In What Ways Does What Edward Said Calls Orientalism Affect Art and Ar Essay

In What Ways Does What Edward Said Calls Orientalism Affect Art and Art History - Essay Example Whereas several other writers and thinkers had written histories of empire and colonialism, most of these writings were not post-colonial as they still proceeded from the point of view of the centre rather than the margin. The publication of Said's Orientalism was central to the exact awareness of the concept and this work marks the opening of post-colonialism. The definition of the term Orientalism by Edward Said suggests the originality of the subject dealt with in his book. According to the straightforward definition of the term, Orientalism refers to an academic specialisation and it is a topic studied by the archaeologists, historians, theologians and others in the West, who are concerned with Middle Eastern and North African cultures. However, Edward Said gives new meanings and interpretations to the term when adds two further meaning to the term. "Orientalism is also something more general, something that has shaped Western thought since Greeks, at least: namely, a way of divi ding up the world between the West and the East. What appears to be simple geographical fact is, says Said, actually an idea. The division of the world into these two parts is not a natural state of affairs, but an intellectual choice made by the West in order to define itself. The third meaning for Orientalism is more historically specific. Since the latter part of the eighteenth century, when European colonialism in the Middle East developed most fully, Orientalism has been a means for domination, a part of the colonial enterprise. Said argues that colonialism is not about the physical acts of taking land, or subjugating people, but is also about the intellectual acts." (Hatt and Klonk, 226) Therefore, Said's Orientalism and the concept of Orientalism played a major role in the understanding of the East-West controversy and it considerably influenced the study of art and art history. According to Edward Said Orientalism is a term that explains the academic as well as artistic Western tradition concerning intimidating and deprecatory views of the East. At the heart of such frightening and deprecatory views of the East are the attitudes of European imperialism during the 18th and 19th centuries. "Edward Said established the theoretical foundations for post-colonial studies by identifying how the West has characterised the East as the other since the Enlightenment. In all forms of cultural endeavour and enterprise, Europeans created the concept of an inferior Orient as opposed to a superior West. The boundaries between East and West have provided the locus for artistic hybrids and appropriations since classical times. In recent centuries, non-Western art has been perceived as exotic, dangerous, erotic and primitive." (Pooke and Newall, 211-12) Orientalism, as a term in art history, refers predominantly to the works of French artists in the 19th century, who selected the subject matter, colour and style of their artworks from the cultures of the Mediterranean nations and the Near East. Several critics and scholars in the field consider Orientalism as essentially an art history term.     

Business of Data Warehousing Foundations Essay Example for Free

Business of Data Warehousing Foundations Essay Executive Summary mySupermarket is a grocery shopping and comparison website which aims to provide customers with the best price for their shopping. This report examines how data warehousing provided mySupermarket with the foundation in which to build a successful enterprise, and allowed a subsequent expansion into the ‘business intelligence’ sector. The research draws attention to the problems and limitations that mySupermarket encountered including; coping with diverse sources of data streams, customer loyalty issues, achieving real-time data, data integrity and generating a sustainable revenue stream. These problems were tackled respectively through; building their own data warehouse, adopting a CRM strategy underpinned by their warehouse, adopting Microsoft’s SQL software, supermarket website ‘crawling’, offering ‘targeted’ advertising space and the realisation that the granularity of detail they offered, would allow them to expand into the ‘business intelligence’ sector. The report appreciates the importance of storing data, but concludes that data itself is the prerequisite to success, and that good management is needed to convert this data into meaningful information. It is therefore a combination of data warehousing and good management that has enabled mySupermarket to become a successful venture. Introduction â€Å"On the 31st August 2006, entrepreneur Johnny Stern received a seven-figure sum from investors to transform the way consumers shop for their groceries. From this, the price comparison site mySupermarket.co.uk was born and the company has utilised data warehousing to give consumers access to cheaper grocery shopping. The venture has not been without its problems, however four years on the company has withstood Adam Smith’s ‘Invisible Hand’[1] and grown into a c. £10m company† mySupermarket is a grocery shopping and comparison site that allows customers to compare and shop from four main UK supermarkets in one central place. Their mission statement is â€Å"to get the best possible price for your supermarket trolley while enjoying an easier and more consumer-friendly shopping experience†. Through the use of SQL and data warehousing, mySupermarket is able to collect product pricing, promotion and availability data directly from retailers websites. It then uses its proprietary technology to match identical Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) across retailers. After initial investment from Greylock Partners and Pitango Venture Capital (investors in Facebook LinkedIn), mySupermarket have faced the same difficulties as other price comparison sites in generating a sustainable revenue stream after Stern declared that â€Å"the portal would remain free in principle for shoppers†. The customer proposition for mySupermarket is to first log into their account. Then choose which supermarket to shop at from; Asda, Ocado/Waitrose, Sainsbury or Tesco. Tick their preferred supermarket and choose a delivery time/date, then start to shop. mySupermarket is updated on a daily basis so that the prices shown are the most competitive. Once the customer has made their choice of store, they start to shop by using the tabbed choices along the top of the page. These are divided up into virtual aisles so making a choice from Fruit and Veg, Meat, Fish Poultry, or Drinks etc. Once shopping has been completed, it then shows basket prices across the four supermarkets and allows the customer an opportunity to switch supermarkets. This report will critically discuss how data warehousing has enabled mySupermarket to build a successful business model including the benefits and problems that have arisen from the use of this technology. The report will finally analyse the extent to which data warehousing has contributed to mySupermarket’s success. Technologies Discussed According to Bill Inmon[2] (1993) data warehousing can be defined as, â€Å"a  subject-orientated, integrated, time variant and non-volatile, collection of data in support of the management decision making process†. It is, in essence, a large data storage facility which enables an enterprise to gain a competitive advantage through analytics and business intelligence. Providing integrated access to multiple, distributed, heterogeneous databases and other information sources has become one of the leading issues in database research and industry, IEEE Computer (1991) which can be seen through the success of First American Corporation (FAC), Cooper et al (2000) and Tesco/Dunnhumby, J. Perry (2009). Data mining is the process of ‘digging-out’ patterns from data, usually through Clustering, Classification, Regression and Association rule learning. Data mining technology can generate new business opportunities by providing: †¢ Automated prediction of trends and behaviours. †¢ Automated discovery of previously unknown or hidden patterns D. Champion and C. Coombs (2010) This process is carried out by sophisticated software packages such as Oracle, IBM and SQL. This alleviates the (potentially) very time consuming task of manually inputting and analysing the data Within data warehousing, there is a high importance placed on the quality of data, as without it, meaningful analysis is impossible. Data collection should therefore be taken with a high level of detail, and have solid definitions, as to avoid subjectivity. The purpose of a data warehouse is to support creative strategic decision making through a greater granularity of information with a consistent view of what’s happening. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) emerged in the 1990’s at a time when customers were becoming better informed and less brand loyal. CRM is an integration of technologies and business processes used to satisfy the needs of a customer during any interaction, Bose (2002, p. 89) and is underpinned by data warehousing. As with VISION in the FAC case (2000), the subsequent  benefits of CRM, is that firms are able to exploit the ‘80:20 principle’ which states that some customers are more important/profitable than others. These information sources can only come through data warehousing and data mining. mySupermarket – The Beginning The inspiration for mySupermarket came from Stern’s bargain-obsessed elderly relative; who would scour the aisles of Tesco’s to find his favourite tin of baked beans, jot down the price and travel to competitor stores to try and find a better deal. Stern identified the growing interest in online grocery shopping and felt that it was an area that could be exploited (Fig. 1). Figure 1: Mintel Intelligence – Online Grocery Data Stern spent 18 months before the launch developing the software and tweaking the concept (Fig. 2). Figure 2: Adaption of Martin et al., 2005: 193 The data warehouse was developed through ‘crawling’[3] the four supermarket websites and adding product pricing, promotion and availability data to the warehouse. Once this data was implemented in the warehouse, proprietary technology and SQL software allowed mySupermarket to match identical SKU’s across retailers. This data was also used in developing its CRM strategy through the use of ‘cookies’[4] to store data in the customers computer using the functionality of their browser to find out whether the computer has visited the site before and what SKUs they purchased. â€Å"This enables us to operate an efficient service and to track the patterns of behaviour of visitors to the website.† mysupermarket.co.uk. The feature enables mySupermarket to utilize this information by creating functions such as a ‘Regular Shop’ button, saving customers’ time on their shopping. mySupermarket – Problems Many problems can arise through the use of data warehousing, both technically and commercially. According to Mintel Intelligence (2009), â€Å"Consumer loyalty is fairly low in the [price comparison] market with more than 14 million people (c.58% of market) having used three or more different price comparison sites†. Underlying these efforts was the recognition that, to succeed with this strategy, it must know its customers exceptionally well and leverage that knowledge in website design, service and interaction with their clients. mySupermarket would therefore have to find a strategy to retain a ‘loyal customer base’ in a notoriously disloyal sector. Kimball Ross (2002) state that a common pitfall of data warehousing is to â€Å"presume that the business, its requirements, analytics, underlying data and supporting technology are static† – an early problem mySupermarket encountered was the variation in regional pricing and a growing demand for ‘real-time’ data. Another problem with data warehousing is ensuring the integrity of data, this is typically a human procedure and so subject to human error. Even the most sophisticated data mining systems cannot produce good analysis from poor data. A good illustration of this is from Blastard and Dilnot ‘The Tiger That Isn’t’ where a hospital survey found that an alarming amount of patients were being born on the 11th November 1911. Further investigation showed that nurses often would not fill in patient files properly and to save time, when asked to enter patient D.O.B. they would type 11/11/11 into the database. No matter how intelligent a computer system is, if you put ‘garbage-in’ you will get ‘garbage-out’. Beynon-Davies (2004) states that data warehousing projects are large scale development projects typically taking up to three years to complete. Some of the challenges of such problems may include; selecting, installing and integrating the different hardware and software and also, the diverse sources of data feeding a data warehouse introduces problems of design in terms of creating a homogenous data store. Finally, as with all comparison sites, the major obstacle facing  mySupermarket was generating a sustainable revenue stream from the database they had accumulated. mySupermarket.co.uk did not generate any revenue 5 months after the website went live. Originally, mySupermarket didn’t operate a ‘search advertisement’ scheme (a central platform for companies such as Google eg, BP paying for advertising of their oil spill cleanup when people typed in â€Å"BP Oil Spill† G. Cheeseman, 2010) . There are also no revenue-sharing agreements in place with the four stores whose prices it monitors in effort to remain independent. This, in part, may stem from mySupermarket’s limited market, consisting of ‘a comparison of groceries’. mySupermarket recognised that they would have to expand their focus if they were to generate a large enough turnover to operate a successful business. mySupermarket – Technological Impact The first problem mySupermarket addressed was the industries poor ‘customer loyalty’. They decided to attack this through the implementation of a CRM strategy. After the initial launch, mySupermarket was receiving feedback from customers regarding such things as; healthy options, promotions on offer, printable shopping lists and regular shops. mySupermarket realised that the information stored in their data warehouse could be exploited to meet these demands and increase customer utility. Subsequently, a Health Checker feature was launched based on the Food Standard Authority’s approved traffic light system. In November 2008, the mySupermarket ‘Quick Shop’ function was added, allowing users to type their shopping list on a virtual notepad and find their required items in one go. As delivery slots started running out towards Christmas we also introduced a new print your shopping list feature, which was popular, said Stern. A lot of our shoppers are using the website as a quick way to find the best deals and are then going to the supermarket to make their purchases†. Recent analysis of visits shows mysupermarket.co.uk has a loyal repeat following, with Stern claiming visitors are spending an average of 20 minutes on the site. â€Å"Until recently, there were few viable tools to provide real-time data warehousing nor an absolutely current picture of an organization’s business and customer† J. Vandermay (2001). To combat the problem of achieving  real-time and regional data, mySupermarket used Microsoft’s SQL software[5]. Most data integration solutions focus on moving data only between homogeneous systems and database software. However, SQL integration is capable of moving data among a wide range of databases and systems. It also offers transformational data integration tools to consolidate and synchronize heterogeneous data into a warehouse. This allows consumers to view whether a certain item is in stock in their local store, or view delivery slots for their specific region. This real-time data saves the mySupermarket team having to continually update the warehouse manually. Fortunately for mySupermarket, their website ‘crawling’ technique allows them to take the SKU data directly from the supermarkets themselves. Therefore data will only be wrong, if the supermarket has made the mistake (so would have to sell the item at that price) and so mySupermarket would not be liable. Although Stern took half the time recommended by Beynon-Davies, the warehouse has had to be continuously tweaked since its launch. After its launch mySupermarket noticed a data stream that wasn’t being filtered into the data warehouse – calories. After the realisation, mySupermarket were able to add a ‘calorie counter’ function on to the website. For any business to survive, it needs to generate a revenue stream to achieve a sustainable cash flow:mySupermarket were able to negotiate with supermarkets a commission of  £5 for every ‘first-time buyer’ that shops through their site and  £1 every time thereafter. Other sources of revenue came from the use of advertising, which could be split into two different segments on-site and search-related advertising. Marks Spencer (Fig. 3) are one company that has chosen to advertise with mySupermarket.co.uk as the content is relevant and it is independent from the four supermarkets being compared. Advertisers will typically pay $1.00 $1.50 per 1,000 run-of-site impressions for the advertising placement. However, advertisers may pay even more for targeted sidebar advertisements. Search advertisements are targeted to match key search terms entered on the search engine, these products (advertisements) will then appear first in the search. Danone (Fig. 3) has  paid for ad vertisement when the search term ‘yoghurt’ is entered, and so their umbrella brands (eg, Activia) show at the top of the list, increasing its probability of being bought. Figure 3: mySupermarket.co.uk advertising example Due to the amount of data mining available to mySupermarket, an opportunity was identified for expansion, called ‘mySupermarket insights’. It acts as real-time B2B data service for the ‘Fast Moving Consumer Goods’ (FMCG) sector. As mySupermarket has access to SKU by SKU trends, it is able to offer extremely high level, intelligent data. The services it offers include; New Product Development (NPD) alert reports, Online auditing reports, Price comparison reports, Product substitution report and Customer profiling reports (allowing for further use of CRM through ‘cluster analysis’[6]). This sort of information is of high value to companies and a subscription to the service can range from  £5,000  £20,000p.a. (current clients include Kellogg’s, Innocent Smoothies, Nielson and Ella’s Kitchen). Finally, mySupermarket is often contracted by media companies, such as ‘the Independent’ to analyse trends for news stories – J. Burchill (2010). I feel that information is now widely recognised as being one of the key corporate resources, needing to be carefully managed so that it can be effectively utilised in the decision-making process. Timely, accurate and relevant information can only be generated, however, if corporate data is stored in a secure, accessible and flexible manner. The following table provides a summary of the impact that data warehousing technology had for mySupermarket: Figure 6: Technological Impact Summary mySupermarket – Conclusion To conclude, data warehousing has enabled mySupermarket to overcome issues  such as customer retention, real-time data and generating revenue. It really does appear that â€Å"information is key†, whereby data is the prerequisite for information. J. Poole et al. (2003) state ‘ the underlying economic justification is ultimately based on the value a given technology provides to the customers of the computing systems and software products’ and so the determinate of mySupermarket’s success is essentially based on ‘whether people use the technology’ and ‘the value of the company’. Based on an monthly unique user level of 1 million, and 500k registered users turning over c. £10m, we can assume that at this point in time mySupermarket is justified economically. On the other hand, you could argue that mySupermarket is a ‘recession business’ and not a sustainable enterprise. In which case, the rapid growth in recent years could be due to the economic climate and not because there is a long term demand. Looking towards the future, Our investors have international ambitions, Stern said. They see the potential of transporting the model to different markets.† mySupermarket are looking to expand the companys development team to support its entry into Europe and the US. mySupermarket are currently looking for another round of funding to bridge G. Murray’s (1994) second equity gap. Technology firms often require ‘follow on development funding’, as cash is heavily plowed into ‘Prototype testing’ and ‘Research Development’. In terms of an exit, mySupermarket would be very attractive to major FMCG companies such as PG, Unilever and Kraft’s venture arms. I believe that mySupermarket will achieve their second round funding as they are now profitable and have a proven concept that has high growth prospects for the future. Over the past few years there has been a huge growth in the use of ‘numbers’ and ‘analytics’. Businesses are recognising that it is not enough to work harder than the competition; they also have to work smarter. Davenport (2006) argues that it is â€Å"virtually impossible to differentiate yourself from competitors based on products alone† and so to pull ahead of the pack, businesses need to compete on analytics. In which case, ‘mySupermarket insights’ is poised in a perfect position to capitalize on this new thirst for ‘business intelligence’, whereby companies feel that  they will have to subscribe to the service to compete on an even playing field. However, it is not enough to just store data, it has to be managed, analyzed, implemented and utilised to convert raw data into real information. mySupermarket realised the benefits of data warehousing and were able to exploit this, expanding from a mere ‘price-comparison site’ to a ‘business intelligence provider’ to major FMCG companies. I believe that with the current shift towards analytics and business intelligence, mySupermarket has the potential to be a major force in the FMCG sector whilst offering a greater transparency for customers, all of which stems from good management and data warehousing. References: Beyon-Davies, P (2004) – Database Systems, 3rd edition, Palgrave, Basingstoke, pp. 527-538 and 547-553 Bose, R (2002) – Customer Relationship Management: Key concepts for IT success, Vol. 102, No. 2, pp. 89-97 Blastland, M Dilnot, A (2007) – The Tiger That Isn’t: Seeing a World Through Numbers Burchill, J (Aug 2010) – The Independent: So the Prince of Green Hypocrites is going on tour. Thank God Ill be abroad Cooper et al. (2000) – Data Warehousing Supports Corporate Strategy at First American Corporation Vol. 24, No. 4 Champion, D Coombs, C (2010) – Handout: BSC070 Enterprise Information Systems Cheeseman, G (June 2010) – Triple Pundit: Is It Ethical For BP To Buy Oil-Spill-Related Google Search Terms? Davenport, T. H (2006) – Competing on Analytics IEEE Computer (Dec 1991) – Special Issue on Heterogeneous Distributed Database Systems, 24(12) Inmon, W.H. and Kelley, C (1993) – Developing the Data Warehouse. QED Publishing Group, Boston, Massachussetts Kimball, R Ross, M (2002) – The Data Warehouse Toolkit: The Complete Guide to Dimensional Modeling, 2nd edition Martin et al., (2005): 193 – Managing Information Technology 5th Edition, Pearson Education Inc, pp. 192-195 Mintel Intelligence (Oct 2009) Web Aggregators, UK Murray, G (1994) The Second Equity Gap: Exit Problems for Seed and Early Stage Venture Capitalists Perry, J (Nov 2009) – Dunnhumby: A lifetime of loyalty? RetailWeek Poole, J et al. (2003) – Common Warehouse Metamodel: Introduction to the standard for data warehouse integration Smith, A (1959) – ‘The Theory of Moral Sentiments’ Vandermay, J (2001) – Considerations for Building a Real-time Data Warehousea

Setting, Symbolism and Oppression of Women in The Yellow Wallpaper

The Yellow Wallpaper: Setting, Symbolism and Oppression of Women Have you ever been locked in a dark closet? You grope about trying to feel the doorknob, straining to see a thin beam of light coming from underneath the door. As the darkness consumes you, you feel as if you will suffocate. There is a sensation of helplessness and hopelessness. Loneliness, caused by oppression, is like the same darkness that overtakes its victim. Charlotte Perkins Gilman, in "The Yellow Wallpaper," recounts the story of a young mother who travels to a summer home to "rest" from her nervous condition. Her bedroom is an old nursery covered with ugly, yellow wallpaper. The more time she spends alone, the more she becomes obsessed with the wallpaper's patterns. She begins to imagine a woman behind bars in the paper. Finally, she loses her sanity and believes that she is the woman in the wallpaper, trying to escape. In "The Yellow Wallpaper," Charlotte Perkins Gilman uses setting and symbolism to suggest that imprisoning oppression causes a type of loneliness (in women) that can lead to a deadly form of insanity. Gilman uses setting to suggest that imprisoning oppression causes a type of loneliness that can lead to insanity. Gilman's young mother describes the nursery bedroom "with windows that ... [are] barred for little children" (426). In the above passage, the barred windows seem to intensify her oppression, and her perception that she is being imprisoned. Gilman also uses the young woman's description of the summer home to express her feeling of being all alone. "It is quite alone, standing well back from the road, quite three miles from the village. It makes me think of Eng... ...chniques that Charlotte Perkins Gilman uses in "The Yellow Wallpaper" to suggest that a type of loneliness (in women) caused by imprisoning oppression can lead to the deadliest form of insanity. By using setting, Gilman shows how the barred windows intensifies the young woman's imprisoning oppression, the isolated summer home represents the loneliness the young woman feels, and her hallucinations of the wallpaper pattern indicates her transition to insanity. Wallpaper symbolism is used throughout the story the pattern representing the strangling nature of the imprisoning oppression, the fading yellow color showing the fading away of the young woman, and the hovering smell representing the deadly insanity to which she succumbs. Like the darkness that quickly consumes, the imprisoning loneliness of oppression swallows its victim down into the abyss of insanity.

Ambiguities in the Textual Body of The Castle of Otranto Essay

Incongruous Corpus: Ambiguities in the Textual Body of The Castle of Otranto While the relationship of the Gothic to the Romantic is debatable, the persistent desire of some critics to see it as pre-Romantic should not disguise the possibility that the genre is â€Å"actually sending out very contradictory impulses about its own intentions, [and] adopting certain strategies that thwart the very perceptions it seems to be on the brink of achieving† (Napier, 4). This uncertainty in form and intent has produced imprecision and imbalances in Gothic novels that are partly the result of instability within the Gothic form. Although the Gothic achieves stability by repeating a certain pattern of accepted conventions, leading to remarkable coherence in the â€Å"routine likeness of one romance to another† (Napier, 4), one must be mindful that the Gothic is â€Å"formally and stylistically marked by disequilibrium† (Napier, 4). The imbalance, dissolution, and formal unevenness of the Gothic genre, which some scholars claim are recurrent issues with in the genre, are found as early as the first Gothic novel in The Castle of Otranto. Their existence in Otranto suggests the profound uncertainty Walpole had about the intent of the genre as he perceived it and hints at the immense task the author faced in establishing a new genre that required the â€Å"difficult and uneven breaking away from the more carefully structured and considered narratives of the preceding period† (Napier, 5). Walpole’s inability to provide a thorough theoretical explanation of the intent of the genre and breakaway cleanly from pre-existing narrative norms accounts, in part, for the presence of tonal and modal incongruities within the textual body of Otranto. An examination of the theo... .... Meaning is deflected to surfaces and nothing about a character is truly known beyond what is necessary to further the plot. Nonetheless, despite all the structural incongruities within the body of Otranto, Walpole was successful in establishing a genre that later practitioners perfected. Works Cited Clery, E. J. Introduction. The Castle of Otranto. By Horace Walpole. New York: OUP, 1998. vii-xxxiii. Kiely, Robert. The Romantic Novel in England. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard UP, 1972. Mowl, Tim. Horace Walpole: The Great Outsider. London: John Murray (Publishers) Ltd., 1996. Napier, Elizabeth R. The Failure of Gothic: Problems of Disjunction in an Eighteenth-Century Literary Form. New York: OUP, 1987. Sedgwick, Eve K. Coherence of Gothic Conventions. New York and London: Methuen, 1986. Walpole, Horace. The Castle of Otranto. New York: OUP, 1998.

Mama Might Be Better Off Dead: The Failure of Health Care

In this essay I’m going to provide a creative review of the book â€Å"Mama Might Be Better Off Dead: The Failure of Health Care in Urban America† and discuss the overall failure of the health care in the modern US. The shocking title of the book speaks for itself. The frank, insightful and humane nature of the book will leave nobody indifferent. The book provides an account of the unhappy destiny of the four generations of the poor and miserable Banes family living in the dirty and dangerous North Lawndale (near Chicago) neighborhoods. Every member of the Banes family experiences health problems, and the government turns out to be unable to protect its citizens from diseases and physical disability. The family is the typical example of a disadvantaged social group. They are African-American, the husband is drug-addicted, children are neglected, and all of them suffer from the so-called â€Å"inherited poverty† – the situation, when poverty is passed from generation to generation. The American government may be successful protection rich, white and young, but when the matter concerns poor and disadvantages, the government either doesn’t care, or is unable to provide quality health protection for them. What problems do the family members face? Younger children don’t get necessary immunization. Grandmother has diabetes and went through the amputation of limbs. The son is partially paralyzed after a stroke. The husband has problems with kidneys. The most striking feature is that the place, where the Banes family lives, is surrounded by the city’s best medical facilities, but they have mo access, moreover, not a single chance for access to them. The author takes the reader for a horrible trip around hospitals, primary care facilities, emergency rooms and even courtrooms, where he Banes try to improve their conditions by trials with home care. Many families in the modern urban America face the same problem as the Banes. They are quickly trapped in the vicious circle of illness and poverty. If citizens are poor, they are especially sensitive to the maladies of the century, for instance, alcohol and drugs addiction, and they don’t adhere to the basic hygienic demands. If citizens are ill, they can easily fall into poverty. It’s shocking that in the urban areas people suffer from the same health care problems as people in the third-world countries. Our government seems to be the most democratic and progressive, but while it’s unable to guarantee basic social rights of its citizens, it can’t be regarded as such. Our government should pay more attention to caring than curing. Health has systematic nature, it’s a habit, and the government should stimulate and, what is more important, allow is citizens to get into it. The author shows that many people in the nowadays America are uninsured and underinsured. It’s not the issue of the numbers of public spending. It’s the issue of attitudes. It’s the issues of loopholes in the health care. It’s the issue of the commitment to quality and equality in this sphere. The author calls for the reform of the Medicaid and Medicare. These health care programs don’t benefit medically underserved communities. Poor and disadvantaged citizens face the lack of access to medical care every day. The policymakers on the highest level don’t know much about the problems their people face in the small towns and suburbs all across the country. The governance of the hospitals is often corrupted and reluctant. It seems that racial discrimination is inexistent in America, but, in fact, medical aid is like litmus that shows all the problems that Africa-Americans and representatives of other minorities face, for example, when the matter concerns the transplantation of organs. The Banes have enough self-respect to battle for the health care, but many other families have to cope with other problems in the first place, including domestic violence, unemployment and crime. The author suggests that a health care should ensure proper and equal access to health care facilities. I know that some hospitals in other states have implemented outreach programs for the minority citizens, for instance, mobile health care centers and interactive health care education. The health care should have a human face. The author shows how treating the poor is bad and unprofitable for the health care business. White doctors can be discriminatory towards disadvantaged minority patients. If children don’t receive proper preventive care, they will be likely to fall into the vicious circle of illnesses and poor health. All these problems should be targeted – and targeted immediately on the federal, state and local levels. The book can and should be viewed as a consistent and sound argument for a health care reform in the modern America. Sources Abraham, L.K. (1994). Mama Might Be Better Off Dead: The Failure of Health Care in Urban America. University of Chicago Press; Re

Time to Retire Political Correctness

Time to Retire Political Correctness Time to Retire Political Correctness Time to Retire Political Correctness By Maeve Maddox The expressions â€Å"political correctness† and â€Å"politically correct† have gone through so many meanings that it’s no longer possible to know what a speaker means by them. The word correct was used as a verb by Chaucer in the fourteenth century in reference to correcting his writing. It’s from Latin corrigere, â€Å"to make straight, set right, reform, amend.† In the seventeenth century, Dryden used correct as an adjective with the meaning, â€Å"in accordance with an acknowledged or conventional standard.† The abstract noun correctness is also cited from the seventeenth century, with the meaning, â€Å"the quality or condition of being correct; conformity to an acknowledged rule or standard, to what is considered right, or to fact.† The early use of correctness was in reference to language, both written and spoken. In the 1950s, correctness came to mean â€Å"conformation to a dominant political or ideological orthodoxy.† It usually referred to the necessity in non-democratic countries to accept government policies without complaint or suffer punishment. The unstated qualifier for this use of correctness was ideological or political. By 1992, the use of correctness had expanded to refer to conformity to established beliefs in other matters. It was possible to speak of â€Å"environmental correctness† and â€Å"feminist correctness.† The early 1970s saw the rise of the phrase â€Å"political correctness† to mean, â€Å"conforming to a body of liberal or radical opinion, especially on social matters.† This kind of â€Å"political correctness† tended to focus on language, especially the rejection of words and phrases thought to be offensive or discriminatory. For example, words like blind, deaf, short, and fat were no longer considered acceptable descriptive adjectives for people who are blind, deaf, short or fat. Carried to its extreme, this type of linguistic political correctness became the target of ridicule, but it did have the positive effect of causing people to think about the social implications of language. In 2016, the phrases â€Å"political correctness,† â€Å"politically correct,† and â€Å"politically incorrect† are getting an intense workout. A Google search shows the following results for the three phrases: â€Å"politically correct† About 7,110,000 â€Å"political correctness† About 6,610,000 â€Å"politically incorrect† About 3,440,000 Although not all of these examples stem from campaign rhetoric or media coverage, a great many- perhaps most- do. For example: Trump has been running against â€Å"political correctness.† Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders have blown up political correctness in New Hampshire Presidential candidate Ted Cruz has called gluten-free military meals a sign of  political  correctness. Whatever value the phrases may have had as meaningful expressions of thought has by now been lost. For example, depending on the topic, â€Å"political correctness† may refer to anything from word-choice to the rule of law. In a society that values freedom of speech, the term â€Å"political correctness† should be unnecessary. In a democracy, no opinion- no matter how hare-brained- is forbidden. Self-styled language police may urge people not to use words they don’t like, but no one is going to be thrown into prison for calling a woman a girl. In a society that purports to value education, shameless public displays of vulgarity and incivility are inappropriate- especially in the behavior of (presumably) educated public figures. The popular sentence-opener, â€Å"It may not be politically correct, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  often signals no more than the imminent expression of a vulgarity or an insult. â€Å"Political correctness,† â€Å"politically correct,† and â€Å"politically incorrect† belong on the linguistic trash heap with all the other mostly meaningless, hot-button words and expressions used to manipulate people. Related posts Brainstorms Turning to Showers Euphemism and Euphuism Mankind, Humankind, and Gender 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 Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Computer Terms You Should Know30 Baseball IdiomsEbook, eBook, ebook or e-book?

The Lincoln Assassination Essays - United States, Free Essays

The Lincoln Assassination Essays - United States, Free Essays The Lincoln Assassination On April, 14 1865 President Abraham Lincoln was shot while watching a performance of An American Cousin at Ford?s Theater. President Lincoln died the next morning. The person who had killed Lincoln was John Wilkes Booth. A few days before he was killed, Lincoln had told his spouse about a dream he had, he saw a president shrouded on a catafalque in the east room of the White House. Even after this dream he attended An American Cousin at Ford?s Theater. John Wilkes Booth thought the president was determined to destroy the constitution, set aside the rights reserved to the states, crush civil liberties, and restore monarchy. He saw the confederacy was the only means to of upholding the values of the founding fathers. He devoted much of late 1864 and early 1865 to a series of plots to abduct Lincoln and use his capture to nullify the Union?s war aims. Every scheme ending in frustration. After Lee had surrendered to the Army of the Potomac, in the second week of April, he saw that only the most desperate measures offered any hope of salvaging the Southern Cause. Shortly before he went into the theater, he stopped at tavern for a drink. While in the bar an acquaintance jokingly remarked that "he would never be as great as his father," Booth replied by saying "When I leave the stage, I will be the most talked about man in America." The Atlanta Campaign of 1864 In the spring of 1864, Gen. W. T. Sherman concentrated the Union armies of G. H. Thomas, J. B. McPherson, and J. M. Schofield around Chattanooga. On May 6 he began to move along the railroad from Chattanooga to Atlanta. Sherman had two objectives, one was to destroy the army of General J. E. Johnston and the other was to capture Atlanta. Johnston realizing that he was outnumbered started to retreat south. Sherman tried a direct assault on Johnston?s forces and was repulsed. Johnston had retreated back to the south bank of the Chattahoochee river. On July 17, John Bell Hood replaced Johnston as General. He tried to continue with Johnston?s plan, but failed to stop the advance of Union troops. He retired to Atlanta, which Sherman soon had under bombardment. On September 1 Hood abandoned Atlanta, the next day Sherman moved in and burned it. The Maryland Invasion A year after the confederate defeat at Gettysburg. Robert E. Lee planned to invade the North again like he did in the campaigns of Antietam and Gettysburg. He hoped that this would be enough to get Grant to detach part of his army to protect Maryland, Pennsylvania and Washington City, or to have Grant attach fortifications and risk heavy lose. Miscellaneous Fort Pillow Massacre: An incident that took place in Fort Pillow, Tennessee, April 12, 1864. Confederate troops commanded by General N. B. Forrest, stormed and captured Fort Pillow on the Mississippi River. The garrison of black soldiers and Tennessee Unionist held out beyond all possible hope. The joint committee on the Conduct of War investigated and charged that the Confederates indiscriminately slaughtered more than 300 black soldiers. General Sherman was ordered to investigate, but his report was never published. Battle of Franklin: November 30, 1864, a Civil War engagement in which the Confederate forces were defeated. After abandoning Atlanta, General Hood reorganized the Confederate army at Lovejoy?s Station. His hope was too cut off Sherman?s lines of communication.

John Hopkins in his article, Constitution of Essay Example

John Hopkins in his article, Constitution of Essay Example John Hopkins in his article, Constitution of Essay John Hopkins in his article, Constitution of Essay A beneficiary under a trust is a voluntary unless he has provided valuable consideration. [ 1 ] Where a gift is made, the donee will ever be a voluntary as it is by definition made without consideration. The traditional just axiom is that equity will non help a voluntary. [ 2 ] This by and large means that where a gift is made amiss, equity will non enable the intended donee to claim the gift under a trust. However, there are exclusions to the regulation. This essay will see these exclusions and the extent to which the regulation has developed from equity will non help a volunteer to a place of equity will non help a voluntary if, in making so, it would mend the effects of a manque donor’s folly . The taking instance in this country isMilroy V Lord[ 3 ] where a voluntary title which purported to delegate 50 portions to Samuel Lord on trust for Milroy. Lord was already moving as Milroy’s agent under a power of lawyer. The formalities of the portion transportation were non complied with. Milroy hence sought to set up that a trust had been declared. It was held that an uneffective transportation does non represent a declaration of trust without at that place being a clear purpose to make a trust. Furthermore, if a voluntary colony is to be valid and effective, the trustor must hold done everything which was necessary to be done to reassign the belongings and render the colony adhering upon him. [ 4 ] As the portions had non been transferred, no trust was created and no gift made. The instance ofMilroy V Lordtherefore provides that for the colony to be adhering there must be either an outright transportation, a declaration of ego as legal guardian, or a transportation of belongings to a 3rd party as legal guardian. The facts ofJones V Lock[ 5 ] were that a male parent produced a check collectible to himself and said Look you here, I give this to babe ; it is for himself and placed the check in the baby’s manus. He so took the check back saying that he was traveling to set it off for him. It was held that there had been no effectual gift because no valid transportation had occurred. Furthermore, it was held that a failed gift can non be construed to be a valid declaration of trust. It was said that the important rule is that an proprietor must non be deprived of his belongings unless, by doing a valid gift or trust, he has demonstrated the earnestness of his purpose to dispose of the benefit of his belongings. [ 6 ] However, where the belongings is vested in the legal guardians in fortunes outside their capacity as legal guardians, the trust may be constituted, even though the donees are voluntaries [ 7 ] (Re Ralli’s Will Trusts[ 8 ] ) . Other exclusions include the regulation inStrong V Bird[ 9 ] andDonationes Mortis Causa. As these exclusions are uncommon, the chief exclusion and development every bit set out below will be the focal point of this piece. The instance ofRe Rose[ 10 ] demonstrates the rule that where a giver has done everything they can to reassign rubric to another but that straight-out trust has non been completed, an just involvement will hold passed, even where the beneficiary is a voluntary. [ 11 ] This rule is hence an exclusion to the general regulation that equity will non help a voluntary and is based upon the unfairness of renegue oning on a promise one time the giver has purported to reassign rubric by making everything necessary for him to make. The rule inRe Rosehas late been extended. InT Choithram International SA V Pagarani, [ 12 ] a adult male lying on his deathbed sought to declare an inter vivos trust over his belongings. The settlor’s purpose was to go one of nine legal guardians, but he failed to reassign legal rubric to all nine legal guardians and as a effect, under the ordinary jurisprudence of trusts, the trust would non hold been validly constituted. The Court of Appeal therefore held that he had neither efficaciously vested the belongings in the legal guardians, nor did his words of gift render him a legal guardian. Furthermore the tribunal will non give a benevolent building so as to handle uneffective words of straight-out gift as taking consequence as if the giver had declared himself a legal guardian for the donee . In the words of Hopkins, the Court of Appeal decided the affair on the footing that equity will non help a volunteer or perfect an imperfect gift . [ 13 ] In leting the entreaty, the Privy Council accepted the axioms but added that equity will non endeavor officiously to get the better of a gift . The concluding for keeping a trust was that the trustor had done all that was necessary to represent a trust, by declaring himself as legal guardian. His words that he would give’ could merely so intend I give to the legal guardians of the foundation trust title to be held by them on the trusts of the foundation trust deed . [ 14 ] The instance ofChoithrammay hence be taken to be support for Hopkins’ statement that that the tribunals have left behind the well-known just axiom equity will non help a voluntary and have reframed it as equity will non help a voluntary if, in making so, it would mend the effects of a manque giver s folly. This is because, in bothRe RoseandChoithramthere was no folly in the sense that the giver had non done all that was necessary and hence, on the footing of the reformulated axiom the trusts were justly held. Conversely, in bothJones V LockandMilroy V Lord, the giver had non done all that was necessary, and was hence moving in folly. However, this is non the terminal of the developments. InPennington V Waine[ 15 ] A owned 1500 of the 2000 portions in C Ltd. She instructed P, a spouse in C Ltd hearers, that she wished to reassign 400 portions to her nephew H and that he was to go a manager. A signed the portion and P placed it on the company’s file . A made her will a short clip later willing the remainder of her shareholding but doing no reference of the 400 portions transferred to H. Under the traditional jurisprudence, as seen above, the gift would hold been complete merely one time the signed stock transportation signifier and the portion certification had been handed to the beneficiary. The Court of Appeal in fact held that the gift was to be regarded as wholly constituted, despite the deficiency of bringing and the fact that there was seemingly nil to halt A from remembering her gift. [ 16 ] The Court of Appeal followed the axiom as stated inChoithramthat equity will non help a voluntary but will non endeavor officiously to get the better of a gift. It was held that at the clip it would be conscienceless for the transferor to be able to alter their head, equity should keep the gift to be decently constituted. Per Arden LJ: If one returns on the footing that a rule which animates the reply to the inquiry whether an seemingly uncomplete gift is to be treated as wholly constituted is that a giver will non be permitted to alter his or her head if it would be conscienceless, in the eyes of equity, vis-a-vis the beneficiary to make so, what is the place here? There can be no comprehensive list of factors which makes it conscienceless for the giver to alter his or her head: it must depend on the tribunal s rating of all the relevant considerations. What so are the relevant facts here? [ A ] made the gift of her ain free will: there is no determination that she was non competent to make this. She non merely told [ H ] about the gift and signed a signifier of transportation which she delivered to [ P ] for him to procure enrollment: her agent besides told [ H ] that he need take no action. In add-on [ H ] agreed to go a manager of the company without bound of clip, which he could non make without portions being transferred to him. It has been argued that this determination was based on a misinterpretation of the determination inChoithramwhere it was held that it would be as conscienceless for a trustor who had declared a trust when he was one of a figure of legal guardians to later resile from his declaration as if he had declared himself to be the exclusive legal guardian. [ 17 ] Furthermore, it is widely accepted that the determination goes much further than old jurisprudence. [ 18 ] Analyzing Hopkins’ statement in visible radiation of this development, it is improbable that the axiom can be said to be redefined to integrate the donor’s folly, as the present place appears to go forth plentifulness of range for helping a voluntary where making so would rectify a donor’s folly. Indeed,Pennington V Wainemay good be overruled in the hereafter, but at present, the most disposed re-statement of the axiom is: equity will non help a voluntary unless it would be conscienceless non to make so . [ 19 ] Bibliography Delany, H. , and Ryan, D. , Unconscionability: a consolidative subject in equity , ( 2008 )Conv401 Garton, J. , The function of the trust mechanism in the regulation in Re Rose , ( 2003 )Conv364 Halliwell, M. , Perfecting imperfect gifts and trusts: have we reached the terminal of the Chancellor’s pes? , ( 2003 )Conv192 Hopkins, J. , Constitution of trusts – a fresh point , ( 2001 )CLJUK483 Hudson, A. ,Equity and Trusts, 5ThursdayEdition ( 2007 ) , Routledge-Cavendish Martin, J.E. ,Hanbury and Martin: Modern Equity, 17ThursdayEdition ( 2005 ) , Sweet A ; Maxwell Morris, J. , Questions: when is an invalid gift a valid gift? When is an incompletely established trust a wholly constituted trust? Answer: after the determinations in Choithram and Pennington , ( 2003 )PCB393 Oakley, A.J. ,Parker and Mellows: The Modern Law of Trusts, 9ThursdayEdition ( 2008 ) , Sweet A ; Maxwell Pettit, P.H. ,Equity and the Law of Trusts, 10ThursdayEdition ( 2006 ) , Oxford University Press Tham, C.H. , Careless portion giving , ( 2006 )CONVPL411 Watt, G. ,Trusts and Equity, 3rdEdition ( 2008 ) , Oxford University Press 1

Innovative E-Businesses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Innovative E-Businesses - Essay Example The businesses services can be reached out of borders. The world has transformed into a global village and everyone has equal chances of accessibility to the services and products provided online. There are many e-businesses that have gained a sound reputation on the basis of their innovative strategies and internet related businesses processes. The businesses working online are many in number such as Google.com, Amazon.com, Wikipedia.org, Macromedia.com, Sourceforge.net, Postcast.com, Morgagebundles.com, Esure.com, Ebay.com and many more. This paper investigates four e-businesses in terms of their innovative strategies, business procedures and future strategies. The e-businesses included in this paper are Wikipedia.org, Sourceforge.net, Esure.com and Podcast.com. Wikipedia.org is an innovative e-business that is very successful online as we can see the website so often while searching any content online. Wikipedia is a free encyclopaedia that accommodates the internet users with all kind of information that is available online. The business has a wide range of content availability and is accessed by millions of people on monthly basis (Wikipedia 2009). The business allows the participation of the users in the improvement and betterment of the published content. The users are allowed to edit the content if they find anything wrong or erroneous. According to Wikipedia, Wikipedia is an offshoot of Nupedia, which allowed only the qualified writers to contribute their work online with the company but the content contribution was quite sluggish (Wikipedia 2009). However, with the foundation of Wikipedia, the content contribution improved to an extensive extent. Now, thousands of people contribute their knowledge with Wikipedia and the readers of Wikipedia on daily basis. The content that is published gains perfection and reliability with the passage of time as people discuss over it, edit it continuously and make it more reliable with their continuous efforts (Wikipedia 2009). User participation is a bold step taken by the organization and is one of the innovative strategies adopted by the organization. For writing articles voluntarily, the users are not restricted to have certain age limits or qualifications. Anyone can contribute in this writing encyclopaedia. Any information or content that is substandard or erroneous by any means is removed. The website is accessed all over the world due to which, it can be used by multicultural and multilingual people. By keeping this fact into mind, the organization has adopted an innovative strategy of provision of content in many languages due to which, it is liked to a great extent by people of different origins, cultures and speaking different languages. All the content available on Wikipedia can be seen in more than two sixty languages that is not a negligible total (Wikipedia 2009). Wikipedia is accessed daily for accessing and sharing knowledge. The content that is published on Wikipedia is interlinked or cross referenced (Wikipedia 2009). While reading the content displayed on Wikipedia, the users can find many links in between that take them to more descriptions regarding the content items. Wikipedia is a rich resource of information and content that accommodates its users to be writers, editors, readers and knowledge sharers. Wikipedia is

Operations Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Operations Management - Assignment Example 2008). Organizations pertaining to different sectors like financial services, FMCG, industry, healthcare, telecommunications and energy sector. The company tends to operate based along a large number of branches spread in 38 different nations and a total employee strength of around 3900 people. BCG contributes in helping the companies largely to diversify along new business sectors. It also enhances the potential and effectiveness in formulating an effective strategic plan to help compete with the changing business environment. Further it also contributes in enhancing the level of customer responsiveness of the different companies and in repositioning their brand in the competitive landscape (The Boston Consulting Group 2014). Working as a consultant in Boston Consulting Group (BCG) my role is to focus on the generation of innovative solutions in the strategic dimension to different client companies. The work environment in BCG instils confidence to help in the development of effective strategies related to the use of different business models. My role is to deliver strategic solutions to companies operating in the retail sector around the world. The role specifically focuses on the development of strategic competence of the retail companies by helping them in formulating potential merchandising and inventory solutions and also in reducing the lead times of reaching the products from the warehouses to the stores. Evaluation of the needs of the clients of Boston Consulting Group (BCG) that organizations relating to non-profit sectors, midsized companies and also related to other public sector organizations demand different types of strategic solutions. Along with development of their business and strategic potential the business organizations also require the enhancement of return to shareholders. Similarly the organizations

Case study (multiple myeloma) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

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Art Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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United Nations Positive Role in Counter-Terrorist Policies Essay

United Nations Positive Role in Counter-Terrorist Policies - Essay Example These countries involved in those unilateral actions, even without the UN’s mandate, mainly to counter terrorism, or if, viewed from another perspective, in the guise of fighting terrorism. The UN despite this contemporary challenge of unilateralism is still relevant because these Western democracies themselves give that credibility (however quite belatedly) by involving the UN in the aftermath of the counter-terrorist actions. Apart from this role in various countries, the UN is optimally functioning and contributing as part of global development by involving themselves in various peacekeeping missions, humanitarian programs and other constructive processes. So, this paper will evaluate how the UN is playing a positive role in ensuring that the counter-terrorist policies of Western democracies do not hinder its global development aims. The UN was established after the Second World War as an overseeing international organization, which can prevent any more World Wars and also to take care of the basic issues concerning the world population. However, its spread and influence were restricted or kept at low levels due to the rise of ‘unipolarity’ in the form of American domination of world affairs. After the end of the Cold War, with Soviet Union’s disintegration, the U.S. became the sole superpower due to its military, economic and other strengths. This power status of U.S. started negatively affecting the functioning of the UN. The UN played its role with perfection in many circumstances but was made to ‘under perform’ by the U.S., making it irrelevant on few occasions. Western democracies have involved itself in various counter-terrorist actions all over the world. Although, in certain cases, it was unilateral, in other cases being a victim of terrorism, these countries carried out counter-terrorist activities with UN mandate.

Art Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Art Analysis - Essay Example His interest was focused on capturing the body movements so that he considered himself and preferred to be known more of a realist than an impressionist. Seurat on the other hand experimented on a new form of painting which was called pointillism because he used dots of colors to create a visual effect where primary colors placed near each other form the desired secondary colors. This experiment was inspired by his interest on color theories and the study of primary and secondary colors so that his style hugely contrasted the common manner of mixing colors on a palette. With the different styles of the two artists, obviously, their works have all been different although their thoughts placed into canvass both reflect features of impressionism. In Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon, he tried to capture a photographic image of his subjects where the movements of the people are meticulously considered, interpreting even their facial expressions. As mentioned earlier, he used the concept of optical illusion where the viewers’ eyes seem to ‘mix’ the colors to form his desired color combinations with the use of dots of primary colors. Therefore, there are no traces of brush strokes in his work. Lines and curves have all been dependent on his skill and patience in making the painting. Looking more intently at the painting, one could just imagine the time spent in creating it, the care and painstaking effort exerted on the work. Seurat used the bright colors yellow and red as well as the cool colors green and blue, creating a lively sce ne at the island. He also used other colors for other objects and subjects in the painting, making use of a wide variety of colors. In contrast to Seurat, Degas formed his Ballet Rehearsal at the Set through brush strokes specially using thin lines to express the forms of his subjects. He used a mixture of long and short thin lines to define his thoughts placed into canvass, making every part of the painting detailed. One that could be

Scientific article review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Scientific article review - Essay Example The immune system is one of the bodies most important functions, as well as one of the bodies still most mysterious. However, great scientific advancements are being made, as can be read about in several different articles.One article deals with the immune system and its part in MS. It discusses several new important breakthrough in figuring out why the immune system attacks the brain and spinal chord, and how this can be contained.One important new breakthrough is the discovery of "T-regs", a cell that regulates T-Cells (Inner Conflict). These cells stop T-Cells from jumping to attack, and can be helpful in stopping T-Cells from attacking body self cells. The Tregs of people with MS don't function as well as those of people who do not have the disease. Currently, research is being done as to why this is, and what can be done about it( Inner Conflict).Another filed of research is in using hormones to help slow down the advancement of the disease. Using estriol, a form of estrogen on women, and Androgel, a testosterone gel on me, seems to help slow down the brain tissue loss from the disease, as well as improving in bodily functions(Inner Conflict).Another huge development in the immune system field was the discovery of a Orai 1, a protein that controls the immune system's calcium channel(An Immune). This protein has been looked for for decades, and finally finding it has sparked great interest. If drugs were developed that could block this protein for example, a drug could combat the effects of many different types of autoimmune diseases

Reality Television Stereotypes Essay Example for Free

Reality Television Stereotypes Essay James A. Forbes once said, â€Å"When people rely on surface appearances and false racial stereotypes, rather than in-depth knowledge of others at the heart, mind and spirit, their ability to assess and understand people accurately is compromised. † Over time, our generation has watched reality television develop into one of the most sumptuous prodigies of our time. From â€Å"Bad Girls Club† to â€Å"Basketball Wives† reality television has maneuvered itself into our everyday infrastructures. Reality television has had a catastrophic effect on reasoning, education, and society. To start with, reality television depicts its cast as â€Å"real people†, or a group of people archetypally found in the real world as they take on roles that delineate parts of the population dealing in race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, etc. As reality television characterizes misrepresentations, this becomes important for educational and societal ameliorations. Secondly, reality television was found to be main stream and refines stable images after some of its own. Many heavy viewers of television believe the world to be more ungovernable than it is in truth. This is known as the â€Å"cultivation theory† and what is does is test trends in the culture of our society. It broadens the capacity of enrichment by studying the apprehension of stereotypes in reality television. Explained better, the popularity and upheavals correlated with reality television make it an affluent source of education exploration, but in light of what reality television claims to be it makes such educational examinations rather imperative. Moreover, reality television in relation with the aforementioned cultivation theory, the stereotypes presented on reality television of associations (racial, ethnic) may harm the overall mannerly intellection of these associations. Because these shows are shows that are supposed to be a representation of the real world, they have a greater impact on society, and while they emphasize cliched effigies, they therefore give the audience a viewpoint saying that what they see is real. Taking â€Å"Jersey Shore† into examination, the Italian-Americans are seen as loud, pornographic, fractious, obnoxious and overall atrocious quadrupeds, well, to their Italian brethren. In America, one can think that they would be seen as party idols, but shortly after arriving to Italy, they were publically shamed and disowned but the society that surrounded them. Some people might say that these types of shows address the issues the famous face off of the red carpet and on the red carpet. While this may be true, many reality television stars have found the intrusion into their most private matters disheartening and it is not uncommon to see them slowly fade away from the beaming spotlight. Stereotypes are a very touchy subject and can lead into many forms of bigotry and illiberality. Although stereotypes can be used in positive ways to appeal to the certain and right audiences in commercials and advertisements, we must wonder if the conspicuous aggrandizement and affirmation of them should be acceptable in the things we let our kids and ourselves watch. We must also consider the factors that the dangerous stereotypes can affect when looking at this subject, the education factors, the societal factors and lastly, the logical/reasoning factors.

Equality And Diversity In Education

Equality And Diversity In Education The main aim of this case study is to explore the concept of equality and diversity in contemporary society, this research will concentrate on the impact of poverty upon the educational, emotional and social experiences of a child, in this case a young boy attending a mainstream school; he will be referred to throughout the study as Tom. The research will aim to identify some current legislation and policy surrounding equality and human rights, along with some of the inequalities related to class and the impact of these upon the social, personal and educational experiences of a child, his parent and teacher. These issues will be explored through the use of a case study of a fictional scenario which centres upon the experiences of a young boy who lives in a deprived neighbourhood with his single mother. The case study focuses on the young boy suffering from bullying due to his hygiene; the study also includes his mother and teacher. Scenario and Dialogue Child A is a young boy attending a mainstream primary school; he lives in a deprived neighbourhood with his single mother. It has been noticed by the boys teacher and other pupils that the boy and also his mother have a low standard of hygiene and they both often look unkempt. The lesson plan for today is to work in pairs for a P.E lesson. Classroom: Teacher: OK children, I would like everyone to pair up with the person sitting next to them and one of the pair should go and collect a football from the apparatus cupboard. Child B: Missà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦I dont want to be with Tom, he smells funny! Teacher: Thats not a very nice thing to say about Tom Child B: No miss Im not playing with him, look at him, hes all smelly and dirty Miss! Tomà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦you stink of wee! Teacher: Now come on, this is silly, it is not nice to call your friends names, you will hurt Toms feelings. Im sure you wouldnt like your friends calling you nasty names would you? Child B: Nah Miss, he isnt one of my friends, Id never want to be friends with someone like him, and he makes me feel sick. Tom: Shut up!!! Its not my fault, I cant help it! (Tom runs to the toilets crying) Telephone Call between Teacher and Toms Mother: Teacher: Hi, could I possibly speak to Mrs Connor please? Mother: Yes speaking Teacher: Oh hello, I was hoping I could discuss with you a matter concerning me about your son Tom. He seems to be struggling to make friends at school and there has been a bit of trouble with name-calling today due to his hygiene. Mother: Im sorry to hear that but Im a single mother with a part-time job, I cant always afford to buy luxuries, Im sure you understand this? Teacher: Yes of course that is understandable, but it seems to just been simple things, nothing a bar of soap couldnt sort out Mrs Connor. Mother: Like I said, I cant afford it Teacher: Im just concerned as it seems to be affecting his confidence to join in group activities and even paired work. He did comment today that its not his fault, so it is clearly bothering him. Does he have any other clothes he can wear to school, as his current ones seem to smell of urine? Mother: No, he only has the ones he wears to school. Teacher: I will contact you again in the next few hours, as I know that the council can sometimes give people an allowance for school uniforms. It might help you out a bit. Mother: Thank you, Id appreciate some help. This case study highlights class inequalities and how physical differences can impact upon a child whether he/she is at school or out of the school grounds. This study aims to explore the ways in which social class can impact both positively and negatively on a childs personal, social and educational experience. This will then be followed by a brief analysis of how the process of entering a childs experience has affected my understanding of the issues explored in this module. I will be including the words and thoughts of Tom and will also be including discussions he may have between his family, teachers or peers, which I will endeavour to link directly to policy and legislation and also background critical reading, related to specific aspects of the case study. Davies (2005) expresses a need to believe that all children are individuals and are to be valued. Davies also comments that we are to take into account each childs home life and background circumstances not only as detrimental effects but as experiences to be utilised in furthering their educational opportunities. It is important to also point out that professionals also need to expand on their knowledge of the subject in order to accommodate a more diverse way of teaching alongside their pupils. The scenario shows Child B referring to Tom as stinking of wee, here we are witnessing Child B stereotyping Tom as a smelly child who he does not want to be friends with. There has clearly become a normalizing attitude towards Tom, which through constant reinforcement of attitudes, Child B has come to understand that Tom is the smelly child and therefore refuses to associate with him. Butler (1993) explains this to be performative discourse, the repeated assumption of an identity in the course of daily life. Basically, the more the children call Tom the smelly child, the more accepted it will be by the other children and he will then be subjected to bullying on a daily basis. The teacher is this case study does not in fact challenge the language used by Child B but simply diverts the name calling by providing an excuse for the problem by replying Now come on, this is silly completely avoiding the fact that one child is bullying another in her own classroom. The teacher had the opport unity here to utilise her authority over the pupils, yet failed to do so. Foucault (1974) tells us that schools have a hierarchical identity within society that remains unchallenged and provides a framework for power which gives the teacher authority over the children not just as an adult over a child, but as someone who has more power and authority; this reinforces what a child accepts as being a normal power relationship. Tom has been isolated at school during activities, as his classmates refuse to work with him as he is seen as the smelly child. It seems that Tom is not receiving the support of the teacher, as she is failing to take authority over the bullying classmates and having a deprived social background seems to leave Tom unable to express his needs and rights as a child. The Children Plan (2007) states that children and young people need to enjoy their childhood as well as grow up being prepared for adult life (DCSF 2007). The Human Rights Act (1998) states the need for children to have the opportunity to express themselves. Article 10 gives everyone the right to freedom of expression, this includes children and is also linked to the outcomes of the Every child Matters agenda (DfES 2005). It is evident that Tom and his mother are suffering from social deprivation in this scenario and this can adversely affect Toms educational opportunities and his future prospects. It has been published in t he past that was published that a childs educational achievements are still too strongly linked to their parents social and economic background (Secretary of State for Education and Skills. 2005. p. 10) Vincent and Ball (2007) argue that this is social and educational link between classes is because middle class families tend to invest much more time and effort in their children, in order to ensure that they have every possible advantage that can be provided. This theory corresponds with Bourdieus description of cultural capital, which contributes to the social reproduction of class differences (Bourdieu 1990). In an attempt to try and resolve some of the class differences, the government has set up Sure Start Centres and extended schools in an effort to provide after school activities aimed initially at areas of socio-economic deprivation. This may provide activities for Tom as well as perhaps some help and advice for Toms mother. The introduction of the 10 year Childrens Plan (DFSC 2007) was another step forward for deprived children. This is aimed at providing children with equality of opportunity and improving communities through education as well as further legislation aimed at helping children and their families out of poverty. James and James (2001) argue that social policy restricts and controls childrens lives. The government through its agenda is trying to address the imbalance in opportunities between children from deprived areas and those from more wealthy families. Devine (2000) believes that in order to increase the rights of children, society in general must change its discou rses surrounding children. Cremin and Thomas (2005) contend that children compare and contrast themselves with each other and these judgments can affect feelings of self worth within the school and wider community, they go on to explain that the school as an institution can endorse such judgments to the detriment of its pupils. Esping-Anderson (2004) states that the child care provision needs to be of a high quality and supported by other policies. Local authorities have a duty to deliver services which meet the needs of individual children and promote inclusion within local communities. This government intervention is aimed to stimulate and cajole people into doing more to find a job (Deacon 2002 p. 113) and give the result people can be an active part of the economy. However, the government does tend to contradict itself, first stating that it would like all mothers to try and find a job, but then as Mayall (2002) points out, the government are encouraging mothers into work and also emphasising that a mothers responsibility is also to be a primary carers for her children. Working at home is obviously not acknowledged as a real job simply because the mother is not getting paid to do it and therefore not performing their social economical abilities. The efforts of the government to provide legislation to support children and families in areas of socio-economic deprivation may not have the desired effect however, as there appears to be a limit on the affect which education alone can have on social opportunities (Beck 2007). During the classroom dialogue in the scenario, the linguistics used by Child B when he says: Nah Miss, he isnt one of my friends, Id never want to be friends with someone like him, and he makes me feel sick can provide us with evidence of language and linguistic traits which link back to the social background of the child. (Peterson 1994 p.252) makes an interesting theory that all children enter school with discourse skills appropriate to the community in which they were raised. It is also evident that teachers tend to use language which is more easily understood by middle class children as they are more familiar with this language structure from home (Peterson 1994 p264). Peterson (1994 p.253) also expresses that some differences in linguistics may be due to cultural diversity not just social differences in the community. In a study conducted by Connolly and Neil (2001) middle-class children tended to limit their educational and career prospects because of the influences of their co mmunity such as family and peers. This was especially evident amongst the boys who felt a need to defend their locality as part of their masculine identity and found it difficult to move out of the area in which they lived. The girls however had slightly higher aspirations for themselves and were more likely to leave the area they lived in. This could have repercussions for Tom and his class mates were they to limit their outlook to their locality. It is clear that children in Toms social locality need to be educated further and encouraged on their career opportunities in the future. Teachers could play a large role in this by exploring what career their pupils would consider going into once they leave school. This could stimulate the children into wanting to do better for themselves in the future, once their school education has come to an end. The Child Poverty Action Group found in a survey that while parents believed that uniforms and school trips were important for children to be involved in school life, they would not seek help to pay for them in case their children were bullied as a result (CPAG 2003). This is also applicable in Toms case, as the teacher tried to offer some support to Mrs. Connor during their telephone conversation: I will contact you again in the next few hours, as I know that the council can sometimes give people an allowance for school uniforms. It might help you out a bit. In the scenario Mrs. Connor mentions that she cannot afford luxuries or spare clothes for Tom as she is a single mother with a part-time job. Lack of finance at home can also lead to a stressful atmosphere within the household, which can result in low performance at school. In a report about the impact of poverty upon childrens school experiences it was found that although in theory school uniforms were a good idea because of their equalising effect children from disadvantaged areas were acutely aware that uniforms cost money (Horgan 2007). At the present time in England, funding from the council for school uniforms is not available and therefore Mrs. Connor will not be able to claim any benefit to get new clothes for her deprived son; meaning he will continue to be the smelly child who does not conform to the norm unless she takes it upon herself to start putting money aside to pay for such things. Reflection Upon reflection of this research and scenario with regard to Tom and his mother, there are many implications to be discussed. There is no reason for children who are born into Toms area of social deprivation to have to go to school each day with a reinforced reputation as the smelly child or the boy who stinks of wee. In this day and age there should be access to government funding for parents such as Mrs. Connor who need help with simple things such as clothing. When a single mother has a child, a house, bills and food to pay for, it is understandable that she would not be able to cater for every need on a part-time wage. In light of the research conducted throughout this case study, it is important to highlight that Connolly and Neill (2001) believe that there is a need to provide alternative aspirations and life chances for children in areas of social and economic deprivation in order to mitigate the negative effects of their cultural norms and habits, which can be accomplished by challenging constructed ideology and establishing practices that can break down these barriers to learning. Primary practitioners need to be aware that they can influence school choices and assist families in using the current educational market to their advantage rather than just allowing choices to be forced upon them by the government. The case study also raised the issue of school uniforms and how families with a low income can struggle to make ends meet. It would be wise for schools to take into consideration these families when deciding upon the cost of uniforms, school dinners, trips and activities and so on. Children of a lower social class should not be stigmatised and miss out on such activities simply because they cannot afford to pay for them, as this means that they may not develop to the standard of a higher class child who is less deprived. With the help of childhood practitioners, the integration of sure start and extended school programs may begin to solve some of the deprivation issues to a point where they can be aided by other services. Teachers need to focus on taking control of their classroom so that pupils are aware of the hierarchical power above them. In the case study, the teacher did not solve the problem by taking Child B aside and discussing his problem with Tom; instead it was left a pub lic incident where Tom would have felt very embarrassed and ashamed of himself, when in fact there was nothing he could do about his economic deprivation at home. The teacher could have allowed the rest of the class to participate in their paired work and could have then taken Child B and Tom aside to discuss the issue. Whether he knew the impact his words would have upon Tom or not, Child B should have definitely been made more aware that he could not say such hurtful things to Tom and perhaps both sets of parents should have been informed. This situation was due to a lack of personal hygiene, lack of finance and perhaps lack of awareness on the part of Mrs. Connor. All of the issues raised are definitely not easy to confront in a modem society and need to be approached in a sympathetic and supportive way, which the teacher did seem to achieve during her conversation with Toms mother. Schools and childhood practitioners hold a responsibility to ensure that children receive a equal education with equal opportunities; they have a huge role to play in recognising the inequalities surrounding class issues and challenging discrimination within the classroom. Children should be given a broader knowledge of social deprivation, so that higher classes may hold fewer prejudices towards those who are not as fortunate as themselves. They should be made aware of their own prejudices and ways in which these link into social class.

Personal Narrative On Being Teased and Accepting Yourself :: essays research papers

I had always been comfortable in myself, it never really bothered me how I looked, nor did it seem to bother others, the people who I called friends. As I walked through the door somehow it was as if, overnight I was expected to wear clothes that I felt awkward in (but still looked cute), shoes that hurt my feet, and makeup that clogged my already full pores. I was met with grins and giggles from others. I caught tidbits of what they were saying. ?Look at her shoes! Why is she wearing those? They have holes and don?t even match what she has on.? said anonymous person number 1. I looked down, sure my Chucks were a little faded (okay a lot faded), but they were comfortable and isn?t that what mattered I thought. ?God does she even wash her face anymore, its like erupted, I can?t even see a smooth patch of skin? chimed in anonymous person number two. Its genetic, who are these people, and why are they making me feel bad about myself, I thought. Okay, now as I think back, I will admit that it being the first day of middle school I should have put a little effort in my appearance but, who did I have to impress? Weren?t we coming here to learn? If I was going to sit in a classroom for 8 hours a day I needed to be comfortable. By now I?m sure you have already gathered I was a tomboy. The kind of girl who would rather play with the boys than sit on the sidelines and talk about how ?oh so cute they looked when they caught the football?. Now I think my mother is to blame for this, she never really did give into that girly stereotype that most mothers did. Where I was only going to do cheerleading ?because I?m a delicate flower and all that yadda yadda yadda ya?. She always let me make my own choices and never forced things upon me. Boy did she really mess me up, I mean being so understanding and all. And so my morning went, being verbally assaulted by people who I didn?t even know, scrutinizing every aspect of my wardrobe, being so blunt and uncaring to the fact that I could hear them, I was on the verge of tears. Somewhere in between hearing them trying to figure out why ?

Essay --

People have different taste buds and different numbers of taste buds that can determine their sensitivity to taste. In this experiment, we tested the changes in threshold sensitivity of chemoreceptors when maple syrup is consumed prior to the tests. Two subjects tasted four solutions (sweet, sour, salty, and bitter). Each solution had seven different concentrations. Two experiments were also made with and without maple syrup consumption. The first experiment was used as a control group for the second experiment. Results showed that threshold sensitivity of chemoreceptors changed after consuming syrup before the other solutions. Based on the results, it was determined that chemoreceptors adapted to concentration strengths. Tastants, which are taste stimuli, uses chemicals to evoke the sense of taste (Kudo et al., 2010). People’s term of taste differs by a genetic locus, which causes the tongue to identify taste (Eisenstein, 2010). A chemoreceptor is a sensory receptor that can identify chemical stimuli then transmits the information to the brain (Campbell, 2010). The number of taste buds in a person’s mouth can also determine their sensitivity to taste (Kudo et al., 2010). Adaptation occurs when the nervous system does not cause a reaction due to a stimulus being continuous for a period of time (Walsh, 2013). In this experiment, we determined the changes in threshold sensitivity of the taste receptors for salty, sour, sweet, and bitter solutions by consuming maple syrup prior to tasting the other solutions. We wanted to see if taste receptors could adapt to a strong sweet taste, but could still acquire the same threshold sensitivity of the other tastes. I predicted that after consuming maple syrup, the taste threshold for the ot... ...erence on the results. Since we only had time to experiment with only two subjects, our average would not be as precise as if we had experimented with five to ten subjects. Another error was the amount of maple syrup consumed. Sometimes Tuan would consume a little syrup and sometimes he would consume a lot. The same also occurred with Khoi as he also sometimes consumed a large concentration of syrup. Temperature was also a factor to the results as a warmer solution was more noticeable than a cooler solution. Due to the collected data, we concluded that the threshold sensitivity of taste receptors did change after maple syrup was consumed (Figure 1). Future experiments that would further the understanding of this topic could be that instead of using maple syrup, which was sweet, we could use something that was bitter, salty, or sour to see if results would also vary. Essay -- People have different taste buds and different numbers of taste buds that can determine their sensitivity to taste. In this experiment, we tested the changes in threshold sensitivity of chemoreceptors when maple syrup is consumed prior to the tests. Two subjects tasted four solutions (sweet, sour, salty, and bitter). Each solution had seven different concentrations. Two experiments were also made with and without maple syrup consumption. The first experiment was used as a control group for the second experiment. Results showed that threshold sensitivity of chemoreceptors changed after consuming syrup before the other solutions. Based on the results, it was determined that chemoreceptors adapted to concentration strengths. Tastants, which are taste stimuli, uses chemicals to evoke the sense of taste (Kudo et al., 2010). People’s term of taste differs by a genetic locus, which causes the tongue to identify taste (Eisenstein, 2010). A chemoreceptor is a sensory receptor that can identify chemical stimuli then transmits the information to the brain (Campbell, 2010). The number of taste buds in a person’s mouth can also determine their sensitivity to taste (Kudo et al., 2010). Adaptation occurs when the nervous system does not cause a reaction due to a stimulus being continuous for a period of time (Walsh, 2013). In this experiment, we determined the changes in threshold sensitivity of the taste receptors for salty, sour, sweet, and bitter solutions by consuming maple syrup prior to tasting the other solutions. We wanted to see if taste receptors could adapt to a strong sweet taste, but could still acquire the same threshold sensitivity of the other tastes. I predicted that after consuming maple syrup, the taste threshold for the ot... ...erence on the results. Since we only had time to experiment with only two subjects, our average would not be as precise as if we had experimented with five to ten subjects. Another error was the amount of maple syrup consumed. Sometimes Tuan would consume a little syrup and sometimes he would consume a lot. The same also occurred with Khoi as he also sometimes consumed a large concentration of syrup. Temperature was also a factor to the results as a warmer solution was more noticeable than a cooler solution. Due to the collected data, we concluded that the threshold sensitivity of taste receptors did change after maple syrup was consumed (Figure 1). Future experiments that would further the understanding of this topic could be that instead of using maple syrup, which was sweet, we could use something that was bitter, salty, or sour to see if results would also vary.

Critical analysis of marketing ethics- corporate social responsibility Essay

Introduction Ethical conduct of marketing activities is essential for any serious business in the current globalized business environment. The issue of corporate social responsibility has been a challenge to many managers and will continue to do so in case proper mechanisms and policies are not put in place and implemented. The report gives an analysis of CSR practices and subsequently provides arguments in favour of the practice and those that do not. Long term perspective in carrying out CSR has been stressed. Sustainable CSR practices ensure that the business remains relevant in the long run, performs better and the needs of the community and environment are addressed. The impacts of CSR dimensions on the marketing mix strategy adopted by the firm have also been dealt with. The best approach to CSR has been suggested and recommendation is that the approach which resonates well with the goals of the firm must be adopted. The blue-chip company tackled in this report is Nike. Report summary It has been observed that marketing ethics still is a topic attracting vigorous debate among scholars and business practitioners. Currently, there is a corporate social responsibility movement that has been incited by a number of catalytic forces. However, these forces driving CSR in the current business setup have been propelled by serious shifts exhibited in the relationship of the market, individual and the state. Core drivers in CSR have been the ever-growing expectations from stakeholders, the ever shrinking role played by the state in businesses, levels of responsibility being put on supply chains, and the adding pressure emanating from shareholders (Amaeshi, et al., 2006, pp.4,17, 25). See more: how to write an analysis Studies that have been conducted indicate that the current public is more sensitive to CSR and thus expects much from businesses and it is therefore coming up with groups such as consumers, activists, community, employees, and shareholders so as to see to it that they are heard by corporate decision-makers. CSR could be viewed as the continuous commitment of businesses to act in a manner that is ethical and subsequently contribute to the economic development of society while trying to improve the life quality of its workforce and their families and that of the local community. The company becomes obliged to become sensitive to the demands of all stakeholders. It must be stated clearly that CSR does not imply monetary hand-outs in form of grants or donations (McWilliams & Siegel, 2000, pp.603-609). This is a myopic view of CSR that has often led to the vague argument that the business of a business entity is to do business and thus not to be concerned with issues going on in the society. This has often pitted CSR against profitability thus arguing that CSR programs will deter a firm from achieving its profitability goals. Long term views on CSR and profitability however indicate that a firm practicing CSR programs performs better than those which do not. The firm chosen for the report is Nike which deals in sports footwear and apparels. Analysis Critical Analysis of Arguments for and Against Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Friedman (2008, pp.32-33) notes that CSR is deemed to be a very comprehensive package of serious practices and programs guided by policies which are all integrated into the operations of a business entity, supply chains, and its decision making processes in the whole firm and this spins across current and past actions and the impact that the operations have on future welfare of business, society and environment in general. In this regard, CSR issues are related to community investment, governance, business ethics, human rights, market and working environment (Li & Su, 2007, pp.237-256). This eliminates the myopic view of CSR as simple charity and therefore calls upon the firm to incorporate fully the impact of its operations on stakeholders as well as the environment at the point of decision-making. Managers must thus juggle with a delicate balance that exists between the stakeholder needs, company needs to make profits and perform better, and be able to adequately reward shareholder. The argument posed for new corporate leaders is that of profit optimization being the key to success as opposed to profit maximization thus bringing a serious paradigm shift in terms of accountability to the firm’s shareholders to the social responsibility towards customers and other stakeholders in society (Chapple & Moon, 2005, pp.415-441). Given the current competitive international marketing, ethics have been singled out as playing a pivotal role since businesses have realized that they are handling human values as well as beliefs. Businesses have largely spread across geographic boundaries and the current marketers are faced with cross-cultural issues that they must deal with. Multinationals that did not notice this responsibility such as McDonald and Nestle ended up facing serious ethical problems in their marketing activities going as far as getting themselves in suits that cost them millions of dollars (Li & Su, 2007, pp.237-256). Bansal & Roth, (2000, pp.717–736) think that those who support CSR activities bring in very interesting arguments. They hold that CSR practices do enhance the firm and its brand image due to the good reputation that CSR brings on board. Companies that do CSR programs effectively have also been found to easily attract ethical sensitive employees and their retention levels are high because of the satisfaction and motivational levels that such employees do record. Such firms do report high growth rates in terms of market share and are able to easily attract new investors in their business ventures (McWilliams & Siegel, 2000, pp.603-609). Furthermore, firms with working CSR programs have experienced lower costs of operations and are thus able to report high net profit margins. These arguments for CSR practices are supported by the logic that a firm that is socially responsible does care about its customers, suppliers, employees, society, local community, and the environment as a whole. It thus becomes an approach through which a firm does recognize the wide impact that its business operations have on the society and its development and in essence ends up supporting the firm in pursuit of its business success and that it has to actively handle the social, environmental, economic, and human rights issues. This calls for sustainable development as well as good levels of corporate governance (Roux, 2007, pp.23-25). Chambers, et al., (2003, pp.112-119) argue that normative arguments do recognize the needs for CSR are mainly pillared on instrumental rationales or ethical, and those that are against CSR practices are based on property rights perspectives or institutional functions. In this regard, ethicists do argue that companies are obliged to act or behave in a manner that is socially responsible since that is something that is morally correct. Extremists in instrumental rationales would still support CSR programs even when they pose unproductive outcomes for the firm. The stand is based on the rational calculation which presupposes that CSR practices will in the long run benefit the firm in question (Sun, 2010, pp.45-47). This is enshrined in the organizational legitimization philosophy which poses that by showing responsibility, a firm will be able to proactively avoid and anticipate regulations of the government, make good use of opportunities that arise from the increased cultural, sexual, and environmental awareness, differentiate its products and services from those of its competitors who are not proactive, and would continue to benefit from privilege pursuits of economics (Mahon, 2002, pp.415-445). It assumes that the firm has a legal obligation to make maximized economic advantages that do accrue to its owners. The need for firms to protect their CSR practices is also presented since firms will not make supernormal profits from the CSR initiatives due to the entry of other firms (Visser, et al., 2008, pp.67-69). Visser, et al., (2008, pp.67-69) are of the view that the case against CSR is supported by the institutional function concept and that of property rights. This argument poses that the best vehicles for CSR are the governments, civil and religious organizations, and labour unions. They further argue that business managers do not have the necessary skills and time required to carry out CSR policies. They also hold that a business sector that is empowered should not be held responsible for its actions since it is not a governmental body that is in place through electoral processes. Thus, allowing businesses to carry out CSR practices is seen as being dangerous since this does allocates huge amounts of authority to the firms without exercising accountability (Chaudhri & Wang, 2007, pp.232–247). The property rights argument is rooted in neoclassical capitalism and its simplicity resonates with many scholars, especially those in finance. The position is that management reserves no right to carry out anything apart from that which increases the value of stockholders. Actions contrary to this are a violation of legal, moral and fiduciary responsibilities endowed to management (Visser, et al., 2008, pp.67-69). This is also supported by the competitive disadvantage theory which holds that CSR actions will impose a price on the company thus posing a competitive disadvantage when compared to other firms that are not practicing it. However, this is still viewed by many as a narrow view based on short term needs for profitability (Garriga & Mele, 2004, pp.51-74). How Different Dimensions of CSR Might Affect the Marketing Mix of NIKE There are a number of CSR dimensions that are tackled by a firm which is ethically responsible in its marketing mix and these include the physical environment, social, consumer, supply chain, and employee relations. The concept of marketing mix in this context is viewed as a theorized as well as structured way of effectively delivering and communicating product and service message to consumers in the market (Waddell, 2000, pp.323–345). The impacts posed by the CSR dimensions are based on the belief that the reputation of the company is quite vital to holding and maintaining a competitive position within the marketing place and in doing business successfully. The chart for CSR dimensions has been given in the appendix at the end of this report. These ethical issues if not well-addressed could create serious problems with consumers and make the marketing mix in place irrelevant. The marketing mix would include such things are product, price, place, promotion, physical evidence and people which are areas of marketing strategy application (Bhattacharya, et al., 2011, pp.56-58). The goal of business and marketing has been said to be profit maximization in a lawful manner. The behaviour portrayed in the marketplace must be ethical and ensure that there are societal benefits. The dimensions of CSR have been known to advance the corporate image, create and increase motivation as well as loyalty of both employees and consumers. A company which does not ensure employee development and proper compensation is likely to lose competitive advantage and this in turn affects the success of the marketing mix strategy employed by the firm such as Nike. When employees, who also constitute marketers, are empowered and well-developed, they enhance the performance of a company such as Nike. The environmental impact on businesses is huge (Secchi, 2007, pp.347-373). Companies that are known not to consider the impact their activities have on the environment lose out in the long run. The way the firm formulates its marketing mix strategy to resonate with the environmental needs will affect its long term viability. Such issues as use of green energy in its operations, use of biodegradable materials in advertisements, use of technology to safeguard the environment, and reduction of carbon emissions through carbon footprint measures could heavily impact on the success of its marketing mix. Ethically sensitive consumers will shun away from Nike if they find out that the company hold poor reputation on environmental issues (Peteraf, 1993, pp.179-191). Consumers on the other hand demand for quality products at competitive prices and the safety of these products must be guaranteed. A firm which does not take hid of these demands risks being thrown out of the market as consumers would avoid its products making its marketing mix strategies irrelevant. This is where the concept of consumer related marketing finds relevance since current consumers usually recognises CSR brands and end up supporting them (Covin & Miles, 1999, pp.47-63). Given the fact that Nike operates in the society and not in virtual settings, it is important that the social welfare of the local community be put into consideration in order to win trust, respect and loyalty, factors that enhance brand image and reputation. This also gives the company insurance in the society it operates in. it is hard to market a product of a company that does not have good brand image, has a ruined reputation and the society does not trust it or exhibits near zero loyalty levels (Baum & Wally, 2003, pp.1107-1129). Supply chain dimension in CSR for Nike must be considered since supply chains have been singled out as being at the core of business operations. The business in question such as Nike must be able to streamline its supply chain to resonate with the CSR demands. Marketing mix strategies that are employed in supply chains that are effectively handling CSR programs such as green logistics and green supplies have been found to resonate well with the consumers since the consumer is placed at the centre of these supply chains (Covin & Miles, 1999, pp.47-63). The Most Appropriate CSR Approaches to Adopt Numerous approaches to CSR have been proposed by many scholars and businesses. However, they are all defined by the size and resources bases controlled by organizations and the goals to be achieved in engaging in CSR. These approaches are initiatives based on community, getting into philanthropic activities, and developing business plans which build strong shared values. The company could adopt two approaches to the practice of CSR in the market. The first one should be coming up with community based initiatives where it supports organizations, events, as well as programs within the local community it operates in as this could pose strong positive impacts in the long run. This could subsequently create a positive brand recognition which resonates well with the community (Barney & Arikan, 2001, pp.67-78). This strategy should be done in combination with the approach of shared value. This shared value approach is a CSR initiative that focuses on building a set of shared values which do recognize the fact that long term success of the business as well as achieving a balanced social system are two concepts that are interdependent to each other. This approach is enshrined in the belief that for a business to thrive, the community in which it operates in must be healthy, educated, and governed in the most appropriate way possible (Lopez, et al., 2007, pp.285–300). In this regard, factoring in formal investments in areas of education, social well-fare, healthcare, and civil society when coming up with strategic business plans is the best avenue in creating opportunities that enhance and build social value while ensuring long term growth for the firm. Whichever approach a firm such as Nike adopts the most important consideration should be that it has to offer sustainability, win goodwill from the society, and ensure that the company meets its goals. Sustainable CSR practices work to ensure that the company avoid short term focus and looks towards profit optimization in the long run (Banerjee, et al., 2008, pp.51-79). Conclusion and Recommendations Considering the current global marketing environment, serious changes have occurred when compared to what it was decades ago. In this regard, it is imperative that firms adopt CSR practices that are sustainable. Indeed there are those who argue for CSR practices by firms and those that argue against these practices as has been established in the analysis. However, differences in opinion happen to emanate due to the aspect of time difference (Agle, et al., 1999, pp.507-525). Companies that focus on short term gains from CSR will be frustrated since this cannot be easily achieved. On the other hand, firms that seek to practice long term CSR programs that are sustainable have been reported to achieve high performance levels and have managed to justify their participation in CSR to their shareholders. In a nutshell, a serious company in today’s globalized market cannot assume the need for sustainable CSR policies that it should effectively carry out (Waddell, 2000, pp.323–345). The various dimensions of CSR such as environment, social, consumer, supply chains, and employee relations have been seen to pose serious impacts on the marketing mix strategies adopted by the firm such as Nike. 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