Analysis of Documentary ” the End of the Line”

The end of the line The end of the line is a part of a new wave of documentaries that not only seek prizes at Film Festival and wasn’t just primarily made to make money but change the opinions of dozens of people. What is happening to the world fish stocks is an under reported issue and End of the Line seeks to address this problem and make the issue reportable. The film was directed by Rupert Murray and narrated by Ted Danson. But the whole film is based on a book By Charles Clover himself a fisherman who tells us about his happiness when he first caught a big great salmon .Other researchers , scientists and just fishermen travel around the world to get people to pay attention to the problem of factory fishing which has reduced and made some fish species extinct . In many ways this film is like a funeral for fish . The scientists predict that if we continue fishing as we are now , we will see the end of most seafood by 2048 . The film takes us around the fishing world to the places like Alaska , Canada , Senegal and Bahamas . The film presentation is less like an investigation but more about discovering the guilty criminals because of which fish is disappearing .The film defines them and we listen to expert witnesses who explains us about why those people are guilty . The documentary opens on a colourful ecosystem that immerses us into the beauty of the underwater world , shows us how this world swarming with life and how it is full of various kinds of fish . Credits calmly fade in and out of the picture as beautiful fish dart in and out of coral reefs, filling the screen with happiness and vibrancy. The credits finish rolling and the music that has been playing in the background transforms from cheerful to suspenseful and dramatic .Drab, gray colors suddenly replace the bright ones, and short scenes begin to flash in sync with the music. Huge boats charge through the sea like a tank rolling into a battlefield. A fisherman’s silhouette appears an d he brandishes a knife, plunghing it into a flopping fish. Red, vibrant blood squirts everywhere, even splashing onto the screen, and it drips from the knife of the fisherman . Quick cuts , dramatic close-ups , emotional music , and vivid details are all characteristics of this film .Colors and music in this documentary , that were mentiod earlier , are directed to convey a message of hatred and disgust towards anglers , even before a single word is said . The violent shots of fish being hit in the head, nets filled with flopping fish (complete with an unpleasant slapping sound), and knives creating gushing stab wounds in huge tuna are accompanied by slow, dramatic music and music that could be straight from a horror movie. One shot from within an underwater net shows a few fish with panicked faces, eyes wide, and mouths open, lunging toward the camera as if screaming, â€Å"Let me out! . In this film , fish is occasionally personified , making people that are shown in scenes at s ushi restaurants while eating seafood and talking about how they enjoy eating it and how they love fish , in interviews is represented as they are cannibalistic fish murderers . The diction in this film is mostly voice-over and interviewees . The definite attempt of voice-over is to manipulate the emotions of audience . What about the interwiewees , many of them are very passionate about the issues presented in this documentary , and it shows in the word choice that they use .In the interviews what they do is that they are encouraging and persuading people to stop consuming fish in such big amounts as we do now , to stop fishing ilegally or reduce catch of fish , to prevent this tradegy , otherwise we will see the end of seafood . They also represent us the statistics that are intimidating . Those statistics and interwievs create a horrifying atmosphere and mood . The method of this film is to shock audience . This is the great move to engage people , because it is a shock and fear that makes people be more serious and change the way they think and their worldview .And the dramatic music only feeds those feelings . As it was mentioned earlier the film takes part in different parts of the world . For example in Africa the fishing business is very well developed , but as they were asborbing and catching fish in large quantities this led them to a shotage of fish as well as to the loss of jobs . Since fish and fishing itself for them is one of the most important kinds of food and job , many fishermen were forced to go to Europe to infiltrate their families . And this is already one of the examples that the fish is being extincted .Another example that fish is being extincted is that some corporations and fishermen cheat because they can and don’t get caught . In the documentary , a passionate Mielgo described the role of Mitsubishi that’s located in Japan in the decline of bluefin tuna . He believes the company is stockpiling bluefin for the day whe n the species will be extinct and the price of their highly regarded flesh will skyrocket. The bluefin situation demonstrates what multinational corporations, international fishing policy, and consumer demand can do to a wild species.The film gives us a lot of information, using statistics, scientists, fishermen, and people associated with the fishing industry, which makes us feel truthfully about this film and believe it and to take their message and really try to make a difference in the underwater world . All in all the main purpose of this film is to reach people , to make them to imagine an ocean without fish . Imagine their meals without seafood . Imagine the global consequences . To show that this is the future if we do not stop , the purpose is to make people think and act wisely .

Bentham’s Act Utilitarianism can be used in making

Explain how Bentham's Act Utilitarianism can be used in making moral decisions BY AltceReid20 Jeremy Bentham was a philosopher, economist, atheist and social reformer. Being a social reformer means that Bentham worked to make a gradual change to society. Being an economist meant that he had knowledge in the social science and discipline of economics. Bentham was a philosopher because he studied ways of thinking about the world. This all had an impact on the way his ideas were influenced. He developed the theory known as Act Utilitarianism.His version of Utilitarianism is referred to as Act' Utilitarianism because it states that the principle of utility should be applied to every act performed in each unique situation. Any act is Justifiable if it produces ‘the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number'. By the principle of utility Bentham meant the ‘usefulness' of a situation. The principle states that we should aim to achieve ‘the greatest happiness for the greatest number'. Act Utilitarianism depends on each action or each individual dilemma being calculated.According to Act Utilitarianism it is the value of the consequences of the particular act that counts. In 1789 he wrote the book ‘An Introduction to the principle of morals and legislation' He believed our main aim in life was to achieve ‘happiness' and to avoid ‘pain', he wanted to introduce this to society to maximise the amount of happiness produced in certain situations. His theory was made to drive a human being; pain v pleasure. As people are motivated by pleasure and pain is considered evil. As stated in his book: ‘Nature has placed mankind under the governance of to sovereign masters, pain and pleasure'.Jeremy Bentham's theory is considered as relativistic; this means that here are no universal norms or rules and that each situation has to be looked at independently because each situation is different. It is also thought of as a teleological the ory. This means that it is concerned with the end purpose or goal of an action in this case it should always be happiness. Bentham's theory was also considered to be consequentialist; this means that moral decisions should be based on the outcome or consequences of an action. Bentham felt that society needed a form of structure for making moral decisions influencing him to introduce ActUtilitarianism to help treat each moral decision as unique. He was very concerned with the social conditions of his day, becoming particularly involved with both hospitals and prisons. He also believed in women's vote and the decriminalisation of homosexuality. He developed the principle of utility in his theory which states that an action is right if it produces the ‘greatest happiness for the greatest number'. He had strong beliefs of maximising the quantity of happiness; he was not concerned about prioritising which form of happiness were superior to others. Bentham wrote in theRationale of R eward: ‘Prejudice apart, the game of push-pin is equal of value with the arts of sciences of music and poetry'. Bentham's position was that all pleasures are of equal value. From this he devised the hedonic calculus as a means of measuring happiness. Hedone meaning pleasure. There are 7 parts of the hedonic calculus being intensity, duration, certainty, remoteness, richness and purity which all link to measuring the amount of happiness that a certain situation will produce. An example be applied by using the hedonic calculus to help decide whether it is morally right.A scenario, of a 16 year old girl called Katy wants an abortion because she doesn't want to have a baby. However, her parents are Christians and do not agree with her having an abortion. Abortion is thought of as an ethical issue because people argue whether it is right or wrong. As Bentham's theory is concequentialist all Judgements made should be based on the outcome. Using the hedonic calculus can measure/estim ate the amount of happiness that will be produced. To decide upon the action taken on abortion the intensity of happiness will be produced.In this scenario, the strength of the happiness of the girl, the parents and society will be taken into to help provide the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest amount of people. The duration of the happiness will also be taken into account, to measure how long the happiness will last for. In this case, how long will the happiness of the girl last if she has an abortion? The certainty of the situation will be measured to determine whether happiness is guaranteed to be produced. Will having an abortion actually produce happiness for Katy and her parents?The extent of the happiness will be evaluated to decide how many people it will effect. In this example, will it affect her parents and society more than it'll effect her if she has an abortion? The remoteness of abortion will be checked to determine how soon the happiness will occur. It w ill be debated whether having an abortion will immediately make the girl happy straight away and/ or in the future. This links to the richness of a situation evaluating how much happiness it may produce in the future. In this case, will abortion still provide the girl ith happiness in the future? r will it affect her family and society more so? Again, this links with the purity of the situation which is the decision of whether it will provide unhappiness in the future. Will abortion cause unhappiness for the girl, her family and society. As you can see the hedonic calculus works towards bringing the greatest happiness to the greatest amount of people measuring the quality of happiness not the quantity. In this example, the hedonic calculus would help to decide whether abortion is morally right helping to make moral decisions.The edonic calculus helps you to weigh out what is morally right in a situation giving an objective view reducing opinions and biased options. It takes multiple choices into account excluding religion. In this case, the hedonic calculus would decide that is morally right for Katy to have an abortion. The hedonic calculus would conclude this because society may think that 16 is too young to have a baby which would provide them with more overall happiness of the girl having an abortion. However, having the abortion may cause unhappiness for her family but forgiveness is in the heart ofChristians, if they understand that having an abortion will create a very high amount of happiness for Katy and many people of society may agree with her having an abortion it outweighs the unhappiness of the parents. If Katy was to follow through with her abortion it would provide her more happiness in the meanwhile and future as having a baby may affect multiple aspects of her life. As you can see the hedonic calculus works towards bringing happiness to the greatest amount of people therefore supporting Bentham's beliefs and following Act Utilitarianism.

Business Communication - My Role Model in Career Essay Example for Free

Business Communication – My Role Model in Career Essay Mr. Mahbub Hossain, my line manager of my previous office, is my role model for my career path. He is the CSM (Customer Service Manager)of Joydebpur branch, Brac Bank LTD. In brief, he is getting MBA from IBA along with his job. Was graduated from DU (Finance), prior that he took places in both HSC & SSC examinations. As I worked with him, I found many good qualities in him. By times, I took him as a role model as his qualities impressed me. I am going to point out two of them which is leadership quality and secondly, quick decision (appropriate) making ability. As I have seen him closely, I found all the qualities that a leader should have. He guided the team successfully to achieve the organizational goal. He teamed us up too strongly & cheered us to act spontaneously to meet up the goals. He used to take initiatives for cheering us up. So that we never been tired in meeting our business targets. Theory says, a leader has to have seven qualities, but I found more in him. Out of the theoretical ones, his friendly & caring attitude made us believe that we are not only team players, even more than that. Personal recognitions helped a lot to follow his leadership willingly, not only for his designation. His interpersonal communication skill & ability of finding out team member’s strength or weakness made him a successful leader. I found him always remain calm in critical situations and controlled tactfully. Always stand with subordinates against all odds (from outside) is remarkable. His keen knowledge and prompt decision making ability is an effective quality for any career. I always found him deciding with the best option. Some of his effective decisions saved potential losses. He even made critical decisions over the phone in instant. His knowledge on current issues, updating about the recent changes made him up to this standard. We people learn from the surrounding. I passed a long time with Mr. Mahbub inside & as well outside of our office. I try to adapt these two qualities in me. I wish to be a leader like him as my team members also think like that we are in a team, not like a orderer & follower relation. To get leadership quality like him I try to spend more time with him. Whenever we meet, we share our ides. I am gathering theoretical data as I can even exceed his leadership quality. It was said, â€Å"Leader’s are born, not made. † But recent studies proved that these leadership qualities can be developed to a great extent. I attended a training program at Briddhi with him (arranged by our organization), which was meant for mid level managers and up comers. Finding out colleges ability seems tough to me. I found this as my area of developments. At any stage of career I should be prompt in making quick decisions with accuracy. As I said just ago, I discuss about every issue with him. If there is any situation I have to decide anything at once, I let him know about the issue and exchange ideas for improvement scopes. Knowledge gathering is a key to professional success. That’s why, I get myself admitted MBA here. I am studying here with hope, I can implement these theoretical knowledge at my workplace. I read a lot of articles written on banking & FI (Financial Institutes). Current issues mostly published on web or newspapers. For making myself up to date about, I go through them. Internal circulars helps a lot to updating myself. Business Communication – My Role Model in Career. (2017, Jan 24). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

John Adams vs. Thomas Jefferson Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

John Adams vs. Thomas Jefferson - Research Paper Example Whether it was a clash of ideologies or clash of personalities, it was an ugly situation which came down to accusation campaigns against each other. Jefferson’s people were heard accusing President Adams as having a â€Å"hideous hermaphroditical character, which has neither the force and firmness of a man nor the gentleness and sensibility of a woman† to which Adam’s crowd responded by calling the Vice President Jefferson â€Å"a mean-spirited, low-lived fellow, the son of a half-breed Indian squaw, sired by a Virginia mulatto father† (Swint 2008). Hence the two characters were introduced to the general public and eventually discussed widely in the academia. While Adam was labeled with rude terms like fool and criminal as well as tyrant and hypocrite, Jefferson was regarded as an atheist, coward, a weakling and libertine. Since there was no campaigning for the presidential candidates in the past, these political figures spent the election period at their homes, Adams in Massachusetts and Jefferson in Virginia. The core difference between the two politicians was in the use of tactics to get to win the elections. Jefferson used James Callendar as hatchet man to convince America that Adams was keen on attacking France which was not the truth but it did win him the election because people bought his story. Adams considered himself above such tactics. Callendar has to serve in jail because of Jefferson and felt he owed him all the respect even after he was released from jail in 1801. When he did not receive any conciliation from Jefferson, he wrote a story revealing that Jefferson had an affair with one of his slaves Sally Hemings who had five children from him and lived in France. Things continued to become dirty between Jefferson and Adams. It is still mind boggling when one recalls the friendship between the two which was so close that Jefferson himself proclaimed Adams as a visionary man who was accurate in his judgments. He referred to Adams as a warmhearted soul who did have his weaknesses but they did not overweigh his goodness (Swint 2008). Adams and Jefferson had contrasting lives. While Adams was the eldest son of a middling farmer in Braintree who worked as a shoemaker in winters for survival of his family, Jefferson was the eldest son of a wealthy planter in Virginia who owned thousands of acres of land and more than hundreds of slaves. Adams was raised in a strict Calvinist atmosphere where he was taught to subordinate an individual for a positive outcome in the community, respecting the authority figures. Raised in Anglican Church, Jefferson was rather impressed with his father’s rise to power by merely surveying and speculation of the plants. He never said a word about his beliefs in his formative years. His father Peter Jefferson was a learned man who worked hard to come to his stature. Adams and Jefferson both received schooling in their early life but Adams stayed home while attending a pre paratory school and Jefferson was sent for early schooling away from home. Adams went to Harvard later in life while Jefferson to William and Mary (Ferling 18). Jefferson wanted to be recognized as a unique figure even among the planter elite. He dismissed the aristocratic ways and acknowledged his worth for seeing things in a progressive light. Adams had no choice but to choose his career but Jefferson always had an option because of

Neurotransmitters and Their Relation to Intelligence Essay

Neurotransmitters and Their Relation to Intelligence - Essay Example Wechsler (1944) sets the more widely accepted definition, as he describes intelligence as "the aggregate or global capacity of an individual to act purposefully, to think rationally, and to deal effectively with his environment". From a neurological perspective, the anatomical localization of the neurological processes that give rise to intelligence is generally considered to be the Wernicke's area, located in the superior temporal gyrus, an area of the brain not only related to language and speech, but also to logical and abstract thought. This was determined by research done on patients that have lost their higher intellectual functions when their Wernicke's area. Guyton claims that the prefrontal association area is also associated with intelligence, but not to a great extent. Neurotransmitters in essence represent chemical messengers of the neural circuits and pathways, and in combination with the synapses, represent the physiological method of communication between neurons. In the synapses, the neurotransmitter is released from a pre-synaptic neuron and bonds with receptors on the post-synaptic neuron. It should be noted that there are many types of neurotransmitters, each found in specific areas of the nervous system and therefore, each has a specific action.

Signs of American Life (McDonald's Restaurants) Essay

Signs of American Life (McDonald's Restaurants) - Essay Example A country's culture can be judged by many things, such as its language, films, drama, literature and of course, its cuisine. Although there are many regional variations of its cuisine, the single most visible form of American culture as exemplified by its cuisine is its fast foods. Fast food service restaurants are invented in America and McDonald's is its foremost example that combines the can-do spirit, its stringent individualistic attitudes towards life in general; a hurried pace of life, such that even eating is hurried and harried. In old Europe, eating is done in a leisurely manner as shown in its fine dining establishments but in America, it is different. A general mood is do things quickly in order to achieve material things in life and get ahead. Alexis de Tocqueville hit it on the right spot to have observed this restlessness in Americans; a general tendency to acquire material things that lead to disillusionment, disquiet, unhappiness and an unstated feeling of getting le ft behind by the faster, next fellow. (Tocqueville 1). Long before the term â€Å"keeping up with the Joneses† was coined or invented, Alexis de Tocqueville had already put it succinctly what one single trait to describe the Americans. In his statement, â€Å"it is strange to see with what feverish ardor the Americans pursue their own welfare; and to watch the vague dread that constantly torments them lest they should not have chosen the shortest path which may lead to it† in which an observer gets the impression most Americans are always outdoing each other, not wasting even a single moment by eating fast. Instant coffee, instant meals and instant gratification are exemplified by McDonald's Restaurants in which a customer can order a quick bite and have it within a matter of minutes. McDonald's has been immensely successful because it catered to this American trait of having everything at once, not a minute longer than necessary. People who are always on the go who ne ed a quick bite can hop into any McDonald's outlet and expect to be served very

Sales and Purchase Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sales and Purchase Management - Essay Example Selling skills should be required by a sales force manager. This can be implemented if this sales manager has the best view about the right tools and technical skills for the sales job. For instance, the presence of sale tools makes the business to look professional (Collier 239). Thus, sufficient skills in using these tools would make the sales force more professional. Furthermore, technical skills should be required by sales force manager because selling process for instance, involves relevant strategies in closing a sale (Foster and Thomson 99). Such of these strategies would include research, understanding the buyer’s behaviors, needs, and so on. It is important that the sales force manager and the entire sales team should require all the above skills because they primarily would affect the entire sales performance of the group. Selling definitely involves a process. In a personal selling for instance, there is a need to include several steps prior to closing a sale and fo llow up with the customer (Berkowitz 405). Selling process involves various steps and it starts with prospecting, preapproach, approach, presentation, closing, and servicing or follow up (Kurtz, MacKenzie and Snow 546). The sales force manager requires his or her team to master this sales process because this is an integral part of acquiring opportunity to serve customers and obtaining remarkable sales for the entire organization. Prospecting requires a very important skill in finding the lead, key or potential customers. The preapproach and approach stages should require the sales team to be more creative and ensure research in the preparation process prior to the actual sales call or presentation step. In the presentation, it requires that the sales team should have appropriate product knowledge and know-how on the business process, so as to make the entire sales call convincing. Closing should be the hardest part because prior to it, the sales person must be able to have the righ t skill in handling objections. Furthermore, in the actual closing step, the sales person should be able to have the right skill in discerning that there are no longer objections on the part of the customer. Finally, the servicing step or follow up should be ensured that the sales person has the appropriate skill in leaving the door open for customer’s future repeat order or purchase. Sales force manager at this stage should therefore ensure that relationship selling becomes a must, and it is a specific skill that is to be mastered during the actual selling process. As employees in sales progressed or advanced in their sales career, they should be required to be taken to the next level and an integral part of it is to improve not only their negotiating skills but above all their leadership skills (Boone and Kurtz 576). Selling process requires initiatives, endurance and above all also needs creativity (Boone and Kurtz 576). All of these should be possessed by a sales person. These are integral components of the leadership skills needed in sales. Creativity is something that must be developed over time because

New trends in advertising Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

New trends in advertising - Research Paper Example The company’s efforts in rebranding the pizza and advertising are currently paying off ( Mendelson, 2010). In addition, in September, Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled a new revamped logo that would accompany the new version of the company’s music downloading services. This change took the market by surprise with customers responding positively, increasing the company’s sale for the month (Mendelson, 2010). Generally, companies and individuals in general have taken an initiative to change the perception of customers in the market, either due to negative image created in the market, or to increase sales by revamping a new spirit in the company’s product. As Mendelson (2010) argues, some companies have undertaken to change everything from the products, the names to the packaging in a complete new image of the company. Such was the case with Campbell’s Soup after a dip in U.S soup sales. However, according to Michelson, consumers have not responded positively to these changes and are still lukewarm to the company’s products. Therefore, according to these examples companies have adopted the view that customers are more susceptible to the company’s image through the product, and breathing a new life in these products would increase sales for the companies. The above view has been taken by many multinational leading companies, which have undertaken to formulate products and advertising campaigns according to the market in question. The difference in perception in markets and the need to increase sales in these markets led Coca cola company to give freedom to its local subsidiaries to develop advertising campaigns for local customers and make brands that would respond in particular market (Muhlbacher, Leihs & Dahringer 344).This is because millions of customers worldwide do not consume products by companies, but consume brands. This means that the images that are created in the minds of

An event that is a part of your experience Essay

An event that is a part of your experience - Essay Example My mom warned me about feeding the dog especially when its beef bones just bought from the store. On that day, my determination was to do the opposite of what my mother has instructed me. I was driven by the fact that my parents clearly instructed me not to feed the dog. As I walked to our backyard my heart started to beat harder and harder, my stomach grumbled, my legs felt weak almost not able to walk, my hands felt like they could not carry the few pounds of beef. As I got closer and closer to the tree where my dog was resting, I got more and more anxious. Snowy almost looked like a lion looking for its prey; he slowly lifted its head off the ground as he caught the smell of the fresh beef, which still had a strong scent of blood. He stood up almost about to attack me but, we both knew hurting each other is not a priority. I came closer and closer, I opened the bag and I saw Snowy drooling all over the place ready to eat but looking up at me as if asking for my permission. I said â€Å"go ahead boy it is for you; you look hungry† gave him a little pat on the head and took a few steps back. Noticing a bone a little far away, and my dog tied I thought it could not reach it, so I pushed the bone where he could reach it. I started tossing the bone back and forth, as I waited for Snowy to eat. Suddenly his animal instincts took over as he lurched to protect his old bone. Within the next 5 seconds, the unexpected happened. My dog bit me, and my leg was bleeding. I did not feel the pain at all; it was almost as if a doctor gave me a shot, no pain at all just shocked. I looked at my dog straight in the eyes I could see his regret, his pain and anger as well as a tear. I loved my dog, but at the same time hated him for putting me in this situation. Until then I never realized that dogs could cry just as humans did, but that showed me that not only that Snowy loved me but also felt the same pain I do when it gets hurt. That

Descendant of Henry 7th Essay Example for Free

Descendant of Henry 7th Essay Richard the third is cruel, manipulative, cold hearted and corrupt; however we really ought to mention his bad aspects. Richard the third displays all of the qualities of a true baddie yet he still succeeds in providing the audience with great entertainment and humour. The way he forces the audience to be co-conspirators partly by using clever soliloquies, which are directed specifically to include the audience in his plans but also by showing the audience full spectrum of his roles, he succeeds in appearing to be a kind hearted man, bidding his brother farewell in one seen and in another plotting his death. One key thing to note when Richard addresses the audience is the great humour he uses. He is able to laugh at the death of his two nephews and is intrigued to know more, he also takes it upon him to marry the women whose husband and father he had murdered. He thinks of it as a challenge and when he addresses the audience in act I scene 1, Ill marry Warwicks youngest daughter.  What though I killed her husband and her father?  The readiest way to make the wench amends  Is to become her husband and her father,  The which will I not all so much for love  As for another secret close intent  By marrying her which I must reach unto,  But yet I run before my horse to market:  Clarence still breathes; Edward still lives and reigns;  When they are gone, then must I count my gains.  This is one such example of the great wit and bravado shown by Richard. Richard has many different characteristics: from being the pungent, repellent arrogant commander; to being the witty jester that we cant help but adore. He can be a great leader, which is shown in his oration to his troops and can be greatly cunning in order to achieve his goals. One may be deceived by his outwardly appearance however Richard is certainly not disabled on the inside. He is a very intelligent man whose planning and acting is that of a true baddie. Richard the Third is about a lot more than a tale of an evil man. It is quite clearly a piece of pro-Tudor propaganda. At the time when Shakespeare wrote the play Elizabeth 1st was on the thrown. She was a direct descendant of Henry 7th (Richmond), and so it would do Shakespeare no harm at all if he were to depict the Monarchs Ancestor as being a great mad who fought against evil and succeeded.  The play also covers an important political issue, can a tyrannical king be removed. In the time the play was set the common thought was that God had delivered the king and so therefore it would be deeply wrong to overthrow a king, be he evil or good. The play really resolved this issue and it is clear to see which viewpoint Shakespeare had.

Principle-agent Problem in Shareholders and Managers

Principle-agent Problem in Shareholders and Managers This essay identifies the principle-agent problem between shareholders and managers. It also overlooks UKs corporate governance compared to Germany and Japan. Furthermore effectiveness of UKs system will be analyzed amid recommendations to reduce the vulnerability. Economic theory speculates that a firms goal is to capitalize on shareholders wealth; achievable with entrepreneurial firm since owners are managers. However, ownership nowadays is significantly diluted, with companies owned by large shareholder groups. This causes the separation of ownership and management which hinders the relationship between shareholders and managers; where managers replace shareholders interest with their own. This may be due to information asymmetry  [1]  where managers have the power to act in accordance to shareholder needs. This is known as the agency problem and is common in modern corporate. Under this theory the relationship is formed through a binding contract whereby principals (shareholders) appoint the agents (managers) to execute services with authority to make decisions. However such contracts are imperfect as the impracticality to include every action of the agent whose decisions has an impact on their and the principals benefits. Thus, self interested behaviour arises in organisations as the interest of both parties diverges, i.e. principals interest regards maximisation of shareholders wealth (profit maximisation) whereas agents interest lies in own utility maximisation (bonuses/promotion). Shareholders permit managers to run the firms assets; resulting in a conflict of interest. The fundamental problem therefore is to align the interests of both parties. Furthermore, principals expect board of directors to base their decisions on maximising equity value. However the board of directors expect managers to follow strategies that support their goals. This situation illustrates that shareholders have no direct input into the operation and therefore have no power to tell managers what to do. This issue arises because of the separation of ownership and control and therefore managers are able to pursue goals beneficial to them and unfavourable to shareholders. Overall, detachment between the two parties increases lack of goal congruence. The question arises as to why shareholders do not monitor management? There are three reasons why taking control causes difficulties. (1) Expensive to monitor managerial activities as obtaining information is difficult (2) disgruntled shareholders are unable to pose threats in order to reduce undesirable managerial behaviour i.e. hiring an outside member and (3) dispersed shareholders have an incentive to free ride. Keasy et al 1997 regards the above as economic costs to monitoring. These limitations pose problems for shareholder wealth since undesirable managerial actions takes place in the absence of control. Shareholders may introduce incentive packages which include profit related bonuses, performance, promotion incentives and encourage employees to buy shares which increase their wages, to encourage agents to make optimal effort. Due to the above problems, nations have developed systems which carry out independent monitoring and control of the firm in order to align the overall goal. OECD 1999 stated that corporate governance structure specifies the distribution of rights and responsibilities among different participants in the corporation, and spells out the rules and procedures for making decisions on corporate affairs. By doing this, it also provides the structure through which the company objectives are set, and the means of attaining those objectives and monitoring performance. In UK capital markets play a vital role where share prices advocates performance levels. Managements focus is to maximize shareholders wealth through the use of independent board of directors. The fear of takeover bids forces management to undergo effective actions. Approximately 50% of shares are held by institutional investors indicating dominant ownership. Cadbury Report 1992 states large proportion of shareholder ownership influence companys actions. In 2008 the Financial Reporting council developed the Combined Code i.e. various reports/codes pertaining good corporate governance. The most influential is Cadbury Report 1992  [2]  , was produced as the lack of monitoring management activities caused several scandals whereby executives acted in their interest. Initially, Polly Peck  [3]  went into liquidation after years of false accounting leading to scrutinizing of the financial aspects and accountability. However after the scams of BCCI and Robert Maxwell, they revised the relationship between boards, auditors and shareholders. The final report states CEOs and Chairmans of companies should be separated. Jenson 1993  [4]  states that if roles were mutual, conflict of interest would arise. Furthermore, 3 non-executive directors, two of whom should be independent  [5]  and an audit committee involving non-executives should be included. Companies were encouraged to follow these practises alongside the code of best practise which outlines other areas of concern. However the one size fits all problem was recognised by Cadbury causing all companies registered in UK to follow the comply or explain system. Companies should comply with corporate best practise or have legitimate reasons for non-compliance. Furthermore, the board must offer a full explanation to shareholders and explicate how their practises are consistent with shareholders. Its acceptable only when shareholders believe good governance has been achieved. Greenbury committee, formed to evaluate directors remuneration packages and the lack of disclosure of payments in the annual reports, commenced over publics anger regarding increases in executive pay. The report added to the Cadbury Code and advised (1) each board include a remuneration committee involving independent non-executives briefing shareholders annually and (2) directors should have LT  [6]  performance related pay, all disclosed in the annual accounts. Moreover, progress should be reviewed every 3 years to ensure companies are operating effectively. The Hampel committee  [7]  formed in 1998 suggested all previous principles should be collaborated into a Combined Code. Furthermore, the chairman of the boards should act as the leader, investors should consider voting the share and all remunerations information including pensions should be disclosed. The Turnbull Committee, created the next year, advised that directors should be held accountable for internal financial and auditing controls. Several reports have contributed to the Combined Code namely the Higgs review outlining the actions of non-executives. More recently, after the collapse of Northern Rock and the financial crisis that followed, the Walker Review formed a report concerning banking sectors. The Financial Reporting Council produced a new Stewardship Code in 2010. Germanys corporate system is mainly stakeholder oriented and diffuses away from shareholders interests. The objective is maximising stakeholder value thereby revealing several distinctive differences. Firstly, the banking sector is a major stakeholder. Charkham (1994) stated that banks hold a dominate position in financing and supervising companies for numerous reasons. (1) During 1870 companies were heavily reliant on credit. Banks began offering LT loans to LT clients who tied the companies, obtaining ownership and acting as shareholders within industrial firms. (2) Banks hold 25% of voting capital in large corporations and 28% of seats on the supervisory boards. (3) Banks are shareholder representatives, authorised to vote for their shares plus proxy shares  [8]  , giving further control. Consequently companies are unlikely to face takeovers, since banks will support them through financial hardships unlike in the UK. Secondly, co-operative culture is articulated under the Co-determination Act 1976 whereby workers obtain significant roles in the management process; known as work councils. Work council staff influence business actions and partake in decision making processes. Employees (elected by work councils) sit on the supervisory board when a firm has more than 2000 employees alongside shareholder representatives. This system reduces workforce conflicts by improving communication channels, increase bargaining power of workers through legislations and finally correct market failures. Overall productivity levels increase, with low levels of strikes as better pay and conditions entailing good industrial relations. Finally, Germany involves a two tier board compared to UKs one tier board. It includes a management board (Vorstand) where managers monitor daily operation and conduct of the firm. Plus a supervisory board (Aufsichtsrat) involving only non-executives  [9]  who monitor the management board responsibilities and approving decisions. Separation of the two increases the awareness of individual responsibilities and helps prevent management abuse. The downfall is having worker representatives on the supervisory board as they will opt for decisions beneficial for employees rather than company. For example closing down a factory may deem good for the company however problematic for redundant employees, making it is difficult to work in the best interest of the company. Germanys corporate system lies heavily on good industrial relations which considers its company, employees and public. It shows corporations are a social institution rather than an economic one as it does not put financial value for shareholders at the top of the list of policy objectives  [10]  . Shareholders are seen as one of many stakeholders and not just a privileged constituency. The Japanese corporate governance revolves around banking relations like Germany along with life time employment. There are prominent features including the intervention of government and close alliances between government and companies. Business and industrial activities are monitored by the Japanese Ministry of Finance, involving them in the management and decision process. Japanese corporate rely on main banks  [11]  which are all interlinked with firms, forming a concentrated ownership (shareholders). Prowse 1992 states that individuals hold 26.7% of a firms equity while corporations hold 67.3%. Unlike western countries, Japanese banks can hold equities up to 5%. The argument is by acting as lenders and shareholders, conflict of interests of debt providers and equity will be eradicated. Moreover banks hold these equities for long periods, building a LT banking relationship unlike UKs transactional banking. Furthermore, they are involved with the internal management by obtaining seats on the board of directors. They actively contribute in the decision process and act as insurers for companies entering financial difficulties i.e. bankruptcy or takeovers. Like Germany, banks form LT contracts with companies based on financial services and supervision and act as representatives for other shareholders through proxy votes. One major distinction in Japan is the Keiretsu system. Companies form close alliances mainly between banks, businesses and the government, by working towards each other success. The role of the government became important when they intervened in 1990s as Japan suffered a recession. The government wanted to restore the economy through its policies and regulations by improving the corporate governance to stimulate growth and investment. Germany and Japan both work toward the interest of the company and workers as a collective. However Japans board structure is different as all members consist of former employees excluding outside directors apart from bank officials. The boards have more members than UK and Germany as some companies have over 60 directors. This proves very effective as no domination of directors occur. According to Allen and Gale (2000), focusing on stakeholders rather than solely on shareholders, societies resources are being used efficiently as employees, suppliers and customers are taken into account. This enhances productivity, thus generating higher profits, benefiting the firm and shareholders. Since 1990 the UK have implemented many policies reforming the management and governance of companies. These range from codes, reports, regulation and legislations; but how effective are they? To ensure company interests are aligned with shareholders, UK has imposed various committees to monitor the effectiveness. For example, audit committees review audits annually and overlook financial relationships between companies and auditors. Nomination committees administer human resources and plans future directors. Compensation committees examine management actions and daily operations. Moreover the existence of institutional investors has its advantages as investing in firms they have incentive and motivation to monitor them. This leads to high performance levels which reduces agency costs. However, companies practise ST  [12]  profit maximisation without LT planning making companies underperform, therefore investors sell their shares and exit rather than voice their discontent (occurs mainly in Germany). Overall UKs approach in monitoring company interest is effective as companies have majority of existing shareholders through the need of committees. The Code of best practice gives shareholders confidence that companies are operating with high levels of transparency during decision making processes. From this, the comply or explain system was created, whereby some freedom is left for companies to make effective decisions. The gains from this is that (1) managers and shareholders follow the LT interest of both the company and owners (2) distinguishes the culture barrier individual firms face since there are different levels, size and ownership of companies, whereas code of best practice instils one size fits all rule. Moreover, codes are more effective than regulations as companies can grow whereas enforcing strict internal controls companies are limited to procedures. Furthermore, codes tackle more softer problems relating to best practise compared to regulations i.e. training and supporting directors in their role. The Cadbury Report reflects the above whereby The effectiveness with which boards discharge their responsibilities determines Britains competitiveness position. They must be free to drive their companies forward, but exercise that freedom within a framework of effective accountability. This is the essence of any system of good corporate governance. For this system to work effectively shareholders require full disclosure to facilitate them in their decisions and having rights when dissatisfied. Consequently companies must disclose information in their annual reports stating how they have applied the combined code and giving shareholders voting rights to discharge directors. All these requirements are set out under the company law making the system successful since it was adopted in EC  [13]  and included in the EUD  [14]  in 2006; outlining same principles. Empirical evidence show that UK has drawn close to the concept of good corporate governance. According to the FTSE ISS Corporate Governance Index and Governance Metrics International Reports, the UK has the highest average governance score out of all the countries. Moreover 94%  [15]  of UK pension Funds considered corporate standards in the UK has developed exceptionally. The following reforms revolve around two primary issues (1) lack of separation of management and control and (2) dilemma faced by non-executive directors in terms of monitoring. Accordingly UKs current reforms indicated the need for independent non-executive directors to minimise conflicts otherwise present. However, the disadvantage regarding this independence is, there is less incentive to spend a sufficient amount of time controlling company issues because they have no direct relationship with the company. In addition, doubts on how much knowledge they acquire also poses a problem. One possible pivotal solution that could be incorporated into UK governance is increasing the frequency and duration of board meetings. Company information is very broad and complex especially relating to LT financial performances, competitive position and organisational structure. Therefore it is vital that directors assign more time to assess the information and deem upon past decisions and events. It is recommended that directors meet on a monthly basis for continual supervision and allow directors to address all areas and ask specific questions that affect the future of the company. There are issues surrounding this proposal for example, preparation, however the more frequent the meetings the less time needed to prepare as oppose to the time needed for meetings held every quarter. Moreover, meetings should not be limited to a time schedule but rather should last until all aspects are covered. This method is very flexible for example meetings could last more than one day when a co mpany is in a difficult situation. The advantage is that opinions will be shared more openly and allows non-executive directors to be more involved; this should be carried when discussing the long term corporate strategy. Another solution is altering the composition of the board. In the Combined Code section A.3.2 it pronounces that at least half the board, excluding the Chairman, should comprise non-executive directors determined by the board to be independent. This does not specify the maximum number of seats in total. Therefore it is advisable that the fewer directors, the more likely that each director can play a dynamic and imperative role. The recommended number should consist of eight to ten directors in total. This is so that there is enough variety and sufficient array of viewpoints. When there are more than ten or twelve members on the board, there will be a free rider problem where some directors will stop preparing for meetings and rely on the work of others resulting in topics not being discussed in depth. Finally UK should consider adding a supervisory board like Germany and Japan as this will allow wider diversity among the decision making processes. Moreover it will reduce abuses from dominate directors since there is constant revision of management performance. Overall UK should cease to improve existing polices and the challenge lies in keeping UKs corporate governance an asset rather than a liability for companies.

The Degradation of Communication on the Internet Essays -- Communicati

The Degradation of Communication on the Internet Talking on the Internet, people regress. It's that simple. It can be one-to-one talk on e-mail or many-to-many talk on one of the LISTs or newsgroups. People regress, expressing sex and aggression as they never would face to face. Think about it. Current estimates say 23 million people communicate on the Internet from most of the nations on the globe, and that number is increasing at 12% a month. And all this just grew like Topsy, with no one planning or controlling it. Here is one of the extraordinary technological achievements, one of the great _human_ achievements, of our century. But _homo sapiens_ reverts to primitive, childish behavior. Why? There are three major signs or, if you will, symptoms of this regression. The one Internet primitivism that everybody talks about is "flaming," flying into a typewritten rage at some perceived slight or blunder. "Everywhere I went in the newsgroups," writes John Seabrook in _The New Yorker_, "I found flames, and fear of flames" (1994, 70). No wonder. Seabrook had written a friendly piece on Bill Gates, the powerful president of Microsoft. In the "profile," he made a point of the way he and Gates conducted their interview on e-mail. This is what appeared on Seabrook's screen (courtesy of a certain computer columnist): Crave THIS, asshole: Listen, you toadying dipshit scumbag . . . remove your head from your rectum long enough to look around and notice that real reporters don't fawn over their subjects, pretend that their subjects are making some sort of special contact with them, or, worse, curry favor by TELLING their subjects how great the ass- licking profile is going to turn out and then brag in print about doing it... ...m.nerdc.ufl.edu_ 31 May 1994. Span, Paula. "The On-line Mystique." _Washington Post Magazine_ 27 Feb. 1994, W11. Sproull, Lee, and Sara Kiesler. _Connections: New Ways of Working in the Networked Organization_. Cambridge MA: MIT P, 1991. Turkle, Sherry. _The Second Self: Computers and the Human Spirit_. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1984. Walker, Donna. Letter. _Washington Post Magazine_ 17 Apr. 1994, W3. Waterton, J. J., and J. C. Duffy. "A Comparison of Computer Interviewing Techniques and Traditional Methods in the Collection of Self-report Alcohol Consumption Data in a Field Study." _International Statistical Review_ 52 (1984): 173-82. Weizenbaum, Joseph. _Computer Power and Human Reason: From Judgment to Calculation_. San Francisco: W. H. Freeman, 1976. Wright, Robert. "Journey Through Cyberspace." _Ottawa Citizen_ 18 Sep. 1993, B4.

Druids Essay -- essays research papers fc

THE DRUIDS During the Anglo-Saxon period, magic was often practiced among several different classes of people in their own ways. It was considered sinful but its power was always believed in. Their knowledge of magic was first sought out from the biblical story, The Three Wise Men. According to one legend, the men who visited baby Jesus were astrologers who located him by magic use of the stars. The Bible has many ferences to magic, sorcery, and witchcraft. Since religion was valued during the Anglo-Saxon period, the Bible held the laws to their lives. Church authorities tried to ban witchcraft but people in many parts of the world continued to practice witchcraft as a religion. From the Anglo-Saxon period, the most well known of these people were the Druids. The Druids were the priests or ministers of religion among the ancient Celtic nations in Gaul, Britain, and Germany. They combined the functions of the priest, the magistrate, the scholar, and the physician. Druidism is a reconstruction of the beliefs and practices of the ancient Celtic priesthood-professional class. They underwent lengthy training; about twenty years. Druids led all public rituals, which were normally held within fenced groves of sacred trees. They didn't use any images to represent the object of worship. A circle of stones enclosing an area from twenty to thirty yards in diameter, constituted their sacred place. The most sacred of this is the Stonehenge. When privacy was called for, these rituals took place in sacred grooves and clearings hidden deep in the forests. They believed in only one god, to whom they gave the name "Be'al". In modern english this translates to "the life of every thing," or "the source of all beings". It has a connection with the Phoenician Baal. The Druids identified this with the Sun. Fire was referenced as a symbol of the eternal life. In record, most of the leaders were males. It wasn't known whether female Druids were considered of equal part. Two festivals were of great importance to the Druids. The first festival took place in the beginning of May and was called Beltane or "Fire of God". A large fire was heated on an elevated spot, in honor of the sun, whose returning beneficence t hey then welcomed after the winter time. The second festiva... ... Druidism itself was destroyed or continued deeply underground throughout most of the Celtic lands. Though Druidism is not a common practiced religion today, it still does exist even here in the United States. The spirit of the Druids will never die due to the ancient "Druid" altars, beds, rings, stones, stone circles, and temples they have left behind. Other present day religious leaders have followed and adopted the same beliefs as the Druids. Though we are not as familiar with these magicians, their legends and remnants still haunt the European lands. Works Cited BOOK Dersin,Denise. What Life Was Like Among Druids And High Kings. Richmond, Virginia: Time Life Inc., 1998. Encyclopedia Wallis, Wilson D. "Druid." The World Book Encyclopedia. 1970 Edition. INTERNET SOURCES Celtic Druidism. http://www.religioustolerance.org/druid.htm Druids. http://celt.net/Celtic/History/d_overview.html The Druids. http://witchcraft.simplenet.com/druid.html

Adult Literacy Education: Emerging Directions in Program Development :: Adult Learning Educate School Essays

Adult Literacy Education: Emerging Directions in Program Development The one-size-fits-all programming for [adult literacy students] that has predominated in the past should not and indeed cannot continue in the future if practitioners are to be responsive to learners' needs. Rather, practitioners must meaningfully assist adults in learning to read not only the word but their world. (Sissel 1996, p. 97). "Why don't more adults take advantage of available opportunities to improve their basic skills?" is one of the more perplexing questions confronting the field of adult basic and literacy education. Only 8 percent of eligible adults participate in funded literacy programs and, of those who do, most (74 percent) leave during the first year (Quigley 1997). "What other area of education could live with such figures?" asks Quigley (ibid., p. 8). A large number of adults with low literacy simply choose not to participate in available programs, and they are sometimes referred to as nonparticipants or resisters. The reasons these adults do not see literacy education as a viable alternative are complex but recent research has focused on the connection to previous school experiences (Velazquez 1996). Many adults equate literacy education with school, and, even though they have positive attitudes about learning and education, they choose not to participate in adult basic and literacy education programs (Quigley 1997; Velazquez 1996; Ziegahn 1992). Since most adult literacy education programs still resemble school (Quigley 1997; Velazquez 1996), adult literacy educators must begin to change how programs are structured and delivered if they are going to attract nonparticipants. Fortunately, a growing number of practitioners, researchers, and policy makers in the field of adult literacy education are dissatisfied with the status quo and are proposing changes based on research and practice. This Digest presents emerging perspectives about adult literacy program development. First, it reviews current ideas about the relationship between learners and program development and then presents recommendations for program development based on the literature. Program Development: Listening to Learners' Voices How can literacy programs become less like school and more appealing to adults, especially to nonparticipants? Two areas that hold potential for answering this question are discussed here. The first is connected to program content and the second revolves around greater consideration of the differences among students. Beyond Reading and Writing Literacy education must be conceptualized as more than reading and writing (Auerbach et al. 1996). According to Fingeret (1992), "our understanding of literacy has changed from [a] focus on individual skills, separated from meaningful content .

Natural America

The institution of marriage has been recognized in Western society for thousands of years. It is most widely recognized as a covenant of religious faith with the first writings referring to marriage occurring in the Bible. Marriage at that time represented a patriarchal family structure (Haeberle, 1981) and it served a distinct purpose – to propagate the human species by joining one man and one woman who were then expected to produce children from the union.Over time, the definition of marriage has changed and as a Western society we no longer think of marriage as a means to procreate. Instead, marriage has become a choice and a willing union between two partners as an expression of their love and commitment. Is the marriage of two same sex partners any less â€Å"natural† than that of their heterosexual counterparts?Going to back to biblical origins, marriage was expected of every single person and there were even cases where one husband enjoyed multiple wives and conc ubines. Marriage was important to keep the human species alive. It was also important for women, in particular, as they had little perceived value in society other than producing children who would keep the man’s family name living long into posterity. Over time, the laws of Israel changed to sanction only monogamy and discourage divorce (Haeberle, 1981).As history progressed, women continued to receive the short end of the stick, so to speak, in that females were not allowed to own property or businesses or be involved in government. The only option for a woman to receive any kind of benefits from society was to marry. Men also enjoyed benefits from marriage, most particularly he was often joined with a woman whose family brought wealth directly to him. Marriage was largely a business proposition up until the 20th century and usually did not take into account personal feelings or emotions.This type of traditional union between a man and woman has survived to the present day even though there is no longer any need to propagate our species or to manage a woman’s possessions or wealth. Instead, Western people are now focused on marrying for love and obtaining a loving partner (at least when marriage is for the right reasons!). But is there really a need for traditional marriage in today’s society? According to Haeberle, marriage survives because â€Å"it is a method for the orderly transmission and conservation of wealth and status†. It is a way to preserve our family lineage, and serves an economic purpose in allowing for inheritance and properties to be passed down to future generations of the same family, thereby keeping wealth confined to blood lines.Certainly a heterosexual union can accomplish these goals as well as receiving official sanction from the majority of religions. Society, as well, accepts and enforces traditional marriages and encourages a set of parents to produce children and cohabitate in a family home. These trad itional families engender faith, trust, and unconditional love and thus embody the core values of Western society.When two partners of the same sex wish to signify their attachment to each other by exchanging vows, their need for these same core values is no less than that of a heterosexual couple. Homosexual partners also marry for love and companionship, based on religious beliefs, often to raise children together, and with the idea that their possessions, wealth and property will be passed down and death benefits given to their life partner. Reverend Ed Evans (from Robinson, 2007) describes a same sex marriage ceremony he performed: â€Å"Then hugs. And kisses. Love was being expressed. Love that finally had found a tiny crack from which to shine.†The biggest difference between same sex and heterosexual couples is that society recognizes the latter type of union. Traditional marriage couples are afforded a legally sanctioned combination of their goods with clear inheritanc e laws as well as life and health insurance and death benefits. Homosexual couples are currently not allowed these privileges in all states of the United States except one, Massachusetts.Not only does our legal system not recognize a same sex union, but the majority of religions do not, either. â€Å"God has a plan for marriage and this isn’t it† according to Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving (from Robinson, 2007). And, from John Stott, who authored a book Same Sex Partnerships, his basis for denigrating such unions is supported by the bible by referring to â€Å"positive teaching in Genesis 1 and 2 about human sexuality and heterosexual marriage† (from Robinson, 2007).However, there are no passages in the Bible which clearly state a prohibition against same sex marriages, although it does condemn prostitution and rituals which involve homosexuality. Thus, â€Å"a religious liberal might thus conclude that gays and lesbians are called by God to either remain cel ibate or to enter into committed, loving, supported relationships — exactly the same lifestyles as God expects of heterosexuals† (Robinson, 2007).For both opponents and proponents in these examples, same sex marriage is not seen as â€Å"unnatural† but merely to be different than the institution we have been traditionally taught to believe is acceptable. Many other societies around the world do not prohibit, and even endorse, homosexual unions (Haeberle, 1981). By defining marriage as a union between two individuals who vow to lend each other their support and love, to create a life together, to work towards the same goals, to raise children (if such a decision is reached), and to share possessions, wealth and property, we can then remove the label of â€Å"same-sex† or â€Å"heterosexual† for it simply does not matter.Some may argue that the divorce rate will be affected by allowing same sex couples to marry in a legal union. â€Å"If marriage mea ns everything, it means absolutely nothing. It will mean nothing to same-sex as well as opposite-sex couples. The current decline of the institution of marriage will be accelerated. Increasing numbers of couples will elect to simply ‘live together’ † (Dobson, from Stanton). Current statistics show divorce rates hovering around 41 – 43% for all marriages; homosexual unions would actually have a higher rate of success if these couples were allowed to legally marry (Stanton, 2007).The United States we live in is a country founded on principles of exploration, the right to defend ourselves and to speak freely, and providing a haven for those who would risk persecution elsewhere. Should not these same principles apply to loving partners of the same sex who wish to marry? It is the civil right of every American citizen to be allowed the freedom to marry the person they love (Robinson, 2007). And, as American citizens, it is our duty to celebrate our differences a nd rejoice in the fact that family values are still alive and well, no matter the type of family.ReferencesHaeberle, Erwin J., Ph.D., Ed.D. (1981). History of Marriage in Western Civilization, The Sex Atlas. Continuum Publishing: New York. Retrieved September 11, 2007, from the Magnus Hirschfield Archive for Sexology Web site: http://www2.hu-berlin.de/sexology/ATLAS_EN/html/history_of_marriage_in_western.html.Haeberle, Erwin J., Ph.D., Ed.D. (1981). Marriage and the Family, The Sex Atlas. Continuum Publishing: New York. Retrieved September 11, 2007, from the Magnus Hirschfield Archive for Sexology Web site: http://www2.hu-berlin.de/sexology/ATLAS_EN/html/marriage_and_the_family.html.Robinson, B. A. (2007). Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, Same-sex Marriages (SSM), civil unions and domestic partnerships. Retrieved September 11, 2007, from the Religious Tolerance Web site: http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_marr.htm.Robinson, B. A. (2007). Ontario Consultants on Religiou s Tolerance, Liberal Christian views favoring Same-sex Marriages (SSM), civil unions and domestic partnerships. Retrieved September 11, 2007, from the Religious Tolerance Web site: http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_marj_l.htm.Stanton, Glenn T. (2007). Do Half of All American Marriages Really End in Divorce?, from Focus on the Family. Retrieved September 11, 2007 from the Family.org Web site: http://www.family.org/socialissues/A000000596.cfm.

Organisational Behaviour Report Essay

Conflict is not confined at the individual level alone but is manifesting itself more and more in organizations. Employees have become more vociferous in their demands for a better deal. Various departments in an organization face a situation full of conflicts due to a number of reasons like goal diversity, scarcity of resources or task interdependence etc. Conflict Dysfunctional Conflict can take an interpersonal form. Conflict between individuals takes place owing to several factors, but most common are personal dislikes or personality differences. When there are only differences of opinion between individuals about task-related matters, it can be construed as technical conflict rather than interpersonal conflict. Technical and interpersonal conflicts may influence each other due to role-related pressures. One may put the blame for low sales volume on the production manager not meeting his production schedule and may start disliking the production manager as an incompetent person. It is often very difficult to establish whether a conflict between two parties is due to manifest rational factors, or it emanates from hidden personal factors. Conflict Functional These types of intragroup conflicts arise frequently due to an individual’s inability to conform to the group norms . Most groups have an idea of a â€Å"fair day’s work† and may pressurize an individual if he exceeds or falls short of the group’s productivity norms. If the individual resents any such pressure or punishment, he could come into conflict with other group members. Usually, it is very difficult for an individual to remain a group-member and at the same time, substantially deviate from the group norm. So, in most cases, either he conforms to the group norm or is rejected by the group. Of course, before taking any such extreme step, he or the other group members try to influence each other through several mechanisms leading to different episodes of conflict. Analysis A lot of conflict is generated within organizations because various groups within the organization hold ‘conflicting’ values and perceive situations in a narrow, individualistic manner. An example that comes readily to mind is that of the managment-labour conflict. Labor feels that management is exploiting it because in spite of making a profit, management does nothing for the economic welfare of labor. On the other hand, management feels that the profits should go to cash reserves so as to make the company an attractive proposition for investors. Another example is the conflict between engineering and manufacturing. Engineering lays stress on technological sophistication and precision and is accused by manufacturing of designing products that will last for many years but that the customers cannot afford. It is maintained that since an organization is composed of individual and they had different perceptions of goals and dithering values, conflict is bound to arise in the organization. Managers of various departments have separate priorities and conflicting ideas about resource allocation. Hence conflict is the unavoidable outcome. Subordinates may clash with the manager over whether the work can be accomplished in the given period of time or not. They might even argue with subordinates at their own level over the best possible way to do a given job. Thus conflict is an unavoidable outcome but at the same time it is assumed that conflict need not always be detrimental. Under some circumstances it could focus on problems and instigate a search for better and more innovative solutions to problems. Though conflict can lead to more creativity in problem solving and be beneficial to organization under certain conditions, yet it is perceived that conflict as harmful— something to be resolved once it arise. The views about human nature are that people are essentially good; trust, cooperation and goodness are given in human nature. Accordingly, the major antecedent conditions which induce aggressiveness and conflict in people are the faulty policies and structure resulting in distortion and breakdown in communication. Hence the manager’s role in resolving conflict is to restore understanding, trust and openness between parties. It is not easy to build a strong corporate culture in any organization. A strong culture is based on strong ethics. This is very important for the success of the organization in the long-run. It is very easy to adopt short-cut methods to reach the top but the downfall also comes at the same rate. Ethics ensure that the organization does not adopt short-cut methods to achieve success; instead it stresses on the concept of sustained success. Every organization has its own code of ethics and standards in a written form. The code of ethics normally contains the following points: †¢ Honesty †¢ Fairness in practices of the company—Disclosing the inside information; †¢ Acquiring and using outside information—Disclosure of outside activities by the employer to the employee; Each organization has its own set of code of ethics. Making negotiations has been identified as one of the primary responsibilities of any manager. Negotiations may involve allocating resources, investing capital or introducing new products. If resources like men, money, machines, materials, time and space were abundant, clearly any planning would be unnecessary. But, typically, resources are scarce and so there is a need for planning. Negotiation making is at the core of all planned activities. We can ill afford to waste scarce resources by making too many wrong negotiations or by remaining indecisive for too long a time, Negotiation making under risk: A negotiation is made under conditions of risk when a single action may result in more than one potential outcome, but the relative probability of each outcome is known. Negotiations under conditions of risk are perhaps the most common. In such situations, alternatives are recognized, but their resulting consequences are probabilistic and doubtful. While the alternatives are clear, the consequence is probabilistic and doubtful. Thus, a condition of risk may be said to exist. In practice, managers assess the likelihood of various outcomes occurring based on past experience, research, and other information. A quality control inspector, for example, might determine the probability of number of ‘rejects’ per production run. Likewise, a safety engineer might determine the probability of number of accidents occurring, or a personnel manager might determine the probability of a certain turnover or absenteeism rate. Negotiation making under uncertainty: A negotiation is made under conditions of uncertainty when a single action may result in more than one potential outcome but the relative probability of each outcome is unknown. Negotiations under conditions of uncertainty are unquestionably the most difficult. In such situations a manager has no knowledge whatsoever on which to estimate the likely occurrence of various alternatives. Negotiations under uncertainty generally occur in cases where no historical data are available from which to infer probabilities or in instances which are so novel and complex that it is impossible to make comparative judgments. Negotiations under complete uncertainty are as difficult to cite as example of decisions under absolute certainty. Given even limited experience and the ability to generalize from past situations, most managers should be able to make at least some estimate of the probability of occurrence of various outcome. Nevertheless, there are undoubtedly times when managers feel they are dealing with complete uncertainty. The number of factors to be considered and the large number of uncontrollable variables vital to the success of such a venture can be mind-boggling On a personal level, the selection of a job from among alternatives is a career decision that incorporates a great deal of uncertainty. The number of factors to be weighed and evaluated, often without comparable standards, can be overwhelming.

William Stokoe Timeline

1919- William C. Stokoe Jr. was born on July 21 in New Hampshire. 2 1937- He attended Wells College with the in the intention to study physical chemistry, but he decided that it consumed too much time and money and decided to study English instead. 1946- William Stokoe receives his Ph. D. in English and teaches at Wells College for seven years. 2 1955- William Stokoe is hired as the head of the Department of English at Gallaudet College. It was a year later he was first exposed to deaf people signing.Stokoe decides to research signing because, unlike the opinions of many of his colleagues, he viewed signing as its own distinctive language. 2 1957- Stokoe receives a research grant from the American Council of Learned Societies to begin analyzing ASL as a language. Two years later, The National Science Foundation continued the funding for his study. 1-2 1960- Stokoe publishes his first book on the research he conducted on signing, titled Sign Language Structure: An Outline of the Visua l Communication Systems of the American Deaf. -2 1965- Stokoe, along with Carl Croneberge and Dorothy Casterline, published his second book A Dictionary of American Sign Language on Linguistic Principles. This book includes Stokoe’s development of a written notation for ASL. This book also helped Stokoe’s ideas gain wide acceptance and prove the legitimacy of sign language as an independent, fully developed language. 1-2 1971- Gallaudet University established a Linguistic Research Lab with Stokoe as the director until 1984.In the same year, he starts the publication of the newsletter, â€Å"Signs of Our Times†. 1-2 – The first presentation of information about ASL takes place at the conference held by James Woodward, at the Linguistics Society of America. Two years later, the Linguistic Society of America creates a section for sign languages to be included in their conference. 1 1975- The Communicative Skills program of NAD (National Association of the De af) established for the sign language teachers, called Sign Instructors Guidance Network (SIGN). Read also  Summary : Love Is Never SilentA year later, SIGN begins to certify sign language teachers at the NAD convention. 1 1979- Gallaudet’s faculty recognizes ASL as a means of communication to be used in classes. Gallaudet offers its faculty and staff the first course on the Structure of ASL. 1 1980- Stokoe is finally honored for his research 20 years after the publishing of his first book. 1 1984- Stokoe retires from Gallaudet University. Four years later, he receives an onorary doctorate from Gallaudet. 2 2000- William Stokoe dies of Myeloma on April 4 in Chevy Chase, Maryland. 2 References: 1. ASL Timeline. (2006, May 15). Linguistics and Dialects of American Sign Language. Retrieved September 29, 2012, from http://buaslbutterfly. tripod. com/id7. html 2. William C. Stokoe Jr. (n. d. ). Angelfire: Welcome to Angelfire. Retrieved September 29, 2012, from http://www. angelfire. come/ut/stelok/Stokoe. html

Curbing Examination Malpractices in Nigerian Educational Assessment Essay

The paper examines the role or intervention of guidance and counseling in curbing examination malpractice in Nigerian educational assessment among all the stake holders in education industry. Counseling can be of much interventional assistance in bringing re-orientation of students, teachers, the school and the society. Also provides social, orientational and psychological counseling as an antidote for examination malpractice in Nigeria. Therefore, this paper dwells on concept of guidance and counseling, what examination malpractice is all about, and exposes the causes and an overview of background of examination malpractice in Nigeria is discussed. Similarly, the social effects of examination malpractice is discussed as it affects the political, moral, socio-economic of the nation and conclude with suggestion and solutions through counseling intervention so as to protect the validity and sanctity of examination in Nigeria All over the world examination is considered very important in educational system. By means of it, learners are formally measured and placements are made based on the results accrued from it. In Nigeria, education has been adopted as an instrument for meaningful national development. Therefore, government, communities, private organizations, and individuals have established educational institutions with a view to training the citizens for the development of the nation’s physical and human resources. In these institutions, teaching and guidance services are supposed to take place so that appropriate skills and knowledge can be acquired by the learners. Furthermore, machinery through which the extent of knowledge and skill acquisition is determined at each stage of learning has been set up. This is in form of examination which would be organized in order to evaluate, assess, place and test knowledge and skills. The outcome of the examination is used as a basis for decision making on the examinee’s ability. In view of the exceeding importance attached to examination at national and international levels, examinations are seen as an activity that should be executed well. Learners in Nigeria see examination as activities that should be successfully carried out if future is assured. Thus, there are many instances where there are tendencies to pass examination at all costs. These trends and phenomena really called for concerns from all Quarters including the professional guidance counselors. Educational Guidance as seenbyEncarta(2009),a process of helping students to achieve the self-understanding and self-direction necessary to make informed choices and move toward personal goals. Guidance focuses on the complete development of individual students through a series of services designed to maximize school learning, stimulate career development, and respond to the personal and social concerns that inhibit individual growth. Although guidance activities are usually associated with educational professionals known as counselors, educational guidance is actually a cooperative enterprise involving the participation of teachers, administrators, other educational specialists, and parents. Similarly, Egbule (2002) puts the concept of Guidance and Counseling as a helping service in the understanding of the factors or events that led to the conceptual evolution of it as a subject matter, a professional discipline and indeed a helping service. Meanwhile, he submitted further that it is these factors that are responsible for its popularization as helping service and subsequent use in resolving various educational, vocational and socio-personal problems of individual in the society. Some of the factors according to Egbule, (2002) include: * Traditional practices relating to advising * Civilization in modern society and problems associated with it * Development in the field of psychology and philosophy * Educational development * Socio-political developments * Different behavior problems of individuals that require counseling, among others. Ipaye, (1983) in Abdu, (2007) define guidance and counseling as a helping service that provides the atmosphere as well as the setting within a professional counselor can help a person (client) or a group of person in terms of resolving educational, vocational and personal-social problems. It is also the process of assisting the individuals acquire, get acquainted with and becoming aware of the opportunities in the personal, social, educational and vocational world. This is with a view to experiencing and exploring various interventional communication roles. No doubt, counseling has a long interventional role to play by virtue of its significant relevance in curbing examination malpractices in Nigerian educational society as the comprehensive services would bring about positive attitudinal change in individuals thus creating an opportunity to operate in an atmosphere free from corruption and tension. Administration of examination has generally been associated with the problem of cheating, otherwise known as examination malpractice. Examination malpractice has been defined in various ways. Imogie (2001) in Umar A and et al (2009) maintain that it involves wrong doing before, during or after an examination by candidates and sometimes invigilators, supervisors, typists, printer, or group whose actions give a candidate or group of candidates an undue advantage in an examination. It is also seen as an improper and dishonest act associated with examination with a view to obtaining unmerited advantage, while WAEC itself consider examination as any irregular behavior exhibited by candidates or anybody charge with the responsibility of conducting examination in or outside the examination hall, before, during or after examination. (WAEC, 2003) It could be deduced that examination malpractice is all round irregularities associated with the conduct of examination. Since human beings have always been conscious of human ability and efficiency in the area of appointments or promotions, examinations of different form or standard have been with mankind in the course of human evolution. Examination has along history in the world as reported by Pratt (1980) in Umar G, Mburza A, Bulama K, (2009) that examination malpractices was first noticed over 3000 years ago in the famous Chinese Civil Service and regulations which include death penalty for both the guilty students and examiners. Olowu, (2006) in Nnachi, (2009) added that from China, formal examination spread to different parts of the world. By the middle of the 19th century, competitive examinations were introduced in Britain and India for the selection of government officials. Corrupt practices in examination in Nigeria dated back to the pre-independence. According to various sources, the first publicly reported case of examination malpractices was in 1914, when the question papers of the Senior Cambridge Local Examination were reportedly seen by the candidates before the date of the examination. Since then, there have been incessant cases of irregularities reported on annual basis, the outstanding years were 1963, 1967, 1970, 1973, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1985, 1987, 1991, 1994 to 2003 (WAEC, 2004) the major features of the examination malpractices reported were: impersonation, smuggling in foreign materials, slot in, stealing, converting, collusion in examination hall, mass cheating, mass organized cheating, unlawful assistance from teachers and outsiders and insult on supervisors. This ugly phenomenon is inimical to academic and social development and it needs to be addressed drastically. The incidence of examination malpractices over the years has become so alarming in both public and private institutions despite various sanctions employed. Examination malpractices have in recent years remained one of the disturbing phenomenons in educational institutions in Nigeria. The trend which takes different dimensions and forms has become alarming especially in higher institution of learning. It is not limited to internal examination prepared by schools, colleges, polytechnics, and universities, but it has gone up to external examinations such as WAEC, NECO, UTME, NTI, NABTEB, and professional examinations. The situation became embarrassing to the nation that the Federal Military Government had to promulgate Decree20 to deal with it. Part of the provision of the Decree reads: Any person who fraudulently or with intent to cheat or secure any unfair advantage to himself or any person or in abuse of his office, produces, sells or buy, or otherwise deals with any question paper intended for the examination of persons at any examination or commit any of the offence specified in section 3 (27) (c) of this Decree, shall be guilty of an offence and on conviction be sentence to 21 years imprisonment. However, Examination Malpractices Act 33 of 1999 reversed the above Decree but stipulates punishment ranging from a fine of N50, 000 to N100, 000 and imprisonment for a term of 3-4 years with or without option of fine. It is regretful to note that this is a toothless bulldog as none of these penalties has been fully implemented, if at all they are implemented.

How significant was urban life to medieval society Essay

How significant was urban life to medieval society - Essay Example Furthermore, growth in trade and more attention was paid to literacy along with migration from rural areas that reshaped the outlook of cities and towns. The dynamic culture which emerged after urban development in Middle Ages laid down a foundation of development in economy, society, religion, arts and politics. Urban areas in medieval society comprised of small colonies having a very small population as compared to cities and towns of present day. It is also important to note that these medieval cities were also not as civilized as modern cities are today. Territorial expansion, increase in population, development of trade and migration in urban areas are some of the major traits of urbanization in middle ages. Due to increased employment and business opportunities, merchant class emerged as an important social and demographic segment which reshaped overall social hierarchy in mediaeval society. Since earlier social segregation comprised of aristocracy, peasants and clergy, the soc ial hierarchical system had no place for merchants which further lead to migration of merchants to other towns and cities. Earlier residential areas and cities comprised of undersized housing units with very small cover areas with narrow confined streets. It was after the development in trade when requirement of bigger streets for transportation and warehousing increased causing construction of bigger housing units and acquisition of more land leading to expansion in territories. Since urban population was not mainly involved in direct labour, they had more opportunities to pay attention to education which lead to increased in literacy in medieval Europe. This was also precisely the time when new genres and writing styles emerged1. In the late tenth century, many cities and towns were founded followed by settlements of merchants near these areas. The lords of these cities and towns also offered protection to these merchants. Since inhabitants of towns were largely dependent on the l ords for mobility required for trade and continuous food supply from other territories, the groups of merchants and artisans filled this gap of transportation. According to Spielvogel, â€Å"since the townspeople were profiting from the growth of trade and sale of their products, they were willing to pay for the right to make their own laws and govern themselves2†. Therefore, towns began to gain their rights in exchange of certain amount of revenues paid to the King and lords. In addition to that, burghers also obtained charters of liberties from these lords which granted them â€Å"rights to bequeath and sell property, freedom from ,military obligation to the lord, written urban law and right to become a free person after residing a year and a day in a town3†. After gaining rights of governing themselves, another important part of development of medieval society was formation of Guilds. Guilds were formal business associations of merchants, artisans, bankers etc. Thes e institutions were established earlier for religious and social purposes; â€Å"Merchant or craft guilds came slightly later. They arose when guilds dominated by merchants, like the Trinity Guild of Coventry, began to regulate conditions of manufacture and trade4.† Out of all the guilds, merchant and craft guilds are of immense importance as they formed the nucleus of new civil society. These organizations not only provided protection for

The Cosmology Theory and Sikhism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

The Cosmology Theory and Sikhism - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that cosmology is the study of the universe, otherwise known as the cosmos to evaluate its origin, evolution and its fate in the face of different environmental, political, religious and social forces. Cosmology theory has for years fronted an argument that the existence of the universe is enough evidence that a supreme being who created it exists. However, atheist continue to ask questions on the roles of a supernatural power in the existence of the universe and the role that god play in the entire issue of cosmos existence. The cosmological theory provides one of the only logical explanations for the existence of the universe and the presence of God who controls everything that happens within. Otherwise referred to as the first cause argument about the origin of the universe and a supreme being, the cosmological theory has been adopted by other religious organizations across the globe. The cosmological theory has also embraced an atheist point of views by providing arguments that explain how the universe began, the creative process and the person who was in charge of the creation. The cosmological argument was developed from various philosophical arguments including the positions taken by Plato, Aristotle, and the Neoplatonic traditions. Common Muslim thinkers like Al-Ghazali, Jewish philosophers like Maimonides and Christian scholastic thinkers like Aquinas and Scotus contributed to the development of the cosmological arguments. Â  

Information Management Strategy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Information Management Strategy - Case Study Example Hicks (1986) states that as the world moves from the days of disparate societies to the days of integration and awareness, the need for having reliable, authentic, and verifiable means of information increases. This results from the fact that managers need processed information for taking better decisions on a routine basis, and this processed information is the output of various processes that are conducted on the initially presented and collected raw data. This raw data constitutes the information collected from various sources within the organization or from external sources, and thus the sources of information gain ultimate importance, no matter which organization it is. Subsequently, the importance of not just information but the information sources as well cannot be denied. The information sources may include, but are not restricted to, employees, stakeholders, shareholders, newspapers, industry analysis, independent news sources, media, competitor publications, etc. Data manag ement is a critical subject of concern today for management, because the reliance on availability of accurate, verifiable and timely data cannot be denied by any means. The organization under consideration in this assignment is my own organization i.e. where I work. The major operation in my organization is based on customer communication, where our source of revenue is the printing of statements, cheques, mailing, customer response, and we are also indulged in develop IT solutions for various customers that we have. The aim of our organization is to provide this wide variety of services to our wide clientele. 1.3 Information Needs of the Organization - what information is needed The focus of this assignment is mainly towards the human resource department that is facing loads of troubles as far as data gathering through various sources is concerned. Seemingly, it looks like human resource department would not require loads of data or the data resource would be fairly restricted, but neither is the case. This section details the need for data in the human resource department, while the next section sheds light on the various data resources. It is noticeable here that the term data and information would be used interchangeably, though in reality, data is the raw form of information, and information is processed data. Human resources are defined as the truest source for attaining competitive edge for an organization. Therefore, there has been tons of weightage given to subjects like management and organizational behavior, similar to the weigh given to finance and marketing, if not more or less. A major part of keeping the human resource satisfied and contented is giving them appropriate compensation, with the right and justifiable deductions. For this fact to stand true, i.e. the right compensation with proper deductions, there is need for information pertinent to attendance, ins and outs, movement of employees, late comings, proper utilization of time, presence in the right area, avoiding irrelevant movements across the firm's building, and so on. All this information needs to be gathered at the end that generates pay-slips and payments i.e. the payroll department. 1.4 Information Resources After having described the need of information for

Mangerial skills and communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Mangerial skills and communication - Essay Example Furthermore, our society depends on the goods and services provided by the organizations these individuals manage. Each of us is influences by the actions of managers every day in different capacities, because we encounter organizations every day. Our experiences may be as students in a college, patients in a hospital, customers of a business, or citizens of a state. Managers play a vital and crucial role in almost every type of organization. All the organizations are guided and directed by the decisions of one or more individuals who are designated managers. In other words, managers can be considered as the backbones of every organization. In this regard, it is the responsibility of managers to manage their work, their employees and workers, in order to ensure successful proceedings in the organization. In specific, a number of factors are responsible for the effectiveness of a manger. Particularly, interpersonal skills play a vital and crucial role in the efficiency and efficacy of the managers. In this paper, we will try to focus on couple of interpersonal skills that can facilitate the worki ng of managers in an efficient manner, especially the communication competence and intercultural communication. (Williams, pp. 31-32, 2001) It is very important that the term interpersonal skill should be understood and discussed in the paper, which will perform as the basis of our study. In this regard, during social communications and interactions, communicative algorithms play an important role that have been referred as interpersonal skills, which facilitate and impact significantly on results. Within business organizations, social communication and interactions is the major tool that is utilized by managers to operate and manage the employees in business organizations. In other words, interpersonal skills can be referred as an art that is used at the time of interacting with one another. It has been