Loss of Innocence in Lord of the Flies Essay

Within the novel innocence is progressively lost through the boys. The boys were placed in a situation where they had no other choice but to grow up, and grow up fast. These boys were put in a very traumatic situation and they had to learn on their own and from each other how to survive and almost create a thriving society all on their own. Slowly they learn that their needs to be a leader, but there are no adults to precede the role of authority. Therefore the children resume power and take the role of authority. All these things make the boys lose their innocence and become very violent. No one is completely innocent and everyone has the ability to turn violent, this is demonstrated in William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies. Having their plane crash on an abandoned island with no civilization is something everyone would find traumatizing, especially boys from the ages of about 6-12. With no adults many of the boys do not know what to do. Being put in such a traumatizing situation they learn how to grow up very fast. This is where a lot of the boys innocence is lost simply because they do not know how to act as adults and because of this they act in a violent matter â€Å"You should have seen the blood!† (70). Here is an example of how the boys take violence as something exciting, something fun, when really there is nothing good or fun in violence. Very quickly the boys realize that they need to start some survival skills if they would like to stay alive. For some of the boys this is all new, some know nothing. Luckily others have been put in situations where they have needed survival skills so some can think creatively and use materialistic objects to survive. â€Å"His specs- use them as burning glasses!† (40) Here is an example for the boys using materials they have with them to survive on the island alone. They use Piggy’s glasses to create a fire by reflecting the sun off of them. With no adult or no authority to tell them what to do, the boys have to know how to survive on their own and work off of each other. These boys have never had to take over a role of authority that normally  adults have. They have never had such power to control people. This causes complete chaos and lots of violence breaks out due to the feud between Ralph and Jack. The problem with children resuming the roles of adults is that they do not have the experience or knowledge to resume these roles. There is a major lack of authority and power on the island. What happens is that both Jack and Ralph resume authority which divides up the group of boys. â€Å"’I’m chief,’ said Ralph, ‘because you chose me. And we were going to keep the fire going. Now you run after food—‘†(150). This is Ralph claiming his authority. â€Å"I ought to be chief,† said Jack with simple arrogance, â€Å"because I’m chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp.† (22). This is Jack claiming authority. Both boys believe that they have authority and they do not get along with one another. Jack turns quite violent in the novel and is violent towards the other boys. The violence that the boys have towards each other is a major part of their loss of innocence. I believe that the boys in Lord of the Flies suffered from loss of innocence in a very fast and drastic way. They had to learn how to move on from such a tragic and traumatizing situation and learn on the spot how to survive as well as well as how to thrive as a society and work together. Although the boys might not have succeeded in their objectives, but the efforts made to work towards these objectives are what caused their loss of innocence. There are people who will never be deemed violent, whether its because of their age or level of maturity. Small children are perceived as being innocent and adults are seen as mature and self-composed. Yet, William Golding presents a very different opinion in this novel. Golding suggests that under certain circumstances and in the right situation, anyone, even a child can become a savage. Everyone has the ability to turn violent it is just a matter of the situation and the circumstances. Works Cited Page Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. Toronto: Penguin, 2006. Print.

Global Financial Crisis: Causes and Effect Essay

The financial crisis that began in 2007 spread and gathered intensity in 2008, despite the efforts of central banks and regulators to restore calm. By early 2009, the financial system and the global economy appeared to be locked in a descending spiral, and the primary focus of policy became the prevention of a prolonged downturn on the order of the Great Depression. The volume and variety of negative financial news, and the seeming impotence of policy responses, has raised new questions about the origins of financial crises and the market mechanisms by which they are contained or propagated. Just as the economic impact of financial market failures in the 1930s remains an active academic subject, it is likely that the causes of the current crisis will be debated for decades to come. Financial Crisis The term financial crisis is applied broadly to a variety of situations in which some financial institutions or assets suddenly lose a large part of their value. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many financial crises were associated with banking panics, and many recessions coincided with these panics. Other situations that are often called financial crises include stock market crashes and the bursting of other financial bubbles, currency crises, and sovereign defaults. Major causes of Financial Crisis Imprudent Mortgage Lending: Against a backdrop of abundant credit, low interest rates, and rising house prices, lending standards were relaxed to the point that many people were able to buy houses they couldn’t afford. When prices began to fall and loans started going bad, there was a severe shock to the financial system. Housing Bubble: With its easy money policies, the Federal Reserve allowed housing prices to rise to unsustainable levels. The crisis was triggered by the bubble bursting, as it was bound to do. Global Imbalances: Global financial flows have been characterized in recent years by an unsustainable pattern: some countries (China, Japan, and Germany) run large surpluses every year, while others run deficits. The U. S. external deficits have been mirrored by internal deficits in the household and government sectors. U. S. borrowing cannot continue indefinitely; the resulting stress underlies current financial disruptions. Securitization: Securitization fostered the â€Å"originate-to-distribute† model, which reduced lenders’ incentives to be prudent, especially in the face of vast investor demand for subprime loans packaged as AAA bonds. Ownership of mortgage-backed securities was widely dispersed, causing repercussions throughout the global system when subprime loans went bad in 2007. Lack of Transparency and Accountability in Mortgage Finance: Throughout the housing finance value chain, many participants contributed to the creation of bad mortgages and the selling of bad securities, apparently feeling secure that they would not be held accountable for their actions. A lender could sell exotic mortgages to home-owners, apparently without fear of repercussions if those mortgages failed. Similarly, a trader could sell toxic securities to investors, apparently without fear of personal responsibility if those contracts failed. And so it was for brokers, realtors, individuals in rating agencies, and other market participants, each maximizing his or her own gain and passing problems on down the line until the system itself collapsed. Because of the lack of participant accountability, the originate-to distribute model of mortgage finance, with its once great promise of managing risk, became itself a massive generator of risk. † Rating Agencies: The credit rating agencies gave AAA ratings to numerous issues of subprime mortgage-backed securities, many of which were subsequently downgraded to junk status. Critics cite poor economic models, conflicts of interest, and lack of effective regulation as reasons for the rating agencies’ failure. Another factor is the market’s excessive reliance on ratings, which has been reinforced by numerous laws and regulations that use ratings as a criterion for permissible investments or as a factor in required capital levels. Mark-to-market Accounting: FASB standards require institutions to report the fair (or current market) value of securities they hold. Critics of the rule argue that these forces banks to recognize losses based on â€Å"fire sale† prices that prevail in distressed markets, prices believed to be below long-term fundamental values. Those losses undermine market confidence and exacerbate banking system problems. Some propose suspending mark-to-market; EESA requires a study of its impact. Deregulatory Legislation: Laws such as the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) and the Commodity Futures Modernization Act (CFMA) permitted financial institutions to engage in unregulated risky transactions on a vast scale. The laws were driven by an excessive faith in the robustness of market discipline, or self-regulation. Shadow Banking System: Risky financial activities once confined to regulated banks (use of leverage, borrowing short-term to lend long, etc. ) migrated outside the explicit government safety net provided by deposit insurance and safety and soundness regulation. Mortgage lending, in particular, moved out of banks into unregulated institutions. This unsupervised risk-taking amounted to a financial house of cards. Non-Bank Runs: As institutions outside the banking system built up financial positions built on borrowing short and lending long, they became vulnerable to liquidity risk in the form of non-bank runs. That is, they could fail if markets lost confidence and refused to extend or roll over short-term credit, as happened to Bear Stearns and others. Government-Mandated Subprime Lending: Federal mandates to help low-income borrowers (e. g. , the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s affordable housing goals) forced banks to engage in imprudent mortgage lending. Excessive Leverage: In the post-2000 period of low interest rates and abundant capital, fixed income yields were low. To compensate, many investors used borrowed funds to boost the return on their capital. Excessive leverage magnified the impact of the housing downturn, and deleveraging caused the interbank credit market to tighten. Financial Crisis & U. S economy In 2008, the United States experienced a major financial crisis which led to the most serious recession since the Second World War. Both the financial crisis and the downturn in the U. S. economy spread to many foreign nations, resulting in a global economic crisis. On September 15, 2008, Lehman Brothers, one of the largest investment banks in the world, failed. Over the next few months, the US stock market plummeted, liquidity dried up, successful companies laid off employees by the thousands, and for the first time there was no longer any doubt a recession was upon the American people. Eleven months after the fall of Lehman Brothers, the U. S. remains in a state of limbo. Proposals for stimulus packages and other bailout plans have provided some relief, but it seems the most effective remedy thus far has been time. The facts are that approximately 6% of all mortgage loans in United States are in default. Historically, defaults were less than one-third of that, i. e. , from 0. 25% to 2%. A huge portion of the increased mortgage loan defaults are what are referred to as ‘sub-prime’ loans. Most of the sub-prime loans have been made to borrowers with poor credit ratings, no down payment on the home financed, and/or no verification of income or assets (Alt-A’s). Close to 25% of sub-prime and Alt-A’s loans are in default. These loans increased dramatically as a 9/30/99 New York Times article explained, â€Å"In a move that could help increase homeownership rates among minorities and low income consumers, the Fannie Mae Corp. is easing the credit requirements on loans that it will purchase from banks and other lenders. † To allow Fannie Mae to make more loans, President Clinton also reduced Fannie Mae’s reserve requirement to 2. 5%. That means it could purchase and/or guarantee $97. 50 in mortgages for every $2. 50 it had in equity to cover possible bad debts. If more than 2. % of the loans go bad, the taxpayers (us) have to pay for them. That is what this bailout is all about. It is not the government paying the banks for the bad loans, it is us!! Principally Senate Democrats demanded that Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac (FM&FM) buy more of these risky loans to help the poor. Since the mortgages purchased and guaranteed by FM&FM are backed by the U. S. government, the loans were re-sold primarily to investment banks which in turn bundled most of them, taking a hefty fee, and sold the mortgages to investors all over the world as virtually risk free. As long as the Federal Reserve (another government created agency) kept interest rates artificially low, monthly mortgage payments were low and housing prices went up. Many home owners got home equity loans to pay their first mortgages and credit card debt. Unfortunately home prices peaked in the winter of 2005-06 and the house of cards started to crumble. People could no longer increase their mortgage debt to pay previous debts. Now, we taxpayers are being told we have to bail out the banks and everyone in the world who bought these highly risky loans. The politicians in Congress (mostly Democrats) do not want you to know they caused the mess. In the 2006 elections, the Democrats took control of the House and Senate. There are plenty of videos on the Internet showing many Democrats including Senate Banking Committee Chairman Democrat Christopher Dodd and House Banking Committee Chairman Barney Frank, responsible with overseeing FM&FM, assuring us that there were no problems with FM&FM right up to their collapse. Not surprisingly, virtually all the investment banks that are in trouble and being bailed out are run by financial supporters of Obama and other Democrats. Secretary of the Treasury Paulsen was head of Goldman Sachs. The new head of the $700 million bailout is also from Goldman Sachs. This is like letting the fox be in charge of hen house security. It was announced that our government will infuse capital into the troubled banks. This gives whoever is in power of our government the ability to force the same kind of abuses that have caused this massive banking crisis in the first place. Barack Obama has received more campaign donations that any other politician in the past three years from Fannie Mae and Wall Street. FM&FC have been virtually private piggy banks of campaign contributions for Democrats for the past 10 years. Yes, a token amount went to some Republicans. And there is plenty of blame to go around in this financial crisis, but the reason it happened was 100% caused by a Democrat run government that forced a liberal policy initiated by President Clinton and reforms primarily blocked by Democrats. One would never know this by watching the news or reading newspapers. Until the majority of our citizens understand whom (government liberals) and what (liberalism/socialism) caused this mess, we will allow our elected officials, through massive inflation, to lower the standard of living of those of us who are financially prudent and give our earnings to those who are not prudent. The big excuse for the bailout is that credit markets have frozen up. But it is not true. There is plenty of credit available for good credit risks. The only way this can be rectified is to allow the people who made the mistakes to take their losses. It is called taking personal responsibility for one’s actions. Already we see that the bailout has had virtually no effect on the markets other than to cause huge sell offs because smart investors see that the U. S. is adopting failed liberal socialist policies. Our government is following in the footsteps of Hoover and Roosevelt. We do not need to have another depression, but the government is taking the steps to make it happen. The taxpayer financed bailout should be reversed immediately as it will only encourage more irresponsible fraudulent behavior. Impacts of Financial Crisis on Global Economy For the developing world, the rise in food prices as well as the knock-on effects from the financial instability and uncertainty in industrialized nations is having a compounding effect. High fuel costs, soaring commodity prices together with fears of global recession are worrying many developing country analysts. Asia & Financial crisis Countries in Asia are increasingly worried about what is happening in the West. A number of nations urged the US to provide meaningful assurances and bailout packages for the US economy, as that would have a knock-on effect of reassuring foreign investors and helping ease concerns in other parts of the world. India and China are the among the world’s fastest growing nations and after Japan, are the largest economies in Asia. From 2007 to 2008 India’s economy grew by a whopping 9%. Much of it is fueled by its domestic market. However, even that has not been enough to shield it from the effect of the global financial crisis, and it is expected that in data will show that by March 2009 that India’s growth will have slowed quickly to 7. 1%. Although this is a very impressive growth figure even in good times, the speed at which it has dropped—the sharp slowdown—is what is concerning. China similarly has also experienced a sharp slowdown and its growth is expected to slow down to 8% (still a good growth figure in normal conditions). However, China also has a growing crisis of unrest over job losses. Both have poured billions into recovery packages. China has also raised concerns about the world relying on mostly one foreign currency reserve, and called for the dollar to be replaced by a world reserve currency run by the IMF. Of course, the US has defended the dollar as a global currency reserve, which is to be expected given it is one of its main sources of global economic dominance. Whether a change like this would actually happen remains to be seen, but it is likely the US and its allies will be very resistant to the idea. Japan, which has suffered its own crisis in the 1990s also faces trouble now. While their banks seem more secure compared to their Western counterparts, it is very dependent on exports. Japan is so exposed that in January alone, Japan’s industrial production fell by 10%, the biggest monthly drop since their records began. Japan’s output for the first 3 months of 2009 plunged at its quickest pace since records began in 1955, mostly due to falling exports. A rise in industrial output in April was expected, but was positively more than initially estimated. However, with high unemployment and general lack of confidence, optimism for recovery has been dampened. In recent years, there has been more interest in Africa from Asian countries such as China. As the financial crisis is hitting the Western nations the hardest, Africa may yet enjoy increased trade for a while. These earlier hopes for Africa, above, may be short lived, unfortunately. In May 2009, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned that Africa’s economic growth will plummet because of the world economic downturn, predicting growth in sub-Saharan Africa will slow to 1. 5% in 2009, below the rate of population growth (revising downward a March 2009 prediction of 3. 25% growth due to the slump in commodity prices and the credit squeeze). Some African countries have already started to cut their health and HIV budgets due to the economic crisis. Their health budgets and resources have been constrained for many years already, so this crisis makes a bad situation worse. Due to its proximity to the US and its close relationship via the NAFTA and other agreements, Mexico is expected to have one of the lowest growth rates for the region next year at 1. 9%, compared to a downgraded forecast of 3% for the rest of the region. Europe & Financial crisis In Europe, a number of major financial institutions failed. Others needed rescuing. In Iceland, where the economy was very dependent on the finance sector, economic problems have hit them hard. The banking system virtually collapsed and the government had to borrow from the IMF and other neighbors to try and rescue the economy. In the end, public dissatisfaction at the way the government was handling the crisis meant the Iceland government fell. The EU is also considering spending increases and tax cuts said to be worth â‚ ¬200bn over two years. The plan is supposed to help restore consumer and business confidence, shore up employment, getting the bank’s lending again, and promoting green technologies. Russia’s economy is contracting sharply with many more feared to slide into poverty. One of Russia’s key exports, oil, was a reason for a recent boom, but falling prices have had a big impact and investors are withdrawing from the country. Africa & Financial crisis Perhaps ironically, Africa’s generally weak integration with the rest of the global economy may mean that many African countries will not be affected from the crisis, at least not initially, as suggested by Reuters in September 2008. In recent years, there has been more interest in Africa from Asian countries such as China. As the financial crisis is hitting the Western nations the hardest, Africa may yet enjoy increased trade for a while. These earlier hopes for Africa, above, may be short lived, unfortunately. In May 2009, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned that Africa’s economic growth will plummet because of the world economic downturn, predicting growth in sub-Saharan Africa will slow to 1. 5% in 2009, below the rate of population growth (revising downward a March 2009 prediction of 3. 25% growth due to the slump in commodity prices and the credit squeeze) African countries could face increasing pressure for debt repayment, however. As the crisis gets deeper and the international institutions and western banks that have lent money to Africa need to shore up their reserves more, one way could be to demand debt repayment. This could cause further cuts in social services such as health and education, which have already been reduced due to crises and policies from previous eras. The current crisis The housing bubble started to burst in 2006, and the decline accelerated in 2007 and 2008. Housing prices stopped increasing in 2006, started to decrease in 2007, and have fallen about 25 percent from the peak so far. The decline in prices meant that homeowners could no longer refinance when their mortgage rates were reset, which caused delinquencies and defaults of mortgages to increase sharply, especially among subprime borrowers. From the first quarter of 2006 to the third quarter of 2008, the percentage of mortgages in foreclosure tripled, from 1 percent to 3 percent, and the percentage of mortgages in foreclosure or at least thirty days delinquent more than doubled, from 4. 5 percent to 10 percent. These foreclosure and delinquency rates are the highest since the Great Depression; the previous peak for the delinquency rate was 6. 8 percent in 1984 and 2002. And the worst is yet to come. The American dream of owning your own home is turning into an American nightmare for millions of families. Early estimates of the total number of foreclosures that will result from this crisis in the years to come ranged from 3 million to 8 million. So far (as of January 2009), there have already been almost 3 million mortgage foreclosures. Another 1 million mortgages are ninety days delinquent and another 2 million were thirty days delinquent. Therefore, a total of about 6 million mortgages either have already been foreclosed, are in foreclosure, or are close to foreclosure. Six million mortgages are about 12 percent of all the mortgages in the United States. The situation could get a lot worse in the months ahead, due to the worsening recession and lost jobs and income, unless the government adopts stronger policies to reduce foreclosures. Defaults and foreclosures on mortgages mean losses for lenders. Estimates of losses on mortgages keep increasing, and many are now predicting losses of $1 trillion or more. In addition to losses on mortgages, there will also be losses on other types of loans, due to the weakness of the economy, in the months ahead: consumer loans (credit cards, etc. ), commercial real estate, corporate junk bonds, and other types of loans (e. g. redit default swaps). Estimates of losses on these other types of loans range up to another trillion dollars. Therefore, total losses for the financial sector as a whole could be as high as $2 trillion. It is further estimated that banks will suffer about half of the total losses of the financial sector. The rest of the losses will be borne by non-bank financial institutions (hedge funds, pension funds, etc. ). Therefore, dividing the total losses for the financial sector as a whole in the previous paragraph by two, the losses for the banking sector could be as high as $1 trillion. Since the total bank capital in the U.  S. is approximately $1. 5 trillion, losses of this magnitude would wipe out two-thirds of the total capital in U. S. banks! * This would obviously be a severe blow, not just to the banks, but also to the U. S. economy as a whole. The blow to the rest of the economy would happen because the rest of the economy is dependent on banks for loans—businesses for investment loans, and households for mortgages and consumer loans. Bank losses result in a reduction in bank capital, which in turn requires a reduction in bank lending (a credit crunch), in order to maintain acceptable loan to capital ratios. Assuming a loan to capital ratio of 10:1 (this conservative assumption was made in a recent study by Goldman Sachs), every $100 billion loss and reduction of bank capital would normally result in a $1 trillion reduction in bank lending and corresponding reductions in business investment and consumer spending. According to this rule of thumb, even the low estimate of bank losses of $1 trillion would result in a reduction of bank lending of $10 trillion! This would be a severe blow to the economy and would cause a severe recession. Bank losses may be offset to some extent by â€Å"recapitalization,† i. e. by new capital being invested in banks from other sources. If bank capital can be at least partially restored, then the reduction in bank lending does not have to be so significant and traumatic. So far, banks have lost about $500 billion and have raised about $400 billion in new capital, most of it coming from â€Å"sovereign wealth funds† financed by the governments of Asian and Middle Eastern countries. So ironically, U. S. banks may be â€Å"saved† (in part) by increasing foreign ownership. U. S. bankers are now figuratively on their knees before these foreign investors offering discounted prices and pleading or help. It is also an important indication of the decline of U. S. economic hegemony as a result of this crisis. However, it is becoming more difficult for banks to raise new capital from foreign investors, because their prior investments have already suffered significant losses. In addition to the credit crunch, consumer spending will be further depressed in the months ahead due to the following factors: decreasing household wealth; the end of mortgage equity withdrawals and declining jobs and incomes. All in all, it is shaping up to be a very severe recession.

Automated Labeling System (Cost Benefit Analysis an IRR) Assignment

Automated Labeling System (Cost Benefit Analysis an IRR) - Assignment Example However, the intuitive controls for the system facilitates in ensuring that the training efforts are reduced significantly. The benefit of the automated labeling system for an ASRS is that the ASRS is fully automated and it attains a higher operation and efficiency in terms of storage and retrieval of information and data. Thus, the process time for the system is improved significantly with the automation of the labeling system. Moreover, the automation creates an opportunity for the integration of the system with all the electrical and mechanical software and hardware, which is provided. The implementation of the system will also ensure that ASRS attains cost effectiveness, flexibility and reliability in the conduct of its services (Michaelyn et al., 2002). Furthermore, process scheduling and data management occurs effectively. Such entails tracking of the results. The automation will also address the issue of the personnel shortage since there is less manpower needed for the operation of the system. Such employees are relocated to other job tasks in the organization, which are demanding a boost on thei r man-power level. Hence, system automation will ensure that the storage and retrieval time is reduced significantly. In addition, monitoring and evaluation of the performance level of this system can be done easily by tracking the results of the system output on daily basis. The internal rate of return for implementing the automated labeling system is very high. Such is based on the potential of the system to improve on the performance and efficiency of ASRS, which increases the productivity and profitability level of the organization. The system also has a higher rate of return on the investment based on its cost effectiveness, improvement of the accessibility and flow, labor reduction, easy maintenance and saving on the floor

Logic & Reasoning Discussion Forum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Logic & Reasoning Discussion Forum - Essay Example Reasoning involved is: XYZ is old, so XYZ is better. The logic is that- how can the age of something relate to its efficiency? For example, fallacious appeal to tradition makes us believe that witches cause diseases and microorganisms do not, because witches myth is a belief that has been there since ages. 3. This fallacy is called hasty generalization. Was Smith not hastening in believing what he saw only once? Also called fallacy of insufficient statistics or hasty induction, this fallacy takes place when a person, Smith here, jumps to conclusion by looking at insufficient evidence or small sample of a large population (Sellnow 392). Reasoning involved is: if observed X% of all As are Bs, still all As cannot be Bs, or if two of all squirrels are white, still all squirrels cannot be white. Logic here is that a conclusion cannot be drawn from merely observing a small sample taken from population. 4. Paraphrase: Under the new targets, the United States and Russia guarantee that both of them will deploy 525 to 700 fewer strategic nuclear warheads by 2016 when presently, by 2012, they are 2200

Business Plan for Cafeteria in the Food Industry Assignment

Business Plan for Cafeteria in the Food Industry - Assignment Example The food industry is a global collective of diverse and complex business supplying food energy consumed by large populations all over the world. Food industry captures almost everyone except subsistence farmers who rely on the yield of their farms. I am venturing into the food industry because of its wide scope, which will ensure maximum sales. Recent studies document that food industry is wide and consist of variety of services including regulation of food quality, lobbying activities in the industry, and food safety; nutritional education, food technology research and development, agriculture, financial services, food processing, distribution through wholesale or retail and marketing. The food enterprise will sell fast food by means of retail and food processing (Dodds, 2009). This enterprise will use many methods of food production. Some of the methods will be; one off production in which customer makes specification with every order before preparation for delivery, batch producti on to take care of the large market size with a variety of food products. Mass production method will also be used due to the mass market for the identical food products, and just in time production, where the customer chooses what they need to be incorporated in their foodstuffs and then the chefs freshly make the food according to the specifications (Gilbert, 1999). This is the kind of enterprise I need to develop a business plan for and this paper will capture all the content necessary ranging from the executive summary, product description, market and competitors analysis, marketing plan, organizational plan, operational plan, financial plan, and a critical evaluation of the industry. Hence, this paper seeks to develop a business plan for a fast food cafeteria, sole proprietorship. The name of the fast food enterprise is Rooda Cafeteria. The cafeteria will serve a wide range of people ranging from Italians, British people and tourists from Italy and other places who wish to tast e authentic Italian food in London. Rooda Cafeteria will be located at Marylebone Lane, London. This is because of the presence of various financial firms’ and brokerages and means many potential people with refined taste who visit this location over lunch and dinner hours. Business Plan Executive Summary Rooda Cafeteria is a sole proprietorship that falls within food industry in London. The cafe will develop a unique business operational model that will minimize overhead costs. The provided fast food products by Rooda Cafeteria will be fast served high quality Italian meals. The meals will cater for multiples and variety and will be freshly delivered faster than any other competitor in the industry. The domestic market, in the food industry, for fast foods is large and segmented with Italian foods representing the top most choices within the market. Rooda Cafeteria will target the central business district that gets crowded during lunch hours with high income individuals (Ha schak, 1998). There are also financial firms, brokerages, shopping malls, local businesses, weekend markets and university compasses all over the place, which will be the targets to provide potential market to Rooda Cafeteria. The owner of Rooda Cafeteria has significant qualification and experience in fields of advertising, hospitality industry, and business management. This will ensure that the management of Rooda Cafeteria is well and productive. Rooda Cafeteria has good financials and this will grow with large positive cash flow. Revenues will as well grow annually as will

Things Fall Apart (Okonkwo Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Things Fall Apart (Okonkwo - Research Paper Example Nwoye, Okonkwo’s oldest son, was a major character that accepted and embraced the new order to the disappointment of his father. Nwoye was the opposite of his father. He loathes war and violence, which Okonkwo cherishes. He embraces the new religion, which Okonkwo vows to destroy. Nwoye’s final decision to leave his father house clearly shows the cultural collapse the new religion brought to the Igboland. The Story Though Okonkwo is a respected leader in the Umuofia tribe of the Igbo people, he lives in fear of becoming his father, Unoka, an idle, poor, profligate, cowardly, and gentle man and could not even think of tomorrow. Throughout his life, Okonkwo attempts to be his father’s direct opposite. From an early age, he builds his home and reputation as the precocious wrestler, who throws Amalinze the Cat â€Å"in a fight which the old men agreed was one of the fiercest since the founder of their town engaged a spirit of the wild for seven days and seven nights † (Achebe 3) He was also a hard-working and a productive farmer. He becomes prosperous, thrifty, courageous, violent, and adamantly opposed to anything else that he perceives to be â€Å"soft,† such as conversation, music, and emotion. He marries three women and fathers eleven children among. He is stoic and tough on the outside but he was not a cruel man. Okonkwo’s life takes a turn a when an accidental murder takes place and Okonkwo was given the responsibility of adopting a boy named Ikemefuna from the village, Mbaino, where the murder took place. Okonkwo comes to love Ikemefuna like a son since the latter turns the feminine Nwoye into a man. In fact, he loves him more than his natural son, Nwoye. After three years, though, the tribe decides that Ikemefuna must die. When the men of Umuofia take Ikemefuna into the forest to kill him, Okonkwo actually commits in the murder. Although he’s just killed his adopted son, Okonkwo shows no emotion because he wan ts to be seen as courageous and not weak like his own father was. Inside, though, Okonkwo feels painful guilt and regret. But since Okonkwo was so wrapped up in being tough and emotionless, he isolated himself from Nwoye, who was like a brother to Ikemefuna. Indeed, Okonkwo never portrays emotions towards anyone even though he feels inward emotions at times as he did after killing Ikemefuna. Okonkwo wraps his inward emotions by outfits of anger express through violence, stubbornness, and other irrational behavior. He was impulsive; he acts before he thinks. Okonkwo demands that his family work long hours despite their age or limited physical stamina, and he nags and beats his wives and son, Nwoye. Later on, during a funeral, Okonkwo accidentally shoots and kills a boy. For his crime, he was sent on exiles for seven years in his mother’s homeland, Mbanta. There, he learns about the coming of the white missionaries whose arrival signals a collapse of the Igbo culture. They brin g a new political system, colonial government; and a new religious order, Christianity. The two new systems weaken the cohesive force among the Igbos and leads to eventual collapse of the Igbo culture. For instance, Igbo outcasts, the Osu, become accepted in the society. As the Christian religion gains legitimacy, more Igbo people including prominent sons became converted. Just when Okonkwo has finished his seven-year sentence and is allowed to return home, his son Nwoye converts to Christianity. Okonkwo is so bent out

Speech Audiometry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Speech Audiometry - Essay Example Use of hearing aids of many types and formats can bring normalcy and comfort to patient short fallings relates to listening and recognition of words which may result in improvement of professional capabilities, understanding relationships with others, self-confidence and self-satisfaction. Many researches were conducted in past and still going on for effective detection of primary listening disabilities. Scientists study speech as auditory signal to test new equipment. Since the advent of speech audiometry, it has helped in differentiating hearing aids from one another and so has come to be known as the basic assessment of the ability of hearing. Due to the significance and accuracy of its results; it has also been considered as the foundation in the hearing aid evaluation of the majority of speech. Hence, speech audiometry became the centre of evaluation in audiology and the primary methods used now are the same that were used in the 1920's. The research for speech audiometry has not only been vastly useful but also is revolutionary in regard to the technological advances. Communication ability of a person is considered very important thus, continual research on the subject has been going on for the past 60 years and more. The credit not only goes to the scientists but even to the military investigators, industrial development and clinical audiology researchers. In rel History: In relation to the hearing aid fitting procedure, speech audiometry serves its purpose through assessing the effect of occlusion, analysis of intelligibility, evaluation of quality, and degree of loudness. Comparative hearing aid assessments also used speech audiometry as the main evaluation of performance. In the late 1940s, speech testing started being used for evaluating and differentiating hearing aids due to its advancement speech audiometry quickly became the preferred method to evaluate real-ear hearing aid performance. Speech testing assesses how amply speech is understood. Surveys conducted in the 1970s show that almost 85% of audiologists were using speech testing when fitting hearing aid. But after almost 30 years it was realized that these methods were not reliable enough to secure investment by selecting hearing aids in a large amount of clinical time. As the 1980s rolled on, use of speech audiometry in hearing aid fittings dropped to an exceptionally low level. All this was caused because it was seen that hearing aid dispensing is a much less time consuming process than speech testing and fitting approaches were the ones comprising of functional gain rather than speech audiometry. It also lacked the sensitivity to distinguish small differences on an individual basis in hearing aid performance. The benefits received were limited in regard to the time taken to get to them. Due to the technological advancement of that time, the industry started using in-the-ear hearing aid fittings as they effectively eradicated the comparative hearing aid evaluation approach altogether. Recent Research: Eventually in the 1990s, speech testing was on the whole, rarely used for hearing aid differentiation and aided speech testing was

Introduction to Networking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Introduction to Networking - Essay Example Token Ring describes a Local Area Network (LAN) technology in which stations are organized in a ring topology. In Token Ring, data transmission occurs sequentially from a ring station to the next; initialization of a ring is achieved through circulating a token. When using Token Ring, a station has to capture the token in order to gain the right to transmit data onto the ring. Initial Token Ring products operated at 4 Mbps. However, the 802.5 standard has advanced and supports an operation of 16 Mbps (Carlo, 1998). The Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) refers to a 100 mbps technology, which uses the LAN network and is usually linked through a fiber optic cable. This technology is used in situations where networks require a high speed bandwidth, and require covering vast distances compared to those covered by the copper wires. There are two networks under this category; fiber optic wire based and copper distributed data interface (Gallo & Hancock, 2002). The information I have learnt is useful in the future since I can teach others, who do not have this knowledge. I struggled with trying to understand the differences between the networks architectures presented in this assignment. I discovered that a person can use network bridge devices in extending Ethernet networks. What I can share with fellow students is that diagrams help to understand networking concepts in a superior

Criminal Justice Theories Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Criminal Justice Theories - Research Paper Example Victim Precipitation Theory This theory suggests that most people initiate or cause a specific confrontation that may result eventually to that person being victimized by death or injury. Such kind of precipitation on the victim can be termed as either passive or active. Active precipitation on the part of the victim exists where the victim intentionally acts in a manner that is provocative, uses threats or fighting words, or simply initiates an attack first. For example, in cases of crimes such as rape, courts have presented verdicts such as not-guilty based upon whether the victim acted in away or not acted at all in away suggesting consent to the act of sexual relation like the dress code of the woman in question. On the other hand, passive precipitation occurs where the victim exhibits particular features and characteristics that unintentionally threatens or motivates the attacker. Such kind of crimes do happen may be due to conflicts at personal level like where two individuals compete for a job promotion, love interest, or any other rare or desirable commodity. For example, a woman may be promoted and end up being a victim of violence due to the jealousy of someone she may or may not know well from the work station or away. Passive precipitation may also be experienced in cases where the victim is part of a specific group that threatens or offends the economic well being of someone, reputation or even status. According to research, this kind of precipitation exists in situations where there is a relation to power. Hence, economic power minimizes the victimization risk (Samuel, 2007). Differential Association Theory This theory explains deviance and criminal acts in terms of the social relationships of an individual. The Differential Association Theory attributes the causes of crime to a person’s social context. The theory rejects the intense individualism of psychiatry and biological determinism and economic explanations as causes of criminal activ ities. Differential Association Theory poses no particular or obvious threat to the treatment of humane of the victims or the criminals who have been identified. This theory suggests that an individual turns to delinquent lifestyle due to excessive definitions that favor violations of the law over those definitions that are unfavorable to violation of the law. That is to say, deviance results in a situation where an individual is exposed to many social messages that favor conduct than those favoring pro-social acts. Sutherland suggests that the concept of differential social organization and differential association may be applied to aggregation level and an individual level respectively. Whereas differential association theory gives explanations why an individual may gravitate towards criminal and delinquent behavior, differential social organization gives reasons as to why the rates of crime among different social entities appear to differ from each other. The differential associa tion theory has 9 basic postulates: Criminal and delinquent behavior is learned; the theory asserts that delinquent behavior is not particularly inherited and an individual not with no training in crime do not invent any delinquent or criminal behavior; Criminal and delinquent lifestyle is learned from interaction with other people during communication including gestures, verbal or written communication; Learning criminal behavior and delinquent li

Prayer In Public Schools Essay Example for Free

Prayer In Public Schools Essay The pros and cons of prayer in public schools have been debated for over forty years. The foundation of the United States is based on religious tolerance. The pilgrims came to this country because they were not free to worship and serve God leading to the guarantee of religious freedom in the Constitution. In years past, it was not acceptable in this country to proclaim disbelief in God.   Prayer in schools was an integral part of religious life. During the 1940’s and 1950’s, conservatives and liberals believed religion focusing on a personal relationship with Christ should be taught in schools (Zimmerman, pg. 1). It was not until the 1960’s that individuals began to have issues with this status quote. With more and more citizens coming forward to fight for their individual religious rights, it was decided by the Supreme Court that since everyone does not believe in God (or does not believe in the same God) open prayer should be removed from public schools. This does not mean that all prayer was removed from public schools. The 1962 ruling of the Supreme Court found organized school prayer unconstitutional (Manegold, pg. 1), which means that students can still pray privately. Yet, some people still found this unacceptable. No matter what side of the issue someone sits on, the fight surrounding prayer in public schools is deep and long-running. â€Å"Separation of church and state is a fundamental premise of our Constitution and our country,† (pbs.org, pg. 1). Prayer represents church and the Supreme Court and public schools represent state. The Constitution infers that the two should never meet. Those who oppose prayer in schools, first argue that prayer in public schools bring church and state together. The 1962 decision brought a surprising number of religious supporters. Martin Luther King Jr. was one such supporter. â€Å"It’s prayer decision was sound and good,† King declared, â€Å"reaffirming something that is basic in our Constitution, namely separation of church and state† (Zimmerman, pg. 1). Pastors and proclaimed Christians supported the Supreme Court because they did not want the state or government mixing in church affairs. Another argument focuses on personal rights guaranteed by the Constitution. As citizens of the United States, every person is guaranteed certain rights and public prayer impinges on those rights. Personal religious beliefs should not be forced onto someone else. Everyone has a right to pray and believe in what they want, whenever they want. The 1st â€Å"amendment sets out the principles regarding religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition.   Basically, it protects our rights to worship as we want, say what we want, publish what we want, gather in groups, and make our concerns known to the government.   It also prohibits the government from identifying with a particular religion; effectively separating church and state† (pbs.org, pg. 1). When students are allowed to prayer publicly, the issue of others imposing their personal beliefs on others will occur. Prayer in school inhibits personal and guaranteed rights.   Supporters of prayer in public schools believe the Supreme Court has overstepped its authority. â€Å"The supreme Court†¦serves to clarify, refine and test the ideals written into the Constitution (pbs.org, pg. 1). It is their job to interpret the Constitution when lawsuits are filed concerning Constitutional laws. As a result of restricted prayer in public school, supporters of prayer continue to flood Congress with proposals to â€Å"keep the issue alive†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Zimmerman, pg. 1), fighting to bring organized prayer back into public schools.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Supporters argue that the amount of violence in today’s schools is directly linked to the ban of prayer in schools. It is not just a matter of students fist fighting but violence often involve knifes and guns, resulting in deaths. â€Å"Juvenile delinquency is on the rise. America is in an advanced state of moral decline,† (Zimmerman, pg. 2). Those in favor of prayer in schools are convinced that if God is brought back into the classroom, the violence will stop. The Bible teaches against violence and teaches love and tolerance. Collective and organized prayer will bring students together and stop violence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The United States is a diverse country with millions of people who believe in different religions and serve different Gods (or the same God called by different names). Students have a right to go to school and not be made to feel uncomfortable because of public prayer. The problem with supporters of prayer in public schools is that they do not understand the Supreme Court’s 1962 ruling. The Supreme Court’s ruled organized prayer is unconstitutional. Students can still pray privately. There is no reason to have public prayer unless the goal is to sway individuals to a particular way of thinking. Twenty-two years before the 1962 ruling, in 1940, the Supreme Court ruled â€Å"that a public school may require students to salute the flag and pledge allegiance even if it violates their religious scruples† (pbs.org, pg. 2).   Although this ruling was overturned three years later, it shows how the subject of school and religion has always been a murky area. The issue of prayer in school remains â€Å"unsettled† from the Supreme Court to local governments to school officials (Manegold, pg. 1). The first amendment has guaranteed everyone the right to free speech, therefore, citizens of the United States will continue to fight for rights they believe have been infringed in any way. The debate over prayer in school has not ended and is not likely to end in the near future. Works Cited    Manegold, Catherine S. February 5, 1994. Senators Take a Cautious Stand on School Prayer. New York Times. Retrieved from http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html. PBS. April 5, 2001. â€Å"School and Religion.† Virginia. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/jan-june00/school_prayer.htm. Zimmerman, Jonathan. January 25, 2001. â€Å"The Other Massive Resistance: School Prayer and the Conservative Revolution, 1962-1984†. New York University. Retrieved from http://www.virginia.edu/uvanewsmakers/newsmakers/zimmerman.html.

Violation Of Code Of Ethics Construction Essay

Violation Of Code Of Ethics Construction Essay Kuala Lumpur Middle Ring Road 2 route 28 was built by Malaysian Public Works Department to connect neighborhoods near the boundary of Kuala Lumpur. The entire highway system consists of Federal Route 28, from Sri Damansara to Sunway Interchange and from Sunway Interchange to Sri Petaling Interchange. MRR2 is generally referred to Route 28 since Route 28 occupies about two-thirds of the system. Construction on this ring road would divided on 3 phase. These sections include Kepong-Gombak, Gombak-Ampang and Ampang-Sri Petaling. The contract period is 36 months and was completed in 34 months (May 1999 to March 2002). CONTROVERSAL ISSUE First closure The Kepong Flyover was reported to be faulty because 31 of 33 pillars supporting the flyover were reported to have obvious cracks. Public concern about the safety issues at Kepong Flyover was due to the risks faced by at least 4,300 motorists using the flyover at a time. Investigations were held by the government and as a result, Kepong Flyover was closed to traffic and then Initial findings by PWD suggested that the temporary hoisting crane mounted on the permanent RC structural piers to launch the precast beams to the bridge decks could have exerted pressure on the concrete crossbeams and caused the cracks. It is found that the structure at the 11th package of the MRR II was found to be unstable because of the strain and caused the beams to split at three sections. The PWD, which carried out its own probe, revealed that the MRR IIs Kepong Bridge, was not stable due to internal redistribution of forces and alternative load paths due to yielding of reinforcement caused by excessive hot temperature there was no homogenous drying, externally and internally, because of differential (uneven) drying of concrete. British Halcrow Consultancy Ltd said the cracks that have appeared on 31 of the 32 crossbeams since 2000 nothing to do with the design. Halcrow has found a rare phenomenonthe expansion of a chemical compound, ettringite, had caused serious cracks. The compound contains calcium, aluminium, oxygen, sulphate, and water. Halcrow recommended to JKR to waterproof the bridge immediately, so that the delayed ettringite formation (DEF) would not result in further cracks. Ettringite is found in cement. Usually, it does no harm. But, under rare conditions such as during concrete hardening, temperature reaching over 70 degree Centigrade in the presence of sulphate and plenty of water, ettringite is formed, expanding dangerously. If all the cracks are not waterproofed, more water seeps into them, aggravating the situation. The Sun Daily  reported that the MRR2 cracks due to design flaw and improper anchorage of crossbeams that was supposed to be the verdict of Halcrow. The design also did not indicate the proper anchorage of the beams and the columns. Halcrows report was prepared by its bridge engineering director Roger J.Buckby and submitted to the Works Ministry. The main cause of excessive cracking in the crosshead to the T-shaped pier is a deficiency in the design and the anchorage of the columns reinforced into the crosshead. There is also a deficiency in the design of the transverse reinforcement in the top of the crossheads to resist splitting forces between bearings. The horizontal cracking in the crosshead directly above the columns is a direct result of the inadequate anchorage of the column bars into the crosshead. Second closure On 4 February 2006, the Kepong Flyover was closed to traffic from 10:30 a.m. after serious damages on the flyover was confirmed. Traffic jam also has rose due to the incompletion of the MRR2 on 8 December 2006; the Kepong Flyover was reopened to all traffic. Third closure On 3 August 2008, Kepong flyover was closed to all traffic after three of the eighteen carbon fibre panels on pillar 28 had peeled off. Pillar 28 is where the German consultant Leonhardt Andrà ¤ und Partner (LAP) did the repair works as a sample for Malaysian contractor to follow. ACCIDENT ANALYSIS Violation of Code of Ethics Section II (2)(a) Engineers shall undertake assignments only when qualified by education or experience in the specific technical fields involved. The Kepong Flyover was reported to be faulty because 31 of 33 pillars supporting the flyover were reported to have obvious cracks. The engineers and contractors were responsible in this case. The main cause of excessive cracking in the crosshead to the T-shaped pier is a deficiency in the design and the anchorage of the columns reinforced in the crosshead. There is also a deficiency in the design of the transverse reinforcement in the top of the crosshead to resist splitting forces between bearings. The horizontal cracking in the crosshead directly above the columns is a direct result of the inadequate anchorage of the column bars into the crosshead. Section II(1)(a)- If engineers judgment is overruled under circumstances that endanger life or property, they shall notify their employer or client and such other authority as may be appropriate. In this case, public concern about the safety issues at Kepong flyover was due to the risks faced by at least 4,300 motorists using the flyover at a time. Despite numerous repairs and much of taxpayers money spent, people are questioning the safety and condition of the bridge despite the assurances by the relevant authorities. Users or clients were deprived of usage of the bridge causing them to use other congested roads, waking up early to travel and returning home late, using more petrol and diesel, more time wasted on roads and making users more tired. The cost here is political cost. Section II (3)(b) Engineers may express publicly technical opinions that are founded upon knowledge of the facts and competence in the subject matter. According to British Halcrow Consultancy Ltd that has sought the service of Glascow University, ettringite is found in cement. Usually, it does not harm. But, under rare conditions such as during concrete hardening, temperature reaching over 70 degree Centigrade in the presence of sulphate and plenty of water, ettringite is formed, expanding dangerously. If all the cracks are not waterproofed, more water seeps into them, aggravating the situation. Section II (3)(a) Engineers shall be objective and truthful in professional reports, statements, or testimony. They shall include all relevant and pertinent information in such reports, statements or testimony which should bear the date indicating when it was current. Works Minister Datuk S.Samy Vellu imposed a gag order on his officers saying that he alone will handle any queries on the Middle Ring Road 2 (MRR2) Kepong flyover repairs. But he was reluctant to answer question on the flyover which had been closed for repairs to cracks on 30 pillars which had attracted the Anti-Corruption Agencys attention. Prevention Safety Guidance The engineering society codes of ethics, NSPE (National Society of Professional Engineers) has provided guidance in handling or preventing the event from happening, as discussed below. Section III (9)(e) Engineers shall continue their professional development throughout their careers and should keep current in their specialty fields by engaging in professional practice, participating in continuing education courses, reading in the technical literature and attending meeting and seminars. Based on a statement by the Public Work Departments consultant, Kohler Seitz, they have indicated that faulty design had caused the pillars of MRR2 flyover to crack. This means that the crack might be caused by faulty design by the engineers. Referring to the code of ethic above, the MRR2 engineers should be up to dated towards the latest design. The word of faulty design should have not occurred at all because the MRR2 is cost up to RM 238.8 million. So, the MRR2 design engineers should improve their design skill so that their design will not have serious problem in the future. Section III (1)(a) Engineers shall acknowledge their errors and shall not distort or alter the facts. The engineers shall accept the truth regarding their faulty work on the MRR2. Consultant Company, Kohler Seitz have indicated that faulty design had caused the pillars of MRR2 flyover to crack. In this case, they with the help of government were denying that statement. Then, government had to appoint British Halcrow Consultancy Ltd to study the cracks that have appeared on 31 of the 32 crossbeams since 2000. This was a huge waste of money and times. They should be responsible if the cracks occurred is because of their mistakes. Section II (1) Engineer shall hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public. In designing and construction process of MRR2, the engineers should hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public. They must obey the standard approved by the authorities in choosing the material used. This is because, if they use cheap and low quality materials to gain maximum profit, they might endanger public that will use the highway in the future. Section III (1) (f) Engineers having knowledge of any alleged violation of this Code shall report thereon to appropriate professional bodies and, when relevant, also to public authorities, and cooperate with the proper authorities in furnishing such information or assistance as may be required. For the sake of publics safety, health and welfare, engineers should do whistle blowing. Whistle blowing is an act by an employee of informing the public or higher management of unethical or illegal behavior by an employer or supervisor. In MRR2 case, if they have qualified all the 4 conditions to do whistle blowing, they are obligated to do this. It is acceptable to blow the whistle to protect the public interest. ETHICAL THEORIES PROBLEM SOLVING TECHNIQUE Utilitarianism Definition of utilitarianism is balance between good and bad consequences of an action The good thing is MRR2 brought travel within easy reach The bad thing is the controversial Issues. Right Ethics Definition of right ethics is the people have the fundamental rights that other people have a duty to respect The right to use the flyover safely Do not want to keep stuck in traffic jam as a result from the closure of the MRR2 Do not want to see the few well-connected companies or individuals profit at the public expense Duty Ethics Definition of duty ethics is people have duties to protect the rights of others Fidelity : the duty to keep promises Contractors and engineers have failed to design and build the flyover in compliance with the contract Justice : the duty to recognize merit work minister does not take any action against the irresponsible contractors and consultant Beneficence : the duty to improve the conditions Repairs cost RM40 mil to RM70mil Cause by improper planning and poor cost estimation and poor administrative of the Work Minister This expenses could be reduced if he appointed a reliable contractor to build the flyover Virtue Ethics Irresponsibility Engineers did not fully supervise the project Minister did not give explanation of the RM70 million bill No actions taken towards original contractors Dishonestly Denied cracks were due to design flaw Did not build according to right specifications and designs Case Analysis Problem Solving Factual issue: For the first closure, 31 of 33 pillars supporting the flyover were reported to have obvious cracks. At some pillars and tiers, there were more than 7000 cracks detected Investigations were carried out by 4 different parties, namely Maunsell, Sharma Zakaria (the designer), Kà ¶hler Seitz Engineering Services (appointed by the contractor), Halcrow Consultants Ltd. (appointed by JKR) and  Leondhardt Andrà ¤ und Partner (LAP) Kepong Flyover was closed to traffic and then reopened with only 4 out of 6 lanes Works Minister reminded the public that the cracks were not due to design flaw Halcrow Consultants Ltd. suggested the design did not comply with the requirement of BS5400, the improper anchoring of the column rebar to the crossbeams and the formation of ettringite  (Delayed Ettringite Formation were responsible for the cracks Ettringite is found in cement, the expansion of a chemical compound, had caused serious cracks For the second closure 4 February 2006, the Kepong Flyover was closed to traffic from 10:30 am after serious damages on the flyover  and reopened on December 8, 2006. For the third closure, on 3 August 2008, Kepong flyover was closed to all traffic after three of the eighteen carbon fibre panels on pillar 28 had peeled off Pillar 28 is where the German consultant Leonhardt Andrà © und Partner (LAP) did the repair works as a sample for Malaysian contractor to follow. Conceptual issue: The crack on the pillars that support the flyover resulting the MRR2 cannot be opened for traffic and huge jam was occurred. Although investigation had been carried out, the crack on the pillar still occur. Based on the investigation, main problem is because of the MRR2 design did not follow the BS5400 requirement. Moral issue: The accident make us to be more aware of the safety of people that used the flyover Designer of the MRR2 unable to make a design that follow the specification of flyover that leads to crack on the pillars. The lack of communication skills between the team makes the accident repeated and cannot be fixed faster. Government should find the company that are capable enough to build the bridge and make troubleshooting properly. To find a solution for the case, the flow charting technique is used because it is easy to understand and it is able to show the chain of event happens by following the step-by-step approach. Fig. 2 Flowchart for MRR2 accident From the flowchart drawn, it is obvious that problem occurs because of the design and material used did not follow the specification. Although there were teams that assemble to investigate the problem, they cannot find the exact solution on how the problem occurs. Different teams come out with different problem and solution. To prevent it from happening again, designer should follow the rules and make sure material used are correctly picked What Should Have Done by People Involved? All the people involved in the accident should have done differently in avoiding the accident from happen to the flyover, as described below: Engineers Design Engineer should have designed the flyover intelligently and professionally to avoid design flaws. Besides, the engineers should have tested the flyover for its lifespan and capability to support the busy traffic so that the flyover can function without cracking. Management Should have monitored the whole project by itself to ensure everything is done accordingly and no design flaws should occur. The quality of the flyover should have been examined by the management team. Government Should have assigned the construction project to reliable constructor so that the extra millions of ringgit will not be spent to repair the flyover. After the incident happened, the Ministry should inform the public about the causes of the cracked pillars and admit the mistakes done by the ministry. Local authority should put more concern on the project by monitoring the construction and getting report of the construction progress from time to time. In addition, local government/authority should have evaluated the whole project and the contractors capability before approving the project. IV.CONCLUSION All in all, huge sum of public tax-payers money, amounting to a few hundred million ringgit, were used to carry out all these repairs. There were talks of litigation, but somehow, as time went by, things just fizzled out. Even though this major bridge was closed to the public three times, and millions of public ringgit had been spent on repair work, yet there was no public enquiry in order to find out as to what had actually gone wrong, so that everyone including civil and structural engineers could learn from the mistakes. In closing, this bridge is still being carefully monitored by the Malaysian government. V.REFERENCES Maverick, SM., Project Report Middle Ring Road 2, February 2006 Maverick, SM., Risk, Health Safety, February 2006 Charles B. Fleddermann., Engineering Ethics (3rd Edition), Pearson Practice Hall , University of New Mexico, 2008 Main Portal for Kementerian Kerja Raya Fuel prices likely to drop The Star Online August 4, 2008 Monday New Straits Times,2006,MRR2 Cracks, 3rd Jan, Malaysia Berita Harian,2006,PM: MRR2 ditutup lindungi keselamtan pengguna, 5th Mac, Malaysia Ismail E,2006.Seminar Paper: Industrialization of Malaysian Construction

Nietzsches Portraiture: Wagner as Worthy Opponent :: Wagner Nietzsche Philosophical Papers

Nietzsche's Portraiture: Wagner as Worthy Opponent ABSTRACT: Richard Wagner always represented for Nietzsche the Germany of that time. By examining Nietzsche's relationship to Wagner throughout his writings, one is also examining Nietzsche's relationship to his culture of birth. I focus on the writings from the late period in order to clarify Nietzsche's view of his own project regarding German culture. I show that Nietzsche created a portrait of Wagner in which the composer was a worthy opponent-someone with whom he disagreed but viewed as an equal. Wagner was such an opponent because he represented the disease of decadence which plagued the culture and from which Nietzsche suffered for a time, but of which he also cured himself. In other words, Nietzsche emphasized his overcoming and revaluation of Wagner because he wanted his readers to understand it as a metaphor for his larger battle with decadence in general. The goal of this portraiture is to demonstrate on an individual level what could be done on a cultural level to revitali ze culture. Through an analysis of Nietzsche's portrait of Wagner in the late period, I will claim that in order to understand Nietzsche's revaluation of decadent values in nineteenth century German culture, one must understand his relationship with the composer. From The Birth of Tragedy, where Wagner's music represented the hope for the re-birth of pre-Socratic Greek culture to The Case of Wagner, where Wagner was the artist of German decadence par excellence, Richard Wagner always personified nineteenth century Germany for Nietzsche. By examining Nietzsche's relationship to Wagner throughout his writings, one is also examining Nietzsche's relationship to his country of birth. In this paper, I carry out such an investigation with a focus on the late period (the writings after Thus Spoke Zarathustra) in order to clarify Nietzsche's view of his own project regarding German (and by extension European) culture. I show that in the late period Nietzsche created a portrait of Wagner in which the composer was a worthy opponent; meaning someone with whom Nietzsche disagreed but viewed as an equal. Nietzsche himself took on several worthy opponents, and he claimed that in his battle with "these objects of resistance" he learned about himself. Wagner was such an object of resistance because he represented the disease of decadence which plagued the culture and from which Nietzsche emphasized his overcoming. The goal of this portraiture was to demonstrate on an individual level what could be done on a cultural level to revitalize the culture and make it healthy.

Importance of Dialogue in The Tempest :: Tempest essays

Importance of Dialogue in The Tempest    Dialogue is one of the most important features in a play, where the audience has the story acted and spoken out in front of them. For this reason, in a play such as The Tempest, relationships are written and constructed mainly through the spoken word. The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, in the genre of both a romance and a pastoral tragicomedy.    Since Prospero is the central character of the text, most of the relationships shown and developed in the play concern him. He has his main dealings with Miranda, Ferdinand, Alonso, Antonio and Caliban. Miranda is his daughter, and was exiled along with him to this island. Prospero has cared solely for her in the last sixteen years, and thus is very protective. He helps Miranda and Ferdinand to become betrothed, and as a kind of test he makes Ferdinand do chores. When he sees the true love between them, and that his little girl is not sop little anymore, he consents to their marriage. His relationship with Ferdinand is much shorter, but basically he tests Ferdinand to see if he is a worthy husband for his daughter. He accuses him of various things, such as being a spy, but the fast that Ferdinand repeatedly exclaims that any burden is made, light if he can see the face of Miranda pleases Prospero. Part of Miranda's new status as being grown up is shown in the long exposi tion where Prospero finally tells her the truth about her background and how they came upon the island, and her exclamation of "Oh brave new world, that hath such people in't." when she sees the noblemen, more people than she has ever seen singly before, all at once.    Caliban is the monstrous son of the dark witch Sycorax, who was the ruler of the island previously. As heir apparent, Prosper actually usurped rule from him, a fact which is never given thought to in the play! Prospero did look kindly onto Caliban at first, but after his attempted rape of Miranda he was reduced to the status of common slave, with Prospero as his master. After the attempted crime, it is no wonder that the relationship between them is quite testy.

the stand :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  King, Stephen. The Stand. New York: New York, 1978   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  tephen Edwin King was born on September 21, 1947 in Portland, Maine He was a surprise to the family because his mother was told that she would never have children. His parents, Donald and Nellie King, were having trouble in their marriage, and when Stephen King was only 2, his father, a door to door salesman for a company, left the house to buy a pack of cigarettes, but never returned. Stephen King hasn't seen his father since.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Stephen and his adopted older brother, David King, lived with their mother back and forth between Massachusetts and Maine. And his passion for writing came about in 1959 when he wrote articles in his brothers local newspaper titled Daves Rag. Copied on a mimeograph machine, and with a circulation of only 20 or so Stephen wrote articles. Inspired by the relative success, Stephen copied some of his short stories and sold them to local people for a whole thirty cents. Stephen actually sold some of his work at school until teachers stopped it. And that’s how he started his carrier in writing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The setting of the story takes place in 1991 in America. A plague struck the U.S. only leaving a few thousand survivors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the year 1991, a plague strikes America, leaving only a few thousand people alive who are immune to the epidemic. Of the survivors, those who serve G-d instinctively join in Boulder, Colorado, while those who worship the Dark Man are drawn to Las Vegas, Nevada. The two groups separately rebuild society, until one must destroy the other. Franni Goldsmith comes very close to killing herself. She thinks she can not deal with her parents' deaths, being unwed and pregnant, and having the only other survivor in her hometown of Ogunquit, Main be her recently deceased best friend's weird brother Harold Lauder. On their way, they meet up with six people from various states in the United States who joined them on their journey. Fran is disturbed by her dreams, as all of them are by their own. She dreams of an old lady named Abigail, in Colorado. This lady is kind and loving and promises to protect them from the evil. In the dreams there is also a Dark Man. He is always t here lurking, waiting to attack. Harold admits to himself that he is in love with Fran and goes crazy when he realizes how serious Fran has become with Stuart Redman, one of the newcomers to their traveling group.

Contingency Theory of Leadership Essay

At my workplace we have sales goals that we have to meet and part of my job is to ensure that the staff is achieving their goals and if they are falling behind, I help them find ways to better their selling skills and recognize opportunities. In the table below, categorize different leadership approaches that could be used in the work environment you have described. Provide different suggestions for each of the four approaches to leadership. Directive approachSupportive approach The company has weekly product knowledge training so that the employees know about the products that they are selling. The employees are also rewarded incentives that relate directly to their goals and are aware of their job duties (Jones, 2007) and new procedures shared in our weekly meetings. The individual goals also relate to work schedules the full time employees goals are higher than the part-time employees. The supportive approach to leadership of this group the management is open and very approachable (Jones, 2007). The management also has goals to meet and are always willing to offer advice and additional training to employees. They also meet with employees individually and find out what motivates that specific employee because everyone is different. Participative approachAchievement-oriented approach The employees participate in creating individual goals for themselves (Jones, 2007) and for the branch. They create in-branch promotions and try to make sales fun. Employee suggestions for improvement are put into action and employees are commended for their work ethics and participation with branch promotions. The goals that are set for the employees are realistic, not outrageous (Jones, 2007). By observing the amount of branch traffic, and amount of customers that do not currently have a specific product we can set goals that are achievable.

The novel Jekyll and Hyde

Written in the 1880's by famous British author Robert Louis Stephenson, the novel Jekyll and Hyde is about one man with dissociative personalities. Jekyll and Hyde, although are portrayed to be two very different characters all together, are in fact the same man, wanting to fulfil certain â€Å"evil† pleasures whilst still being a well respected member of society. However both of these desires cannot be overcome without a magic potion created by Dr Jekyll, used to transform himself into the ghastly looking and somewhat evil being, known in this book as Hyde – his other half. In the late 1800's there were a few ideas and theories arising which could be what inspired Stephenson to write such an odd and interesting book. The significant developments in ideas which could be associated with this story are Charles Darwin's theory of evolution and Sigmund Freud's psychological theories on dissociative personalities, which came around at the time of Stephenson writing this book. These could be linked to how Hyde is from an era where there was no such thing as morality, Hyde can also link to Freud's id (animal instinct), ego (what controls us in order to achieve others approval) and superego (sense of self), in this way Jekylls id takes over. Stephenson could also be proving a point about the class system at that time in the UK as there was a large class division, where as Jekyll has a rich, well off posh lifestyle and Hyde is a character who is â€Å"crude† and appears to be of a lower class, not at all respected in the society in which he lives. The first example of Stephenson portraying Hyde as being evil comes midway though the first chapter where he is first described as â€Å"a little man stumping along. † Already he is portrayed to have an ugly negative appearance, and his physical descriptions are one of the main ways which Stephenson describes Hyde overall. Next he is shown to knock over a small child in the street, and one may assume this was an accident, and it most likely was, however when Hyde shows no affection to the girl he just knocked over, and literally tramples over her, the audience knows he is a bad character. Mr Enfield (a friend of the lawyer; Mr Utterson) after seeing this describes the incident as â€Å"hellish† and Hyde as â€Å"a damned juggernaut†, which relates Hyde to becoming violent as the Indian God of war known as Jaggernafth. Here he is also compared to Satan, which refers him to evil yet again. Another way in which Stephenson portrays Hyde to be evil is through his physical descriptions, however there is a vagueness of his facial descriptions due to the fact other people find him indescribably ugly. In chapter 8 he is said by Poole (Jekylls butler) to â€Å"have a mask upon his face† as such an appearance is too inhuman and unnatural to be that of a normal man. Also in that chapter Hyde is commonly referred to as â€Å"it† rather than â€Å"him† which suggest he has a lack of humanity. He is also called a â€Å"creature† and described as having a dismal screech, as of mere animal terror. This creates a sense of animal imagery, which is one of the ways that Stephenson portrays Hyde as being evil. Hyde's clothes are described to be far too big, and that is because they are the exact same clothes worn by Dr Jekyll. This therefore shows that Jekyll is considerably taller than Hyde, and Stephenson here could be saying that not only does Jekyll overshadow Hyde in a physical sense, but also in the sense that the good in Jekyll is much greater than the evil in Jekyll. Dr Jekyll is a rather interesting character who wants and respects his good reputation, but still craves some of life's somewhat quirky pleasures. Should we question if Jekyll is as morally good as people, such as his close friends think he is, or if he is simply a scientist with urges to fulfil? In chapter ten Jekyll describes his â€Å"duplicity† and he also describes his first feelings of his â€Å"new life† as Hyde. After the â€Å"racking pangs† of the initial transformations, Jekyll describes himself as feeling â€Å"indescribably new† and â€Å"incredibly sweet†. He feels â€Å"younger, lighter happier in body† and he also talks about the â€Å"freedom† of his soul, what is also interesting is how he felt â€Å"wicked† yet delighted. This is the first point in which the audience know Jekyll and Hyde are in fact one, but also that Jekyll enjoys his transformation from good to evil. This idea of Jekyll enjoying his transformation suggests that maybe Jekyll is actually not so morally good. Also Jekyll describing his † dual nature† and saying â€Å"I concealed my pleasures† also go to show maybe Jekyll isn't the most morally good character which goes beside other character opinions on him such as Dr Lanyon's â€Å"He began to go wrong in the mind. He does however get more pleasing and positive descriptions at the start of the story, where Mr Utterson compliments him, saying he is a â€Å"well-made, smooth faced man† who throws â€Å"pleasant dinners† and who's personality was one of sincerity. As well as himself, his house is described as â€Å"comfortable† & â€Å"warmed† by Utterson which could reflect Dr Jekyll as a person. On top of this, the denotations â€Å"F. R . S. are next to his name, which stand for Fellow of the Royal Society, and to be in such a highly respected club portrays Jekyll as a man with a much esteemed reputation and a man of high intellect. These qualities of Jekyll alongside others like his â€Å"nature to industry† and â€Å"high head† that when put against his dark secrets and new good feelings after his first transformation, show that Jekyll is generally good but is only human so he will have his secrets, which as deep as they may be, show that he is not evil, but nobodies perfect? From reading this book, it is clear to see that Stephenson uses several ways to show the true personalities of Jekyll and Hyde. The first way in which Hyde is depicted to be evil is through the descriptions of his actions, in Chapter one he is described to be stumping along and this creates a sense of negativity rather than just walking. The violence and severity of the verbs Stephenson uses also contribute to the portrayal of Hyde's evil nature. He also uses animal imagery such as â€Å"ape-like fury† which compares him to an animal, a creature with no morals, and of a lower class. Then there is Jekyll, who Stephenson portrays to be the complete opposite of Hyde, and does this by talking about his privileged background, good stature and good looks, and also gives him the title Dr rather than Mr, as anyone would think of a Dr as a well respected and highly intellectual member of society.

A Hero Inside and Out the Court

What does it takes to become a hero? As most people would answer, a hero should possess certain qualities including courage, loyalty, honesty, generosity, kindness and some other remarkable traits. In addition, a person could be regarded as a hero if he has done a significant contribution throughout his life. Needless to say, a hero is being noted for his significant achievements in any field of endeavor that he pursues. Earvin â€Å"Magic† Johnson is a hero inside and out the court. His notable achievement and contributions made him as the recipient of the third Annual USA Today Hollywood Hero Award. Earvin â€Å"Magic† Johnson became popular primarily because of his basketball skills. His basketball career started when he was still in high school at the Michigan State where he led the team to championship in the year 1979. His skills as a player in the Michigan State continued to boost and qualified him to play at the National Basketball Association (NBA). Basketball became an important part of Magic Johnson’s life. His leadership quality in this field is just one of the traits which reflect his heroic deeds. In the year 1991, Johnson was diagnosed with the deadly AIDS virus (Pollock 426). This turning point in his life causes him to retire from playing basketball. But despite the fact that he was infected with the said virus, Johnson was never discouraged to continue with his life. As a matter of fact, he showed a lot of courage when he revealed to the world that he is an HIV-positive person. He was never ashamed of his condition but instead he used this as a way to help other people to become more aware of the virus. According to a research conducted by Pollock (426), the revelation of Magic Johnson had changed the attitude of people about AIDS and it also altered their behavior in order to avoid the virus. Johnson’s announcement had influence and informed most of the public about the fatalities of the virus. To some people, having the said virus would cause them to entertain negativities and stop them in believing with their purpose in life. But to Johnson, it was the reversed that happened. Upon knowing that he has the virus, he develops a foundation which aims to educate the youth as well as other men and women regarding AIDS (Tucker 1). He also pursues his dream of becoming a businessman despite of his condition. Johnson’s kindness and generosity was reflected through his several projects which aim to help and develop the potential of the black natives in business and leadership. He raised funds and lends his services to areas which are underserved. He had been generous and kind to those people in which the state seems to undermine. Johnson never gets tired of helping and sharing his blessings with other people especially those who are in need. Another act of kindness that Johnson showed was when the Hurricane Katrina hit the country. His Foundation, partnered with different grocery stores and drugstores, provided prescriptions and groceries to the victims of the said hurricane. The renowned basketball player and businessman also stated that he would find ways to generate jobs to those who have been displaced (Tucker 1). The works, attitude, traits and contribution of Magic Johnson justified his achievement as the recipient of the USA Today’s National Hero Award. He is indeed a man with good and heroic deeds. His activities and attitude sets a good example to the youth and an inspiration to those who seems to surrender in continuing the battle of life. Inside the court, he possess the leadership, positive attitude and loyalty to his teammates while outside the court, he showed his kindness, generosity, outmost concern and willingness in helping other people. An ordinary person with extraordinary qualities, that spells the name of Earvin â€Å"Magic† Johnson. Work Cited Pollock III, Philip H. â€Å"Issues, values, and critical moments: Did `Magic' Johnson transform public opinion on AIDS?† American Journal of Political Science 38 (1994): 426. Tucker, Laura. â€Å"Business Hero: Magic Johnson.† 5 May 2008 ;http://www.myhero.com/myhero/hero.asp?hero=Magic_05;. ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

“It is through what we wear that we all establish our identity.” Briefly support or contradict this claim

Let us imagine a world where it was acceptable to roam the streets unclothed. Would you still conform to the norm that stated that it was usual to wear clothes? Most would, but there would be a minority who would take the liberty of going out naked. They would be viewed by the majority as anti-conformist and it could have spiralling effects on other aspects of their life – such as their identity. If a teenager wants to rebel against norms, it is very easy. They simply need to turn up to a dinner party in jeans and a t-shirt and no more need be done. They would have firmly set an impression in the minds of the other â€Å"black tie wearers†. It could lead to exclusion from the group even if they knew each other previously because it is showing a side of the person that may have previously been hidden. There isn't a human being who doesn't take appearance into account when getting a first impression of someone. It is what initially attracts one person to another and can give an idea as to what the person may be like. However, identity can be established in many ways and clothing is just one of these methods. When looking at a particular group of people, it is usually possible to examine the trends that they exhibit and spot people who look out of place and may be trying to change or enhance their identity through their clothing. Describe the connection between one particular trend in pop music and what its followers wear. â€Å"Mom. I wanna be just like Britney Spears† were the eight words which rang across the world when Ms. Spears released her saucy â€Å"Baby One More Time† video. Suddenly, it was trendy to dress in school girl uniform and the boys were instantly turned on by teenage girls dressing just like Britney. Had it not been for Britney's video, dressing in uniform at any time other than in lessons would, most likely, still be very â€Å"un-cool†. Since her first single, Ms. Spears has been an international jet-setter and trend setter. With each premiere, awards ceremony and after-show party she has attended, she has been the subject of miles worth of newspaper columns. Teenage girls everywhere have been unable to avoid the tactless and shameful promotion that Jive Records have elicited from Britney and living in the 21st century, it has become almost impossible not to be influenced by the publicity surrounding America's most famous Virgin. From controversy to contraception, Britney has been linked to everything. The initial hype surrounding her showed that she was popular amongst teenager boys and this was, no doubt, one of the main reasons thousands of teenage girls began to idolise her. Her sweet and innocent image meant that it was cool to be like Britney and this soon led to an explosion in mini-Britneys. There was a risk that she wouldn't catch on though and that she would fizzle out as another one-hit wonder. However this was soon disproved when she was pursued quickly by the other pop teen queen Christina Aguilera. Just when parents thought that Britney would be a temporary phase that their kids would go through, Christina pops up onto the scene. Bringing yet another set of catchy pop tunes, Christina enforced the idea that it was necessary to look gorgeous, be a size 8 and have a perfect body. Pig-tails were in and pony-tails were out; short skirts became even shorter and breast enlargements were being ordered left, right and centre. Despite their persistent denial of buying the plastic treatment, private clinics saw an enormous increase in their waiting list around Christmas time. It became cool to wear tight tops, to dress in leather and run around school doing Britney and Christina style dance routines. However, times change quickly and schoolgirls are already becoming bored of their teen idols' style and as Britney turns unfavourable in their eyes, it is now necessary for them to look at the older and more respected artists. Singers like Jennifer Lopez, Samantha Mumba and Janet Jackson who all have unparalleled style are the new trend. As teenage girls want to mature into appreciated women, their dress sense also proceeds in parallel and they begin to move away from the â€Å"bubblegum† image into a more adult look. They will however, all too often find themselves pre-occupied with the idealistic look of women in beauty magazines and on screen. Although this shouldn't be the case, it is an inevitable consequence of living in the midst of technology as we do and at least through these more mature artists, teenagers are growing up quicker. It is ironic to think that Britney is now modelling herself on her fans in order to please them. As they mature and advance in their ways of thinking and styles and trends, Britney is now evolving into a more mature and focused artist more in the style of Janet or Madonna. What is worrying though is that there doesn't seem to be another level to which artists like Britney can go to after her fans get tired of her present scheme. Unlike the real divas, Britney has a shelf life and it is almost up. Unless she can creatively reinvent herself with yet another new style, her fans will have to look elsewhere for inspiration and it may well be to an anti-conformist who exhibits qualities that are rebellious and not in line with conventional trends.

Comparing and Contrasting of Ethical Perspectives Essay

Comparing and Contrasting of Ethical Perspectives - Essay Example On the other hand, business paradigms are highly volatile which depend on externalities for their sustainable performance. The myriad shareholders and stakeholders of the business emerge as key factors whose interests need to be incorporated within the aims and objectives of the firm for its long term sustainability. As such, the need to become accountable for their actions becomes a highly desirable element of their success. Indeed, the ethical considerations become hugely important issues as they influence the decision making processes that have wide ranging implications for the business and the stakeholders at large. The paper would discuss the issue by comparing and contrasting three articles: ‘What is business ethics’ by Peter Drucker; ‘The social responsibility of business is to increase its profit’ by Milton Friedman; and ‘The relevance of responsibility to ethical business decisions’ by Patrick Murphy. The varying views of the scholars r eflect not only the significance of ethics but also its hugely controversial impact on business outcome. Thus, it is vital to highlight the need to evaluate the extent to which the ethics play role in the overall performance of the business. Most importantly, the paper makes an effort to emphasize the changing dynamics of business imperative in the transforming societal values and emerging new socio-cultural and economic order. What is ethics? Drucker believes that in the contemporary times, the word, ‘business ethic’ has replaced social responsibility. He broadly expounds that ethics are moral obligations that are relative to contexts and people. He says that moral laxity can be defined by the individual behavior but its implications are suspect because of the differing perspectives on the right behavior. Moreover, the ‘extenuating’ and ‘aggravating’ circumstances make the moral behavior highly objectionable as they tend to favor the powerful and the rich. It is true that the wide diversity of socio-cultural and religious paradigms reflects the diverse ethical and moral practices within different societies across the globe. Thus, very often, the actions of people are deemed good or bad as per the different ideologies and views of the people coming from different background. Drucker claims that moral obligations and ethical behaviour therefore depends on the moral norms of one’s society’s culture. Most importantly, he says that individual behaviour cannot be applied to business because morality is relative that relies on socio-cultural norms. Milton Friedman, on the other hand, uses the term social responsibility to define business ethics and says that it is totally irrelevant to the main objectives of business, which is to make profit. He strongly asserts that business can only contribute to social causes to the point where its interests are not clashed. He has linked social responsibilities of business wit h that of issues like unemployment, poverty, pollution control etc. and criticizes the reformers who think that businesses need to focus on wider objectives than merely profits. According to him, burdening the business with social responsibilities adversely impacts its major objective and undermines the postulates of free society. Patrick Murphy’s article reviews the business ethics vis-a-vis moral responsibilities of businesses and how they are employed in decision making processes. He uses different articles to show how various types of social responsibilities: legal, corporate, managerial, social, stakeholder and societal are applied within and across businesses to achieve wider objectives of bus

Martin luther kings letter from birmingham jail Essay

Martin luther kings letter from birmingham jail - Essay Example The passage chosen for this discussion is given in quotations below. This passage is a classic example of the manifestation of Dr. King’s charisma and eloquence. It also demonstrates some of the tools of rhetoric that King used in his speeches and writings that have a powerful effect on the listener. Some key sentences from the following passage will be taken for deeper analysis: â€Å"We have waited for more than three hundred and forty years for our God-given and constitutional rights. The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jet like speed toward the goal of political independence, and we still creep at horse-and-buggy pace toward the gaining of a cup of coffee at a lunch counter. I guess it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging darts of segregation to say "wait." But †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.when you are humiliated day in and day out by nagging signs reading "white" and "colored"; when your first name becomes "nigger" and your middle name becomes "boy" (however old you are) and your last name becomes "John," and when your wife and mother are never given the respected title "Mrs."; when you are harried by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are a Negro, living constantly at tiptoe stance, never quite knowing what to expect next, and plagued with inner fears and outer resentments; when you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of "nobody-ness"—then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait. There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over and men are no longer willing to be plunged into an abyss of injustice where they experience the bleakness of corroding despair. I hope, sirs, you can understand our legitimate and unavoidable impatience†. The very first sentence demonstrates King’s employment of a historical perspective to current political events. Here, the