Corporate Social Responsibility of Biedronka in Poland - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 19 Words: 5628 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Marketing Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? PART A Introduction This report is concerned with the ethical practices of Biedronka (Ladybird in Polish), the largest supermarket chain in Poland. The report carries out a critical evaluation of the companys current engagement with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) agenda and identifies key ethical issues for the organisation. In particular this report looks at the record of employee grievances regarding forced overtime under threat of dismissal, falsifying of records to deny overtime payments and various instances of employee poor treatment across the supermarkets chain of stores. The Company In Poland, supermarkets started to appear in the mid 1990s. After decades of Communist rule these stores represented the Western ideal with their bright colours and wide choice of products at reasonable prices. The largest supermarket chain in Poland is Biedronka, based in Ruda Slaska it is a subsidiary of the Portuguese company Jerà ³nimo Martins (JMD). Biedronka has more than 1,400 stores, over 28,000 employees and over 500 private label products (Jerà ³nimo Martins, 2010). The Board of Directors of Jerà ³nimo Martins consists of five Executive Members and six Non-Executive members. Mr. Pedro Manuel De Castro Soares Dos Santos (Chef Executive Officer of the Board of Directors and Director of Food Distribution Operations of Jerà ³nimo Martins SGPS SA since 1995) is responsible for Operations in Poland (Reuters, 2010). See Appendix 1 for details of the companys corporate structure. Biedronka is regarded as a discount chain with many own branded products; it is proba bly most similar to Lidl in the UK. Corporate Governance Structure The current Code of Best Practice for WSE Listed Companies, as drawn up by the Warsaw Stock Exchange Supervisory Board (May 2010), provides the guidelines for good governance for all companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (Rancewicz, 2010). The Code of Best Practice for WSE Listed Companies aims at enhancing transparency of listed companies, improving quality of communication between companies and investors, and strengthening protection of shareholders rights, including those not regulated by legislation, while refraining from imposing a burden on listed companies that may outweigh the benefits resulting from market needs. There are three areas that the main principles of the Code of Best Practice deal with: A Management Boards B Supervisory Board Members C Shareholders These codes advisory only and rely on the self-regulation of companies to abide by them. Companies are asked to com ply or, in the case of any non-conformance, explain why they have not applied the code to their governance practices. The means of providing good governance for a corporate company include the appointment of two distinct types of directors of the company: executive (Management) directors who are involved in the operational and strategic aspects of the business and non-executive (Supervisory) directors. The non-executive directors do not involve themselves in the daily running of the business, theres is more a role for monitoring the behaviour of the executive management thereby adding a form of protection for shareholders and stakeholders interests. Stakeholders can be defined as an individual or a group which either: is harmed by, or benefits from, the corporation; or whose rights can be violated, or have to be respected, by the corporation. (Crane and Matten, 2007, p58). Biedronka has, through its parent company Jerà ³nimo Martins, a strong structure of Governance with f ive Executive Members and six Non-Executive members. Operations for the Polish arm of the company are headed by Mr. Pedro Manuel De Castro Soares Dos Santos (Chef Executive Officer of the Board of Directors and Director of Food Distribution Operations). He also sits on the following committees: Financial Matters Committee, Corporate Responsibility Committee and the Evaluation and Nomination Committee (see Appendix 1 for further details). The difficulty with this structure is that it is based upon its Portuguese parent company and that the operational activities of Biedronka itself, within Poland, are very much in the hands of local and regional mangers. While the structure for Governance in the parent company is strong the effectiveness of its application may be diluted in the running of its subsidiary company, Biedronka. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Corporate Social Responsibility of Biedronka in Poland" essay for you Create order Corporate Social Responsibility Agenda Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the acknowledgement by companies that they should be accountable not only for their financial performance, but for the impact of their activities on society and/or the environment (CBI, 2010). While there is legislation that regulates human resource issues, environmental issues, waste management, sustainability and health and safety matters there is a difference between actions that are driven by these legal requirements and others that go beyond this. Companies are often taking actions not because they have a legal requirement but because they are following an ethical policy of behaviour. This is often done at the expense of the company without seeking any financial reward. In Biedronka case, as shall be discussed later, this includes employee health care programmes, free summer holidays for employees families in greatest need and Christmas presents for all employees. This kind of social behaviour by corporations has not always bee n welcome and even considered unethical by some. Milton Friedman (1970) said social activity was the responsibility of individuals and not of someone whose responsibility is to their company or shareholders. Using company assets for social benefit was, in Friedmans view, no different than stealing from the company and as such was unethical behaviour itself. Crane and Matten (2007) argue that corporations do have moral responsibilities and that the ethical position of a corporation is determined by groups of individuals within the company, rather than any single individual acting on their own. This gives the company an identity and therefore a responsibility in its corporate behaviour. How far a company acts in its own self interest and when an activity become purely an act of social good is represented in Archie Carrolls Four Part Model of Corporate Social Responsibility (Crane and Matten, 2007, p.49). This model (Fig.1.) describes the components of CSR that are between fun damental economic responsibilities and more philanthropic activities. The base of the pyramid represents the most required activities of the company which includes the need to make a profit. In other words a company must act in such a way as to ensure the profitability of the company, if this is not done a company will most probably fail. The next step up the pyramid is complying with legal requirements. All companies are required to follow the laws governing company behaviour. There can be difficulties at times, especially with multi-national companies trading in countries with different regulations, but it is still the responsibility of the company to ensure it is acting legally in whichever country it is operating in. Fig.1. Carrolls CSR Pyramid The third step concerns Ethical Responsibilities, this is where CSR issues are raised. Here activities go beyond what is required into what should be required, it is where a company takes an ethical stance and promotes certain aspects of behaviour of all its activities guided by an ethical and moral viewpoint. The final step of the pyramid deals with philanthropic activities. These are actions that could be seen to promote human welfare or goodwill. The can include financial contributions or executive time in such areas as contributions to the arts, education, or the community (Carroll, 1991). Such actions are not generally required but often desired and contribute to the overall sense of Corporate Citizenship. Biedronka and the CSR Agenda While owned by the Portuguese holding company, with the Polish stores being under the charge of a Portuguese director, Biedronka stores are run by local managers with a certain amount of independence regarding administration and staff management. However, companies do have certain social responsibilities and this ideally has been pushed further and further into prominence because of Polands entry into the EU and her wish to follow the western European countries and adhere to EU employment rules. Biedronka is quite clear about its position on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), it promotes five areas of social responsibility for the company: Trustworthy Employer Trustworthy Member of Society Trustworthy Member of Environment Trustworthy Quality Food Retailer Trustworthy Business Partner (See Appendix 3 for further details) The companys activities would certainly appear to follow Carrolls CSR pyramid model quite well. The company is making a good pr ofit (see Appendix 2), and it could be expected that they operate within the legal requirements of Poland and also the EU regulations now applying to Poland as a full member of the European Community. The company promotes itself as an ethical company with regards to treatment and working conditions of employees, environmental issues and wider social responsibilities. The company runs employee health care programmes, contributes to free summer holidays for employees families in greatest need and Christmas presents for all employees (see Appendix 3). Much of what the company does under CSR can be considered to be philanthropic activities and it would seem they have high ethical values and a strong sense of corporate responsibility. However, there are many question marks about their treatment of workers and suppliers. Primarily amongst these is the case of Bozena Lopacka (KARAT Coalition, 2008). Bozena Lopacka was a manager in one of the Biedronka supermarkets. She su ed her employer for 35000zÃÆ'†¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡ (zloty, about  £6900) for failing to remunerate her for overtime. In 2004 the court accepted the claim and ordered the amount to be paid to her. JMD then appealed the ruling. At this time a non-governmental organisation stepped in the Helsinki Foundation of Human Rights, which presented its independent opinion. Finally in 2007 BoÃÆ'†¦Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ¼ena ÃÆ'†¦Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ opacka was granted 26000zÃÆ'†¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡ as remuneration for the overtime hours (instead of 35000zÃÆ'†¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡) because claims related to work relations are a subject to expiration after 3 years. Several issues were identified in this case: The hours worked were not reported properly. As a store manager Lopacka was forced by her employer to forge the time sheets so women for whom she was a supervisor would not be paid for overtime. Female employees had to transfer and pull loads exceeding the norms on hand-pulled carts i nstead of electric ones. Deliveries to stores were poorly organised and late, causing work overload for employees Since that time over 120 other similar cases against Biedronka supermarkets were brought to the court. So far, all of them have been won (Internal Commission of Jurists, 2010). The situation was so bad that an organisation was formed, the Association of the Harmed by Large Commercial Chains Biedronka (Stowarzyszenie Osà ³b Poszkodowanych Przez Wielkie Scieci Handlowe Biedronka), which represented employees (and former employees) in their legal disputes with the chain (Czarzasty, 2009). It can be seen that the public face of the company has been in conflict with its actual activities at some stores. While on the whole this has been down to the action of individuals working at these stores there has to be association and blame on the directors of the company, specifically Mr. Pedro Soares Dos Santos. However, amongst the 112 persons fined by the State Labour Inspectorate only six were managers and two regional managers. No upper managers within the company were held to be responsible by the courts (Internal Commission of Jurists, 2010). It is clear than in many instances the company failed its basic legal requirements and despite its high profile CSR stance actually failed to provide proper employee care and working conditions. While there are legal issues that have been identified concerning Biedronkas treatment of staff there are also the ethical concerns associated with this. To establish whether the conduct of Biedronka has been ethically acceptable or not it is necessary to apply certain theories to the situation and use such theories to support the conclusion. For this report the issue of forced overtime shall be discussed. The staff at Biedronkas supermarkets were forced to take overtime (often unpaid) which has a direct affect on the individuals concerned but also a wider effect on families and friends of the employe es concerned. This shows that it is not simply a case of employee versus employer in these situations but the effect on all those associated with or who have an interest in the situation. These stakeholders are an individual or group which either: is harmed by, or benefits from, the corporation; or whose rights can be violated, or have to be respected by the corporation (Crane and Matten, 2007. p.58). Such stakeholders include employees, suppliers, customers, competitors, shareholders and employees families, amongst others. A report by Allard  E.  Dembe (2008), entitled Ethical Issues Relating to the Health Effects of Long Working Hours investigated ethical considerations involve mandatory or unpaid overtime and the possibility of employer coercion. The report stated: Considerable research evidence has accumulated indicating that there is an increased likelihood for illness and injury among employees working in long-hour schedules and schedules involving unconven tional shift work (e.g., night and evening shifts). In addition, studies show that fatigue-related errors made by employees working in these kind of demanding schedules can have serious and adverse repercussions for public safety. The Triple Bottom Line The Triple Bottom Line (3BL) was a phrase coined by John Elkington in 1994 and specifically in his 1998 book Cannibals with Forks: The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business. Elkington states: In the simplest terms, the TBL agenda focuses corporations not just on the economic value that they add, but also on the environmental and social value that they add or destroy. Fig. 2. The Triple Bottom Line The main principle behind 3BL is that corporations should not only take into account the economic factors of business but should incorporate social and environmental factors as well. The bottom line refers to the accounting term for the actual, real cost to the business. Elkington argues that a cost benefit can be measured for environmental and social activities that a company ought to engage in. 3BL also involves the promotion of sustainability; that is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Crane a nd Matten, 2007. p.22). While the emphasis of corporations has generally been on the economic factors the Triple Bottom Line attempts to create a balance between people, planet and profit (Elkington, 1994). Biedronka promote the ideas behind 3BL but in practice have failed to implement social value, specifically amongst its staff, as a goal. Social Justice does not just refer to concerns such as the impacts of business activities on indigenous communities in less developed countries and regions (Crane and Matten, 2007. p.27) but anywhere where there are stakeholders affected by the actions of corporations. Ethical Issues and Application of Normative Theories It is worth mentioning here the difference between Morals and Ethics: Morality is concerned with the norms, values, and beliefs embedded in social pro ­cesses which define right and wrong for an individual or a community. Ethics is concerned with the study of morality and the application of reason to elu cidate specific rules and principles that determine right and wrong for a given situation. These rules and principles are called ethical theories (Crane and Matten, 2007). It can be seen that ethics is open to interpretation and different people will have different opinions on what exactly is right and wrong, is it reasonable to apply some rules in certain situations but not in others? Can a white lie be acceptable in certain situations where the truth may cause distress? The following discusses various ethical theories and applies them to the activities of Biedronka. Utilitarianism If we apply the moral principle of Utilitarianism that it should be the greatest good for the greatest number of people (Bradburn, 2001) to the example of the forced overtime mentioned before then it could be argued that this business decision was morally acceptable. A handful of people (per store) might experience some level of discomfort but they would remain employed and the customers of t he supermarket would be able to buy their products with ease as staff would be on the shop floor rather than finished for the day. The company could employ more staff but this would increase overheads and affect profit. The following table identifies various stakeholders and the cost ( or pain) and benefit (or pleasure) of the activities to those involved: Stakeholder Cost Benefit Employer Bad publicity from legal action. Loss or reputation. Financial cost of legal action. High staff turnover. Cost savings, no need to employ more staff. Employee Poor morale. Adverse effects of working long hours. Retain job in the face of high unemployment. Customer Poor service through unhappy employees. Not wanting to be associated with a company following such practices. Long opening hours. Supplier Concerns about being associated with a company following such practices. Continued profits of company reduce risk of losing supply contracts Employee Family Family life disrupted due to long working hours. Continued income. Employees have stated that the local managers seem to delight in creating an atmosphere of intimidation which leads to unhappy workers and a high turnover of staff. Because Polish unemployment is high there will always be replacements but a low turnover of staff is good for business as it removes the time needed to find and train new employees. Therefore one might question the action of the company which provoke such a negative effect with comparatively small benefits. If we look at the basic principle of Utilitarianism that the few have to make sacrifices for the many then there are potentially far more customers satisfied with continuing cheap products than those worried about employee issues. Egoism From an egoism point of view one can understand this style of management culture. The egoist argues that the true test of a man is not what he has done for others but rather what he has made of himself (Nielsen, 1959) The managers primary concern when making decisions would be company profits and placing the company in a better position than before, regardless of the employees wellbeing. The directors of the company want their supermarket chain to be the top supermarket in Poland. Therefore, it is acceptable to do what needs to be done to maintain an edge over competitors. On the oth er hand, from the employees point of view and taking the same egoism stance, in the short-term it might be necessary to follow orders in order to get their wage but their longer term needs should be to find alternative employment and seek legal action through the courts if they feel the need. The fact that the turnover of staff in Biedronka is significantly high because of the poor working conditions seems to have been ignored by management. They continue to pressurise staff to work longer and longer hours with the stick of unemployment being waved in their faces on a regular basis. Whether this is in the long-term interests of the business is questionable and if the workers were more highly skilled one would say that it is not a good business decision to treat them in this way, but as the staff are not highly skilled and there are a sufficient number of candidates willing to take their places (at least temporarily) then one can understand the managements policy of making the worker s work hard for longer. Ethics of Duty Immanuel Kant in Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals (1785) declared three maxims that should be to determine the ethical correctness of a situation. For the actions to be considered ethically correct they must pass all three maxims: Consistency Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law. It is unlikely that Biedronka would consider that forced overtime as a universal law, applied to everyone would be acceptable. This does not discount agreed overtime with pay and even time off in lieu with perhaps an agreed threshold for the maximum of hours overtime contractually required, over which additional hours should be on a voluntary basis. Human Dignity Act so that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in that of another, always as an end and never as a means only. It is clear that the Biedronka management are indeed using its employees as a means to an end and they are not being treated equally in such a way as to benefit all. Universality Act as though the maxim of your action were by your will to become a universal law of nature. This maxim asks if you would like to have your actions universally known, the New York Times test (Trevino and Nelson, 2007). In other word would you be happy with your actions appearing on the front page of the New York Times (Fakt, Polands largest selling newspaper, in this case)? Clearly Biedronka would not, and indeed did not, like the publicity from the court cases in Poland and it is assumed that their treatment of staff on these occasions is something they would not wish to occur again or be made public. Overall is would seem that Biedronka fails all tests, let alone pass all three. However, it is difficult to apply Kants theories to real world situations and inevitably any conclusion is a subjective one with a natural bias on the side of the person judging the activities. The Rights Theory (Natural Law) The Ethics of Rights maintain that everyone has certain natural rights that they are entitled to (Locke, 1689). Those rights cover things such as justice, liberty, a right to life, etc. Its author, John Locke, believed that human nature was characterised by tolerance and reason. However, Locke also stated that humans had a right to self interest they have the right to life and liberty therefore shouldnt a manager who wishes to progress in the company will do whatever it takes to be noticed by his superiors in order to enhance his career? And if what needs to be done requires hurting a few people along the way then let it be done. But I would strongly argue that Locke would consider Biedronkas policies to go against his idea of most peoples natural rights and if the goal of this theory is fairness and there is such a wide division between the winners (management) and the losers (the employees) then the only way to resolve this situation can only be to seek to narrow the division b etween the two parties. With the enforced overtime, this ethical theory suggests that it is against a persons rights to be forced to involuntarily work long hours. Such an action should be on a voluntary basis and should involve payment for extra hours worked. There should certainly be no punishment for refusing unreasonable overtime work. Therefore, this policy would be considered unethical. Virtue Ethics Virtue ethics looks entirely at the character of the person making a decision rather than the decision itself (Mellahi and Wood, 2003). Would a person of virtue come to the same decision? To apply this to Biedronka, we would need to look at their whole philosophy rather than these isolated incidents. On their website, they clearly state that they place heavy emphasis on ethical behaviour. To a visitor with no knowledge of the supermarket chains reputation, they seem to be a pioneer in terms of ethics in business but there is consistent evidence in the courts (Internal Commission of Jurists, 2010), from individuals and in the media that the company has serious failures in implementing its ethical stance. One could argue that these decisions are made on the basis of growing the business and opening more stores in order to provide increased employment not only in its stores but also for its suppliers and for improving customer choice; but surely there should be a limit on how far a company can go in terms of its decisions. If the paramount question when considering a companys ethical standpoint is: What would a decent, honest person do in this situation? then I believe that Biedronka and its senior and junior management failed to ask themselves this question because of their wish for the company to improve financially and have entirely focused on profit to the detriment of their staff. Feminist Ethics Crane and Matten (2007) indicated that feminist theory emphasises harmony and empathy with ones fellow human; particularly with those who might be vulnerable to the decisions that we make. In Poland, where unemployment is high and years of Communism led to great hardship, the culture is different to the US and the UK and so it could be argued that Poles have a different level of empathy arguably they are twenty years behind Western Europe in terms of law and business (Lewicka-Strzalecka, 2006). To the managers most employees have a good job and are paid reasonably well, but I would say that the argument against this is much stronger forcing staff to work unpaid overtime (or to not be compensated enough for it) was in direct conflict with the employees emotions and would inevitably lead to disenchantment and poor morale, not to mention fatigue. The reason for this forced overtime would appear to be mostly financial and did not seek to promote harmonious and healthy relationship amongst the workforce. Discourse Ethics Discourse ethics requires all parties in a conflict to reflect on the situation and come to a rational settlement that is suitable for all parties. If all parties were to include the customers of the supermarket, who have an indirect interest in this situation then there would be some difficulty in reaching a good decision. However, if by all parties we were to mean management and employees then this becomes more possible. The lack of trade unions within the Polish supermarket system would be an obstacle and obviously it would be difficult to include all employees in the meeting but discourse theory does seem the most sensible option to resolve this situation; although the management in the past has shown reluctance to listen to employees needs. There is also the risk that with the more powerful and articulate management in the room with a group of less powerful and inarticulate employees in fear of their jobs there is a strong likelihood that any decisions made will still be heavi ly in favour of those who run the organisation Postmodern Ethics Postmodern theory argues that those theories mentioned above are outdated in a world of complex human characters and businesses that cater to more and more specific needs (Crane and Matten, 2007). There cannot be one theory that fits for all eventualities and asks individuals to question practices such as those mentioned here and to go with their emotions and their gut feelings in these situations. My gut feeling in this case is in favour of the staff at the supermarket but it would be preferable to interview all those actors involved and spend some time there- indeed the only real way to could come to a conclusion would be to spend time working in the supermarket, both as a manager and a cashier. This option is unlikely to be open to anyone proposing such a study and so some time spent as a customer watching how staff acts in the supermarket might help more than being sat in an office trying to come to a conclus ion. My initial instinct is that I would side with the supermarket staff, but as it would be unlikely to be able to see the management in action without arousing suspicion such a decision may be considered to be a little biased. Its a question that should also have been raised by the individual shop managers why didnt they ask themselves why they were so slavishly following the senior management rather than making their conclusions on what was morally right? With the forced overtime, I suspect the policy would not have been followed if the postmodern theory was followed. Conclusion Poland was for many years under the rule of a communist regime and workers did not have the legal protection or the accepted rights to working conditions and benefits seen in the west. It is likely that it will still take time and a significant shift in attitudes for the country to fully adopt a western view of how to treat its workers and for this attitude to be accepted at all levels of society. As in the west and elsewhere there are many ethical questions regarding the rights of workers which can be answered in many different ways: an egoist may ask why should one person owe any sort of duty to another? But even here there are differences of opinion with Psychological (descriptive) egoism, Ethical egoism and Rational egoism all giving a different position on egoism itself (Shaver, 2002). However, the majority of normative theories would seem to allow us to come to roughly the same conclusions, that is that actions taken by the various managers of these supermarkets were unethical and the majority of people would consider that the decisions they made lacked empathy with their fellow human beings. PART B A Critical Appraisal of Traditional Ethical Theories Traditional ethical theories have powerful influence on our understanding of the relevance of business ethics but are often criticised for their limitation in business practices and lack of attention to human emotions. Crane and Matten (2007) separate traditional ethical theories into two types: Consequentialist if the outcome of a situation is that that which is required then the method is ethically sound. If the outcome is one that was not desired then the method is ethically wrong. Egoism and Utilitarianism are examples of consequentialist theories. Non-consequentialist based upon the method used and the underlying principles of the actor. In these cases it is the actual ethical value of the method used rather than the actual outcome (Crane and Matten, 2007. p.90). Ethics of Duty and Rights Theory are examples of non-consequentialist theories. Consequentialist theories tend to dismiss the damaging effects on p eople and the environment if the required outcome is achieved. The problem with this end justifies the means approach is that in many cases people are harmed and the environment is damaged. Where a large proportion of people would seem to benefit from a particular action it must still be determined the acceptable degree of suffering that any minority would expect to take. The difficulty is decided the unacceptable degree of suffering which even the needs of the many cannot justify. Non-consequentialist theories tend to be more focused on the moral philosophy behind an action and are often difficult to apply to real world situations. However, in a more enlightened age, certainly a more informed one, it is hoped that, even in the high-powered world of corporate business, the power of Rights Theories, for example, would be preferable to the more self-interest based ones of Egoism and Utilitarianism. An Evaluation of Contemporary Developments in Ethical Theories Because of the inherent problems of the traditional theories Contemporary Ethical Theories remove themselves from the more philosophical and rule based theories. Contemporary Ethical Theories include Virtue ethics, Feminist ethics, Discourse ethics and Postmodern ethics. Virtue ethics is concerned with the decision maker themselves and their intellectual and moral virtues (Nielson, 2006). The emphasis is on the characteristics of the decision maker such as wisdom, honesty, courage loyalty, patience, etc. (Crane and Matten, 2007. p.110). The underlying principle is that a virtuous person would be, by inclination, more likely to make ethical decisions in general and only in specific cases. Even if that was the case, it is still difficult to apply virtue ethics in modern society because one rule does not fit everybody and one persons virtues might be different to another persons. Feminist ethics are based more on social behaviour and cooperation between groups where differenc es of opinion can be settled by reasonable compromises. Maintaining a healthy relationship between groups is more important than what may be regarded as maintaining the rights of the individual. The thinking here is that rights are often a perceived value that is different in one country than another, for example. Crane and Matten (2007) give an example of child labour being wrong for feminine ethics not because it violated perceived (western) principles but because of the likely distress and suffering of the children (Crane and Matten, 2007. p.113). Discourse ethics attempt to solve ethical issues by reasonable, rational discussion of all parties. While based upon providing a practical solution to wide ranging problems there is in itself the practical problem of all involved parties being able to communicate with each other. Postmodern ethics are similar to virtue ethics in that it looks at view of the individuals particular sense of what is right and wrong. It deliberately r emoves itself from the rules of other theories which tell someone what is right or wrong rather than what are actually a persons own beliefs. It relies on a persons experience and their gut feeling on what is right and what is wrong. While this is the theories strength it is also a weakness as it depends upon a persons experience and therefore any lack of experience, especially in a multicultural environment, may weaken that persons ability to make an informed judgement. An Opinion on the Value and Use of Descriptive Ethical Theories Descriptive ethics is the study of what people believe is morally acceptable. In other words, what do they think is right and how do they come to that conclusion? Different people have different beliefs and understanding, often based on such things as upbringing, ethnic and cultural background, religion and personal experiences. Studying the different morals and standards of groups and societies helps to understand such differences and by understanding leads to better ways of solving ethical issues between such groups. Conclusion While it is useful to have specific theories that can be applied to particular problems they all seem to have their own strengths and weaknesses, and failings. Using one particular theory to resolve a situation can prove unsatisfactory. Using a pluralistic approach (Crane and Matten, 2007) where different aspects of the various theories are used to give a balanced outcome would seem to be the best approach.

The University Of California Irvine s College Drop Out...

A little over a year ago I contributed to the University of California Irvine s college drop-out statistic for freshmen engineering majors. After walking out of yet another challenging lecture on something about angular momentum; I dropped off my withdrawal form at the Student Center and embarked on my glorious adventure to pursue a career in visual development. By the grace of my parents I was allowed to return home and spent my days honing my craft and becoming the modern Picasso I was destined to be. And then they asked me to pay rent. Principle 1: People Face Trade-offs My introduction is actually not reality. In truth, this was a rather trying time of my life. I spent my first quarter of college scrambling-and failing-to understand the basic principles of engineering and spent the remaining two on academic probation. I was in college because it s what everyone did. Because my parents wanted me to. But it wasn’t what I wanted for myself. That summer I had an honest talk with my sister and she mentioned how it might be best for me to consider alternative paths. The arts have always been a major part of my life and I was always talking about how neat it would be to play a role in the creation of worlds found in Disney and Pixar movies. So I dropped out. For four months I gave it my all. Every day I dove into my art with a specific goal aimed at improvement and diversifying my portfolio. I got in contact with professionals in the industry and

Investment and Portfolio Management Risk-Sensitive Investment

Question: Discuss about the Investment and Portfolio Management forRisk-Sensitive Investment. Answer: Introduction Investment is defined as the consumption, which involves purchasing assets, giving a loan or keeping of funds in bank account to safeguard the future. The main focus of doing an investment is to generate future returns in which one can rely on especially during the old. Moreover, it is also a plan to setting up better lives for the family. A country does investment in order to safeguard future of its citizens. Concepts of Investment One of the major concepts used in understanding of investment is economy. This is because every investment is entailed in the formation of new and productive capital. This capital is required to be in a form, which is constructive and produces investments, which are durable and long-term in its workability. An example of such is plant and machinery. Additionally, financial investment is also among basic concepts in venture. It is a kind of investment, which is allocated in monetary terms and resource (Chellaraj Mattoo, 2015, p. 8). It is expected to yield returns over a give n period of time. It is facilitated through exchange of claims such as shares, debentures, savings, premiums, and fixed deposits (Davis Lleo, 2015, p. 21). Investment Approach Investment approaches are classified into four units. The first is the short-term high priority investment objectives. It is an investment which factors in high priority in achieving of certain objectives in a short period of time. This can be building of a house for living. The second one is the long-term high priority investment. This refers to investment scheduled to be realized at future date though it is worked for from a tender date. An example of this is the retirement benefits and education of the children. Thirdly is the low-priority. These have very low investment mechanism. The final approach is the moneymaking objectives. This is a kind of investment entailed in investing of surplus money and maximizing of wealth. It can be done through touring and purchasing of unnecessary luxuries car. History of Singapore Exchange Singapore is a country located in continental Asia. Its exchange market is called Singapore Exchange Limited (SEL). It was formed on December 1, 1999 as a holding company. After its formation, shares of the companies such as Stock Exchange of Singapore were cancelled and the shares were issued fully were issued to this new company. Other companies who used to trade in the exchange market of Singapore (Singapur, 2014, p. 23) initially owned the shares being transferred. This exchange company falls under the Asian and Oceania exchange federation. According to the recent statistics provided by KOH, it is deduced that it dominates the stock exchange in the two continents (Koh, 2014, p. 25). It provides different services, which are related to security exchange, trading, and derivatives among many others. In the year 2000, it was listed as the second exchange house in the Asian-Pacific region obtaining both public and private privilege of exchange. Later in 2010, it entered into merger co ntracts with Australian Security Exchange (ASE). This was propagated by fast growth in computer technology in Australia. The major shareholders in this limited liability company of Singapore are SEL holdings. This company holds 23.66% of the total shares of the company. DBS Nominees is a private company in Singapore and part of shareholders of Singapore Exchange Limited. Its shares are cumulatively 9.85% (Chellaraj Mattoo, 2015, p. 42). Moreover, DBSN services Pte limited is also a great investor in this exchange firm. It holds 5.70% of shares in the company. Citibank Nominees also have a say in the running and management of this security company with shares relatively 18.55% of the total shares. Lastly, it is the HBSN Company having close to 7.16% shares in the Singapore Exchange (Koh, 2014, p. 23). Operation of Singapore Exchange According to research, Singapore Exchange Limited is seen to own and operate securities and derivatives and their related products in the country. Apart from its operations in the country, it has links in other countries such as China, Thailand, and Australia. It provides the supplementary securities of processing and information technology services to the participants in the financial markets in an explicit and reliable manner (Wong, 2014, p. 27). Products This company is based in trading of securities, derivatives, and commodities. Furthermore, it also deals with clearing and settlement of swaps for their clients. It has the responsibility of performing duties dealing with depository and broker services to its members at an affordable pricing mechanism. Derivatives are one of the main businesses being delved on in this company (Koh, Chang Koh, 2014, p. 16).They are rolled out based on the wider range of Asian assets, which originate from Chinese equation to the Indian currency in the region. This allows high yielding to the hungry investors through exposing them to a hard-to-buy market concept in the exchange model. This has enabled Asian investors to obtain investment opportunities (Ong et al, 2015, p. 41). This helped them in beefing up connections with their counterparts who are exposed to less developments but faster growing markets in the continental Asia and Oceania. Through this mechanism of trading derives, Singapore has devel oped a link with HongKong and Shangai in order to allow for easy purchasing from each other with sole aim of maximizing profits. They also want to cut on the cost, which arises in the event where one is stipulated to trade from companies in which they do not partner in any way. Through the analysis, Thailand has closed worked with bank of china with sole aim of promoting products from Thailand. According to J.P Morgan, this has increased competition and the business in the stock exchange risen up to 9%, which is accumulation of 28.8 million contracts (Thomsett, 2015, p. 24). Securities are also part of the great concern in any exchanged market. According to the statistics produced last in the SEL, securities slapped at 50%, which is relative to 1.8 billion shares a day. This was based on the quarterly system from the previous year, which was 2015.This led to a struggle with the aim of attracting big-ticket listings that were entailed to drive trading activities in the country. The traders in the security market were estimated to own at least 7.7% of the securities yearly which when converted to Singapore dollars it is relatively 7.82. Therefore, it led to introduction of series of sweeping changes which include circuit breakers, liquidity providers and the market markers (Davis Lleo, 2015, p. 28). Commodities Singapore Commodity Exchange (SICOM) is rated to providing of highly and the most efficient market place for trading of futures and clearing businesses in Singapore. It is deduced to selling of large and commodities whose origin is of proven quality to balance market prices in the trading zone. In order to maintain this, they had to develop initiatives, which are customer friendly. This mechanism is through offering of the best conditions in the country for an active wholesale trading. This have a reduced price and thus many clients are enticed to buy from them. As a result of this, the market is widened indefinite (Lim, 2011, p. 15). The trading volume of over of about 27.6 million was realized as a result of this method of engagement in the market. These stimulate them to begin investments on grain and real estate develops as they are rare and they are highly profitable. The grain business is relatively cheap with minimum risks involvement. Portfolio Management Portfolio is defined as the spreading of risks in which the investor is bound to experience during the business tenure. This is done through the grouping of financial investments such as bonds, cash equivalents, and stocks and other things involved in trading in stock exchange market. Portfolio is held directly by the investor or the financial projector of the business. In most cases, it is constructed according to the risk tolerance of the business one is investing in. Most investors who fail in business do so because of lack of knowledge in the stock market. The managers ought to develop a mechanism of managing portfolio in the companies they run in order to avoid the havoc brought by unforeseen calamities in the business world (Ong et al, 2015, p. 53). The Asians countries should always be alarmed due to continues increment in the United States of America dollar. They are entitled to regulate their businesses through implementation of Federal Reserves in order to aid in curbing ri sks during recession period. This is possible since it much predictable due to the fact that United States is most developed economically than any other country in the world. Moreover, it is prudent for Asians countries to invest earlier before the interest rate escalates as a result of appreciation in dollar by borrowing of loans from financial institutions on time. This is because of the foreseen probability in weakening of their currency and thus the economic standards might depreciate. Additionally, Asian investors ought to embrace on the foreign exchange reserves since this greatly helps in countering of the challenges brought about by the weaken of their currencies. This will help them to be resilient in the times when the capital inflows are experienced in the country. To add on this, the country should engage in structuring of the reforms which have a better impact to its investors. This will create a room for lots of investment opportunities and thus make the country an investment destination (Wong, 2011, p. 22). By creating such an environment, a lot of risks will be avoided. This will shift the graph of the investment rates towards the positive dimension economically. Reference List Ong, K. L., Li, C., Soin, B. S., Teoh, L.-E., Seah, C.-L. (2015). Business operations in Singapore. Chellaraj, G., Mattoo, A. (2015). Can the knowledge capital model explain foreign investment in services? the case of Singapore. [Washington, D.C.], World Bank. https://documents.worldbank.org/record?docid=000158349_20150129161242. Thomsett, M. C. (2015). Getting started in stock analysis. https://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=4040565. Davis, M. H. A., Lleo, S. (2015). Risk-sensitive investment management. Koh, B. S. (2014). Learning for life: Singapore's investment in lifelong learning since the 1950s. Wong, J. (2014). The political economy of Deng's Nanxun: breakthrough in China's reform and development. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truescope=sitedb=nlebkdb=nlabkAN=752583.] Koh, T. T. B., Chang, L. L., Koh, J. (2014). The little red dot: reflections of foreign ambassadors on Singapore. Volume III Volume III. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truescope=sitedb=nlebkdb=nlabkAN=925669. Singapur. (2014). Foreign equity investment in Singapore. Singapore, [s.n.]. https://www.singstat.gov.sg/publications/publications_and_papers/investment/foreign_investment.html. Lim, J. S. K. (2011). Route to successful property investment in Singapore. [Singapore], [publisher not identified]. Wong, M. C. S. (2011). The risk of investment products from product innovation to risk compliance. Singapore, Hackensack, NJ. https://www.books24x7.com/marc.asp?bookid=49913

Middlesex Review Essay Example

Middlesex Review Paper Essay on Middlesex It is worth noting that there are several meanings that meet the combination of human person (It is understood by all the laws of logic, that there are still some nechelovechskaya alien, for example let): 1) the one that is certified by a formal, for example, dokumet passport identification. In this case it is rather just an individual, which may be, but may not be a person in another sense, 2) in the sense aggregate of social relationships that it contains, rather this: Personality more significant than fuller and broader represented therein in its affairs, in her words, in deeds to a l l e a t and n o -. in a e a b u and me, and not purely individual its uniqueness The uniqueness of the true identity lies precisely in the fact that in its own way it reveals something about _n in about e__ d l ya__v with Laughter, better than others, and others more fully expressing the essence of all e rugih people pushing their business scope cash opportunities opening up for all the things that they do not know, do not know how, do not understand. From this second point of view of individual uniqueness can be abundantly represented in such trifles, that by and large there is nothing interesting, except a reason to make a noise, pokichitsya it as a value in itself. Thats whats important to understand when reading about the unusual exceptional cases in the life of individuals, does that make the person or the other way around in a circle closes forever trivia, isolating from the public interest. Sometimes its just an excuse, but often the goal itself. I am afraid that it vdannom case of bad exclusivity of the rules.

Sons and Lovers Narrative Essays

Sons and Lovers Narrative Essays Sons and Lovers Narrative Paper Sons and Lovers Narrative Paper The appeal of the novel hinges primarily on its narrative structure, Discuss the extent to which you agree with this statement. Narrative structure of a novel is primarily responsible for appeal of novel for reader. Essentially narrative structure encompasses the themes and the plot of the story. Prose writers feel strongly about issues that they want to sensitizes the reader to. However appeal of a novel requires use of narrative techniques not only structure such as style, setting and characterization. In D. H Lawrence novel, Sons and Lovers, his semi auto- biographic work, he bring across to readers his negative feeling towards his father and his feeling towards his over bearing mother. Lawrence narrative is designed for readers to interpret characters and events and draw own conclusions based on how he presents them. Lawrence characters plays a major role in bringing across his different perspective of themes to readers. As said by Haircut (2012), the main force of D. H. Lawrence novels is always located in characters. Lawrence uses narrative structure to portray to readers effectively background and circumstances which Paul grew up in whilst at same time alluding to themes of novel. Lawrence decides to break up the novel into two parts in order for the reader to understand the environment in which Paul grows up in. The first part effectively brings across to us a dysfunctional family with an array of problems including an overbearing mother, a deadbeat father and also creation of strong matriarchal influence on the children. The second part wows us Paul as a young adult and the challenges he faces. The main issue presents to reader the detrimental effect of Gertrude smothering ways, have in preventing Paul from forming long lasting relationships with Marina and Clara. Lawrence narrative structure pivots characterization of characters as an essential part of readers interpretation of the themes in the novel. Two themes presented to readers in the novel are masculinity and social class structure. In my interpretation of the novel Lawrence allows to juxtapose different prospects of what a man is. Mrs.. Morel idea of what a man is or rather her viewpoint of masculinity stems from her father of being able to provide for family, intellectual and well mannered. Mr.. Morel on the other hand provides us with a different viewpoint of masculinity of simplicity, great physical presence, natural warmth and lack of education. Additionally the disunity that arises between Gertrude and Walter must be seen as a union doomed to fail because of differences in social class. The incompatibility and separation of their viewpoint of Gertrude and Walter is best shown by this nine said by Gertrude, The estrangement between them caused him knowingly or unknowingly grossly to offend her where he would have not have done. Lawrence effectively displays a viewpoint that people of different classes are unable to coexist. Lawrence narrative technique may not be explicit In saying openly his feeling as plot unfolds however his style is effective in creating appeal and intrigue for the reader. The plot unfold with great detail placed also on explanation of setting particularly the Burrows. The use of setting by Lawrence to allow readers to be able to clearly identify environment and what social class of society, the people of Burrows represent. Lawrence style in terms of language of characters in the play emphasize difference in society with elite speaking with fluency and using proper English whilst most denizens of mining town speaking rough and dialectal variation. Novels require prose writes to use more than narrative structure to create appeal for readers. Writers must use narrative techniques to express and bring across their viewpoint, their narrative structure.

Umer khan Essays - 2nd Millennium, Seven Years War, World History

Umer khan Essays - 2nd Millennium, Seven Years War, World History Umer khan History 7A 3/29/2015 Albany Plan of Union The Albany Congress was a meeting of delegates of seven of the British North American states in 1754 (particularly, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island). Delegates met day by day at Albany, New York from June 19 to July 11 to examine better relations with the Indian tribes and normal guarded measures against the French. They concluded an arrangement with the tribes spoke to, yet the settlement neglected to secure peace with all the Native American tribes amid the French and Indian War. The Congress is prominent for delivering Benjamin Franklin's Albany Plan of Union, an early endeavor to shape a union of the settlements. Some portion of the Plan was utilized as a part of composing the Articles of Confederation, which kept the States together from 1781 until the Constitution Benjamin Franklin proposed an arrangement for joining the seven provinces that extraordinarily surpassed the extent of the congress. In any case, after impressive level headed discussion, and changes proposed by Thomas Hutchinson who might later move toward becoming Governor of Massachusetts, it was passed collectively. The arrangement was submitted as a proposal however was dismisses by both King George II and the lawmaking bodies of the individual seven settlements since it would evacuate some of their current forces. The Seven Years War Frightened by the developing force and aspiration of Frederick the Great, France, Spain, Austria, Saxony, Russia... what's more, Sweden shaped a coalition with the expectation of pulverizing - or possibly devastating - Prussia. Frederick, divining the expectation of the coalition, struck first by attacking Saxony in August 1756, and thumping them out of the war. Britain, officially included I a pioneer struggle with France in North America and India, aligned with Prussia. English arrangement was to take after a Blue Water technique - focus on vanquishing France in pioneer clashes, while supporting Prussia in Europe with huge money endowments, and a little armed force sent to western Germany where it collaborated with the Hanoverian armed force (the lords of Britain were likewise Electors of Hanover) against France. French assets were depleted off fighting in Europe, empowering the British to be effective in their pilgrim battles, winning unequivocally in America and India, and Frederick was capable (just) to fight off the coalition against him, Russia dropping out of the war in 1762 when Catherine the Great progressed toward becoming empress; Sweden additionally dealt with Prussia in 1762. The Treaty of Paris (1763) amongst Britain and France constrained France to surrender every one of its belonging in Canada to Britain and surrender all cases in America east of the Mississippi stream.

DB 4 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

DB 4 - Research Paper Example Also, in many cases, the frontline managers of the organization were exceeding the approved labor budgets on a frequent basis as they were facing tremendous issues in measuring the level of productivity of the employees. The company was also facing problems in data integrity as there was a dearth of digitization of data reports at various levels of the organization. To deal with the multiple discrepancies plaguing the organization, Con-way Inc focused on implementing the Kronos Workforce Central solution suite. The main objectives behind the implementation of the organization specific solution suite was to eradicate discrepancies in employee payment as well as to equip the managers of the organization with better visibility and control over important labor metrics that are essential to manage facilities and costs of labor. It is important to highlight that after the implementation of the solution suite throughout the organization, the management gained control in various key metrics like overtime, employee attendance as well as productivity and thereby became highly effective in administering new policies throughout the organization (kronos.com, 2014). The case study of priority implementation of IT in the American subsidiary of Volkswagen brought in to focus that there can be three different types of technological applications that can be designed for an organization. The three types of organization namely based enterprise IT platform, enterprise applications and customized point solutions were prioritized on the basis of the needs that they fulfill in a particular organization (Austin, Ritchie and Gargett, 2007). Now in relating the Con-way example of implementation of the company specific solution suite, it has to be stated that the priority was given in the development of enterprise applications, the main focus of which was to eradicate errors and boost organizational productivity. It

Influence on family structure Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Influence on family structure - Assignment Example Ying Ying’s marriage to an American is explored. Lindo’s escape from a child marriage is related. This club helped the women deal with their home lives in a positive manner almost like group therapy. The negative community influences for the mothers were the expectation of the Chinese toward women. Chinese women were supposed to be meek and mild. Although as seen these women were far weak, having been through harrowing situations. An Mei mother’s family disowned her for becoming a man’s concubine despite her being forced is an example. Ying Ying’s marriage to the American man that was not generous to her is another example. Lindo’s forced marriage at twelve and Suyaun’s forced abandonment of her twins are all examples of how the Chinese community restricted these women negatively. The pressure on the daughters are different in America, but the pressure is still present. Jing-Mei, Suyaun’s daughter, and Waverly, Lindo’s daughter, become childhood rivals at their mothers’ urgings. Lena, Ying Ying’s daughter, becomes as passive as her mother to be the perfect wife. An Mei’s daughter is treated poorly by her husband until she hears an Mei’s story. All of these daughters had the pressure of hope from their mothers. These daughters had their mothers’ hopes pinned on them. Hopefully the hope was well founded, but the pressure of their mothers’ hopes was

Figures of speech Essay Example for Free

Figures of speech Essay * Why are figures of speech important? * How can figures of speech add more meaning to poetry? Objectives: * Compile figures of speech found in songs * Decode the figures of speech used in the compiled songs 1. â€Å"Why does love always feel like a battlefield, a battlefield† (Battlefield by Jordin Sparks) – Simile. The song compares love to a battlefield because love means sacrifice and compromise, just like when you’re in a battlefield. 2. â€Å"Shot me out of the sky, you’re my kryptonite† (One Thing by One Direction) – Metaphor. This song directly compares you and kryptonite which means you are compared to his/her weakness. 3. â€Å"Cause Id get a thousand hugs from ten thousand lightning bugs as they tried to teach me how to dance† ( Fireflies by Owl City† – Personification. In this song, the ten thousand lightning bugs has human like characteristics which is that they were trying to teach him how to dance. 4. â€Å"Dear John, I see it all now that you’re gone, don’t you think I was too young to be messed with?† (Dear John by Taylor Swift) – Apostrophe. Taylor Swift is addressing â€Å"John† who is gone or who is absent. 5. â€Å"I know how to laugh but I dont know happiness (Love Tried to Welcome Me by Madonna) Irony. Because when you laugh, it means that you are happy but even though she knows how to laugh, she isn’t happy. 6. â€Å"Who would have known how bittersweet this would taste?† (Someone Like You by Adele)- Oxymoron. This is an oxymoron because bitter and sweet are two opposite words though they are in one statement. 7. â€Å"Before the door’s closed and it comes to an end† (Keep Holding On by Avril Lavigne) – Metonymy. This line of the song is metonymy because the word â€Å"door† substitutes the idea of â€Å"an opportunity†. 8. â€Å"‘Cause you know I’d walk a thousand miles, if I could just see you tonight† (A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton)- Hyperbole. This is a hyperbole because this statement was exaggerated. Nobody could walk a  thousand miles. 9. â€Å"Whatever happened to Amelia Earhart? Who holds the stars up in the sky? (Someday We’ll Know by New Radicals) – Allusion. The song refers to Amelia Earhart who is a historical character. She was the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. 10. â€Å"You’re the devil in disguise† (Walk Like An Angel by Elvis Presley) – Metaphor. It is a metaphor because the singer is directly comparing â€Å"you† to the devil. 11. â€Å"You and I go hard at each other like we’re going at war† (One More Night by Maroon 5) Simile. It is a simile because the song compares that they’re going hard at each other with going at a war 12. â€Å"I have died everyday waiting for you† (A Thousand Years by Christina Perri†) – Hyperbole. Because it’s exaggerated. Nobody could actually die just waiting for a person and nobody could die every day. 13. â€Å"Forgive him when his tongue lies through his brain, even after three times he betrays me† (Judas by Lady Gaga) – Allusion. In this song, they are referring to Judas Iscariot from the bible, because like what is stated in the song, Judas Iscariot was the one who betrayed Jesus. 14. â€Å"And you shouldnt have to be alone, I would rather be alone together â€Å"(Alone Together by Daley) – Oxymoron. This is an oxymoron because alone and together is opposites yet they are joined in one statement.

Provider of Online Academic Tutorials :: Business Plan

Section 1 Executive Summary: As the title suggests, this business is about providing tutorials to pupils and/ or students on any subject given in a course curricula. The key to operating the business is a customized server where client pupils/ students key in their questions/ assignments and sent out; and the server in turn, provides the answers/ solutions in interactive mode. The server is a storage bin and at the same time an â€Å"information refinery† where all school books and teacher lesson plans are put to order. The money part of this business is in subscription fees. The fees will vary from one tutorial program to another and on the need and time service of an online tutor. Section 2 Business Description: Mission Statement: â€Å" To be the best providers of Online Academic Tutorials† As students, we have been through all the struggles of having to manage time. We students do not only devote ourselves into our academics. We have other certain things to do like e.g. Extracurricular Activities, Leisure Time and etc. In fact, most students nowadays get so stressed out that they are not able to perform to their utmost capacity so we have thought of creating an Online Academic Tutorial. This would not occupy much of the student’s time since it enables students to focus on their vital topics/ areas they are concerned about and it would actually result in to making them more efficient and productive rather than studying the entire scope of the topic, which are advocated in tutorial centers. Proposed Legal Form; Partnership of three people for a start and as subscriber base reaches a critical mass will convert into a corporation. Our entry strategy will be person-to-person solicitation of accounts/ subscribers/ advertisers tie up with schools for group discount rates and as for product research and development, we will develop a product niche in so- called exact Sciences; Physics, Mathematics, Algebra, Calculus and Geometry. Section 3 Marketing Analysis: The trade of education services; Philippine education has been the object of several studies over the past decades. Most of these studies were focused on issues concerning access and equity, quality and excellence, relevance and responsiveness, financing, and governance.

In Search of How People Change

How people intentionally change addictive behaviors with and without treatment is not well understood by behavioral scientists. This article summarizes research on self-initiated and professionally facilitated change of addictive behaviors using the key transtheoretical constructs of stages and processes of change. Modification of addictive behaviors involves progression through five stages—precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance—and individuals typically recycle through these stages several times before termination of the addiction. Multiple studies provide strong support for these tages as well as for a finite and common set of change processes used to progress through the stages. Research to date supports a transtheoretical model of change that systematically integrates the stages with processes of change from diverse theories of psychotherapy.REFERENCES Abrams, D. B. , Follicle, M. J. , & Biener, L. (1988, November). Individual versus g roup self-help smoking cessation at the workplace: Initial impact and 12-month outcomes. In T. Glynn (Chair), Four National Cancer Institute-funded self-help smoking cessation trials: Interim results and emerging patterns. Symposium conducted at the annual eeting of the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy, New York. Beitman, B. D. (1986).

Importance Of Energy Efficiency In Buildings Environmental Sciences Essay

The World Business Council for sustainable development ( WBCSD ) identifies edifices as one of the chief sectors where â€Å" megatrends † are needed to transform the manner is energy used. The International Energy Agency ( IEA ) estimates that current tendencies in energy demand for edifices will excite about half of energy supply investings till 2030. The fuel crises in 1972-73 generated worldwide attempts to conserve fossil fuel and research for the alternate beginnings of energy. The usage of energy in edifices has increased in recent old ages due to the turning demand for warming and chilling in edifices. Though betterments have been made towards accomplishing energy efficiency in edifices, nevertheless, there is a demand for a more incorporate attack.[ I ] Buildings are responsible for at least 40-50 % of energy usage in most states. The absolute figure is lifting fast, as building roars, particularly in developed states such as China, UAE and India. It is indispensable to move now, because edifices can do a major part to undertaking clime alteration.[ two ] Today in modern edifices Heating, Lighting, Ventilation and Air-conditioning systems are required to be more energy efficient while adhering to an ever-increasing demand for better indoor air quality and public presentation. Researchers believe that it is possible to obtain nest eggs of around 30 % through the usage of new and better design techniques and tools. Most of these nest eggs are based on an incorporate system design attack. The focal point of Architectural pattern has remained â€Å" object devising † and small attending is being paid to analysing the public presentation of the edifice. Though many tools are available to entree the energy public presentation of edifices, nevertheless, there usage has remained really limited.2.1.1 Importance of Energy Efficiency in BuildingsIntegrating energy efficient design features into edifices has become a top precedence in recent old ages. Because energy-efficient edifices cut down both resource depletion and the inauspicious environmental impacts of pollution generated by energy production, it is frequently considered to be the basis of sustainable design. Low energy edifice design is non merely the consequence of using one or more stray engineerings. Rather, requires protagonism and action on the portion of the design squad throughout the full undertaking development procedure. The whole-building attack is easy worth the clip and attempt, as it can salvage 30 % or more in energy costs over a conventional edifice design. Indeed, one of the cardinal attacks for energy efficient design is to put in the edifice ‘s signifier and enclosure ( e.g. , Windowss, walls ) so that the warming, chilling, and illuming tonss are reduced, and in bend, smaller, less dearly-won warming, ventilating, and air conditioning systems are needed. In planing energy efficient edifices, it is of import to appreciate that the underlying intent of the edifice is neither to salvage nor utilize energy. Rather, the edifice is at that place to function the residents and their activities. An apprehension of edifice tenancy and activities can take to constructing designs that non merely salvage energy and cut down costs, but besides better resident comfort and workplace public presentation. As such, low-energy edifice design is a critical constituent of sustainable, green & A ; energy efficient design. The energy efficient design procedure begins when the residents ‘ demands are assessed and a undertaking budget is established. The proposed edifice is carefully sited and its programmed infinites are carefully arranged to cut down energy usage for warming, chilling, and illuming. Its warming and chilling tonss are minimized by planing standard edifice elements windows, walls, and roofs so that they control, collect, and store the Sun ‘s energy to optimal advantage. These inactive solar design schemes besides require that peculiar attending be paid to constructing orientation and glazing. Take together, they form the footing of integrated, whole edifice design. Finally, by integrating edifice incorporate photovoltaics into the installation, some conventional edifice envelope stuffs can be replaced by energy bring forthing engineerings. For illustration, photovoltaics can be integrated into window, wall, or roof assemblies, and spandrel glass, fanlights, and roof become bo th portion of the edifice tegument and a beginning of power coevals.2.1.2 Scope of Energy Efficiency in PakistanPakistan faces really serious energy jobs particularly for the last one decennary. Its energy resources base is limited. Its domestic production will non maintain gait with the rise in demand. Energy sector experts estimate that by the mid of 2010, the demand of electricity would be about 22,000 megawatts. This figure points at the built-in deficit of about 3,000 megawatts even if the installed capacity performs the best. During the extremum season, this deficit could make anyplace from 4,000 to 6,000 megawatts. Pakistan produces electricity with three beginnings i.e. hydroelectric ( 6,463 megawatts, 33 % ) , thermic ( 12,580 megawatts, 65 % ) and atomic ( 462 megawatts, 2 % ) . Because of the H2O deficit in winter, the potency of hydroelectric powers falls dramatically. Load direction plan is traveling on during the whole twelvemonth ; the job has intensified in the last twosome of old ages. Besides the economic and fiscal attempt associated with the enlargement of the electricity sector, there is a demand to develop a guideline for the maximal use of the energy resources we have. As the edifice sector including Industries, Commercial & As ; Office Buildings, Domestic edifices, devour 76 % electricity ; the edifices should be addressed decently sing the energy efficiency. National edifice codifications that include energy efficiency considerations can be an effectual tool to guarantee the edifices efficiency for minimal energy ingestion.2.2 Focus ProblemIn Pakistan increased population, industrialisation and commercial activities has generated an energy demand. A However, a critical rating would uncover that most of the current edifices are non designed maintaining in position the local climatic conditions. Excessive usage of concrete and glass, high degrees of light and heavy trust on infinite conditioning equipment are a common characteristic of our edifices. These edi fices need excess energy to be made comfy for their residents. So there is a demand to turn to the energy issues related to these edifices at their conceptual phase.2.3 Area of FocusIn Pakistan a broad scope of commercial / office edifices, get downing from a individual floor construction to high rise multi floor edifices. Sing the range of work, it is non possible to spread out the research canvas for all edifice types. The current research will be focused to research the energy issues merely in high rise office edifices.2.4 AimsThe chief aim of the research is to look into the undermentioned schemes ; To look into which edifice constituents and systems are responsible for energy ingestion in high rise office edifices. To place how much energy is consumed in such edifices. To place tools that may used for the appraisal of energy public presentation in edifices.2.5 Research MethodologyMethodology or usage of different methods is needed to accomplish the chief aim of research. A wide scope of information was needed. Much of this was done from assorted books, literature, and research repapers. Some trouble was encountered in the hunt of suited energy imitating tool for the intent of energy simulation of the selected instance surveies. Finally â€Å" eQuest † was selected for energy simulation tool ; as it is really effectual for constructing energy simulation with friendly graphical user interface. A elaborate survey is carried out with the aid of the user ‘s manual to understand the package before its application on the instance surveies. An country in Lahore is identified for the choice of instance surveies. Two office edifices were selected on the footing of research aims. A field study was besides carried out to analyze the selected countries of the metropolis of Lahore The energy simulation procedure requires a informations aggregation from all related advisers of the selected edifices. Before the choice of a instance survey it was really of import that all concerned informations required for the package â€Å" eQuest † should be available from the related advisers.

An Age of Prosperity and Conflicts essays

An Age of Prosperity and Conflicts essays The 20's was a decade of prosperity and entertainment as well as conflicts. Historians emphasize how Americans were living a life of wealth, but forget to mention the problems of society. Cultural, economic, racial, social, religious and political conflicts that plagued America remain unnoticeable and silent in its history. Amongst the life of prosperity and entertainment of the 1920's, the Americans suffered a life of unending conflicts. Prosperity of the 1920's affected many Americans improve their lives. Many middle-class citizens improved their standard of living by purchasing new products such as electric irons, vacuum cleaners, washing machines, toasters, fans, and refrigerators. They were now able to purchase these consumer goods because companies began to reward and pay their workers more money. These companies, such as Ford cars, doubled the wages of the workers at the plant in Highland Park, Michigan. Since wages increased, purchasing goods and cars became affordable. The increase in America's wealth shifted the economy because businesses flourished to serve the needs of the consumers. Not only were the consumers prosperous, but so were the business owners. Since Henry Ford offered a 5 dollar wage a day to workers of "thrifty habits," his company earned an estimated $264,000 per day because of the sales so many different companies started to follow Ford's reasoning of increasing wages. Not only did prosperity of Americans bring new consumer goods affordable, it also brought education to children and credit to shoppers. Most people could afford to keep their children in school longer because they were finally prosperous enough to survive without the children's wages. By the end of the decade, 51 percent of all high school age youth were in school. Credit was brought to shoppers because they were starting put money down and paying the balance in installments. Americans bought with credit because they rega...

Geography of Beauty

Geography of Beauty It is a common English idiom to say that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, but perhaps it is more accurate to say that beauty is in the geography, as cultural ideals of beauty vary drastically by region. Interestingly, the local environment seems to play an important role in what is seen as beautiful. Large Beauties Extreme forms of this practice include sending young girls to fattening farms, called gavages, alluding to their unfortunate similarity to French farms where geese are forcibly fed via sausage stuffers to create foie gras. Today, food is considerably less scarce, leading to many morbidly obese women in Mauritania. As Western media continues to infiltrate Mauritanian society, cultural preferences for large women are dying out in exchange for a slimmer Western ideal. Although Mauritania is an extreme example, this idea that large women are beautiful women are seen in other regions of the world where food is scarce, and populations are susceptible to famine, such as Nigeria and rainforest cultures. Flawless Skin Perhaps the most shocking facet of East Asian beauty is the fact that the male cosmetic industry is booming. In a society where flawless skin is considered an indicator of social success, South Korean males spend more on skin and makeup products that any other male population in the world. According to the Associated Press, this years male South Korean beauty industry is expected to gross over US $850 million. The trend for more feminine and pretty males in South Korea seems to be the result of an influx of Japanese cultural goods that portray male figures as romantic and effeminate. Skin Lightening With the southern portion of India residing in the Tropic of Cancer, Indias close proximity to the equator has resulted in the characteristically dark skin tone of its citizens. Indias infamous caste system, although based on birth and occupation, placed that vast majority of those with extremely dark skin into the lowest caste, classifying them as undesirables or untouchables. Although today the caste system is outlawed and it is prohibited to discriminate against someone based on his or her caste, the widespread beauty ideal of light skin is a subtle reminder of darker days. To feed this cultures obsession with light skin tones, a huge industry dedicated to lightening and skin bleaching creams flourishes in India. Light of My Eyes These coverings leave the eyes at the focus of the females face, or in more extreme communities; only the eyes are left uncovered. These cultural and religious norms have led many predominantly Islamic countries to focus on eyes as the epitome of beauty. This fixation of eyes is an integral part of Arabic culture. Many idioms of the Arabic language center on the eyes, for example, the Arabic equivalent of responding My pleasure when asked to do a favor roughly translates to By the light of your eyes I will do it. As Islam spread throughout the Middle East and into South Asia and Africa, it brought with it modesty practices for women such as the hijab and burka. With these new cultural norms, eyes likewise became the focal point of beauty in many of these cultures. In addition, khol is an ancient eye cosmetic used not only in the Middle East but also in Africa and South Asia. It is said that it was worn around the eye to protect from vision damage from the suns harsh rays, as these areas where khol is used regularly are very near to the equator and thus receive a lot of direct energy from the sun. Eventually, khol became used as an ancient form of eyeliner and mascara to line and accentuate the eyes. It is still used in many places today. What is beautiful is often not exactly a universal concept. What is seen as beautiful and attractive in one culture is seen as unhealthy and undesirable in another. Like so many other topics, the question of what is beautiful is intricately intertwined with geography.

Argumentation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Argumentation - Essay Example But with the modernization of the college educational system, things began to change and eventually, misled the very students who were paying tuition fees in order to be trained for potential jobs. Louis Menand wrote about those differing schools of thoughts pertaining to college education in his article â€Å"Live and Learn† which was published in The New Yorker. He also mentioned that the college system was meant more as a filter for the workforce rather than the training ground. College education became a series of classes and tests that had nothing to do with the actual degree that the student was aiming for at the end of four years, and yet it was supposed to be the yardstick by which the employers were supposed to gauge a job applicant by. This mindset shows me that the college educational system is broken and is in dire need of reforms. We need to go back to that era when college meant actually training for a job that you hoped to have in the future. In my opinion, the theoretical part of the education of a student should have occurred and was completed during the grammar school and high school phase. By the time the student begins to attend college, he must already know what it is he wants to do with his life and be prepared to throw himself into four years of preparation for it. By definition, completing a college education means that a person is being taught ways of doing something or a better way of doing things in his life. It shows that he is highly trained and educated. It prepares him for the life that he has chosen to lead. That means that he has chosen an occupation, and is well prepared and looking forward to living his life along the lines allowed by his job. Yet most of our college students find themselves taking classes that do not have any direct effect on their line of work. Take for instance the case of an English student majoring in British Literature.

Research methodology Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Research methodology - Case Study Example For experimental quantitative research, the question has to be set in a way that it seeks to capture the relationship between the independent and dependent variables under the specified conditions. A causal relationship between variables is indicated by one variable following the other logically. On the other hand, the question for quasi-experiment, descriptive and correlational quantitative research does not seek to manipulate variables. Rather, it seeks to guide the gathering of existing data and deduce the relationship between variables without going by causality. There are categorical, ordinal, and continuous variable measurements in quantitative research (Swanson & Holton 2005, p.29). The choice of the participants of a study is guided by the need to ensure a sample size and composition that is representative of the population to which the findings of the study are generalized. The choice of participants is also influenced by the consideration of the nature of participants – whether human or nonhuman – because of ethical issues and this impacts the choice of the most appropriate research design. The decision of which methods to use in answering the research question posed is guided by the variables, research design and participants. This decision considers the quantity and quality of the source of the data, validity and reliability. The findings of a study can be invalidated or undermined by the lack of validity and reliability. The analysis and interpretation of data is founded on the statistical significance deduced. Data analysis in quantitative research utilizes statistics to explain how variables predict, associate, compare, and describe how th e outcomes of a study answer the propositions of the study. Data analysis tools are chosen on the basis of the propositions of the study, the type of data and type of research

Fire Protection Hydraulics and Water Supply Essay

Fire Protection Hydraulics and Water Supply - Essay Example o different parts of a building and for local distribution to the miniature network of pipes in the building and they convey water to these respective regions in large quantities. They are more reliable when two or more primary feeder systems are extended by independent means from the supply source to the most important regions of the municipality (Brannigan & Corbett ,2008). Secondary feeders are water distribution systems that are made up of network of pipes that are quite smaller in size to the Primary feeder system. They strengthen the water distribution system and are surrounded by different sections of the primary feeder system. The Secondary feeder system helps in the full concentration of water and control the rate of fire flow that is required at a particular region in a building. It is necessary to give two water delivery directions to any spot; hence the secondary feeder system must be arranged in loops (Brannigan & Corbett ,2008). Distributors are the smallest class of the water distribution system as they consist of much smaller mains when compared to the primary and secondary feeder system. The distributor system is mainly used for specific fire hydrants and individual units of users(Brannigan & Corbett

Vallone v CNA Financial Essay Example for Free

Vallone v CNA Financial Essay In Vallone v. CAN Financial, this lawsuit is a purported class action brought on behalf of individuals who elected early retirement from the Continental Insurance Company in 1992. Plaintiffs allege that health care benefits promised to them as part of the early retirement package were terminated in violation of federal and state law. Along with hundreds of other Continental employees nationwide, plaintiffs elected to accept the package from Continental known as the Voluntary Special Retirement Program (VSRP). The VSRP provided early retirees with special health care benefits that differed from the benefits extended to regular retirees under Continentals Comprehensive Health Care and Dental Plan (the Plan). One such feature involved the Retiree Health Care Allowance, a subsidy from Continental provided to help offset the cost of retiree health care benefits. Under the Plan, employees had to retire at age 62 or older and have 25 years or more of service to qualify for the maximum retiree health care allowance. An employee retiring before the age 62, or with less than 25 years of service, would receive a reduced health care allowance. Early retirees under the VSRP, however, were to receive the maximum health care allowance, regardless of their age or years of service. Features such as this one enticed plaintiffs and hundreds of others to take early retirement. In August 1998, CNA informed all retired Continental employees that, as a result of the merger of health care plans, the retiree health care allowance contributions would end on December 31, 1998. Upset by the termination of the health care allowance, some early retirees under the VSRP decided to challenge CNAs actions. In August and September 1998, plaintiffs Vallone and Heidemann telephoned officials at CNA, arguing that the early retirees were given a lifetime health care allowance and inquiring about whether there would be a review of the termination of benefits. They were informed that CNAs actions were appropriate and final, and that no reconsideration or other remedy was available. Dissatisfied with the responses they received from CNA officials, plaintiffs filed this purported class action lawsuit on behalf of the approximately 500 or more persons nationwide who retired under the VSRP. In their complaint, plaintiffs allege that the termination of the retiree health care allowance violated the Employee Retirement Income and Security Act (ERISA) and state common law. On December 28, 2000, the district court granted CNAs motion for summary judgment on the plaintiffs claims of wrongful denial of benefits under ERISA (Count II), breach of ERISA and common law contract (Count IV) and equitable estoppel (Count V). On March 28, 2003, the district court granted CNAs motion for summary judgment on the plaintiffs one remaining count, their breach of fiduciary duty claim (Count III). The whole of this argument is to show that these individuals â€Å"retired† during the term of the agreement. No matter what new companies when merged or not does in the future you at-least have to fulfill and honor what agreement was in place before that time. Five Star Transportation v. NLRB In early January of 2003, nearing the expiration of the Districts contract with First Student, the District began organizing the bid process for awarding the 2003-2006 bus services contract.   As a part of the bid specifications distributed to potential vendors, the District required that any new vendor give current drivers â€Å"first consideration for employment.†   At the January 16, 2003 â€Å"bid opening† meeting, Five Star submitted the lowest bid. Thereafter, on January 21, Clifford wrote to the District expressing his concern that Five Stars bid was so low-nearly $300,000 lower than the then-current contract-that it was questionable whether it would be able to maintain the drivers wage and benefit levels, and the safe and effective service, then provided by First Student. Because of this a letter was sent out from the school board to Five Star Bus Company, saying that all employees must be paid the union wage and other items with no response. The school board also talked and had them write letters of the former Five Star employees, who were also trying to get back on board with the bus company if they are awarded the contract. After Five Star was awarded the bus services contract, seventeen former First Student drivers who were members of the Union bargaining unit applied for a position at Five Star. Of these, only six were hired. The company admits that the sole reason the other eleven applicants were not hired or even considered was because they had written letters critical of Five Star. On August 14, the Union filed a charge against Five Star with the NLRB alleging that â€Å"by failing to hire former unionized Belchertown bus drivers, the Company had discriminated against them because of their protected and concerted activity.† A three-member panel of the NLRB reviewed the ALJs findings and the parties exceptions and supporting briefs.   It divided the eleven drivers into three categories:  (1) those whose letters had failed to raise common employment-related concerns; (2) those whose letters primarily raised such concerns; and (3) those whose letters primarily disparaged Five Star. The NLRB concluded that Five Star had violated only as to the six drivers belonging to the second group, because only those drivers actions were protected by the Act. It ordered these drivers reinstated and granted back pay with interest. This goes back to over a half century of established National Labor Relations Act both with its hiring and firing practices. Five Star was very in the wrong and should have been better about their hiring and what they used against the employees or hopeful employees to choose for hire. Doing a bit more research on the Five Star bus company and for the contract from 2003-2006, I found that the company had a very bad reputation for poor maintained busses with many break downs. The school was very dissatisfied with the bus company over the three years and did not renew their contract.

Democracy Essay -- Politics Voters Voting Essays

Democracy In the 2000 presidential election, less than 59% of our population saw fit to even vote. 80.5% of those voting were white, that's roughly 60% of the white population. Of the meager 19.5% of the vote the non-white population represented, less than 51% of non-whites able to vote actually did (Census). What does this mean? How can democracy – a republic like ours – correctly function without a more complete representation of opinion from its people? Former UCLA Law professor Julian Eule argued in his essay â€Å"Judicial Review of Direct Democracy† that the framers of our constitution set up the republic to in effect protect us from ourselves, to protect us from this sort of majority rule.(Eule) I believe that this misrepresentation is responsible for racist legislation and legislators. A recent NAACP resolution stated "The American people deserve political leaders who make clear, concise and well-reasoned decisions based on fact and clearly informed by all people involved, not leaders that perpetuate erroneous assumptions and ill-informed deductions based on racial and ethnic stereotypes," in reference to North Carolina Representative Howard Coble's remarks supporting former president Roosevelt's internment of the Japanese during World War II. (NAACP) The japanese internment has long been a dark blot on American history, but this legislator, this elected legislator seems to not represent a majority opinion of the people he represents. As well, NAACP president Kweisi Mfume remarked "President Bush continues to nominate right-wing extremists to the federal bench," in reference to the proposed confirmation of Jeffrey S. Sutton as a 6th Circuit Appeals Court judge, a position that demands a truly neutral position. Jeffrey S. ... ... the Total Voting-Age Population, by Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin, for States: November 2000 US Census Bureau 27 Feb. 2002 <http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/voting/p20-542/tab04a.txt> Julian N. Eule, â€Å"Judicial Review of Direct Democracy, â€Å" 99 Yale Law Journal 1503 1990. Anti-Affirmative Action Proposition Passes In California CNN AllPolitics 6 Nov. 1996 <http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1996/news/9611/06/ballots. california.209/index.shtml> University of California Engineering Enrollment Rates (Undergraduate) Career Recruitment Media, Inc. 2003 <http://www.graduatingengineer.com/articles/minority/05- 01-01-t1.html> ACLU Says Expected White House Brief Opposing Minority Equality in College Admissions Shows Lack of Commitment to Racial Justice ACLU 15 Jan. 2003 <http://www.aclu.org/RacialEquality/RacialEquality.cfm?ID= 11620&c=134>

Aristotle’s Theory of Virtue and Happiness Essay

Aristotle was one of the most respected philosophers of all time. He wrote on many subjects covering a wide range of topics; politics, psychology, metaphysics, logic and ethics. In the article â€Å"Nature of Virtue† written by Aristotle, his theory of a persons happiness and good morals is explained. I agree that a human’s goal in life is to be happy, and to live a good life but happiness and good do not come hand in hand. In this paper, I disagree with Aristotle’s proper function argument. The word happiness is a much broader term to Aristotle than what we think of. (Johnston, Para. F) By happiness he means successful, living a good life and physical well being. A fully happy life would include success for themselves, their family and descendants. The idea of good and happiness according to Aristotle is based around the proper function argument. The proper function argument is basically that every man is brought to this earth to have a function. Happiness is the main goal in someone’s life, and this comes with a function. â€Å"For all things that have a function or activity, the good and â€Å"well is thought to reside in the function. † We are not on this earth to merely live, but to do our best to live well. (Cahn 113) Something is good if it performs its proper function for example, a good movie. If you watch a movie and you think its good, than it has performed its proper function. The purpose of broccoli is to feed and give people nutrition, the purpose of a truck is to transport objects, and the purpose of one human may to be a plumber. Fixing sinks and toilets is this human’s function, and if done successfully, happiness will be achieved. â€Å"The function of humans is an activity of the soul and must act in accordance with virtue, or goodness. † A person can only be happy when they are fulfilling their function. (Cahn 114). When a person is fulfilling their function, they are eudaimon. Eudaimonia is the Greek term for happiness and living well. When someone takes part in Eudaimonia, they are taking part in â€Å"the activity of the soul in accordance with excellence, virtue or what is good for† (â€Å"The Human good and Function Argument†) In Aristotle’s view, human beings are the only species that have the potential to live a better life. He believes living well creates happiness, the final goal for human beings. Reaching a goal drives every behavior, and the goal of humans is to attain goodness and excellence. He also states that every man should pursue happiness and happiness is attainable by all people. (â€Å"Traditional Virtues and The Skeptic†. ) I disagree with these statements; being happy, and being evil can happen at the same time. For example, the Romans lived very happily even though their actions were evil. The Roman’s believed they were the most superior and advanced society yet they found pleasure and happiness in torturing and killing Christians for sport. The Roman’s lived in a world of evil, and they were undoubtedly happy. Aristotle’s objection to my example of the Romans would be that the Roman’s took their pleasure to the extreme with their lavish lifestyles, which lead to their downfall and demise. Aristotle would use his theory of the â€Å"Golden mean† to object to the Roman’s happiness. For Aristotle living life well involves â€Å"using the virtues we were intended to use, including chiefly reason, but also courage, honesty, and moderation in pursuing pleasure. † (Stevenson 67). Every good thing exists between two bad things. So anything is achievable as long as it is not taken to excess. Aristotle’s example for this is that if 10 pounds is too much for someone too eat, and 2 pounds is too little, than 6 pounds being the mean, would not be the exact amount that person should eat to be satisfied, but is something to aim towards. (Cahn 117). Aristotle’s â€Å"golden mean† says that you should not do anything to the excess, or you will only hurt yourself. â€Å"If you overindulge in physical pleasures, your health will deteriorate. † (Stevenson 67. ) In other words, the Roman’s overindulged in their pleasure, which lead to their own pain and suffering in the end. If it is true that you cannot experience goodness unless you are happy, and you cannot be happy if you take action into extremes, than it must be true that the people in poverty cannot be good. Every society has had its rise and fall in power, so does that mean that people that live on the under side of the extreme, or in Aristotle’s example, to only eat two pounds of food, can never achieve goodness because they are not happy? For example there is a poor child in Africa who is living in severe conditions, with no food, and not enough water. He is doing everything he can in pursuit of happiness. He goes to church, he helps his parents out with the family, and he is doing his best in school. However, he is hungry and living in unhappiness because of his terrible situation. Because this boy is not happy, does this mean he is not a good person? Happiness is attainable to all people, but how is happiness attainable by this boy? Living to the extreme may cause unhappiness in some situations, but it is quite often that living in moderation can lead to unhappiness as well. Moderate behavior will not always bring happiness. For example, someone who is very passionate and romantic may find that moderate behavior does not suit his or her needs. â€Å"One can not be happy if forced to control oneself in all situations of life. † (Popkin 10) A human wants to live life the way they desire, and to seize from acting how you feel does not lead to happiness. Aristotle’s theory is based around the fact that good morals come from habit. You must be taught to be good in order to be good. According to Aristotle, your characteristics come from your actions; in other words, you â€Å"become good by doing good† (Cahn 113). Under Aristotle’s theory, to be a good person, you must have been taught to be good at a young age to acquire good morals. â€Å"In order to profit from the sort of study he is undertaking, one must already have been brought up in good habits†(â€Å"Traditional Virtues and The Skeptic†. ) This means the group of people with potential to have virtue and happiness is limited. It is limited to the people who come from a family with good ethics. The only people who are going to become good, are the people who are already well on their way to be good because their family is training them to be this way. But what about the people who come from bad families? Or what about the people who were raised by ethically good families? For example, a child who was brought up by parents who had no ethics or good morals at all. The mother was a drug addict, and the father ran away while the child was at an early age. The child wasn’t taught anything about morals, and did not have a proper upbringing what so ever. Everything the child knew was learnt on his own, and he decided who he wanted to be an acted in relation to this. This child ends up being a good person, has a good job, and lives in happiness. When Aristotle makes the point that you must have had exercise in virtues, he does not have any proof that this is always true. â€Å"What Aristotle owes us, then, is an account of these traditional qualities that explains why they must play a central role in any well-lived life. † (â€Å"Traditional Virtues and The Skeptic†.), Aristotle must explain to us why being trained by a guardian is required in order to end up living a complete life. In conclusion, Aristotle’s theories are applicable in some situations, but should not be applied in all situations. You can be happy and evil at the same time; you do not have to be good in order to be happy. Aristotle objects by saying you cannot be happy and live to extremes, however you can also be happy and over indulge at the same time. It is also possible for someone to live well, have virtue and happiness even when they had not been brought up this way. They can learn on their own, characteristics can be defined by who you want to be. Aristotle says that happiness is attainable by all, but if you follow the Aristotle’s theory, you will find that happiness is limited to a certain group. Works Cited Johnston, Ian. † Lecture on Aristotle’s Nicomachaean Ethics. † Records. November 18th, 1997. http://records. viu. ca/~johnstoi/introser/aristot. htm. April 15th, 2010. Cahn Steven. â€Å"Exploring Ethics. † Aristotle: The Nature of Virtue. Ed. Steven M. Cahn. New York: Oxford University Press. 2009. Pg 113-117. â€Å"The Human Good and Function Argument. † Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 2001. May 1st, 2001. http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/aristotle-ethics/#HumGooFunArg. April 15th, 2010. â€Å"Traditional Virtues and The Skeptic. † Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. N. P. May 1st, 2001. http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/aristotle-ethics/#HumGooFunArg. April 15th, 2010. Stevenson, Jay. â€Å"The Complete Idiots Guide to Philosophy. † The Golden Mean. Ed. Drew Patty. 2nd Edition. 2002. Pg 67. Popkin, Richard. â€Å"Philosophy Made Simple. † Criticism of Aristotle. Richard Popkin and A. Stroll. New York, 1993. Pg 10-11.