales performance). Hackman and Oldham job characteristics model This thesis will be based on the version of the book Motivation is written by Helle Hein. This issue compared to the textbook is that there are some minor differences in how the moderators are defined. The model is based on some core job characteristics that form the basis for the ideal job design. Problem definition Question 1 deals with the exposition of the model in relation to the employees of TOPS. Presentation of the model will be done through in-depth interviews with employees. Based on depth interviews I will make a questionnaire to determine the factors that contribute to give a high motivation potential score (question 2). Model moderators will also be involved, as there are some providers elements that affect the fact that not all people react similarly to the job design. There are some barriers as a result of the fact that you do not get the best result, although job design is ideal. The moderators will also be explained through depth interviews (question 1). The model also contains the element of the critical psychological states, which will not be included in my project. This has no direct connection to my problem statement. I assume that when the optimal job design is achieved, as well as fulfillment of the moderators, so it will have a positive outcome (high motivation = good sales performance). Criticism of Hackman and Oldham In the book, motivation is a few points on which job characteristics model are criticized. I will only highlight the criticism points Helle Hein mentions in her book that influence in my project. The factors which constitute the core job characteristics are difficult to understand and distinguish between, for those who have to deal with any questions. This is one reason why I choose depth interview as my method of data collection. Respondent may help to understand the issues, which helps to strengthen the information collected. The theory does not affect factor of social relations. Therefore, I believe that the model has a major weakness in this area. The relationship to ones colleagues is very important in a store like TOPS, where there are not many employees. It is important to feel like part of the community when you show up at work. Failure to do so, and you feel that is a bad mood, you will naturally seek new challenges. This will lead to an ideal job design does not work. Hertzberg theory takes high of social relations, and would have been better in this area. This theory, I squint a little in my statement (question 1). In my hypothesis, I touch on the concept of MPS. Helle Hein questioning whether one using a formula and theory can design the best possible job design to an employee. It is one of the concepts used in my project. Therefore, the same criticisms apply here. Hackman and Oldham theory is developed at the beginning of industrialization in the United States until the 1970s when the authors formulated the theory. As it developed it was the starting point for the theory not the retail industry, which means that in some cases, it will not always fit completely with the fact that I daily find myself in. Cultural Theory Theory scope of the concept of culture has many approaches. Here there are for example Hofstede. This theorist is based on civic culture. He believes that an organizations culture is created on the basis of, for example, the country or region in which it is located in. The theory here is based on a number of opposing elements that help to characterize the culture. An example of this could be that the culture of TOPS will bear the mark of masculinity rather than the feminine. This is because you are very sales and performance oriented. Another theorists is Schein. This theory is built into a funnel model which is divided into 3 layers. The top are artifacts, which is a description of the physical conditions in which an outside person can see with the naked eye. The next layer is the values. This layer describes the employee proved doing to emphasize culture both internally and external. The last layer is called as basic assumptions, the conduct which they unconsciously without even thinking about it. The basic assumption being made by the leader. A third theory is the Deal and Kennedys cultural model. This theory is based on the market to which the organization finds itself in. The theory describes two dimensions, each with their opposing extremes. These being high risk / low risk or timely feedback / slow feedback. Here are TOPS in the dimension which is characterized by low risk and rapid feedback. In trade with each customers risk low if it failed. At the same time you get rapid feedback on sales because you can constantly follow it. Overall, it is appropriate to use the Deal and Kennedy to describe culture as the retail industry is very market specific. This will also be my approach. But to describe the culture internally, I will build on Schein funnel model, because this model is more up rational. At the same time, the shop is starting, and I therefore believe that it is the store manager, who through her actions and attitudes create culture. Furthermore, it is also the one who owns the shop and is the pioneer. In a pioneering company, it is usually the owners attitudes and opinions that characterize the corporate culture.

Social Perspectives on Witch Hunting

Social Perspectives on Witch Hunting The Case that the witch-hunt was a woman-hunt is a strong one (Larner) discuss? The witch-hunts across Europe saw the mass slaughter of nine million women who were thought to be witches. These women were killed over a period of three hundred years, with the most concentrated killings in places such as Germany, Spain and Italy.[1] The story of witchcraft is primarily the story of women and this has caused much fascination and a certain elusiveness when approaching the subject.[2] The organised persecution of the witches began officially on December 9th 1484 when Pope Innocent VIII asked Heinrich Kramer and James Sprenger to define witchcraft, isolate the modus operandi of the witches and to standardise the trial procedures and sentencing.[3] It was as a result that Kramer and Sprenger produced a text called â€Å"Malleus Maleficarum† which would become a hugely influential text in the events of witch persecution and in these gender-specific views of witchcraft. Due to the gender-specificity that surrounds the subject of witchcraft we are confronted with id eas about women, fears about women and the place of women in society during these times. Scholars such as Carol Kerslen, Lyndal Roper and Christina Larner gradually moved gender, and to some extent sexuality, to the centre of the analysis of witchcraft, which influenced interests in artists such as Baldung, for whom gender and sexuality were critical themes.[4]Many feminists jump to conclusions of gender-specific genocide due to what they believe was a woman-hating crime. However, it is important also to focus on the socio-economic context in which these trials took place in order to make a fair judgement on the gender-specificity that is so often associated with witchcraft. The Malleus Maleficarum is often the focus of many studies into witchcraft due to its important influence during the period. This demonological treatise was written by Kramer and Sprenger, it is often used as evidence by radical feminists of the misogyny among elites, who are seen as the driving force behind the top-down persecutions of witches.[5] The title of the work itself is female-specific, with the term maleficarum translating as women evil-doers. This feminine possessive in the Latin title shows it’s focus on the female gender, if the book were to have focused on both males and females then ‘maleficarum’ would have been replaced by ‘maleficorum’.[6] Throughout the text it is women who are specifically referred to, in the book men are most often described as accomplices rather than witches themselves. When asked why there is more harmful magic found in the female sex than in the male sex Kramer answered â€Å"because of the fleshly lust, which in [women] is never satisfied.†[7] It is clear that there was a gender-bias or a gender-specificity around the notions of witchcraft, and this dominated its surrounding ideology and the main literature upon the subject. The Malleus Maleficarum was of great influence during the period, it was high Catholic theology and working catholic jurisprudence.[8] The work had been issued for creation by the Pope himself and so held great importance. In the dark ages few people could read and books were hard to come by, the printing press has only been developed 34 years previously in 1850 Germany. This meant that literacy rates and the availability of prints for those in the lower sectors of society were not still readily available or improved at this point. However, the Malleus was printed in numerous editions and had been read by almost every judge in Europe, it appeared that the Malleus Maleficarum had more currency then the bible.[9] What made this piece of literature regarding the definitions of witchcraft so influential is the power and authority it held due to its lawful reinforcement. Anyone who challenged the Malleus Maleficarum, anyone who refuted its authority or questioned its credibility on any level was guilty of heresy, a capital crime.[10] The Malleus Maleficarum was probably the most influential piece written on witchcraft, it was the most widely spread, the most lawfully and religiously backed, but it was also extremely gender-specific towards women. This literary work helped to instil a stereotype of the witch, the stereotype being woman. The definition of woman, in common with the pornographic definition, is her carnality; the essence of her character, in common with the fairy-tale definition, is her malice and avarice.[11]In fact the stereotype of a witch in Christian Europe has always been that of a woman. For example, in twelfth-century Russia the authorities in one district became so anxious about the prevalence of witchcraft that they began to round up the entire female population.[12] Ideas of female evil-doers as suggested in the title of the Malleus Maleficarum stemmed back to the religious creation of the world. A women was believed to be more carnal than a man, this carnality originated from eve’s very own creation, she was formed from a bent rib, and also caused the fall of Eden.[13] As a result, women have suffered, forever being painted with the same religious brush of being a source of evil and carnality. A witch was seen as an independent adult women who does not conform to the male idea of proper female behaviour.[14] However, it was not just female sexuality that made them evil, but also female knowledge, many feminists claim that anything that made a women something other than helpless was perceived as threatening and labelled evil.[15] Perhaps a strong case for witch-hunting being parallel to women-hunting, is the idea that women were labelled witches, and could not prove themselves innocent by any means. This meant that women were doomed to persecution because of their gender and its gender-specific associated stereotypes. Women finds herself entirely defined by her sexuality. It was believed that sexuality makes women evil, therefore virginity/chastity is glorified in women as it is the opposite of sexuality.[16] However, it is ironic that while all witchcraft comes from carnal lust which is in women insatiable – this carnal lust, this desire for sex, is what populates the world. If all women are evil-doers, if Eve is the basis for all women stereotypes then why is it that women are the exclusive holders of bearing life? Other indicators that are described in the Malleus Maleficarum also guide us to the interpretation that women were inevitably doomed to persecution. A women’s virtue is seen to be silence, and yet in a witchcraft trial, if the women remains silence she is condemned for withholding her confession, yet it she confesses then she is condemning herself.[17] There is a similar paradox in the women’s ability to bear pain, if she breaks down through pain of torture and confesses she is condemned, however if she remains strong and recovers she is condemn also. Still further, if a women weeps under torture it is interpreted as a sign of her sins and so condemns her, yet if her eyes do not weep she is condemned for witchcraft.[18] This suggests that once put to trial for partaking in witchcraft the women is entirely at the mercy of the educated men who judge, torture and condemn her, almost without escape. Feminists take this inescapability as evidence of patriarchy exerting its control over women in order to curb the perceived threat to men’s dominance that is caused through women’s allegedly rapacious sexuality.[19] It is believed that as soon as a women transitions from ‘virgin’ to ‘sexual’, there is a potential for power over a man[20], and so she becomes a symbol of demonology, of relations with the devil. Radical feminists also suggest that society believed that all women threaten male hegemony with their exclusive power to give life; and so social order depends on women conforming to male ideals of female behaviour.[21] Threats to social order, threats of women’s sexuality are usually blamed for the persecutions of women during the witch-hunts in Europe. Most of the ideas put forward as to why women posed a threat to man, and why the witch-hunts could be seen as gender-specific are put forward by feminists. First wave feminists ( su ch as the American Suffragist Matilda Joslyn Gage) asserted that nine million people were executed as witches, with old women, wise women and the priestesses of anti-Christian cults being particular targets.[22] However, second wave feminists further in their ideas of the witch-hunts, painting them as a ‘gendercide’, a female targeted death hunt. They believed that witch-hunting was an egregious example, not just of patriarchal oppression, but also of genocide and it was in fact the deliberate killing of women.[23] This deliberate killing of women is made acceptable and almost encouraged by the Malleus Maleficarum due to its emphasis on the female gender and their witchcraft qualities. However, it is important to understand that women were not just persecuted, they also acted as the accusers. Women often accused other women of witchcraft and were often the ‘chief witnesses in the courts’.[24] This suggests that while witch-hunts were related to the female g ender, they were not gender-exclusive. Women could accuse other women, and men could be persecuted. Yet, feminists disregard this evidence that goes against that misogyny of witch-hunting. Instead they believe that this line of reasoning is based on a failure to recognise that a patriarchal structure divides women, and that their livelihood is dependent on the goodwill of men.[25] Therefore, women would accuse other women, not to satisfy themselves, but to protect the livelihood of conformist women against non-conformist women, they would also do so under the pressures of their husbands and fathers. This huge split in the ideology of witch-hunting and its gender relations is caused by the lack of concrete evidence to support either side. Facts and figures from the period, from all over Europe, are at best good estimates of the real numbers of those persecuted. Figures range from thousands to millions when talking about the amount that died from persecutions, and the gender ratios are no more accurate. However, in spite of this, the evidence provided is used in the debate of gender-specificity surrounding the witch-hunts and therefore must be looked at and discussed. Figures suggest that in areas at the centre of the witch-hunt, places such as Germany, France, Switzerland and Scotland, 80% of those persecuted were females, with figures reached an estimate of 95-100% in the areas on the periphery such as England and Russia.[26] The ratio of women to men burned is variously estimated at 20 to 1 for women and 100 to 1 for men.[27] Those men who were persecuted were often the family of convicted women witches, or were in positions of civil power with political ambitions that conflicted with those of the church or monarch.[28] In fact, witchcraft which is seen as the ultimate human evil was sex-specific in just the same proportion as sanctity which is seen as the ultimate human good was sex-specific to males during the ‘sanctity epidemic’ of the later Middle Ages.[29] Most works conclude that witches were scapegoats for hostilities and tensions that had little to do with sex or gender.[30] Radical feminist writings have had a significant influence on the perceptions of witchcraft outside academia, its emphasis on witches being gender-specific to women had become a strong stereotype when one thinks of the witch-hunts. However, academic historians are dismissive of such interpretations, criticising radical feminists for their assumptions that witch-hunting was ‘woman-hunting’, their over reliance on the Malleus, their unwillingness to engage with manuscript records or witch trials and their ahistorical use of the terms misogyny and patriarchy which downplays the historical specificity of early modern culture and society.[31] Christina Larner herself is reluctant to suggest that witch-hunting was gender-specific because of this academic dismissiveness. Instead she concludes that the witch-hunts were ‘sex-related not sex-specificâ⠂¬â„¢[32] , however she strongly backs the argument that witch-hunting was still in fact women-hunting because of this relation. This leaves the distinction between sex-related and sex-specific unclear, if both inevitably lead to the assumption that the hunt was still a hunt on women. This dismissiveness between historian and feminist is causing a problem when it comes to the clarity of sex relations between women and witchcraft. The antipathy many academic historians feel towards feminism in general and radical feminism in particular can be counterproductive as it discourages them from engaging with any helpful insights feminism has to offer into the gendering of witchcraft prosecutions, particularly in relation to the analysis of patriarchy.[33] Those few historians who have seriously addressed the question of women and witchcraft only briefly discuss misogyny of the period, but focus more on the social and economic reasons for the high percentage of women that were persecuted. Ho wever, most radical feminist interpretation of witch-hunting emerged in the context of feminist’s political activism outside academia, and were thus polemically and historically inaccurate.[34] There is a huge correlation between women and witchcraft persecutions, and this is to do with the age-old stereotypes of women evildoers that stem from eve. Women were more likely to be persecuted because they were more likely to believe to be witches, had men been acting in the same way it is very much doubtful that they would have been accused to be a witch to the same majority in comparison. Therefore the witch-hunts were women-hunts in the sense that women were targeted substantially more than men, whether they were accused other women or not, they were still the distinct majority of the witch-hunts. [1] Andrea Dworkin, Our Blood : Prophecies and Discourses on Sexual Politics, ( New York : G.P Putnam Sons, 1967). [2] Carol F. Karlsen, The Devil in the Shape of a Woman, (New York : W. W. Norton Company, 1987). [3] Andrea Dworkin, Our Blood. [4] Brian P. Levack, The Oxford Handbook of Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe and Colonial America, (Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2013). [5] Ibid. [6] Sister Trinity, ‘Gynocide : The Holocaust of Women’, http://passtheflamingsword.wordpress.com/2013/01/31/gynocide-the-holocaust-of-women/ [7] Brian P. Levack, The Oxford Handbook of Witchcraft. [8] Andrea Dworkin, Our Blood. [9] Andrea Dworkin, Woman Hating, (New York : Penguin Group, 1974). [10] Andrea Dworkin, Our Blood. [11] Andrea Dworkin, Woman Hating. [12] Darren Oldridge, The Witchcraft Reader, (London : Routledge, 2002). [13] Andrea Dworkin, Our Blood. [14] Darren Oldridge, The Witchcraft Reader. [15] Sister Trinity, ‘Gynocide : The Holocaust of Women’. [16] Ibid. [17] Sister Prudence Allen, The concept of Woman : The early humanist reformation 1250-1500, (Cambridge: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 2002), [18] Ibid. [19] Brian P. Levack, The Oxford Handbook of Witchcraft. [20] Sister Trinity, ‘Gynocide : The Holocaust of Women. [21] Darren Oldridge, The Witchcraft Reader. [22] Brian P. Levack, The Oxford Handbook of Witchcraft. [23] Ibid. [24] Darren Oldridge, The Witchcraft Reader. [25] Ibid. [26] Darren Oldridge, The Witchcraft Reader. [27] Andrea Dworkin, Our Blood. [28] Andrea Dworkin, Woman Hating. [29] Darren Oldridge, The Witchcraft Reader. [30] Carol F. Karlsen, The Devil in the Shape of a Woman. [31] Brian P. Levack, The Oxford Handbook of Witchcraft. [32] Darren Oldridge, The Witchcraft Reader. [33] Brian P. Levack, The Oxford Handbook of Witchcraft. [34] Brian P. Levack, The Oxford Handbook of Witchcraft.

Quantum vs. Classical Mechanics :: essays research papers

Classical and Quantum mechanics are the two main fields of mechanics in physics. Classical mechanics came a few hundred years before Quantum mechanics. Subsequently it is less accurate and less reliable then the more recent mechanic field of Quantum mechanics. Despite being outdated, Classical mechanics can still be used for many everyday problems with bigger and slower moving objects. However, when dealing with extremely fast moving or small subatomic particles a Classical approach will not produce sufficiently accurate results as was the case around the 19th century.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Difficulties with the Classical mechanics theory came right around the 19th century. First was the Ultraviolet Catastrophe. Experimental data when testing blackbody radiation was found to be inconsistent with Classical mechanics. The data showed that as the wavelength of the incoming radiation approaches zero, the amount of energy being radiated also approaches zero, whereas Classical mechanics says the emitted energy is infinite. The second difficulty with the theory was its inability to correctly describe the photoelectric effect. The photoelectric effect says that photons from a surface are released when light hits it. Classical mechanics says that electrons will be emitted from a metal by light waves with any frequency as long as the intensity of the light is strong enough, and even if it is weak over a long enough period of time electrons will eventually be emitted. The theory was proved incorrect after experiments showed that light under certain frequencies did not produce the photoelectric effect on the metal, which meant that the emitting of electrons is related not to intensity but the waves frequency. A new string of mechanics, Quantum mechanics, was created in order to resolve the incompatibilities of Classical Mechanics. A main difference between the two fields of mechanics is the make up of the atom. In Quantum mechanics electrons in an atom are outside of the nucleus in specific orbitals around the nucleus that they can jump from one to another only when a specific energy level is reached, and can never be in-between the specific orbitals. Also Quantum mechanics says that a photon is released only when an electron jumps from a higher energy level to a lower energy level, or a higher energy orbital to a lower energy orbital. Classical mechanics, contradicting this, says that an atom is constantly emitting radiation. Quantum mechanics describes light as both a wave and a particle, depending on the situation.

Phaedo by Plato :: Papers

Phaedo by Plato The main theme behind the "Phaedo" is Socrates' readiness and willingness to die, because of his belief of immortality. Socrates believed that when his body ceased to exist anymore, that his soul would leave and join that of the forms, where he would be eternally. Socrates believed so strongly in this, that not only did he not fear his death, he welcomed it. He believed that only when the soul separated from the body, is a person able to be truly enlightened and gain all knowledge. This "enlightenment" has been Socrates' life long goal of discovering the truth. Even at his hour of death, Socrates showed no hesitation. However, Socrates' friends did not believe so strongly, and took some great convincing by Socrates, to allow his friends to be okay with his death. The two proofs that Socrates used to convince his friends are the "Doctrine of Opposites" and the "simple and composite theory. The first proof, the "Doctrine of Opposites," is the type of proof that uses a sequence of factual statements the lead from to another to prove that one thing is the same as another thing. The "Doctrine of Opposites" uses simple references to allow the reader to easily comprehend and follow the steps of the logical process. For example, hot comes from cold. An object could not possibly be hot if it was never heated up from the state of being cold. The same holds true for the reverse of this analogy. If cold object must have at one point been cooled down from a state of being hot. Since hot and cold are opposites, this simple statement proves that things come from there opposite. Also by using this example, Socrates is trying to imply the idea of eternal existence. He is saying that cold doesn't come from thin air. It had to have come from some previous existence in some other form, which in this case would be hot. Another example that he uses is the asleep and awake analog y. One would have to agree that a person could be only one or the other. If you are not sleeping, then you are awake and if you are not awake then you have to be asleep. This example further proves that you can only be one of something or the other, its opposite, but you must be one of them.

Virtue Theory

A Necessary, Modern Revision Aristotle studied and explained a wide range of subjects ranging from science to politics and is widely recognized as one of the greatest philosophers of all time. One of his most important contributions to the study of humanities is his exploration and definition of moral virtue. In his book, The Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle explains different views about the nature of life in order to allow the reader to find what the main function of life is and how to successfully perform that function.For example, Aristotle states in his first book, in article one, â€Å"every art and every investigation, and similarly every action and pursuit is considered to aim at some good. † Hence, Aristotle defines the â€Å"good† as that which all things should aim. However, what separates humans from other â€Å"things† is the fact that humans seek the good in order to achieve eudemonia, or happiness. In order to achieve this result, a human must functio n well, and would therefore be acting with rational activity.So, if a person performs the function of rational activity well, they have acted with moral reasoning, acting virtuously to achieve eudemonia. In summary, Aristotle believes the good, or virtue, is in a human’s self-interest because of the results it produces. However, I strongly believe that, to classical philosophers, achieving virtue was a broader concept that its modern connotation suggests.It is commonly known that certain theories can be considered obsolete over time if not restated in a modern day context, because as society advances, there is a need for theories and ideas to accommodate and make room for such changes in order to maintain their relevance So, in order to adapt Aristotle’s theory of the good, also known as Aristotle’s virtue theory, into modern day life, different theorists and philosophers became interested in reevaluating the theory and adding to it in order to achieve a success ful and newer theory for humans to consider.I want to discuss the most popular theories recreated from Aristotle’s virtue theory to prove that there is, in fact, a need to modernize and restate his original concept, there is not a need to disregard it or substantially add to it. I believe that his theory must simply be presented through a modern outlook to be used as a guideline as to how humans should act instead of a set group of rules that could possible contradict each other. There are many different theories to consider when trying to find the best adaptation of Aristotle’s virtue heory, they range from supplementary views to non-supplementary and non-criterialists. For example, Supplementalists such as James Rachels believe in supplementing Aristotle’s theory of the good with an independent theory of right action. Whereas, non-Supplementalists can be further split into criterialists such as Rosalind Hursthouse, who believes that happiness can be objective, and non-criterialists such as Julia Annas, who believes that virtue theory does not need any criteria of right action because a truly virtuous person would never get into a situation where a criteria of right action would be needed.These theories differ on core principles and methods of adaptation, some even disagree with parts of Aristotle’s theory; however, they all have some form of agreement with respect to Aristotle’s theory of the good and can be used to enhance it for its adaptation into modern day context. After my evaluations of each philosopher’s view points, I have found the most practical and least contradicting theory in Julia Annas’ essay, â€Å"Being Virtuous and Doing the Right Thing. † Her essay delves into not only the original concept of Aristotle’s virtue theory, but also discusses the consequences of abiding by those guidelines in modern day.Her theory allows Aristotle’s theory to remain intact, however she refre shes it to the modern connotation it needed to be more commonly accepted by today’s society. However, when looking at the other popular views, James Rachels’ provides a detailed argument vouching for his supplementalist view point on the theory of the good in his essay â€Å"The Ethics of Virtue. † In his opinion, Aristotle’s theory shows an excellent motivation for moral action and gives us a better perspective of our decisions by enabling a different method of weighing our action.Yet, he also states that through Aristotle’s theory alone, there would be no reason for individuals to think that characteristics are virtues rather than vices. For example, courage could be a vice because there is no basis for asserting that courage is a virtue. Second, he adds â€Å"it is difficult to see how unsupplemented virtue theory could handle cases of moral conflict† (Rachels 2). For example, honesty can conflict with kindness if a certain circumstance p resents itself. According o Rachels, a purely virtue-based morality must always be incomplete, since it could not by itself explain why certain character traits are not morally good and therefore, humans could never decipher if they are truly acting virtuously and experiencing eudemonia. In order to make such a distinction between what is and is not morally good, he concludes that a combined approach, supplementing Aristotle’s theory with an independent theory of right action, such as Kantianism or Utilitarianism, will allow for an adequate moral philosophy in modern day.However, there can be problems with supplementation because moral theories, such as Kantianism for example, suffer from the same problem of deciphering the conflict of virtues. Rachels evaluates a list of virtues such as benevolence, civility, fairness, justice and so on, describing them as traits of character that should be fostered in human beings. By doing so, he conveys to the reader the need for an indep endent theory of right action such as Kantianism to help distinguish whether or not it is a virtue or vice. However, he does not go into detail of the problems such independent theories of right action can run into.Say Rachels wants to supplement the virtue theory with kantianism, and a person posses the virtue of honesty, however, if that person were to be conflicted by Nazis asking where hidden refugees are, that person would have to tell the truth because that is what the â€Å"categorical imperative† deems. Therefore, supplementing the virtue theory proves unnecessary and contradicting when trying to maintain using the virtue theory in modern day. Next, I chose to compare a theory opposing the supplementalist view such as the non-supplementalist view that Rosalind Hursthouse agrees with in her essay â€Å"Virtue Theory and Abortion. However, she also adds a criterialist view point in that â€Å"an action is right, if and only if, it is what the virtuous agent would do i n the circumstance† (Hursthouse 225). In her paper, she primarily uses the example of abortion to demonstrate her criticism of the virtue theory and discuss what is needed to be applied to the theory for it to promote the correct virtuous answer in modern circumstances. She states that â€Å"virtue theory can’t get us anywhere in real moral issues because it’s bound to be all assertion and no argument Hursthouse 226),† therefore, she addresses the need for clear, virtuous guidance about what ought and ought not to be done when a person is stuck in a conflicting decision of virtues. In her example of a woman’s decision of whether or not to have an abortion, she emphasizes the necessity of that guidance. However, in the evaluation of Hursthouse’s paper, she states nine separate criticisms of virtue theory, demonstrating what she believes to be an inadequate grasp either of the structure of virtue theory or what would be involved in thinking abo ut a real moral issue in its terms.She clearly makes the point that Aristotle’s theory of the good does not allow for a blatant answer in circumstances in which a person could either only do wrong or face the decision of acting for the good of human kind or for their own self interest. But, what she does not grasp is the simple fact that a virtuous person would never be in such situations to begin with, as Julia Annas later states. Hursthouse’s example of abortion becomes invalid with the realization that a virtuous person would not have irresponsible sex to land herself in a situation of whether or not to have an abortion.She mostly disagrees with Aristotle’s overall concept; therefore, her need to recreate it in a more understandable method is diluted and consumed by her overall goal of asserting the need of a virtuous guidance for those stuck in unvirtuous situations. Julia Annas further addresses the contradictions Hursthouse makes in her essay â€Å"Being Virtuous and Doing the Right Things,† in that she does not follow the criterialist belief that Hursthouse believes is necessary to make the virtuous decision.As stated before, she uses the main contradiction that the circumstances where there is no right answer a virtuous person wouldn’t be in to begin with. Also, she believes that â€Å"we are not blank slates; we already have a firm views about right and wrong ways to act, worthy and unworthy ways to be (Annas 66),† and we become knowledgeable of what is right and wrong through a developmental process, not through some technical method of deciphering right from wrong. She believes that you become good at being virtuous the same way you become good in everything else, for example, in order be good at playing the piano, you must practice.Her statements help relate Aristotle’s virtue theory to those confused about how to apply it in everyday life. She is providing the excuse of instinct and development for the vagueness of his original theory in order to make it more practical and achievable for those wanting to act with virtue. Overall, Annas proves her view deliberately and assertively throughout her paper. It becomes apparent that becoming a virtuous person requires a developmental process much like other activities in life.Also, through defying other theories, such as Hursthouse’s, she shows how uncomplicated making a virtuous decision can be, instead of making such a decision seem unachievable and complicated in modern context. I agree with her statement that it is wrong to â€Å"force our everyday moral thoughts into a system of one-size-fits all kind, virtue ethics tells us to look elsewhere at what happens when we try to become a builder or pianist (Annas 73),† because I believe that is how I came to learn what was morally good, and how I am still learning what is right or wrong in today’s society.She revives Aristotle’s virtue theory for modern day by allowing its original vagueness to remain intact and not trying to rewrite the theory’s initial context, while at the same time describing it as more of a guideline for humans to live by and a way to improve practical judgment in everyday life. In conclusion, Annas’ non-supplementalist, non-criterialist outlook on Aristotle’s virtue theory provokes thought and consideration, but also relates to a reader, because if looked at closely, the virtuous developmental process can be easily recognizable in any reader’s childhood.Also, her analytical methods of revealing the problems in other theories help the reader to comprehend her theory easier. Annas leaves the reader stating â€Å"When it comes to working to find the right thing to do, we cannot shift the work to a theory, because we, unlike theories, are always learning, and so we are always learning and aspiring to do better (Annas 74). † Overall, Annas provides the best adaptation to Aristotleâ €™s theory of the good and provides a positive outlook on the methods of becoming virtuous without constraining the reader to believe that there is exact and deliberate steps a human must make in order to gain eudemonia.Her revision allows Aristotle’s concept to live on into modern day, and thus provides a well-rounded and current guideline to the betterment of today’s society. Works Cited Annas, Julia. â€Å"Being Virtuous and Doing the Right Thing. † Proceedings and Addresses of the American Philosophical Association (2004): 61-75. Aristotle. The Nicomachean Ethics. 325 B. C. Hursthouse, Rosalind. â€Å"Virtue Theory and Abortion. † Philosophy and Public Affairs 20. 3 (1991): 223-246. Rachel, James. â€Å"The Ethics of Virtue. † 1996. Norman R. Shultz. November 2010 .

Marvel Case Report †Marketing Essay

1. Key Problems/Opportunities: †¢Marvel’s product line is limited to primarily the superhero genre. This makes diversifying more difficult. †¢Marvel competes not only with DC Comics but also with other types of films (such as action, suspense, thriller, horror, sci-fi, etc.). When people go to the movies for entertainment, they don’t typically just go to watch comic book hero movies. Therefore, Marvel faces competition from a wide range of genres (and production companies like Paramount that produce different genres of movies). †¢Marvel can turn each comic book character into its own brand and capitalize on additional streams of revenue through licensing. Toys, T-shirts, watches, and video games based on popular comic book characters are all products that can help augment Marvel’s revenue. †¢Not all characters are of equal worth to Marvel. Spiderman and X-Men are much more valuable brands than Daredevil and the Punisher. 2. New Information: †¢Marvel continues to have mixed success with its character lineup. Elekra only grossed $56.7M worldwide while Iron Man grossed over $585M worldwide (http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/ ?id=elektra.htm; http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=ironman.htm). †¢ Marvel Entertainment’s competitive landscape has become even tougher. Not only must Marvel’s lineup compete with DC Comic’s Superman and Batman, but also comic book heroes like Transformers and G.I. Joe (interestingly, Marvel used to own the rights to Transformers and G.I. Joe but sold those rights to Hasbro) (http://forums.superherohype.com/showthread. php?t=265502). †¢Marvel has been able to keep the X-Men franchise afloat with X-Men Origins: Wolverine and X-Men: First-Class (though it does seem to be weakening some) (http://boxofficemojo.com/ showdowns/chart/?id=vs-xmen.htm). †¢Disney purchased Marvel for $4 billion in 2009 (http://money.cnn.com/2009/08/31/news/ companies/disney_marvel/index.htm). 3. Recommendations: †¢Not every Marvel movie is a blockbuster. In fact, some of them are flops. While Marvel would certainly experience growth in focusing on production and distribution more, it risks stretching itself beyond its core competencies. While successful movies could prove to be very profitable for Marvel, lackluster movies could prove to be financially detrimental if Marvel also produced and distributed all of its films. †¢Marvel must learn to manage its growth. It cannot forever rely on its cash cows Spiderman and X-Men. However, new generations equate to new potential markets. Reintroducing classic characters to new generations could translate into recurring revenue streams. †¢Marvel should leverage its growth on one hand and not stretch itself too much beyond its core competencies on the other. Getting more into production could prove to be financially beneficial for Marvel. On the other hand, I would recommend leaving the distribution to those companies that specialize in that and are large enough to be able to diversify without it harming their business. Marvel’s core competency is in developing its characters and storylines. While Marvel could expand their core competencies to include production, doing so too much to include distribution might destroy Marvel’s core competencies. †¢Marvel has thousands of characters. It should strategically develop some of its highest-potential characters. However, this has also backfired (ex: Daredevil and Elektra). It worked with Iron Man and seems to be working with Thor though. †¢Marvel can continue to create new streams of revenue by aggressively seeking licensing opportunities and even international licensing agreements. Licensing can be extremely profitable, especially when attached to a lucrative film franchise.

Principles of Democracy Essay

1. Bill of Rights This document explains guaranteed freedoms to all people in the country and gives limited power to the government. It protects the people from a government who try to abuse its power. 2. Economic Freedom Economic freedom allows some private ownership of property and businesses. People are allowed to choose their own work and to join labor union. 3. Equality Equality is having all individuals valued equally, have equal opportunities, and no discrimination of their race, religion, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. All people are equal before the law and have equal protection of the law without discrimination. 4. Human Rights Movement: Everyone has the right to move within the borders of their country and to leave and return to his or her country. Religion: Everyone has the freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. The people can change their religion or not worship or hold religious beliefs. Speech: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression. Assembly: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression. 5. Multi-Party Systems A multi-party system allows for organized opposition to the party that wins the election. It provides the government with different viewpoints on issues and provides voters with a choice of candidates, parties, and policies. 6. Regular Free and Fair Elections Elected officials are chosen by the people in a free and fair manner. Regardless of the people’s race, gender, ethnicity, and level of wealth, most adult citizens should have the right to vote and to run for office. 7. The Rule of Law No one is above the law. Everyone must obey the law and will be held accountable if they violate it including a king, president, police officer, or member of the military.

Microsoft

Question 1 Developing customer intimacy is essential for developing a sustainable competitive advantage. Whether the products of an organization will have any market potential depends on whether the customers like them or not. Therefore the management of an organization will have to develop an intimate understanding of the customers’ tastes and preferences if that organization is to stay of ahead of the competition. The process of developing customer intimacy is to conduct periodic market research on what the customer expectations are. One of the first companies to market itself through developing customer intimacy was Dell Computers. Michael Dell wanted to build computers not through idea generation from its internal engineering personnel but through data collection on what the customers’ tastes and preferences were. The founder of the company himself spent a significant amount of time with the customers to determine what they wanted to see most in a computer. The hardware manufacturing company also developed a website by means of which the customers could share their opinions with the company. As a result, the company hit the fortune 500 list in a very short time. Being in constant touch with customer requirements enabled Dell to develop customer intimacy that also enabled them to develop their products and services very quickly. Question 2 The external environment of an organization is the industry in which it operates. The industry is affected by a number of forces such as political, economic, sociological and technological. Therefore a business organization in particular has to conduct a PEST analysis periodically. A company such as Microsoft has to take into account the forces of the external environment very carefully. On first appearances, the political environment would not seem to affect Microsoft’s operations significantly. However Microsoft is frequently thrust into anti-trust suits the outcome of which would depend considerably on the prevailing political environment. The company would be hard hit if the country it is operating in went through an economic downturn. Whenever there is an economic downturn, companies tend to invest less and one of the first operations that experience cost-cutting is information technology. Therefore, demand for Microsoft’s products and services would go down when the economic environment is unfavorable. Corporate social responsibility is a very critical issue in today’s business environment. Therefore Microsoft has to fund community projects from time to time in order to endear itself to the society. That is part of the sociological environment. Also relevant in this respect is how the society views the complexities of adopting new technologies. Microsoft would also be affected very significantly by technological shifts. For example, when the use of the internet caught on, Microsoft had to reengineer itself completely to stay in business because previously it had decided not to enter the Internet. Question 3 Price is the risk that is at the forefront of the customers’ minds when making a purchase. When making a purchase, consumers must make sure that the price they are paying is equivalent to the value they are receiving in return. If this risk remains high for the customer, then the company will have a negative image in the minds of the customers. Therefore the management of that company must work to reduce that risk. One method is to offer customers price guarantees. This means that the customers will be paying the lowest possible price available anywhere. Some companies even offer to lower the price even further by a certain percentage if after purchase, the customer comes across another company offering a lower price still. Price guarantees are an admirable way to attract customers in the current age of the Internet because a lot of customers prefer to make their purchases online if the products they are looking for are available there. This enables to them go price shopping. Rather than walking miles to compare prices, customers shopping online can simply surf and compare sitting in the comforts of home. If they come across a certain company offering price matching or price beating, then customers will be hooked immediately because they can stop price shopping right there. Another perceived consumer risk is how they will be viewed by the society when they buy a certain product. The way to mitigate this risk is to promote certain products as status symbols and the demographics of the people who purchase those products. That will have a positive effect on the customer psyche. Question 4 The phenomenon of price sensitivity is a function of demand and supply. When prices are lower, people buy more and vice versa. However there are times when demand peaks and during these times there is lower price sensitivity. Business organizations can take advantage of these times to raise the prices of their products and services in order to maximize their revenue. For example many people like to go skiing during school vacations. As a result, skiing resorts raise their prices when school is in half term because that is the time when demand for skiing is very high. All the parents like to take their kids skiing during that time and they are willing to pay a higher price at the time. So peaks and troughs in demand are the top influencers of price sensitivity. In other words, the management of the business organization has a powerful tool in the form of price sensitivity by taking demand seasonality into consideration. However price sensitivity also depends type of goods. If the goods in question are necessity goods, then price sensitivity will significantly affect buying behavior. If the goods are status symbols however, then raising prices will not affect demand. Question 5 A business organization must promote its products and services in order to attract demand. The management has four methods with which to conduct the promoting. It might want to go for advertising. Usually the media used for this form of communication is radio, television or the internet. It is a non- personal form of communication. The advantage with this form of communication is that it has a wide reach. If the advertising is broadcast by means of the television for example, then millions of people will be exposed to the message. It also has a high emotional value. The second form of communication is personal selling. As the name implies, this has a personal touch because usually the company sends out its sales representatives door to door promoting its products and services. The advantage with this form of communication is that consumers can ask questions and find out whatever they need to find out about the products immediately. Another form of communication is sales promotion whereby consumers get something else into the bargain when they purchase a product. The advantage with this form of communication is that it motivates the consumers to consider buying something that they had not bought before. Last but not the least in the list of communication techniques is public relations. This promotional technique is most useful when the management is trying to build a good corporate image. BIBILIOGRAPHY Kotler, Philip., and Gary Armstrong. Principles of Marketing. Prentice Hall. 2005. Cateora, Philip, and John Graham. International Marketing. Prentice Hall. 2005. Kerin, Roger A., et al. Marketing. McGraw Hill/Irwin. 2005. Nagle, Thomas T., and John Hogan. The Strategy & Tactics of Pricing: A Guide to Growing More Profitably . South western college pub. 2007. 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Albert Einstein Flashcards Example for Free (#11)

Albert Einstein Who called him public enemy number one? Why? Hitler, because he didn’t help build the atomic bomb so he wanted to make Einstein look like he betrayed Germany What president did he write a letter to and why? Roosevelt, to warn him about Germany planning to build an atomic bomb When did he win a nobel prize and what for? 1922 and for his photoelectric theory How old was he when he built a 14 story house of cards? Einstein was a pacifist, which meant†¦ He doesn’t believe in solving problems with violence When and by who was he asked to be president? How many wives and children did he have? What did he say Americas worst disease was? Why do we not know his dying words? They were said in German, the nurse in the room was American What inspired him to be a scientist? A compass he got when he was young, fascinated by the invisible force moving the hand When was he born and when did he die? Born – March 14 1879 Died April 18th 1955 Why did he charge money for his autographs? So he could donate the money to charity What magazine voted him person of the century? He loved sailing†¦ why was this ironic? When he came to America what did he work as? A professor in Princeton NJ, made $10,000 a year Thomas Harvey for 20 years, kept it in his car trunk He had an abdominal aneurysm, refused surgery and bled to death We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. By continuing we’ll assume you’re on board with our cookie policy We will write a custom sample essay on

Construction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Construction - Essay Example Because of their malleability and relative ease of working, copper and lead became synonymous with the complexities of Gothic architecture. Endowed with the rich green patina of age, weathered copper spires and roofs still enliven the skylines of northern European cities. Improved techniques of pre-patination can now bestow an instant, uniform illusion of maturity; Jean Nouvel's new cultural centre in Lucerne (p38) is crowned by a vast, overhanging roof clad in sheets of prepatinated copper. Sheltering a new urban square in its oversailing embrace, the emerald green structure forms a powerful horizontal datum in the lakeside landscape Metals have useful properties such as tensile strength, ductility, hardness, electrical conductivity, and high melting points. They are widely used for electrical and structural applications. Understanding the physical and chemical properties of metals allows for improved technological advances. Since metals are so widely used in today's modern world, corrosion is all around us and affects our lives in many ways. Corrosion has many serious consequences to our society such as, economic, health, safety, technological, and cultural. Cast iron played a pre-eminent role in the industrial development of our country during the 19th century.. As an architectural metal, it made possible bold new advances in architectural designs and building technology, while providing a richness in ornamentation. cast iron in the form of slender, nonflammable pillars, was introduced in the 1790s in English cotton mills, where fires were endemic In 1849 Bogardus created something uniquely American when he erected the first structure with self-supporting, multi-storied exterior walls of iron. Known as the Edgar Laing Stores, this corner row of small four-story warehouses that looked like one building was constructed in lower Manhattan in only two months. Its rear, side, and interior bearing walls were of brick; the floor framing consisted of timber joists and girders. One of the cast-iron walls was load-bearing, supporting the wood floor joists. The innovation was its two street facades of self-supporting cast iron, consisting of multiples of only a few pieces--Doric-style engaged columns, panels, sills, and plates, along with some applied ornaments. Each component of the facades had been cast individually in a sand mold in a foundry, machined smooth, tested for fit, and finally trundled on horse-drawn drays to the building site. There they were hoisted into position, then bolted together and fastened to the conventional stru cture of timber and brick with iron spikes and straps. The second iron-front building erected was a quantum leap beyond the Laing Stores in size and complexity. Begun in April 1850 by Bogardus, with architect Robert Hatfield, the five-story Sun newspaper building in Baltimore was both cast-iron-fronted and cast-iron-framed. In Philadelphia, several iron-fronts were begun in 1850: The Inquirer Building, the Brock Stores, and the Penn Mutuai Building (all three have been demolished). The St. Charles Hotel of 1851 at 60 N. Third Street is the oldest iron-front in America. Framing with cast-iron columns and wrought-iron beams and trusses was visible on a vast scale in the New York Crystal Palace of 1853. Wrought iron can be distinguished from cast iron in several ways.

AirTex Aviation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

AirTex Aviation - Essay Example This company is rather a challenge for its new owners to put it on the right track of profitable business activities. The two owners initially managed to infuse $500,000 into the business as working capital employed to meet the company's short term debts, obligations and even the expenses that are to be paid in the current year The management of cash and accounts receivable are the most important assets of the company, but the company lacked proper recording, calculating and collecting the accounts receivable and turn them into cash efficiently Ted gave the collection of accounts receivable a new direction. It delegated the responsibility of dealing with the debtors, credit grant and collection of accounts receivable to the departmental managers themselves The company owed the bank $300,000 against the notes payable and the company would have gone for bankruptcy if the bank had called for the payment of liabilities, indicating poor liquidity position of the company. Ted met this challenge by strengthening relationship and building trust of the bank manager in the company's new management and their abilities. This made the company became eligible to get more loans and borrowings from the bank and meet any credit uncertainty. AirTex Aviation was on the brink of bankruptcy due to poor management caliber shown by its ex-owner that had lead the company to such a position Previously, all the management power and influence were rested on the single person who was an accountant for the company The company was very weak in terms of its Organisational structure and the dispersion of power and authority remained confined to a single accounting manager that hindered the free and direct flow of communication between the manager and the workers The company lacked educated and trained employees, furthermore, most of the workers in the company are reluctant to change, of any kind especially, education, training and application of new technology etc that could serve to be the greatest hindrance in its course of success Most of departmental managers were old-aged people who were supposedly less willing to adopt the new trends and technologies The two new owners of the company lacked the industry-related skills and knowledge of the business that may affect the growth of their business There had been a severe lack of communication and coordination among the managers and the workers, also the managers confront with the lack of decision-making powers and rights. After the acquisition, the revised structure of organization and decentralization of power resulted in enhanced decision making skills of the managers and an improvement of departmental education and learning The departmental level of accounting was required to be done by the

Hearing loss Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Hearing loss - Research Paper Example This paper explores the causes of, and diagnosis and available treatment for hearing loss. The types of hearing loss and their impact on the well-being of persons with hearing impairment, as well as on the society, are highlighted. The cause of hearing loss or etiology can be readily apparent like an ear infection or amassing of ear wax in the external ear canal and can also be indefinite such as in the cases of non-syndromic sensorineural hearing loss (Connelly, 2005). Generally, the major causes of hearing loss include excessive noise, ototoxic reaction to drugs, aging, genetic inheritance or birth defects, infections, and head or ear injury. Exposure to harmful noise causes damage to sensitive inner ear structures, called hair cells, leading to noised-induced hearing loss. Hair cells are small sensory cells that are responsible for the conversion of sounds into electrical signals, which are then sent to the brain for perception. Once damaged, hair cells can hardly grow back, making loss of hearing permanent. Both the decibel levels of and one’s distance to sounds are equally crucial in determining the potential risks for noise-induced hearing loss. Repeated exposure to sounds at or higher than 85 decibels can impair hearing while a one-time exposure to a much intense sound like explosion can result in hearing loss (NIDCD, 2008). Meanwhile, chemotherapy drugs and radiation employed for the treatment of childhood cancer induce damage to hearing. High doses of radiation may result in ear wax build-up or inflammation in the outer ear, stiffness of eardrum or middle ear bones, or fluid build-up in the middle ear, which can lead to hearing loss (Landier and Ruccione, 2008). Further, radiation can induce damage to the inner ear’s hair cells, resulting in a sensorineural hearing loss. Hearing loss due to viral and bacterial infections such as in syphilis, toxoplasmosis, mumps, bacterial

Select one picture and talk about 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Select one picture and talk about 2 - Essay Example David Park used figurative art to express his concepts in the picture (Jones 1). The thesis statement: the discussion of Ethiopia (1959) is a quest to discover if the piece of work is an object of novelty or objective style? From the aspect of composition, the picture occupies the entire space on the canvas. The figures in the painting are a full size that represents images of grown-up adults. The background consists of different colors that reflect on the images and also compliment them. Looking at the position of their hands and legs, it is clear that there is no movement, they are just standing. The woman at a distance has one hand on her head that may imply that the occurrence is difficult to understand. From the facial expression of the four images, it seems like two people are conversing while the other two are listening. The woman is discussing an issue with the male because the two figures in the front are facing each other. This aspect also shows the difference in the position of the four images; that is the one not displaying the entire body are close, and the ones that are full exhibited are at a distance. David Park has arranged the four images at a different position on the canvas to give m ore attention to the closer images that seem to be the center of his art. Moreover, the figures can be viewed from different angles that make the painting unique. The images are easy to interpret because one can tell the sexes of the individuals and that they are naked. Particular features highlighted in the painting are used to determine the correct sex of the figures. Paying a little attention to the color used on the figures, the woman speaking has a different tone from the others. It can be translated to make her stand out in the piece of art. Analyzing the picture one can conclude that the individuals involved were not civilized because they had no clothes. From the painting style point of view, the brush work is rough because the images do not have

Principles of Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Principles of Human Resource Management - Essay Example 291) On the other hand, selection can be defined as the process of determining the candidate with the best qualities for the job (Jackson & Schuler, 2000). This essay therefore seeks to critically discuss the importance of knowing the legal implications related to the key concepts explained above by the HRM. To select is to discriminate when it comes to recruitment and selection of employees. The issue in this case is not about discriminating but it is about how to discriminate fairly. In simple terms, it is concerned with how this process is done in relation to the human resources management process where job applicants must be treated fairly. In as far as the processes of recruiting and selection are concerned, it can be seen that the most important aspect is that of fairness. The employers need to be fair when they choose candidates to fill the vacant posts in their organisations. Grobler et al (2006) suggests that employers must not be influenced by factors such as race, gender, culture or physical status of a person when they select people to employ in their organisations. ... Under this law, no one is supposed to be unfairly treated as a result of gender, sex role or religion which may result in that person not getting employment even though he is qualified for that position. This law is meant to promote fair recruitment as well as labour practices where candidates for the job posts are not disadvantaged because they do not belong to a certain group of people. An organisation which does not observe this law will be committing and offence and a lawsuit can be filed against that company. It is therefore very important for the human resources management practitioners to have an understanding of the legal requirements relating to employing people. An organisation which fails to observe these legal requirements may be risking its operations given that they can have their licence cancelled and this will negatively affect the whole organisation. Companies which also fail to respect the legal requirements of employing people will risk losing money as they can be forced to pay large sums of money for violating the employment laws of the country. America is also one of the countries with clearly outlined legal requirements relating to employment of people. According to Prafdar (2001), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 no organisation should discriminate or harass potential employees on the basis of race, religion or creed. Any company that violates these legal requirements will be committing an offence and can be prosecuted by the court of law. To avoid negative impacts on the company as a result of violating the employment laws, it is very important for the human resources practitioners to have an understanding of the legal

Hinduism Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hinduism Paper - Essay Example The definition of Indian Supreme Court about Hinduism is elucidated as well. It also presents the services of Mahatma Gandhi in spreading Hinduism and his views regarding caste system in the religion. The theme of the paper is to give a hawk eye review about Hinduism as a religion. Maya has huge significance in Hinduism and it basically means illusion. The term moves around the conception that this world is not actually real and the environment around us is an illusion. The things we experience are not authentic but are in fact depiction of ourselves. Every human being lies somewhere like a drop of water in an ocean. The perception of eternity is the premise of Maya. The term can be more explicated that this universe and creatures living in it are fake; actual human live lie somewhere else. The people which we observe around us actually belong to someplace else (Klostermaier, 2007). Fuller (2004) demonstrated that in Hinduism it is believed that the teachings of Vedanta are ultimate truth and an ordinary human mind cannot go deep into the wordily meaning of Maya. Karma and Ahamkara are the forces which make Maya. The Brahman caste of Hindu’s can understand the meaning and true notion of Maya. To produce conclusive arguments; verses of Bhagavad Gita are presented by Hindu Scholars to strengthen the concept of Maya. The essence of this theory is principally that world is a fake place and our souls lie somewhere else (Klostermaier, 2007). The Supreme Court of India defines Hinduism that it is nothing more than a way of life. It does not believe in a single god, one prophet or single philosophical concept and it does not persuade towards religious traditions. Hinduism is the way people live their lives in a cultured and tailored manner. This idea of Hinduism was defined by Chief Justice of Indian Supreme Court, P. B. Gajendragadkar in 1995. Most of the Hindu’s believe in this definition of the court but

Children can lead successful lives enough though they experience birth Essay

Children can lead successful lives enough though they experience birth complicatins - Essay Example The complications can be due to preterm birth, low birth weight, and intrauterine growth restriction. Particularly the complications develop because of the environment that a mother faces before or after the birth. These can lead to physical or psychological impairments among the children. There are multiple factors that can lead to these complications like smoking, drinking, maternal depression, poverty, family quarrels, parent’s mental illness or lack of formal education. The child who encounters these types of problems at home develops serious learning and behavior problems, mental illness or has a stressful future life (Werner, 1989). Nonetheless, the children who have experienced birth complications can lead a successful live. It all depends on the type of environment in which they are brought up. A stable environment facilitates a child in dealing with the stress he faces, and develops skills equally like all other children. In a research conducted by Emmy Werner in 1989, one third out of the total number of impaired children grow into a competent adult. After further study and observation, Werner found the factors that assist these stressed children in dealing with their stress and other risks of life. The main factor that contributes to these children to bear stress was their strong bond with the caretaker, which could be any member of the family or any appointed baby sitter. Establishing this bond makes it easier for the children to share their thoughts and daily life problems with the caretaker, resulting in taking decisions on their own and making life easy for them. Grandparents can play a pivotal role in the upbringing of a child. The protective aspect in the families, whether out of family circle, or within the children themselves who face complications, enables them to resist stress. The other factor included is that these children have taken