Thursday, October 31, 2019

Psp go Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Psp go - Essay Example According to Joseph Schumpeter (Schumpeter), an entrepreneur may innovate in the form of new products, new production methods, new markets or new forms of organization. However, entrepreneurship does not just involve owning a small business. Firstly, there has to be some innovation. Secondly, entrepreneurs take much bigger risk and the gains are much higher. However, not all entrepreneurial ventures may be successful. The success of the business or idea depends on a number of factors. A lot of people have researched on different entrepreneurial setups and have looked into what makes an entrepreneur successful. In this research paper we shall analyze the process of entrepreneurship from different angles and identify the key factors which relate to the success or failure of the entrepreneurial venture. The organization that we have selected for this project is Sony (SCEI). This is because Sony is quite famous for its innovative products and technologies. Over the years Sony has releases some of the breathtaking inventions of today and is considered to be a pioneer in developing new ideas. Sony is also famous for its entrepreneurial culture and environment which supports innovation within the organization. Further, the product that we have selected is their PSP Go, which is a unique handheld gaming console for kids and adults. Sony’s Game business venture is made up of game software and consoles offered by the Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporation (SCEI).The current global digital lifestyle has lead to the innovation and evolution of portable digital games to match. Based on Sony’s Corporation five year strategy, (Sony’s Annual Report 2009, p.23), Sony Computer Entertainment unveiled PSP- GO (Play Station Portable go) in Tokyo on June 3rd 2009 which was made available in stores as from 1st October 2009.PSP go is a new evolution of handheld digital entertainment system, uniquely

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

The Internet and the Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

The Internet and the Law - Essay Example If we look at the traditional model, those are more focused on the producer and distributor of the content. However, in the regulation the law has been amended in such a way that it holds the end user also accountable for any illegal content. The main aim of this article is to bring out the clear picture and the reason for which the regulation of the pornography has been made. This article is written in order to analyze the basis of the regulation of pornography. Though with the regulation the end users are also liable to possess illegal content or pornography, the legal regulation of the extreme pornography still lies with the producer and distributor of the content. In today's world of information technology and internet pornography has reached every nook and corner of the world. Every person is in the easy access of the pornography - whether it is online or offline. If we look at pornography from a different perspective, one question that comes to our mind is if it harmful or not. In some countries pornography is illegal. However, in some countries, possession of the same is not illegal but the distribution or publication is.2 In some countries possession is also illegal for certain types of pornography - like child pornography. In today's world there are various channels through which the pornographic contents are being circulated. The traditional delivery channels are print materials, DVDs, videos, CDs, TV. In the modern times internet, mobile phones, PDAs are also being included as the channel for the transmission. Censorship in the United Kingdom If we look at the censorship in the United Kingdom, there are many stringent laws that are applicable to varied arena. Since our core topic is related to the laws and regulations in the cyber or internet laws, let us straight away head towards the topic. The cyber law in the United Kingdom is very stringent. In the United Kingdom, the internet traffic is being passed through a service called Cleanfeed. The sole purpose of this procedure is to filter out the content that contains the indecent photographs of children of varied ages.3 Since there is a filter or check point being introduced, if there are any such pages that come up in the internet, the page is not delivered to the end user. Instead of that it shows an error stating "URL not found". There are many internet service providers who use WebMinder as well.4 There are few questions that we need to have clarify. Under the English Law, what is called as obscenity? This one question is very important to know. Along with that, to what extent can the obscene be distinguished from the pornographic? Look at the Coroners and Justice Act 2009, s62. How does this UK statutory provision compare with the relevant provision elsewhere internationally? Does extreme pornography regulation merit a different treatment in comparison to child pornography? What alternatives might there be for the regulation of undesirable online content? Could such altern atives provide a better solution to legal intervention? A Multi-Layered Approach Before we talk about the multi-layer approach of governance of pornography and child pornography, we need to know the processes by which pornography and child pornography can be regulated. The regulation of pornography is a controversial topic and the same is arisen in the recent years in relation with the Internet. In the recent days, the

Sunday, October 27, 2019

The Spread Of Disease Around The World

The Spread Of Disease Around The World The increased movement of both goods and people increases opportunities for the spread of disease around the world. There are also concerns about the following: potential public health problems due to market liberalisation, the emergence of new diseases globally and worsening of existing ones due to climate change and governmental oversight over economic policies that can affect spending on healthcare. International cooperation as a result of globalisation has also had a great impact on health practices in many countries including Europe. You are a health care worker in a management position at the WHO office in Geneva employed as medical technician responsible for supervising WHO activities in some central European countries. Globalization describes increased global integration in the economic, social, technological, cultural, political and ecological spheres. It is the product of the emergence of the global economy, expansion of transnational linkages between economic units creating new forms of collective decision making, development of intergovernmental and quasi-supranational institutions, intensification of transnational communications and the creation of new regional and military orders. [Hershock, Mason Hawkins, 2007, p.30] Over many centuries, human societies across the globe have established progressively closer contacts. Recently, the pace of global integration has dramatically increased. Unprecedented changes in communications, transportation, and computer technology have given the process new drive and made the world more interdependent than ever. Multinational corporations manufacture products in many countries and sell to consumers around the world. Money, technology and raw materials move e ver more swiftly across national borders. Along with products and finances, ideas and cultures circulate more freely. As a result, laws, economies, and social movements are forming at the international level. Globalization is characterized by the circulation of goods and services between countries in response to criteria of efficiency. Such multilateral agreements between countries, unfortunately, often function to the detriment of the countries with less developed economies. Nevertheless, trade can also benefit developing countries. Outsourcing is one situation in which developing countries that are able to adopt standards, processes, and language of developed countries can benefit from the liberalization of the movement of goods and services. By undertaking some or all components of production or service provision for clients/consumers in the developed country, some economic benefits may occur to the developing country where the outsourced service is provided. But what, we might ask, is the impact of the process of globalization generally and outsourcing more particularly in the health care sector? The movement of professionals in general tends to be detrimental to poorer countries. There are two aspects to this. The most classic is the settlement of young professionals, originally from less developed countries, in more developed countries from which they have graduated with professional credentials. A second phenomenon is the policy of some rich countries, who because they lack doctors and nurses, try to recruit recently trained graduates from poorer countries. The movement of professionals in this way is facilitated by systems that recognize degrees internationally. We foresee at least two issues that should be considered. The first is the potential of such developments to improve the quality in health care within the world. The second relates to issues of access to health care and the ethical dimensions associated [Villa-Caballero L. Globalization and bioethics in health resources (Spanish). Gac Med Mex 2004; 140 (1): 103-106]. Developing international standards in medical education and health care delivery can help improving quality in health care all over the world. Nevertheless, two questions remain. To what extent can one be sure that international standards can be created that will fit the cultural, social, and economical contexts of very different countries? It is often assumed that, simply demonstrating compliance with quality processes, will lead to a result (of the education or of the treatment) that will be the same, whatever the country or the professionals involved. But to what extent can we be sure that applying, for example, North American (or European, or for that matter African or Asian) procedures and quality rules in other countries will lead to adequate quality? Without doubt, globalization poses risks to global health, but it also provides benefits. And although many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) decry the negative effects of increasing globalization, they have also clearly benefited from it to improve healthcare delivery and health policy in many developing countries. A recent key contribution of the global NGO movement lies with the adoption of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). NGOs had an essential and vital role at the local, national and international levels in all development phases of the FCTC (Mackay, 2003) (Mackay J (2003) The making of a convention on tobacco control. Bull WHO 81: 551), and their contribution continues as they actively work with countries in the FCTC ratification process. Globalization has also brought about improvements in research methodology, and some argue that clinical research has become more sophisticated as a result (Wassenaar, 2003) Wassenaar W (2003) Providing services globally: the experience of an internet pharmacy. Healthc Pap 4: 69à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢74. Other benefits of globalization include cross-border use of health services that benefit patients and provide much needed resources to national health systems (Jain, 2003) (Jain SC (2003) Globalization of medical services: antidote for rising costs. Healthc Pap 4: 39à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢44)and improved regulatory practices (Wassenaar, 2003) Wassenaar W (2003) Providing services globally: the experience of an internet pharmacy. Healthc Pap 4: 69à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢74. Finally, one should not underestimate the power of knowledge as it empowers populations and individuals and, in turn, allows them to hold to account their political and professional leaders (Ellis, 2003) (Ellis P (2003) Globalization of healthcare: a UK perspective. Healthc Pap 4: 45à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢49). (word count: 659) Assess the influence of international institutions in healthcare settings The term globalization describes the integration of economic systems through improved communication, but it also represents increased insecurity for those with few resources particularly refugees. This article examines why people migrate, their numbers, constraints on their movement and their particular health care needs. Immigrants have much to contribute to their recipient countries, but at some loss to their homelands. Both economically and morally, more liberal immigration policies would be beneficial. Policies towards asylum seekers should not be more restrictive in the aftermath of 11 September 2001 and detention should be the exception rather than the rule. Globalization should be managed so as to improve peoples lives throughout the world. Quantifying the effect of the EU on the healthcare sector is impossible. For every concrete example, such as the standardization of pacemakers or urinary catheters, there is an intangible one where the benefits cannot be measured. How, for example, do you measure the benefit of the EU-supported exchange and cooperation among hospitals, medical schools, and universities? European Union-funded programs, such as the Socrates-Erasmus Program to promote exchange of teachers and students, and the Leonardo da Vinci Program supporting exchange between healthcare professionals, have unforeseen spin-offs. Health telematics is another huge domain where there has been extensive collaboration. Electronic healthcare records, common European health cards, international data exchange, and the plethora of high-tech telemedicine projects the scope and potential for co-operation and exchange if not total harmonization are endless. The greatest challenge facing the EU, however, is undoubtedly European enlargement. To join the club, applicant countries need to meet stringent requirements. In its turn, the EU, and its institutions, will have to transform into a more transparent and workable entity. Considerations other than health will continue to dominate its business for the foreseeable future. But striving to create greater equality between western Europe and the poorly resourced member states of central and eastern Europe (with their notably worse morbidity and mortality) is a challenge to rise to. For what is the European dream about, if not that? (word count: 337) Evaluate the impact of European Union membership on workplace health practices. The European Union (EU) is obliged to improve public health and to ensure a high level of health protection in all fields of Community policy. In a few areas, namely workplace health and safety and consumer protection, it is even entitled to set minimum standards for the Member States. However, even in the few fields where the EU exerts explicit regulatory authority, it only plays a subsidiary role, limited to promoting cooperation among Member States and complementing national policies. In general it is only allowed to take action where European activity is supposed to produce better results, rather than act at the Member State level. Moreover, member states still retain the competence to shape their national health care systems, e.g. the organization of health care delivery including the institutional organization of care and the division of labor among the various occupational groups. Nevertheless, the EU is not unimportant in the field of health policy. The EU derives its influence mainly from the provisions of the Common Market and the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). The creation of the Common Market in 1992 not only provided for the free movement of capital and goods, but also of people and services, the so-called four freedoms. These principles also apply specifically to the health care sector. Therefore, the authority of Member States to shape their health care systems cannot be equated with unlimited freedom of action. The European Court of Justice has ruled that Member States must abide by the principles of free movement of goods, services, capital, and persons when exercising their authority. Thus, economic integration limits the member states freedom of action in health policy. The current text analyzes the effects of European integration on transnational migration of health professionals and the attempts to regulate it. Finally, some countries have restricted the immediate unlimited free movement for employees from the newly admitted member states because of concerns that the job market may not be able to handle immigration from neighboring countries. Thus, Germany and Austria have introduced a five-year transition period during which immigration from Member States is not allowed. This period may be extended for another two years. Other Member States like Italy have restricted the total number of immigrant professionals to an annual maximum. Spain and Greece are especially interested in limiting immigration of foreign physicians and nurses because they already have quite a large supply of qualified health care employees. Thus, free movement of persons has not materialized completely for all Member States. ( Word count :1411 ) Question 2 You are employed by Sahara oil company based in Qatar as their Occupational Health expert. You have responsibilities for the environmental health issues of Sahara oils operations in Qatar. As well, you are responsible for maintaining a healthy work force. Identify the economics of adopting a policy of environmental awareness in heath care settings. The healthcare industry produces millions of tons of waste each year and is one of the largest consumers of energy in the United States. This article focuses on how nurses can facilitate green hospitals and work toward environmental sustainability. The authors critically approach the topic from the perspectives of nursing, environmental health, psychology, politics, international health, economics, and ethics. Specifically, the article addresses the critical role of the professional nurse as a leader in the creation of environmentally friendly and holistic clinical practice. According to the World Health Organization, close to one fourth of the diseases experienced by the worlds population can be attributed to environmental exposures.( Wilburn S. Overview and summary: environmental health: important choices for a greener world. Online J Issues Nurs [serial online]. 2007;12(2). http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN?TableofContents/Volume122007/May31/EnvironmentalHealthImportantChoicesforaGreenerWorld.aspx ) The healthcare industry contributes to this by producing more than 2.4 million tons of waste each year and is one of the largest consumers of energy in many communities.2(Sattler B, Hall K. Healthy choices: transforming our hospitals into environmentally healthy and safe places. Online J Issues Nurse [serial online]. 2007;12(2). http://journal.medscape.com/mjm Hospital waste and energy consumption affect the health of the environment and, consequently, the health of each human being within the environment. While hospitals have the responsibility to treat the sick within their walls, they are also responsible to make sure their walls, their environmental practices, promote the health of clients, staff, and the environment. The duty of maintaining an environmentally friendly hospital is shared among numerous stakeholders within the organization. Nurses, having a holistic viewpoint, responsibility to serve the public, and strong desire to care, have a duty and, importantly, the opportunity to make the hospital an environmentally sustainable environment. On the basis of the holistic perspective of nursing, this article examines how environmental, psychological, ethical, political, and international health issues directly affect hospital efforts to go green. The article provides specific ideas for how nurses can become vanguards for hospital greening initiatives, in both hospital and community settings. Assess the actions that need to be taken by organisations to maintain the environment. One of the greatest psychological barriers for hospitals to consider when going green is the myth that creating healthy buildings costs more money.5 According to H2E,21 the accounting processes of a majority of hospitals focus on the up-front costs of what it would take to go green and disregard the essential life cycle costs of green products. Laustsen3 describes the life cycle cost as the cost benefit of a product over the span of its life. He and other specialists agree that while improving current hospital systems will initially require additional funding, after a few years, the additional amount spent is returned via energy and time-savings and increased product longevity.3 The EPA notes that every dollar a nonprofit healthcare organization saves on energy is equivalent to generating $20 in new revenues for hospitals or $10 for medical offices.22 Two specific methods exist for a hospital organization to introduce both green products and cost savings to the hospital. Environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) is defined by H2E as choosing those products and services whose environmental impacts are preferable to those of others.23 The EPP involves considering the amount of packaging per product, whether or not the product is single use, and the extent to which the product is made from recycled materials. The Energy Star for Healthcare program exists as a wonderful resource for obtaining EPP products and information, and numerous state organizations sponsor energy-efficient programs that partner with Energy Star for Healthcare. H2E can help hospitals perform EPP through their portfolio planner, available on the organizations Web site. CleanMed conferences provide any easy, hands-on method for hospitals to know how much they will spend and what EPP products they will receive. Along with EPP, the H2E also promotes pay-as-you-thro w contracts for waste management. In these contracts, hospitals are charged on the basis of the actual amount of waste disposed. Pay-as-you-throw contracts entice hospitals to reduce solid waste, which consequently decreases disposal costs.24 These contracts also easily allow hospitals to track exactly how much waste they produce and dispose of, which provides necessary data for greening program evaluations (see Table 2). Hospitals worldwide face dilemmas in the process of becoming environmentally sustainable, and evidence suggests that developing nations experience more obstacles in this area. One of the most influential obstacles is the lack of hospital infrastructure to control waste disposal. In Gaza, limited administrative responsibilities toward environmental and public health are attributed to deficient organizational structures in managing hospital waste.26 This phenomenon is similar to the lack of hospital environmental health enforcement personnel.6 Yet, unlike the United States, national policies and guidelines regarding medical waste management and standardized disposal methods are often scant in many countries.27 Even when government regulations are in place, it may be difficult for low-income countries to enforce them because there is little public pressure to do so.28,29 Also, hospitals in developing countries often lack proper supplies, personal protective equipment, and appropriate re fuse collection services and storage facilities.26,29 Lack of equipment contributes to pollution and undoubtedly predisposes hospital staff to contracting various pathogens, creating a public health concern. Patil and Pokhrel30 explain that, in India and other developing countries, lack of environmental awareness and insufficient appreciation among staff make waste management initiatives difficult to implement. The authors also acknowledge that the bedside nurse is responsible for the initial segregation, disposal, and storage of hospital waste and thus possesses a crucial position in minimizing environmental harm. In Indonesia, awareness among staff, including the experienced nurses, may be low for several reasons: unwillingness to participate, minimal motivation, and improper training and education regarding waste disposal.28 Reasons for poor medical waste management in Dhaka City, Bangladesh, can be attributed to a lack of awareness, dearth of appropriate policy and laws, and apathy.29 In Iran and Tanzania, the staffs unwillingness to participate, lack of motivation, and deficient training and education about green initiatives were reasons why waste management programs did not succeed .28 Researchers and environmental activists believe that resolution of these issues is possible. Activists believe that a key step in doing so is to raise hospital staff awareness because, as Chaerul et al state, the performance of the waste segregation process depends on the knowledge of the hospitals staff at the points of generation.28. If nurses are to be accountable for waste disposal, it is imperative that they understand the waste life cycle, no matter where they are. When environmental awareness in developing countries is established, strong environmental controls and legislative policy are more likely to be enacted and higher standards regarded when considering the disposal of waste.31 Once government and hospital policies are introduced, refuse management projects can be categorized as such: source reduction, solid waste recycling and reuse, solid waste treatment, and solid waste incineration and disposal, according to Karamouz et al.32 Within these categories are the concepts of color-coded bins for different types of wastes and the implementation of multiuse, sterilized supplies.27,29,30 By joining the environmental sustainability bandwagon, US hospitals can hopefully become trendsetters for other countries to follow. Specify the measures that exist to improve workplace health and safety practices The ethical duty of a nurse to promote environmental health is one that persists not only in the hospital working environment but also in the community and world at large. As Dinkins and Sorrell13 note, this duty can take shape through educating patients and staff, performing research, and joining environmental health advocacy groups. Whether in the hospital or community, nurses can use the nursing process in education and policy efforts to promote going green. Perhaps the most integral and basic education method for nurses is self-education, including continuing education. Environmental health nurse Ballard33 strongly encourages continuing education workshops on environmental health in the hospital setting. Nurses need to strongly advocate for required continuing education that includes basic information on environmental sustainability in the healthcare workplace. Basic information should address the environmental impact of hospitals, safe pharmaceutical disposal, PVC materials, recycling and energy conservation efforts, and those hospital committees that affect change. At the preventive level, nurses can advocate for this education to occur as part of new staff orientation and serially, with annual updates. Nurses and nurse educators could utilize the resources provided by the H2E, such as educational teleconferences, the technical assistance hotline, and the online waste priority planner, to enhance educational sessions. As more nurses gain environmental health awareness, the shift must be from not only educating ones self but also transferring this knowledge to allied healthcare staff. Nurses retain the duty of working with top hospital officials and key hospital stakeholders to improve the hospitals environmental impact and create positive change. Nurses can use current literature to advocate for the environmental health, economic, political, and ethical incentives of going green. Sattler and Hall2 encourage nurses to demonstrate how going green remains a goal of The Joint Commission, the EPA, and the Institute of Medicine. As holistic practitioners, nurses must remain aware of the psychological phenomenon of unfreezing, moving, and refreezing in the change process. They must be prepared to educate staff about new greening practices and ways to become involved in these practices. As units introduce new, green products, environmentally aware nurses can provide needed education about their use and be nefit. In addition to advocating for integral environmental health education within the hospital, inpatient nurses can advocate for increased education in the community. Specifically, nurses can petition to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing to promote environmental health education as part of the core curriculum in nursing programs throughout the United States. Nurses could provide evidence that early education can prevent environmental health violations and introduce a passion for environmental health among the future nurses of America. The concepts of going green could be incorporated into all levels of nursing curricula, both in teaching and in practice, to promote increased environmental awareness. One such highly successful college-based environmental health program exists at the University of Maryland and has produced numerous environmental health nurse leaders and hospital-based greening programs.34 By writing petitions to state nursing boards, nurses can hopefully rece ive funding for continuing environmental health education. The H2E Web site provides a plethora of educational material to assist in implementing successful educational programs. ( Word count :1677 ) Question 3 As a health care worker with managerial experience, you have been appointed as the most suitable candidate for for the post of health advisor, by a pharmaceutical company in Mumbai, India, that scources clinical trial contracts from abroad, especially the United States of America and western Europe. Because of its international operations, the work force of the company is also varied with employees from various countries around the world. As a manager, you are not only responsible for managing a section of the workforce; you are also responsible for the health and safety issues of the companys workforce. Analyze the responsibilities of organizations in improving work place health and safety. All organizations employing five or more people must have a written Health and Safety Policy statement. The policy should cover all aspects of the organization and be relevant to all employees. A Health and Safety Policy demonstrates how seriously an organization takes its health and safety responsibilities. A good policy will show how the organization protects those who could be affected by its activities. The policy should be of an appropriate length and relevance to the activities and size of the organization. The occupational health nurses traditional role of evaluating occupational hazards is uniquely difficult in the pharmaceutical industry due to the continuous discovery of new compounds. Awareness of new chemicals and knowledge about their hazards are essential. The authors address these specific challenges as well as nurses changing roles in industry. Pharmaceutical employers have a vested interest in maintaining worker health safety. Because their products are intimately tied to the health care community, employers in this industry need to excel in worker safety and the systems that ensure worker and environmental protection. The benefits are clear. Employees who believe that their employer cares for their health safety and the environment are more likely to be a positive advocate for the company and its products. As in any manufacturing setting, worker health and safety is enhanced by engaging employees in solutions to workplace health safety issues, proactive management response, and reasoned infrastructure investments. A well-designed, comprehensive Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) program can also help address community concerns that can develop from pharmaceutical industry activities. Exponent is well versed in the dynamics of health safety within industry and specifically the dynamics unique to the pharmaceutical industry; both in the US and internationally. For example, consulting personnel have directed EHS organizations within the Pharma industry, participated at both State and National levels setting occupation exposure limits, performed epidemiological and risk assessment studies on pharmaceuticals, assessed facilities for the causation of exposures and contamination, and participated in the design of new facilities. Further, Exponent can directly support employers with: a.) Pre-exposure third party risk assessments of facilities, system audits, and efficacy of EHS management systems and practices; b.) Product containment and facility alarm systems; c.) Post exposure root cause analysis, containment, decontamination, and clearance; d.) Change management in the Pharma workplace; e.) Education, communication, and assessment of community concerns regarding env ironmental impacts and worker health and safety issues; f.) Long-term epidemiological studies; g.) Management, toxicological assessment, and review of new compounds and intermediates. From RD, to manufacturing, pharmaceutical management should expect their EHS program to maintain employee and community exposures as low as reasonably achievable and reap the benefits of improved employee morale, positive community and media perceptions, and minimization of the costs associated with unexpected events. Review approaches to the management of diversity in healthcare settings. Diversity management programs combine Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action with internal organizational initiatives such as diversity sensitivity training. These diversity management policies and initiatives may be interpreted and enacted in various ways. This exploratory study was designed to investigate how managers interpreted the meaning of diversity management and enacted EEO/AA laws and diversity initiatives in a hospital in the process of evaluating its diversity programming. Using a grounded theory approach, in-depth interviews with clinical and non-clinical managers were conducted. Several themes emerged, including professional differences in the legal and social understanding of diversity, the nature of managerial uncertainty, and the significance of formal and informal resources when managing diversity. Compare organizational approaches to ensuring positive policies of work place diversity. Looks at the relationship between changes in the business world and managing diversity. Suggests the adoption of a balanced scorecard approach, to integrate diversity into business strategy and operational activities. The report examines the theory and practice, to conclude that good diversity management does indeed add value. But it is not a quick-fix organizations have to invest time and effort. There are warnings against paying lip-service to diversity especially ignoring the organizational contexts and circumstances in making progress on diversity issues. Employers can be active, proactive or reactive in relation to how they deal with diversity. Proactive employers make forward-looking decisions to employ diverse groups for reasons of business advantage. Active employers seek to engage in best practice when faced with the issue; while reactive employers seek to comply with the provisions of the law. Legislation on anti-discrimination specifies the grounds upon which discrimination is banned. These grounds vary from country to country, but they typically include gender, race, disability, age, sexual orientation and religion. Diversity management programmes may focus on any of these issues but even in the case where legislation is a driver, it is rare to find programmes that focus on all of them. National and EU level definitions of the areas to be covered by diversity emphasize the range of issues that are covered by the legislation. This comprehensive listing of issues reflects a broad concept of diversity that is apparently not reflected in the kinds of concepts used by companies in their diversity management programmes. In companies, DM tends to deal with one or two issues simultaneously (e.g. nationality, ethnicity), even though companies may have relevant programmes in other areas (e.g. older workers, disabled people). The concept (or perhaps the organisation) of DM used by companies is more limited than that implied by legislation. Approaches to diversity management vary. Companies develop DM programmes for a range of reasons. Some companies are active in their approach, i.e. they tend to introduce DM in order to comply with legislation. Others are reactive they introduce DM programmes in response to circumstance, e.g. when job applicants come from different ethnic backgrounds. Other companies are more proactive, i.e. they seek to take business advantage of the opportunities offered by a diverse workforce. Role of legislation is complex. Legislation in the area appears to play a complex role in promoting diversity management programmes. In the public sector, legislation is more likely to act as a major driver, while in the private sector, companies may have other drivers operating, though compliance with legislation appears to be a useful additional benefit of DM programmes. Depth of diversity management varies. Many DM programmes operate primarily through recruitment practices. There is a

Friday, October 25, 2019

Blanco Review :: essays research papers

The book, Please Stop Laughing at Me by Jodee Blanco, is an inspirational story about the abuse she endured during her years at school. She had to deal with physical, verbal, and emotional abuse throughout her school year. Once I started this book I couldn’t put it down. I can remember back in elementary school being the new kid. The kids made fun of me because I was new, but once they gave me a chance they liked me. In junior high some kids would call me names, but that was it. Verbal abuse is all that I had to deal with on occasion. This is nothing compared to the things that Jodee endured through her years of school.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The story begins with Jodee’s description of how she was victimized in a 4th grade Catholic grammar school; coming to the defense of deaf children that were being treated cruelly. She supplied the school officials with names and was labeled a â€Å"tattletale.† No one would talk to her, recess was spent in anguish, and she would find garbage and spoiled food in her book bag. As she progressed into 5th grade some of the social atmosphere began to shift in subtle but profound ways. Being accepted into a clique was all that mattered. Instead of being admired for class participation, as in earlier years she was laughed at and labeled as â€Å"teacher’s pet.† She said the rules were simple â€Å"shun or be shunned—if you weren’t willing to go along with the crowd, you would become the reject.† Sixth grade Jodee enrolled at a private academy and the first few months were without incident. Jodee reveled in having friends and tried to do everything right to stay in their good standing. The trouble started when she called her mother to leave a party early. Jodee begged her mother not tell what was going on with the twelve year olds—but they were all caught in the act. Monday morning at school she found her favorite suede shoes floating in a toilet bowl of urine with a note attached—â€Å"Bitch, this is just the beginning.† She was cruelly treated, spit at, beaten, and shunned on a daily basis. Her parents were sympathetic to her dilemma and finally forced her to see a psychiatrist. She was placed on medication that made her very sleepy. The psychiatrist said that â€Å"kids will be kids and that possibly she was looking for attention from her parents.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Transworld Auto Parts

Christine Lam BA 453 – Case Briefing: Transworld Auto Parts November 11, 2012 Company Overview: Transworld Auto Parts (TAP) is a Tier 1 manufacturer of original and after-market parts for automobile producers both in the United States and abroad. TAP focuses on manufacturing in two core product lines: electronics and interiors. Apart from that, it also separates its customer-centered divisions into four divisions: luxury, economy, mid-priced, and truck. TAP also serves in three main geographic markets including North America, Europe, and Asia.Problem Definition: Which of the two balanced scorecard approaches better illustrates how Transworld Auto Parts can improve their ROCE by 8% given the current economic downturn? Situational Analysis: Transworld Auto Parts belongs in the automobile manufacturing industry. This industry is very susceptible to industry trends and changes because much of the industry’s sales depends on the external environment which affects both consum er and supplier behavior. During 2008 when the economy experienced a global recession, many auto makers such as Chrysler and General Motors were on the brink of insolvency due to the decline in car sales.Utilizing the PESTEL framework to better understand the macro-environment, the recession reflects economic factors in the external environment which can influence the industry. The recession affected consumers in the sense that they possessed less disposable income, causing them to be less inclined to purchase new cars during this time. However, other aspects of the external environment can benefit firms within this industry. For example, with the rising automobile production in Asia, many suppliers can consider global expansion and developing sales in international markets.Many car manufacturers in Asia possess low labor costs and a great demand in local markets, so suppliers within the industry have this opportunity to expand. Not only is it important to consider the industry and external environment in which TAP operates in, it is also important to analyze its internal resources and capabilities in order to better understand the company. TAP currently has operations in four different customer-centered divisions: luxury, economy, mid-priced, and truck. However, TAP decided to only focus on improving their luxury and economy division because these two divisions will allow TAP to compete ggressively and make the most profit, according to their research. Each of the separate divisions is managed by a separate manager and supporting staff. This allows Ellen Bright, CEO of TAP to distinguish results from each division and form her own board of directors to make strategic decisions. TAP flourishes with this hierarchical structure because it allows the company to micromanage each separate division’s profitability for the company and for it to implement any changes when necessary.Strategy: After Bright decided to cut the other two divisions, each manager from the luxury and economy division respectively were assigned to create a balanced score card to describe their objectives on how to improve their division and what must be done to achieve their parent company’s target goal of an 8% return on capital employed (ROCE). Eckhardt, president of the luxury division presented a balanced score card that was simple yet with focused objectives for each aspect of the balanced score card.For example, the financial perspective contained 4 main goals: increase ROCE, increase cash flow, increase revenue, and increase gross margin. The customer perspective simply included: improve customer satisfaction, manage innovation, and initiation customer R&D partnerships. Similarly, the process perspective included two main goals: reduce raw materials cost and maintain quality leadership. Lastly, the learning and growth perspective only included one objective: increase employee engagement. On the other hand, Kwon, president of the economy division took a more complex and descriptive approach with the balanced score card.He went into detail about each of the four perspectives and proposed very specific, action-oriented goals. He had similar financial perspective objectives, but each of the other perspectives contained about four or five different objectives. For example, the learning and growth perspective contained six objectives: train buyers on low cost procurement, enhance electronic interchanges with customers and suppliers, transform workforce into JIT/lean experts, make JIT/lean a priority for all workers, alight IT to support TQM and JIT, and enhance workforce capabilities in TQM.Both approaches of the balanced score card aim to attain similar overall goals. Below are some pros and cons for each approach: Luxury Division- Pros: focusing goals in broad chunks make it easier to attain, with attainable goals employees are happier, creating healthier company morale Cons: too simple without specifically stating what actions mus t be taken in order to meet objectives, might cause confusion among employees Economy Division- Pros: very detailed with specific measures and actions on how to achieve objectives Cons: may seem to expect too much from employees, which makes goal appear to be and discourage employeesAction Plan: After analyzing both approaches to the balanced score card, the economy division presented a more well thought out and action specific plan to reach the company’s target goal. The most important factors to consider when analyzing balanced score cards are: * Does it describe and link? * Does it provide incentives and balances? * Does it predict and plan? Kwon did a great job describing each objective and linking it to other perspectives of the BSC. This in turn created specific goals which are measurable.The objectives he proposed included both financial and non financial goals creating an overall balance. Lastly, his balanced score card plans for not only short term objectives but als o long term objectives which helps plan for the company’s future success. In conclusion, Kwon had a better approach to the balanced score card and Bright should promote Kwon to the COO position. Appendix A Revised Balanced Score Card for Luxury Division | Objectives| Measures| Financial Perspective| Increased ROCE| ROCE| Increase Cash Flow| Year-to-date cash flow from operating activities| Increase Revenue| Year-to-date revenue|Increase Gross Margin| Gross Margin %| Customer Perspective| Improve customer satisfaction| global market share| Be low-cost provider of quality| % of components with prices lower than competitors| Manage innovation of products | number of new products introduced, customer surveys | Create customer R&D partnerships| number of customers with whom TAP partners with | Be highest quality provider| customer surveys | Process Perspective| Reduce raw materials cost| cost of raw materials with respect to % of revenue| Eliminating defect rates| track number of defects|Improve supplier base| number of suppliers, ratings of each supplier| Better inventory/demand forecasting| % reduction in inventory carrying costs | Improve manufacturing efficiency| reduction in unscheduled downtime, % reduction in labor hours per part | Learning and Growth Perspective | Increase training of employees| number of certified employees| Increase employee engagement| satisfaction surveys| Aligning IT support | % increase in IT spending| Managing tools employee uses| employee survey |

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Ethical Dilemma Essay

1. Keeping in mind the facts and timeline of this situation, discuss Lavonda’s situation in terms of legal and ethical issues. This case has many aspects of sexual harassment, and is very complicated. Karline is partially correct in that it was common knowledge that Lavonda and Allen were intimate. It was because Lavonda crossed that line, and did not report the relationship, that Lavonda’s sexual harassment suit becomes unstable. Her legal suit would carry more weight if she had gone through the proper channels to report the misconduct when it occurred. There is also an ethical problem if she tries to convince the new hire to work for Allen. 2. Discuss Lavonda’s alternatives and possible professional and private outcomes for her. The probable cost to Lavonda if she reports the sexual harassment case is a long legal struggle and possible loss of her job. We are aware that Lavonda’s mother has cancer, is undergoing chemo, and Lavonda needs the income to care for her mother. If Lavonda loses the case, she faces a risk of not being able to help her mother, especially if Allen spreads nasty rumors about her throughout the industry. She should probably be aware that if she pursues legal case that this will follow her throughout her career. This could negatively influence future employers or could show them that she has a moral character. 3. Is Allen in violation of sexual harassment and/or sexual discrimination laws in United States? Yes. He has displayed intimidating behavior, sexual harassment, and is very manipulative of women in the workforce. Whenever Lavonda asked him to stop, and he continues his behavior, this becomes harassment. 4. Certainly Allen has damaged Lavonda’s performance level: however, discuss whether he has created a legally hostile work environment. By definition of a hostile work environment, he has created it. There are three criteria that must be met: (1) the conduct must be unwelcome; (2) the conduct becomes severe, pervasive, and regarded as so offensive to alter the conditions of employment; (3) conduct was so bad that a reasonable person would find it hostile or offensive. All the employee needs to prove is that the conduct interfered with her work performance.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

10 Tips for Crowdfunding a Novel Practical Ideas and Pointers from an Unbound Author

10 Tips for Crowdfunding a Novel Practical Ideas and Pointers from an Unbound Author Im the co-author of a new comic novel, Kitten on a Fatberg, which is currently crowdfunding on Unbound. Unbound uses a different model to the traditional publishing one. Essentially, a books author(s) have to raise a certain amount of through pre-ordered copies before the book goes into production. Once that happens, Unbound handles promotion and distribution. And because the publisher has covered its costs up front, the payment deal isnt a royalty percentage but a 50:50 profit share. Another advantage of this approach is that the publisher gets to see what sort of demand there is for a particular title, and who the market is. At the time of writing, were currently 31 percent funded. Here are some of the many things weve learned along the way Dont mistake crowdfunding for vanity publishing. Getting accepted Understand your potential base. With crowdfunding, you have two target audiences – those who know YOU (family, friends, co-workers) and those interested in the book (who may not know you at all). Focus your efforts on the first group. Work your network. Beyond your inner circle, you have lots more connections you could approach: former colleagues, old school friends, social media contacts. These people are all easier to interest than strangers because you are a known quantity, so long as you approach them with care. Get your approach right. There is no one right way to approach people, but a personalised message is essential. Some education about crowdfunding may be useful. Humour can be effective. Above all, nothing too hard sell. Dont beg. Avoid framing your ask as if you are seeking donations. You are selling a book, not asking for a handout. Avoid the temptation to batch-and-blast. Dont just email all your contacts in one go. Far better to send a handful of emails every day, topped and tailed with a personal message. Explore press and PR options. In our case weve written a series of articles on writers blogs, in literary magazines, and in the local press. Where theres a fee for an article, we put that towards our target too. Be savvy about social media. Find different ways to spread you message. Ask for influencers in your world to help spread the word. If youve been published Work those nudges. People often need to hear a message three or four times till they act on it. So find ways to subtly remind people about your book – add a message to your email signature, share updates on Facebook, put up flyers in local cafes and bookshops – the more imaginative your ideas, the better. Be patient. Crowdfunding is a marathon, not a sprint. There will be days when you get flurries of interest – especially near the beginning – and days when nothing happens, despite your best efforts. All you can do is keep plugging away, keep emailing, keep thinking of new ways to reach people

Monday, October 21, 2019

Pope John Paul II, Biography essays

Pope John Paul II, Biography essays In the history of the Catholic Church there have been but a few great popes who have made a change in history, Pope John Paul II is one of them. When he was young the Nazis occupied his home country, Poland. But despite this he managed to be ordain and to go college in Rome. He showed remarkable ability in his work for God and was quickly raised to bishop, cardinal, and finally he was elected pope. During his rise to the papacy he had spoke out against Communism, and they were upset that Karol had been elected pope. A hired assassin tried to kill him, and though the bullet came very close to a vital artery, he survived. And a few years later Karol helped bring around the downfall of Communism in Europe. Pope John Paul II has had a exciting, holy life, during which he has helped many people. Karol Joseph Wojtyla grew up in a hard time. He was born in Wadowice, Poland on May 18, 1920.1 His father was a officer in the Polish Army, and his Mom was a school teacher. Karol enjoyed sports, especially soccer, skiing, kayaking and hiking. When he was young he developed a love of the theater. In his book Witness To Hope, George Weigel stated: Stealing quietly through Krakow's blacked out streets, the actors and their audience arrived at an apartment in the city's Debniki district.... As the performance unfolded behind closed blinds, Nazi loudspeakers on the street outside began blaring the news of another German victory. The 22 year-old actor then speaking, an underground seminary student named Karol Wojtyla, paid no attention whatsoever to the racket. Unfazed, he continued his recitation as if the harsh static of the occupation simply did not exist2 He was 19 when the Nazis invaded Poland. During the time of Nazi occupation he made a living as a stonecutter so he could keep his work permit to avoid deportation. Despite a hard life he still clung on to his hope of a better life. He secretly pursu...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Vocation vs. Avocation

Vocation vs. Avocation Vocation vs. Avocation Vocation vs. Avocation By Mark Nichol In a recent post, I explained the distinction between vocation and avocation among discussions of a group of commonly confused words. Here, I delve into a little more detail about the antonyms (well, usually) and explore their synonyms and the connotations of each. Vocation originally had a religious cast to it; the word means â€Å"calling† (vocation and voice share the Latin root word vox, or â€Å"voice†) and described and still describes the inspiration some people receive to join the clergy or enter a religious community. Vocation also applies to the act of entering the priesthood or a religious order, though that use is rare. Over the hundreds of years since the term was coined, it has spread out into the secular world, where it retains the sober connotation of something that is more than a job a line of work that one has committed to performing. This gravity extends to senses referring to the body of people involved in a certain occupation or the occupation itself. (Compare the close synonym profession.) However, the force of the word was also diluted by association with the now-outdated phrase â€Å"vocational education,† which connotes blue-collar trades that require skills acquired by hands-on training, as opposed to professions one enters after a rigorous course of academic study. But this migration of meaning goes both ways: Profession originally referred to the practice of law or medicine alone one of two disciplines involving rigorous preparation and according the practitioners high social status. This term, from the Latin word for â€Å"public declaration† (thus the sense in â€Å"He professed his love for her on bended knee†), like vocation, originated in a religious context, and referred to the taking of vows. Now, however, virtually every category of employment has been promoted to the rank of profession. I’ve used several loose synonyms for vocation above (besides calling, a direct translation that needs no definition). One, â€Å"line of work,† is an informal reference to what type of employment one is engaged in. Another, trade, remains associated primarily with physical labor, as in â€Å"the building trades.† Occupation, from Latin, refers to any class of employment and is used in adjectival form in such ancillary phrases as â€Å"occupational therapy.† Employment, meanwhile, stems from a French word meaning â€Å"to make use of,† from the Latin implicare, or â€Å"involve,† which, as you might have guessed, is also the precursor of implicate. Employment, far from the idealistic value of vocation, is often used in mundane, bureaucratic contexts, and its close synonym work, akin to the Greek word from which ergonomics is derived, is even more suggestive of toil. A few other similar terms include career, from a French term meaning â€Å"street† or â€Å"passage,† with the implication of a chronological course or passage through a field of employment, and pursuit, a close synonym of vocation and calling, as well as metier (from a French word derived from the Latin term ministerium), which implies a specialty one is especially suited for by talent and temperament. Business (literally, â€Å"busy-ness†), by contrast, is associated with the pursuit of profit, though it can also generally mean a category of professional endeavor. Curiously enough, vocation’s antonym, avocation, is also used as a synonym appropriately enough, because one person’s avocation is another’s vocation though it more often applies to a hobby. (That word is a clipping of hobbyhorse, meaning a toy horse or a horse costume and apparently derived from the diminutive of a nickname for the common name Robert.) Another synonym for avocation is recreation (literally, â€Å"restoration,† because of its connotation of a refreshing diversion). Pursuit also applies to avocation as well as to its antonym. Though the two words are in a sense interchangeable, in a world far from the betrayed post-World War II promise of a shorter workweek, and one in which what we do for business and what we do for pleasure are seldom the same thing, to maintain a distinction between them seems like suitable employment for the two antonyms. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Passed vs PastDo you "orient" yourself, or "orientate" yourself?Woof or Weft?

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Financial Intermediation and Risk Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Financial Intermediation and Risk - Coursework Example The author of the work does some research of financial intermediation. It is a core function of commercial banking. Banks facilitate customers and corporations in such a way that they absorb the surplus liquidity in the market and pass it onto the entities which require these funds to meet their requirements. Customers can gain, firstly, by placing surplus funds which give no profit at home into the bank and earn some interest. Secondly, entities which require funds to manage their financial situation can obtain convenient loans from commercial banks. The work outlines the basic outlook and mechanism of a bank’s balance sheet. Any and all funds which have been placed with the bank come under the liability section of the balance sheet of the bank, whereas any and all fund placements by the bank come under the asset section of the balance sheet of the bank. Huge volumes of funds are flowing in and out of the bank which define various forms of bank’s participation in financial markets. The work describes how banks cope with interest rate risks. The tenure of the transaction is the first major factor which needs to be considered. For longer tenures, the risk is higher owing to the opportunity cost of entering into a less liquid transaction. The second risk which needs to be accounted for is the inverse relationship between yields and prices of securities. In an economy where the interest rate climate is on the rise, increased yields will drive the price of the security down.

Friday, October 18, 2019

Project Reviews Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Project Reviews - Research Paper Example cope of the project, how many people works in that particular project, level of skills of the personnel, the time required for the project completion, project familiarity, resources available, the risk associated with the project, the project complexity and how often the communication is carried out within the project management systems (Barkley, 2006). While carrying out the project reviews it is fundamentally right to factor in the actionable information that gauges the extent of success of these projects. It should be able to scrutinize the project and determine the things that went well as well as those that met with failure in the process of project implementation. Besides, it should be able to capture things that struggled and created bottlenecks in different phases of the project implementation and take into account the preparation of the feedback mechanisms. The project review should take comparisons of the required specifications in consideration of the end results and whether the project is on track or in deviations. The actionable information helps in putting the lessons learnt in taking care of the project quality, budget, overall impacts, time delivery schedule and the project deviations from the requirements. The review should not be biased in any way and it should be able to identify risks that have occurred or yet t o occur in the process of project implementation. Honest project reviews is helpful since it puts projects on the right tracks by identifying the shortfalls and successes (Barkley,

History Of Britain's Constitution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

History Of Britain's Constitution - Essay Example The biggest powers are held by the prime minister and the cabinet. The queen holds the power to choose the prime minister and has the final say on any laws being introduced. The prime minister heads ceremonial functions and the Commonwealth. Due to the absence of a constitution in Britain, the British people are subjects as opposed to being citizens. Ceremonial dutiesThe prime minister, an appointee of the queen, and the cabinet have a lot of power. The Queen of England performs various ceremonial duties. Being the head of all Commonwealth countries, she opens all meeting she attends. Another ceremonial duty of the monarch is the opening of parliament. The Queen heads the opening of the parliament ceremony that attracts a lot of revenue from tourism.Sovereign GrantThe sovereign grant is a civil list that was developed and passed into law in 2012. The list contains money that the Queen and some of her close relatives are assigned in order to carry out public duties. The sovereign gran t costs each UK citizen up to 56 pounds annually.Royal assentThe royal equality act was given a royal assent in 2010. Previously, daughters did not have equal rights to sons. However, the royal assent to the act ended the old practice of the eldest son taking after the queen and not the eldest sister. ScandalThe royal family has been involved in various scandals. Three of the queen’s children have gotten married and divorced. Their weddings have cost the British people a lot of money in taxes.

Technologies for Business Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Technologies for Business - Research Proposal Example 5. It is critical to note that success and failure of such technologies also depends upon the way you project yourself and your company. Normally, small and start up businesses are largely dependent upon the person who is running the whole show therefore the business vision as well as strategic direction of the company which it is going to take. 6. The available technologies which can serve the basic purpose functionality as well as advanced functionalities for the firm include operating systems, PHP, .NET, Java Beans, J2EE, Java Scripting, FLASH, MySQL, ORACLE, SQL SERVER, SAAS and AJAX. 7. These technologies are easily available at relatively low expect few technologies such as Oracle etc. Start up businesses can easily integrate them into viable information technology solutions to remain competitive. 8. It is also important to note that these technologies offer different opportunities however, on the other hand there are associated risks with using such technologies also and start up businesses, due to their lack of expertise in each area, may find it difficult to utilize all such technologies to their fullest advantage. "The purpose of an operating system is to organize and control hardware and software so that the device it lives in behaves in a flexible but predictable way."(http://computer.howstuffworks.com).1 There are normally two types of operating system which are in use. These are: MS -Windows Operating System 1. Microsoft Windows Operating system is one of the most widely used operating systems in the world. 2. It is used in more than 90% of the computers in use. 3. It is based on graphical user interface technology. 4. There are different versions of this operating system as from time, Microsoft has made changes to its system in order to accommodate new and more demanding technological requirements. 5. It is not that much costly and can run on any machine regardless of hardware configuration. Other operating systems such as Apple Mac can only run on the PCs made by Apple itself. Linux 1. Linux is the only open source freeware operating system in the world which is easily available. 2. It is technically one of the most sophisticated operating system and is mostly run on the servers meant for networking and storage requirements. 3. Linux is based on UNIX based operating system and support different programming languages. 4. This operating system however would be only suitable if business is willing to run some online services and require on-going server support. Other Technologies PHP 1. PHP is one of the scripting languages which are used for writing dynamic and interactive websites. 2. PHP is highly flexible and robust and can be imbedded into HTML. 3. This is an easy to use language and can be used for developing dynamic websites such as online web stores, shopping carts etc. 4. One of

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Munk Debate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Munk Debate - Essay Example The only city that has such population in Europe is London. There are only eleven European Union countries with a population of below six million. The country is forty times the geographical size of Canada fox. If the country were to be divided like Europe, it would have about ninety nation states. China’s population has many advantages that will contribute to its economic and political power in the 21st century. The country has approximately 1.2 billion people with the size being proportional to its economy. The country’s large population contributed to its poor economy in the past decades because the largest percentage consisted of young individuals who were dependants. However, a large percentage of the population currently consists of the mature working population. This has contributed to the present economic explosion. The current population structure has resulted into the high human capital in China (Munk debates). The 21st century will belong to China because its economy is increasing at an advanced tempo compared to other countries globally. For instance, in the past thirty years, its economy has risen by a factual value of about 10. The current report of the IMF shows that China will be largest financial system in the coming years. Its economy has already surpassed the US because it is the largest manufacturer especially in the car market. Global financial reports also show that the demand for its cars will increase by tenfold in future. By 2035, the country will be using a fifth of the global energy. The global market analysts assert that only a country with the largest industrial production can lead the world. China is currently the largest industrial producer based on its large population. It goods are on demand because it supplies its products to the developing countries at cheap prices. The countries also supply skilled and cheap labor that is also on high demand in many foreign countries. This has enabled china to compete more effec tively in the market compared to its rivals. The developed countries focus on selling their goods and attracting investors from other developing countries. China targets the developing world like the African countries leading to the expansion of its market especially the automobile (Munk debates). In the past, China relied on investors, but it is currently one of the major investors today because of its 3 trillion dollars global reserves and other assets worth 200 billion dollars. China’s economy is also expanding because of innovations and high quality education. For instance, the students at Shanghai topped in Mathematics with a score of 600, while the students in the US became 25th with a score of 487 when education achievements of students of the age of 15 were ranked last year (Munk debates). Furthermore, there are high chances that China will rule because the economy of the West is declining at a high rate because of economic crisis that resulted from excessive gambling . Additionally, the US will be spending more on debts than on defense. The West is also losing its political powers because of political crises that are exemplified by the game of Russian roulette over the US federal. The business taxes in China are very low, and this has attracted many investors. The US is among the countries with the most raised business tax rates. Additionally, th

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Macroeconomics Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Macroeconomics - Case Study Example In other words, the level of investment determines the level of saving and not the other way around (Michl 2002, p.43). The point has been argued for the next 70 years and both theories have at times fallen in and out of favour. Thomas Palley of the AFL-CIO wrote in a 1996 paper that, "The view that saving causes investment is widely identified with classical macroeconomics, while the view that investment causes saving is widely identified with Keynesian macroeconomics. However, deeper inspection reveals that both theoretical perspectives are capable of producing bidirectional causality, and this limits the usefulness of theory for resolving this crucial matter" (p.5). Supply side economics has run headlong into the demand side theories and have resulted in numerous, and yet valid, academic arguments on both sides. According to theory, "...saving can never be different from intended investment, in equilibrium" (McCain 2007). The Paradox of Thrift is one explanation, though not the only one, of how savings can influence an economy's production and increase the unemployment rate. Supply side economics maintains that the marginal tax rate, the rate at which the next dollar earned is taxed, directly influences people's propensity to work, save, and invest (Gwartney 2002). By reducing the marginal tax rate investors are stimulated to invest in a business that may be too risky under a higher tax rate. Lower tax rates may spur people to work harder or longer hours and save their money. Indeed, the tax rate has often been used by governments to stimulate investment. According to Gwartney (2002), "Of eighty-six countries with a personal income tax, fifty-five reduced their top marginal tax rate during the 1985-90 period, while only two (Luxembourg and Lebanon) increased their top rate. Countries that substantially reduced their top marginal tax rates include Australia, Brazil, France, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden, and the United Kingdom". Many critics saw these deep tax cuts as a bonanza for the rich and argued that the increased tax revenues during this perio d were simply the result of an in increase in demand. However, during this period of tax cuts in the United States, "...the income tax revenue collected from the top 10 percent of earners rose from $150.6 billion in 1981 to $199.8 billion in 1988, an increase of 32.7 percent" (Gwartney 2002). It can be inferred that a lower rate and increased revenue were the result of a massive increase in wealth for the top 10% that came from capital investment. It would seem that supply side economics had proven itself once and for all. Demand side theorists continued to point to the Paradox of Thrift and its effect on consumption and production. Advocates of demand side economics contend that, "...a decrease in spending leads to a decrease in employment, which leads to a further decrease in spending, which leads to a further decrease in employment, which leads to a yet further decrease in spending, and so on" (Thies, 1997). Some economists contend that corporate cost cutting is a path to a 'corporate paradox of thrift' which could lead to massive layoffs and firings' (Shostik 2002). Individual savings decreases spending for the consumer class and so any increase in savings decreases consumption and increases

Munk Debate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Munk Debate - Essay Example The only city that has such population in Europe is London. There are only eleven European Union countries with a population of below six million. The country is forty times the geographical size of Canada fox. If the country were to be divided like Europe, it would have about ninety nation states. China’s population has many advantages that will contribute to its economic and political power in the 21st century. The country has approximately 1.2 billion people with the size being proportional to its economy. The country’s large population contributed to its poor economy in the past decades because the largest percentage consisted of young individuals who were dependants. However, a large percentage of the population currently consists of the mature working population. This has contributed to the present economic explosion. The current population structure has resulted into the high human capital in China (Munk debates). The 21st century will belong to China because its economy is increasing at an advanced tempo compared to other countries globally. For instance, in the past thirty years, its economy has risen by a factual value of about 10. The current report of the IMF shows that China will be largest financial system in the coming years. Its economy has already surpassed the US because it is the largest manufacturer especially in the car market. Global financial reports also show that the demand for its cars will increase by tenfold in future. By 2035, the country will be using a fifth of the global energy. The global market analysts assert that only a country with the largest industrial production can lead the world. China is currently the largest industrial producer based on its large population. It goods are on demand because it supplies its products to the developing countries at cheap prices. The countries also supply skilled and cheap labor that is also on high demand in many foreign countries. This has enabled china to compete more effec tively in the market compared to its rivals. The developed countries focus on selling their goods and attracting investors from other developing countries. China targets the developing world like the African countries leading to the expansion of its market especially the automobile (Munk debates). In the past, China relied on investors, but it is currently one of the major investors today because of its 3 trillion dollars global reserves and other assets worth 200 billion dollars. China’s economy is also expanding because of innovations and high quality education. For instance, the students at Shanghai topped in Mathematics with a score of 600, while the students in the US became 25th with a score of 487 when education achievements of students of the age of 15 were ranked last year (Munk debates). Furthermore, there are high chances that China will rule because the economy of the West is declining at a high rate because of economic crisis that resulted from excessive gambling . Additionally, the US will be spending more on debts than on defense. The West is also losing its political powers because of political crises that are exemplified by the game of Russian roulette over the US federal. The business taxes in China are very low, and this has attracted many investors. The US is among the countries with the most raised business tax rates. Additionally, th

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Children Being Tried as Adults Essay Example for Free

Children Being Tried as Adults Essay Some juveniles think that because they are minors, they can’t be severely punished just like adults. Using this thinking, many minors commit crimes thinking of little to no consequences at all. With this thinking, the â€Å"double standard† comes into place. Female juveniles think because of their gender, they can really get away with crimes. For the average american, the term juvenile delinquent is likely to conjure up the image of a teen-age male. The one-sided image is fed by media stories that all but ignore the existence of young offenders who are female. Most of the professional literature on juvenile delinquency is similarly slanted. Should minors who commit crimes be prosecuted as adults? That is indeed a topic you have to really think about twice. All crimes committed by juveniles should and must be treated in the same regard as adults. These kids go to juvenile court and get shortened sentences because of their age, thats not right. They commit big boy crimes, they have to do big boy time. When you think of the word â€Å"Juvenile† what’s the first thing you think about? The first thing that comes to my mind is crime simply because when i hear the word juvenile, its usually followed by delinquent. Until the early 19th century in the United States, children as young as 7 years old could be tried in criminal court and, if found guilty, sentenced to prison or even to death. Children under the age of 7 were thought to be unable to commit criminal acts and were therefore exempt from punishment. Reformers believed that treating children and adolescents as adult criminals was unnecessarily harsh and resulted in their corruption. A 1991 study by Virginias Department of Youth and Family Services, entitled Young Women in the Juvenile System, concluded that girls serve more time in training schools than their male counterparts, and for less serious offenses. The same pattern prevails in most other jurisdictions. (Anderson) Between 1994 and 2010, violent crime arrest rates decreased for all age groups, but more for juveniles than for adults. More specifically, the rates dropped an average of 54 percent for teenagers 15 to 17, compared to 38 percent for those between 18 and 39. And while arrest rates for violent crimes were higher in 2010 than in 1980 for all ages over 24, the rates for juveniles ages 15 to 17 were down from 1980. (Brown) Not everyone agrees that tougher crime laws for juveniles are fair or will cut down on youth crime. Many opponents of penalizing kids as adults believe that young criminals, unlike adult offenders, are still developing personal values and character. Juveniles, they say, can be more easily reformed, or rehabilitated, to turn their lives around and lead productive lives. For example, in a documentary i recently watched, all of the adults had been to jail and had a bad childhood but had changed their lives for the best. Many people have shown their disagreement with the statement above in many ways creating controversy. â€Å"Lock ‘Em Up† says one civilian/pedestrian in a street interview . â€Å"Let ‘Em off, they’re just babies† says another civilian. These two statements/opinions stirred up lots of controversy and debates on live television. In one argument a tv reporter said that It doesnt mean adolescents cant make rational decisions or appreciate the difference between right and wrong. But it does mean that, particularly when confronted with stressful or emotional circumstances, they are more likely to act impulsively, on instinct, without fully understanding or considering the consequences of their actions. Some controversy comes in with the parents thinking that their children don’t deserve to be tried as adults in their situation. For example, Paul Henry Gingerich, a 14 year old murder suspect is believed to be the youngest person in Indiana ever sentenced to prison as an adult. He was still 12 years old when he arrived here at the Pendleton Juvenile Correctional Facility, the states maximum security prison for children. His mother could not do much due to the severity of the situation. Over 200,000 children are charged as adults every year says a researcher at Temple University. At the age of 16, Cameron Williams lives a life far removed from the world of other teenagers. Williams, who celebrated his sixteenth birthday in jail, faces up to 110 years behind bars for second-degree attempted murder and use of a weapon to commit a felony. In November, Williams shot at a police officer in Omaha, Nebraska as he was being chased after being pulled over in a car with two other men. Hes also charged with robbery and assault in another county. Even though he is a minor. Many people are affected/involved in these juvenile cases. In many cases, the juveniles themselves are the ones who are greatly affected because they are the ones who have messed up their future. The parents are also majorly affected by children being charged as adults because they still look at their children as innocent and as babies. In a recent california case, a 15 year old boy was sentenced to 20 years on a murder charged in a maximum security facility and was beaten to death. This made the state and even parts of the nation rethink this whole â€Å"age doesn’t matter thing† when it comes to juvenile sentencing. To decrease juvenile crimes there are several prevention programs. There is a program called D.A.R.E which stands for Drug, Abuse, Resistance, Education. The program is for kids as old as 18 and as young as 11. There are also programs like after school matters which teaches children the importance of staying in school and staying on the right path, and finally P A.C.E. is Programming for Young Women in the Juvenile Justice System, which also helps to rehabilitate juveniles after they are released from jail. (Anderson, George M.) Another possible solution could be for parents to teach their children right from wrong early in their lives and for older children, spend more time with them and show them that you care about them/love them, and most of all be there for them throughout their lives. Statistics show that children who grow up in a single-parent household are nine times more likely to go to prison, eight times more likely to commit violent crimes, and ten times more likely to get hooked on drugs than in a two-parent home. After some long research I concluded that teens today dont fear the law because they dont think they will get caught. And if they do, they know they have a good chance of getting off because they are tried as teens and not adults. We have to get tougher on crime. There should be a law that everyone over eleven years old will be tried as adults. That way more teens would be discouraged from committing crimes. They would know that murder would get them a very long sentence instead of sta ying in juvenile hall until they are eighteen. If we want to cut down on teen crime, we have to have tougher laws.

Monday, October 14, 2019

The Role of Standards in Photography

The Role of Standards in Photography   Tian Xing (Bill) He Steve McCurry is a world-famous photographer who rose to prominence after his Afghan Girl photograph appeared on the cover of National Geographic back in 1985. The photo has been called one of the iconic images of the 20th century (Cole, 971) and arguably the most famous ever taken by a news photographer (Letzter). His previous photojournalistic efforts won him a Robert Capa Gold Medal in 1980 for documenting the Soviet-Afghan War. In fact, hes one of the most-awarded photojournalists ever, and is also a member of the prestigious Magnum Photos international photographic cooperative. Given his superstar status, when reports in the media revealed some of his photographs had been digitally manipulated, a firestorm of outrage spread quickly throughout the photojournalistic community. The controversy started a fascinating debate about the role of objectivity, truth, integrity and ethics in photography. Should any of these concepts be applied to photography? If so, when and why? Some argue that trying to apply words like objectivity and truth to photography is futile because the very act of taking a photograph is inherently subjective. Photographers make all kinds of decisions when they go about capturing a moment using their cameras: Style, lens choice, position, what to show and what to exclude in the framing, editing equipment choice, toning, sequence are all manipulative and subjective (Agtmael). And yet when photography is intended for journalistic reporting, there is an expectation that it will objectively represent the moment captured. In light of the recent focus on fake news and alternative facts, ethical standards for photojournalism are perhaps more important than ever. Excerpts from the Associated Press Code of Ethics for Photojournalists is relevant: The content of a photograph must not be altered in Photoshop or by any other means. No element should be digitally added to or subtracted from any photograph. The faces or identities of individuals must not be obscured by Photoshop or any other editing tool. Only retouching or the use of the cloning tool to eliminate dust on camera sensors and scratches on scanned negatives or scanned prints are acceptable. Minor adjustments in Photoshop are acceptable. These include cropping, dodging and burning, conversion into grayscale, and normal toning and color adjustments that should be limited to those minimally necessary for clear and accurate reproduction (analogous to the burning and dodging previously used in darkroom processing of images) and that restore the authentic nature of the photograph. Changes in density, contrast, color and saturation levels that substantially alter the original scene are not acceptable. Backgrounds should not be digitally blurred or eliminated by burning down or by aggressive toning. The removal of red eye from photographs is not permissible (qtd. in Cooke). There is still a question, however, whether or not McCurry should rightfully be held to these kinds of standards. None of the photos identified as manipulated were produced for photojournalistic purposes. Does the mere fact that he built his reputation in photojournalism mean he must forever be held to such standards? Is he not allowed to engage in a more artistic photography? McCurrys own response to the controversy was to say, Today I would define my work as visual storytelling, because the pictures have been shot in many places, for many reasons, and in many situations (qtd. in Letzter). But he also went on to say the manipulations occurred in his studio without his approval and were mistakes. McCurry himself seems to be on the fence about his position; excusing himself from photojournalistic standards while still offering a mea culpa. While it seems reasonable to relieve McCurry from being held hostage by photojournalistic codes of ethics for non-photojournalistic photography, his own positioning of his work as visual storytelling deserves further consideration, for even this aspect of his work has been roundly criticized as lacking integrity. In A Too-Perfect Picture, Teju Cole compares the Indian culture photography of McCurry with that of Raghubir Singh and finds McCurrys work deficient. McCurrys series of Indian photographs from 1978 to 2012 aimed to evoke an earlier time in Indian history, as well as old ideas of what photographs of Indians should look like (Cole, 972). Based on this statement, one might be led to believe that McCurry is genuinely interested in documenting Indian culture and presenting it authentically in photographs, but Cole makes a case to the contrary. He considers McCurrys style as one that so compromises photography as to render his work astonishingly boring (Cole, 971). Cole insists that what makes a nation unique is a combination of its traditions, customs, history, and how these elements mesh together with the present. Therefore, McCurry provides the spectator with a completely mythologized history of culture, as if it has been violently broken off from the present. McCurrys consideration of a place largely from the perspective of a permanent anthological pastà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ [is] fantasy (Cole, 972). McCurrys methods are therefore dull bec ause they repackage old ideas as if they are exotic and distant, which aside from dull, is wholly inaccurate. Cole even compares McCurrys vision of peacocks, holy men, painted children, and incense to Coldplays Hymn for the Weekend music video; he describes it as a colorful backdrop to the fantasies of Western visitors (Cole, 974). Cole then argues that McCurry and other Western photographers seem to paint the picture they want to see, not what is actually there, and uses fantasy as a way to make exotic something that is still very real and present in these respective societies. When Cole evaluates Singhs work, he holds it up as an exemplar of what photographers shoulddo. As he writes, [Singhs] work shares formal content with McCurrys: the subcontinental terrain, the eye-popping color, the human presenceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Singh gives [his audience] photographs charged with life: not only beautiful experiences or painful scenes but also those in-between moments of drift that make up most of our days (Cole, 972). Because of this style, Cole argues that Singh has a democratic eye and goes above and beyond to take pictures of the entirety of the social space from cities, towns, villages, shops, rivers, worshippers, workers, construction sites, motorbikes, statues, modern furniture, dresses, and the like (Cole, 972). Singh takes approaches from highly sophisticated influences such as Edgar Degas and Helen Levitt, and it shows. Singh is able to tell a story with his photographs in ways McCurry fails to do because McCurry does not capture the wider social space. Rather than using compositional clichà ©s, Singh is able to produce a story that is truly dedicated to providing a more objective account that attempts to break away from preconceived notions. Coles contrast of these two photographers is stark. While Single is always emotionally generous when it comes to acknowledging his subjects for what they are, McCurrys work lacks depth and is a quick message [of] sweetness, pathos, humor that fails to deliver beyond its self-imposed limitations (Cole, 974). McCurrys fantastical portrayals of ancient cultures lack integrity in the eyes of Cole, although this problem is by no means unique to his work. It is a common Western narrative structure. In How to Write About Africa, Binyavanga Wainainaspeaks of the stereotypical images Westerners superimpose onto Africa in their descriptions. Africa is satirized by Wainaia as nothing more than depraved conditions. He writes of an AK-47, prominent ribs, naked breasts as if these subjects are utterly helpless people who are starving to death and rotting (Wainaina, 543 544). He goes into satiric detail about how Africans apparently eat things no other humans eatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and how they wait for the benevolence of the West (Wainaina, 544). While these are all exaggerations, they do make a point: The West is preoccupied with preserving stereotypical Africa. They are obsessed with conservationism and its nature, but they care little beyond this because it is all they see. For Wainaina, however, the real conservationists are the peoples in Africa who truly know the land. Cole and Wainaina both discuss stereotypes as they relate to cultures in India and Africa, which are fueled by Western fantasies. It seems Westerners enjoy telling stories and painting pictures of a lost cultural past, but this is only to maintain their own preconceived notions. They have little to do with the actual lived experiences of these peoples. Masked by these stereotypes, Western spectators see India and Africa as consisting entirely of these brazen caricatures. For Cole, this is just outright bad photography since peoples stories must be told through the photo. If not, then the photo is a mere manipulation of real life. Because any photograph cannot capture the entire social scope of any particular culture, what is chosen for portrayal can paint a distorted, oftentimes dramatized look at marginalized peoples as if they lack agency. This kind of photography most certainly supports a world view with a decidedly Western bent. Like any art, photography embodies subjectivity and bias. What shapes the story of the image goes beyond the subject it captures it also includes the setting, the camera chosen, lighting, and innumerable other elements that go into composing and taking a photograph. If a photographers work falls squarely under the umbrella of photojournalism, there is a responsibility to adhere to a code of ethics to mitigate the subjective aspects. Outside the realm of photojournalism, while Coles criticisms of McCurry related to integrity are well-founded given Western photographys penchant for stereotypes and fantasy in the depiction of other cultures, demanding that photographers always capture the fullness of a peoples culture and story in each photograph goes too far. Besides being unrealistic, photography that is more artistic than journalistic should be judged by standards of aesthetics rather than standards revolving around such concepts as objectivity and truth. Finally, aesthetic standard s are themselves subjective and will differ from person to person, which helps explain why much of McCurrys work can be loved by so many but can also invoke criticisms such as those offered by Cole. Works Cited Agtmael, Peter van. Why Facts Arent Always Truths in Photography. Time, Time, 12 May 2016, time.com/4326791/fact-truth-photography-steve-mccurry/. Cole, Teju. A Too-Perfect Picture. The Broadview Anthology of Expository Prose, Edited by Laura Buzzard et al., Third, Broadview Press, Peterborough, 2016, pp. 971-974. Cooke, Alex. The Case of Steve McCurry: What Is Truth in Photography? Fstoppers, Fstoppers, 12 May 2016, fstoppers.com/editorial/case-steve-mccurry-what-truth-photography-129505. Letzter, Rafi. The Afghan Girl Photographer Faked Some of His Photos. Does It Matter? Business Insider, Business Insider, 21 May 2016, www.businessinsider.com/steve-mccurry-photo-editing-scandal-2016-5. Wainaina, Binyavanga. How To Write About Africa. The Broadview Anthology of Expository Prose, Edited by Laura Buzzard et al., Third, Broadview Press, Peterborough, 2016, pp. 543-546.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Hard Times :: Dickens Hard Times Essays

Hard Times In this paper I would like to discuss the possibly affects that this book might have had on the world, the time around Charles Dickens, and the fact that Charles Dickens paid close attention to the world around him. Charles Dickens, born Charles John Huffman Dickens, was born on Feb. 7 1812 in Portsmouth where his father was a clerk at the Naval Pay Office. Four years later his family moved to Chatham and then later moved to London. In 1824 Charles Dickens father went to Debtor's Prison. In 1833 Charles Dickens published his first story "A Dinner at Poplar Walk". In 1838 one of Dickens most popular stories, Oliver Twist, was published in three volumes. In 1851 Charles Dickens father passed away. Next in 1861, another Dickens classic was published, Great Expectations. On June 9 Charles Dickens dies, at the age of fifty-eight. And was buried in Westminster Abbey. This is the Penguin Classics version of Hard Times by Charles Dickens that has be en edited by Kate Flint, who also added the introduction. I was unable to find any information about the editor, other than her name. I believe that Charles Dickens books, this one included, have had a great affect on the world. Not only in the fact that some of the books that he has written are considered to be classic or in the fact that some of these books are required reading in many high schools through out the U.S.. But also in the fact that I believe some of his books had an influence in the way the some of the laws in his time where formulated. The way that Charles Dickens go about doing this is by writing about the social problems within the government or just problems with the way that thing are being done in general. One example that I have found was in chapter 11, page 77, and footnote number 8. The line says "I ha' coom to ask yo, sir, how I am to be ridded o' this woman." When you look at the footnote it says that this line in the book is speaking of a problem that was quite common during Charles Dickens time period. The problem that this line speaks of is that it was all but impossible for a person who was of lower class to get a divorce.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Foucault, Consumerism, and Identity Essay -- Philosophy

Foucault, Consumerism, and Identity Michel Foucault presents those revolutionary sorts of analyses that are rich not only for their content but for their implications and novel methodological approach. Just beyond the surface of his works lies such philosophical wealth that one can be overwhelmed by considerations of which vein to mine first, and what to make of the elements therefrom extracted. I’ve broken earth in several attractive sites this last week. Some, it seemed, hid their treasures too deep for the scope of this excavation. Some presented me with granite barriers which I do not yet have the tools to penetrate. At other sites, the earth gave way easily and I made great progress, only to be flooded out. Finally, at the fifteenth hour, I have struck something shiny. I wish to use Foucault’s accounts of socialisation, categorisation, and discipline, as the background for my analysis of a modern entity I call the â€Å"identity package.† I will define this concept and show how it fits into and is suggested by Foucault’s works. Following this I will deal briefly with supposed problems with Foucault’s account (or lack of an account) of subjectivity. Narrative gives coherence to a life. Particular episodes make sense in light of a uniting theme. The simplistic world view of the Middle Ages left people satisfied with fairly simple narratives. One knew their personal obligations and had a vague idea of how they fit into the systems of king and God. For the sovereign and the elite, their special status was confirmed in ceremony and artistic representations.1[1] The masses were unrepresented. The lack of demand for empowerment or change may be partly due to the fact t... ...of this system. The process of categorisation seems to have an assimilative function. If you can’t beat them, label them. If it fits into our picture, it is ours. Put this way, it seems like we are imprisoned in a menacing matrix of metaphysical manipulation. However, as I have shown to be the case in pop culture, we are complicit in our captivity, in fact, all too willing to participate. 1[1]Michel Foucault, Discipline and Punish, tr.Alan Sheridan (New York: Vintage,1995) p.192 2[2]With an increase in bureaucracy came an increase in the importance of meticulous knowledge; with this, more power and a more distinct role for the researcher. 3[3]Modern advertising calls this â€Å"appeal to a certain demographic†. 4[4]Quoted in: Michael Clifford, Politcal Genealogy After Foucault, (New York: Routledge, 2001) p.99 Foucault, Consumerism, and Identity Essay -- Philosophy Foucault, Consumerism, and Identity Michel Foucault presents those revolutionary sorts of analyses that are rich not only for their content but for their implications and novel methodological approach. Just beyond the surface of his works lies such philosophical wealth that one can be overwhelmed by considerations of which vein to mine first, and what to make of the elements therefrom extracted. I’ve broken earth in several attractive sites this last week. Some, it seemed, hid their treasures too deep for the scope of this excavation. Some presented me with granite barriers which I do not yet have the tools to penetrate. At other sites, the earth gave way easily and I made great progress, only to be flooded out. Finally, at the fifteenth hour, I have struck something shiny. I wish to use Foucault’s accounts of socialisation, categorisation, and discipline, as the background for my analysis of a modern entity I call the â€Å"identity package.† I will define this concept and show how it fits into and is suggested by Foucault’s works. Following this I will deal briefly with supposed problems with Foucault’s account (or lack of an account) of subjectivity. Narrative gives coherence to a life. Particular episodes make sense in light of a uniting theme. The simplistic world view of the Middle Ages left people satisfied with fairly simple narratives. One knew their personal obligations and had a vague idea of how they fit into the systems of king and God. For the sovereign and the elite, their special status was confirmed in ceremony and artistic representations.1[1] The masses were unrepresented. The lack of demand for empowerment or change may be partly due to the fact t... ...of this system. The process of categorisation seems to have an assimilative function. If you can’t beat them, label them. If it fits into our picture, it is ours. Put this way, it seems like we are imprisoned in a menacing matrix of metaphysical manipulation. However, as I have shown to be the case in pop culture, we are complicit in our captivity, in fact, all too willing to participate. 1[1]Michel Foucault, Discipline and Punish, tr.Alan Sheridan (New York: Vintage,1995) p.192 2[2]With an increase in bureaucracy came an increase in the importance of meticulous knowledge; with this, more power and a more distinct role for the researcher. 3[3]Modern advertising calls this â€Å"appeal to a certain demographic†. 4[4]Quoted in: Michael Clifford, Politcal Genealogy After Foucault, (New York: Routledge, 2001) p.99