Assign 1) Chpt 6 & 7 Assign 2) Soci DB Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assign 1) Chpt 6 & 7 Assign 2) Soci DB - Essay Example In the turn of old age or physical weakness, the spouse must be able to take hold of that responsibility of taking care of his or her partner, and it is only in that way that they can justify what long-term relationship means. Commitment has a particular role to play in long-term relationships. In an episode about marriage in the Oprah Show, there was one thing that she told her guests that really struck me. Oprah said that you will not be in love everyday in the entire course of your marriage and it takes your choice and effort to be in love. This is true about intimacy in long term relationships. This kind is not limited to heterogeneous relationships, because human emotions do not know any gender. What the heart feels is just the way it is, but the relationship existing between the couple, whatever their genders are, is universal. Long term relationships cannot stand with love alone, as love has the tendency to outgrow and consequently ending the emotion. Whereas if a long term-re lationship would rest in commitment, responsibility, acceptance, and respect, there is more chance for love to grow.

Co-Operative Practice and Philosophy of Working Together Essay

Co-Operative Practice and Philosophy of Working Together - Essay Example Co-operative members face the challenge of implementing their strategies effective such that every member contributes effectively to the activities of the group. Most of the times students fail to grasp individual accountability and positive interdependence in the right way results in some members perform most of the task and other just signing off as if they did the work but ultimately claim they took part in the activities. Furthermore, there is the tendency of the emergence of the ‘bossy’ students who is usually think they perform better than others and therefore refuse to allow the contribution of members considered to be poor in academics (Kagan & Kagan, 2009). Eventually, come students will learn nothing from the group. Corporative learning was developed based on the educational rationale that was propagated from socialization needs as opposed to academic needs. This perspective can be disadvantageous to some of the corporative members. Member contribution is seen as a way of achieving a social entitlement and therefore, low achievers are belittled by the higher achievers. Moreover, making the ultimate educational goal as a group affair inhibits individual education (Johnson & Johnson, 2005). Group contingencies are also responsible for development of peer pressure as members try hard to conform to influenced behavior, which can be very detrimental. Peer pressure is highly inherent in groups with many cases of conflicts as members try to achieve consensus by making affiliations with others to suppress the differences.

Comparing Social Welfare Systems: UK and Germany

Comparing Social Welfare Systems: UK and Germany This paper will seek to compare the social welfare systems of England and Germany with regard to how they cater for the elderly. The paper will approach the issue by firstly discussing the theoretical underpinnings of the welfare state in both England and Germany. This initial theoretical analysis is important because it sets the foundation to understand the way in which social welfare policy in both countries approach care of the elderly. The paper will then provide a comparative analysis of the welfare issues affecting the elderly such as national insurance, elderly care, pension provisions, health care and other pertinent variables. This comparison will then seek to establish defining characteristics of each model towards elderly care. One of the most prolific scholarly expositions on welfare systems and their ideological frameworks come from Epsing-Anderson[1] who postulated that there are three distinct regimes of welfare systems. These he identified as Liberal, Corporatist and Social Democratic. Within this model, he located Germany as a Corporatist- Conservative regime and the United Kingdom as a Liberal welfare regime. Nevertheless, despite arguing how welfare states have developed and can be characterized under these three trajectories, Epsing-Anderson maintains that â€Å"the welfare state cannot be regarded as the sum total of social policies, it is more than a numerical cumulation of discrete programmes†.[2] With this in mind, the paper will now consider the theoretical underpinnings of Germany as a Corporatist-Conservative regime. Germany maintains a welfare system that is usually classified as the classical Bismarckian welfare state. This intimates that the welfare system in Germany is structured among class and occupational lines and subsequently a high degree of stratification, along the lines of market participation exists. The state, rather than the market, is the most important agency in the delivery of welfare and benefits are provided through a network of public, quasi public, private and voluntary organisations.[3] The German welfare state is characterized by a dominance of mandatory social insurance schemes such as health, unemployment, pensions, disability and long care. These schemes are predominantly contribution based benefits with the state partly contributing to public pension schemes, unemployment insurance and social assistance. Another feature of the German conservative welfare system is that it ascribes the male breadwinner model with significant corrections. It is steeped in the social policy dictates of Catholicism and this is demonstrated by a commitment to ‘the preservation of status differentials’[4] by emphasising self-help and to the preservation of a traditional family model. Women’s benefits are inextricably linked to their spouse, which in modern day society, places women at a disadvantage because they may have spent years caring for elderly relatives, or childrearing and widows pensions are inherently low.[5] However, the German welfare state has had to adapt to the new realties of modern society where more women are remaining single, divorce rates are higher and individuals have to work for much longer. The oft practiced early retirement feature of the German welfare state has also seen adjustments as families, especially women now need to reconcile salaried work commitments along with duties towards their loved ones in order to ensure a good standard of living in today’s market led economy.[6] These changes have had an effect on how elderly care is administered and ordered within the German welfare sate. Before the issue of care for the elderly with the German welfare state model is explored, the paper will now examine the characteristics of the UK welfare state. Converse to the German corporatist-conservative welfare state model, the United Kingdom is largely been historically characterized as an example of a liberal welfare model. However as Epsing-Anderson stated earlier, no one regime is a pure typology, instead they are usually a hybrid form albeit with an overarching ideology. Modern day societies demand that so called welfare regimes undergo pragmatic shifts to adjust to social, political and economic shifts. In light of these changes the UK welfare system is viewed as a liberal socialist welfare system. Firstly, the welfare system in the UK places a distinct emphasis on market-based social insurance and it uses of means-testing for the â€Å"fair† distribution of benefits. It regards as fair the distribution of more benefits to the poor or vulnerable who are viewed as more deserving. In this regard, welfare is oriented towards a class of the poor dependent or what is called the ‘residual welfare state’. The consequence of this is that, there is a low degree of de-commodification, meaning, benefits are limited and stigmatised by the general populace as the model assumes that high levels of benefit will reduce incentives to work. A high degree of stratification exists within the UK welfare state, wherein, the state plays an active role in social relations. One of the factors impacting the classification of the UK as a liberal social democratic welfare state regime is the existence of in-kind services such as free health care which is delivered through the National Health Service (NHS) and the prevalence of subsidised social housing to vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, single parents and the homeless. One of the most impacting changes within the liberal social democratic social welfare regime of the UK was pension reform in the 1980’s. These reforms saw the government cutting back on contributions that were earnings liked to retirement incomes and the heightened encouragement of private schemes as a necessary supplement. Many employers took advantage of the new low regulations on pension schemes and did not offer sufficient coverage adequate for a decent retirement standard of living and quality of life.[7] Subsequently, the UK government has not been able to negotiate adequate pension conditions with private employers on behalf of workers. All these changes within the liberal oriented UK welfare state model necessitates the discussion on how the elderly is affected. The aforementioned discussion on the typology of the welfare state in both Germany and the UK was necessary to this paper, as it sets the stage to understand how the elderly are treated within these two ideological frameworks. It also allows for an analysis on how modern day society has altered or shifted these ideological welfare state positions. To this end, the paper will now consider the comparative analysis with a focus on the various modes of care and policies towards the elderly in both Germany and the UK. One of the most important modes of care for the elderly is the provision of good health care. In societies where younger children have had to buy into active participation in a market based economy, the elderly becomes a particularly vulnerable group. Wegner explains this aptly when he states: â€Å"The absence of supportive health and social services contributes to several important problems: (1) the quality of care may fall short of adequate standards, resulting in instances neglect or abuse; (2) the strain of care giving places caregivers themselves at risk for many health problems; and (3) the heavy burden falling on a single caregiver eventually results in a greater reliance on institutional care than may be necessary.†[8] Germany’s historically conservative welfare state ideology, dictated that the family should be the main care-giver and support system for the elderly. However, with the elderly population living alone in Germany is the highest in the OECD and the European Union. Sensing that this tend would have been inevitable, Germany launched a long term care insurance scheme in 1994 which targeted the elderly. This scheme functions on a pay as you go basis and is strictly aimed at those in need of social assistance.[9] It is â€Å"financed through earmarked social insurance contributions and organized as a separate branch of social insurance†.[10] Some features of the scheme are: community based care, payment to caregivers and nursing homes, home modifications, personal assistance and general household assistance. In some instance, the elderly are also covered under the state’s accident and pension insurance schemes. Interestingly, Taylor-Gooby[11] notes that space was still made to retain conservative values with the introduction of the long-term care assistance as legislation such as cash reimbursement without any form of monitoring to encourage family supported care giving practices. In contrast, the elderly in the UK receive completely free health care under the statutory National Health Service which is free to all citizens post World War II. However, as previously discussed, the UK underwent serious cutbacks in pension provisions in the 1980’s and this has placed a significant number of retirement age pensioners at risk of poverty. Furthermore, the government also cut back in the number of public beds available for care in hospitals. This has in some ways encouraged caregiving from family members for the elderly, but like Germany, may younger family members have to reconcile paid employment with their desire to care for their loved ones. This has placed considerable strain on the NHS as the elderly suffer many injuries from largely having to care for themselves. The strain on the NHS reached such a crescendo that some doctors even recommended not treating the very old.[12] The NHS has come under great criticism for its treatment of the elderly,[13] cons equently the government, is trying to achieve the goals of its 10 year plan to reform care of the elderly in the UK which is documented in the National Service Framework for Older People. The inspection report â€Å"Living Well into Later Life†[14] recommended that the NHS needed to do more to encourage wellbeing and active ageing among the elderly. Specifically, while the NHS system is fraught with irregularities, vulnerable persons such as the elderly are increasingly being given more attention within the UK welfare state, with appeals for more state intervention, as opposed to the closed family oriented model of Germany. Housing is another important issue for the elderly. In Germany, the tradition of home care has affected the number of elderly persons who leave the home environment for care. Only 4% of the over 65 year old age group live in a nursing home or other forms of institutional care, despite the high number of elderly Germans living alone.[15] Much of these attitudes towards institutional care are grounded in German legislation as the constitution is based on the principle of â€Å"subsidiarity† whereby responsibility for welfare needs rests squarely with families, then local or federal authorities, that order.[16] The German long term care insurance â€Å"pays for personal care, medical help and social care†[17] in a nursing institution for the elderly only when familial help is no longer possible. It avoids paying for accommodation and subsistence costs and the total payment does not â€Å"exceed 75 percent of the total cost.†. Dallinger maintains that housing for the elderly in Germany is usually determined along social class lines.[18] She makes this assertion because the higher and middle class are usually financially able to employ paid care or help for their elderly family members and therefore institutional care is usually only sought by those who cannot afford such care. Nonetheless, Dallinger points out that the increase of German women entering the labour market has necessitated a greater demand on the need for the elderly to rely on the welfare state for care assistance, since younger women were the traditional caregivers. Housing for the elderly in the UK suffers similar challenges as younger family members do not have the time to care for their elderly relatives because of the gradual individualization of the society. This places the elderly at risk of social exclusion and being marginalized within modern day Britain. Consequently, the government has reduced the cost of housing council tax for the elderly and has provided them additionally benefits such as free transportation to encourage them to remain at home, while fostering active lives. Additionally, the â€Å"Living Well into Later Life† inspection report found a renewed push by the government to encourage older persons to stay in their own homes by providing them with paid personal caregivers. Furthermore an outreach group called â€Å"Supporting People† was actively advocating for the building of more sheltered housing facilities for the elderly.[19] However, it is appropriate to say that the issue of elderly housing in the UK r eceives more state intervention and welfare services than it does in Germany. This paper previously discussed how state cutbacks on pensions in the UK have placed the elderly in a particularly vulnerable retirement position. The UK now sees a pension scenario where those who are better off financially are able to buy into private pension schemes, and those who cannot afford have to rely on what is now a â€Å"diminishing† pension returns at retirement via the state. Furthermore, many individuals who were advised by pension salesmen, bought into private schemes yet saw their entire pension investments diminish in the mid to late 90’s when many private companies went bust because of being unregulated.[20] Taylor-Gooby asserts that in Germany, retirement income which traditionally came from public pensions, has seen a shift since a 2001 pension reform initiative in the state.[21] The German state has moved towards provision of a mixture of public-private pension scheme, along with great encouragement to citizens that public pensions will not suffice pre-retirement standard of living, thus plugging supplementary private schemes. Noting the failure of such schemes in the UK in the 90’s, Germany has sought to have stricter regulations on private pension providers. Furthermore, in line with its conservative ideology, women are given pension credits under the German welfare scheme for time taken off work for childrearing. It is therefore conclusive to say that while the UK and Germany have ideologically different perspectives on how their welfare state is structured, both countries have had to adapt to socio-economic changes within their societies and aim to provide better care for the elderly. The pressures of a rapidly aging population, the individualization of both societies has caused the elderly population to become increasingly isolated and at risk of being severely socially excluded and marginalized. Consequently social policies that inform traditional welfare states have become more pragmatic in their approaches while still trying to retain their ideological perspectives. Bibliography Alber, J. (1996) â€Å"The Debate about Long Term Care Reform in Germany†, in OECD (ed.) Caring for Frail Elderly People: Policies in Evolution. Social Policy Studies, No. 19, pp. 261-278. Dallinger, U. (2002) Elderly Care in the Family in Germany. Paper contributed to: COST 13A Meeting in Copenhagen, Friday 19. April 2002. Accessed on October 20, 2008 at: http://www.socsci.auc.dk/cost/gender/Workingpapers/UrsulaDallinger.pdf Donnelly, L., (September. 26, 2008) Don’t Treat the Old and Unhealthy says Doctors. The Telegraph. London. Accessed on October 21, 2008 at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1576704/Dont-treat-the-old-and-unhealthy,-say-doctors.html Esping-Andersen, G. (1994) ‘Welfare States and the Economy’, in N. J. Smelser and R. Swedberg (eds) The Handbook of Economic Sociology, pp. 711–32. New York: Princeton University Press Esping-Andersen, G. (1990) The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism. Oxford: Polity Press. Goode Committee (1994) Pensions Law Reform. Cm 2342-1, HMSO. Laurance, J. (March 27, 2006) The Great Betrayal: How the NHS Fails the Elderly. The Independent. London. Accessed on October 21, 2008 at: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/health-news/the-great-betrayal-how-the-nhs-fails-the-elderly-471635.html Living Well into Later Life: A Review of Progress Against the National Service Framework for Older People. Audit Commission. Audit Commission. UK. Accessed on October 21, 2008 at: http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/Products/NATIONAL-REPORT/4C4C40BE-6383-40E0-8B26-48D7FAF39A56/HCC_older%20PeopleREP.pdf Solsten, E. ed. (1995) Germany: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress. Accessed on October 19, 2008 at: http://countrystudies.us/germany/111.htm Taylor-Gooby, P. (2004) New Risks, New Welfare: The Transformation of the European Welfare State. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Wegner, E. (2001) Restructuring Care for the Elderly in Germany. Current Sociology. Vol. 49(3) pp. 175-188 1 Footnotes [1] Epsing-Anderson, G. (1990) [2] Epsing-Anderson, G. (1994) pp. 711-32 [3] Solsten, E. (1995) Accessed at: http://countrystudies.us/germany/111.htm [4] Epsing-Anderson, G. (1990) [5] Solsten, E. (1995) Accessed at: http://countrystudies.us/germany/111.htm [6] Taylor-Gooby, P. (2004) p. 31 [7] Goode Committee (1994) [8] Wegner, Eldon. (2001) p.2 [9] Ibid. [10] Taylor-Gooby, P. (2004) p. 42 [11] Ibid., p.40 [12] Donelly, The Telegraph (Sept 26, 2008) Accessed at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1576704/Dont-treat-the-old-and-unhealthy,-say-doctors.html [13] Laurance, J. The Independent (March 27, 2006) Accessed at: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/health-news/the-great-betrayal-how-the-nhs-fails-the-elderly-471635.html [14] Living Well Into Later Life. Accessed at: http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/Products/NATIONAL-REPORT/4C4C40BE-6383-40E0-8B26-48D7FAF39A56/HCC_older%20PeopleREP.pdf [15] Dallinger, U. (2002) p.2 [16] Alber. J (1996) p.264 [17] Wegner, E. (2001) p. 180 [18] Dallinger, U. (2002) p. 3 [19] Living Well Into Later Life. Op. cit. p. 68 [20] Taylor-Gooby, P. (2004) p. 61 [21] Ibid. p.35 Social responsibility, maximising profits? Social responsibility, maximising profits? In his article The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits (1970), Milton Friedman, the Nobel laureate in economics, argued for what was summed up in the title of his article: the social responsibility of businesses is simply and solely to maximise profits! In the following, different arguments for and against Milton Friedmans statement will be presented and criticized. The inherent theories and principles will be presented as far as needed in order to discuss the extent to which this statement is true. Milton Freidman starts his famous article by describing the claim for a social responsibility of business by a pure and unadulterated socialism. For him, stating that business has a responsibility is looseness and lacks rigour. A company is only an artificial person and can not have responsibilities like an individual can. In this regard, only people in an organization, which means only the in ­dividual proprietors or the corporate executives, can have any social or moral responsibility. The managers of a company have a legal responsibility to manage the company in the best interests of the stockholders. As those shareholders first interest in investing their money in a business is to increase their wealth, then the managers sole responsibility is to maximize the profits for their shareholders. It is the legal and moral obligation of the managers to concentrate solely on serving their employers best interest, which means increasing profit. If the managers or the shareholders feel the need to fulfil any moral, social or ethical duties, they may very well devote some of their incomes or time to such activities. They are in doing so acting as a principal, not an agent. They are spending their own money and time, not those of the corporation they are working for and those of its shareholders. If an executive or a manager is fulfilling any social responsibility, this means that he will act in a way that is not in the primary interest of his employer, or worse, that is violating his duty of maximizing the profit. Any money or time that is spent by an executive in any kind of social action will not be spent to increase the shareholders wealth, to reduce prices or to increase wages. Therefore, this executive is spending someone elses money, the shareholders, the customers or the employees. Furthermore, in doing so, the manager is actually imposing a tax to the shareholders, the customers and the employees. He is also deciding on how those tax proceeds are to be spent. This is for Freidman a governmental function. In doing so, executives are, as per Freidman, simultaneously legislators, execu ­tives and, jurists. They become what Freidman calls public employees, civil servants even though they are employees of a private corporation. It is therefore the governments responsibility to impose taxes and determine the expenditures to be spent by any and all businesses in social activities. Freidman also recognizes that some businesses might act socially, contribute to chari ­ties or provide amenities. This can be described hyp ­ocritically by social responsibility or social actions. The real and hidden reason for businesses in doing so is to gain a long-term profit from such actions, like attracting desirable employees, reducing wage bill or tax proceeds. To summarize his thoughts and in his tribute to an ideal free-market, Freidman believes that no individual can coerce any other, all coopera ­tion is voluntary, all parties to such coopera ­tion benefit or they need not participate. There are no values, no social responsibilities in any sense other than the shared values and responsibilities of individuals. Society is a collection of individuals and of the various groups they voluntarily form. Some others do believe, all the same way, that the sole responsibility of a company is to compete to maximize profit. Adam Smith (As reported by The Economist, 2005) believes that benevolence is not necessary to advance the public interest. Rather, self-interest and profit-seeking is what brings humans to accomplish things, produce goods and services and thus benefit each others. It is false to think that profit-seeking fails to serve and advance the public interest, and that something else needs to be given back to the society to compensate for this profit-seeking. Keith Davis (1973) advances several arguments against the so called Corporate Social Responsibility. First of all, as per Freidman, the business function is an economic one, and the manager is the agent of the stockholders and has thus to maximize their profits. The second argument given by Davis is the costs of the social involvement. Indeed, many social goals do not have any economic outcome. Any business must spend with great caution its scarce resources, although sometimes very substantial, or it will sooner or later cause financial distress. Indeed, scarce resources will never self-renew, and must thus be spent in a way that guarantees at the minimum their recovery, if not gaining some premium. The author here cites some example metal foundries which could not meet the high costs of new pollution equipment and closed their doors. Another argument advanced by Davis is the lack of social skills of many businessmen. The author questions whether those businessmen, who are experts at generating profit, are well qualified to deal with social and public interests. Keith Davis also presents the argument of the dilution of the business primary purpose. A business involvement in social activities might dilute its primary focus on economic productivity, divide the interests of its leaders, and weaken business in the market place, with the results that it would accomplish poorly both its economic and its social roles. Furthermore, if a business spends resources in social programs, then these resources must be recovered, generally by increasing prices to the final consumer. In the same manner, if spending in social activities reduces the business productivity, this leads to higher production costs. If the business is operating in international markets with other firms that do not have to support such additional costs, the socially responsible ones will have a competitive disadvantage. Another argument is that the businesses that would support social activities will have additional social power. Davis states that business is one of the two or three most powerful institutions in society at the present time, giving extra social responsibilities to the business would result in an excessive concentration of power which will reduce the viability of our free society. In addition, Davis believes that although some people want businesses to be more responsible and socially involved, some dont. This lack of agreement among the public may result in a lack of broad support for the businesses and thus social frictions and disagreements. Finally, one of the most relevant arguments given by Keith Davis is probably the fact that businessmen are not accountable to people, but only to their stockholders. It should therefore be unwise to give them responsibility in areas where they are not accountable! This idea of non-accountability of businessmen and managers is also used by Michael C. Jensen (2002). Jensen criticizes the stakeholder theory as stated by Freeman (1984), Clarkson Principles (1999) and others because it contains no conceptual specification of how to make the tradeoffs among stakeholders that must be made. This makes the theory damaging to firms and to social welfare. According to Freedman, as stated by Jensen (p. 254), The à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ definition of stakeholder [is] any group or individual who can affect or is affected by the achievement of an organizations purpose. This includes shareholders, customers, employees, suppliers, but also the people who might be affected directly or indirectly by the companys business, through for example the damages to the environment, the layoffs, the corruption etc. Adopting the stakeholder theory brings businesses to be socially responsible. Jensen states that the managers who adopt this stakeholder theory will do what they want, spend the business money in social or other activities which are of no interest to the business or to the stakeholders, and will not be accountable for that. He thinks that the stakeholder theory must be inline with the long-term objective of value maximization. Only by keeping in mind that the value needs to be maximized that managers will find the good trade-offs between the different stakeholders. In a less extreme position than Freidman and the other authors cited above, Patrick Primeaux and John Stieber (1994), as well as Josie Fisher (2004) believe that social responsibility and long-term profit are not incompatible, and that being socially responsible could be converted into business opportunities. Orlitzky (2003), Russo and Fouts (1997) and Waddock and Graves (1997) (as cited by Husted and Salazar, 2006, p. 75) even found that corporate social performance has a positive impact on the firms financial performance! However, several different researches employed a variety of theories and methodologies to study the potential relationship between corporate social responsibility activities and other traditional measures of a firms success (Mahoney and Roberts, 2007). The results are confusing. Rim Makni, Claude Francoeur and Franà §ois Bellavance (2009) found in their study that socially responsible firms experience lower profits and reduced shareholder wealth, which in turn limits the socially responsible investments. Bryan W. Husted and Josà © de Jesus Salazar (2006) state on their side, that a business can not make maximum profit while investing in social responsibility activities. Rather, great overall social and financial output can be achieved only when businesses adopt a strategic approach, than an altruistic approach. Kant would have argued that even if the outcomes of such businesses actions might be beneficial to the society, the intention of those businesses is bad in the first place. As far as people are used as a means for those businesses to maximize their own profit, they are not ethical. All of the above are arguments that tend to support Freidmans theory, which in turn states that a business must concentrate on maximizing profit. The less extreme approaches suppose that it is possible to conciliate social activities and profit maximization, but the latter must remain the primary goal of any business. Keith Davis, in his call for a social responsibility of businesses, puts forward the arguments that acting socially would serve the long-run self-interest of the business, enhance the public image and the viability of the business, avoid any government regulation, serve the stockholders interest and prevent any future social problems, thus before all maximizing the long-term profit for the shareholders. The whole issue of ethics and business ethics is a complex one. Companies are made up of people. Multinationals are made up of many different nationalities. Several opponents to Freidmans theory do believe that businesses are part of society and as such they should reflect society norms. Companies, especially multinational ones, do have responsibilities in the world and have to be a positive influence. If a company is not ethical, then it will not survive as a company. Marjorie Kelly believes that maximizing profit and returns to shareholders isnt a legitimate mandate. Indeed, she argues that the shareholders are in effect not financing the public corporations. The money that a shareholder invests in a public company does not go to the company itself but rather to other speculators. Such investments go to the public corporation only when new common stock is sold, which is a rare event. Actually only the founders, entrepreneurs and initial investors are bearing the risk associated with a business. 99% of the money which is invested further on in those companies goes to the original investors and not to the company. So in effect, an established business is not getting any money from the shareholders, who are rather exchanging their stocks and gambling on several fields. They are thus not the legitimate owners or funders of the business which in turn does not have to care about their desires more than those of other stakeholders and the community in g eneral. Freidman, in his argumentation, states that only individuals in a business can have moral responsibility, but every business is made up of the decisions freely taken and approved collectively. The responsibility in such a decision process is thus not reduced to an individual, but rather it is a collective and shared responsibility among all the individuals who drive a business. As soon as the decisions are freely chosen and approved by the collection of individuals who run the business, they are all responsible for the outcomes of those decisions and are subject to moral evaluation. Furthermore, by seeking solely the profit maximization, some managers might allow or induce actions which may be illegal but are for sure immoral, like aggressive selling techniques or untrue publicity. They are, for this, acting in an immoral way and are responsible for that. Social responsibility refers to the obligations businesses have toward society. These are obligations that ought to be fulfilled; which indicates a normative use of the term (Josie Fisher, 2004). The author opposes to the classical economic view of Freidman and Levitt, the socioeconomic view that offers a broader account of social responsibility. Business has obligations that go beyond pursuing profits and include protecting and improving society. Boatright (2000), as cited by Fisher (2004, p.396), goes on to say that by implication businesses must be willing to forgo a certain measure of profit in order to achieve noneconomic ends. Backman, also cited by Fisher (2004, p396), identified some examples of corporate social responsibility: Employment of minority groups, reduction in pollution, greater participation in programs to improve the community, improved medical care, improved industrial health and safety. The social responsibility of a business is then to comply with the behaviours and norms that society expects business to follow. This focus on the socioeconomic view is a normative discourse, as it emphasizes how society believes business ought to behave. Several studies and researches have been conducted in the last decades on the business ethics and on how companies ought to behave. Those studies concentrate on three main subjects inherent to todays business: The globalization, the sustainability and the stakeholder theory presented earlier. Indeed, in recent times, multinational companies have grown rapidly and are yielding an excessive power. Those firms have also invaded multiple countries and cultures and are having an excessive economic and political power especially in smaller and poorer countries. They therefore are now responsible for their actions that might greatly impact such countries. Taking benefit of the poorness of local population to practice low wages or employ children is for sure a socially irresponsible action of those businesses. The second concept that has been studied in the recent ethics researches is sustainability. The sustainability is about the long-term effect of any business (or other) operation on any external factor like environment. As a matter of intergenerational equity, it is the businesses responsibility to consider the effects of their activities on the natural resources and the society and to repair any damages that can affect the future generations rights and equity. It is therefore the businesses responsibility to act sustainably. The third concept is the stakeholder theory, which has been presented earlier. The normative discourse of business ethics states that businesses ought to take into account the interests of all stakeholder groups. The different arguments presented so far range from those supporting Freidmans statement that any business social responsibility is to solely maximize the profits to the shareholders, those who support that a business can and has the duty to be socially responsible and try to advance the public good as far as this will have a beneficial impact on the long-run value and profits of the company, and finally those arguments supporting that any business ought to act socially, sustainably, invest in programmes that benefit the public interest, and be morally responsible for the outcomes of its operations. The supporters of this last view believe that businesses have to adapt their objectives, from solely financial, to a higher level which is all of the stakeholders, the public, the environment and the future generations interest. The latter arguments are therefore normative, and do provide a view about what business ought to be. This is the aim of the business ethics philosophy. From a more practical point of view, and considering how the companies are acting in todays world, it is true that many of them are advocates and practitioners of Corporate Social Responsibility. Many CEOs, especially in Europe, are convinced that basic capitalism fails to serve the public interest, and are promoting moral and socially responsible actions in their companies, like treating employees well, encouraging loyalty among customers and suppliers, avoiding any investment in unethical markets or countries that pay low wages and employ children, saving energy and recycling. However, no one doubts that this is not a standard yet. Social responsibility is not the norm today, and although some practitioners of Corporate Social Responsibility are getting some benefit, like a good public image, many of them are disadvantaged because of such social investments that some competitors do not support. Also, in the name of social responsibility, some multinational companies stopped their investments in poor countries where wages are very low. This is having a negative impact on those countries concerned that would have benefited from those investments. It is the aim of the business ethics discipline to study and propose what businesses ought to do and how they ought to behave. But I do think that it is the role of the governments to impose some basic moral principles and behaviours that must be respected by each and every business. Businessmen ought to behave morally but they will never all do so. A critical morality of moralities or a Metaethics has to be imposed by a higher institution governments- in order to guarantee the basis for equity. Conclusion In this work, different arguments for and against the 40-year old but still so famous statement of Milton Friedman that The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits have been presented and discussed. The normative discourse stating how business ought to behave is for sure morally and ethically against this statement and its arguments will sound both moral and logical for any mind. However, reality is far from the moral ideal. In my opinion, it is the governments responsibility to impose a minimum ethical code to be respected by businesses and individuals to guarantee the equity of rights and advance the public interest.

Vineyard provinces of Iran Essay -- Agriculture, Grape Production

Grape berry moth, Lobesia botrana Den. & Schiff. is one of the most important pests of grape vine in most parts of the country. Losses caused by larval feeding leads to disrupted plant activities, reduction in flower buds and ultimately decreased quality and quantity of the crop. In order to study seasonal flight activity of Lobesia botrana and to determine spraying time, experiments were conducted for two consecutive years at two different orchards in Sissakht region in 1999-2000. The seasonal flight of Lobesia botrana was investigated by using pheromone traps and collecting samples from eggs, larva and pupa stages of the pest. The results showed that Lobesia botrana has three generations with an incomplete 4th in the region. Damage of first and forth generation is very low. The grape vine fruits can be mainly damaged by the second and third generation of Lobesia botrana that will happen about ten days after the adult emergency. Regarding to the results, spraying should be done duri ng two weeks from 9th Lobesia botrana for the next year. Key Words: Lobesia botrana, Population dynamics, Pheromone traps, spraying. Introduction Grape is one of the major economical products in Iran. Kohkiluyeh-Va-Boyer- Ahmad has been long one of the Vineyard provinces of Iran. According to statistics of 2005, there was 1900 hectares under cultivation (700 hectares of sapling and 1200 hectares of fruitful trees) with the production of 1250 metric ton, an average of 12500 Kg per hectare [5, 7]. The vineyards of Kohkiluyeh-Va-Buyer-Ahmad are mostly in the counties of Buyer-Ahmad, Sissakht (Dena) and Kohkiluyeh [10]. Lobesia botrana is one of the most important pest causing serious damages to vineyards in Iran and around the world. In some years, ... ... – 11, May 13 – 18, May End of 2nd gen 26, May – 5, June 25, May – 4, June Start of 2nd gen. 5 – 12, June 4 – 11, June Fly climax of 2nd gen. 19 – 26, June 18 – 25, June End of 2nd gen 17 – 31, July 13 – 28, July Start of 3rd gen. 31, July – 11, August 28, July – 13, August Fly climax of 3rd gen. 20 – 27, August 22 – 29, August End of 3rd gen 3 – 9, September 6 – 16, September Start of 4th gen. 9 – 16 September 16 – 24, September Figure 1. Population dynamics vine moth in Sissakhat region (plain) 2007-2008 Figure2. Population dynamics vine moth in Sissakhat region (Mountain). 2007-2008 Figure 3a. Fluctuation curve daily Min and Max temperature (Celsius). 2007 Figure 3b. Fluctuation curve daily Min and Max temperature (Celsius). 2008 Figure 4. Exit trend adults overwintering in laboratory conditions (2008). References :

Abortion favoring Pro Choice Essay

Abortion is one of the most controversial and hot issues debated, and is an issue that  will never be agreed upon, just going round and round in circles. By bringing morals, which are derived from personal conscience, into the question of whether the government should abortions, this matter has been promoted to a higher level of argument. It is no longer viewed as a decision made from choice but as a question of principals, and these concepts have led to a full-blown argument concerning matters that really should not be questioned. Every woman in the world should have the right to decide how to carry their beings. No government should feel that they have the right to dictate to a person what road their lives should take. Those claiming â€Å"pro-life† are really no more than â€Å"anti-choice†. These pro-lifers crave to put the future of women into the hands of the government. Abortion, and any medical decisions women make, are very private and should never be available for debate. The question of morality can’t be a valid argument concerning abortion, because it is not of morality but of option and constitutionality. See more: Satirical essay about drugs â€Å"The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people,† is stated in the ninth amendment. Right here, guarantees all women the right to abort a pregnancy. Pro-choice people plea that abortion is the murder of a child, but most do not consider the fetus a child. A common assumption is that people who are pro-choice are actually pro-abortion. Many people that support women’s rights could be personally against abortions. That does not mean that they allow the government to pass laws directing what women do with their bodies. Those who are pro-choice simply believe that it is the right of a woman to assess her situation and decide if a baby will benefit or be devastating to her live. People that are opposed to abortion don’t take a many things into consideration. For one, consider how the life of a teenager may be ruined if an abortion is not available. Another thing not assessed is the severe  family trauma that will result if a baby is forced, by law to be born. Those opposing abortion are unwavering with their ideas and believe that they have a solution to every situation. Pregnant? Try adoption! They will help you support the baby. What ever the women’s situation may be, the conservative will not bend. Many suggest adoption as a practical alternative to abortion. But, in reality, this is not a decent substitute. The majority of middle class white couples that are willing to adopt do not want to adopt the mixed race babies (which are the majority put up for adoption). Why else would there be a waiting list for couples to be held in for a few years when there are so many other kinds of babies out there? Would those to claim to have a heart and save a life like these unwanted children grow up as wards of the state, living a life of distress and misfortune? To all of those fighting for laws that will make abortion against the law: do you really think that the law will stop a woman from carrying out with the abort of an unwelcome pregnancy? Drugs are illegal and there plenty of people out there still using. The only thing a law against abortions will achieve will be forcing pregnant women to seek medical attention in unsafe situations, leaving them with not only in the termination of the pregnancy, but perhaps their own lives as well. For a prime example when abortion was prohibited in the 1940’s, there were still cases of women seeking help elsewhere. The only alteration though, is that these women typically ended up dead because of hemorrhaging or infection. Bottom line, if a woman wants an abortion, illegal or legal, nothing will get in her way. Why would pro life people, who allegedly put so much significance in life, want to jeopardize the live of another person? Don’t get me wrong, if legal abortion is banned, some abortions may be prevented. A woman may not be able to fund an alley-way, black market abortion and would have to deliver. This will be quite unfortunate. Naturally, Mother would be depressed, and in all actuality not deliver the proper care, may drink, do drugs, or any other thing she could do to harm the life of the baby and herself. Post delivery, the mother could very well resent the baby, realizing that it has trashed her chance of ever carrying out her objectives in life. If these women mandated into maternity do happen to keep their child, there is a significant chance of child abuse and neglect. These surplus kids, raised by the state or disregarding parents, would then  give birth to yet the next generation of unwanted children. Moreover, in some desperate and impulsive situations, new mothers may become inconsolable, having the idea that since they could not have an abortion they will kill their baby right after birth, thinking they would get away with it and continue on with there lives before the whole wrenched scene. After all of these scenarios are considered fairly by an open-minded person, abortion is the better of them. Many of those who are pro life argue that any of these situations are preferable to abortion. They ultimate goal, they think, is to have the child be alive. They claim that it is unfair and unjust for anyone to take that choice of life away from the fetus. Essentially, what they really want is to take the choice away from the mother and give it to the unborn child, giving them this wonderful prospect to be brought into a loveless, forlorn, and cold society.

American Themes in the Wizard of Oz Essay

â€Å"There’s no place like home† (Baum) is a quote read by children and adults alike, from the gilded age of the 1950’s to the modernity of today. It is from the cleverly written bedtime story, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which seems like an innocent fairy tale that is written solely to pleasure children. However, deep between the lines of L. Frank Baum’s novel, the various images of America that brings readers awareness to the troubles at the turn of the century. The wicked Witch of the East represents eastern industrialists and bankers who control the people, the Munchkins; the Scarecrow is the wise yet naive western farmers; the Tin Woodman stands for the dehumanization industrial workers; and Dorothy’s silver slippers represents the Populists’ solution to the nation’s economic woes. The novel is a framework of allusions to American life. There are examples of how Baum makes connections to the American world in his novel (Bellman). In the novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the wicked Witch of the East is a horrendous leader that brings distress and hardship to her people, the Munchkins. She represents eastern industrialists and bankers who control the citizens, and contributes nothing but heartache and pain, leading to a tragic demise. The good Witch of the North, describes the atrocity of the Witch of the East towards the helpless Munchkins: â€Å"‘She was the wicked Witch of the East, as I said,’ answered the little women. ‘she has held all the munchkins in bondage for many years, making them slave for her night and day’† (Baum 12). The ruling of Oz is closely related to real-life rulers and political systems of the time (Bussey). The Witch of the East salvages from her defenseless people, making them pitifully work for nothing in return. In America, banks liberate money from their citizens, forcing them to slave for little income. Fortunately, the troubles they cause end their power over the citizens. The Witch of the North, is no match for the malign forces of the East: â€Å"‘But I [Witch of the North] am a good witch, and the people love me. I am not as powerful as the wicked Witch was who ruled here, or I should have set the people free myself†Ã¢â‚¬  (14). The admirable Witch, like the voters of the upper Midwest, are no match for the injurious powers of the East. She does anything in her leadership to terminate the sorrow of the Witch, but with no success. The East of America is ruled by individuals who are greedy, just like the endives Witch of the East, and through their ultimate struggles for power, their own torment arrives. Dorothy’s farm house kills the wicked Witch of the East: ‘â€Å"We are so grateful to you for having killed the wicked Witch of the East, and for setting our people free from bondage’†¦ There, indeed, just under the corner of the great beam the house rested on, two feet were sticking out† (12). Dorothy’s farmhouse killing the wicked Witch of the East is symbolic of the eventual demise of rich easterners at the hands of rural farmers. So, in both events, their ultimate downfall is meet due to their actions, and the people have a considerably extensive role in the events that occur. The power of both the Witch of the East, and the industrialist and bankers of America, overrule the easiest target, causing distress and tribulation with the feeling of indestructibleness. Thus, due to the inhabitants need for salvation, they both advance towards the cusp of their supremacy. So, inevitably, the wicked Witch of the East through the eyes of Frank Baum, is seen as the individuals who control the East of America, that take all they desire, leaving nothing behind. Frank Baum writes the Scarecrow as a wise individual, but also someone who is seen as childlike, with no sense of his surroundings. Subsequently, he references this with western farmers of America, who do not have enough intellect to know their political interests, similarly to the Scarecrow with no brain. But both eventually see the true causes of their misery. The Scarecrow explains that he has no brains: â€Å"‘If anyone treads on my toes or sticks a pin into me, it doesn’t matter, for I can’t feel it. But I do not want people to call me a fool, and if my head stays stuffed with straw instead of with brains, as yours is, how am I ever to know anything? ’† (28). In the same way as the Scarecrow, who is depicted as an uneducated character, blinded by his deceiving atmosphere, the farmers of America do not have enough intellect to recognize they are being out witted by the bank. Without an educated mind, the Scarecrow falls into the holes on the yellow brick road, but gets up without being injured: â€Å"As for the Scarecrow, having no brains he walked straight ahead, and so stepped into the holes and fell at full length on the hard [yellow] bricks. It never hurt him, however, and Dorothy would pick him up and set him upon his feet again, while he joined her in laughing merrily at his own mishap† (32). On his journey through the forest, where the road is in disrepair, the Scarecrow stumbles and falls on the â€Å"hard [yellow] bricks,† a reference to the Populist claim that the gold standard has a damaging impact on farmers and the people at large. Although, the Scarecrow is â€Å"never hurt† by his falls, which suggests that the yellow metal is not the real culprit of the farmer’s woes. The Wizard depicts the Scarecrow with no brain, which is derived from experience: ‘â€Å"Can’t you give me brains? ’ asked the Scarecrow. ‘You don’t need them. You are learning something everyday†¦Ã‚  Experience is the only thing that brings knowledge, and the longer you are on earth the more experience you are sure to get’† (160). Near the end of the novel, the Scarecrow and the farmer find out that they have brains, discovering that they have enough intellect to grasp the true causes of his misery and the basics of monetary policy. On her journey, Dorothy encounters a Scarecrow, representing the farmers, who has no wit to understand that they can end up losing their farms to the banks, even though they work hard to grow the food to feed a hungry nation. Frank Baum exemplifies that the Tin Woodman is a product of the dehumanized industrial workers in America, causing them to loose the ability to care. The Witch of the East makes the Tin Woodman cut through his body with an axe. Thus, giving him a frame of tin. I [Tin Woodman] thought I had beaten the wicked Witch then, and I had worked harder than ever; but I little knew how cruel my enemy could be†¦ and made my axe slip again, so that it cut right through my body†¦ Once more the tinner came to help and made me a body of tin†¦ But, alas! I had now no heart (46) The Woodman is cursed by the Witch of the East, and hacks off all his limbs. Each lost appendage is replaced with tin until the Woodman is made entirely of metal. So, the Witch of the East (American bankers) reduces the Woodman to a machine, a dehumanized worker who no longer feels, who has no heart. He needs oil to fix his rusted joints: â€Å"‘Get an oil-can and oil my joints,’ he answered. ‘They are rusted so badly that I cannot move them at all; if I am well oiled I shall soon be all right again’† (41). The Woodman’s rusted condition parallels the prostrated condition of labour during the depression of 1890; like many workers, the Tin Man is unemployed. Yet, with a few drops of oil, he is able to resume his customary labors. In the novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Tin Woodsman, representing the industrial workers, rusted as solid as the factories of the 1890’s depression, loses all the sense of compassion and co-operation to work together to help each other during hard times; stating that the Woodman has no heart. Dorothy’s silver slippers represent the Populists’ solution to the nation’s economic woes. Only these slippers enable her to remain safe on the yellow-brick road, representing the bank’s gold standard. A Munchkin, explaining the power of the Witch of the East’s silver footwear: ‘â€Å"The Witch of the East was proud of those silver shoes,’ said one of the Munchkins; ‘and there is some charm connected with them; but what it is we never know’† (16). The mystical silver shoes belong to the Witch of the East before she is crushed by the farm house. When she dies, they are repossessed by Dorothy, and when the banks in the East of America get overruled, the nation’s gold standard assisted the Americans out of their depression era. Glinda explains to Dorothy that the silver shoes has the power to take the wearer anywhere in only three steps. The Silver Shoes,’ said the Good Witch, ‘have wonderful powers. And one of the most curious things about them is that they can carry you to any place in the world in three steps, and each step will be made in the wink of an eye. All you have to do is to knock the heels together three times and command the shoes to carry you wherever you wish to go (216). She explains to Dorothy that the slippers have an endless supply of unthinkable powers that have never been seen before. Dorothy is able to use the slippers in order to return home to Kansas. Baum attempts to show America that the scourge of the economic times will be altered. Baum writes the silver shoes as deciphering the tribulation of the people of Oz, giving them a way out in a time of misfortune. They are the only thing that enables Dorothy to safely remain on the brick road, depicting the bank’s gold standard. Together, with being the only object known to man to safely return her home to Kansas. â€Å"The roposed ‘free silver’ policy which brings economic relief to those oppressed by the federal government’s single standard of gold for the national currency† (Bellman). The novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, through the eyes of children, is an innocent fairy tale, a bedtime story. However, it has many hidden purposes and allusions, that L. Frank Baum writes so adults and critics are informed of the difficulties that America is facing in this era. The Witch of the East represents the imperious bankers, along with the eastern industrialists, who control the individuals of America, depicted as the Munchkins. The Scarecrow embodies the cunning but candid farmers who let authoritative individuals control their future. The Tin Woodman stands for the robotized industrial employees, who loose the ability to care. Finally, the silver slippers symbolize the Populists’ solution to the nation’s economic woes. Dwelling into The Wonderful Wizard of Oz gives insight into Baum’s imagination, creating a sense of understanding towards his underlying details. Yet, some are still hidden and might never be discovered.

Reasons for US intervention in Syria

Reasons for US intervention in Syria Why does the United States feel the need to intervene in the current Syrian unrest? On November 22, 2017, Russian president Vladimir Putin unveiled plans for a Syrian peace congress, intended to finally end the six-year civil war inside Syria. To get to this point, Putin conducted talks with Turkish President Recep Erdogan  and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, after conferring with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Although Putin did speak about the proposed actions with Saudi Arabias King Salman, Israels Benjamin Netanyahu, and US President Donald Trump, neither the United States nor Saudi Arabia has a role in this as-yet-unscheduled congress. It remains to be seen whether the Syrian opposition will. Civil War in Syria The conflict in Syria is along sectarian lines, with the majority Sunni party backed by the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, and the Shia Alawite party led by Assad backed by Iran and Russia. Extremist Islamist forces have also entered the fray, including the Lebanese Shia Islamist movement Hezbollah and the Islamic State. Arguably, the main reason the civil war in Syria has lasted as long as it has is that of intervention by external powers, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and the United States. Perhaps as many as half a million people have been killed during the conflict- estimates vary widely. At least five million refugees have fled Syria to neighboring countries of Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey. Russias armed intervention in 2015 and the military defeat of the Islamic state in Syria has led to the near-collapse of Assads opposition. US President Trump canceled the CIA program that supplied the rebels in July of 2017. Why Did the US Want to Intervene? The main reason for US intervention in Syria was the apparent use of chemical weapons by Assad outside the Syrian capital Damascus on August 21, 2013. The US has blamed the Syrian government forces for the deaths of hundreds of civilians in the attack, an accusation vehemently denied by Syria. A second chemical attack apparently took place on April 4, 2017, in Khan Sheikhoun, where 80 people died and hundreds suffered symptoms consistent with being exposed to nerve gas. In retaliation, US President Trump ordered an attack on a Syrian airfield where military sources suspected that the nerve gas had been launched. The use of chemical weapons is banned by international conventions, although the Syrian government is not a signatory. But in 2013, it was the prospect of appearing irrelevant that spurred then US President Obama into action, after two years of seeing US influence in the Middle East slowly erode with the changes brought about by the Arab Spring. Why is Syria Important? The US had other reasons to play a role in the Syrian crisis. Syria is one of the pivotal countries in the Middle East. It borders Turkey and Israel, has a close relationship with Iran and Russia, plays an influential role in Lebanon, and has a history of rivalry with Iraq. Syria is a key link in the alliance between Iran and the Lebanese Shiite movement of Hezbollah Lebanon. Syria has been at odds with US policies in the region practically since its independence in 1946 and has fought several wars with Israel, America’s top regional ally. Weakening Assad Weakening the Syrian regime has been a long-standing goal of successive US administrations down the years, with multiple layers of sanctions in place against the regime in Damascus.   But, a push for regime change would require a massive invasion using ground troops, an unthinkable option given the war-weary US public. Plus, many policymakers in Washington warned that a victory for Islamist elements among the Syrian rebels would be equally dangerous for US interests. It was also unlikely that a limited bombing campaign lasting a few days would really impair Assad’s ability to use chemical weapons again. The US would most likely have had to target a wide range of Syrian military facilities to significantly degrade Assad’s fighting capacity, sending a clear message that more damage could be inflicted at a later stage. Containing Iran, Reassuring Allies Much of what the US does in the Middle East has to do with its antagonistic relationship with Iran. The Shiite Islamist regime in Tehran is Syria’s chief regional backer, and Assad’s victory in the fight against the opposition would be a major triumph for Iran and its allies in Iraq and Lebanon. This, in turn, is unpalatable not only for Israel but also for the Gulf Arab monarchies headed by Saudi Arabia. Assad’s Arab foes would not forgive the US for handing Iran another victory (after invading Iraq, only to enable an Iran-friendly government comes to power). Trump Administration Policy Although it is currently unclear what the proposed peace congress will accomplish, US President Trump has signaled that he will maintain a US troop presence in northern Syria, the strongest remaining bastion of the Syrian opposition. Given the situation as it is today, it is far less likely today that the US goal of regime change in Syria will happen. Given Trumps relationship with Putin, it is also unclear what the current US goal is in the region.   Cold War Between Iran and Saudi Arabia Sources: Anonymous. 2017. Syria war: US launches missile strikes in response to chemical attack. BBC News. 7 April 2017Anonymous. 2017 Russia, Iran and Turkey agree to hold Syrian congress. Al-Jazeera. 22 November 201DeYoung K and Sly L. 2017. U.S. moves toward open-ended presence in Syria after Islamic State is routed. The Washington Post, 22 November 2017.Sanger DE, Schmitt E, and Hubbard B. 2017. Trump ends covert aid to Syrian rebels trying to topple Assad. The New York Times. 19 July 2017. Wintour P. 2017. Putin brings Iran and Turkey together in bold Syria peace plan. The Guardian. 22 November 2017.

Free Essays on The Great Gasby

AND THE BAND PLAYS ON. Time tells us that success often comes with a price. Often money will create more problems than it can solve. The richness of a person’s soul can be hidden in the folds of money. Such is the case of Jay Gatsby. Jay Gatsby is constantly altering in the readers mind due to the various puzzling events that transpire in the novel creating a level of mystery. First off, Gatsby is a man who feels secure in his privacy and allows very few people into his personal life due to lack of trust. Jay often throws parties at his lavish house, only to shrink away from contact with his various guests that frolic in his privately funded bashes. He does not drink, mainly because he has a high level of composure that cannot be compromised by the effects of alcohol. When the narrator, Nick Carraway, is allowed to venture into Gatsby’s personal life Gatsby tells Nick only what he feels is necessary to keep him from being suspicious. The eerie thing about this is that w hile doing this he is so guarded that Nick often questions how concrete and truthful the information is. When discussing his past Gastby is choppy and uncomfortable telling Nick about his education and war experiences. Only when Gatsby produces a metal of valor earned in the war does Nick believe in his war service stories. Even then Nick has a hard time believing Gatsby’s educational background because of his uncomfortable declaration that he attended Oxford, a very prestigious English university. Trust is not a strong point of Gastby’s makeup and lifestyle. Therefore, when looking at Gatsby’s most impressive traits one thing that pops up is his energetic smile, vibrant personality, and loyalty to those who he respects or cares about. It is important to mention the fact that Gatsby always seemed to make every person feel important and at ease while conversing with him. It was his nature to express courtesy to any guest he came in contact with, no matter how ins ... Free Essays on The Great Gasby Free Essays on The Great Gasby AND THE BAND PLAYS ON. Time tells us that success often comes with a price. Often money will create more problems than it can solve. The richness of a person’s soul can be hidden in the folds of money. Such is the case of Jay Gatsby. Jay Gatsby is constantly altering in the readers mind due to the various puzzling events that transpire in the novel creating a level of mystery. First off, Gatsby is a man who feels secure in his privacy and allows very few people into his personal life due to lack of trust. Jay often throws parties at his lavish house, only to shrink away from contact with his various guests that frolic in his privately funded bashes. He does not drink, mainly because he has a high level of composure that cannot be compromised by the effects of alcohol. When the narrator, Nick Carraway, is allowed to venture into Gatsby’s personal life Gatsby tells Nick only what he feels is necessary to keep him from being suspicious. The eerie thing about this is that w hile doing this he is so guarded that Nick often questions how concrete and truthful the information is. When discussing his past Gastby is choppy and uncomfortable telling Nick about his education and war experiences. Only when Gatsby produces a metal of valor earned in the war does Nick believe in his war service stories. Even then Nick has a hard time believing Gatsby’s educational background because of his uncomfortable declaration that he attended Oxford, a very prestigious English university. Trust is not a strong point of Gastby’s makeup and lifestyle. Therefore, when looking at Gatsby’s most impressive traits one thing that pops up is his energetic smile, vibrant personality, and loyalty to those who he respects or cares about. It is important to mention the fact that Gatsby always seemed to make every person feel important and at ease while conversing with him. It was his nature to express courtesy to any guest he came in contact with, no matter how ins ...

A Definition Of Social Justice

A Definition Of Social Justice Before considering social justice, it is important to understand why it matters. Social justice is a powerful idea in society today, buts its origins and meanings are partially unclear. There is perhaps little if any doubt about the significance of this question among people in poor and rich countries. The following research in regard to what I am going to discuss within this essay is looked upon at the concept of justice in regard to the issues and the impact of justice as of reducing the balance between rich and poor. Subsequently the overall concept of justice will appeal in my contention about fairness. As this meaning isnt controvertible it will demonstrate that patterns which are indecencies as embodied in the developing countries demanding another way to deal with justice between the rich and poor nations. However, in today’s gig economy this is not the case with reference to case studies it enables to try bringing out the possibilities and limitations of social justice as of what can be achieved to make it a better outcome. It also talks about the conventions and principles as stated as to what the society is doing to protect the individuals that are of in need of supporting their conditions. It even defines detailed definitions as opposed to every definition being merely different as from the perspective of the person in rich and poor countries such as social justice and fairness each word described having its own meaning. However, no one can deny the gap between rich and poor, but it is becoming progressively wider. Throughout the essay I even have concluded 1 context of justice distributive which is to do with fairness but in contrast it is said to be successful but is still being criticized. It is even argued that social justice is perceived as protecting individuals ensuring that they are treated fairly. The definition stated by Susan Torres offers a useful starting point for explaining the key individual elements of each word as opposed to the context within this definition under international law. As stated social justice is the key fundamental in valuing of ‘fairness and equity in resources, rights and treatment for marginalized individuals and groups of people, who do not share equal power in society because of their immigration, racial, ethnic, age, socio economic, religious heritage, physical ability, or sexual orientation status groups’ . As prior to clearly being a member of society, each member deserves to have all the same rights and opportunities and fairness within because the key components and aspects of social justice are entirely to do with society fairness. Therefore, it concludes to be the very essence of all great spiritual teachings throughout the society and without justice they cannot be any greater justice. To an extent it is even basically trying to create a society so that all members can lead fulfilling lives and have access to all the institutions prior to helping members of society realize potential in the community. Besides that, the meaning of justice is pretty well captured in a more familiar term, because social justice takes the core idea of justice as fairness and fairness often has been used with regards to an ability to judge without reference to ones feelings or interests and it can be heavily debated and is defined differently depending on whether it is from the perspective of the rich or poor. The law is moderately being a characteristic instrument as it can both increase and decrease legal aid. A particular example of the law diminishing legal aid is Equality Act 2010 which legally protects individuals from segregation in the work environment and wider society. However, they are numerous occurrences where this isnt the case in the law protecting individuals against discrimination. However, individuals are still being segregated example women may not get a job position due to becoming a pregnant mother and after that taking a paid leave. Besides that, additionally there is still a compensation pay gap amongst men and women and essentially, they should have right to equal pay. It is very common as to the gender pay gap being a potential topic of interest as of it being reduced within the UK it is still suggested it is still in favor for men. However as indicated over the UK it is said to be that men earn more than ladies as indicated by the national statistics and therefore the equality act must work on the grounds claiming that in April 2017, the sex pay hole for full time representatives diminished to 9.1% as in 1997 it was 17.4% as indicated by ONS. Although over time it has decreased, it is yet not socially on the grounds that people arent dealt with similarly and are contrarily negatively discriminated till day. In R (SG) v Secretary of state for work and pensions (2015) UKSC 16, (2015) 1 WLR 1449, the inquiry was whether the advantage cap was justifiable. The cap limits total of household income from welfare benefits to a fixed sum, irrespective of the subsistence needs of the family. The parties come to terms that it was by implication prejudicial against women. Lady Hale stated that what must be considered is whether the benefit cap applies to lone parents and it can be justified independently of its discriminatory effects. In considering that, Lady Hale concluded that the cap will deprive children of their basic needs which cannot be in their best interests and therefore the indirect sex discrimination inherent in the cap’s implementation is not a proportionate way of achieving its aims. Therefore, the most unfavorably influenced were single guardians with at least 3 or more children living in generally costly leased accommodation. They were adversely influenced as of the fact tha t they were less likely to get away from the impact of the cap and by moving to a new house and getting a job. Overwhelmingly these lone guardians were women and statistics demonstrated that 90% of single guardians are women in the UK. It is even seen that agreements representing those working in the gig economy are an example of exploitative new work patterns, and authoritative commitments in the common law. And sense they can never longer convey justice as shown by Uber and Deliveroo. These two organizations could control business law to profit them, Uber workers are categorized as independently employed working in a gig economy in view of adaptable work hours as they have little to none business security or assurance. Looking at the discussion of social justice in relation to distributive justice in a national and international context, distributive Justice is more concerned with the fair allocations of resources among diverse members of a community. The principles in regards to this are normative principles designed to allocate goods in limited supply relative to demand. The principles vary in what goods are subject to distribution income, wealth, opportunities and on the nature of subjects of the distribution and on the basis the goods distributed. One of the simplest principles of distributive justice is that of strict or radical equality. The principle even says that every person should have the same level of goods and services .However distributive justice is therefore best thought of as providing moral guidance for the political processes and structures that affect the distribution of benefits and burdens in societies. Beyond that the UN often refers poverty as a vicious cycle made up of a r ange of factors associated making it hard to overcome. As opposed to many societies are preventing individuals from enjoying their rights simply either as to who there are or cannot afford. Discriminatory laws, policies and practices may suggest that these groups are even denied the right to high standard of health, to work and adequate housing. Within case study the concept of social justice can have an impact as the laws can affect the opportunities of the freedom of citizens. The laws likewise control the delivery and influence whether assets e.g. education, healthcare and housing are or are not accessible to people based on their racial, ethnic, to age, socio economic, religious, heritage physical ability, or sexual orientation . To an extent at a point when laws discriminate people based on their enrolment to a specific social gathering, they have a substantial impact not just on who but on how people can embody and perform their personality, however likewise they can influence whether they can get to welfare benefits that addresses converging types of poverty. Besides that, what comes into place also is referred with refugees and they are more to do with an individual being given security of protection. Therefore, asylum seekers become a refugee when the immigration authority decides on the outcome whether the individual fits within the international definition of a refugee. Besides this the international law states that for an individual to become a refugee the individual clearly needs to have met the criteria for the refugee status as stated by the article convention 1951. International and European law on a refugee basis is an example of the law being socially just and a measure of reducing balance between the rich and poor claiming the law is giving asylum seekers and refugees the chance to a superior life by enabling them to dwell in their country of origin, if their life is in danger in their country of origin. The Dublin Regulation is one measure of the European law which does this. Article 6(4) of regulation (EU) No604/2013 expresses that a part state in which an unaccompanied child has held up a case for asylum, the best interests of a child must be protected. The law instantly promotes social justice because it is taken account of the prosperity and the best interests of the child into thought before anything else. Within the 1951 convention Article 31 even states that refugees are secured against penalties for reason of illegal entry. The law encompasses human rights and it even promotes social justice and sustainability since it ensures that individuals who are in danger or at risk by aiding them to move to a safe country. Furthermore, Whether the applicant the home countries are ‘safe’ it can be assessed by examining the definition in Annex I of the Procedures Directive, which stipulates that taking into account: the legal situation of a country, the application of the law within a democratic system and the general political circumstances†¦there is generally and consistently no persecution†¦, no torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and no threat by reason of indiscriminate violence in situations of international or internal armed conflict . Although the 1951 article convention sets out an obligation on states to treat refugees without discrimination in view of their nation of origin , the asylum procedures directive and its recast have enabled the EU nations to partition asylum seekers into various categories, with nationals of certain third nations justifying less favorable procedural treatment than others. This may raise basic strains with obligation to regard of the convention as the foundation of refugee protection in the EU4 and to refrain any elucidation of the EU refuge acquits which would undermine it. According to lady hale speech case study is entirely linked as many infection diseases are killing millions of people each year of whom are in the developing world. The leading cases of illnesses and deaths are in Africa, Asia and south America regions that accounts for the world’s population which are HIV/AIDS, The crisis of aids has especially drawn the attention with respect to the way that numerous number of people in the developing world dont appear to get to the medications that are expected to treat disease or alleviate suffering. Consistently many more people are killed due to the aids in this developing society. The situations behind this is because of the lack of access to essential medicines being manifold, however in many cases high cost of medications is particular barrier to required medicines or treatments. As from knowing excessively the drug prices are often due to strong intellectual property protection. Therefore, the governments within the developing countr ies try and attempt to bring the cost of the medicines down prior to having come under pressure from industrialized countries and the multinational pharmaceutical industry. As to joining WTO it equals to lower tariffs meaning more money for the owner of the medicines. In terms of this the world trade organization partially sets out standards for the overall protection of intellectual property, including patents for pharmaceuticals, which has come under criticism because of the effects that increased levels of patent protection will have on drug prices . Several number of new medicines are vital for the survival of millions they are already too costly for most people in poor countries either because the medicines are unaffordable, have become ineffective due to resistance, or are not sufficiently adapted to specific local conditions and constraints The law as of opposed does not deliver a socially just outcome as of those in a less economically developed nations and wont have the capacity to afford the cost of medicines by owners who have a monopoly because of licenses required by trips. Nonetheless, it does protect individuals property rights so individuals cant copyright their work so nobody else can assume the acknowledgement for it without the owner’s consent. From this, one could come to a conclusion that the Doha Declaration takes a large step toward ensuring that intellectual property protection serves the public interest and lays out the options countries have available when prices of existing patented drugs are too high for their populations .Also that the law protects property more than it does therefore people’s lives are wasted due to patent laws being practiced. It can even be said that law undermines social justice and that law will never be socially just as opposed to the current system of the intellectual property. However as to considering a different context such as human rights, the law still protects people as much as it possibly can as to a certain extent where these laws will allow citizens to flee their country if they feel they are being persecuted. The UK legislation in the 1940s recognized rights to universal free education up to age14.This helped poorer children have free access to schools. The underlying principle was social justice as to those not being able to look after themselves should be looked after by the community from the cradle to the grave. Besides that, in relation to this what emerged in 1942 was a Beveridge report which was a method of reducing the balance between rich and poor as the rich paid into scheme to help the poor. This is an example of the law from the cradle to the grave as to the whole community looking after those in need of help. Referring to lady hale speech from the comments they are ought to be applauded as she has an obligation to secure the task and access the law in the UK. However, she considers it to be her obligation to alert those along these lines and if not, it would be ethically off-base. I feel that the access to justice is a vital issue and if these progressions imply then those with no capital cant challenge those with huge money saves the suggestions for us as a general public are appalling. However, take cases of evidence against huge pharmaceutical organizations for instance without legal aid are currently now impossible. Besides that, there have been hi profile cases of absurdity, for example, the Maxwell Brothers when all is said and done in the arrangement of legal aid it has prompted fairness and equivalent access. In the event the judges say nothing in regard to the approaches about the policies it will therefore destroy natural justice issues. I would recommend that they have failed t he promise they took towards the beginning of their profession and should hang their heads in disgrace. The main thing is that it is basic if they criticize such plans wherever they originate from and are not divided in their complaints. This lady’s balance is a careful critique to me as an indication of her exceptional honesty and faith in the law and access to it for all. I applaud her activities and expectation it causes a genuine verbal confrontation. Overall each case study raises significant questions about the balance between rich and poor in terms of advantages and disadvantages. Besides that, the law does have an important part in promoting social justice, but it is limited. Numerous people would state that the law adds to the realization of a more socially and sustainable society because of human rights and legislation and international and European law, however this isnt altogether true. Whilst the law is encompassing human rights it has promoted social justice in past when incorporated but it isnt always generally for the underprivileged. Property law is a key example of how the law doesnt change the harmony amongst rich and poor rather it builds it. The conception of social justice refers more broadly to fairness and equality, but it additionally speaks to a worldwide structure for human rights, recognition and dignity, however patent laws are utilized for instance peoples dignity and human rights are not regarded. Also crediting individuals for their work is considered more vital than saving a life, therefore it isnt altogether. Just, it can be esteemed ethically wrong while social justice is tied in with being ethically right and moral. Further on in regard to the laws having an impact on these circumstances changes have been implemented but it doesnt have much of a big impact as to balance. Beyond that referring to lady hale speech every context in social justice has a different meaning in poor and rich countries because of the world we live in and prior to the difficulties faced. However, at a point we understand justice drives from ensuring that all individuals and countries have equal opportunities to exercise their talents and be rewarded for their efforts. Also, as to the 1951 conventions being in place it helps provide a good framework within which decisions can be made and it can at least help with decisions and help individuals.

Building Innovation into Outsourcing Relationship Case Study

Building Innovation into Outsourcing Relationship - Case Study Example Therefore, after identifying the innovation process to be implemented, AlphaCorp must understand how the innovation will be incorporated into the intended operation and or processes (Babin & Schuster, 2012). In other words, it is only through understanding the scope of the innovation that costs and services required to initiate and implement such innovations can be determined and analyzed. Â  AlphaCorp and B&B must distinguish between innovation and continuous improvement in the projects they are running or intend to run towards improving their productivity (Babin & Schuster, 2012). They must ever consider or regard all projects or programs that they have never been working on and are intended to be initiated into their systems as a mean of improving their service deliveries and operations as innovative programs or projective. However, there are some programs and projects that have been operating within the system, but they need to be adjusted on for better results (In Hirschheim et al., 2014). The systematic progress on processes that are already existing programs and projects is known as continuous improvement. Notably, well-intended and drafted projects and programs must give room or ways through which continuous improvement will be conducted on them. Â  Finally, AlphaCorp and B&B must know that innovation must always be carried on already existing productions but not new productions or areas (Babin & Schuster, 2012). In some cases, innovations often fail and if such failures are experienced in new production or areas, it will be highly challenging restore the destroyed image of the product or of the company in the new areas it failed due to failed innovation.

Immigrant Communities and the Trajectories of Othering Essay

Immigrant Communities and the Trajectories of Othering - Essay Example According to another of my writing pieces, the Social Security Administration affirms the illegal immigrants benefit American society. The immigrants pay taxes. The employers automatically withhold the taxes from the illegal immigrants. Lastly, the illegal immigrants buy U.S. goods and services. Accordingly, my other writing piece states the Hmong farmer ethnic race suffers from immigration hardships. Laos’ war-expelled Hmong people travelled around the world. The people suffer from not having a legitimate country. The U.S. immigration law favors the Hmong people (Yang 271). According to my other writing piece, immigrants do their best to be accepted by the U.S. society. The constitution protects the non-citizens. The dominant American population needs cheap labor. The constitution understands’ the plight of immigrants trying to escape from their home country’s life-threatening society, while sending money back home to their families (Mummert 7). According to my other writing piece, immigrants continue facing challenges trying to fit into American society. Immigrants try to be accepted by the new country’s residents. Oppression forces the immigrants to necessarily comply with the American society’s standards. The immigrants’ are forced to accept low wages. According to student Anna Sepeda’s research, othering includes affirming gender discrimination and race discrimination are realistically prevalent over the immigrant population. Sepeda correctly indicates immigrants usually start on the same footing (Mcintosh 91). Sepeda admits immigrants go through unbearable racial and gender discrimination in the new home. The immigration border patrol exercises selective race and gender discrimination. According to student Jake Helmandollar’s research, our nations’ immigration policies are tainted with racial and class issues (Clayton 261). Helmandollar affirms that the

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Freud and psychoanalysis - Research Paper Example No matter what level of education an individual might have, it is likely he or she is familiar with the name of Sigmund Freud. Freud’s name is now synonymous with the theory of psychoanalysis. It is a science he essentially invented near the beginning of the 19th century. Sigmund Freud began his career as a medical doctor. He worked in Vienna with mental patients and it is because of this work that he is today considered one of the founding fathers of modern day psychology. It was while working with these patients that Freud developed the psychoanalytic theory. Clearly, Freud’s original training was not in the field that he started. He originally worked as a neurologist, but the common method of treating patients was to use hypnosis, something Freud wasn’t very good at but which forced him to take a more imaginative approach to treating the mind that would revolutionize the way people thought about thought (Robbins, 1999). Although Freud was obviously not the fir st individual to study how the mind worked and he would obviously not be the last, Freud is given credit for making the first major break-through in treating the mind as an entity existing at least partially separate from the body. He identified that there were at least three different levels of thought and realized that these levels interacted and intertwined. Putting these pieces together led to his development of psychotherapy. Freud classified three major components as comprising an individual’s psyche. These were the id, the ego and the superego. This intuitive leap from biological function to mental processes did not occur by accident. To fully understand Freud’s theories, his theoretical model of the human mind and how these ideas translate into his theories regarding human culture, it is necessary to understand how these ideas developed as well as how Freud expressed

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ANTH100 Take-Home Final - Essay Example Notably, the Hutterites fall under the chiefdoms organizational structure. Indeed, the Hutterites fall under chiefdom where they adopt a centralized political system. The Hutterites accommodates different levels of leadership, which includes God’s leadership, preachers and councils, and the community (Anthropology, n.y). Indeed, Hutterites men and women operate in two separate subcultures in the colony where men are superior (Peaceful Societies, 2013). Furthermore, there are more than 50,000 Hutterites living in different colonies (Peaceful Societies, 2013), where they farm, raise livestock, and produce manufactured goods for sustenance (Hutterites.org, 2012). The Hutterites believes that God has established a hierarchy of relationships, with the lower always obeying the higher and the society respects the authority of God (Peaceful Societies, 2013). In case of disagreements, individuals settle the dispute between themselves. Where the dispute persists, the preachers or other church members intervene (Peaceful Societies, 2013).  These aspects defi ne chiefdom. Various studies seek to determine the time of origin of modern human language. As a result, various results from the studies are subject to examination in reference to determining the time of origin of modern human language. Notably, there have been examinations on biological evidence, cultural evidence, natural evolution hypothesis (Vajda, n.y), and the language phonemic diversity to estimate a minimum date for the origin of language (Perreault & Mathew, 2012). Notably, the numerous studies seeking to determine the time of origin of modern human language did not establish a universal conclusion. Nevertheless, the studies suggest that modern language originated only once (Wade, 2011). Further analysis suggests that modern human language originated from southern Africa (Wade, 2011). These findings relate

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Obesity, Sleep Apnea and Cognitive Functions in Children Research Paper

Obesity, Sleep Apnea and Cognitive Functions in Children - Research Paper Example Obstructive sleep apnea is caused when the airways are significantly narrowed, and again increased neck weight can contribute to this narrowing and the subsequent breathing problems (Chan et al, 2004). Although the links between sleep apnea and obesity are well-researched, the links between impaired cognitive function, obesity and sleep disruption are minimal, although studies have been done comparing two of the above. The article in question (Clark, 2005) illustrates the possible links found between all three of the conditions. The purpose of this paper is to examine the biology behind the research and investigate the possible reasons for the connection. The structure of the pharynx is illustrated in figure 1. From this diagram, it is evident that the windpipe is a narrow structure and any further narrowing could cause a lowered ability to receive sufficient air into the lungs. Obstructive sleep apnea is categorized by a cyclic closing and opening of the pharynx during sleep, which can lead to disrupted gas exchange and disturbed sleep (Strohl, 1996). Evidently, any disruption in sleep is going to cause excessive fatigue/sleepiness, but research suggests that the effects of sleep apnea go beyond this and cause behavioural problems (such as impulse control and hyperactivity) and cognitive deficits. It has been suggested that these are caused by intermittent states of hypoxemia as well as reductions in brain metabolism (Clark, 2005). Figure 1 – Diagram of the neck illustrating the pharynx (Clark, 2005) There are also suggestions that obesity is linked to cognitive deficits. Learning, memory and abstract reasoning were all shown to be lower in people suffering from obesity and hypertension, although the effects were seen in men only (Elias et al, 2003). Despite this evidence, it is unclear whether obesity is a result of or a cause of these impaired cognitive facilities. People who have taken part in cognitive skill building exercises as younger children ar e shown to have less chance of developing obesity as adults (Hill et al, 2003), but this could be partly due to socioeconomic factors. Other suggestions have been made that show that impaired cognitive function is a result of obesity. The glucocorticoids (GC), for example, are implicated. Figure 2 shows the chemical structure of cortisol, an important example in this group of steroid hormones. GCs are found in almost every vertebrate cell, and bind to the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). GCs are important in several areas of the brain, including the hippocampus, the amygdala and the frontal lobes (Clark, 2005). In obesity, individuals may be exposed to an abnormally high amount of glucocorticoids (Masuzaki et al, 2001), and evidently if they play an important role in brain function, obesity could well be a cause of impaired cognitive function. Image 2 – The Chemical Structure of Cortisol (Clark, 2005) Obesity has also been linked to a number of neurological conditions, primarily stroke. A stroke is characterized by a swift loss of brain function because of a blockage or other disturbance of the blood supply to the brain (Clark, 2005). Thrombotic stroke is the most common type of stroke in obese individuals (Clark, 2005). Blood supply in