Essay about Canadian Human Rights - 847 Words

Human Rights Essay nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Many people and nations around the world are deprived of human rights. The government in the countries or nations usually can not help the people being deprived. Either because the government is too poor to, it is not one of the things the government is looking into, or the government does not know or care. Because of this certain people, or even whole populations are denied human rights and their living conditions and way of life are usually not on the positive side of things. There are many wealthier countries trying to help but sometimes that is not enough. To what extent should Canada have a role in working to increase human rights protection in other nations?†¦show more content†¦Not even a year later nearly every right of the Jewish people was eliminated, and hundreds of thousands of Jewish people were killed or tortured. Thankfully, the Jewish people and the country of Germany were liberated, and most rights were brought back to affect, because of other countries helping. After the event of WWII the United Nations was created, including Canada, England, France and others, it was created to make and maintain human rights throughout the world. Sometimes the only thing that needs fixing is a new government. But war is not needed to improve and increase human rights in other nations. Even with out war there are still nations and people without human rights; it just needs to be noticed. There are many charities to help towards human rights that Canada contributes to greatly. Including UNICEF Canada, Salvation Army Canada and Red Cross. These charities focus on mainly living rights. The charities contribute mainly food, clothing and medicine. Those are only two given rights. Although it is help for people to live their lives, it does not give them more rights, it is not a solution to increase their human rights and protect them. Lately Canada has done a lot with the United Nations in protecting human rights, including communicating with countries and organizations to increase the rights of women and children. There have been many improvements to their rights and conditions; political prisoners have been freed from the trapShow MoreRelatedThe Current Canadian Human Rights Act2161 Words   |  9 PagesIntroduction The current Canadian Human Rights Act was issued in 1977 to ensure equal opportunities for Canadian employees in the working environment. The main goal is to stop discriminatory practices. According to the Canadian Human Rights Act (1977) itself, these practices can be â€Å"based on race, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, disability or conviction for an offence for which a pardon has been granted or in respect of whichRead MoreDoes the Canadian Charter Effectively Protect our Human Rights?636 Words   |  3 Pagesconstitution, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is an important law that affects every Canadian’s rights and freedoms. It was created in 1981 by former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau to provide legal protection for the most important rights and freedoms. These rights include fundamental freedoms, democratic rights, mobility rights, and legal rights. Most but not all articles included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are protected in the constitution. However, if a Canadian feels thatRead MoreThe Documentary About Nevsun, A Canadian Mining Company For Granting Forced Labor And Abuse Of Human Rights913 Words   |  4 PagesThe documentary is about Nevsun, a Canadian mining company for permitting forced labor and abuse of human rights in Bisha mine in Eretria. The documentary is prepared and presented by Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Fifth Estate in February 2016. The film meshes well with the unfortunate miseries that civilians have to endure under the aristocratic regime of President Isaias Afwerki. The film is incredibly mind boggling and captivating in disclosing felonious activities by the Nevsun in collaborationRead MoreThe Canadian Human Rights Act2027 Words   |  9 Pages Introduction Discrimination is â€Å"an action or decision that treats a person or group negatively for reasons such as their race, sex, age or disability† (Ministry of Justice [DOJ], 1985). Under the Canadian human right act, there are 11 grounds a person may be discriminated against. These include race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, disability and a conviction for which a pardon has been granted or a record suspended (DOJ,Read MoreCanadian Human Rights Case Study735 Words   |  3 PagesCanadian Government Support Systems / Regulations and Resources Available - Ankeen Relevant Legislation It is crucial for employers and Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing employees to understand and comply with the relevant government legislation in terms of Employment. Relevant government legislation for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing employees include: the Canadian Human Rights Act, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, Ontario Human Rights Code, just to name a few.    It is important to recognizeRead MoreChallenges Facing Canadian Organizations1859 Words   |  8 PagesToronto, and Vancouver are rated some of the best cities in the world. There is also Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), which bring us Canadians radio and television broadcasts the news, music, and entertainment. (Schwind, 2010, p. 3) Even though Canada is a leader and a top competitor around the world in regards to business, resources, talent, and innovation, there are still many challenges facing Canadian organizations. In this paper I will discuss the many ways that Canada, from a businessRead MoreThe Canadian Charter Of Rights And Freedoms1386 Words   |  6 Pagesthis principle by entitling an accused of even the most heinous crimes to civil liberties and processes as not to compromise the criminal trial process. A fair trial is an intrinsic right of all members of society making it fundamental to our being, and is ergo ensured to us all under s.11 of the Canadian Charter of Rights Freedoms. Provided with other preemptive measures to guarantee justice is achieved in the criminal trial proceedings. Additionally, the courts help facilitate an understandingRead MoreThe Charter Of Rights And Freedoms2537 Words   |  11 PagesThis essay will argue the reasons behind the notwithstanding clause remaining within the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In this paper, I will provide reasons as to why the clause should be kept within the Charter beginning with the arguments that it is an essential element in critical policy decisions being made by politicians and it s hard to remove which requires the amending formula to be used if changes are to be made. On the other side, its use in policy can create grave and problematicRead MoreWhy is it that in World War II, the Japanese Canadians were known as the â€Å"enemy† but not the German1000 Words   |  4 PagesWhy is it that in World War II, the Japanese Canadians were known as the â€Å"enemy† but not the Ge rman Canadians? When Japan allied itself with Germany in World War II, the Japanese Canadians were ostracized by society. The exclusion of Japanese Canadians quickly escalated, and soon after the Japanese Canadians were removed from their homes and forced to live in internment camps. The Japanese Canadians had to suffer because their racial identity could be easily identified. The after effects caused byRead MoreThe History of Human Rights in Canada throughout the 20th Century1555 Words   |  7 Pagespeace-loving and good-natured nation that values the rights of the individual above all else. This commonly held belief is a perception that has only come around as of late, and upon digging through Canadian history it quickly becomes obvious that this is not the truth. Canadian history is polluted with numerous events upon which the idea that Canada is a role model for Human Rights shows to be false. An extreme example of this disregard for Human Rights takes place at the beginning of the twentieth-century

International Marketing of Transit Clothing Assignment

Essays on International Marketing of Transit Clothing Assignment The paper "International Marketing of Transit Clothing" is a wonderful example of an assignment on marketing. To make any strategic, investing or business decision it is important to gather the relevant information so that decisions are better. This requires complete information about the market especially the economic scenario and other environmental factors that have a role in an economy so that the business plans accordingly (Gooderham Nordhaug, 2003). The PESTEL analysis for Transit Clothing looking to enter Vietnam is as followsPolitical EnvironmentThis helps to determine the role of the government in the industry, the degree of interference that the government has in the daily affairs, the different laws prevalent in the country with respect to tax, labor, and environment and so on. This helps to determine both the positives and negatives about the economy from the government perspective and helps to understand the role that the government looks to carry out. Clothing presents a huge opportunity in Vietnam and even the Vietnam government is keen to look at developing the clothing industry and is ready to provide different types of subsidy to support the industry. The government has also looked to provide tax relief so that more and more people get attracted to it (Jeffrey, 2003). The economy further has a stable government and has elections every five years. The fact that the Vietnam economy has seen an increasing demand for clothing exported from Australia provides an opportunity where the different players can look to take advantage of the political situation and develop a market for its products and services. Proper government regulations which are presently seen between the Australian and Vietnam government will further give a boost and help to strengthen the relationship thereby ensuring better trade relations.Economic EnvironmentWith an increase in the real disposable income of Vietnam Australia people have started to spend more on durable like cl othing. The population has witnessed an increase in their purchasing power which has ensured that people purchase more and more clothes and other durables and have replaced the old ones with the new ones (Jeffrey, 2003). The fact that the Vietnam economy has seen an increasing demand for clothing exported from Australia provides an opportunity where the different players can look to take advantage of the political situation and develop a market for its products and services (Peng Luo, 2000).His only concern is that the economy has witnessed widespread fluctuation in the exchange rate which is a concern for the economy as it has resulted in speculation activities and also made it difficult to carry international business easily. Along with it the rise in inflation rate has reduced the purchasing power and needs to be looked in so that better strategies are developed to deal with those as it will provide an opportunity through which the business improves.

Social Content and Consumer Engagement †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Social Content and Consumer Engagement. Answer: Introduction: This memo addresses the drawbacks of the Qantas over the past few weeks that have affected the overall image of the organization hugely. Qantas has faced three prime issues associated with engine failure, improper use of social media and improper tweets of CEO regarding the employee union. Firstly, the memo will focus on illustrating all the key identifies issues that has affected the overall image of Qantas in a significant manner. It will also focus on illustrating the best possible way to utilize social media platforms for achieving maximum sales impact on the business procedure. Qantas has faced different challenges in conducting all the activities related to their business procedure. Firstly, Qantas have faced many challenges associated with the engine failure, which affected the overall satisfaction level of the customers in a major way. Qantas four-engine Boeing 747 and Qantas Airbus A380 has experienced engine explosion in the middle of the flight, which has induced pilots to have emergency landing. Now, different cases of engine explosion or failure have increased level of concern for the customers regarding the safety of the passengers. In fact, these incidents have induced customers to look for ideal platform in which they can share their dissatisfaction about Qantas. Secondly, poor utilization of social media networks has affected the overall brand image of Qantas in a significant manner. Qantas has not implemented any market research activities before the initiation of competition #QantasLuxury on Twitter network. The selection of wrong time for the competition has allowed people to post several negative comments about the engine failure. Moreover, Qantas also has not initiated appropriate monitoring technique for the posting in the competition, which made situation worse in the global platform. Thirdly, CEO of Qantas has tweeted few aggressive messages about the employee union of Qantas. It has created adverse impact on the overall perception of the employees about the management. Moreover, aggressive posting of CEO on Twitter has highlighted improper work environment of Qantas in global platform. Future actions of Qantas for developing a positive public perception of the brand: The above identified problems has highlighted the fact Qantas is going through severe challenges in order to keep the image intact with the organizational procedure. Firstly, the management of Qantas will have to assure all probable customers that the incidents of engine failure is mere an accident and it will not be repeated in future. The management of Qantas will have to ensure that all the developed engines go through detail checking procedure before the utilization for commercial purposes. On the other hand, Qantas need to provide detailed information about the safety techniques used by the organization to avoid any emergency consequences. Appropriate use of safety measures and activities will help to gain major section of the market in an appropriate manner. In addition, Qantas will also have to focus on providing value added services to all the customers in order to regain their faith about the business procedure. The value added services will have to be utilized as per the ne eds and wants of the probable customers for maximizing the impact on the business procedure. Qantas also needs to focus on implementing aggressive marketing strategies for providing all the required information to the people. The marketing strategies of Qantas will have to use strong brand name of the organization for creating desired level of impact on the market. As described by Ashley and Tuten (2015) social media platforms have provided new dimension for the organizations to conduct all the requirements of the operational procedure. Therefore, Qantas will have to focus on identifying the best possible way to utilize social media platforms for fulfilling business objectives (Vinerean et al., 2013). The result of Qantas Twitter competition #QantasLuxury has highlighted improper monitoring process of social media activities, which has affected the overall brand value of the organization. For that reason, the management of Qantas will have to focus on conducting in-depth market research strategies for identifying present public perception about the company (Hudson et al., 2015). It will help Qantas to select right time for initiating social media competition or promotional activities. Moreover, the management of Qantas will have to assess present organizational structure in order to incorporate specific social media marketing team for monitorin g all the activities happening in different social media pages of the organization (Dahnil et al., 2014). In addition, the management of Qantas need to focus on including different attractive video clips, graphics and pictures in order to catch the attention of the customers. Qantas also have to focus on developing effective communication structure with all the probable customers for resolving any queries or issues in an effective manner (Scott, 2015). As a result, it will help Qantas to minimize dissatisfaction level of the customers regarding the provided services. Course of action for Olivia Wirth: 1.Timing Jan 2012 2.Audience All the potential domestic and international customers of Qantas 3.Sender The current CEO of Qantas, Alan Joyce needs to sent the message 4.Key Message The message will consider following points: It should start with an apology for different engine failure cases in recent times The message will also have to include different safety measures taken by Qantas for avoiding such incidents Thereafter, the message will have to focus on illustrating the objective of conducting Twitter competition #QantasLuxury The message will conclude with the appropriate illustration of Qantas mission and vision statement 5.Desired Outcome Qantas is expected to reduce the dissatisfaction and anger level of people to certain extent. It will induce people to assume that the case of engine failure is just an accident and will not be repeated in future. 6.Medium Social Media, Television and Publications 7.Materials The message will be provided with a written intimation duly signed by the CEO and Boards of Directors 8.Frequency The message will be send once. However, Qantas management needs to answer of all the questions of people afterwards. References: Ashley, C., Tuten, T. (2015). Creative strategies in social media marketing: An exploratory study of branded social content and consumer engagement.Psychology Marketing,32(1), 15-27. Dahnil, M. I., Marzuki, K. M., Langgat, J., Fabeil, N. F. (2014). Factors influencing SMEs adoption of social media marketing.Procedia-social and behavioral sciences,148, 119-126. Hudson, S., Roth, M. S., Madden, T. J., Hudson, R. (2015). The effects of social media on emotions, brand relationship quality, and word of mouth: An empirical study of music festival attendees.Tourism Management,47, 68-76. Scott, D. M. (2015).The new rules of marketing and PR: How to use social media, online video, mobile applications, blogs, news releases, and viral marketing to reach buyers directly. John Wiley Sons. Vinerean, S., Cetina, I., Dumitrescu, L., Tichindelean, M. (2013). The effects of social media marketing on online consumer behavior.International Journal of Business and Management,8(14), 66.

Religious Organizations in US

The federal government in the United States like many other governments in the world separates the state and religion as well as secular organizations. However, these organizations opinions are usually put in to consideration when the government or the state is settling down on some sensitive issues. In most cases, the secular organizations opinions differ from the religious organizations opinion though they may be at consensus in a few instances.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Religious Organizations in US specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Also, the opinions of the religious organizations may differ depending on the beliefs of the various religions that are present in every nation some of which include Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhist and others. Just to mention but a few, some of the religious organizations prevailing in the United States include United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Religious Action Centre of Reform Judaism, the National Council of Churches and others. In 1947, the federal government ruled that no taxpayer’s money would be used to fund any religious activity. Though there is a legal barrier between the government and religion, there is no law prohibiting public officials from making personal religious view nor does the law prohibit the interaction between the religion and culture. This is because religion which supports morality is a very basic pillar in any patriotic nation (Anon 4). However, religion plays a very important role in the American politics as well as public policy (Duncan Jones 132) The religious and the secular arguments concerning individual policies probably on immigration, climate change, national drug policy and federal funding for stem cell research differ a great deal since these two areas differ a lot in making. Religion is mainly based upon the supernatural and the spiritual believes whereby their arguments are more incli ned in the word while the secular world is more inclined towards science which helps human beings to better understand the natural world mainly through facts (Wuthow 156). Religion particularly the Christians opinion on immigration is that people should not be limited on where they should live since their own Jesus Christ was an immigrant on his birth and immigrated severally during his mission on earth. Catholics propose that all people are one God’s family on earth (Kerwin para. 4). This differs from the secular approach on immigration since various factors have to be considered before immigrants are allowed in a foreign country. On climate change, religion differs from artificial methods of climate alteration by scientists since God alone should determine weather and climate. Human beings should only maintain or restore Gods creation (Lever-Tracy 236).Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Le arn More A survey undertaken by the SMART Recovery group in the United States showed that the secular individuals participate more than the religious people due to their religious beliefs (Kleiman 729). On the same issue most religious groups differ with the secular approach on issues like abortion, family planning and others (Hibbard 27). The debate on the stem cell research also left supporter and non- supporters divided on religious grounds where religion is against the whole idea (Duncan Jones 133). Though she secular world through science are two very distinct areas, both of them are interdependent and important in that their contributions make the society complete. Policy makers should not bias any of them but should take their considerations in to account and adopt what benefits the society. This is because both have their own pros and cons thus each of their opinions should be interrogated before adoption since none is perfect. Furthermore, religion and secular opinions a re not always different. In some cases, these two areas come in to consensus making decision making even easier. For instance, the idea of institutional separation and rise of modern capitalism in Europe in the seventeenth century was facilitated by both the religion and the secular world without much difference (Wuthow 160). In order to separate arguments made by religious and secular organizations that may share similar goals, policy maker can apply some four basic criteria that are capable of relating the two subjects. They include ‘conflict, independence, dialogue and integration’. A thesis concerning conflict was carried out in the nineteenth century and evidence recorded in two popular books by Draper and White. They recorded highly selective evidence that has been applied extensively during the recorded centuries (Anon 12). Today, the conflict between science and religion is mainly perpetuated through the media whereby it is possible to separate the two by lookin g at their basis. Independence is another way to separate science and religion mainly through the questions they ask, domains and the methods they apply. Dialogue can also be employed to separate the two since it portrays constructive relationship without bringing conceptual unity that each advocates for since it considers pre assumptions, methods and concepts of the two (Anon 23). Finally, integration employs natural theology of nature and systemic theology to separate science and religion y considering each field’s strong points and possible contribution in the universe (Anon 27)Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Religious Organizations in US specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In conclusion, both religious and secular organization plays a very vital role in decision making in the society. Though they differ in many aspects, policy makers should be biased when considering their opinions but should look at wh at may be beneficial in to the society while respecting individual’s beliefs. However, to ensure efficiency in the states operations, the state should act independent of the two. Works Cited Anon. What Are the Distinguishing Marks of Religion in America. Attached Document, 2011.February 24, 2011. Duncan, Ann Jones, Steven. Church-state Issues in America Today: Religious convictions and practices. Westport, Greenwood Publishing, 2008. Print. Hibbard, Scott. Religious Politics and Secular States: Egypt, India, and the United States. Maryland: JHU Press, 2010. Print. Kerwin, Donald. Immigration Reform and the Catholic Church. Migration Information, 2006. Web. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/immigration-reform-and-catholic-church/ Kleiman, Mark. Encyclopedia of Drug Policy. London, SAGE, 2011. Print. Lever-Tracy, Constance. Routledge Handbook of Climate Change and Society. Oxon, Taylor Francis, 2010. Print.Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Wuthow, Robert. No contradictions here, Science, Religion and the Culture of all reasonable possibilities. 2011. Attached Document This essay on Religious Organizations in US was written and submitted by user Dennis Carrillo to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

12 Saving Techniques

12 Saving Techniques Its sad to say, but money troubles are a common thing among college students. For one thing, it can be difficult to carry a course load and work enough hours to cover expenses, let alone recreational spending. In addition to that, the busy life of a college student often means additional expenses. For example, there is the cost of gas to travel home on the weekends if you live on campus. You might also find it difficult to cook your own meals if you live in a small dorm, or just dont have the time. If you are broke, you arent alone. Fortunately, there are ways for students to save more money and lower expenses. Check out these 12 saving techniques for students. Sell Items Instead of Throwing Them Away Are you upgrading your wardrobe, purchasing a new gaming console, or replacing the tv in your dorm? Dont trash your old stuff. Consignment shops, pawn shops, video gaming stores, and other places will often give you cash or store credit for these items. Set up an Auto Transfer to Your Savings Account Chances are, your paycheck goes right into your checking account. To start accumulating savings, open a savings account at the same bank. Then, schedule a transfer to put money into savings every time you get paid. Limit Going Out to Eat Whenever Possible Its easy to develop a drive thru and coffee shop addiction as a college student. That can really add up. Even if you eat out once a day at cost of $5, thats $150 a month. Thats easily a phone bill or a utility bill. Learn to cook if you have the facilities. Otherwise, pack a sandwich or something simple. Pay Down Credit Card Debt Quickly Believe it or not, it can be a smart idea to get a credit card. If you are responsible, you will build a good credit score and establish your financial responsibility. Just be sure you dont carry too much of a balance. Paying down credit card debt is a smart money move. Get an Online Gig You can earn part-time income online if you have a computer. You can fill out surveys, complete small tasks through Mechanical Turk, even tutor online. These jobs arent lucrative by any means, but its pretty easy to earn enough money for a couple of recreational activities each month. Free up Time to Work More Simply put, the more you earn, the more you save. Try juggling your schedule so that you can work one or two extra shifts each week. If youre a graduate student working on their dissertation, you can free up a bit of time by getting some professional assistance. We have reviews of the best dissertation writing services for you to check out. Use a Budgeting App To learn to save and reduce expenses, you first need to know where all your money is going. A good budgeting app will allow you to input your incoming and outgoing funds. Some can even interface directly with your checking account and credit cards. Shop at Thrift Stores Thrift stores are no longer junky places with things that nobody wants. You can often find decently priced electronics, barely used clothing, even furniture and household items. If you need something for your apartment or dorm room, check out a thrift store before you pay full price. Sell Your Books Back at The End of The Semester Take your old books back to the bookstore at the end of the semester. Even if you only get a fraction of what you paid, at least thats something. Better yet, find a website where students buy and sell textbooks. You might get a better price. Take Summer Classes at Your Local Community College Tuition at a four year college or university can be a bit high. Community college tuition is much less expensive. Speak to your advisor and ask if you can pick up some credits at your local CC during the summer. If they will transfer, to your chosen college or university, you can save a significant amount of money. Use Your Student Discount Card One of the best saving techniques for money loving students is right in your wallet. Your student ID card can often be used as a discount card. You can save money on movies, going out to eat, dry cleaning, hotel stays, taxi fare, clothing, and other items. Sometimes, you can even save money on things you order online. Keep Your Car Maintained This may seem like an expense, but the truth is keeping your car maintained will save you money in the long run. Keep your oil changed, check your tire pressure, and get any small issues fixed ASAP. You will save money on gas because your car operates efficiently. Youll also avoid having to pay for expensive repairs that are the result of neglect. Conclusion These 12 saving techniques for students will keep more money in your pocket. You can use these extra funds to pay down debt, enjoy life, or even start a great savings account. Remember that its never too early to become a saver!

Pigs - The Domestication History of Sus Scrofa

Pigs - The Domestication History of Sus Scrofa The domestication history of pigs (Sus scrofa) is a bit of an archaeological puzzle, in part because of the nature of the wild boar that our modern pigs are descended from. Many species of wild hog exist in the world today, such as the warthog (Phacochoreus africanus), the pygmy hog (Porcula salvania), and the pig-deer (Babyrousa babyrussa); but of all the suid forms, only Sus scrofa (wild boar) has been domesticated. That process took place independently about 9,000-10,000 years ago in two locations: eastern Anatolia and central China. After that initial domestication, pigs accompanied early farmers as they spread out of Anatolia to Europe, and out of central China to the hinterlands. All of the modern swine breeds today - there are hundreds of breeds around the globe - are considered forms of Sus scrofa domestica, and there is evidence that the genetic diversity is decreasing as cross-breeding of commercial lines threatens indigenous breeds. Some countries have recognized the issue and are beginning to support the continued maintenance of the non-commercial breeds as a genetic resource for the future. Distinguishing Domestic and Wild Pigs It must be said that it is not easy to distinguish between wild and domestic animals in the archaeological record. Since the early 20th century, researchers have segregated pigs based on the size of their tusks (lower third molar): wild boars typically have broader and longer tusks than domestic pigs. Overall body size (in particular, measures of knucklebones [astralagi], front leg bones [humeri] and shoulder bones [scapulae]) has been commonly used to differentiate between domestic and wild pigs since the mid-twentieth century. But wild boar body size alters with climate: hotter, drier climates mean smaller pigs, not necessarily less wild ones. And there are notable variations in body size and tusk size, among both wild and domestic pig populations even today. Other methods used by researchers to identify domesticated pigs include population demography  - the theory is that pigs kept in captivity would have been slaughtered at younger ages as a management strategy, and that can be reflected in the ages of the pigs in an archaeological assemblage. The study of Linear Enamel Hypoplasia (LEH) measures the growth rings in tooth enamel: domestic animals are more likely to experience stress episodes in diet and those stresses are reflected in those growth rings. Stable isotope analysis and tooth wear can also give clues to the diet of a particular set of animals because domestic animals are more likely to have had grain in their diets. The most conclusive evidence is genetic data, which can give indications of ancient lineages. See Rowley-Conwy and colleagues (2012) for a detailed description of the benefits and pitfalls of each of these methods. In the end, all a researcher can do is look at all of these available characteristics and make her best judgment. Independent Domestication Events Despite the difficulties, most scholars are agreed that there were two separate domestication events from geographically separated versions of the wild boar (Sus scrofa). Evidence for both locations suggest that the process began with local hunter-gatherers hunting wild boars, then over a period of time began managing them, and then purposefully or unconsciously keeping those animals with smaller brains and bodies and sweeter dispositions. In southwest Asia, pigs were part of a suite of plants and animals that were developed in the upper reaches of the Euphrates river about 10,000 years ago. The earliest domestic pigs in Anatolia are found in the same sites as domestic cattle, in what is today southwestern Turkey, about 7500 calendar years BC (cal BC), during the late Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B period. Sus Scrofa in China In China, the earliest domesticated pigs date to 6600 cal BC, at the Neolithic Jiahu  site. Jiahu is in east-central China between the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers; domestic pigs were found associated with the Cishan/Peiligang culture (6600-6200 cal BC): in Jiahus earlier layers, only wild boars are in evidence. Beginning with the first domestication, pigs became the main domestic animal in China. Pig sacrifice and pig-human interments are in evidence by the mid-6th millennium BC. The modern Mandarin character for home or family consists of a pig in a house; the earliest representation of this character was found inscribed on a bronze pot dated to the Shang period (1600-1100 BC). Pig domestication in China was a steady progress of animal refinement lasting a period of some 5,000 years. The earliest domesticated pigs were primarily herded and fed millet and protein; by the Han dynasty, most pigs were raised in small pens by households and fed millet and household scraps. Genetic studies of Chinese pigs suggest an interruption of this long progress occurred during the Longshan period (3000-1900 BC) when pig burials and sacrifices ceased, and previously more or less uniform pig herds became infused with small, idiosyncratic (wild) pigs. Cucchi and colleagues (2016) suggest this may have been the result of a social-political change during the Longshan, although they recommended additional studies. The early enclosures used by Chinese farmers made the process of pig domestication much faster in China compared to the process used on western Asian pigs, which were allowed to roam freely in European forests up through the late Middle Ages. Pigs Into Europe Beginning about 7,000 years ago, central Asian people moved into Europe, bringing their suite of domestic animals and plants with them, following at least two main paths. The people who brought the animals and plants into Europe are known collectively as the Linearbandkeramik (or LBK) culture. For decades, scholars researched and debated whether Mesolithic hunters in Europe had developed domestic pigs prior to the LBK migration. Today, scholars mostly agree that European pig domestication was a mixed and complex process, with Mesolithic hunter-gatherers and LBK farmers interacting at different levels. Soon after the arrival of LBK pigs in Europe, they interbred with the local wild boar. This process, known as retrogression (meaning successful interbreeding of domesticated and wild animals), produced the European domestic pig, which then spread out from Europe, and, in many places replaced the domesticated Near Eastern swine. Sources Arbuckle BS. 2013. The late adoption of cattle and pig husbandry in Neolithic Central Turkey. Journal of Archaeological Science 40(4):1805-1815.Cucchi T, Hulme-Beaman A, Yuan J, and Dobney K. 2011. Early Neolithic pig domestication at Jiahu, Henan Province, China: clues from molar shape analyses using geometric morphometric approaches. Journal of Archaeological Science 38(1):11-22.Cucchi T, Dai L, Balasse M, Zhao C, Gao J, Hu Y, Yuan J, and Vigne J-D. 2016. Social complexification and pig (Sus scrofa) Husbandry in ancient China: A combined geometric morphometric andiIsotopic approach. PLOS ONE 11(7):e0158523.Evin A, Cucchi T, Cardini A, Strand Vidarsdottir U, Larson G, and Dobney K. 2013. The long and winding road: identifying pig domestication through molar size and shape. Journal of Archaeological Science 40(1):735-743.Groenen MAM. 2016. A decade of pig genome sequencing: a window on pig domestication and evolution. Genetics Selection Evolution 48(1):1-9.Krause-Kyora B, Makarewicz C, Evin A, Girdland Flink L, Dobney K, Larson G, Hartz S, Schreiber S, Von Carnap-Bornheim C, Von Wurmb-Schwark N et al. 2013. Use of domestic pigs by Mesolithic hunter-gatherers in northwestern Europe. Nature Communications 4(2348). Larson G, Liu R, Zhao X, Yuan J, Fuller D, Barton L, Dobney K, Fan Q, Gu Z, Liu X-H et al. 2010. Patterns of East Asian pig domestication, migration, and turnover revealed by modern and ancient DNA. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107(17):7686-7691.Lega C, Raia P, Rook L, and Fulgione D. 2016. Size matters: A comparative analysis of pig domestication. The Holocene 26(2):327-332.Rowley-Conwy P, Albarella U, and Dobney K. 2012. Distinguishing Wild Boar from Domestic Pigs in Prehistory: A Review of Approaches and Recent Results. Journal of World Prehistory 25:1-44.Wang H, Martin L, Hu S, and Wang W. 2012. Pig domestication and husbandry practices in the middle Neolithic of the Wei River Valley, northwest China: evidence from linear enamel hypoplasia. Journal of Archaeological Science 39(12):3662-3670.Zhang J, Jiao T, and Zhao S. 2016. Genetic diversity in the mitochondrial DNA D-loop region of global swine (Sus scrofa) populations. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Co mmunications 473(4):814-820.

Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Management - Research Paper Example Each department may have some specific functions assigned to them. For example, IT department always focus more on the IT functions of the company whereas HR department concentrates on recruitment, retention and development of manpower necessary for the organization. Because of the huge differences in the nature of the jobs undertaken, each department may work in a particular manner within the organizational framework. In other words, it is difficult for the HR department to function same way like the IT department. Management styles and work schedules in both these departments could be different even though these departments are functioning in the same organization. This paper briefly analyses the differences between managing an IT department and a HR/Personnel department in an organization. According to Kahuna (n. d), â€Å"an IT department is just like an army, which needs a good and functional command system†. In his opinion, apart from the talented employees, an IT department requires suitable leadership that is capable of completing the job in time. He has also pointed out that â€Å"slapping a title on someone and thrusting them into fire is no more effective in leading employees in an IT department (Kahuna, p.1). Many of the IT professionals, working in IT departments may have good technical skills, but many of them don’t have good management skills. It is not necessary that a good computer programmer or a system administrator might be a good manager. Organizations, when they appoint professionals for the IT department, focus only on the technical skills of the person rather than his management skills. But, most of the IT jobs require good management skills also apart from the technical skills. For example, teamwork is encouraged in IT departments nowadays. In order to function effectively in a team, an IT professional needs good

Managing Change (Assessment 2- Change analysis) Essay

Managing Change (Assessment 2- Change analysis) - Essay Example In the first part, the example of the organization where I was working is given whereas in the next part the example of change in my friend’s university is explained briefly. The paper ends with recommendation and findings that have been gathered from both the examples. Part A Two years ago, I rendered my services for a local telecom company. The company possesses a large market cap and is considered as one of the leading telecom companies in the country. I was working as a customer service agent in that company and my job was going relatively fine. During my employment over there, the company underwent a substantial change. That change brought opportunities for some workers, but a large number of workers were resisting change. Among them, I was also the one. The type of change which the organization experience was ‘Organizational Restructuring’. The company acquired a new and growing Internet Service Provider Company. This change not only affected the employees b ut also impacted the customers since I was the once who attends customers calls and therefore I can judge their responses. Rationale for Change The basic criteria which led to this acquisition were the deeper linkages between telecom industry and internet connectivity systems. Nowadays, almost every telecom company which is offering cellular service is engaged in providing internet services as well. Our company was lacking this area of providing internet facility to our customers therefore it instantly identified a local emerging internet service provider company and acquired it immediately. The rationale for acquiring this company was that after viewing the performance and financial position of that company, our top management realized that there are substantial chances for this company to expand and grow even more in future. In this way, it will become an additional revenue generating unit for our company and the deficiency of providing internet facility will also get fixed. Chang e Process Management The merger and acquisition which are taken place in telecom industry are called as horizontal mergers because all the entities belong to the same industry. Therefore the merger between our company and the small ISP Company was also a horizontal merger. Change management process requires taking some necessary steps at the side of top management. These steps include preparing the employees and customers about the upcoming change. For acquisition, our company had to prepare the employees who were resisting change. In this regard, HR managers conducted seminar and workshops to train employees in dealing with change. Some of our valued customers were also informed about our upcoming expansion so that more trust is built between us and our customers. Apart from this, the change management process also required to downsize where it is required. Few redundant employees were fired. Some redundant departments and operations were also closed. Response to Change Responses t owards this change varied from employee to employee. Some employees who got promoted were motivated and enthusiastic whereas those who lost their jobs were certainly very depressed. The overall responses of internal management and employees can be considered as positive because large numbers of employees were motivated, positive and optimistic about this change. Everyone was expecting that this acquisition will prove to be fall in favor of our company because the right

Environmental and Ecological Issues in Robyn Eckersley’s Perspective Essay Example for Free

Environmental and Ecological Issues in Robyn Eckersley’s Perspective Essay Robyn Eckersley, a renowned environmentalist believes that ecocentric theorists do not claim that anthropocentrism is the sole or original cause of the ecological crisis. She also reflects that environmental crisis is the outcome of humanity’s joyful and spontaneous instincts due to repressive social and psychic division of labor. As a matter of fact, she contends to the idea that it is the rise of material paradigms that people are in need of reconciliation with nature. She notes that utilitarianism in its very state undermined the essence of the environment which is why the veil of knowledge worn by the society is covering them thus colonizing the life-world. Eckersley examined the deontology of ethics inclined with the aim of making the recent topographical shifts within the field that are less â€Å"unknown to us (Eckersley). † To note, she states â€Å"utilitarian and eudaimonistic or therefore theological moral philosophy derives difference between good and evil from the effects which actions and attributes by nature have for the form of life of the actor and his environment (Louden). † In further illustration, she meant that the good deeds can conveyed as those that are considerably favorable effects for human welfare, while those that bring about the opposite are otherwise. Hence, this connotation also falls on the deliberative state of intuitive and formalistic ethics. Although Eckersley favors a rights discourse as a way to include the natural world in a liberal system, she admits that, â€Å"†¦the rights discourse becomes considerably strained (in all its dimensions) when we come to consider ecological entities (Eckersley). † She defines multiple human activities to be the cumulative result of the ecosystem’s components and that today’s approach towards this epidemic will not ensure sustainability. In essence, she is not against any form human-driven doings; however, she is not favor of the manner that it handles the resources that in the light provides for the very existence of human beings. The harvesting of the planet’s resources is seen to be detrimental to the future of the ecosystem and if such is prolonged, survival will be provided only for the few. Socialist critique of liberalism in comparison with the ecological state will differ in terms of morality and the deontology of ethics. It is apparent that not all deeds are the same when it comes to utilitarianism, sometimes, the ecosystem, being unable to air its share of sentiments, id reprimanded and oftentimes taken for granted (Rice). Humans are subject to care for those of its kind and the environment is not considered to be a part of it. In consequence, such is an irony, given that the human beings live and survive with the help of a healthy ecosystem—without the ecosystem, the members of the society will not be able to live. Policies, regulations and management may have changed over time. If compared to the previous century where not all are aware of the threat and the challenge of sustainability, the contemporary era now gives regard to narrowing the problems and eradicate or at least moderate in the utilization of resources provided that there is a massive chance that it may no longer be available in the next 100 years. The signs of climate change is a proof that laws would need to focus on combining good deeds not only for the people that it serves but also to detain the precautionary measures that may possibly harm the humanity.Accordingly guidance is considered necessary on the position of ecosystem mechanism that may be at risk (Rice). Works Cited Eckersley, Robyn. Liberal Democracy and the Rights of Nature: The Struggle for Inclusion. Environmental Politics 4. 4 (1995). Louden, Robert B. Toward a Genealogy of Deontology. Journal of the History of Philosophy 34. 4 (1996). Rice, Jake. Can We Manage Ecosystems in a Sustainable Way? A symposium on Sustainable Management of Marine Living Resources 60. 1-2 (2008). doi:10. 1016/j. seares. 2008. 02. 002.

Spanish Influenza Epidemic :: essays research papers

Spanish Influenza Epidemic There is a sudden outbreak of the Spanish influenza here in the States. This sudden outbreak is said to be caused by vaccinations given to the soldiers over in Europe. In fact there is newly released fact that an estimated amount of 43,000 American soldiers over in Europe. This flu started in Spain, then spread like wild fire across Europe, the Mideast, and Asia.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many symptoms to the Spanish influenza, it starts with a cough. Then the victim gets increasing pain behind the ears and eyes. Your body temperature, heart rate, and respiration will start to increase rapidly. Also in the wort cases, pneumonia quickly follows all the symptoms. The two diseases will then inflame and irritate your lungs they are filled with liquid, suffocating the victims and causing their bodies to turn cyanotic blue-black. Rumor has that this epidemic was caused by vaccinations given to troops in Europe, and back here on the home front. The Spanish influenza was also help spread by troops moving across Europe.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is no treatment for this disease due to the fact that it is a viral infection, but there are a few ways to try in prevent. First way and most obvious is that you and your family stay away from people who have been infected with the disease. Also make sure you stay away from places where you that people have been people have gotten infected at, if you know of these places please notify us at 1-800-news-4ufast. Finally make sure u take good care of yourself and have good personal hygiene. These ways won’t guarantee that you won’t get infected, but it helps better your chances.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Spanish influenza has had a great impact on the population already and it is only the first month. Over 500 hundred people have already been infected and that number is increasing at a very fast rate. Over 100 people are already dead and more are sitting on their death beds with not much life ahead of them.

Discipline in School Essay

Discipline is very important in a civilized life. Discipline can be defined as control over one’s desires and obedient’ to codes of behavior. If there is no discipline, there is confusion everywhere. Discipline is of great importance in school and at home. If there is no discipline in schools, it is not possible to imp education effectively. It is necessary to maintain law an order in the society. There should be discipline at home also. Children must be taught self-control. Parents themselves should keep discipline. Children should be taught the value discipline in childhood. A country cannot face extern wars if its armed forces are not disciplined . Unfortunately, there are not much discipline today schools, colleges and government offices. That is w India is facing many problems . Discipline is necessary for people in all walks folia Students studying in schools and colleges, Define personnel, industrial workers – all must have disciple Only then a nation can progress| A student needs to be very punctual to his routine. He should be very regular and sincere to his studies. He should be hard working. He should always be ready and active in various other extracurricular activities. He should remain active and smart. He should learn how to face difficult situations and how to win over them. A student is the future of the country. It is he who has to take the responsibility of the country. He should be healthy and fit. Physical education is as important for students as to be studious and sincere at studies. A student should always be in good health and fitness. For this he should get up early in the morning. He should take exercise daily. He should play game of his choice daily. It is well known that a healthy body has a healthy mind. He is mind will be strong and sharp only when he is physically strong, fit and healthy. The biggest task of a student is to study. A student should be very devoted and sincere to his studies. He should be very punctual. He should know the importance of time. He should regularly do his home work. He should have an urge to learn new things. He should have respect for his teachers and elders. He should be very cooperative with his friends. He should help the needy. Discipline demands self-control and dedication. One who cannot control himself cannot control others. He has to dedicate his individuality in the larger interest of society. Discipline is a virtue. It needs to be cultivated from early childhood. It cannot be developed overnight. It takes time and requires patience. When discipline is enforced, it fails to bring the desired result. True essence of discipline is lost when it is enforced . Student life is the formation period of life. The foundation of adulthood is laid down during the time. The man grows with the habits and manners acquired at that time. These things hardly change. So a student should be much disciplined in his student life. One who is disciplined raises high in life. Life of great men is examples of discipline. The great men have made mark in their lives, because they strictly follow their goals with all the earnestness and sincerity. So, we should try to be disciplined from the early stage of life. Both at school and at home they should be made to follow the rules of discipline. Parents, teachers and elders have significant role to play. A student should always learn good habits. This will lead to the formation of a good society and nation as well. |

Miles and Flora in ‘The Turn of the Screw’ Essay

The children in the novella are very distinctive in a manner of how the reader can perceive them. They can be seen by many as good children or bad children. In Victorian times the majority of children were actually brought up in the lower class and the middle class, Miles and Flora were not, they were lucky enough to be in the upper class but they had to follow the ideals of their mother or father. They didn’t have a mother or father therefore the governess was the only option of a friend to have and confide in, this was seen as morally wrong in the society since many Victorians believed that their shouldn’t be friendships between different classes, they believed in a strict social hierarchy. The children can be seen as innocent in the novella by the governess’ first views of them. On her first sighting of Miles, the governess describes him as being ‘angelic’, this can be seen as quite confusing to the reader since she has only just met him, it is a very powerful word to use on first impressions. But mainly it has religious connotations, it conveys a very strong image of Miles being this perfect little child, and sets him up as an innocent character throughout the entire novella. Also the governess is ‘carried away’ by Miles as well as the Master; this suggests that the governess is always in awe of strangers making her seem very vulnerable. Miles is constantly referred to as ‘little’ by the governess throughout the novella. She calls him a ‘little fairy prince’ which shows how highly she speaks of Miles, this suggests how little he is in physical appearance but mainly the innocence of him, small things are usually very vulnerable and innocent and need comfort and support from somebody bigger than them. The use of ‘prince’ not only shows how pristine he is but also correlates with his Victorian upper class position in society. This perception of Miles stays the same even until the end when his ‘little heart, dispossessed had stopped’. Since there has been many sides to Miles in the novella, the end sentence conveys how innocent he really he is. He is only a little boy and that’s what the reader needs to remember. Flora is also spoken very highly of by the governess. Generally there is more of a loveable connection between the two because they are female, and the daughter looks up to both of her parents as role models but to the mother most of all. The governess thinks that Flora is ‘the most beautiful child she has ever seen’; this is kind of inferred in the quotation but also has a very loveable element to it and an innocence one too. The governess doesn’t really experience any problems with Flora in the novella; she wants to protect her all the time from the ghosts that she believes are terrorizing her. Flora’s position in society as being upper class is also linked to by the use of her ‘hair of gold’, ‘gold’ symbolizing money but also makes her stand out in the crowd, the author has made her out to be like a little prodigy. Another perception of the children’s innocence comes with the idea if there are actually ghosts corrupting them, which the governess thinks is happening. The fact that they are only children conveys the general idea that children tend to be scared of ghosts and don’t want to hear anything about them. The children may be getting scared by the governess’ dramatic reactions to her so called sightings of Quint and Jessel. When Flora is awake in the middle of the night looking out the window, the governess, straight away, believes that she is contacting ghosts and so her suspicions about ghosts are increased but they are only children and it turns out they were only having a joke. Children can still have fun even though they are of noble birth but the governess doesn’t seem to realize this. Maria Edgeworth commented on the grave dangers of leaving young children in the supervision of servants, in this case the governess is actually a servant in social hierarchy terms but the master in terms of profession terms. The children however can be seen as being ‘bad’. The quote in the title itself tells how Miles could be being sinister. When the governess wakes up to see why Flora is standing up at the window, she immediately believes that she is contacting either Quint or Jessel because she is extremely paranoid. But when she sees Miles on the grounds of Bly she panics because not only is he all alone without anyone supervising him, he is also looking above the window Flora is looking out so the governess believes he is contacting Quint. When talking to Mrs.Grose about what happened the previous night, she watches Miles and Flora walking the grounds and believes that ‘they’re talking horrors!’, this could have several implications, one could be that they are plotting and scheming against the governess to maybe overthrow her position and get their uncle back to them and another could be that they are talking to the horrors and in this case the horrors could be Quint and Jessel since the word horror is often associated with ghosts and the supernatural. One thing that could suggest that the children are deceiving the governess and manipulating her is the fact that the employer who is the children’s uncle is nowhere to be seen at Bly. Since being employed the governess is told strictly not to contact him about anything whatsoever, not even about his own nephew and niece. This surely arouses suspicion and could possibly make the reader think that maybe the children are actually bad. Perhaps the past between Miles and Quint had made the Master resort to madness like the governess possibly has as well. It could in fact possibly be that Quint corrupted Miles before the governess was at Bly which leads to the reason why he was expelled from his school which the governess believes is a massive concern. Are the children the cause of their uncle’s behavior? And maybe, what have they done to make him not want to stay at Bly? The governess has all these sorts of questions but knows that they she cannot contact him for the sake of her job, which drives her mad because she thinks she is being corrupted. The descriptions of the children actually change as the reader progresses through the novella. On first impressions the children are compared to being like angels and royalty which is all well and good but she has yet to meet their true personalities. She describes Flora as an ‘old, old woman’ which is honestly the most ridiculous thing that a child can be called. This obviously cannot be a description of her physical appearance since she is only 8 years old but possibly how the governess believes that she is corrupted by Miss Jessel. Perhaps every time Jessel is around, Flora’s soul seems to be aging or it could actually be that she is becoming smarter with every appearance of Jessel so she is scheming more. This could suggest a loss of innocence in Flora, she used to be ‘the most beautiful child’ and now she is an ‘old, old woman’. To conclude I believe that the children are actually innocent. They are only children so how in any way can they actually be sinister and possibly evil? Yes there is strong evidence that the children could be being bad and corrupting the governess but being evil is too much of an extent. Therefore I believe in the innocence of the children.

The Plague in Athens - Thucydides Peloponnesian War

The Plague in Athens - Thucydides' Peloponnesian War During wartime, Plague was the worst enemy.... The Plague - Thucydides Peloponnesian War Book II Chapter VII Second Year of the War - The Plague of Athens - Position and Policy of Pericles - Fall of Potidaea From Internet Classics Archive Such was the funeral that took place during this winter, with which the first year of the war came to an end. In the first days of summer the Lacedaemonians and their allies, with two-thirds of their forces as before, invaded Attica, under the command of Archidamus, son of Zeuxidamus, King of Lacedaemon, and sat down and laid waste the country. Not many days after their arrival in Attica the plague first began to show itself among the Athenians. It was said that it had broken out in many places previously in the neighbourhood of Lemnos and elsewhere; but a pestilence of such extent and mortality was nowhere remembered. Neither were the physicians at first of any service, ignorant as they were of the proper way to treat it, but they died themselves the most thickly, as they visited the sick most often; nor did any human art succeed any better. Supplications in the temples, divinations, and so forth were found equally futile, till the overwhelming nature of the disaster at last put a s top to them altogether. It first began, it is said, in the parts of Ethiopia above Egypt, and thence descended into Egypt and Libya and into most of the Kings country. Suddenly falling upon Athens, it first attacked the population in Piraeus- which was the occasion of their saying that the Peloponnesians had poisoned the reservoirs, there being as yet no wells there- and afterwards appeared in the upper city, when the deaths became much more frequent. All speculation as to its origin and its causes, if causes can be found adequate to produce so great a disturbance, I leave to other writers, whether lay or professional; for myself, I shall simply set down its nature, and explain the symptoms by which perhaps it may be recognized by the student, if it should ever break out again. This I can the better do, as I had the disease myself, and watched its operation in the case of others. That year then is admitted to have been otherwise unprecedentedly free from sickness; and such few cases as occurred all determined in this. As a rule, however, there was no ostensible cause; but people in good health were all of a sudden attacked by violent heats in the head, and redness and inflammation in the eyes, the inward parts, such as the throat or tongue, becoming bloody and emitting an unnatural and fetid breath. These symptoms were followed by sneezing and hoarseness, after which the pain soon reached the chest, and produced a hard cough. When it fixed in the stomach, it upset it; and discharges of bile of every kind named by physicians ensued, accompanied by very great distress. In most cases also an ineffectual retching followed, producing violent spasms, which in some cases ceased soon after, in others much later. Externally the body was not very hot to the touch, nor pale in its appearance, but reddish, livid, and breaking out into small pustules and ulcers. But inter nally it burned so that the patient could not bear to have on him clothing or linen even of the very lightest description; or indeed to be otherwise than stark naked. What they would have liked best would have been to throw themselves into cold water; as indeed was done by some of the neglected sick, who plunged into the rain-tanks in their agonies of unquenchable thirst; though it made no difference whether they drank little or much. Besides this, the miserable feeling of not being able to rest or sleep never ceased to torment them. The body meanwhile did not waste away so long as the distemper was at its height, but held out to a marvel against its ravages; so that when they succumbed, as in most cases, on the seventh or eighth day to the internal inflammation, they had still some strength in them. But if they passed this stage, and the disease descended further into the bowels, inducing a violent ulceration there accompanied by severe diarrhoea, this brought on a weakness which was generally fatal. For the disorder first settled in the head, ran its course from thence through the whole of the body, and, even where it did not prove mortal, it s till left its mark on the extremities; for it settled in the privy parts, the fingers and the toes, and many escaped with the loss of these, some too with that of their eyes. Others again were seized with an entire loss of memory on their first recovery, and did not know either themselves or their friends. But while the nature of the distemper was such as to baffle all description, and its attacks almost too grievous for human nature to endure, it was still in the following circumstance that its difference from all ordinary disorders was most clearly shown. All the birds and beasts that prey upon human bodies, either abstained from touching them (though there were many lying unburied), or died after tasting them. In proof of this, it was noticed that birds of this kind actually disappeared; they were not about the bodies, or indeed to be seen at all. But of course the effects which I have mentioned could best be studied in a domestic animal like the dog. Such then, if we pass over the varieties of particular cases which were many and peculiar, were the general features of the distemper. Meanwhile the town enjoyed an immunity from all the ordinary disorders; or if any case occurred, it ended in this. Some died in neglect, others in the midst of every attention. No remedy was found that could be used as a specific; for what did good in one case, did harm in another. Strong and weak constitutions proved equally incapable of resistance, all alike being swept away, although dieted with the utmost precaution. By far the most terrible feature in the malady was the dejection which ensued when any one felt himself sickening, for the despair into which they instantly fell took away their power of resistance, and left them a much easier prey to the disorder; besides which, there was the awful spectacle of men dying like sheep, through having caught the infection in nursing each other. This caused the greatest mortality. On the one hand, if they were afraid to visit each other, they perished from neglect; indeed many houses were emptied of their inmates for want of a nurse: on the other, if they ventured to do so, death was the consequence. This was especially the case with such as made any pretensions to goodness: honour made them unsparing of themselves in their attendance in their friends houses, where even the members of the family were at last worn out by the moans of the dying, and succumbed to the force of the disaster. Yet it was with those who had recovered from the disease that the sick and the dying found most compassion. These knew what it was from experience, and had now no fear for themselves; for the same man was never attacked twice- never at least fatally. And such persons not only received the congratulations of others, but themselves also, in the elation of the moment, half entertained the vain hope that they were for the future safe from any disease whatsoever. An aggravation of the existing calamity was the influx from the country into the city, and this was especially felt by the new arrivals. As there were no houses to receive them, they had to be lodged at the hot season of the year in stifling cabins, where the mortality raged without restraint. The bodies of dying men lay one upon another, and half-dead creatures reeled about the streets and gathered round all the fountains in their longing for water. The sacred places also in which they had quartered themselves were full of corpses of persons that had died there, just as they were; for as the disaster passed all bounds, men, not knowing what was to become of them, became utterly careless of everything, whether sacred or profane. All the burial rites before in use were entirely upset, and they buried the bodies as best they could. Many from want of the proper appliances, through so many of their friends having died already, had recourse to the most shameless sepultures: sometimes gett ing the start of those who had raised a pile, they threw their own dead body upon the strangers pyre and ignited it; sometimes they tossed the corpse which they were carrying on the top of another that was burning, and so went off. Nor was this the only form of lawless extravagance which owed its origin to the plague. Men now coolly ventured on what they had formerly done in a corner, and not just as they pleased, seeing the rapid transitions produced by persons in prosperity suddenly dying and those who before had nothing succeeding to their property. So they resolved to spend quickly and enjoy themselves, regarding their lives and riches as alike things of a day. Perseverance in what men called honour was popular with none, it was so uncertain whether they would be spared to attain the object; but it was settled that present enjoyment, and all that contributed to it, was both honourable and useful. Fear of gods or law of man there was none to restrain them. As for the first, they judged it to be just the same whether they worshipped them or not, as they saw all alike perishing; and for the last, no one expected to live to be brought to trial for his offences, but each felt that a far severer sentence had been already passed upon them all and hung ever over their heads, and before this fell it was only reasonable to enjoy life a little. Such was the nature of the calamity, and heavily did it weigh on the Athenians; death raging within the city and devastation without. Among other things which they remembered in their distress was, very naturally, the following verse which the old men said had long ago been uttered: A Dorian war shall come and with it death. So a dispute arose as to whether dearth and not death had not been the word in the verse; but at the present juncture, it was of course decided in favour of the latter; for the people made their recollection fit in with their sufferings. I fancy, however, that if another Dorian war should ever afterwards come upon us, and a dearth should happen to accompany it, the verse will probably be read accordingly. The oracle also which had been given to the Lacedaemonians was now remembered by those who knew of it. When the god was asked whether they should go to war, he answered that if they put their might into it, victory would be theirs, and that he would himself be with them. With this oracle events were supposed to tally. For the plague broke out as soon as the Peloponnesians invaded Attica, and never entering Peloponnese (not at least to an extent worth noticing), committed its worst ravages at Athens, and next to Athens, at the most populous of the other towns. Such was the history of the plague. For more from Thucydides, see Pericles Funeral Oration. Also see resources on ancient medicine, including:Â   Types of Greek MedicineThe Four HumorsThe Hippocratic OathThe Hippocratic Writings

Quotes from Idi Amin Dada, A President of Uganda

Quotes from Idi Amin Dada, A President of Uganda Idi Amin was the president of Uganda between 25 Jan 1971 to 13 April 1979, and he is widely considered one of the most brutal leaders in the history of the world. He is estimated to have tortured, killed, or imprisoned somewhere between 100,000 and 500,000 of his opponents. According to a  Sunday Times of 27 July 2003 entitled A Clown Drenched in Brutality, Amin gave himself several titles throughout his reign, including His Excellency President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji, Doctor Idi Amin, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Sea, and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular. The Idi Amin quotes listed below were taken from books, newspapers, and magazines reporting on his speeches, interviews, and telegrams to other state officials. 1971–1974 I am not a politician but a professional soldier. I am, therefore, a man of few words and I have been brief through my professional career.Idi Amin, president of Uganda, from his first speech to the Ugandan nation in January 1971. Germany is the place where when Hitler was the prime minister and supreme commander, he burned over six million Jews. This is because Hitler and all German people knew that Israelis are not people who are working in the interest of the world and that is why they burned the Israelis alive with gas in the soil of Germany.Idi Amin, president of Uganda, part of a telegram sent to Kurt Waldheim, UN Secretary-General, and Golda Meir, Israeli premier, on 12 Sept 1972. I am the hero of Africa.Idi Amin, president of Uganda, as quoted in Newsweek 12 March 1973. While wishing you a speedy recovery from the Watergate affair, may I, Excellency, assure you of my highest respect and regard.President Idi Amin of Uganda, message to U.S. President Richard M. Nixon, on July 4, 1973, as reported in The New York Times, 6 July 1973. 1975–1979 Sometimes people mistake the way I talk for what I am thinking. I never had any formal education- not even nursery school certificate. But, sometimes I know more than Ph.D.s because as a military man I know how to act, I am a man of action.Idi Amin as quoted in Thomas and Margaret Meladys Idi Amin Dada: Hitler in Africa, Kansas City, 1977. I do not want to be controlled by any superpower. I myself consider myself the most powerful figure in the world, and that is why I do not let any superpower control me.Idi Amin, president of Uganda, as quoted in Thomas and Margaret Meladys Idi Amin Dada: Hitler in Africa, Kansas City, 1977. Like the Prophet Mohammed, who sacrificed his life and his property for the good of Islam, I am ready to die for my country.From Radio Uganda and attributed to Idi Amin in 1979, as reported in Amin, Living by the Gun, Under the Gun,   The New York Times, 25 March 1979.

Campaign Staffers and Political Consultants Essay

Campaign Staffers and Political Consultants - Essay Example The manager would be responsible for any aspect not covered by the candidate and would often be the lead strategist. In larger campaigns, for example, a Presidential campaign, there are a lot of workers in the campaign staff to help with the required tasks. They hire consultants to devise a strategy and the manager simply has to co-ordinate all of the workers and the consultants together. Below the Campaign manager are the departmental directors who look over specific areas of the campaign. Below the departmental level, the campaign staff tends to vary in structure in accordance with the nature of the campaign. Various coordinators might work under a single department sometimes. For example, within the fundraising department, there might be a staff member who focuses only on direct mail fundraising (Political Campaign Staff, par. 5). The very bottom of the campaign staff structure consists of interns and volunteers who look over the less publicized yet important tasks like data entry, responding to various queries and speaking on behalf of the campaign to a large number of voters. Political consultants do not work for a campaign full-time, but provide help in the shape of advice and creative expertise (Political Campaign Staff, par. ... President William McKinley's closest political advisor Mark Hanna is sometimes described as the first political consultant (Wikipedia; Political Consulting, par. 2). The idea of political consulting grew from 1930's onwards as Political Consulting firms emerged and the increased use of television advertising for campaigns gave a big boost to political consulting. This business has grown rapidly over the years in its importance and influential powers, and has extended itself to campaigns at all government levels. Except for working for political campaigns they also work for political organizations, public relations and research work for companies and governments. These consultants are often criticized for putting their own interests before the clients, have been involved in scandals and some have gone on to become media celebrities after acclaiming wide approval. The successful political consultant, James Carville comes to mind who took advantage of his fame to become an expert appearing on televisions shows and writing books (Political Consultant, par. 3). Its critics have a point when they claim that financial interests are put ahead of the client when firms take on too many clients to build a reputation. Firms are often accused of transferring campaigns themes and plans to different campaigns, even if the actual context of the political campaign is different from the theme that is transferred! The American Association of Political Consultants regulates this business and has published code of ethics and gives awards as well. In spite of the criticism, consulting is always an integral part of a successful modern election campaign. Without a consulting firm to advise and strategize a campaign, and a campaign staff to effectively

Defense Budget and Sequestration Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Defense Budget and Sequestration - Assignment Example An extra $88.5 billion is required for ongoing military operations, chiefly in Afghanistan( Klein, 2013). The FY 2013 budget requirement is the first budget proposal subsequent to the enactment of the Budget Control Act (BCA) OF 2011. The BCA establishes the budget limits for the unrestricted component of the federal and integrates an enforcement tool, understood as a sequestration, devised to cut spending by design. The BCA as well was responsible for creating the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, generally referred to as the Super Committee; furthermore, the BCA charged it with establishing an extra $1.2 trillion in deficit minimization over the foreseeable decade. Since the Super Committee failed to arrive any consensus on extra deficit minimization, the constitution requires that the budget limits be reduced to accomplish the $1.2 in the debit diminution through spending cuts. Just of a half of these reductions pertain to the budget explanation for national defense and the other remaining part pertains to non-defense accounts(Klein, 2013). Most estimation suggests that the United States is on the brink of shaky monetary path under the present federal tax and prerogative regimes. The lack of essential reforms many pundits say that the nation’s increasing debt poses a great long-standing threat to the United States national security, and that Pentagon’s budget will finally be sidelined by compulsory social spending plans. Over the past few years, Washington h as debated numerous debit reduction proposals, but a primary legislative bargain has proved obscure. Last month in March 1, sequestration went into effect. For Monetary Year 2013, the reductions total $85 billion, half of which is spent on defense. Where most political pundits surmise that some defense cuts should be part of an exhaustive debit reduction agreement, they show anxiety that the sweeping monetary austerity that began in March

Risk Factors for Colon Cancer Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Risk Factors for Colon Cancer - Research Paper Example In most cases a combination of inhibitors is necessary to maximize the efficacy of the drug treatment. The possible side-effects associated with these drugs is still under investigation. Thus at present the prognosis for colon cancer associated with obesity has been found to be poor, however the combinational use of inhibitors could change the current prognosis. Keywords: colon cancer, obesity, insulin, adipokines According to recent surveys colon cancer is the third most commonly occurring cancer in males and second in the case of females associated with a mortality rate of 608,700 (Chen, 2012). About 1.2 million people are diagnosed with this type of cancer every year (Whitlock, Gill, Birch, & Karmali, 2012). There are many causative factors involved in the pathogenesis of colon cancer which include environmental factors such as a high-fat/ low-fiber dietary intake, genetic factors such as inherited or cellular genetic mutations, life style changes such as smoking, physical inactiv ity and obesity (Chen, 2012; Ma, Yang, Wang, Zhang, Shi, Zou, & Qin, 2013). Studies have shown a strong link between obesity and the incidence of colon cancer. Obesity, which is measured as the body mass index, is on a rise over the past few decades all over the world. The World Health Organization estimates show that about 10% of the world population is clinically obese (Whitlock, Gill, Birch, & Karmali, 2012). Obesity is associated with an increased risk of type II diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and heart disease. These conditions increase the serum levels of cancer risk factors such as insulin, insulin-like growth-factor 1 (IGF-1), leptin, interleukin-6, 17 (IL-6, IL-17), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and decreases serum levels of adiponectin which is considered to indirectly protect against cancer (Chen, 2012; Van Kruijsdijk, van der Wall, & Visseren, 2009). The role of insulin and IGF-1 in the carcinogenic process has been supported by clinical studies. These factors in turn activate multiple signal pathways which can induce tumor growth. For example increased secretion of insulin and IGF-1 stimulate cancer growth by binding to their specific receptors and activate pathways that inhibit apoptosis and stimulate cell proliferation. IGF-1 stimulates the proliferation of cells by activating the signal pathways phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and Ras/Raf mitogen activated protein kinase systems and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 pathways (STAT 3). IGF-1 is also involved in cell migration and invasion which favors cancer progression and metastasis (Chen, 2012; Van Kruijsdijk, van der Wall, & Visseren, 2009; Frezza, Wachtel, & Chiriva-Internati, 2006). Adipose tissue dysfunction in obese individuals plays a major role in promoting carcinogenesis by affecting important biochemical mechanisms such as insulin resistance, and production of adipokines and cytokines involved in inflammation. An increased leptin level which is secret ed by the adipocytes in obese individuals is associated with the growth and proliferation of cancer cells. The leptin hormone is known to promote mitogenesis, angiogenesis, and inflammation and inhibit apoptosis (Van Kruijsdijk, van der Wall, & Visseren, 2009; Frezza, Wachtel, & Chiriva-Internati, 2006). Obesity is also associated with decreased levels of adipone

Are Automotive Manufacturers more Socially Responsible?

Are Automotive Manufacturers more Socially Responsible? To what extent are car manufacturing firms operating in a more socially responsible manner when designing environmentally friendly cars? Abstract Social responsibility is one of the key differentiators between modern corporations, and is seen by many analysts as an antidote to the past few years trend towards the demonisation of corporate institutions. The recent economic crisis, in particular, has led many observers to argue that corporations that fail to address issues of social responsibility will struggle to survive. However, other observers question whether this phenomenon is anything more than a superficial consumer trend, and whether the world economy in general can seriously contemplate a corporate system in which the profit motive is subservient to the need for corporate social responsibility. This dissertation examines social responsibility in terms of the car manufacturing industry, and looks in particular at the question of whether or not the move towards environmentally friendly cars is anything more than a passing phase in an industry that is extremely sensitive to public opinion. Ultimately, the aim of the disse rtation is to determine whether or not corporate social responsibility within the car manufacturing industry is a genuine change, or whether it is simply a superficial response to a passing public trend. Introduction The concept of corporate social responsibility has been one of the dominant themes of the past decade, with consumer recognition of a corporations social responsibility being increasingly seen as a lucrative phenomenon. In the west, in particular, increasing levels of affluence have led to a trend that has seen more customers show willingness to pay more for products that are designed according to theories of social responsibility., and this shift has been nowhere more apparent than in the automobile manufacturing industry. This trend has inter-cut with a recognition (in some quarters) of the need to ensure a more environmentally-friendly approach to industrial production and consumption, and a number of corporations have secured dramatically enhanced public images through a focus on affordable but socially responsible products. However, critics argue that since the primary aim of these corporations is to increase their profits, the appearance of social responsibility has been more o f a cosmetic change than a substantial alteration of core business practices; many critics believe that corporations have, in most cases, merely become better at packaging their products as a more socially responsible, environmentally friendly alternative. Despite the recent financial crisis, the automobile manufacturing industry remains a bellwether for the global economy, and any genuine global industrial changes regarding social responsibility will likely be evident in the automobile industry at an early stage. This dissertation will examine the behaviour of car manufacturing firms and will ask whether they have genuinely become more socially responsible when designing environmentally friendly cars, or whether this is merely a superficial smokescreen designed to generate improved public exposure without leading to genuine changes in design and production philosophies. In particular, the difference between the industrys approach before and after the onset of the recent economic crisis will be examined, and these differences will be used to determine whether or not the move towards social responsibility represented a genuine change to production systems or was merely an attempt to capture the early twenty-first century zeitgeist. Furthermore, the dissertation will examine the extent to which social responsibility and environmental awareness have affected not only above-the-line (i.e. visible to the public) areas of the industry, but also below-the-line (i.e. internal corporate) systems; the d issertation will argue that firms can only be said to have adopted a greater level of social responsibility if their attempts to tackle this issue extend to below-the-line activities. The dissertation will use a series of core examples in order to determine both the hyperbole (i.e. the claims made to the public) and the core below-the-line changes that may, or in some cases may not, reflect the car manufacturing industrys more socially responsible, environmentally friendly approach to business and production. Literature Review Corporate Social Responsibility Social responsibility has been one of the key growth areas in recent years. Crane et al. (2007) define social responsibility, in the corporate context, as a companys ability to put aside the profit motive in order to perform tasks that have a beneficial effect not on the company itself in terms of capital but in terms of an entirely separate social group (Crane et al., 2007, p. 6). In this context, social responsibility can be seen as something that companies are expected to do unbidden, in much the same way as many people choose to donate their time and volunteer to help charities. In some ways, therefore, social responsibility can be seen as an attempt to anthropomorphise corporations by rendering them indebted to a cultural belief that they should act in a more ethical and moral manner. This is in some ways a cultural corrective to the idea of corporations as solely capitalistic, profit-orientated organisations. May et al. (2007) suggest that corporate social responsibility is a popular construct that seeks to imbue corporations with humanistic traits regardless of whether those traits are present or not (May et al., 2007, p. 118). In order for public recognition of these traits to be tangible, there must be a relative relationship between different corporations, so some must be seen to be exercising a great deal of social responsibility, while other must be seen to be doing very little. This is, in effect, the classic polar relationship between good and bad, and it allows consumers to associate themselves with positive, socially responsible companies purely by making certain purchasing decisions. Both sides therefore have a vested interest in social responsibility: consumers feel good if they reward socially responsible companies with their custom, and can use such purchases as a form of status symbol; corporations, meanwhile, can try to generate a larger, more loyal customer base. While some critics argue that social responsibility is a trend that will wax and wane according to various social and economic factors (May et al., 2007, p. 119), others believe that the emergence of social responsibility as a major business factor in the past decade is in fact a permanent change. Crane et al. note that growing awareness of environmental issues has led many people to recognise the importance of social responsibility (Crane et al., 2007, p. 10), and although the recent economic crisis may have led many to hold back on the spending that they would otherwise have directed towards socially responsible corporations, there still appears to be a broad consensus that social responsibility is one of the most important factors in modern business. Consequently, many companies have sought to strengthen their social policy credentials. Environmental Policy One of the key elements of social responsibility is the environment. For more than twenty years, there have been warnings about the effects of global warming. Many corporations choose to exhibit their social responsibility through one of a number of environmentally friendly policies: Reducing the environmental cost of production distribution. Reducing the environmental cost of consumption. Reducing the environmental cost of disposal. Using more environmentally-friendly materials. Reducing packaging and other superfluous elements of a product. Instigating specific environmentally-friendly technological elements. Funding research and education programs. Carbon and pollution off-setting. All of these options and more are regularly employed by companies that want to emphasise their environmental credentials. Large companies tend to focus on methods that require little more effort than throwing money at the problem, e.g. by funding research or off-setting their carbon emissions. However, some other companies are far more inventive, and genuinely try to reduce their environmental impact. Social Responsibility Aside from the environmental factors noted above, companies have found a number of ways of demonstrating their corporate social responsibility: Funding education programs. Providing services, e.g. transportation for school and disabled groups. Promoting volunteerism among their own workers. Donating money to charities. Working to eliminate abuse in the chain of production. The globalised corporate environment makes it more difficult than ever for companies to hide practices that might be unpopular in their domestic markets. For example, if a company seeks to use cheap labour in third world countries, it can make a short-term impact but will usually be exposed eventually. In other words, companies find it increasingly difficult to hide any non-socially responsible behaviour. The Car Manufacturing Industry The vast majority of manufacturers are global in terms of production facilities. The leading US and Japanese manufacturers, for example, tend to have dozens of factories, with at the top five companies all having at least one factory in each of North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australasia. As such, the industry can be said to be truly global in terms of both customer reach and production. Furthermore, companies often experience great success in non-domestic markets, e.g. Japans Toyota also sells many cars in the US, and Germanys BMW is extremely popular in the UK; the only major exceptions to this rule are two of the three big US companies, General Motors (GM) and Chrysler, both of which have been criticised for their focus on the US market. The Impact of the Economic Crisis on the Car Manufacturing Industry All the worlds car manufacturers have in recent years suffered from the global economic downturn. In the US, the big three manufacturers Ford, Chrysler and General Motors (GM) have all come close to bankruptcy, and GM has been forced to file for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Around the world, companies have suffered similar problems, although in most cases not to the extent of the major US companies. In Japan, both Honda and Toyota have suffered heavy losses and have been forced to reconsolidate their core business areas. As a result, the automobile industry has been undergoing a period of immense uncertainty, and this has led many consumers to believe that they can no longer rely on the continued presence of the big names. Apart from the well-publicised problems for the big three US companies GM, Ford and Chrysler, almost every other major car manufacturer around the world has suffered a slump in profits in the past two years, and many have incurred legacy debts during this period that will impact upon their performance for decades to come. Toyota reported a massive $1.7bn loss (Fackler, 2008) and, like most other manufacturers, was forced to re-focus activities on core revenue streams. As one of the key figures in the green car revolution, Toyota had been investing heavily in environmentally-friendly cars, and had been happy to make such investments since it believe there would be massive financial benefits in the long run. However, the financial crisis crippled Toyotas ability to consider the long term implications of its current activities, and forced the company to focus on its core business. As Satoshi Hino notes, Toyota has long been one of the more adventurous companies when it comes to placing substantial industrial bets on future changes in the automobile market, but these have always been backed by strong performances in the companys core activities (Hino, 2005, p. 41). The companys move into electric and hybrid cars seen by many as a key element in the push towards greener automobiles has largely been financed by success in core diesel machines, with the pay-off for this front-end investment expected to arrive between 2010 and 2015. However, with the core business model threatened by double-digit year-on-year sales drops, Toyota was forced in 2009 to consolidate its activities and re-focus on the most profitable elements of its production line. This decision by the company served as dramatic proof that while there was clearly a high degree of confidence in terms of the potential for socially responsible cars to provide a significant pay-off in the medium to long term, this confidence was not strong enough to allow the company to rely on such vehicles during a time of economic crisis. Clearly, therefore, market forces are not yet dictating the need for social responsibility in sufficient numbers, or with sufficient support via purchasing decisions . Research Methodology Research Approach The research will take two key approaches: a questionnaire will be used to conduct primary research into consumer awareness of the question of social responsibility in the car manufacturing industry, and two case studies will be used to determine how two of the worlds biggest manufacturers GM and Toyota deal with this issue. In order to assess the impact of the social responsibility policies of both GM and Toyota, the questionnaires will be designed to measure the impact of such policies (or the lack of them) and the degree to which they change public opinion and have the effect for which they were designed. These questionnaires will be vital in terms of bridging the gap between the theory and reality, and will expose the limitations inherent in this approach. In order to increase the likely response rate, and to comply with ethical considerations regarding privacy, the questionnaires were left anonymous and respondents were told that they could ignore any individual questions that they would prefer not to answer. The secondary research will focus on two case studies, one looking at the leading US car manufacturer (General Motors) and the other looking at the worlds leading car manufacturer, by sales (Toyota). These companies have been chosen for specific reasons. General Motors (GM) has had a difficult economic history over the past two decades, almost filing for bankruptcy in the 1990s before going on to enjoy considerable success with a series of non-environmentally friendly cars (SUVs) while professing to hold social responsibility as a key philosophical point, and then suffering a massive collapse that resulted in the company filing for the fourth largest bankruptcy in US history (see chapter 4). Toyota, meanwhile, has made a name for itself with a series of advanced hybrid cars, but has also suffered during the recent financial crisis (see chapter 5). In other words, GM is seen by many as one of the worlds least socially responsible manufacturers, and Toyota is seen by many as one of the worlds most socially responsible manufacturers. By comparing and contrasting their approaches and fortunes, it should be possible to develop a clear understanding of the extent to which major car manufacturers have been socially responsible in pursuing an environmentally friendly agenda. Research Questions The research is based on the following key questions: To what extent do car manufacturing companies act with a high degree of social responsibility when designing environmentally friendly cars? How important is consumer behaviour to car manufacturers interest in social responsibility? Do consumers drive companies behaviour, or vice versa? What different approaches to the subject of environmentally friendly, socially responsible cars have been taken by different companies? How has the recent economic crisis affected manufacturers interest in social responsibility? Is social responsibility progressing according to narrative trends? Is this a major change to business, or merely a passing trend? Research Limitations Any research project contains inherent limitations. If these limitations are ignored, they do not go away; rather, they linger and negatively impact the reliability of the overall project. Consequently, the best approach is to recognise these limitations from the start and to work to ensure that they are factored out of the equation as much as possible. As Saunders et al. note, its only by recognising the limitations of any research program that the problems that always affect any research project can be brought into the open, addressed and contextualised and, in some cases, turned into positives (Saunders et al., 2009, p. 51). The research limits of this project are as follows: Social responsibility is an inherently subjective matter. Something that is socially responsible in the view of one person may be socially irresponsible in the view of another. Many of the relevant subjects, such as global warming, are not universally recognised. Its therefore important to reflect the fact that there is ongoing debate. There is insufficient time and space to analyse the entire market. Therefore, key examples must be selected for the case studies. As noted in 3.1, the subjects for these case studies were chosen for very specific reasons. Questionnaires must be brief and simple to understand, yet they must also focus on the key points. Persuading respondents to fill in questionnaires can be difficult. All these limitations can be overcome, to various extents. The subjectivity inherent in the research subject is in fact relevant to the continuing social, cultural and political debates regarding the extent to which car companies should, and can, adopt socially responsible roles; some critics argue that this can only be achieved if consumers adopt socially responsible approaches to their purchasing patterns, which will inevitably force corporations to adapt to face this trend. Similarly, the continuing debate over global warming although settled in many peoples view continues to cause debate in many parts of the world. Finally, the limitations of time and space mean that the case study subjects must be analysed extremely closely, and the choices of company must be made carefully. Results Analysis Response 200 questionnaires were sent out. The expected response rate was 40-50%, as per the suggestion by Saunders et al. that any questionnaire-based research project that prompts between a third and a half of targets to respond can be said to have performed averagely (Saunders et al., 2009, p. 102). In the event, 81 questionnaires were returned, representing 40.5%, which is just within the expected range. This gives a statistically relevant sample group. Demographic Information Demographic details are important in research concerning attitudes to consumer activity and the environment, since both of these factors can impact upon an individuals view of these issues. Question 1 concerned the age of the respondents: How old are you? The majority of respondents were in their teens and twenties, with a total of three quarters being under 40. This makes the questionnaire more relevant in terms of analysing the attitudes of younger people. The second question concerned the occupation of the respondents. It was decided to provide broad categories rather than to request specific details. For one thing, this emphasised the confidentiality and privacy of the research, and for another it allowed for easy and effective categorisation of answers: What is your occupation? Around two thirds of the respondents were employed, self-employed or in part-time work, with the rest being students, retired or unemployed. Awareness of Social Responsibility among Car Manufacturers The next question asked respondents if they believed the car manufacturing industry, as a whole, to be socially responsible. A brief explanation was appended to this question, defining social responsibility as an awareness of their impact on society, including the environment, and their efforts to ensure that this impact has a positive rather than a negative effect: How responsible do you think car manufacturers are? An overwhelming majority (67.9%) considered car manufacturers to be either not very or not at all responsible. Breaking these results down according to age and occupation gave the following results: Appreciation of manufacturers social awareness, broken down by age range Clearly, levels of appreciation appear to be at least partly linked to age, with these levels peaking for individuals in their fifties. There are numerous possible reasons for this, including: Media exposure: different age groups are exposed to very different media forms and sources, each of which will likely carry very different stories concerning manufacturers levels of social awareness. Learned behaviour: older respondents will have spent longer living in a time when many of the relevant issues, particularly environmental impact, were not considered. Environmental awareness: some of the answers may be influenced by a lack of belief in the various arguments concerning the environment and, in particular, the car industrys contribution to global warming. Clearly, therefore, awareness of social responsibility is a dynamic factor that reflects a number of different viewpoints, and this factors is by no means viewed the same by different age groups. The clear correlation between age and awareness indicates that manufacturers must ensure that they operate multiple simultaneous social responsibility programs if they are to reach all these groups. However, the next question sought to determine whether or not it was strictly necessary for the manufacturers to try to appeal to everyone, and asked how important social responsibility is to purchasing decisions. First, in terms of the overall response, the result was as follows: How important is a manufacturers social responsibility for you when choosing what car to buy? Almost half (48.1%) claimed that social responsibility was either very or quite important, with just over half (51.9%) claiming that it was not very or not at all important. Given the relatively small sample group for this research project, the difference is small enough to be statistically irrelevant, and broadly indicates a 50-50 split in terms of opinion on this subject. However, looking at the results in terms of an age-related breakdown results in a very different set of results: Importance of social responsibility of manufacturers, by age The data shows a clear depreciation of the importance of social responsibility for older consumers, although there is evidence of an increase for consumers in their 50s and above. In order to determine a link between awareness of social responsibility in the industry and the importance of social responsibility in purchasing decisions, the results from figures 4 and 6 were then combined: Importance, and awareness, of social responsibility in the car manufacturing industry There is clearly an inverse relationship between awareness of social responsibility as a factor in the industry, and belief in the importance of social responsibility. For example, younger people are most likely to believe that social responsibility is an important factor when making purchasing decisions, but are the least appreciative of any efforts that have so far been made. To an extent, this can be seen to be a matter of perception, but theres also clearly a problem for the industry in terms of persuading parts of the consumer base that its intentions are genuine. In order to measure the degree to which various manufacturers have succeeded in their aim of seeming more socially responsible, respondents were next asked whether they thought the industry had become more socially responsible over the past decade: Do you think the car industry has become more socially responsible over the past decade, less socially responsible, or it has stayed mostly the same? The vast majority of respondents believe there has been no real change, strongly suggesting that either the message from the manufacturers has not got through to the public, or that there is a deep level of cynicism in terms of whether the public believe that the rhetoric has translated into genuine action. Finally, respondents were given a range of options and were asked to indicate which they believed were most important in terms of social responsibility. They were asked to tick two or three options, with the aim being to allow them to indicate the elements of corporate social responsibility that were deemed most important: Most important elements of social responsibility Clearly, the vast majority of consumers overwhelmingly equate social responsibility with environmental issues. The only other factor to come close to this in terms of relevance was making donations to charitable causes, which to an extent also involves the environment. Social responsibility is not purely about the environment, and encompasses a range of other activities that can improve society. However, for the consumers canvassed for this research project, environmental issues were by far the most important, and its therefore possible to argue that the environment has overtaken all other elements of social responsibility and has become the single most important issue. Although manufacturers could fight against this perception and attempt to focus attention on other factors, the best approach might be to accept that when it comes to social responsibility, most consumers overwhelmingly focus on the environment. Case Study 1: General Motors (US) Background General Motors (GM) is the largest US car manufacturer, and the second largest in the world (after Toyota) (Trott, 2009). The company relies heavily on four key brands: Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC. Each of these brands has a distinctive presence in the US market, but critics have argued that GM has lacked focus on the non-US markets, leaving it particularly vulnerable to domestic turmoil and economic volatility. In 1994, GM came close to bankruptcy following a $4.5bn loss, but cost-cutting measures and management changes ensured its survival. The company was one of the key instigators of the huge rise in sales for sports utility vehicles (SUVs) in the 1990s, a trend that was highly lucrative for GM but which resulted in criticism from environmental campaigners. Between 1998 and 2001, GM and Ford vied for the top spot in the US market, primarily through massively increasing sales in the SUV market. However, the downturn which followed the September 11th 2001 attacks saw GM suff er particularly hard, even compared to Ford, with the latter at least having a strong European heartland on which to rely during difficult trading conditions in the US. Nevertheless, GM bounced back and by 2005 was recording strong sales figures and was eyeing major expansion into overseas markets. However, the recent economic crisis virtually crippled GM, as well as its two key domestic rivals, Ford and Chrysler. GM lost $38.7bn in the 2007 fiscal year (Wearden, 2009), and an almost 50% drop in sales. The following year, GM predicted that it would run out of money in mid-2009 without a substantial re-financing program, and called for government help. In November 2008, the company joined with Ford and Chrysler in formally requesting help from the US government in order to stave off bankruptcy. Even in the context of the financial crisis, this move was massive, since it represented the genuine possibility of the USs three major car companies going bust almost simultaneously. Although the US government, under outgoing president George W. Bush, was initially reluctant to provide money at a time when many other businesses also had legitimate claims for government help, in December 2008 a bridging loan was finally offered. Despite numerous attempts to cut costs and reorganise the co mpany over the next six months, in June 2009 GM filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. After Lehman Brothers, Worldcom and Washington Mutual, this was the fourth largest bankruptcy filing in US history. Eventually, on July 10th 2009, the US government helped to finance a new company, NGMCO Inc., that took on the majority of the old GM assets. The old GM changed its name to Motors Liquidation Company, and the new Vehicle Acquisition Holdings company changed its name to General Motors Company, thereby bringing GM back to life. The new version of GM is mostly owned by the US government, while the old GM Motors Liquidation Company continues to go through the process of the bankruptcy filing. Social Responsibility Both the old and the new GM have been involved in programs to emphasise their social responsibility. Since 1996, GM has financed the Safe Kids USA Buckle Up program, designed to encourage children to use seatbelts. The company has also contributed to a consortium that has donated over $1.2bn to fund education for engineering graduates, a scheme that has recently been extended worldwide. GM has also donated more than $200m in the past decade to charitable causes, and has supported both Democratic and Republican presidential candidates often simultaneously. The companys more recent philanthropic activities include a new global aid program (GM, 2009) and a number of smaller, local community projects designed to improve provisions mostly for children in areas surrounding the companys main factories. These projects have, for the most part, been maintained despite the continued financial uncertainty and the chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings that took place in mid-2009. GM has also launched a major program called I Am GM, designed to showcase the companys strong workplace diversity policies. The program involves placing adverts in newspapers and magazines, and on television, in which GM employees from different ethnic backgrounds talk about their pride in the company. As well as reinforcing the idea of GM as an equal opportunities, ethnically diverse employer, the campaign is designed to show how GM works towards engineering a higher degree of diversity in society. Linked to this program is the companys renewed focus on safety, which has seen not only improvements designed to help children in the event of an accident, but also high-profile campaigns to reinforce the companys vehicles in order to make them withstand bigger crashes. The Buckle Up program has been maintained, and GM has expanded this campaign since 2008 by taking the message to schools around the US. The company claims that corporate responsibility is about more than just words its an acknowledgement that our actions shape our reputation (GM, 2009). Environmentally-Friendly Technology During the 1990s, a number of scandals saw the company accused of poor environmental management, including an accusation that sediments have been stored in unsafe conditions. In 2006, GM was one of a number of manufacturers from around the world named in a suit brought by the State of California over the issue of pollution. The case was dismissed a year later, but the damage to GMs reputation had already been done. In 2008, the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) ranked GM 18th on its list of the USs worst polluters, giving the company a toxic score of 73,248, set against the no. 1 polluter, E.I. du Pont de Nemours, which scored 285,661 (PERI, 2008). Meanwhile, in the same year, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) ranked GM 7th out of the worlds largest car manufacturers