William Shakespeare and his play Richard II Essay

William Shakespeare and his play Richard II - Essay Example Accordingly, principal excerpts from this historical play are: firstly, King Richard II's: 'Nay, if I turn mine eyes upon myself, I find myself a traitor with the rest; For I have given here my soul's consent To undeck the pompous body of a king; Made glory base and sovereignty a slave, Proud majesty a subject, state a peasant' (Bate, 2010); secondly, also Richard's: 'Exton, thy fierce hand Hath with the king's blood stain'd the king's own land' (Bate, 2010); thirdly, Exton's: 'As full of valour as of royal blood †¦ This dead king to the living king I'll bear Take hence the rest, and give them burial here' (Bate, 2010); then, Henry Bolingbroke's: 'Exton, I thank thee not; for thou hast wrought A deed of slander with thy fatal hand Upon my head and all this famous land' (Bate, 2010); finally, also Bolingbroke's: 'Though I did wish him dead, I hate the murderer, love him murdered. †¦ Lords, I protest, my soul is full off woe, That blood should sprinkle me to make me grow: Com e, mourn with me for that I do lament, And put on sullen black incontinent: I'll make a vayage to the Holy Land, To wish this blood off from my guilty hand' (Bate, 2010). Further on, all these excerpts' meaning will be revealed according to the question and the overall meaning of the play. To understand these excerpts properly, we need to pick up few relevant actions from the synopsis. Specifically, Henry Bolingbroke was a Richard's cousin, disputing with Thomas Mowbray in the beginning of the play. Afterwards, they both were banished by the king; when John de Gaunt, Boligbroke's father, died, Richard injustly seized de Gaunt's land. Nevertheless, Bolingbroke returned secretly, while king was administering the war with Ireland. In fact, he and his supporters won the civil war against Richard (scenes before Wales' coast and in the Flint castle), and deprived king from his land, throne of England, and even his own life (at Pomfret's scene). According to this dramaturgy, we would answe r given question from 'The King's Two Bodies' perspective, concerning not only his natural and politic / spiritual body, but also a rising of the Machivellian king, Henry Bolingbroke. Then, we will discuss two different blocks within given question: whether Bolingbroke and his supporters were justified in taking the throne from King Richard; what was lost and what was gained concerning Richard's actions as king and Boligbroke's actions once he seized power. Answering these blocks we will be pedominantly focused on excerpts stated above. Primarily, Henry Bolingbroke and his supporters, Northumberland and Percy, were not fully justified in taking the throne from Richard, because Richard remained as legal king even being impisoned after revolution. Bolingbroke was Richard's cousin, and very magnificent and successful leader of nobles' party, but still the previous king became an opportunity for the loyalists to restore their power. Moreover, in the medieval ages political situation wit h two kings --- old and new --- was often instable, due to a fact that if almighty God only himself ruled the universe, this meant that king by only himself must have been governed the English land (Richard's 'thy fierce hand Hath with the king's blood stain'd the king's own land' (Bate, 2010)), i.e. according to the medieval assumptions on the nature of royal power in the society, king had two bodies:

Theology Essays | Old Testament

Theology Essays | Old Testament Did the prophets of the Old Testament predict the future, or did they speak to change to way people were behaving? In essence, were they foretellers or forthtellers? IntroductionThe Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament recounts the history, and specifically the religious history of Israel, from the creation to a few hundred years before the birth of Christ. The Old Testament tells the story of the people of Israel and their relationship with God or Yaweh. It tells how Israel sinned against the God who had given her all that she had because the people were unable to keep to their covenant with God (Lemche, 1995). Within the Old Testament the Prophetic writings either address the specific historical conditions in Israel or they refer to social conditions. This paper will examine the books of the Prophet Amos and of the Prophet Isaiah to assess whether the prophets were foretellers or forthtellers. The paper will begin with a brief sketch of the historical background followed by an explanation of terms with reference to Amos and Isaiah.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã ‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Prophets, Foretellers and Forthtellers.The writings attributed to the prophets Amos and Isaiah date from around the eighth and seventh centuries BCE. They are two of the later prophets and they spoke against the backdrop of the changing political scene which resulted in the exile of Israel, the northern kingdom, after the capture of Samaria in 721 BCE and then to the exile of Judah after the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE (Clines, 1990). The central message of these prophets is to do with the exile, either warning of its coming or reflecting on its meaning and calling for the people to repent in order that God might change his mind. Scholars are of the opinion that the books have been subject to later editing, what is known as redaction, the imposition of something that happened in a different context. It is for this reason that the texts, while having a historical backdrop, and giving some historical facts, should not be regarded as a straightforward historical record. Rather they are a record of God’s dealing with his people. Unlike earlier prophets, these writings say far less about the prophets and more about the words of God that they give and receive (Whybray, 1993). The word prophet is generally accepted to have come from the Hebrew word ‘nabi’ which means to speak or to utter words. The biblical usage of the word has meant that it has come to be associated with someone who is the interpreter and mouthpiece of God.This is made clear in the opening verses of the Book of Amos, a shepherd of Tekoa. The Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds wither, and the top of Carmel dries up (Amos. 1:2 NRSV). In the above verse Amos describes the way in which the Lord speaks through him and verse three then begins with Thus says the Lord. First Isaiah begins in much the same way: Hear o heavens, and listen, o earth; for the Lord has spoken: I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me (Isaiah, 1:2 NRSV). Here Isaiah is literally proclaiming himself as the mouth piece of the Lord. The word ‘nabi’ expresses a function, it is what the prophet does, other words are used to denote what the prophet is, an oracle or a man of vision. Isaiah is known as a major prophhet because of the length of the book and Amos a minor prophet because his writings are much shorter. The prophets then, were divine messengers who addressed the people of God. In most cases the messages were not asked for Amos chapter seven tells how God put Amos where he was: ..and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, â€Å"Go, prophesy to my people Israel† (Amos, 7:15). The book of Amos begins by introducing the prophet as a shepherd and then goes straight into the message from God as in verse two. Isaiah also begins by introducing the prophet and then proceeds to God’s word to the people. Some prophets were sons of prophets and some belonged to a community of prophets under a leader, some were solitary like Amos who did not really count himself a prophet, Then Amos answered Amaziah, â€Å"I am no prophet, nor a prophet’s son†¦and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, â€Å"Go, prophesy to my people Israel (Amos, 7:14-15). Both Amos and Isaiah spoke out against social injustice and the ways in which the rich people cheated those who were poor. The prophet Amos spoke out against the idolatry of the people, who still strayed after the golden calf idol which had been set up by King Jeroboam the first when the nation was first split into two kingdoms. Amos spoke in the time of Jeroboam the second when Israel was enjoying a time of prosperity (Clines, 1990). Amos spoke out against the religious and social corruption that he saw around him. He spoke of Israel’s guilt and of their forthcoming punishment in chapter three: Hear this that the Lord has spoken against you, O people of Israel against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt: You only have I known, of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities (Amos 3:1-2). Isaiah wrote in the eighth century BCE, almost two hundred years before the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon (Clines, 1990). He spoke to the people of Judah, and warned them of God’s displeasure. They had become complacent and tolerated all kinds of social injustice. When Isaiah wrote the people were reaching the point of no return because of their rejection of God and their constant refusal to give up their corrupt religious practices and their oppression of the poor. Thus, in the opening chapter Isaiah tells the people: When you stretch out your hands, I will turn my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers I shall not listen; your hands are full of blood. Learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow (Isaiah, 1:15 and 17). The words of the prophets can be read at a number of levels. They were forthtellers in that they spoke out against injustice and called the people back to God. They were foretellers in that they warned of the judgement and punishment to come if the people continued in their idolatry and their unjust practices. The most famous verse of this nature is to be found in the book of the prophet Amos chapter five:    Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream (Amos 5:23-24). Amos is speaking out against the social injustices of his time and saying that God’s command was for the people to be just and righteous. It was a verse used by Martin Luther King when he spoke out against the racial injustices in America and headed Black people’s struggle for civil rights in the 1960s. Isaiah also spoke out against injustice and makes use of the image of a vineyard where grapes are pressed, the injustices committed against the people, are, in God’s eyes, akin to pressing their faces in the same way that grapes are pressed. Isaiah says in chapter 5: But the Lord of Hosts is exalted by justice, and the holy God shows himself holy by righteiousness (Isaiah, 5:16) In this way the prophets were forthtellers because the word means to speak forth, or speak out against the wrong that people were doing and to tell them that what God required of them was to act justly and in this way they could achieve righteousness. The people had forsaken God’s Holy Law which had been given to them by Moses and the prophets were called by God to draw the people back. When they were not being idolatrous the people were indulging in empty religious ritual. Amos tells the people how displeased God is with their religious ‘nodding’: I hate, I despise your festivals, and I taken no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them (Amos, 5:21-22).   Amos speaks out against the people’s religious practices and tells them it is not religion that God wants from them, but justice. Whenever the prophet speaks forth and tells of God’s displeasure he also later reminds them of God’s loving and forgiving nature. Although the prophets forthtell God’s judgement on an unrepentant people, they also fortell, or speak of God’s future blessings if the people mend their ways. Even though God has spoken to the noble women, calling them the cows of Bashan (Amos, 4:1) he provides a way of escape in chapter five. Seek the Lord and live, or he will break out against the house of Joseph like fire, and it will devour Bethel, with no-one to quench it (Amos, 5:6). This is very similar to the message in the first chapter of Isaiah where God speaks against the people. Isaiah forthtells God’s displeasure but then says that if they seek God and do justice then God will repent himself of the punishment he is calling down. Clines (1990) maintains that the major job of the prophets was to call the people back to obedience. To do this they spoke out against injustice and corrupt or empty religious practice and warned of the judgement of God if they continued living life that way. Amos particularly has often been called the prophet of doom because of his warnings about the destruction of the way of life of the people and yet he also gives a message of hope. The prophets therefore forthtell in that they speak directly to the situation as they believe God has revealed to them, but they also foretell in that they speak of impending judgement if the people do not return to obedience. The prophets felt that God alone directed the course of history, a nd that God would punish the people who did not worship him in the right way. Worship applied to all areas of life, from formal worship to social justice and right relationships. The prophets called the people to repentance. Lemche (1995) maintains that the prophets observe what is going on, that society no longer adhered to the laws underlying the world God created. They then forthtell what is wrong and outline what the consequences will be if they continue. It is not easy to date exactly when or how the prophetic writings were put together, scholars are generally agreed that the book of Amos is the work of one person, either Amos himself or his scribe. The book of Isaiah on the other hand presents more problems, some scholars accept that it is the work of one person, others state that parts of the book describe events that happened long after the prophet’s death and must therefore have been written by a second and even third authors. By and large however these scholars reject the religious belief that God alone directed the course of history and this was perhaps why Isaiah could have been cognisant of future events. Certainly Isaiah lived in turbulent times, Jerusalem was under siege from the Assyrian Sennacherib and Isaiah forthtold God’s wrath over the sins of the people. Assyrian will be the means of God punishing the people, in chapter 10 God speaks of Assyria as: the rod of my anger-the club in their hands is my fury! Against a godless nation I send him and against the people of my wrath I command him to take spoil, and seize plunder, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets   (Isaiah, 10:5-6).   Ã‚  ConclusionThe prophets Amos and Isaiah, forthtold or spoke against the injustices that they saw. They warned the people that if they did not return to the correct form of worship laid out by Moses and reiterated in the book of the prophet Hosea: that knowledge of God was achieved through doing justice and by pleading the cause of the oppressed. The prophets may have foretold some events but what is most important about the prophetic writings is their forthtelling. The prophets spoke out against the social conditions that they observed and the ways in which people dealt with each other. When they dealt unjustly then God did not want their worship because it was empty. Religion only meant something if its effects could be seen in the pursuit of justice and of just dealings with others. The prophets warned the people that God would punish them if they did not heed his call to repent. They did not just foretell doom, God loved the people, he would forgive them if they returned to him, but if they did not then the prophets warned that only a remnant would be saved. It is not easy always to separate where the prophets may be speaking of future events or whether this has been altered when the books were edited. What is clear is that the prophets were forthtellers in that from their observation of the social conditions they spoke forth what they believed was God’s word to the people. Bibliography Clines, D. Fowl, S. and Porter, S eds. 1990 The Bible in Three Dimensions: Essays in Celebration of Forty Years of Biblical Studies in the University of Sheffield Sheffield, Sheffield Academic Press Lemche, N 1995 Ancient Israel: A New History of Israelite Society Sheffield, Sheffield Academic Press Holy Bible 1995 New Revised Standard Version   Michigan, Zondervan Publishing House Whybray, N 1987 The Making of the Pentateuch (JSOT, 53: Sheffield, Sheffield Academic Press) http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12477a.htm

Aborigines :: essays research papers

The Aborigines of Australia can be viewed in three different views. All cultures have the basic three different categories. These three categories form a pyramid. At the bottom of the pyramid is technology. Technology is anything the culture uses to aid themselves. In the middle of the pyramid is social system. The social system refers to the way they organize their society, and which roles everyone plays. At the top of the pyramid is world view. World view is they way the culture sees the world. This include their beliefs on creation and how they relate to the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First I’ll start at the bottom of the pyramid. The Aborigines like everyone else, have and use technology. Some of the types of technology they use include sticks for finding eggs. The men in their society wear loincloths, while the women wear shirts and pants. For fire, they rub two sticks together, and for art canvases they use an axe and cut the bark off of a tree. Although their technology seems primitive to us, it provides them with everything they need.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Next is their social system. In the Aborigine society, men are superior to women. The men are responsible for keeping the sacred traditions of their society alive. However, their population has dwindled so much, that for each different section of their religion, their is only one man who knows all the procedures. For example, only one man in the tribe knows the full laws and regulation that govern how the proper burial procedures go. When this man dies, there will be no one left to bury him, and properly send his soul to heaven.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Last is their world view. They believe that the world was created by other beings that came from the sea and gave life to the world. They also believe that different kinds of animals gave the geography to the land, shaping it after their own characteristics. An example of such, the winding path of the hills were created by the snake, who slithered his way through them. The Aborigines are very strict about following their guidelines according to their world view.

Westye

The first part of the process of selection of an applications software package was to determine what Westye needed. Under this process, they sought to develop criteria for how business solutions companies would address their specific needs. Here, they outlined these through the creation of 160 issues related to Westye’s business processes. The second step included determining the specific small midmarket business solutions that can address Westye’s needs. In here, considerable attention was given by the company towards finding competent providers and was equally reduced to 27 companies who shall then be subjected interview and questioning. The third process that the company took was the selection process. Here, Westye based their choice in the capacity of small midmarket business solutions to address their needs. Given the specific criteria, the company was able to consolidate effective responses coming from Microsoft Business Solutions – Navisione and became the primary choice. The last part involved finding the necessary partner that can help address the issues and problems of Westye. Here, the choice of ICS Advantage revolved around the ability of the company to facilitate better means of integrating a collaborative long term strategy and relationship with Westye. Likewise, the company also sought a committed and driven partners who can fulfill the company’s needs accordingly. Analyzing the specific strategy employed by Westye, it could have improved its selection process if it had tried (1) to set specific standards for choices above the 160 criteria, (2) provided inputs on how the old MAPICS system can be integrated towards the recommended changes, and (3) considering long term strategies and options for employees. Seeing this, the value then of the first input corresponds to the capacity to examine further not only the technical and operational business schemes influencing Westye but also try to integrate it in the way people do business. By setting up these standards, vendors can then align their proposals to meet these realities accordingly. The second part corresponds to allowing Westye proper transition from its old system and incorporating them into the new one. This can help new participants to have a grasp of what the new system is and leverage increased costs in education and training of people. The last part corresponds to outlining how these new strategies impact the workforce in both education and application. By inducing opportunities to include feedback and reaction, it can help facilitate better means of transcending competency and ability to harness effective skills for operation and diversification of tasks by employees within Westye. (2) Analyzing the specific advantages of utilizing a package development, it revolves around (1) revamping the old MAPICS system, (2) effective support mechanism, (3) allows standardization of Westye’s processes and (4) infusing simple means to increase efficiency of production. Here, the first process takes into consideration deriving valuable opportunities for Westeye to address the loopholes and inefficiencies of the old MAPCIS system. By incorporating packaged software, it can veer away from the old system and incorporate new ones that can be synchronized with the companies needs. The second advantage is that technicians can effectively carry out repairs and updates of a packaged system compared to a customized one. Such directions also provides standardization of processes as the new software then incorporates actions by the workforce and takes into account key trends in a more facilitative and effective manner. Lastly, using the tools of a packaged software, it can help Westye align these to infuse efficiency in production and consolidate these with the goals of the company. On the other hand, specific disadvantages of a packaged system revolves around (1) associated costs, (2) lack of innovation, (3) issue of control, and (4) the issue of customization. In the first part, it considers the value of costs related to training employees once again with new processes and how to operate such packaged system. Another hurdle that packaged system can contribute is the lack of innovation wherein companies have the last say in the design and applications included in the design of the software package. The same can be seen with the issue of control. Though ICS provides Westye control over data and inputs, it limits the capacity of businesses to take into consideration establishing a user-interface that is efficient for their use or responsive to their needs. The last one revolves around the process of customization. Here, additional costs can be incurred if new changes and amendments may be undertaken by Westye in expanding its business processes and integrating new means for gathering data necessary for production. Seeing this, the idea of using a Navision package is more suited to the needs of the Westye group. Such analysis revolves around the need to revamp and change the old MAPICS system and consolidate better means of acquiring information in a more effective and efficient manner. By using a packaged solution, the company can cater towards creating better means to address the problem in a faster manner and take advantage of its comparative advantage over its competitors. Similarly, this decision can also align the company’s processes to what is essential to the needs of the company both in its short and long term strategies. (3) Responding to the advantages of Navision compared to ERP, they include (1) filtering inefficient processes, (2) consolidating data effectively, (3) incorporating new technological features, and (4) new structure to cater for the needs of Westye. The value of the first advantage corresponds to taking into consideration changing the loopholes and boundaries within the old MAPICS system and generating better means for analysis and acquisition of data. In the second part, Navision gives better means of consolidating data with its new framework and platform different from that of the old system. Alongside this is the associated new features wherein employees can take advantage of. By using these new technologies, it has developed effective means to cater the needs of Westye in terms of determining inputs and data necessary to transact and establish partnerships with clients. On the other hand, there are also associated disadvantages that Navision has over adding ERP modules which include (1) costs, (2) employee integration and education, (3) adjustments, and (4) value of time. One essential setback by the Navision involves the corresponding costs. Since the overall system shall be revamped, it takes into account changing the business processes. Alongside this are the new means of training personnel and employees of proper procedures and mechanisms necessary. Such then brings about adjustments and puts into the table the question of time in achieving specific goals and objectives. These then create necessary implications for the company especially in the short term as it may affect the overall productivity of the company during these times of adjustment and changes. Though there are indeed associated setbacks with the application of the Navision package, it can be seen that it has consolidated better means for Westye to expand and develop its business processes. By utilizing specific strategies related to determining loopholes in the previous system, it was able to create a new framework that supports the interests and goals of Westye. At the same time, by infusing these directions, the company can then legitimize its opportunities to create competitive advantage and standardize the dynamics related to finding the means to diversify business processes and generate increased productivity. (4) Analyzing the advantages of the customization scheme created by Navsion, they correspond to (1) wider company control, (2) taking into consideration competitive advantage, (3) access to real time data, and (4) consolidating to the needs of employees. In the first one, it caters to the formalization of how employees control the system. The customization process furthered this by giving opportunities for personnel to make important decisions concerning specific business processes. Such dynamic then provided the ability to establish competitive advantage as it opened up means to establish efficiency in decision making and harness the skills in responding to such. Alongside this direction, Westye was also able to provide effective access to trends and data necessary. Since they are heavily reliant in these, the customization process help employees fulfill their roles without having to sort and tabulate trends, hence easier transmission of data to clients. On the other hand, there are also associated negative reactions to such customization. These revolve around (1) re-training of employees, (2) hampering of production, (3) difficulty in establishing technical support, and (4) complexity in administering changes. In here, the customization process hampers employee’s responsibilities because they are given new training about the system and what they do. Such actions then hamper time and capacity to work at their optimal level and in turn hamper production. Another setback is that it creates difficulty in pointing out problems particularly if these processes remain intertwined and correlated with one another. The same can be seen with the application of changes within the system. Since it is designed to fit Westye’s needs, Navision may find it difficult to correlate including new features as it may need to be synchronized with other related processes. 5) Analyzing the point established by the case that Westye’s system provides ‘real-time data access’, it can be argued that it is the same with the term ‘online input’ plus ‘online processing’. Here the idea of real time corresponds to the actual input of data provided by a specific program or software wherein it analyzes specific trends and issues inputted by the user. Seeing this, such process then corresponds to ‘online input ’ plus ‘online processing’ for it utilizes specific measures in generating effective patterns of analysis and justifying its scope and value to whatever purpose it may seek to serve. Seeing this, the company indeed has ‘online input’ plus ‘online processing’. This can be seen in the manner of how the company adheres to its business processes. In here, the derivation and analysis of information remains crucial for the company to remain competitive. That is why it needs up-to-date information to give its clients so as to harness effective means in making crucial business decisions and Westye provides such information to them.

Banning Smoking in Pubic Places Speech Essay

Have you ever come home with the stench of smoke just protruding from your clothes? Have you ever coughed and choked as you inhaled a cloud of smoke as a group of immature smokers passed by? If you have, then you would agree that neither one of these experiences is very pleasant, and could have been avoided if smoking was banned in public places. Everyone knows that smoking is not the healthiest activity for your body. The inhaled fumes go directly to the smoker’s lungs and can result in a number of terminal illnesses in the long run. There’s no doubt that your body would appreciate it if you would just set that lighter down. However, one thing that everyone forgets, or chooses to ignore, is that second hand smoking is just as harmful. Second hand smoking comes in two forms, which are sidestream smoke and mainstream smoke. Sidestream smoke is the smoke that comes from the lightened end of a cigarette, pipe, cigar, or whatever the case may be. Mainstream smoke is the smoke exhaled by the smoker. When non-smokers inhale these fumes, they are being exposed to involuntary smoking, or passive smoking. These chemicals are also extremely unhealthy for your body, especially as they accumulate in your system the more you breath them in. Here’s something you may not know. According to the American Cancer Society, tobacco smoke itself contains more than 7,000 chemical compounds. More than 250 of these chemicals are known to be harmful and at least 69 are known to cause cancer. Just keep that in mind the next time you sit next to your buddy while he/she smokes away. But before you do, let me throw some more facts at you. Second hand smoking has been linked to lung cancer, and there is also some evidence that it might be linked to lymphoma, leukemia, and brain tumors in children, as well as cancers of the larynx (vocal box), pharynx (throat), nasal sinuses, brain, bladder, rectum, stomach, and even breasts. These side effects are very dangerous and very real. For example,  I’m sure all of you have come across heavy smokers, including women, who have developed rough, raspy voices. Yeah, that’s not normal. That happens because their vocal cords have been damaged by all of the smoke they have inhaled. But not only is second hand smoking negatively affecting the generations of today, but also the generations of tomorrow. This is because of the fact that pregnant women exposed to second hand smoking are proven to often have difficulties with the birth and health of their child. Birth weight is the most important determinant for the survival, health, growth, and development of an infant. Low birth weight is linked to fetal and neonatal and cognitive development, and risk of chronic diseases in later life. Smoke is considered a dangerous risk factor for low birth weight in newborn infants. In a study done in Malaysia, a total of 420 pregnant women were tested, 209 exposed to second hand smoking, 411 non-exposed. The experiment concluded in the fact that not only was there a significant reduction in birth weight because of second hand smoking (12.9 grams for each unit of cigarette), but more exposed women had premature deliveries. In another study done, researchers found that exposure to second hand smoke increased a non-smoking pregnant woman’s chance of having a stillborn baby by 23 percent and increased the risk of delivering a baby with birth defects by 13 percent. In some cases, pregnancies may result in SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), which is the sudden, unexpected death of an infant within its first year of life. As you can see, smoking is not just a personal choice or bad habit, it is something that affects everyone, and encompasses the well being of people other than the smoker. You do not have to have the cigarette in your mouth to suffer from its deadly consequences. So not only do the smokers tear themselves down, but they also drag along with them other adults, kids, and even babies that are yet to be born. It is with much urgency that I say that smoking must be banned in public places.

Royal Order of Adverbs

Royal Order of Adverbs Royal Order of Adverbs Royal Order of Adverbs By Jacquelyn Landis Recently, I wrote about the Royal Order of Adjectives. Not surprisingly, there’s also a Royal Order of Adverbs. When you write a sentence that has more than one adverb, there is a loose order in which you should arrange them: Manner Place Frequency Time Purpose In a sentence with five (yikes!) such adverbs, it would go like this: Harrison runs dutifully (manner) around the track (place) every morning (frequency) before breakfast (time) to prepare for the marathon (purpose). Adverbs, however, have much more flexibility than adjectives, and you could easily move one or more to the beginning of the sentence: To prepare for the marathon, Harrison runs dutifully around the track every morning before breakfast. or Every morning before breakfast, Harrison runs dutifully around the track to prepare for the marathon. Normally, such a lengthy string of adverbs would be unusual. Furthermore, the order for adverbs is far more fluid than the order for adjectives. So although this is a reliable guideline, you’re free to choose the order that best emphasizes what you think is important in your sentence. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:12 Signs and Symbols You Should KnowList of Greek Words in the English Language15 Names and Descriptions of Effects

Should the words essays

Should the words essays They should absolutely not take the great about living in this country, have a problem with the pledge then real problem lies within yourselves ...

Roth v. United States Supreme Court Decision

Roth v. United States Supreme Court Decision What is obscenity? This was the question put before the Supreme Court in the case of Roth v. United States in 1957. Its an important decision because if the government can ban something as obscene, then that material falls outside the protection of the First Amendment.   Those who wish to distribute such obscene material will have little  if any, recourse against censorship. Even worse, allegations of obscenity stem almost entirely from religious foundations. This essentially means that religious objections to a specific material can remove basic constitutional protections from that material. Fast Facts: Roth v. United States Case Argued: April 22, 1957Decision Issued:  June 24, 1957Petitioner: Samuel RothRespondent: United StatesKey Question: Did federal or California state obscenity statutes prohibiting the sale or transfer of obscene materials through the mail impinge on freedom of expression as guaranteed by the First Amendment?Majority Decision: Justices Warren, Frankfurter, Burton, Clark, Brennan, and WhittakerDissenting: Justices Black, Douglas, and HarlanRuling: The court ruled that obscenity (as defined by whether an average person, applying contemporary community standards, the dominant theme of the material taken as a whole appeal to prurient interest) was not constitutionally protected speech or press. What Lead to Roth v. United States? When it reached the Supreme Court, this was actually two combined cases: Roth v. United States and Alberts v. California. Samuel Roth (1893-1974) published and sold books, photographs, and magazines in New York, using circulars and advertising matter to solicit sales. He was convicted of mailing obscene circulars and advertising as well as an obscene book in violation of the federal obscenity statute: Every obscene, lewd, lascivious, or filthy book, pamphlet, picture, paper, letter, writing, print, or other publication of an indecent character... is declared to be nonmailable matter... Whoever knowingly deposits for mailing or delivery, anything declared by this section to be nonmailable, or knowingly takes the same from the mails for the purpose of circulating or disposing thereof, or of aiding in the circulation or disposition thereof, shall be fined not more than $5,000 or imprisoned not more than five years, or both. David Alberts ran a mail-order business from Los Angeles. He was convicted under a misdemeanor complaint which charged him with lewdly keeping for sale obscene and indecent books. This charge included writing, composing, and publishing an obscene advertisement of them, in violation of the California Penal Code: Every person who wilfully and lewdly... writes, composes, stereotypes, prints, publishes, sells, distributes, keeps for sale, or exhibits any obscene or indecent writing, paper, or book; or designs, copies, draws, engraves, paints, or otherwise prepares any obscene or indecent picture or print; or molds, cuts, casts, or otherwise makes any obscene or indecent figure... is guilty of a misdemeanor... In both cases, the constitutionality of a criminal obscenity statute was challenged. In Roth, the constitutional question was whether the federal obscenity statute violated the provision of the First Amendment that Congress shall make no law ...abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press ...In Alberts, the constitutional question was whether the obscenity provisions of the California Penal Code invaded the freedoms of speech and press incorporated by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Courts Decision Voting 5 to 4, the Supreme Court decided that obscene material has no protection under the First Amendment. The decision was based on the premise that freedom of expression does not provide absolute protection for every possible utterance of any sort: All ideas having even the slightest redeeming social importance - unorthodox ideas, controversial ideas, even ideas hateful to the prevailing climate of opinion - have the full protection of the guaranties, unless excludable because they encroach upon the limited area of more important interests. But implicit in the history of the First Amendment is the rejection of obscenity as utterly without redeeming social importance. But who decides what is and is not obscene, and how? Who gets to decide what does and does not have redeeming social importance? On what standard is that based on?   Justice Brennan, writing for the majority, suggested a standard for determining what would and would not be obscene: However, sex and obscenity are not synonymous. Obscene material is material which deals with sex in a manner appealing to prurient interest. The portrayal of sex, e. g., in art, literature and scientific works, is not itself sufficient reason to deny material the constitutional protection of freedom of speech and press. ...It is therefore vital that the standards for judging obscenity safeguard the protection of freedom of speech and press for material which does not treat sex in a manner appealing to prurient interest. So, there is no redeeming social importance to any appeal to prurient interests? Prurient is defined as excessive  interest in sexual matters.  This lack of social importance associated with sex is a traditionalist religious and Christian perspective. There are no legitimate secular arguments for such an absolute division.   The early leading standard of obscenity allowed material to be judged merely by the effect of an isolated excerpt upon particularly susceptible persons. Some American courts adopted this standard but later decisions have rejected it. These later courts substituted this test: whether to the average person, applying contemporary community standards, the dominant theme of the material taken as a whole appeal to prurient interest. Since the lower courts in these cases applied the test of whether or not the material appealed to prurient interests, the judgments were affirmed. The Significance of the Decision This decision specifically rejected the test developed in the British case, Regina v. Hicklin. In that case, obscenity is judged by whether or not the tendency of the matter charged as obscenity is to deprave and corrupt those whose minds are open to such immoral influences, and into whose hands a publication of this sort may fall. In contrast, Roth v. United States  based the judgment on community standards rather than the most susceptible. In a community of very conservative Christians, a person could be charged with obscenity for expressing ideas that would be regarded as trivial in another community. Thus, a person might legally sell explicit homosexual material in the city, but be charged with obscenity in a small town. Conservative Christians could argue that the material has no redeeming social value. At the same time, closeted gays could argue the opposite because it helps them imagine what life might be like without homophobic oppression. While these matters were decided over 50 years ago and times certainly have changed, this precedent could still affect current obscenity cases.

Voltaire and the Spread of Knowledge during the Enlightenment. The Essay

Voltaire and the Spread of Knowledge during the Enlightenment. The French Revolution - Essay Example The human being could look at nature and rather than only seeing God, see how things in nature worked through discovery. This shift is significant as up until this period people had been defined by looking at the world and determining God and His intentions towards human beings rather than looking at it and seeing how human kind could understand how nature worked. This shift in cultural belief systems provided for the development of science and philosophy as a primary means of understanding nature over myth. One of the contributing factors to the development of the Enlightenment philosophies was the emergence of cafe’s. According to Noble et al the development of the cultural establishment known as the cafe was to the 18th century what the internet is to modern 21st century information exchange. Profound changes in thinking in relationship to rationality were exchanged between those who attended the cafe houses in order to discuss politics and associated social topics (507). F rancois-Marie Arouet, or Voltaire as he was known, was one of the more well known writers of the Enlightenment who frequented cafe’s. According to Weinberg and Bealer, Voltaire was known to have a caffeine addiction and be an avid coffee drinker who frequented cafe’s and engaged in meaningful discussions about academics and philosophy (43). Voltaire’s contributions to philosophy were numerous, but one of his greatest contributions was in spreading the work of Isaac Newton. Simosan writes about Voltaire as his writing was influential in bringing the knowledge of mathematics into the public sphere. His fascination with the work of Sir Isaac Newton also included a fascination for mathematics and Voltaire was responsible for translating Newton’s Principia into French from its original Latin. In translating the work into a vernacular, Voltaire had put into practice the idea that knowledge should be accessible. One of his novels used the backdrop of Newton†™s discoveries in science as a way in which to combine mathematics and fiction. The book Micromegas is a work of science fiction in which an expedition is led to Lapland in order to â€Å"measure the length of a degree of arc along a line of latitude† in order to explore the theory that the Earth flattened at the poles and bulged at the equator as had been suggested by Newton. Although the work included aliens that came and encountered the scientists, this also contributed to the public knowledge about mathematics (Simosan and Voltare 2). The influence of Voltaire in spreading the knowledge of higher level thinkers such as Newton changed an element of the nature of knowledge. Voltaire influenced his immediate society in the short term by contributing to the shifting thought and in the long term by recording and spreading knowledge as a public commodity. Newton wrote in Latin which was considered an academic language, but Voltaire took that knowledge and translated it for th e common reader. Education had not advanced to the point that literacy was high, but in translating an academic book into a vernacular language Voltaire changed the influence that Newton could have over culture. Newton’s work was not the only way in which he expanded theory about social life and knowledge. He also engaged his own nation, France, with the progressive ideas that were part of the political and economic system in Britain (Noble 507). Voltaire was influenced by his experiences in travel, especially during his exile into Britain. Just as the cafe’s had allowed for the exchange of knowledge, Voltaire’s travel allowed him to expand his ideas about society and its traditions. Voltaire believed British society to be more rational than his own country of

Haitian Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Haitian Culture - Essay Example This paper approves that the general findings with regard to Haitian family structure is that evolving from extended families that shared resources, work and which functioned as support units, the modern Haitian family is more nuclear in orientation, with the traditional extended families giving way to modern structures found in the west. In terms of education and language, as well as religion and health, Haiti’s problems relate to the use of Creole and French in classroom instruction, problems with inclusion and the use of Creole in intellectual discourse, the poor health prognoses of Haitians in general, and the role that language plays in stratifying and keeping class boundaries in place. This report makes a conclusion that education issues in Haiti are often linked back to language and to Creole in particular, and the role of language in education, with language policies being plagued by a lack of consistency historically. That inconsistency had negative impacts on Haiti education policy and outcomes. French was primary, and for a long time until the 1970’s the status of Creole was uncertain. Creole was eventually integrated as a primary language of instruction after that, but progress remained mixed, with issues remaining relating to spelling, and the use of Creole for primary school education as an elementary school instruction language. The bone of contention was with regard to the continued use of French to bolster the prospects of both the poor and rich families’ children and their economic prospects in life, with Creole being seen as detrimental to such prospects, when used solely as the language of instruction in place of French.

Dyadic partner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Dyadic partner - Essay Example When he is confused, he would also tug at his hair. He wears bright colored shirts like red, blue or green, when he is happy. But when he is excited about something and wants to share it with others, he sits upright and looks at other person’s eye. The body language of my partner is therefore vital means of communicating his mood. Whenever he comes in bright tee-shirt, I am much relaxed because I know that when he is happy, he works better with higher productive outcome! When I see him sitting upright on his chair, I know that he has some good news. But my worries are heightened when I see him tugging at his hair or find him looking away rather than talking to me. As I know that these behavior indicate his discomfort with the issue or his doubts which he is wary of sharing. At these times, I pick up the topic or issue that he is passionate about. When he gets involved and comfortable, I broach the subject of which he is wary about. This way, I am able to know his problem and resolve it so that he can focus on his

DD121 TMA04 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

DD121 TMA04 - Essay Example Surveillance is a form of control and therefore a closed circuit form of the exercise of institutional power. Power works in a hidden way and ‘provokes’ people to behave â€Å"in ways that make it difficult for them to do otherwise† (Hughes, 2004: 34). However, Foucault explains how we â€Å"take it upon ourselves† (ibid) to control our own behaviour. Furthmore, he observes that even though â€Å"we are free to act in all kinds of ways, we choose to constrain our behaviour† (ibid). So, â€Å"there is no overarching power which brings us into line† (ibid). Instead, we choose ourselves to constrain our own behaviour. People behave within this ‘framework of choices’. This perspective makes power a positive thing and this is the understanding behind how power works, termed ‘the powers of provocation’. For example, in a ‘provocative’ advertising campaign people are informed but have the ultimate power of choice. A political ideology has these characteristics: It is â€Å"a cluster of ideas that both describe societies, propose moral and practical alternatives, and are aligned with political movements† (Hughes, 2004: 46). Examples are conservatism and feminism. In conservatism the basic desire is to conserve. For example, it upholds a traditional view of the family, in which both parents have defined roles and moral responsibilities, the family serves to protect children, and above all that this is the natural â€Å"god-given way of ordering our lives† (Hughes, 2004: 60). Such ideas about social structures and institutions, about what they are and how they ought to be, promoted by exercising power are political ideologies. Thus, the concept of different political ideologies arises from different social values, and ideas for ordering power. Most people live in families but this institution is changing dramatically in response to increasing

Anthropology Questiuons Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Anthropology Questiuons - Assignment Example The people of Tiv show frustrations because they believe that they know the meaning of the story better than Bohannan. The differences in understanding of Hamlet are brought about by the fact that the locals do not understand things such as ghosts. These people also believe that water is a good thing and thus they do not believe that someone can drown in the same water. The central points within Hamlet seem to be meaningless in Tiv because the audience have different meanings and understanding of the story. The customs of the Tiv makes them find it alright that Claudius should marry the wife of his brother. From her experience in Africa, Bohannan comes to learn that different cultures understand things differently and as a result there are no values which can be considered to be universal. Womb as Oasis is a story which is based on an ethnographic research which was conducted in Hofriyat which is a village in Sudan. The author went to do the research while aware that females within t he village were taken through genital mutilation rituals but what she witnessed during her visit was way far from expectations. The researcher considered the ritual and the custom of female genital mutilation within this village to be meaningless. As days went by, the perception of the researcher for the female genital mutilation began to change as its significance began to be understood and thus its appreciation. The people within the Hofriyat practice Muslim religion and culture and are presented as having strict beliefs. The people of the village organize themselves into groups but few of them are corporate. Endogamy is practiced in the village with people marrying a close kin and preferring marrying people who did not live far away (Boddy 13). The story presents arguments which help the reader to understand the reason why the Hofriyat people persist on keeping their Pharaonic circumcision culture. Regardless of the pressure that the villagers get for the eradication of the custo m of female genital mutilation, the reasons why they keep it is described to enhance the understanding of the audience. The Pharaonic circumcision within this village is described as being related to the value of â€Å"enclosedness† which the customs and beliefs of the villagers stress within their cultural idioms. The assertion of the paper argues that the Pharaonic circumcision is meaningful for those who go through it because it de-emphasizes the concept of female sexuality while putting emphasis on fertility (Boddy 24). Question 3 The issue of space in the Nationalist Rhetoric of the Hellenic is described within ideological convergences on the politicizing cultural, educational and symbolic structures. The emphasis however lies in the need for cultural protectionism within Greece (Kaldellis 220). The National Rhetoric tries to explain the evolution of Greece and the mixed ideologies which result into disputes with Macedonia. The dispute that occurred between Greece and th e new republic of Macedonia caused challenges in international relationships. The Usage of the name

Three questions on sexual harassement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Three questions on sexual harassement - Essay Example For her statement would indirectly convey that she did not face serious sexual harassment, and thus she might not file a complaint if the related investigator finds such scenario. As per the The Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA), it is clearly mentioned that different pay to men and women working under similar situation and possessing similar qualification falls under sexual harassment. Because here it is proved that the only reason for such discrimination is made on the basis of different gender (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, n.d.). But if it is proved that the salary has been differentiated based on qualification, then Jolene Carter shall not get a positive result from her complaint. On the same context, if it is found that there were no other reasons strong enough for such difference, it shall be accepted that her allegation can be considered as true. US Department of Transportation, (2001). Preventing Sexual Harassment. A Fact Sheet for Employees. Retrieved Online on October 25, 2010 from http://www.dotcr.ost.dot.gov/Documents/complaint/Preventing_Sexual_Harassment.htm U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, No Date. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Laws, Regulations, Guidance & MOUs. Retrieved Online on October 25, 2010 from

Anthropology Questiuons Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Anthropology Questiuons - Assignment Example The people of Tiv show frustrations because they believe that they know the meaning of the story better than Bohannan. The differences in understanding of Hamlet are brought about by the fact that the locals do not understand things such as ghosts. These people also believe that water is a good thing and thus they do not believe that someone can drown in the same water. The central points within Hamlet seem to be meaningless in Tiv because the audience have different meanings and understanding of the story. The customs of the Tiv makes them find it alright that Claudius should marry the wife of his brother. From her experience in Africa, Bohannan comes to learn that different cultures understand things differently and as a result there are no values which can be considered to be universal. Womb as Oasis is a story which is based on an ethnographic research which was conducted in Hofriyat which is a village in Sudan. The author went to do the research while aware that females within t he village were taken through genital mutilation rituals but what she witnessed during her visit was way far from expectations. The researcher considered the ritual and the custom of female genital mutilation within this village to be meaningless. As days went by, the perception of the researcher for the female genital mutilation began to change as its significance began to be understood and thus its appreciation. The people within the Hofriyat practice Muslim religion and culture and are presented as having strict beliefs. The people of the village organize themselves into groups but few of them are corporate. Endogamy is practiced in the village with people marrying a close kin and preferring marrying people who did not live far away (Boddy 13). The story presents arguments which help the reader to understand the reason why the Hofriyat people persist on keeping their Pharaonic circumcision culture. Regardless of the pressure that the villagers get for the eradication of the custo m of female genital mutilation, the reasons why they keep it is described to enhance the understanding of the audience. The Pharaonic circumcision within this village is described as being related to the value of â€Å"enclosedness† which the customs and beliefs of the villagers stress within their cultural idioms. The assertion of the paper argues that the Pharaonic circumcision is meaningful for those who go through it because it de-emphasizes the concept of female sexuality while putting emphasis on fertility (Boddy 24). Question 3 The issue of space in the Nationalist Rhetoric of the Hellenic is described within ideological convergences on the politicizing cultural, educational and symbolic structures. The emphasis however lies in the need for cultural protectionism within Greece (Kaldellis 220). The National Rhetoric tries to explain the evolution of Greece and the mixed ideologies which result into disputes with Macedonia. The dispute that occurred between Greece and th e new republic of Macedonia caused challenges in international relationships. The Usage of the name

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) - Essay Example It is achieved when a company is able to provide similar benefits as their competitors but at a lesser cost, or deliver benefits that are better than those of the competing products. The two types of competitive advantage therefore are cost advantage, which offers lower cost and differentiation advantage, which offers better benefits. Competitive advantage helps the company gain higher profits and aids it in creating superior or excellent value for its customers. Companies offer products to customers with the aim of continuous and growing patronage and positive feedback directed to possible customers. They aspire to maintain a solid customer base while aiming to increase that number by active marketing and selling of the products. Products may be classified into different kinds. Products may be physical objects or tangible goods, people, services, ideas or concepts, places, organizations and activities. All these material and non-material products are offered by the companies to their existing and prospective customers with the promise that the customers will benefit from their products in greater ways than if they support the competition. In order for the companies to offer the appropriate products to specific customers, they have to first identify the needs and wants of the customers. No two customers are exactly alike in their preferences. Each person differs from another. Focusing on the individual needs and wants of a multitude of customers is not feasible and practical fro companies. The cost will be too much to handle. The strategy used is to segment or group customers into clusters. Members of clusters share common characteristics which may be concluded as leaning towards a support, need or want of specific products. This way companies may determine the approaches they need to apply for specific customer groups or clusters. Aside from the actual selling techniques of companies, marketing strategies propel organizations to higher profits and bigger market share. According to the American Marketing Association, "Marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders" (AMA Adopts New Definition of Marketing). Marketing revolves around the theory that customers use a product or a service because they have a need or a want for it or the product offers a perceived benefit. Thus, determining the actual needs of customers is the very basic strategy for marketing. Markets today are very competitive in that the players more often than not have products of the same quality and similar sales and marketing strategies. This homogenous quality of markets makes it difficult for customers to choose a preferred company and establish loyalty with that company. Since the kinds and qualities of products are similar, prices of goods and services are often at the same level. Same levels of pricing do not give the companies cost advantage, so they resort to gaining differentiation advantage. They gain differentiation advantage by the provision of excellent customer service which translates to customer loyalty and creation of customer value. Customer Relationship Management is a vital element in the provision of

Importance of Social Responsibility Disclosure

Importance of Social Responsibility Disclosure 1.0 Introduction Though some of the country around the world is rich in resources, but there are still have a possibility that ran out of the resources. Beside that, there are also a large number of countries around the earth that lack of resources. Because of this, as a people living in this earth, we should protect the resources from exhaust. We should not be so selfish and should cherish the resources, so that other people could also enjoy use of the resource. As a big community, we should not think ourselves interest only, we should also think for others. Think that everyone can has a chance to use the resources and also how to value the resources so that others have a chance to use it. We can start doing social responsibility to ensure that the limited resources are not run to waste. As an opening of this introduction, we begin by defining social responsibility. Social responsibility can be defined as a theory from the perspective or ideological whereby a specific entity, being the person, organization, government, corporation, non-profit organization and etc., has a responsibility to make good decision and take sustainable action that will develop benefit of the society and enhance the welfare and interests of the public. In another meaning, we also can define social responsibility as whatever a specific entity done, the intention is to improve the welfare or the interest of the society. Although it is not mandatory for the entity to accomplish social responsibility, but the entity should also has some conscience. In addition to protect their own benefit, the entity should also concern the society’s welfare and interests. In the beginning of the introduction, we have defining the social responsibility. Now we will look on what is corporate social responsibility. Corporate social responsibility is the social responsibility that implements by an organization. Corporate social responsibility is about how a company using their own knowledge intelligently to earn profit for the company beside that still can protect the interest of society. They are not only being concerned with their own benefit, but they also concern with the interest and welfare of the society. Corporate social responsibility also gives a picture of how a company supervises their business processes to generate an overall positive impact to public. The initiation of corporate social responsibility involves several issues that related to company’s concern behavior in its social atmosphere except the company’s economic sphere which the company traditionally associates with. To implement corporate social responsibility, the organization must take in mind of the society welfare in beside to fulfill its own benefit in doing the business. The organization should not be self-interested in consider that the interest of the organization is their main objective. They should not think that increase stock price and short-run profit is the most important thing to the company. Service the society also an important objective and it is as important as the profit of the company. The company also should concern with the society ethically other than earning profit and increase stock price. The company’s stakeholders are not only the shareholders and investors, but also include the employees, customers, government, communities, suppliers, and special-interest group. So the company should also concern other stakeholder’s interest and what they are desired for. Commonly, the company using their own policy as a built-in, self-legalize instrument which incorporate into their business model to monitor the business processes and activities, so that their business obedience to the law and regulation, ethical standard, and international norms. It also ensures that the company not only pays attention to their profit and stock price but also the interest and welfare of the society. Implement social responsibility not only bring benefit to the society, but also give benefit to the company. Because implement social responsibility can add value for the positive image of the company. Public listed companies in Malaysia nowadays are required by Bursa Malaysia to disclose their social responsibility in their annual report. They can built their own corporate social responsibility report or refer to Bursa Malaysia’s corporate social responsibility framework. The report is not mandatory to follow, it is just a reference. When operate in businesses, there are several main areas that firms should concern and responsible for. It is because the businesses will give some impact on these main areas. According to Vinsign website, there are six main areas of social responsibility, which is community and environment, the employees, governments, consumers, providers of finance and other organizations or groups. For example, the firm should concern about environmental issue, such as rainforests disappearing and they can take action by reducing using paper or do not waste any paper when doing businesses or help the government to plant more trees. For employees’ issues, they should treat every employee fairly and should concern about their safety during work, welfare, training and development. Corporate social responsibility disclosure discloses information on what the firms have done for the sake of the community. It also shows the disclosure of firms’ action on what they have been contribute to the welfare of the society and what they will do in the future for the welfare and interest of the society. Usually the disclosure is disclosed in a social responsibility report and publishes in company’s website or annual report of public listed companies. For public listed company in Malaysia, Bursa Malaysia has ruled them to disclose their social responsibility disclosure in their annual report. It is mandatory for them to disclose in annual report recently and most of them comply with the rule to create a good image to the society and government. Corporate social responsibility disclosure is very important to company’s stakeholder. The stakeholders of the company always take note to the disclosure because the disclosure shows what the company plan to do and have done for the welfare of the society. A recently report shows that most of the investors are invest in firms that have involve greatly in social responsibility. With actively involve in the activities of social responsibility, the company can increase their positive image emerge to the society. It can bring advantage to the companies with having increasing number of investors invest in the company and attract more supplier cooperates with them. Some companies disclose their social responsibility voluntarily. According to â€Å"Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure in Malaysia† written by several author, companies are disclosing their social information for various reasons. The reasons can be classified into three broad categories, which is pressure from the government and market, enhancing corporate image, and top management awareness. Companies also disclosing their social information because of they think that they should informing the public what they have done for the public and will done for the sake of the public. Before companies release the social responsibility disclosure in their report, they have to think about the question of how much information should they publish in the report, how much information are enough to the viewer of the report and which information are useful to the viewer of the report. It is very important for the companies to think about the questions because the interest groups are based on the information to make certain important decision making. Different groups of stakeholder look for different type of social responsibility information. For example, employees and future employees of a company are more concerned with human resource issues in the social responsibility report. The public and government are more concerned on philanthropic issues in the report. The quantities of the information are not regarded as important, qualities of the information disclosed by companies are more think greatly of to the stakeholders. In spite of quantities of the information disclosed, useless information disclose to stakeholder will not help them in certain decision making. According to â€Å"Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure in Malaysia† written by several author, companies in Malaysia are more concern in human resources issues. Useless or unclear social responsibility information will lead to some problems, such as damage companies’ image, penalties from government and dissatisfied of stakeholders. When this situation happens, the company may lose their intellectual capital and most of the investor decides not to invest in the company since the company cannot fulfill their expectation for the information from the report. Large firm in this research mainly refer to public companies listed in Bursa Malaysia. Bursa Malaysia has built a corporate social responsibility framework for the public company as reference which has mentioned earlier in this research. According to Bursa Malaysia website, it mainly focuses on four main areas, which is environment, community, marketplace, and workplace. Bursa Malaysia encourages public listed companies to involve in corporate social responsibility and disclose it in annual report. Why public listed company been encourages to involve in corporate social responsibility? According to Bursa Malaysia, they believe that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is key to sustainability. Bursa Malaysia say that â€Å"sustainability is a process and it is a business approach used to create long term value by seizing the opportunities and managing risks that emerge from the economic, environmental and social developments†. For example, by protecting the environment, it can help in conserve the natural scarce resources from being destroy or no need to confront with the situation of some resources become extinct. This can help the company to use the natural resources everlasting and the next generation also can enjoy it. Social responsibility involvement are very important to the public listed company and also others small and medium company in Malaysia. It is because social responsibility involvement can help increase competitive advantage of the company compare to others company in same sector. Involve in social responsibility activities can also improve the relationship between the company and the society. Other than become distinctive compare to other company and enhance the relationship with the society, social responsibility activities also can increase public image of the company, increase the stock price of the company, and can help to solve problems that the community faces. Involving in social responsibility activities bring a lot of advantages to company but still many companies are not willing to involve in social responsibility activities and disclose it. It is mainly because most of the companies think that social responsibility is not so important to them, profit of the company are their priority. Unfamiliar with what information to disclose are also one of the reason they rarely involve in social responsibility activities. Most of the companies are not sure which information is important to stakeholders although the company involves in social responsibility activities. 1.1 Problem Statement The problem in corporate social responsibility is that not every public listed company in Malaysia is sincere in voluntary involves in social responsibility. As a large company which listed on Bursa Malaysia, the company is required by Bursa Malaysia to disclose corporate social responsibility in their annual report in recently year. Some of the small company even didn’t implement social responsibility because of the company thinks it is not their obligation to implement it and for small firm, social responsibility disclosure are not mandatory. They are not aware of the advantages that the social responsibility brings to them and importance of the social responsibility information to the society. Some of the company didn’t disclose social responsibility because of they not sure what to disclose and how much information should disclose. Even though some companies have made the respective disclosure, the information they disclose may be irrelevant and as the result it is not useful to the stakeholders. 1.2 Objective The objective of this research is to find out the important of the social responsibility and social responsibility disclosure to different sector among public listed companies. This can understand through the involvement of the public listed company in the social responsibility and their key disclosure areas. The study aims to study how different of industries disclose their social responsibility activities and further to evaluate their awareness to the social responsibility. It also aims to study how willing are the public listed company disclose their social responsibility activities to the society without conceal anything from the society. The higher the willingness that company discloses their social responsibility information, the more the information that company will disclose. Not merely disclose what the company plan to do in the future, but also what the company have done that achieve from previous year social responsibility activities planning. Another objective is to find out the relationship between size of firm and the extent of corporate social responsibility practices. This study is to see whether it is the truth that the larger the firm is, the greater the involvement of the firm in the social responsibility. Whether it is only large firm will involve in social responsibility and disclose it out to the stakeholders or not. 1.3 Contribution The contribution of this research is to increase the number of companies and the willingness of companies to participate in social responsibility practices. From this research, the company will find out the importance of involvement in social responsibility activities and advantages that social responsibility activities bring to them. So that, the public listed company is more wiling to involve in social responsibility activities and disclose the information to its stakeholder. Beside that, the public also can see how corporate social responsibility will improve their living and enhance their welfare and interest. The community will more appreciate what the company has done for them and then will have more and more investor wiling to invest in the company. 1.4 Conclusion In conclusion, corporate social responsibility is about how you should as a corporation. Although, corporate social responsibility in nowadays is still not much concern by the public listed company, but in the future they will identify the importance of social responsibility. From this awareness, the company is more willing to involve in social responsibility activities and disclose the information to the society. From the advantage that the community receives from the social responsibility, they will become more concern with the issue of the social responsibility. Thus, the community acts as a watchdog to concentrate on what the public listed company plan to do and what they have done for the welfare of the society. The company views the community as an important stakeholder, so the company is more willing to improve the community’s living. Community can survive without business but business cannot exist without community. Chapter 2 Background of Study Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) was established on 1 March 1993 under the Securities Commission Act 1993, the Securities Commission is a self-funding statutory body with investigative and enforcement powers. It reports to the Minister of Finance and its accounts are tabled in Parliament annually. The SCs many regulatory functions include: Supervising exchanges, clearing houses and central depositories; Registering authority for prospectuses of corporations other than unlisted recreational clubs; Approving authority for corporate bond issues; Regulating all matters relating to securities and futures contracts; Regulating the take-over and mergers of companies Regulating all matters relating to unit trust schemes; Licensing and supervising all licensed persons; Encouraging self-regulation; and Ensuring proper conduct of market institutions and licensed persons. Underpinning all these functions is the SCs ultimate responsibility of protecting the investor. Apart from discharging its regulatory functions, the SC is also obliged by statute to encourage and promote the development of the securities and futures markets in Malaysia. Bursa Malaysia is an exchange holding company approved under Section 15 of the Capital Markets and Services Act 2007, which is regulate by Securities Commission Malaysia. It operates a fully-integrated exchange, offering the complete range of exchange-related services including trading, clearing, settlement and depository services. Bursa Malaysia today is one of the largest bourses in Asia with just under 1,000 listed companies offering a wide range of investment choices to the world. Companies are either listed on Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad Main Market or ACE Market. In assisting the development of the Malaysian capital market and enhancing global competitiveness, Bursa Malaysia is committed to maintaining an efficient, secure and active trading market for local and global investors. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a central management concern at Bursa Malaysia. For Bursa Malaysia, CSR means integrating open and transparent business practices into our business operations which are based on ethical values and respect for employees, communities and the environment. The way they do business is designed to deliver sustainable value to the society at large and to all stakeholders, including their shareholders. On 5 September 2006, Bursa Malaysia launched a CSR Framework as a guide for Public Listed Companiess in implementing and reporting on CSR. The Bursa Malaysia CSR Framework looks at four main focal areas for CSR practise – the Environment, the Workplace, the Community and the Marketplace, in no order of priority. With effect from 31 December 2007, all public listed companies are required to disclose their CSR activities or practices (and of their subsidiaries) and if there are none, a statement to that effect. Listing Requirements (Appendix 9c, Part A (29)). Listing Requirements (Appendix 9c, Part A (29)) is about description of the corporate social responsibility activities or practices undertaken by the listed issuer and its subsidiaries or if there are none, a statement to that effect. Failure to comply with any of these Requirements will amount to a breach in respect of which actions may be taken or penalties may be imposed or both. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Framework for Malaysian Public Listed Companies The Bursa Malaysia CSR Framework is in fact a framework, and not a template. This framework does not tell the whole story of CSR and neither does it have all answers. It is a bit like running shoes: One size does not fit all. The CSR Framework is basically a set of guidelines for Malaysian Public Listed Companies (PLCs) to help them in the practice of CSR. As the Prime Minister mentioned in the 2006 budget speech, from now on, all PLCs are required to disclose their CSR activities. Some PLCs may be doing corporate social responsibility even without realising it. The directive from the Prime Minister is really an opportunity for logical thinking about CSR. It is meant to encourage Malaysian PLCs to become more engaged in being socially responsible, and to make the way they approach the process of CSR, part of the way they normally work and think. According to Bursa Malaysia, CSR means it is not about how a firm spends money, but about how the firm makes money. CSR is defined as open and transparent business practices that are based on ethical values and respect for the community, employees, the environment, shareholders and other stakeholders. It is designed to deliver sustainable value to society at large. There is no universal approach to CSR. Companies are free to adopt what suits them. CSR is not about compliance or philanthropy or public relations. It often involves cultural transformation in a company as it integrates CSR concepts into its operations and decision making. Vitally, CSR involves communicating the company’s actions to its stakeholders and encouraging their feedback. The Bursa Malaysia CSR Framework looks at 4 main focal areas for CSR practice. They are: the Environment, the Workplace, the Community and the Marketplace, in no order of priority. The Environment When looking at the environment, CSR can focus on a variety of issues. Most of the people worry about energy, how to use it more efficiently and how to reduce the way its emissions damage the climate. Here in Malaysia, bio fuels have become a topical issue. There are other aspects as well. Companies live amongst some of the richest biodiversity in the world. Protecting the flora and fauna is essential. The Community Companies live within the community. They depend on the community in many ways and the community depends on them. Supporting employee involvement in community issues enriches the community and the company. Supporting education, such as adopting a school, is another possible activity. Companies can be creative in looking at how they can contribute to children, youth development and the under-privileged. The opportunities for company interaction with the community are vast. The Marketplace The Marketplace is where companies find important stakeholders – their shareholders, suppliers, and customers. Companies can interact responsibly with this group in a number of ways, such as supporting green products or engaging in only ethical procurement practices. Helping to develop suppliers and other vendors is another way of contributing. Raising the standards of Corporate Governance within the company so that it meets shareholder expectations is a further consideration. The Workplace Companies draw their employees from society and so everything they do with their staff needs to be socially responsible, whether they are dealing with basic human rights or gender issues. A quality work environment and health safety are obvious considerations, as is the way in which, if companies believe in CSR, they inculcate in their employees, the values which the company holds dear. Ideally, companies should consider all 4 CSR dimensions when crafting their own visions. But that does not mean a company must do everything. For some companies there will be focal areas or initiatives that do not apply. The important thing is that the company uses the framework to help it identify its choices and priorities. Individual CSR initiatives will depend on the nature of each company’s business, its inclinations, and its resources. However, sometimes a company will adopt initiatives that may even have indirect impacts. Like most PLCs, Bursa Malaysia is exploring the framework to see what suits companies best as an exchange. 3.0 Introduction There are some different points of view of the corporate social responsibility definition from several parties. Corporate social responsibility is defined as the duty of the organisation to respect individuals’ rights and promote human welfare in its operations (Manakkalathil and Rudolf, 1995; Oppewal et al., 2006). According to Carrol (2000a), businesses not only have the economic responsibility of being profitable and the legal responsibility to follow the laws or ground rules that guide their ability to achieve their economic requirements, but they also have ethical responsibilities that include a range of societal norms or standards. From this two definition, it can see that individuals’ rights and human welfare is more important than profit earning and organization is try to balance them, so that the interest of public did not deprive. Malaysian Government’s point of view by our Prime Minister, Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Abdul Razak in a corporate social responsibility conference held in June 2003 at PWTC, Kuala Lumpur referred to corporate social responsibility as â€Å"a concept whereby corporation integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and their interactions with stakeholders on a voluntary basis†. It is a process of providing information which does not have purely financial implications designed to discharge social accountability. Companies should recognize their corporate social responsibilities not only to their shareholders but also to the society they operate in. This sustainability concept calls for a company to operate in a responsible manner that takes full account of their business impact on the environment, people and the community. Corporate social responsibility can also be defined as the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large (World Business Council for Sustainable Development, 1999). In general, CSR embraces all organizational activities relating to the organization and society. These may include employees support (safety, job security, profit sharing, employee participation, treating employees fairly and equitably etc.), community support (activity involved in education, health and housing related supportive activities, philanthropic activities), product/services support (product/service quality, product safety, delivery, research and development etc.), and environmental support such as; sustaining the eco-friendly environment, producing environmentally friendly products, waste management, recycling etc. (Staples, 2004; and Sen a nd Bhattacharya, 2001). In the last decade Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an issue that has increasingly attracted attention from the business, political, and public spheres (Brammer, and Palevin, 2004). In emerging capital markets, such as Malaysia, this issue also tends to be a strategic issue for public listed companies. Malaysian firms incorporate CSR into their corporate governance agenda to become good corporate citizens in the Malaysian capital market. They also seek to increase the pool of enhancement in the recognition and profile of corporate domestic firms who can gain better recognition from the perspective of international and local investors. Furthermore, the push towards better CSR practices is also important to be consistent with the overall national agenda, particularly in achieving Vision 2020, meeting the objective of the National Integrity Plan and as a tool for generating greater economic and capital market growth (Corporate Governance, 2004). Tay Kay Luan (2005a), cited the Malaysian government’s stand on CSR issues is that all organisations in the country should take account of the economic, social and environmental impacts of their activities, and should be encouraged to act and address the key challenges which arise from these impacts on their core competencies. Moreover, the government is taking stand that the existing legal framework and regulations are sufficient to improve corporate behaviour. Gray et al. (1987) define social reporting as â€Å"†¦ †¦the process of communicating the social and environmental effects of organisations’ economic actions to particular interest groups within society and to society at large. As such, it involves extending the accountability of organizations (particularly companies), beyond the traditional role of providing a financial account to the owners of capital, in particular, shareholders. Such an extension is predicted upon the assumption that companies do have wider responsibilities than simply to make money for their shareholders†. Chan (2002), Godfrey et al. (2000), and Gray et al. (1996) describe corporate social disclosure as voluntary reporting of social and environmental information relating to an organisation’s interaction with its community, shareholders, physical and social environment to outsiders through corporate annual reports. Although the disclosure is based on corporate’s voluntary, but it as been motivated to disclose in recent year. According to Godfrey et al. (2006), corporate social responsibility is motivated by legal regulation, management accountability and shareholder activism. Voluntary corporate social disclosure gives information to the public regarding a company’s activities that relates to the community. Companies that operate in a developed world have moved to include sections on social issues within their annual reports. These sections give information on their responsibility towards reducing hazardous impacts on the environment, improving waste management, showing compliance with Environmental Quality Regulation 1989, better efforts to protecting their employees and other social issues affecting the public. The disclosures were towards an increasing trend. However the level of disclosures itself are still low. (Teoh Thong,1984; Foo Tan,1988;Ho,1990 and Shireenjit Zuaini 1 998). The Malaysian government’s incentive to further promote corporate social responsibility (CSR) among public listed companies (PLC) is very encouraging in Malaysia. The honorable Dato’ Seri Najib Tun Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia, in his keynote speech at the Corporate Social Responsibility Conference on 21 June 2004 had made it clear that CSR helps improve financial performance, enhance brand image and increases the ability to attract and retain the best workplace, contributing to the market value of the company. The growth of public awareness about CSR has put pressure on corporations, profession and governments to increase the amount of social information in corporate reports. More recently, in the 2007 budget speech, the Malaysian Former Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has stressed the importance of corporate social responsibility reporting by requiring companies to disclose their CSR activities in the annual report. Corporate social reporting is one approach how companies published or disclosed their corporate social responsibility activities. One way to reduce the gaps between company and its stakeholders is by reporting the activities to the stakeholders or through additional disclosure. Teoh and Thong (1984) pointed out that the philosophy of the top management and legislation were the primary factors contributing to corporate social awareness in Malaysia. More recently, Malaysian executives and managers were found to have positive attitudes towards corporate social responsibility, although the extent of their involvement in corporate social responsibility is lower today than it was a decade ago (Abdul Rashid Ibrahim, 2002). Mohammad Jamil, Alwi, and Mohamed (2001) similarly found that CSR disclosure in Malaysia is generally low, especially with regards to fair business information. This also appears true for environmental information (ACCA, 2002). The level of CSR was again confirmed to be low in recent studies conducted by SRI (2003) and Ramasamy and Hung (2004). Since in Malaysia, corporate social responsibility is voluntary, the choice of social issues reveals the Government’s priority or the particular responsibility which companies have. Therefore by having corporate social responsibility, the company would have better reputation and this would increase its chances to secure contracts from the Government as it is seen as being socially responsible. Companies would be able to attract and retain good employees which would in turn benefit them financially in the long run. Corporate social responsibility may be able to strengthen stakeholder relations as reporting promotes corporate transparency and instills greater confidence and trust

Environmental Ethics Essay -- Ethics Philosophy Global Warming Climate

"At the current rate, we're headed for and environmental disaster," many say, but how much truth does that statement hold. Have humans really destroyed, pillaged, and polluted enough to cause a serious, wide scale, disaster? If not, then can we continue on without changing, and not learn from our mistakes? If so, then can we do anything today that will bring about a tomorrow available to us? All of these questions hold great pertinence for our current situation. Humans don't exactly hold the best track record for environmental protection and preservation. Throughout time we have exploited nature and its creatures for our own benefit. We have made technological advances that threaten and disrupt the environment with total disregard for that fact. We took slipshod short cuts that are now catching up to us today, and we can think of no available alternatives that will remedy the problem quickly and usefully. We have developed a huge and thriving society; and in the process we deforest huge sections of land for living and livestock grazing. This decreases oxygen and increases carbon dioxide in the atmosphere; possibly adding to global warming though the greenhouse effect. This mass population produces mass amounts of waste, so to deal with that we just throw it into the ground, which in turn contaminates our water supply and contributes to further deforestation. We develop motorized transportation; and then burn non-renewable fossil fuels that put lead, carbon monoxide, sulfur and nitrogen oxides, ozone, excess carbon dioxide, and other harmful particulates into the atmosphere (Skjel & Whorton 95-108). This produces dangers like smog and cancer and contributes to global warming. In the production of fuel we exhaust o... ...the environment, but how badly we?ve endangered ourselves. The environment is not possibly headed towards disaster, we are. Works Cited * American Chemical Society. Chemistry in Context. New York: Primis Custom Publishing, 2000. * Crichton, Michael. Jurassic Park. New York: Baltine Books, 1990. * ---. The Lost World. New York: Alfred A. Knoff, Inc., 1995. * Curran, Roger and Lawrence Haw. Environmental Issues in the 21st Century. 2001: http://www.library.thinkquest.org/C0127068.html. * Michaels, Patricia A. Environmental Philosophy: Good for the wallet, Good for the Soul, Good for Nothing. http://environment.about.com/library/weekly/aa031697.htm. * Singer, Peter. Practical Ethics. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996. * Skjei, Eric and M. Donald Whorton. Of Mice & Molecules. New York: The Dial Press, 1983.

The Civil War Effects All Americans In Different Ways :: essays research papers

The Civil War had a major effect on the American civilization in the 1860's. The novel Red Badge of Courage and the poem "Kentucky Belle" are prime examples of this. These two pieces of literature show an inside look at the Civil War, getting past the fighting and the battles. Red Badge of Courage is about a young Union soldier, Henry, dealing with the war and its psychological effects. "Kentucky Belle" is a poem about a woman going through a difficult time, but still gives up her horse to help a young man trying to make it home. The Civil War had very many battles, but none of them compare to the feelings of the people during these battles. In the novel Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane, the protagonist, Henry, is a Union soldier who is afraid of what will happen to him or any of his comrades in his regiment while at war. Henry also sees his enemies as real and humane people. Henry's feeling towards his enemy shows that he is unclear about the war's purpose. The feelings of Henry are probably the same in most Americans during this time. Stephen Crane, the author, does a great job of bringing the sense of fear alive in Henry during this fictional story. The feeling of Henry symbolize the feelings of many family and friends of soldiers at war. The feeling of fear and uncertainty in Henry are similar to the thoughts and feelings of many Americans in the 1860's. In the poem "Kentucky Belle", the author shows a sense of realism. The poem is about a woman and her baby going through a very difficult time during the Civil War. The part of the story that shows the most compassionate part of the story is when the woman's family gives away their favorite horse Kentucky Belle. They gave it away to a soldier who desperately needed to get home. Giving was something many Americans did during the Civil War, and this poem is a prime example of this. The Civil War in some way touched the lives of almost every single American. This was a tough time for the country, and the country started to change. Women took larger responsibilities in the workplace because so many men were absent in the armies. This a big change temporarily because women were used to taking "back seats" to mean during this time, and now, they’re doing men jobs.