Saturday, August 31, 2019

“How to Poison the Earth” by Linnea Saukko Essay

The two main purposes Linnea Saukko has in â€Å"How to Poison the Earth† are persuasive and referential aims. She uses examples classification and descriptions to help the reader better understand the future of the planet if humans keep on the same path of destruction. The main modes she uses in the first paragraph are cause and effect, and later classification of pollution into ground water and air methods is used Saukko starts the essay off by saying, â€Å"Poisoning the earth can be difficult because the earth is always trying to cleanse and renew itself.† She not only uses sarcasm to make reader think what she is saying is meant to taken literally, but she classifies the main methods to poison the earth. She stress the need for toxic chemicals like uranium-238, plutonium, PCB, and DDT. Along with the need to spread those chemicals around the earth, she starts to persuade the reader that if those two parts happen, we will poison the earth. The next two paragraphs she emphasizes several ways to spread the toxins into the shell of the earth. She classifies those into deep-well and shallow-well injections, and dumping. The deep-well injections are to â€Å"ensure that the earth is poisoned all the way to the core,† while the shallow-well injections are to contaminate groundwater aquifers. In paragraph two she gives the reader examples of deep-well and shallow-well injections and how these will ensure that the core is poisoned. The third paragraph ties to the second by explaining that if humans place dumps by groundwater that this method and shallow-well injections will poison the water. Saukko sarcastically states that since there are only 50,000 dumps in the United States,† they should be located in areas where they will leak to the surrounding ground and surface water.† In paragraphs four, five, and six Saukko uses cause and effect to show how to bring pesticides and other poisons to lakes, rivers, and oceans. She explains that if plants absorb the pesticides, then the poison will end up in the ground water. She again sarcastically implies that â€Å"surface water is  very important to contaminate because it will transport the poisons to places that cannot be contaminated directly.† It is important for ground water to be poisoned so that lakes will be poisoned, since lakes can hold the poisons. The problem she talks about next is the rivers. Rivers act like a natural filter before water flows into the ocean. That is a cleansing effect where the problem lies. In the sixth paragraph she explains how the oceans act as a natural buffer for the toxins. She then evaluates that the only way to stop this buffer is to dump directly into the ocean. This will not only pollute the buffer, but transport toxins to places that cannot be reached otherwise. In the seventh paragraph she continues with the transportation by going into the air transportation part. She evaluates the cause and effect of combustion and evaporation to make acid rain. The acid rain destroys very few lakes and living animals, so the pollution will stay in the lakes, oceans, and rivers. She then explains that since â€Å"the lower atmosphere can cleanse itself fairly easily, we must explode nuclear test bombs.† The effect of this is that the radiation will circle the earth for years and destroy the atmosphere. But gravity will bring pull some of the radioactive particles to earth. The only way to fight the slowly decreasing radiation is to continue to set off nuclear bombs. Linnea Saukko’s essay is very effective. She uses persuasive and referential purposes to catch the reader’s attention, with sarcasm, and bring to attention the main methods to kill the planet. At first the essay seems to be aimed at promoting what will kill the planet, but later on it is informative on what we need to be aware of so that we do not kill the planet. The author provides more in depth ways of killing the planet, but for the most part Saukko makes a basic outline on how to prevent poisoning of the earth.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Coffee Analysis Essay

Indtroduction . The history of coffee goes at least as far back as the thirteenth century with a number of myths surrounding its first use. The original native population of coffee is thought to have come from East Africa, and it was first cultivated by Arabs from the 14th century.[1] The earliest credible evidence of either coffee drinking or knowledge of the coffee tree appears in the middle of the 15th century, in the Sufi monasteries of Yemen.[2] By the 16th century, it had reached the rest of the Middle East, Persia, Turkey and northern Africa. Coffee then spread to Balkans, Italy and to the rest of Europe, to Indonesia and then to the Americas.[3  ow are coffee prices currently set? A: Coffee prices are set according to the New York â€Å"C† Contract market. The price of coffee fluctuates wildly in this speculative economy, generally hovering around fifty cents per pound. Most coffee is traded by speculators in New York, who trade approximately 8-10 times the amount of actual coffee produced each year. The single most influential factor in world coffee prices is the weather in Brazil. Droughts and frosts portend shortages of coffee and the price increases. Specialty coffee is often imported at a negotiated price over the C market, which is considered a ‘quality premium’. Most of those premiums never reach the coffee farmer, but rather stay in the hands of the exporter. This creates a disincentive for farmers to increase their quality, as they do not receive the direct benefits of increased investment in producing better coffee. http://www.globalexchange.org/fairtrade/coffee/faq http://www.makingittv.com/Sample-Coffee-Shop-Business-Plan.htm Cost structure Dynamics ofWorld Coffee Prices The indicator Price system established in 1965 by International Coffee Organization (ICO) to provide a consistent and reliable procedure for reporting prices of different types of coffee. The ICO indicator price system is based on the four spate price groups namely, Colombian mild  arabicas, Other mild arabicas, Brazilian and other natural arabicas and Robustas. ICO composite indicator provides a benchmark for price of green coffee. ICO organization collects ex-dock shipment prices data and calculates arithmetic mean. This represents ICO composite indicator. The current ICO composite price (US cents per pound) as listed for March, 2013 is 131.38 cents per pound with a high of 135.30 and low of 128.52 cents per pound. The dynamics/trend of the monthly ICO composite price over 1998-2012 can be broken down into three phases. (Refer Figure 1 in appendix) Phase 1: The average composite price for coffee decreases from $108.95 in 1998 to $45.59 in 2001. Phase 2 begin with an increasing trend line where in average composite price increases from to 47.74 in 2002 and continues the upward swing, hitting the maximum in 2011 at an average composite price of $210.39. 2 Phase 3 starts the decline in 2012 to an average price of $156.34 from 210.39 in 2011 and continues in 2013 where the current average price for the first three months is $131.38. Price-elasticity of Demand For and Supply of Coffee The price elasticity demand is measure to show the elasticity of the quantity demanded of the good or service to a change in its price. IN case of Coffee, Coffee is produced primarily in south american countries and some developing countries but consumed in developed countries.With disruptive weather the supply of coffee is suppressed and hence the price of coffee will rise hence the Price of coffee can be considered volatile. Factors/events that affected the world supply and demand of coffee in 2011-2012. Weather has been rated as one of the top factors affecting the supply of coffee. The countries where coffee is grown is generally humid, disruptive patterns in the weather has caused coffee plant diseases. Some articles have also listed fungus as one of the elements causing decrease in the coffee supplies. Difficulty in growing Arabica plants was also listed as one of the reason for shrinking coffee production. Whereas some positive factors which caused marginal increase in coffee supplies are adding of new producing countries,  investment in advanced technologies and increased in number of coffee producers within the same region. Increase in demand can be associated with emerging new markets such as China which was primarily tea market has now seen a sudden shift in taste. Increase in expendable income due to higher salaries has caused the demand for finer coffee to grow. Major determinants of world coffee prices in 2011-2012 Weather and climate change affect coffee prices more than other factors. Coffee trees require specific climatic conditions to produce an optimum crop. Hence, the Prices remained in high throughout 2011where the average composite price was around $210. 2.4) Porters Five Forces Analysis of the Retail Coffee and Snacks Industry: Threat of New Entrants: Moderate ïÆ'Ëœ There is a moderate threat of new entrants into the industry as the barriers to entry are not high enough to discourage new competitors to enter the market. (Appendix 2 shows Barriers to Entry Checklist). ïÆ'Ëœ The industry’s saturation is moderately high with a monopolistic competition structure. ïÆ'Ëœ For new entrants, the initial investment is not significant as they can lease stores, equipment etc. at a moderate level of investment. ïÆ'Ëœ At a localized level, small coffee shops can compete with the likes of Starbucks and Dunkin Brands because there are no switching costs for the consumers. Even thought it’s a competitive industry, the possibility of new entrants to be successful in the industry is moderate. ïÆ'Ëœ But this relatively easy entry into the market is usually countered by large incumbent brands identities like Starbucks who have achieved economies of scale by lowering cost, improved efficiency with a huge market share. There is a moderately high barrier for the new entrants as they differentiate themselves from Starbuck’s product quality, its prime real estate locations, and its store ecosystem ‘experience’. ïÆ'Ëœ The incumbent firms like Starbucks have a larger scale and scope, yielding them a learning curve advantage and favorable access to raw material with the relationship they build with their suppliers. ïÆ'Ëœ The expected retaliation from well-established companies for brand equity, resources, prime real estate locations and price competition are moderately high, which creates a moderate barrier to entry. Threat of Substitutes: High ïÆ'Ëœ There are many reasonable substitute beverages to coffee, which are mainly tea, fruit juices, water, soda’s, energy drinks etc. Bars and Pubs with non/alcoholic beverages could also substitute for the social experience of Starbucks ïÆ'Ëœ Consumers could also make their own home produced coffee with household premium coffee makers at a fraction of the cost for buying from premium coffee retailers like Starbucks. ïÆ'Ëœ There are no switching costs for the consumers for switching to substitutes, which makes the threat high. ïÆ'Ëœ But its important to note that industry leaders like Starbucks are currently trying to counter this threat by selling coffee makers, premium coffee packs in grocery stores but this threat still puts pressure their the margins. Bargaining Power of Buyers: Moderate to Low Pressure ïÆ'Ëœ There are many different buyers in this industry and no single buyer can demand price concession. ïÆ'Ëœ It offers vertically differentiated products with a diverse consumer base, which make relatively low volume purchases, which erodes the buyer’s power. ïÆ'Ëœ Even though there are no switching costs with high availability of substitute products, industry leaders like Starbucks prices its product mix in relation to rivals stores with prevailing market price elasticity and competitive premium pricing. ïÆ'Ëœ Consumers have a moderate sensitivity in premium coffee retailing as they  pay a premium for higher quality products but are watchful of excessive premium in relation product quality. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Low to Moderate Pressure ïÆ'Ëœ The main inputs into the value chain of Starbucks is coffee beans and premium Arabica coffee grown in select regions which are standard inputs, which makes the cost of switching between substitute suppliers, moderately low. Strategic Analysis Of Starbucks Corporation Certified coffee under its coffee and farmer equity (C.A.F.E) program, which gives its suppliers a fair partnership status, which yields them some moderately, low power.7 ïÆ'Ëœ The suppliers in the industry also pose a low threat of competing against Starbucks by forward vertical integration, which lowers their power. Intensity of Competitive Rivalry: High to Moderate ïÆ'Ëœ The industry has a monopolistic competition, with Starbucks having the largest markets share and its closest competitors also having a significant market share, creating significant pressure on Starbucks. ïÆ'Ëœ Consumers do have any cost of switching to other competitors, which crates high intensity in rivalry. ïÆ'Ëœ But its important to note that Starbucks maintain some competitive advantage as it differentiates its products with premium products and services, which cause a moderate level of intensity in competition. ïÆ'Ëœ The industry is mature and growth rate has been moderately low which cause the intensity of competition among the companies to be moderately high due to all of them seeking to increase market shaper from established firms like Starbucks. ïÆ'Ëœ This industry does not have over capacity currently and all these factors contribute to the intensity among rivals to be moderately high. Looking at the Porters five forces analysis, we can get an aggregate industry analysis that the strength of forces and the profitability in the retail coffee and snacks industry are Moderate http://scholar.harvard.edu/files/nithingeereddy/files/starbucks_case_analysis.pdf Cost structure 4.1 Introduction Coffee prices fluctuate heavily from year to year. However, coffee prices do not fluctuate proportionally in each stage of the marketing chain. Consumer prices for example fluctuate less than prices of green coffee on the world market. The degree of fluctuation depends strongly on the way prices are determined. When farmers know in which stage of the production and marketing chain their prices are the most resistant to pressure by buyers and sellers, they can select the most profitable position to increase their market power. Section two takes a look at how prices are influenced and by which factors they are influenced. In section three a closer look is taken at the instability in receipts from coffee exports, caused by fluctuations in prices. This is followed in section four by an exposition about the influence of international commodity agreements on world coffee prices. In this section a short history is presented of the International Coffee Agreements (ICA’s). Section five describes how the margin on coffee is distributed over each stage in the marketing chain. The final section of this chapter presents some conclusions about the pricing in the world coffee market. 4.2 Influences on coffee prices When looking at the price pattern of coffee, one notices that prices are not stable. Price instability occurs in the long run, but also short term prices may change. This section takes a closer look at how coffee prices are determined. Determination of prices depends in the first place on the type of prices. World coffee prices are largely set on the futures and forward coffee markets. The quantity traded on these markets is much larger than actual trade in coffee. Prices are determined on the world market by means of speculation and arbitrage. Since coffee prices are influenced by speculation, pricing depends strongly on expectations about future supply and demand. Local coffee prices may differ between several coffee producing countries. According to De Rijk (1980), prices paid to Indonesian exporters at a given world price depend on the quality of the coffee and regularity and reliability of the quality. Other influences on local prices, according to De Rijk, consist of costs, tax es, information on prices and reliability of contracts. For some decades now the coffee market is showing a structural overproduction. This overproduction is one of the causes of the  weak position of coffee farmers. Figure 3.3 shows that exporting countries possess large stocks. These stocks are mostly set up in abundant years and are used in years of general shortage. Shortages in the supply of coffee are often caused by crop failures through natural incidents. The price of coffee is therefore susceptible to frost and drought, which are two of the leading factors in natural causes. Stocks can be kept by local farmers but more often these stocks are kept by large trading companies, which act as arbitrageurs. Trading companies buy at low prices when supply is abundant and they keep it in stock till prices rise. This provides some extra gains to trading companies, besides the normal margins on trading. Local farmers often do not have the financial resources and storage capacity to keep these stocks themselves. Therefore, they have to sell their coffee to exporters at harvest time against low prices. Farmers could have earned higher prices if they had kept their coffee in stock till the market improved. World prices, farmer prices and consumer prices are correlated with each other. Because stocks appear at different stages in the marketing chain, these prices do not fluctuate proportionally. This is shown in figure 4.1. Mostly these price shock s are taken by exporters’ stocks. As has been mentioned before, exporters often possess more financial resources for storage than local farmers. Also consumer prices fluctuate less than world coffee prices. This is explained by the price setting behaviour of coffee roasters. When world prices go down, consumer prices decrease only fractionally. In case of increasing world prices, consumer prices increase to a larger extent than in case of a price decrease. Besides correlation between prices at different stages of the marketing chain, different types of coffee are also related in pricing. Vogelvang, in his 1992 study, tested some hypotheses concerning the long-run relationships between spot prices of the four main types of coffee. Because coffee types are related to each other, some specific factors concerning the coffee market will be relevant here. These factors are the rate of substitution of coffee types, changes in total world supply or demand, and the existence of an International Coffee Agreement. Besides these specific factors, factors that influence all prices, such as world inflation, interest rates and expectations about economic variables, explain relatedness in prices. Vogelvang computes the following long run equilibrium equations: pcm = 0.91 + pua pom = 11.39 + pua prob = -21.47 + pua where prices are measured in US cents per pound. In these equations cm applies to Colombian Milds, om to Other Milds, rob to Robusta and ua to Unwashed Arabicas (Brazilian). The equations show that prices of Colombian Milds, Other Milds and Robusta are linearly related to price behaviour of Brazilian coffee. In his study, Vogelvang concludes that all the coffee prices move together in the long run. Absolute prices therefore deviate with a certain constant. The equations imply that in the long run Colombian and Other Milds are priced 0.91 cents respectively 11.39 cents per pound higher as Brazilian coffee. The Robusta price of one pound of Robusta is 21.47 cents lower in the long run than the price of Brazilian. Hypotheses concerning a relationship between Robustas and Other Milds are not statistically rejected, but results from this study can not prove a strong relation between low quality coffee like Robusta and high quality coffee like Other Milds. 4.3 Instability in export earnings It has been mentioned previously that the proportion of primary products in total exports of developing countries is high. Prices of primary products fluctuate rather strong. Therefore, these fluctuations may have a large impact on export earnings, imports, investment, employment and government expenditures. Instabilities like these may disrupt the economy of these countries (MacBean & Nguyen, 1987, p.88; Sà ¶dersten, 1980, p.249-255). Price instability and earnings fluctuations are interrelated. Yet, they do not fluctuate proportionally. This depends on the values of the price elasticity of demand, the income elasticity of demand and the price elasticity of supply. The price elasticity of demand measures responsiveness of coffee demand to prices. So, it represents the ratio of percentage change in the  quantity demanded to percentage change in price. Similarly, the ratio of percentage change in the quantity supplied to percentage change in price is called the price elasticity of supply. The income elasticity shows how responsive quantity demanded is to a change in income Suppose price elasticity of demand is (-1). Some coffee farmers decide to increase their production. This implies that world coffee supply increases. In a competitive market, coffee prices will decrease and therefore, demand for coffee will increase. Besides the fact that farmers will receive less payment for each bag of coffee, demand and total quantity exported increases. Therefore, the fall in prices has been exactly offset by higher sales, and the farmers’ income will remain unchanged. This conclusion only applies to the world coffee market in its entirety. The outcome may be all different for individual countries and individual farmers. Mostly one or a few farmers are responsible for an increase in supply. These farmers must be able to produce at low costs, since prices will drop below the initial level. Other coffee farmers may also face a lower price per unit. Therefore some marginal farmers may go out of production, causing prices to return to the long term level. Remaining farmers, who did not change production, have to sell the same output against lower short term prices. Because of this, their total returns will be lower and with the same level of costs, their profits will decrease temporarily. The effects of shifts in supply would be larger if there were economies of scale in coffee production. With economies of scale farmers are stim ulated to increase their production, in attempt to reduce their average costs. So, farmers who increase their production earn higher profits at the expense of farmers with a fixed level of production. However, increases in scale are not possible unlimitedly. Mostly this is restricted by the scarcity of fertile land. Price elasticity of demand In general, price elasticities of demand are low when the product has a low income elasticity, has little or no substitutes and forms a small part of the consumer’s budget. The average price elasticity of demand in industrialised countries with respect to retail prices is, according to estimates by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), about (-0.34). This implies that a 1% price increase (decrease) is accompanied by a decrease (increase) in consumption by 0.34%. Estimates with respect to import prices amount to (-0.2). Other studies have indicated an elasticity of between (-0.2) and (-0.3) in high income countries and of between (-0.4) and (-0.5) in lower income countries (EIU, 1995, p.17). http://www.greenbeanery.ca/bean/documents/scriptie.htm http://www.grin.com/en/e-book/111348/coffee-shop-industry-a-strategic-analysis Competitive Forces that impact competition (Porter Model) 3.1 Competition within the Coffee Shop Industry 20,000 stores with annual revenue of ~ $11 billion Highly concentrated at top and fragmented at bottom – Starbucks ~ 75% of sales Major companies: Starbucks, Caribou Coffee, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Diedrich (Gloria Jean’s), Peet’s Coffee Competitors can also be found in other industries (convenience stores, gas stations, quick service, fast food restaurants, gourmet food shops, donut shops, filter ~ / specialty coffee machines for home use) e.g. Dunkin’ Donuts and McDonalds Competition through special offers (new tastes), outstanding service/ environment (internet, music, comfortable seating areas, short waiting queues), loyalty programs (bonus cards ensuring frequency of visits) and for premium locations (retail centers, university campuses, etc.) Conclusion – Competition within the Coffee Shop Industry Strong competition within the industry for new customers, premium locations, etc. but overall the industry is saturated, settled and stable which allows almost all of the competitors to yield very good margins (40 to 60 percent)[4] 3.2 Substitute Products Competition with other drinks that are not the main focus of by coffee shops: Soda, Juice, Water, Beer, Sports Drinks Competition with other products, people are spending their money on: Ice Cream, Cigarettes, Sweets Consumers have limited discretionary budget to spend on consumer goods, such as cigarettes, beer and also coffee; coffee shops are therefore fighting for a fraction of this budget Conclusion – Substitutes in the Coffee Industry Very b power of substitute products as especially young people might prefer other products, such as beer, cigarettes or soda 3.3 Barriers to Entry Rather low entry barriers: easy to open a single small cafà © Rent a place, remodel, install the equipment, get license as needed[5] However there are high entry barriers for the specialty level or big league/chain players High up-front investment needed to grow significantly (distribution system: shops, equipment, premium locations; marketing: creation of brand awareness & brand recognition, customer retention) Strong brand recognition of major players, especially Starbucks Partnerships with large, international companies also serve as potential entry barrier for new competitors – Starbucks with Pepsi/ Jim Beam/ Dryer’s Grand Ice Cream/ Barnes & Noble or Caribou Coffee with Apple[6] (See Exhibit 2). Economies of scale (purchase advantages; centralized HR and Marketing) realized by big players, especially Starbucks à ¨ cost disadvantage for new entrants Conclusion – Barriers to Entry in the Coffee Industry Small barriers to entry for small regional chains / cafà ©s, but their expansion is relatively slow due to the increasing speed of the expansion of the major players High barriers to entry into the industry for big players due to high industry concentration on top, huge brand recognition of major brands and high up-front investments are needed 3.4 Power of Suppliers Volatile Raw Material Costs[7]: Particular dependence on supply of higher-priced Arabic beans (premium coffee) – as imported mostly from developing countries, price varies along with the economical and political situation of the export country Dairy products, whose retail prices vary a lot, used for specialty drinks Coffee Shop Chains have contracts securing price stability For most coffee-exporting countries (over 60 ) that is their only â€Å"source of cash†[8] Higher world market demand and higher prices for differentiated (Gourmet and specialty coffees) and sustainable coffee (organic, fair trade, eco-friendly or shade grown) than for coffee commodity: Farmers not agile enough or don’t have the means to switch production Companies are helping  communities to make the change (train them, purchase at fair trade prices[9] and provide technical assistance)[10] Conclusion – Power of Suppliers in the Coffee Industry Very limited power of suppliers as they depend on producer’s help and sell a commodity. 3.5 Power of Customers High dependency of coffee shop chains on frequency of customer purchases Most customers appreciate the nice atmosphere in the coffee shops Preferences of customers are very likely to switch as they might get bored with / tired of the same flavor (relatively low brand loyalty) Shopping behavior is very likely to be influenced by budget constraints, weather conditions or health concerns in the general public Interested in continuous product innovation or seasonal specialties Essential for success – word of mouth and frequency of purchases[11] Conclusion – Power of Customers in the Coffee Industry Very b power of customers as coffee shops depend on word of mouth and customer retention Furthermore a customer’s opinion, preferences and shopping habits can be influenced easily which creates a big threat for the companies. http://www.grin.com/en/e-book/111348/coffee-shop-industry-a-strategic-analysis Market Structure 2.1 Introduction Markets are characterised by the interaction of buyers and sellers. Generally, economic literature distinguishes two ways of interpreting the ‘market’ concept. These interpretations concern the concrete and abstract concept of markets. The first deals with tangible markets. The latter concerns interaction of supply and demand, without the need of immediately supplying the products or having them in the market place. Section two of this chapter presents four main types of market structures. The type of market structure largely determines the relationship between buyers and sellers. Therefore, it also influences pricing of the product and the  distribution of income between economic agents throughout the production and marketing chain. Section three deals with the reasons why markets might diverge from a situation of perfect competition. This situation of imperfect competition is caused by the presence of barriers to entry. This section presents six sources causing these barriers as mentioned by Michael Porter (1980). Finally, section four draws some conclusions. 2.2 Types of market structure In the introduction of this chapter it was mentioned that the ‘market’ concept has two different interpretations. Next, this study operates the abstract concept of markets, when dealing with market structures. Economic literature distinguishes four main types of markets. These markets are divided into perfectly competitive markets, monopoly markets, oligopolistic markets and markets with monopolistic competition. Each stage in the production and marketing chain considered in next chapters, may be characterised by a different type of market. Before examining the coffee market, this section will deal briefly with each type of market. Perfect competition When economists talk about a competitive market, they mean a market with the following four characteristics: First, the market consists of many small buyers and sellers, where no individual buyer or seller is large enough to influence the market price of their product. Second, the product is standardised, which implies that it is a homogeneous product. Third, there are no entry and exit barriers. Fourth, there is complete and perfect knowledge about technology and market prices (Martin, 1993, p.15). In competitive markets suppliers can sell their products only with short term economic profits. In the long run this situation cannot persist. When suppliers earn profits, i.e. their price exceeds their average costs, new suppliers enter the business and established suppliers increase their output in the long run. Monopoly On the other hand there are markets which are dominated by one supplier. This market structure is called a monopoly. Two things distinguish a monopoly  from a competitive market. First, there is only one single supplier that supplies the market. Secondly, entry by other potential suppliers is blockaded. The first characteristic ensures that the monopolist faces no actual competition. Because of this, the monopolist may choose to supply at any point on the market demand curve. To earn the largest possible profit, the monopolist will choose the output that makes his marginal costs equal to his marginal revenue. His output decision will determine the price of the product, which makes him a price setter. The second characteristic implies that the monopolist faces no potential competition. To restrict other suppliers from entering the market there have to be some barriers to entry (Martin, 1993, p.23-24). These barriers are discussed in more detail in the next section. Oligopoly In a competitive market, each supplier is so small that it cannot affect the price. When the supplier raises its price above equilibrium price, he will loose his sales to other suppliers or new entry is provoked. At the other extreme, the monopolist has no rivals to worry about. The monopolist can raise his price without provoking new entry. Between these two extreme cases there is another type of market. Martin (1993, p.110) characterises this type of market by the presence of a few large suppliers which dominate the industry. These suppliers recognise their mutual interdependence and therefore cannot act as a monopolist. This third type of market is called an oligopolistic market. So, under oligopoly there is intense rivalry. Yet, barriers to entry are present which allow for long term profit (Maddala & Miller, 1989, p.375). Monopolistic competition An essential characteristic of this fourth type of market is product differentiation. Maddala & Miller characterise this market â€Å"by a large number of suppliers, each of which has a little market power because it offers a differentiated product. Yet all the suppliers are in competition because their products are close substitutes.† So, â€Å"there are no barriers to entry under monopolistic competition and, hence, there are no economic profits in the long run† (Maddala & Miller, 1989, p.375). Differences in market structure lead to differences in marketpower. Therefore, within the framework of this study, it is important to picture these differences in market structure among subsequent stages. In chapter five it is shown that these differences can be very large for some of the stages in the production and marketing chain of coffee. http://www.greenbeanery.ca/bean/documents/scriptie.htm

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Darkness and Night

Both Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost use elements such as point of view, imagery, and structure to portray the significance of dark and night in their poems. Although the poems differ in many ways they share a common theme of loneliness. They also use darkness as a symbol of their feelings. In the two poems â€Å"We Grow Accustomed to the Night† and â€Å"Acquainted with the Night† the authors use figurative language, sentence fluency and rhythms, and their word choice to reflect their similar views on the darkness of night symbolizing life experiences everyone has to face throughout life. Emily Dickinson uses the structure to create elements of imagery, and describe an obstacle that everyone has to face. Dickinson uses dashes to represent pauses and makes it difficult to read to symbolize her difficult life. The dashes make the reader’s minds pause and understand what they are reading line by line. The dashes are used to effectively and deliberately make the reader reflect on the darkness. She also uses the dashes to create mental pictures. For example, she states â€Å"When not a Moon disclose a sign- Or Star- come out- within-† which creates the image of total darkness because of the lack of a moon and the stars. Dickinson writes her poem in first person so the average person can relate to her feelings. She understands the darkness to be something natural. Basically she uses the darkness to symbolize something everyone goes through. In her poem darkness describes the loss of a loved one. Unlike Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost doesn’t use dashes. Instead he emphasizes his complete isolation by using the first- person term â€Å"I† at the beginning of the first five lines of the poem. He uses the anaphora â€Å"I have†¦Ã¢â‚¬  to show he has become â€Å"Acquainted with the night† through different experiences. Throughout the poem the narrator is walking symbolizing persistence. This becomes a extended metaphor. It’s a long lonely walk at night that doesn’t seem to be easy, but he continues although he is unhappy. â€Å"I have stood still and stopped the sounds of feet† is an example of an alliteration he uses to create the sound of feet with the â€Å"st† sound. He continues to portray the narrator as a persistent and lonely. In conclusion, Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost use the darkness to symbolize life experiences.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

A Honduran Immigrant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A Honduran Immigrant - Essay Example American immigration policy is unfair as it often leads to the separation of families on a long-term basis.Enrique begs for his mother to come back. The following is a sound description of the despair many separated families have to endure;â€Å"Without her, he becomes lonely and troubled. When she calls, Lourdes tells him to be patient. Enrique despairs of ever seeing her again.† Nazario uses her book to contend that whilst illegal immigrants believe that they will only be temporarily separated from their loved ones reality is less appealing for them;â€Å"Enrique sets off alone from Tegucigalpa, with little more than a slip of paper bearing his mother’s North Carolina telephone number.Enrique like many thousands of his contemporaries are faced with the choice of enduring continued separation, or making a dangerous trip to the United States; Enrique pushes forward using his wit, courage, and hope–and the kindness of strangers. The restrictive immigration policy followed by the United States is arguably dangerous to the families and the individuals that wish to enter the country illegally via the borders with Canada as well as Mexico. For illegal immigrants from a Hispanic background, the general preference is to illegally enter the country from Mexico. Thus, in conclusion, the restrictive immigration policy followed by the United States is arguably dangerous to the families and the individuals that wish to enter the country illegally via the borders with Canada as well as Mexico. For illegal immigrants from a Hispanic background, the general preference is to illegally enter the country from Mexico. Contemporary critics of the present United States immigration policy argue that it is far too restrictive, as well as being unfair. American immigration policy is considered unfair as it often leads to the separation of families upon a long-term basis, whilst not preventing illegal immigration anyway.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Samsung Electronics Brand Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

Samsung Electronics Brand - Coursework Example The objective of this paper is to evaluate the term 'brand' as it extends to cover the products in the electronics market in general and to examine the strategies followed by Samsung Electronics in building a powerful global brand. The study also examines the strengths and weaknesses of the electronic market to suggest more effective brand marketing strategies. On the basis of a survey conducted among the consumers of electronic products this study concludes that the branding has a large influence in promoting the sales of electronic products especially consumer electronic products in which segment Samsung is one of the major contenders. Extending the business on a global level has its own attractions as well as challenges a company or product has to face in achieving a global position. However it is a difficult proposition to achieve a completely global presence in all the markets with an identical core value. The decision of an organization to take its brand globally stems from the availability of many strategic opportunities like size and magnitude of market, displacement of potential competitors, and possible economies of scale, enlargement of revenue and margins and chances of enhancing innovations. However it must be remembered that each of these strategic opportunities has significant implications on the brand of a particular product that such implications are to be given full attention before setting out to explore newer markets. Failure to consider the brand implications may lead to utter failure of the marketing efforts in the alien soils. Market culture, buyer behaviour, current brand loyalties and many o ther considerations weigh with before any product is being

Deming's 14 points Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Deming's 14 points - Assignment Example Deming makes clear that ‘defect detection’ and ‘defect prevention’ are preludes to the continuous improvement process. An optimal defect detection system would not operate on the misplaced assumption that increasing the quantity of tests (mass inspection) would automatically â€Å"decrease the variability of the quality characteristics of products and services.† Likewise, a robust defect prevention system would not consider ‘zero defects’ as the ultimate hallmark of quality. Instead it would take into account the concept of ‘entropy’ in the life-cycle of a product and device methods for mitigating it. Continuous Improvement is basically looked at as the â€Å"ongoing reduction of process (unit-to-unit) variation, even within specification limits†. It is impinged on the fact that by reducing unit-to-unit variation around the nominal value the incurred production costs are also reduced. The SDSA Cycle stands for Standardize-Do-Study-Act, which is a technique for standardization of a process. The first key step toward standardization is identification of â€Å"best practice methods with key indicators of process performance†. Consensus among employees involved in the process is important. Hence a commonly agreed flowchart of the process is followed by all to ensure consistency. In the second stage (Do) trials and experiments are run on the standardized best practice methods. Following this, in the Study stage of the SDSA Cycle, the efficacy of the best practice methods are evaluated through an analysis of key parameters. Finally, in the Act stage of the cycle, managers attempt to ‘formalize’ the best practice methods that have stood the scrutiny of trials. But in order to materialize and enhance the best practice methods thus formalized the management will have to follow through the PDSA cycle. The PDSA cycle stands for Plan-Do-Study-Act. Its purpose is to aid the management in â€Å"improving and innovating

Monday, August 26, 2019

Schizophrenia Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Schizophrenia - Research Paper Example hink that schizophrenia may be caused by genetic predisposition, environment, and different brain chemistry and structure; thus, exact cause is unknown and anti-psychotic treatments are usually designed to alleviate the symptoms (National Institute of Mental Health, 2009, p. 6-8). The patient is a 42-year old, single, and black female. Psychiatric assessment of the patient revealed a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia, a condition characterized by persecutory or grandiose delusions and hallucinations and excessive religiosity. The patient stated that every night, Oprah Winfrey was climbing through her 5th floor apartment window, trying to force her to write letters so that Oprah could get into her mind and take all the information in her mind such as bank accounts and family history. This assessment illustrates persecutory hallucinations (a positive symptom) characterized by seeing or hearing things that orders that orders the person to do something (National Institute of Mental Health, 2009, p. 4). The patient also believed that she’s a prophet from God that was sent to the world to pray day and night for the people. Again, this is also a positive symptom, particularly a false belief or delusion of persecution of a schizophrenic person, believing tha t they are someone else, such as a prophet or any famous historical figures (National Institute of Mental Health, 2009, p. 4). Another psychiatric assessment that would support the diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia is extreme religiosity which is also evident in the patient’s condition. The patient verbalized a lot about high heel shoes and missing being in church. In addition, patients with paranoid schizophrenia often have thought disorders (National Institute of Mental Health, 2009, p. 5). For instance, the nurse questioned the patient about relapse prevention and the patient’s answer is illogical to the question and hard to understand stating that her sister will going to take care of her and that she

Sunday, August 25, 2019

The role of the entrepreneurial personality in developing a fashion Dissertation

The role of the entrepreneurial personality in developing a fashion brand - Dissertation Example 3.6 Problem solving 4.3.7 Self-efficacy 4.3.8 Locus and control 4.3.9 High need for achievement 4.4 Burberry’s financial performance 4.5 Summary 5.0 Conclusions 5.1 Chapter introduction 5.2 Research objectives 5.3 Implications of research 5.4 Implications for practice 5.5 Revisiting the limitations 5.6 Directions for future research 5.7 Chapter summary Abstract This paper represents a case study that focuses on a specific fashion brand in defining the characteristics that form an important part of the entrepreneurial personality. ... It focuses on the research questions by providing information on the characteristics of the entrepreneurial personality; the type of personality to be utilised in developing a successful fashion brand; the type of personality that entrepreneurs associate with successful fashion brands possess; and whether financial performance corresponds with entrepreneurial personality. This successful fashion brand has received a number of accolades over the years and is responsible for a number of innovations in the fashion industry. The attributes that have been used by various researchers and that have proven to be common among them have been used as a basis for expounding the distinctive characteristics of the company. These characteristics are some of the things that have contributed to the brands distinctive capabilities. List of tables 1.0 Introduction According to Chell (2008) the term entrepreneur has been in the literature from as early as the 19th century with different economists inclu ding: Say (1821); Amasa Walker (1799 – 1875); Marshall (1920); Ludwig von Mises (1881 – 1972); Schumpeter (1933); T.W. Schultz (1902 – 1998); Shackle (1979); Kerzner (1982); and Mark C. Casson (1982) – all of whom have given their perspectives on the characteristics of entrepreneurs. There have been differences but Chell (2008) indicates that they have all recognised and inferred several psychological and behavioural characteristics of entrepreneurs that set them apart from other people who own businesses. These characteristics include ‘foresight, a keen awareness of possibilities, a creative imagination, confidence in their decision,’†¦ ‘and an agent of

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 41

Case Study Example To the larger investors and stakeholders, the management should have informed them earlier with plans and strategies for ensuring that they (investor) would not lose their investments. The larger stakeholders control the public image and therefore should be given much consideration (Miller, 2005). In management, the answers are not different. If the management learned of the impending wine shortage six months, it would give them ample time to select the higher, middle and lower investors. Upon identification, the management would prepare time and strategies for convincing the investors that everything would be okay (Miller, 2005). Investors are afraid of shocks that, with carefully analyzed strategies, they can be convinced that absorbing the shocks is the management’s responsibility that they must ensure to protect their investments. Making the announcement of a potential loss of profits and investments, especially to investors and stakeholders, is always a headache to the management. The best way of action and making of such an announcement is communicating and talking to different groups privately before letting the information out to the public. The stakeholders of the company must know the truth. However, the management must ensure they have a careful strategy of acting to such an impending shortage to ensure that the stakeholders continue investing and supporting the company. To the outside stakeholders, the message should be a different one; it should be competition as usual. Going into detail for outside stakeholders would lead to also informing the competitors of the company’s struggles and strategies that the management cannot afford (Miller, 2005). I think Mondavi Winery’s handling of the new analyst was very poor. The management did not offer all the necessary information to the analyst for his analysis. If he had all the needed information, Solomon smith would not have upgraded the company to a ‘buy’. Mr.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Marketing principles Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Marketing principles - Assignment Example The aim of the process had to be under the management of a marketing manager (Drummond & Ensor, 2005). All these definitions are important. Marketing has to be under the management of an individual with appropriate skills to accomplish the missions set. It is a process that ensures the organization meets its objectives in terms of sales of products and services, and it is a process that has to ensure the consumer gets what he or she wants. One common idea is that it is an organizational process meant to increase profits. This could be by making the customers aware of the existence of the product, informing the consumers of its benefits, or even enticing consumers to buy the product. Marketing is a vast field and involves a lot of other organization activities. The manner in which an organization conducts its activities can also be marketing. Through their activities, people will get to know them and appreciate or grade them, hence improving the image of the company. This is indirect marketing (Drummond & Ensor, 2005). ... This information is then disseminated across departments to ensure a specific aim is attained. It is all about an organization making use of the marketing concept as the basis for its marketing plans, therefore, supplying products that suit consumer preferences and tastes (Blythe, 2009). A perfect example is the production of iPhones by Apple and Samsung. These companies conducted thorough market research, found out the consumers’ desires, and used research and development techniques to develop what the consumer wanted: the iPhone with various pleasing features. The companies then made use of promotional activities to inform the consumers about the product (AFP, 2013). Marketing oriented organizations also have to monitor what their competitors do, and the effect of such actions on consumer preferences and tastes. The organization should also analyze the effect of other exogenous factors (Blythe, 2009). Marketing oriented organizations can also be oriented towards marketing fr om a sales, product, production, or marketing perspective. This means that an organization can focus on marketing a specific product, can focus on increasing sales, and can focus on improving its production, or even marketing the whole organization’s products. There are different perspectives that can be taken. In ‘Tip-Top accessories’ for example, the manager can focus on increasing the sales of all the products; hence identify marketing strategies appropriate for such an approach. The manager can also focus on the production approach, conducting market research and supplying products with features needed by the consumers, or the manager can just focus on appropriate marketing strategies for various products depending on the market environment, and the internal conditions

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Ethical Management Essay Example for Free

Ethical Management Essay This essay seeks to identify the study of ethical management on a broad scope, and to specifically sieve out the issues which are common within the banking sector. This would include a case study on UBS and ethical problems which UBS have faced. As ethics cannot be divorced entirely from the study of sustainability and corporate social responsibility, this essay will also feature a look at banks, and their decisions which might be been unethical. The Study of Ethical Management While there might be many reasons why unethical behaviour happens, this essay would be looking at three of them in particular: 1) Personal Gain, 2) Strong Organisational Identification, and 3) Personality. . To examine the relationship between organizations and why ethical issues occur within them, we first define the term â€Å"Business† and â€Å"Businessperson†. The book, â€Å"Business Ethics†, written by William(2008), states that a business can represent and range from a start-up venture by some students, to a multinational corporation. Businessperson might be a sole proprietor running a business for themselves, or a CEO responsible for a multinational corporation. To take a broader view, we view the businesspeople under the personal point of view, and couple them with the other individuals who are within the organization. This would allow us to see why unethical behaviour can derive not only from the top management, but from every aspect of the organization. To expound on the individual, we refer to the book written by Schminke(2010), â€Å"Managerial Ethics†, where he identified â€Å"four individual decision-making styles†. The first belongs to an individualist mentality, this mentality ignores the stakeholders. The second mentality is altruistic, where the benefit of others is of the essence. The third group is the pragmatists, and lastly, the idealist, whose decisions are governed by principles and rules. Common Ethical issues faced in the Banking sector 1) Insiders Trading Insider trading, defined by Cornell University Law School, is when company’s stocks or other securities are traded by individuals who have access to undisclosed and confidential information. These individuals are known as insiders. To better comprehend the concerns of insider trading, we refer to the paper by Yulong Huey-Lian(1998). Two things must first be addressed. First, who do these insiders refer to? Secondly, how is insider trading illegal? By definition from the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission(S. E. C. ), insiders are, â€Å"chairmen, directors, officers, etc. , and principal shareholders with 10 percent or more of their own firm’s common stock†. People in these positions are likely to be able to gain access to the firm’s undisclosed information. However, not all insiders trading are illegal. For example, managers of firms can often purchase its own firm’s stocks to increase their own individual share and voting power within the firm. This train of thought also believes that the more stock of the firm the manager holds, the greater their ownership and thus a higher work morale is derived from it. Insiders are still allowed to purchase its own firm’s stock, if they truly believe that it is a good investment. Insider trading becomes illegal however, when trades are made by insiders with the prior knowledge of an announcement for the investor’s personal gain. When an act as such is committed, insider trading becomes illegal. This action is deemed unethical as it is unfair to investors who do not possess the material information. Other transgressions can include the handling of undisclosed firm’s information from a firm’s insider to a public investor. For a trade to occur under the basis of the privileged information, and for the recipient to have personally gained from the trade, both parties can be charged under the S. E. C. ’s regulation of Fair Disclosure. An example of illegal insider trading within banks can be seen from as recently as January 16, 2014, where David Michael Gutman from J. P. Morgan colluded with Christopher John Tyndall from Meyers Associates. As â€Å"long time close personal friends†, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority(FINRA) discovered that Gutman had shared material, undisclosed information with Tyndall over a span of 19 months. This information included pending corporate mergers and acquisition transactions, which allowed Tyndall to make informed, no-risk trading using personal and family accounts. Quoting from Cameron K. Funkhouser, he said, â€Å"David Gutman had the keys to the kingdom through his position at J. P. Morgan as a gatekeeper.. †, we can see to how unethical behaviour driven by an individual in the position of power, can taint the image of the firm. Enforcements have been put in place to prevent and to deter insiders from carrying out such behaviours. The SEC has instituted new rules, 10b5-1 and 10b5-2 under the code of Federal Regulations, and the enforcement of these regulations being made global just recently in 2013 after the insider trading inquiry regarding the acquisition of H. J. Heinz Company. 2) Profits before Ethics The relationship between business ethics and profits can be complicated at times. Profits values will sometimes conflict with ethical values which will lead to unethical business behaviour in the manager’s bid to raise profits within the firm, consequentially affecting the firm’s stakeholders. Watkins (2011) brings about the argument that for those who ethics concerns, the chase of pecuniary values creates a potential compromise between social ethics and profitable opportunities, a factor that links to the Goldman Rule. The rule states that the greater the profitable opportunities, the higher the opportunity cost for the firm to consider ethical behaviours. This is further described by Weber (2006), as he states that companies are not evaluated on their success based on â€Å"their reputation for ethics†, but on the basis of profitability. It is plausible now to see why banks are driven by a sole concern for profit and to raise the value of their stock. With that in mind, what are some ethical boundaries a bank could trespass upon? As a corporation whose sole objective is to increase profit, they carries the potential turn a blind eye to internal ethics; explained in the book by Reynolds (2011) titled, â€Å"Ethics in Investment Banking†, which defines internal ethics as ethical considerations in regards to their employees’ welfare and the considerations in the use of the shareholder resources. These transgressions can range in forms of overworking employees, to an audit coverage of losses to portray a higher stock market price. As individuals looking for greater profits either for self or the firm, especially under the investment wings of banks, individuals can turn rogue and make unauthorised transactions which goes beyond the risk limits of the banks in hope of a greater profit. Jerome Kerviel’s case in 2008; where even the hierarchy turned a blind eye to his risks due to the profit he was generating, and Nick Leeson’s famous collapse of Barings Bank in 1995 are two such examples. Investments in environmentally harmful industries Environmentally harmful projects have been a major factor against Global Warming Awareness efforts. Such investments are being funnelled by banks who are less ethical in the area of sustainability. There have been numerous campaigns to counter banks from investing into unethical projects, some of which protestors even boycotted such banks. Citigroup the world’s largest project finance bank has been known to grant loans to these projects, which are harming the environment. Citigroup was indirectly related to the Camisea pipeline in Peru which has at least 5 spillages along the pipeline to date. Which not only damages the local ecosystems, but also detrimental to the livelihood of people around the world and threatens the well-being of mankind via climate change (Hogue, 2002). A glimpse of such unethical activities reveals something prevalent. It destroys our natural environment, by means of deforestation and the release of harmful gases from the burning of fossil fuels. However, Citigroup has yet see that their funding of major oil drilling and pipe laying companies not only worsens the global warming situation but also encourages environmental insecurity. Several other big-scale European banks, such as Dutch Bank and ABN Amro, came up with a policy which prevented funding of these industries. According to (ABN Amro’s) sustainability policy, â€Å"limited to financing of companies or projects related to timber, paper, agricultural plantations, mining and/or oil and gas. The bank would consider exceptions only â€Å"when extractions are delicately prepared, and holds responsibility on issues of national forest management. † A positive example of how banks can fund environmentally friendly projects can be seen from analysing the Banking Environment Initiative (BEI), it aims to lead the banking industry in directing bank investments towards environmentally and socially sustainable economic development. The objective of the BEI is to also unravel ways to invest in clean energy and soft commodities. As quoted from (CPSL, online), â€Å"the group, currently comprises of 10 global banking institutions which stretches across Asia to Europe, the United States and Latin America. † The best way of creating a united force amongst them was if they were acting on behalf of their clients. Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) has the intention to eliminate deforestation from their supply chain. As such they would prefer to form alliances with banks and work together to counter and ultimately eliminate deforestation. Banks have got to find ways to come up with a significant source of funding to finance the journey to sustainability. 4) False Accounting Frauds False accounting fraud, defined by the United Kingdom’s police, is the practice where a business, works in tandem with an accounting firm to overstate or understate company’s asset or liabilities with the intention of making the business appear financially stronger or healthier than it really is. As there are a multitude of reasons to commit false accounting fraud, we will not be listing all. False accounting allows for a corporation to gain higher credit ratings, report unrealistic profits, and hide losses to appeal to potential shareholders with an inflated share price. Some extraordinary cases which occurred regarding the falsification of accounts are such as the Enron scandal in 2001; where the audit and accountancy firm, Arthur Andersen was involved and convicted of assisting in audit fraud and subsequently dissolved. Enron was declared bankrupt and new laws were instituted to increase the accountability of firms who are auditing to remain independent of the clients whom they audit. Didn’t the code of conduct promise proper handling of UBS’s assets? He first began his illicit deals in late 2008, doing it for personal gains while covering his tracks with false accounting to the back office. This led to the back office being ignorant of the unauthorised trades as the regular books did not show it, instead, the profits were filed into a secret account called his Umbrella. Adoboli’s desk colleagues admitted to being in the know of the secret accounts, and his two bosses did not enquire into the suspicion despite the daily trading maximums being exceeded. This breakdown in corporate beliefs at the managerial level led to the unethical trading arising within the ranks of the department, and it going by unnoticed. While the integrity of the individual must be questioned, the work culture of UBS could be a factor to encourage the individual to behave unethically. Since the incident, UBS has taken a few measures to facilitate the new risk management practices. Firstly, the bank has taken step to refrain from proprietary trading. A bank would engage in proprietary trading as it benefits firms to make extra revenue. However, the disadvantage of engaging in this form of trading is that with high returns, often comes high risks. Conclusion In summary, how ethical management is derived has no hard and fast rule. However, implementations such as a Code of Conduct, or a company policy helps in setting the tone right within an organization. Through the paper, it is seen how ethical dilemmas can arise on an individual level or an organizational level. If one were to follow the many trains of thoughts regarding ethical management, they would get lost in the plethora of unions and activist fighting for ethical beliefs.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Need for More Artful and Realistic Porn Essay Example for Free

Need for More Artful and Realistic Porn Essay 1. Introduction For a long time, pornography has been viewed as something exclusively for men. In the 1980’s, pornography was a feminist issue in which feminists claimed that pornography was a form of violence against women (Sun et al., 2008). Often enough, it has been claimed that women do not have any interest in explicit representations of sex. However, in the past years, women have increasingly started to become interested in pornography. But most pornographic materials are made for and by men. However, there are even some pornography magazines aimed at women readers (Smith, 2007). Not only the consumption of porn, but also the production and direction of pornography seem to be activities where women are involved in more than ever before. Pornography has been a subject of philosophy for a number of philosophers. Some of them, including Larry May, believe pornography harms groups of people. In contrast to Larry May, Sallie Tisdale argues that pornography can be of help to individuals. THESIS: There should be different kinds of porn (more artistic/realistic/made by womenmore artistic) so that porn has no negative effects / to enlarge the positive effects of porn / abolish / diminish the negative effects. 2. Exposition -How porn can help Tisdale argues that porn can help in many different ways. First of all, she emphasizes that porn is part of our sexuality. The first advantage Tisdale discusses is that porn can help to see how many different things sex can mean. Secondly, being able to expose your true self makes it easier to expose yourself to others. Thirdly, being exposed to pornography helps letting go judgments about yourself, which, in turn, makes you let go of judgments against the desires and acts of others. Also, porn clarifies your interests (only aware of it after exposure to it) and might create new interests. It reveals aspects of yourself that you were unaware of until then. The last advantage of porn Tisdale discusses is that it can lead to the realization that none of your thoughts are bad, that anything goes. -How negative affects/emotions can get in the way of porn’s helpfulness Even though Tisdale argues that porn can help individuals, she is still sometimes surprised, or even shocked, by her own reaction to pornography. Shame Disgust of own response to porn ‘Disliked my own response’ ‘I felt a heady mix of disgust and excitement’ (p. 423) Body versus mind. Depressed Nausea Why does she even have these reactions? 3. Furthering Tisdale’s project Tisdale wishes for a more craft, a more artful packaging of pornography. (p 426) Furthering Tisdale’s project by establishing how porn could be less negative by being more artful or more artistic. Richard Summer’s ‘Local Porn Project’. Summer desires more realistic porn. He wants people to be able to identify themselves and recognize what is happening in porn. He argues that right now, porn is detached from reality. This is a problem, because sex is actually a very real thing with real benefits, experiences and consequences. Porn right now, does not express sexuality in the right way. Summer’s Local Porn project aims to make thoughtful and genuine porn. Will more artful/realistic porn help to prevent these negative emotions? Tisdale wishes for more artful pornography. There are two ways in which this can be realized: either by making more realistic porn or by having more female directors and producers. As aforementioned, Women are now making films for women viewers. Sun et al. (2008) investigated how the context of pornography made by female and men directors differ. Their results show that, indeed, the content of pornography produced by women differs significantly on several aspects from pornography made produced by men. Pornography produced by women more frequently contained objects designed for genital stimulation. It presented women performing oral sex on men and ejaculation on the face and mouth less frequently. Also, pornography made by women more frequently has a female as main character and more frequently show only women. Pornography produced by men hardly ever contained women only. Female directed porn and male directed porn did not differ in the number of aggressive acts. However, male directed pornography show twice as many men perpetrating. Overall, one can say that pornography produces by  women and men differ significantly.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Looking At Classroom Etiquette English Language Essay

Looking At Classroom Etiquette English Language Essay A classroom environment is different from most social environments that a student may encounter in his academic life. What is expected of me? is a question most commonly asked by every student. Students who differ in personality, interests, learning styles, and levels of thinking can be seen in any class. In such a situation and for the smooth running of a class, certain rules, regulations, moral standards, and procedures are created and have to be strictly followed by students in classrooms. The guidelines that have to be followed by students to maintain acceptable classroom environment are known as Classroom Etiquettes. Classroom rules can be made by the institution or by the instructor; however, it is always helpful to maintain appropriate classroom situations. As a student, this is expected of you irrespective of: Who you are Where you are from What your ability is What your motivational level is What your personality is A student is expected to maintain and follow rules and regulations which are put forward for the best of all. Top Classroom Etiquettes Arrive to Class on Time There are always going to be days when a previous professor keeps you late, or you wake up late, or it takes you too long to find a parking space, but the point here is do not be habitually late to class. Whether you mean it or not, regularly arriving late to the class, signals a level of disrespect to the class and the teacher. If you have problems getting to class on time, find a way to solve them. And on those rare days when you do arrive late, remember to enter the room by excusing yourself softly and quietly and not make a big scene. Turn Off Your Cell Phone Most beepers and cell phones can be set to vibrate rather than produce a sound, so they should be less of a problem.   These devices should be turned off if they cannot be set to a silent mode.   Some phones are pretty noisy even on vibrate.   Of course, you should not answer your cell phone during class.   If you are expecting a really important call (e.g., wife going into labor, call for an interview), then it might be a good idea to inform the instructor before class so its less of a distraction if you leave the classroom to take the call. You should also sit near a door so you can make an unobtrusive exit. Computers and recording equipment Few students ask permission to take their class notes on a laptop or to record the lectures.   This depends on the circumstances and you should definitely ask the instructor in advance.   Researchers have found that it has been impractical in most cases to use a computer to take meeting notes and it would not be allowed to record most meetings.   Thus, learning to take good notes is an important skill to have even outside the classroom.   More students seem to be using laptops for class.   Unfortunately, if a wireless connection is available in classrooms, the students may surf websites or perform tasks other than taking class notes with their laptops.   Again, such activities are likely distracting to those around the student (e.g., those sitting behind who see something unrelated to the course on the computer screen) as well as the instructor.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Be Attentive in Class If you are going to make the effort to arrive on time and be in class, you should also make the effort to stay actively engaged in class. Some professors report observing students reading the student newspaper or even reading a textbook for a different class; some report seeing students completing homework for their next class. Flaunting your boredom or disinterest in the class is rude and very inappropriate. Finally, avoid falling asleep in class or staring out the window. Sitting in the Class Inappropriate ways of sitting is another poor etiquette shown by students. Some students stretch as if they are out of bed. Putting legs apart is very annoying. Laying with the head on the desk, as if somebody is reading a bedtime story. Yawning, is equal to saying to the instructor, please cut off I cannot stand your boring class. Do Not Bring Food or Drink to Class In many classroom buildings, food is not even allowed, so youre not only displaying poor etiquette, but actually breaking a rule. Make time outside of class to have a meal or a snack not in class. Many professors do tolerate drinks, such as water, coffee, soda but make certain of the professors policy before bringing your drink to class. Contribute to the Class Discussion When Appropriate Just about all professors appreciate a strong dialogue in the classroom, but not when the comments are unwanted or inappropriate. Do respond when the professor seeks input or asks for questions or discussion. Dont interrupt the professor or another student, and dont dominate the discussion let other people have a chance to talk and contribute to the dialogue. Talking in Class   There are two aspects to this.   First, conversations need to stop when the instructor is ready to begin class.   This certainly doesnt mean that there has to be dead silence the second the instructor enters the room.   Most instructors take a few moments to arrange books and notes, check or prepare computer or other equipment, or have brief conversations with teaching assistants or students.   Even so, when the instructor makes it clear that class is starting, other conversations should be quickly finished.   Second, there may be times when one needs to ask a question of a person sitting nearby.    Brief, and quiet, comments along the lines of What was that point? or Was that argument correct? are certainly understandable.   You should not, however, carry on conversations in class.   This is true even if they happen to be related to the topic.   Even if such conversations are relatively quiet and do not seem to disturb anyone nearby, they can be distracting to the instructor, not to mention rude. Dress code There are particular problems in classes related to the dress. This is not always about the fashion, but about the local culture. No dress that may disrespect the culture and values of the nation should be worn by a student. The dress should not signal any disrespect to the instructor. No micro/minis or revealing clothes for the females and no boxer shorts or shorts above the knees and half selves tea-shirts revealing their arm pits are allowed in the classrooms. ADU has a clear dress code that students must follow. Therefore, any style of dress that violates the Universitys dress code policy should be avoided. Addressing the Professor Properly Many faculties are insulted when students do not address them properly. Many full-time university faculty members have a doctorate degree and have earned the right to be addressed as Dr. Smith rather than Mr. or Ms. Smith, but Mr. or Ms. should mainly be used for those without a PhD or other doctorate.   This will mostly apply to TAs or new faculty who may not have finished their degree.   Doctor will be correct for anyone with a doctorate. Professor is correct for anyone with a doctorate on the faculty.   That will include all ranks of professor (assistant, associate, full, and visiting).   The choice between Doctor and Professor is mainly a matter of personal choice.   Your best clue will likely be how the person lists his or her name on the syllabus or during an initial introduction.   Also, many TAs will invite you to refer to them by their first names. (Professors might as well.)   Thats fine, but until you are invited to do so be a bit more formal.   Better to b e invited to be less formal than to be corrected for being overly familiar. Stay for the Entire Class There may be times when you need to leave class early, but do not make a habit of doing so. If you do need to leave class early, the best solution is to alert the professor ahead of time and then discretely leave the classroom so as not to disturb the other students. If you do need to leave early pick a seat close to the door to make a quick and quiet exit. Avoid Signaling, Sending Signs That Class Time is up Students must not attempt to signal that class is over by shutting their books loudly, unzipping and zipping their bags and otherwise making noises that class time is complete. Some students actually get up and walk out of class. Of course, some professors make a habit of going over class time, but most of them know how to tell time and most of them have a watch or other ways to tell time. It is presumptuous and rude for the student to tell the professor that class is over. If your professor does seem to have a problem with ending class on time, chat with him or her outside of class especially if it is making you late for your next class. Contact the Professor When You Have to Miss Class When you have to miss class for legitimate reasons or when you miss class because of illness, try to contact the professor and inform him/her of your absence. You may even be able to obtain copies of lecture notes or schedule a meeting during office hours to discuss what you missed. Do not, however, ask the professor in class to go over material you missed (for whatever reasons). And when alerting the professor about having to miss a class, do not begin the conversation with the awful question, are we doing anything important in the next class because I have to miss it? (If the professor was not planning to do anything, the class would probably be canceled, right?) Proper classroom etiquette should be common sense for most students. Being courteous will predispose the professor to like/respect you and set an example for other less-informed students. *******************************************

Islam and Christianity :: Religion Religious Chirstian Islamic Essays

Islam and Christianity There are hundreds of religions in this world. Of them two are the most prominent. Islam and Christianity. It is averaged that there are 750 million people practicing Islam, and another 1 billion practicing Christianity. The start of Islam is actually derived form Christianity, history books indicates that one night in the year 610, the first of many revelations came to Muhammad from God by way of the angel Gabriel (In Christianity this is the same Angel which brings the news of Jesus' birth, Jesus of course is the founder of Christianity). The message Muhammad received told him that there was but one God (Identical to the inception of the Ten Commandments), not many gods, as most Arabs believed. This God was creator of the world (In Christianity, it's documented in Genesis Chapter 1 verse 1, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth), and He would one day judge mankind (This is also true in Christianity: "The Lord will judge his people." Hebrews 10:30). Both of these re ligions share almost the same framework, but they also differ in many ways. The word Islam means "surrender" or "submission," submission to the will of Allah, the one God. Muslims are those who have submitted themselves. The basic creed of Islam is brief: There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah. Islam teaches that there is one God, the creator and sustainer of the universe. This God, Allah, is compassionate and just. Because He is compassionate, He calls all people to believe in Him and worship Him. Because He is also just, on the Last Day He will judge every person according to his deeds. On the Last Day, all the dead will be resurrected and either rewarded with heaven or punished with hell. In Christianity one of the Ten Commandments states that "I am the Lord you God.....you shall have no other gods before me", also identical to Islam God is considered the creator of the universe, and he is also just. On the last day, or judgment day, the same holds true as in Islam in the Christian beliefs, the dead will be resurrected and either rewarded with heaven or punished with hell. Mankind is regarded as the crown of creation, entrusted by God with management of the whole created order. In Christianity this was Adam, who had dominion over all the animals and beasts of the earth.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Essay --

Nathan Vail November 8, 2013 Dr. Reeve Meaning and Language: Plato’s Cratylus Plato was a pioneer in nearly all the topics philosophers have dealt with ever since the 4th century BCE. Language is no exception. Plato was perhaps the first person to tackle the philosophy of language in the Cratylus, a subject that, since the German philosopher and logician Gottlob Frege, analytic philosophers have been extremely interested in language. The dialogue doesn’t tackle all of the problems of language, but it directs its attention toward the questions: How to words get meaning? Do they exist a priori in nature or do we agree on the basis of convention? To answer this question is to show how words (or symbols) get their power to communicate and to establish something fundamental about what language is. The obvious starting point is that someone has to say that a sound represents a particular item. If I say, â€Å"Guhgaska,† that means nothing, it is gibberish. But if I say the name â€Å"Plato,† then that has meaning, especially if the listener know s what that sound/symbol is a reference to. In this paper I plan on showing that Socrates encourages Cratylus to adopt some of Hermogenes’ views, and vice versa, through a conversational dialectic that adopts both points for consideration (which are unmistakably sophist). What Socrates concludes the dialogue with is a mixture of naturalist and conventional claims, and nominalist and realist philosophies. Cratylus was a devout follower of Heraclitus, the ancient Greek philosopher who said that you can’t step into the same river once, and you can’t talk about things because they keep changing—you can only point at them with your finger. As we are introduced to Cratylus, we discover that he thinks a name is ... ...(making them concede to certain points to the other’s argument), language is then naturalistic and conventional, and this, it turns out, is the most logical and pragmatic approach. There may be an arbiter of words and grammar, but not even she or he can stop words that spring naturally into existence. For example, every language has some form of onomatopoeia, but in different languages the sounds they are trying to imitate vary wildly. In one way, Cratylus is correct in assuming that words and symbols have a nature and attempt to represent objects in the external world. Yet imitation cannot match the original â€Å"form† of the object—so there is a degree of failure. The rest of the language is dictated by convention (numbers, grammar, etc.) and through the dialectic between Cratylus and Hermogenes, Socrates creates a marriage between nominalist and realist philosophy.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Appeasement Essay -- essays research papers

The 1920s had a good outlook towards peace, but near the end of the decade and throughout the 1930s signs of war were forming. Leaders arose in countries that were unsatisfied with the results of World War I. Germany, Italy, and Japan took aggressive actions, and neither the League of Nations nor the democratic countries were stopping them. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain suggested the policy of appeasement towards Hitler to keep peace. Europe moved closer to war as these actions were made. World War II had propelled with the lack of judgement by the League of Nations by continuous appeasing Hitler. September 3, 1939 was when the world plunged into World War II. The main reason for the cause of this war was the policy of appeasement. Before the war started, In October 1935, Mussolini ordered a massive invasion of Ethiopia. After Italy attacked, Haile Selassie, leader of Ethiopia, asked the League of Nations for help. In document 2, Haile Selassie, requested the League of Nations help stop the invasion and when the League’s response was ineffective he said, â€Å" God and history will remember your judgement†¦It is us today. It will be you tomorrow.† By now, Hitler came to power and was leading the Nazi’s in the Third Reich. They had also became the largest political party. In March 1935, the Fuhrer (Hitler) announced that Germany would not obey the restrictions of the Versailles Treaty. The League of Nations only issued a mild warning for the rebuilding of Germany’s a...

Saturday, August 17, 2019

How does knowledge of the foundations and history of nursing provide a context in which to understand current practice? Essay

In order to be a success in anything, one needs to have a foundation. Children’s foundations are created by their parents. Concrete manmade objects have deep structural foundations. Beliefs such as religious or spiritual beliefs are less tangible. But like nursing, the history and the role models that came before us are the foundations upon which we continue to practice. Through trial and error and through painstaking groundwork, our founders such as Florence Nightingale and others (†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.20..) have provided the foundation for the future growth of nursing. I noticed three trends from the required timeline reading: Florence Nightingale looked at trends affecting the health and healing of patients. By doing so, she help to reform how the health organization looked at sanitary conditions, thereby improving the infection rate (Creasia & Friberg, 2011). The research for the containment of infectious microbes continues today. In the last year or so, the new policy â€Å"gel in, gel out† has been implemented in many hospitals as they discovered that nurses often did not wash their hands between patients. Antiseptic gel has been placed just inside every patient room, along with being in the corridors. Another trend that began way back when and continues today is the need for continuing education in nursing. Linda Richards (nee 1841-1930) received the first diploma in nursing, and went on to organize schools for further the education of women. (†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦) These women were already tending to the sick, but by enriching their knowledge, they became better caregivers. Today, the trend continues. There is a push for all nurses to get their BSN’s. To understand the theory behind their actions will improve healthcare outcomes. Isabel Adam Hampton Robb was the first president of the American Nurses Association. She recognized the power that nurses have if they unite in their beliefs. She was a founder of the American Journal of Nursing (NursingWorld, 2013), which still exists today. The American Nurses Association and its peer reviewed journal, NursingWorld also remain in existence. These journals continues to inform and educate the nursing profession with current information, new polices and theories. These trends show us that the nursing profession is an ever changing profession, that need to evolve with our ever changing society.

Friday, August 16, 2019

located in Rosemount

The farm is located in Rosemount. Linstead, St Catherine. The distance from the farmer’s house to his farm is 200ft and about half mile from the town of Linstead. The size of the farm The size of the Rosemount farm is eight hectares which includes 6 sections of plots used to plant various crops. This is the usual size of small farms in the Caribbean because small farms size usually range from zero to ten hectares. Markets Britain and other European countries have traditionally been the main export markets for Caribbean agriculture. Due to increased competition, the Caricom market has become more important for regional agriculture.In Jamaica, small scale farmers mainly market their crops in the following ways: Directly to supermarkets such as: Shoppers Fair, and Hi-Lo. Higglers that come mainly from around the St Catherine area, includes Spanish town and Linstead. Directly to hotels some of which include: Altamont Court Hotel, Terra Nova All Suit Hotel, The Liguanea Club and Th e Spanish Court Hotel. Selling at monthly farmers market which is coordinated by Rural Agriculture Development Authority (R. A. D. A). To manufacturing companies like Grace Kennedy Ltd Directly to consumersThe produce from Rosemount farm is marketed in the following ways: Directly to higglers and export to the Caricom of Antigua and Barbuda The Caricom market has proven to very profitable for the Rosemount farmer and therefore allows him to adequately take care of his family, workers and will enable him to use some of the profits for future expansion of his farm. Labour Rosemount farm employs four female workers to assist with farming activities. No family member is employed to the farm. Additional labour is required on the farm to assist with the following farming activities.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Grade Speech Essay

From the minute the teacher mentioned the word SPEECHES i started to frown. I have never been a big fan speeches from the start, even though i have been doing them for a few years now i still have trouble with them. Whether its coming up with a topic, revising and editing, or presenting in front of the class i don’t like it one bit. But when you think of it who really does like doing speeches at are age. I have never met someone who has started jumping up and down cheering when they hear the teacher start talking about doing speeches. Or someone who started thinking yaaa i get stand up in front of all my friends and my classmates and talk about one subject for 5 to 6 minutes. But in the end we all have to do it one time or another. Knowing that I start thinking of different topics to do my speech on, and then i think why not do a speech on the very thing i have trouble with. Why not do a speech on doing a speech. So here’s my speech on speeches. The first step on creating your speech is too come up with a good topic. You wanna think of something that isn’t too boring. The last thing you want is to be standing there talking with half of the room falling asleep. You want a topic that is something your audience will find interesting or maybe something they can relate to. If your like me, coming up with the right topic to do your speech on can be challenging sometimes. So here are some things to keep in mind while finding a good topic for you. First thing is that the topic you choose has to be one that either you know a lot on or one that will be easy to research. If you cant get information on it then you wont have anything to talk about. Second thing to keep in mind is that you need to make sure the topic is appropriate for whatever audience you will be presenting to. Third thing is that another way to help think of a topic is to brainstorm. You can brainstorm many different ideas then choose the one you want to do most . The next part to do of the writhing section of your speech is the draft. this is one of the parts that takes the most work. The most important thing to keep in mind while writing your draft is that it’s a draft! A rough copy. You can go back and fix things later when you don’t like what u have written. There should be three parts to your speech. #1 the introduction. #2 the body. #3 the conclusion. The introduction is where it all starts. That’s where you have your opening sentence. You want your opening sentence to be something interesting that will grab the audiences attention and make them want to keep on listening to the speech. A good introduction is the way to start off a good speech the body of your speech is the middle. Its the biggest part of the whole thing. Then there’s your conclusion. Its the ending part of speech, the part where you Finnish up and conclude. Now its time to revise and edit.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Evaluation of Maladaptive Behavior Essay

Maladaptive behavior is commonly observed in children who have troubled family lives or low self esteem (Maladaptive Behavior, 2003). In this case, there could be several reasons that the child is exhibiting and engaging in maladaptive behavior related to his environment at home. Using a variety of theories of moral development as well as a question-answer evaluation of the parenting styles of the child’s parents, the maladaptive behavior seen in the child as well as a solution will try to be understood. Different types of maladaptive behavior are attributed to different problems. While most parents simply believe that their child is misbehaving, maladaptive behavior is usually classified in groupings such as attention-seeking or revengeful, behavior inappropriateness (Maladaptive Behavior, 2003). The child being observed exhibits both types of maladaptive behavior, which can most likely be explained by moral development theories and poor parenting. For the behaviors such as repeating swear words, throwing food on the floor, drawing on the walls, and screaming in public, it is most likely a result of a self esteem or attention-seeking issue. The child is trying to get in trouble to get attention from the parents (Maladaptive Behavior, 2003). The child knows these behaviors are bad as Kohlberg states, â€Å"younger school-aged children tend to think either in terms of concrete, unvarying rules†¦or in terms of the rules of society†(Feldman, 2011; p. 311). However, the child also knows that participating in these behaviors will result in attention from the parents. The child is obviously aware that these actions are not societally accepted because it is likely that they have not observed them in their teachers, parents or other powerful authority figures (Feldman, 2011). In this area of maladaptive behavior, it would seem that the parents might have an uninvolved parenting style. To determine if this is true, the parents should be asked questions about their involvement with the child and how concerned they are with aspects of his development other than their role as a provider. The following questions would suffice: Do you believe that your only job is to feed, clothe, and shelter your child? (Feldman, 2011) Is there any child abuse or neglect in the family? (Feldman, 2011) How involved with your child would you say you are on a day-to-day basic, specifically related to disciplining their behavior? (Feldman, 2011) These would all be important to ask because if their answers indicate that they are neglectful, uninvolved in disciplinary as well as other areas of development, or confused on their role as a parent, they may be uninvolved parents. According to the textbook, â€Å"Children whose parents show uninvolved parenting styles are the worst off†¦their parents’ lack of involvement disrupts their emotional development, leading them to feel unloved†(Feldman, 2011; p. 317). This could make them act out in an attempt to get the attention of their indifferent or detached parents. The reasons behind the child’s behavior of hitting other children in daycare and ignoring direct commands from parents may be more along the lines of revengeful maladaptive behavior as it is intentional causation of harm to another student or person (Maladaptive Behavior, 2003). According to Piaget, children in the heteronomous stage, which happens in the early years of childhood, believe in immanent justice, â€Å"the notion that rules that are broken earn immediate punishment†(Feldman, 2011; p. 309). For this child, it is possible that he does not understand that his behavior is unacceptable even if he is mad at another student. This is probably the result of permissive parenting by the parents. The student most likely has never known that his behavior is bad because permissive parents such as his â€Å"provide lax and inconsistent feedback†¦and place little or no limits or control on their childrens behavior† (Feldman, 2011; p.316). To determine if this is true of the parents’ style of discipline the following questions could be asked: Do you expect a lot from your child in the areas of behavior? Would you ever be punitive or clear and consistent in your limits with your child? It they answer that they have few expectations, would rarely limit their children, or are inconsistent with their discipline it is possible that their permissiveness is causing the child to act badly in school and disregard their correction when it is given. Based on the observation of the parenting styles the child sees at home as well as the information from the moral development theories, it is clear that the parents are most likely at fault for their child’s maladaptive behavior. If they want their child to correct his behavior, they should engage in more authoritative parenting as children raised in this parenting style â€Å"fare best†¦are independent, friendly with peers, and cooperative† (Feldman, 2011; p.317). The parent should, as a part of this parenting style, be firm and set clear and consistent limits on their children. Additionally, induction, or discipline paired with explanation, can also be used so the child knows what they did and why it was wrong and can correct it in the future (Lee, 2013). References Feldman, R.S. (2011). Life span development: A topical approach. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Lee, M. (2013, April 1). Class #28: Prosocial Behavior, Values, and Spirituality. GPSYCH 160: Life Span Human Development – Section 8. Lecture conducted from James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA. Maladaptive Behavior. (2003). Retrieved April 8, 2013, from http://disease.disease.com/Therapy/Behavior/maladaptive-behavior.html

An Ethical Analysis of the Use of Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sport Assignment

An Ethical Analysis of the Use of Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sport - Assignment Example This paper illustrates that John Mill introduced ‘utilitarianism’, a consequentialistic theory that sees good behavior or actions as those that generate the ‘greatest good for the greatest number of people’. This theory supports the knowledge about the outcomes of actions and of abiding by norms or standards encouraging these principles. Utilitarianism largely argues that the morally correct decision is the decision that generates the greatest good. There are numerous ways to explain this overall argument. One aspect worth mentioning is that the perspective is a kind of consequentialism, which states that the correct action is viewed wholly in relation to the outcomes generated. There are two forms of utilitarianism-- act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism. The difference between these two lies in how or where they are used. Act utilitarianism is used in the process of choosing a specific action under a given situation, whereas rule utilitarianism is use d in the selection of a cluster of guidelines, which are consequently exercised to choose a particular action in a given situation. Act utilitarianism argues that an action or behavior becomes morally correct when it generates the most good for most people, whereas rule utilitarianism claims that the moral rightness of a decision relies on the rightness of the guidelines that enable it to attain the highest good. Act utilitarianism is the conviction that it is fine to violate a rule so long as it creates a higher good, whereas rule utilitarianism argues that even if a principle cannot generate a higher good, violating it will not either. Rule utilitarianism is a reaction to several of the main criticisms against act utilitarianism.