Monday, December 23, 2019

The Incarceration Of The United States - 980 Words

Have you ever questioned about the justice in the United States? Stevenson states that, â€Å"Today we have the highest rate of incarceration in the world. The prison population has increased from 300,000 people in the early 1970s to 2.3 million people today† (15). United States is a modern country that doesn’t serve justice to her citizen? 2.3 million prisoners are just embarrassing the whole country. You might want to know how bad the justice system is and how the heck cause 2.3 million prisoners to be in prison. Our system is defined by an error; which serve justice to the rich and injustice to the poor. It’s common to know that poor and color people are more likely to be convicted if they commit a small crime. We created a system like â€Å"Three strikes and you’re out† to show how strong we can be, and as the result of that, we have created the mass incarceration that no other countries can’t do. We are no better than a beast. We condemn ed the poor because we know they are helpless and we condemned the color people because of racial bias. What does justice really stand for? The justice should be changed in order to prevent mass incarceration in the future and focus on a fairness when it comes to trial. The justice system should be changed before we convict another innocent person. In the Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, written by Bryan, Stevenson points out that the United States is a country that serves an injustice to its people. Just Mercy is a nonfiction bookShow MoreRelatedThe Incarceration Of The United States1519 Words   |  7 Pagesin recent decades, violent crimes in the United States of America have been on a steady decline, however, the number of people in the United States under some form of correctional control is reaching towering heights and reaching record proportions. In the last thirty years, the incarceration rates in the United States has skyrocketed; the numbers roughly quadru pled from around five hundred thousand to more than 2 million people. (NAACP)In a speech on criminal justice at Columbia University, HillaryRead MoreIncarceration Of The United States Essay2335 Words   |  10 PagesEven though the United States makes up just 5% of the world’s population, it houses 25% of the world’s prison population† (Walmsley, 2009). The United States prides itself in being a worldwide leader in just about every category; however, being the world leader in incarceration rights might not be something the United States would be proud about. Incarceration rates in the United States have grown at alarming rates in the past forty years specifically and it has resulted in major overcrowding issuesRead MoreThe Incarceration Of The United States979 Words   |  4 PagesHave you ever question about the justice in the United States? Stevenson states that, â€Å"Today we have the highest rate of incarceration in the world. The prison population has i ncreased from 300,000 people in the early 1970s to 2.3 million people today† (15). Is United States is a modern country that doesn’t serve justice to her citizen? 2.3 million of prisoners are just embarrassing the whole country. You might want to know how bad the justice system is and how the heck cause 2.3 million prisonersRead MoreIncarceration Of The United States1113 Words   |  5 Pages The United States of America has more people incarcerated than any other country on earth, a whopping 2,220,300 adults are currently locked behind bars. We have 500,000 more citizens locked up than China, a country 5 times our population run by an authoritarian government. From 1990 - 2000 the prison population increased by 1,000,000. The main reason for incarceration as a punishment in this country is rehabilitation, or so we have been told. In recent years an industry has developed that revolvesRead MoreThe Incarceration Of The United States1044 Words   |  5 PagesOverview The United States has the highest prison population in the world, with over two million incarcerated (World Prison Brief, 2016), of whom many are juveniles. It is well documented that youths who enter this system are more likely to suffer a host of negative health and lifestyle outcomes, such as alcohol/drug abuse, high school dropout, and mental health problems. Such phenomena occur in stark contrast with the aims of the US juvenile justice system, which supposedly intends to help offendingRead MoreIncarceration Of The United States1957 Words   |  8 Pages Incarceration has been a pending issue amongst western civilization’s history for some time and today continues to raise a wide range of important questions. Incarceration of individuals have become a tremendous tax payer concern along with the incarceration of the drug war, convictions of street gangs, and the rest of the individuals who have broken the law and harmed other innocent individuals. However, the question is always a concern of men incarceration and hardly addressed of women beingRead MoreIncarceration Of The United States3014 Words   |  13 PagesThe United States of America is phrased by many, as being â€Å"the land of the free.† Yet, the Unites States currently has the highest per capita prison population than any other country. The United States makes up only 5% of the world’s population and of that 5%, 25% of our overall nation’s population is currently incarcerated. A few factors that attribute to our high rates of incarceration incl ude, sentencing laws: such as mandatory- minimum sentencing, lack of initial deterrence from crime, the warRead MoreThe Incarceration Of The United States2529 Words   |  11 PagesSince 2002, The United States has had the highest incarceration rate in the world, and many of those imprisoned within the U.S. will be released and rearrested within three years (Langan Levin, 2002). Unfortunately, research has been mixed shown that the time spent in prison does not successfully rehabilitate most inmates, and the majority of criminals return to a life of crime almost immediately. Most experts believe that many prisoners will learn more and better ways to commit crimes while theyRead MoreIncarceration Of The United States1745 Words   |  7 PagesThere are over two million people in the United States behind bars. Incarceration in the US is one of the main forms of punishment that leads nothing after for people when getting out. Every state, city, country, all have laws we citizens obey and go by to do best for our country, but what happens someone violates the law? According to Google’s definition of a felony, it says that felony means, â€Å"a crime, typically one involving violence, regarded as more serious than a misdemeanor, and usually punishableRead MoreIncarceration Of The United States1774 Words   |  8 PagesCurrently the United States holds the leading position for having the largest prison population in the world. Considering this, the cost of re-incarcerating offenders after their release remains notably high to U.S Americans and our society. Recidivism is known as the reimprisonment of an individual that is released from prison but then later returns for being convicted of a new crime. However, there is essential data that proves the drastic reduction in recidivism through academic and vocational

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Emergency Management Free Essays

How would you rate the four phases of Emergency Management for meeting the challenges confronting this nation from terrorism? The information the National Situation Update for September 12, 2001 gives us on the activities following the attacks largely focuses on the response of resources. There seems to be an abundance of resources available to respond to each disaster area including emergency response teams, disaster mortuary teams, disaster medical assistant teams, urban search and rescue task forces, and incident support teams. Because of this, my thoughts are that in order to have such a response there had to be a certain level of preparedness. We will write a custom essay sample on Emergency Management or any similar topic only for you Order Now Therefore my top rated selection is the preparedness phase. Closely following is the response itself. For reasons previously stated the response phase is my second rated phase for this scenario. Multiple agencies from many different states responded with the appropriate resources within hours of the attacks. Thirdly, the recovery phase is my next selection of importance. This phase is the measure of how well prepared and/or how quickly the response was including lives and property saved. The recovery phase directly leads into the mitigation phase as the last phase to be implemented. The mitigation phase allows for evaluation of the response and recovery taking into account for the entire operation as a whole. It can be utilized as a teaching tool of what went wrong or right and how to do it better next time. Learning from a disaster and how the event affected the area it encompassed is the primary goal of mitigation. Based on the information contained in the National Situation Update for September 12, 2001 which of the following phases of emergency management were best fulfilled? Please place the four phases in order of which phases was best planned/implemented with the best implemented phase ranked first. Please justify your response. After reading the National Situation Update for September 12, 2001 I would place the following phases in order of best planned and implemented with the best-implemented phase listed first. * The response phase * The preparedness phase * The recovery phase The mitigation phase Overall, response was overwhelming. Multiple agencies from all over the U. S. responded to the disaster. These ranged from mortuary response teams to disaster medical response teams as well as urban search and rescue task forces. The response was excellent. Because no one prior to the September 11, 2001 could foresee the attacks, planning for such an event could not have been accomplished. Due to the fact that the U. S. had planned for other natural disasters in other parts of the country I believe that the preparedness for the attacks was next best met. Being prepared for other disasters that cause mass destruction and loss of life we were able to respond quickly and efficiently. Recovery was slow due to the magnitude of the attacks. Four separate events within hours of each other heavily tasked our resources and made for a long recovery process. Debris recovery was primarily lead by the U. S. Army Core of Engineers. However, psychological recovery has taken and probably will take many more years. Economic recovery has also been slow. As for mitigation, the damage had already been done. There was no way to know what was going to happen and therefore contingencies to lesson the effects could not be made. Mitigation in this regard comes into play with agencies like the Red Cross providing blood products for the injured, shelter for the disaster workers, and fund raising. As with all major disasters or accidents we learn each time we fall victim to them. Future events such as the September 11, 2001 attacks, now that we have experienced such an event, can be better prepared for. In this way we will have better response, more effective mitigation, and a quicker recovery process. In retrospect and in YOUR opinion (Hindsight is always 20/20),   if any singular aspect of planning and implementation for such a disaster could have possibly prevented 9-11 what could it have been? No, I do not think that 9-11 could have been prevented. WE have learned valuable lessons from that tragic attack, but it the terrorist took advantage of our security, and process of how we conduct our affairs. Now that we know what we know, we have changed our processes, and we continue to alter them. We have tightend our security. Our Intelligence forces now are able to put threats and information together that prior to 9-11 we wouldn’t have considered. What are some of the distinguishing features between a natural disaster and a man-made disaster such a 9-11? A natural disaster is an effect of nature such as a volcanic eruption, earthquake, or hurricane. These cannot be prevented but can be prepared for. A man-made disaster is a catastrophe or tragedy caused by humans. Such as bombings, the 9-11 attack, arson. These can be prevented. If a terrorist attack or another significant disaster were to hit the United States today that is similar to that which occurred on 9-11 or Hurricane Katrina were to occur today, which of the four phases of emergency management do you believe we would respond to significantly better today. Please justify your response. As with all major disasters or accidents we learn each time we fall victim to them. Future events such as the September 11, 2001 attacks, now that we have experienced such an event, can be better prepared for. In this way we will have better response, more effective mitigation, and a quicker recovery process. How to cite Emergency Management, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Comparative Business Ethics Social Responsibility for Small Companie

Question: Describe about the Comparative Business Ethics of Social Responsibility for Small Companies. Answer: Introduction Given case study aims to present analysis on strong contributions made by small companies in social responsibility and community development. It shows that due to intense integrated relation with local market, small companies work in cohesion towards corporate stewardship and address various environmental concerns. This case study is on New Belgium Brewing company (NBB), was started in the year 1991 in Fort Collins by Jeff Lebesch and his wife Kim Jordan. It has 685 employees with total revenue of $225 million (Dahl, 2016); it is the largest specialist brewery in America. It offers wide range of product lines such as Fat Tire Amber Ale, Sunshine Wheat, Blue Paddle Pilsner, and Abbey Ale. It also sale two type of seasonal beers such a onetime only brew; Frambozen and Abbey Grand Cru. With time, this brand undergone tremendous growth and development, presently there are two brew house, four quality lab, canning and bottling line, innovation and development (Ferrell Ferrell, 2015). Central idea of this paper is to evaluate corporate social responsibility actions taken by the brand, evaluate its impact on the market. This paper will include analysis on various environmental protection actions taken by NBB; the way brand worked towards growth of its employee, society and environment. It also include analysis on impact of such actions on company brand image, does it help in gaining competitive advantage. Final analysis evaluates whether a company dealing in alcohol can be regarded as socially responsible or not. Environmental issues on which NBB worked Firs question in the case study aims to evaluate various strategic approaches undertaken by the company to protect and serve environment and ensure minimum damage. The company addresses various environmental issues which are discussed below. Company purpose is to operate a profitable company which makes our love and talent manifest; it aims to produce quality product, with proper consideration and management towards societal and environmental concern, promote responsible drinking as well as employee growth and development. There are three main environmental issues on which company worked, it include water, waste and emission. Water management As water is the primary ingredient in beer, management aims to ensure development of healthy and reliable watershed. Company also supported political actions and environmental regulations, by implementing strategies that helped in waste water management and reuse strategies. Company ensures recycling of maximum of its supplies such as cardboard boxes, keg caps, office materials, and amber glass. It also promotes local farmers to pick up the grains from brewery without any charge to feed them to their pigs. Company is investing with other research partners to find ways to recycle waste water to make it harvestable or high protein fish food. There is also implementation of waste water management systems that helps in extracting methane from waste water and fulfills 15 percent of power needs to the brewery. Management tried to ensure proper energy management wherever possible to reduce burden on municipality and optimum utilization of resources as well as waste products. It also aim to reduce use of water during production process by using only 3.5 gallon of water for one gallon of beer, less than 20 percent standard requirement in the industry (www.newbelgium.com, 2015). Company achieved this goal in the year 2014 by delivering 3.96 gallon of beer from one gallon of water. Primary concern in this area is the rising demand for bottles than kegs, there is reduction in water efficiency of the firm, it has installed 20 water sub meters in the facilities to improve water conservation further. Emission Climate change and greenhouse gas emission is another major environmental concern for the company. There are three different category of emissions that company needs to deal with, it include direct emission which include emission from factors that can be controlled by the company, such as on campus, combustion of fossil fuels, mobile combustion etc. Second is indirect emission that was generated from electricity consumption within organization. Third is also indirect emission from all other activities within the working area. Company follows WRIs GHG Protocol and BIERs Beverage Sector Guidance for emission calculation (www.newbelgium.com, 2015). It invested in wind-turbine and became the first fully wind powered brewery in USA. Company objective was to reduce emission of co2 by 25 percent by the year 2015 (www.newbelgium.com, 2015). Waste management NBB is a member of business for innovation, climate and energy policy and signed its declaration to show its participation and commitment towards climate change. Apart from this, company also invested in various other environmental development technologies, it includes installation of a smart grid that helped in communicating with company electricity provider to conserve energy and reduce wastage. It installed a brew kettle that helps in heating wort sheets instead of whole kettle at once and save electricity (www.newbelgium.com, 2015). Use of sun tubes facilitated in providing day light in the brewery helped in reducing energy consumptions throughout. Company also aims to reduce any form of pollution, it also encourage use of alternative transportation to reduce air pollution. Company reached its goal in the year 2013 by diverting 99.8 percent of its waste to recycling activities. It also achieved its set goal of 54 grams of waste per hectoliter packaged sent to landfill. There is u se of recycling containers by the company to collect super sacks, plastic bags and paper bags. Strategic approach taken by NBB To ensure development of an environmental friendly product; it aimed at promoting eco-friendly business processes. Goal was to create learning and developing community. To do so, a monthly meet is being organized by the brand in which managers from all departments participate to share and develop ideas on resource management. It also put effort on launching various cost effective energy saving techniques that also helped in ensuring minimum emission of harmful elements in the environment. To achieve its sustainability Targets Company opted for a triple line bottom approach, it aimed at measuring business success not only on financial parameters and balance sheets; rather it incorporated its success measurement by evaluating economic, social and environmental factors (Carroll, 1991). Triple bottom line model include economic scenario that involves financial position, its impact etc. second element is the environmental factor, which include evaluation of organizational performance in impacting environment. Third is social reporting that require information regarding organizational interaction with different societies(Lantos, 2001). The management tries to evaluate organizational success by gauging its performance in making others life pleasant, it analyses organizational contribution and impact on people, profit and planet (Maon, Kotler, Vanhamme, 2012). Company aim to develop high involvement corporate culture, it makes environmental sustainability as everyones job and not mere managerial concern; managers and employees from all departments were free to contribute ideas and suggestions for environmental growth in the company, shared values and open book policy were primary strategic approach that helped NBB to achieve such market success. Reasons for taken such strong stance toward sustainability Earlier companies were only liable towards their shareholders but in todays modern business environment business is working for society, there is a social relation and society is a major stakeholder in the business. Company core belief is to be become a force to implement good in the society. Organizations are environmental responsible, therefore it needs to evaluate its performance in terms of local community and country development (Yoshikawa Rasheed, 2009). Social responsibility management would help organization in enhancing financial security, minimizing environmental impacting and to operate in the society with its conformity (Zakhem, Palmer, Stoll, 2008). Primary focus of this question was on environmental concern of the company; major findings to this question include wide range of environmental strategies implemented by the company such as sun tubes, wind energy, waste management, water management, reduction of harmful gases during production. Founders of the company opted for a long term societal development vision that leads to such strategic development in the company. It opted for a three bottom line approach that considers society and environment as equally important as economic condition of the company. Social responsibility as competitive advantage CSR is a crucial business activity, it is also considered as a strategic action that helps organizations in generating resources, creating activity support networks and building social and reputation capital. CSR can be defined as a management tool that helps in enhancing organizational performance, it also facilitate in creating positive brand image in stakeholders mind; CSR activities involve responsible behavior towards society and environment (Mirfazli, 2008). CSR is inescapable for companies due to immense pressure from media, activists and government. CSR policies of the company ensure that it comply with all legal, ethical, national and international norms. It also helps in enhancing shareholder trust and interest in the company and reduces business risk and makes strong positive impact on all stakeholders such as customers, employees, suppliers, government and society at large. CSR activities needs to be analyzed through the same framework as business use to decide their core business, it will help in understanding the way CSR is more than cost or a mere charitable deed towards the society, it can become major competitive advantage for the brand (Saeed Arshad, 2012). It is indeed true that social responsibility activities are acting as a key competitive advantage for NBB. According to Michael Porter and Mark Kramer, it is crucial that corporate responsibility actions should not be treated as zero sum game for the company, if this happen then CSR activities remain as mere responsibility due to government pressure, rather companies should try to evaluate consequences of their social action, to discover opportunities that benefit both society and the company (Porter Kramer, 2006). It also states that CSR should not be treated as damage control strategy or a mere public relation campaign rather it should be seen as business opportunity. CSR activities undertaken by NBB have helped the brand in achieving huge market success, positive brand image, energy efficiency, profitability. Different CSR activities such as technological innovations, energy saving technologies and methodologies, company has also invested $7 million on philanthropic causes. Different philanthropic causes include distribution territories to support local community, to Planet ; company employees are also socially active, they are part of Habitat for humanity that help in building home for people who lost their house in fire. Different CSR activities help NBB in its tremendous growth, it received business ethics award for its dedication and excellence towards environmental friendly brewing process; it also received award from Wall-street as best mid-sized brewing company. It helped the company in creating positive brand image in public, it is being considered as a socially responsible organization. It has created image of a responsible drinker, company states that it promote only responsible drinking. There is continuous increase in sales and business of the brand; it has expanded its territory in different parts of US. The sustainability and social actions taken by the company helped in its growth through market expansion, high customer expansion and acceptance. The water management plant helped in producing methane rich has that can be converted into electricity, therefore it fulfill 15 percent of electricity requirements of the company; this strategy helped in environmental growth as well as cost cutting. The solar photovoltaic panels also helped in reducing 200 KW. Therefore, environmental friendly actions and strategies are helping the brand in manufacturing the product at low cost and in efficient manner. Word of mouth is the primary marketing strategy of the company, such awards, positive actions to famers, community and society helps in creating positive perspective that creates positive marketing. Another advantage is higher employee satisfaction and cooperation; company offer 100 percent stock options to employees, they are also member of charitable organizations and participate in sustainability actions such as opting for alternative transportation mode, providing fat-tired cruiser bike after one year of employment; employees are also allowed to ask question regarding financial position of the company, it helps in fostering higher corporate governance, honesty and transparency within organization. Such strategies helped the company in improving employee relation that in turn lead to better customer service, long term CRM, fulfilling customer expectation as well as environmental stewardship. Analysis shows that CSR actions taken by NBB helped it in making its market position stron g, happy customers, satisfied employees and a strong company therefore it is its major competitive advantage that helped the brand in making its distinguish market position vis--vis its competitors. This answer aimed to evaluate whether such sustainability action helped the brand in gaining any competitive advantage in the market or not. Findings shows that corporate social responsibility is not a zero sum game, rather it helps in creating win-win situation for both company and other stakeholders. Findings also shows the way sustainability actions by NBB helped the brand in saving cost, minimizing its operational expenditure, motivating its employees, building positive brand image, enhancing its sales as well as profitability. Social responsible actions by NBB Third question in the case study states that there are certain segments in the society that believes that companies that sell alcoholic products and tobacco cannot be held responsible due to primary nature of their business, therefore on such parameters can NBB actions can be regarded as socially responsible. It is very difficult to evaluate whether a company that manufacture a product that can also cause death, some of the industries that raises this grey concern include alcohol and tobacco (businessrespect.net, 2005). There are certain arguments on corporate social responsibility that it is crucial to consider the way companies create wealth than it spends it. The question of selling such product cannot be answered by a single company, it is a border societal concept, as if the product is bad society should top consuming it, government should ban it, but it is not happening. Further, the concept of ethicality is different for different people; one cannot decide whether a particular action taken is ethical or unethical. Drinking in a business party can be ethical whereas drinking and driving can be unethical therefore ethicality differs with scenario (inspiredeconomist.com, 2011). NBB cannot be regarded as a non-responsible company. Rather, NBB has tried to ensure that proper information reaches to consumers, they promote responsible drinking. It is not among those brands that sell n number of products without bothering its consequences. NBB is among one of those company that take society, environment and employee as part of their organizational success, company is involved into serious research and development, strategic actions to improve its environment impact carefully by reducing emission of gas, by reducing waste water, harmful air, ensuring maximum recycling of waste, treat suppliers in supply chain with ethical respect, provide employees opportunity to contribute to society, therefore there is eagerness in NBB core belief and strategic action that management aims to improve society and want to give them back. Another key factor that makes NBB a truly socially responsible company is lack of heavy advertisement, if company would have been bothered about increasing sales, promoting alcohol consumptions in the society then it would have opted for aggressive commercials, however, major tool of advertisement is word of mouth with minimum advertisement commercials that too in new markets with the objective of creating awareness. Marketing objective of company never aimed to increase sales; rather it focuses on serving set customer base. Even the marketing campaigns are themed as to protect, to pour, to partake that create fun and hip image of the brand, it promote beer as a social and fun element and not part of daily lifestyle. It does not feature any ad campaign in Colorado region as people are well aware about the brand, therefore it does not want to push sales. Company follows a pull strategy; therefore sales are made according to customer demand and not push to increase beer consumption in the market. I would say that National Belgium brewery is a socially responsible company, though it produces alcohol but it does not promote unnecessary consumption, rather it is being portrayed as fun element and social drinking. Government and society also have roles to play as they can stop access to such products in the market, but these products are being well purchased and industry is operating in the market. Therefore, one company cannot be blamed for operating in this industry, Rather, NBB is trying hard to implement range of strategic actions that help in upliftment of society, employees, suppliers, government and customer; it is investing its resources, time and capital towards continuous effort of social responsibility. This question was little tricky to judge whether an alcohol selling company can be regarded as socially responsible as the product itself is unethical. However, findings for this answer states that NBB does not promoted drinking alcohol, it always endorsed responsible d rinking, less advertisement, sponsoring events, taking extra effort towards environment development shows that NBB is truly committed towards social responsibility. Conclusion This case study helped in understanding various elements of CSR, a company is not more a profit making unit, rather it helped in understanding the broad picture and long term vision of the organization. It shows the way organizations can ensure their growth through societal development. NBB was a small company but it does not only focus on its growth and profitability rather it focus on community development and environmental protection. This in return helped in creating positive brand image of the company among consumers. It also facilitate in bringing more profit to the company through energy efficiency, waste reduction and other ways of resource management. NBB did not achieve this goal all alone, rather its team work and employee dedication helped in developing a culture of learning, sharing and accountability that helped in gaining cooperation from all employees. Management also participated in various political and environmental laws and climate change agreements to advocate society development. Analysis also shows dedication from top management of the company towards environment protection and goal achievement that helped in promoting a unique value system throughout organization. It also provided its employees with various motivational tools such as resources, autonomy, financial benefits to dedicate their time towards sustainability development. NBB showed a holistic approach to business by balancing its business strategies such as expansion, advertisement with its sustainability strategies such as social, environmental, employee and community development through various technological and innovative solutions. Bibliography businessrespect.net. (2005, September 18). Can companies that make products that kill be socially responsible? Retrieved September 17, 2016, from /www.businessrespect.net: https://www.businessrespect.net/page.php?Story_ID=1492 Carroll, A. B. (1991). The Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibiiity: Toward the Morai Management of Organizational Stakeholders. Business Horizons , 38-48. Dahl, D. (2016, Jan 27). How New Belgium has found sustainable success. Retrieved September 17, 2016, from www.forbes.com: https://www.forbes.com/sites/darrendahl/2016/01/27/how-new-belgium-brewing-has-found-sustainable-success/#681d10db3a12 Devinney, T. M. (2009). Is the Socially Responsible Corporation a Myth? The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Corporate Social Responsibility. Academy of Management Perspectives, 44-58. Ferrell, F., Ferrell. (2015). Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making and Cases . London: Cengage. inspiredeconomist.com. (2011, April 13). Responsibilities of the Alcohol Industry. Retrieved September 17, 2016, from inspiredeconomist.com: https://inspiredeconomist.com/2011/04/13/responsibilities-of-the-alcohol-industry/ Lantos, G. P. (2001). The Boundaries of Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility. North Easton: Stonehill College. Lau, T., Johnson, L. (2011). The Legal and Ethical Environment of Business. Irvington: Flat World Knowledge. Maon, D. F., Kotler, P., Vanhamme, P. J. (2012). A Stakeholder Approach to Corporate Social Responsibility: Pressures, Conflicts, and Reconciliation. London: Gower Publishing, Ltd. Mirfazli, E. (2008). Corporate social responsibility (CSR) information disclosure by annual reports of public companies listed at Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX). International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management, 275 - 284. Porter, M. E., Kramer, M. R. (2006, December). strategy and society the link between competitive advantage and corporate social responsibility. Retrieved September 17, 2016, from hbr.org/: https://hbr.org/2006/12/strategy-and-society-the-link-between-competitive-advantage-and-corporate-social-responsibility Saeed, M. M., Arshad, F. (2012). Corporate social responsibility as a source of competitive advantage: The mediating role of social capital and reputational capital. Journal of Database Marketing Customer Strategy Management, 219-232. Windsor, D. (2006). Corporate Social Responsibility: Three Key Approache. Journal of Management Studies, 93-114. www.newbelgium.com. (2015). Energy. Retrieved September 17, 2016, from www.newbelgium.com: https://www.newbelgium.com/Sustainability/Environmental-Metrics www.newbelgium.com. (2015). Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Retrieved September 17, 2016, from www.newbelgium.com: https://www.newbelgium.com/Sustainability/Environmental-Metrics/GHG www.newbelgium.com. (2015). Waste. Retrieved September 17, 2016, from www.newbelgium.com: https://www.newbelgium.com/Sustainability/Environmental-Metrics/Waste www.newbelgium.com. (2015). Water. Retrieved September 17, 2016, from www.newbelgium.com: https://www.newbelgium.com/sustainability/Environmental-Metrics/Water Yoshikawa, T., Rasheed, A. A. (2009). Convergence of Corporate Governance: Critical Review and Future Directions. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 388-404. Zakhem, A. J., Palmer, D. E., Stoll, M. L. (2008). Stakeholder Theory: Essential Readings in Ethical Leadership and Management. London: Prometheus Books. Zhu, W., May, D. R., Avolio, B. J. (2004). The Impact of Ethical Leadership Behavior on Employee Outcomes: The Roles of Psychological Empowerment and Authenticit. Journal of Leadership Organizational Studies Summer, 4(11), 16-26.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Chew on This Review Essay Example

Chew on This Review Paper The piece then continued to give a history of the beginning of the restaurants that are now American household names, primarily McDonalds. Slaughterhouse conditions were also reviewed in the book and they were unsettlingly cruel to say the least. The authors even included pictures to further their impact. As the book progressed, it showed the overall lack of concern the industry has for the health of America. Chew on This was a book with hundreds of startling facts that led to one large suggestion for people to think about what they are eating and choose not to eat fast food. The evidence of the authors claims supported the suggestion and would have been difficult for anyone to turn down II. Vocabulary 1 . With which vocabulary words in the piece did you encounter some degree of difficulty? Over all, the vocabulary was rather simple. However, In the chapter where additives and artificial flavors were discussed, there were quite a few terms that would be unfamiliar to many people. Some additives were named things like methyl-2-pyramid-ketene and y-undetectable. Confusing to me, the scientists working with them knew exactly what they are and what flavor or aroma they produced. Other terms that were a bit unfamiliar were business terms like synergy. 2. How did you resolve your lack of understanding with these words? When I was confused on the topic of food additive names, I simply thought It through. For example, ethyl nitrate was a term that seemed odd. I thought about the origins of the words and tried the piece them together in my head. Ethyl being the first part, I examined it first. An ethyl is something derived from ethane. Next, a nitrate is something derived from nitrogen. Seeing that these terms simply display the atomic construction of the substance helped me grasp them. We will write a custom essay sample on Chew on This Review specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Chew on This Review specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Chew on This Review specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The terms used In business were actually explained by the piece Itself. The authors give a good definition of synergy?lining many products together to ten consumer Ana secretly perseverant them all at once?and follow it with actual examples. The largest example and by far the most efficient was how Walt Disney partnered Disney with several other companies. The other companies would put things like a Mackey Mouse logo on their products and perhaps Disney would sell their products in its parks. Ill. Interpretation: What was the main point the author wanted you to get from this book? Closers and Wilson made several valid points throughout Chew on This. Facts about business strategy, marketing, food composition, and slaughterhouse conditions all blended together to make one bad appearance for fast food. As intended, many flaws that exist in that industry were looked upon in a new light. The authors main point was to point out the flaws of the industry itself and expose fast food to America. They wanted not only to show the vindictive behaviors of the businessmen, but the cruel conditions that go into making the food. They wanted to open the eyes of the public to what they were really eating. IV. Criticism 1 . With which points of the piece did you agree with or find easy to accept? Why? I agreed with most of the points. The authors had very credible sources and presented their findings clearly and enjoyable. For example, they found Dir. Oz, an esteemed heart surgeon. They took information from a man with a medical degree and a well- known practice to present. I agreed strongly with their opinions of the unfortunate conditions in slaughterhouses for both the workers and the animals that are to be slaughtered. Including pictures and testimonies both, they appeared to have a vast knowledge of the subject. 2. With which points of the piece did you disagree or find difficult to believe? Why? There was very much in Chew on This that I didnt agree with. I found the book to be extremely credible and informative. There were some points made about business strategy that were a bit vague. The authors made every industry out to be cold- hearted and cutthroat, trying to attack children for their business and virtually rob families. Though most of the information seems plausible, I believe the bias of the authors may have affected the way the information came across. Nevertheless, this is persuasive piece and bias should be expected.

Monday, November 25, 2019

How to Prepare for NaNoWriMo Shaelins Top Tips

How to Prepare for NaNoWriMo Shaelins Top Tips How to Prepare for NaNoWriMo: Shaelin's Top Tips Shaelin Bishop is a writer, YouTuber, and a member of the team here at Reedsy. She’s also a veteran of the 30-day novel writing competition NaNoWriMo, having taken part in it for three years. In this lightly edited transcript of her video, she'll show you how to prepare for NaNoWriMo with her top ten tips. Step 1: Schedule in advanceOf course, with NaNoWriMo, there is the standard word count approach where you write 1,667 words per day. If you have a consistent schedule, you might be able to just write to this schedule. Every time I've done NaNoWriMo, however, I was a student in high school and had things due at different times, so my schedule was not that consistent at all. So, I found it more useful to kind of make my own schedule.If you have any questions, thoughts, or personal tips about preparing for NaNoWriMo, please share them in the comments below.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Argumentative Position Essay Topics List - Best Ideas for 2018 on StudyMoose

Home Blog Topic Ideas Topics for the Writing of Argumentative Position Essay Writer of professional articles & materials for students. I help with writing essays and choosing topics for students. Higher education in the humanities. I work with different colleagues around the world to exchange experiences in the field of education company About StudyMoose Contact Careers Help Center Donate a Paper Legal Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Complaints We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. By continuing we’ll assume you’re on board with our cookie policy A position paper essay is a type of an assignment, which presupposes a text the content of which has to be highly informative. It has to be writing in which the author expresses his opinion concerning the arguable question. Writing argumentative essay presupposes serious approach. Here you have to prove that your position is to write and deserves to be right. You have to express your opinion in clear, distinct and persuasive way. The current type of writing aims to convince the target audience that you deserve to be heard. Your argumentative essay is a reaction to a certain issue, and at the same time proves that a thought you have expressed about this issue is credible. Moreover, it is obligatory to prove the audience that you are knowledgeable in the particular field. To start your essay, you need to state the problem. Start with a clear formulation of the topic and explain the main points of the issue. Then, it would be logical to present the other thoughts concerning the question. Explain why other support or deny something and the reasons why they stock to a certain position. It will give the clear picture to the reader and let him understand the very nature of the statement. That comes the moment when you have to present your position that has the right to exist. It would be the first paragraph of your essay. In this part, you have to formulate the clear central idea that will be traced through the whole text. Your thesis has to be distinct and sense loaded. The target reader has to receive a clear idea. It will help to understand better the information that he is going to be provided with in the following parts of the writing. As soon as you have finished the first intro paragraph, it is time to move further. In the next paragraph, the author faces the need to provide strong argumentation that can help you to explain your thoughts to the target audience. You have to develop the argument. You have to convince that the facts enforce your position. You should provide the supportive statements. This type of the essay can addresses various topics: from socio-political, governmental, and ecological to personal. The main thing is that there are at least two substantiated points of view on this topic. Your task is to choose one and support it, providing strong arguments. The useful tip is to create the list of for and contra arguments concerning the certain issue. Provide a critical evaluation of the issue that you have presented in the intro part. To convince the target audience in the certain fact, you have to be able to formulate the strong supportive statements correctly. Many hacks can enforce your thought. Primarily, provide only credible and up to date facts. Supple the reader with the background information and imply the useful details that will push the reader to support you. Generate counterarguments and explain them try to master the writing technique allowing to make the target audience sure that your position is right. In the concluding part of the essay. You have to paraphrase the main thesis once again. Do not introduce any new information. Explain everything once again in a concise manner and make sure you were persuasive enough. Students receive a task to prepare a position essay may face several difficulties. For people writing such essay for the first time, it is obligatory to be acquainted with the main standard and rules explaining how to write position essay. The information above can help you. Apart from that, a writer has to be experienced in writing. He should be persuasive and distinct, able to convince the target audience. Among the possible problems that can arise is the choice of the topic. It is good when the supervisor formulates the topic in the task. However, there cases when a student has to make their own choice. Several topics can be a lighthouse for people who do not have any ideas. – An open society should have open borders – Service in the army should be mandatory – Negotiations with tourists are not allowed – The economic default was useful for the country – Unemployment contributes to economic development – Countries must pay off the external debt in full is having those – Television forms a new type of culture – The UN should expand the protection of cultural rights – Technical progress leads to the death of civilization – Senior classes should be profiled – The school should not engage in the education of students – Teaching boys and girls should not be separate WE WILL WRITE A CUSTOM SAMPLE ESSAY ON

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Marketing analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Marketing analysis - Essay Example The following discussion seeks to assert the purposes of the target market in the organisation. Further, the discussion shall argue upon the marketing mix variables adapted by the organisation in increasing its competence in the provision of health care services. The organisation asserts that its devotion is to deliver health services to the UK population. It declares that every person in the country has a vital role, and acquainting them with relevant health services is the ultimate way of ensuring functionality (Stuart, 2013). Holding to the fact that nursing and midwifery are a continued health course, it is knowledgeable that the organisation’s target market is centred on the existence of health complications in the society. Every person is vulnerable to diseases, hence at a certain point, he will need medical attention (Scullion & Guest, 2007). The organisation beseeches the UK society to trust in the health practitioners from all of their obligations aim at delivering profound health services. Its target market includes children in schools, arguing that they should seek health care in case of health complications from the available school nurses (Kirpal, 2011). Secondly, the organisation asserts that expectant women should seek healthcare services during their prenatal and postnatal stages from the midwives and other relevant personnel. Further, the organisation extends its care to people suffering from mental health arguing out that they are of importance as any other groups of people in the community (Scullion & Guest, 2007). On a different account, the organisation declares its devotion in providing health care services to the ageing and aged population (Kirpal, 2011). Arguably, it is knowledgeable that the organisation’s target market combines all groups in the demographic segment as it declares the types of services that its personnel shall deliver to each category of people in the population. The organisation combines

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Terrorism Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Terrorism - Term Paper Example Subsequently, he utilized this hard gained skill to conduct several campaigns of violence and intimidation. Prabhakaran used the LTTE cadres for this purpose, and his targets were the longstanding and moderate Tamil political leaders (Biziouras, 2012, p. 554). The LTTE membership was chiefly from the lower-caste Tamils hailing from the rural areas of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. The leadership of the LTTE was replete with these lower-caste individuals, who brought about the institutionalization of the LTTE, by repeatedly emphasizing their intention to promote the lower castes in the independent Tamil state that they would be creating. This ideological posturing was nationalist, radical, and unique with respect to the traditional political parties of that region and the competing Tamil revolutionary groups (Biziouras, 2012, p. 555). The LTTE’s moves served to enhance Sinhalese apprehensions regarding the continued territorial integrity of Sri Lanka. In addition, the political and institutional solutions suggested by the traditional Tamil political leadership were rejected outright by the LTTE, which strongly promoted sustained armed struggle against the Sinhalese dominated Sri Lankan State (Biziouras, 2012, p. 555). During the 1970s, the LTTE and other armed Tamil groups embarked upon an armed struggle, with a view to seceding from Sri Lanka. This strife underwent considerable intensification, in the aftermath of the anti-Tamil riots. These riots transpired in July 1983 in Colombo and other parts of Sri Lanka. Several attempts were made to resolve this strife, notably in the years 1985, 1989-1990, and 1994-1995. However, these attempts ended in a fiasco, and the armed engagement between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan armed forces underwent an escalation in scope and intensity (Nadarajah & Sriskandarajah, 2005, p. 88). During that epoch, approximately 90,000 people lost their life, and the majority of

Saturday, November 16, 2019

The Affects of Cutting Nasas Budget Essay Example for Free

The Affects of Cutting Nasas Budget Essay Many people undermine the importance and contributions of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, also known as NASA. As president Obama is forced to make severe budget cuts, NASA is among the most affected programs to endure the blow. This issue does not take aback many people, but experts say that what is occurring will affect everyone as well as the economy more than they may believe. These extreme budget cuts recently issued by Congress impinge on the NASA space program by having a large impact on culture, and risking the setback of innovation in today’s machine-driven society. With all do respect, I have never seen an 8th grader sit up in their chair and say I want to be an NSF Researcher. With all do respect, these agencies do important scientific work but they are unknown and invisible at the age where people choose what they want to be when they grow up. † [1] Neil Degrasse Tyson brings into play a very important thought as he explains the affect of the budget cuts on the younger population of America. Scientists are worried that if NASA is taken way, we are taking away the birthplace of the STEM research fields. STEM, which stands for Scientists, Technologists, Engineers, and Mathematicians†[2] are those who make up tomorrow, or in other words, our future. By eradicating the space agency, we are also eradicating potential heroes to come. Furthermore, â€Å"NASA is the only agency that taps into the frontiers of all basic subjects including, biology, chemistry, physics, math, astronomy, geology, atmospherics, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. †[3] The people involved in these subjects, who innovate through opportunities given to them by the NASA program, are being deprived of their chance to invent and potentially become heroes. These heroes are those who leave lasting impacts on society and culture. For example, Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876, and as time progressed, the telephone evolved into the cell phone. Today the cell phone is used for almost everything; web browsing, emergencies, work and entertainment, and serves as a sizeable part of everyday life. Therefore, it’s easy to see that destroying the funds of NASA is simultaneously ruining our chance for new innovative heroes who are likely to create and impact the world we live in. Lastly, during the decade of the 1960’s, the average person knows that this was a decade of many important events; to name a few, the construction of the Berlin Wall, MLK Juniors â€Å"I Have a Dream† Speech, the first heart transplant, the first super bowl, the assassinations of JFK, MLK Jr. , and Kennedy and the Cold War. But most importantly these major events were not necessarily the highlight of the 1960’s but more so â€Å"the shining pearl of that decade was the ‘Mission to the Moon. ’ Everyone was a participant, emotionally and intellectually. [4] Many people say, â€Å"I think we should solve our problems here on Earth before we go into space. †[5] In the year 2007, the requested budget for the NASA program totaled to roughly $17 billion dollars. Numerous people argue that this amount of money could and should be used to solve other problems that concern the people here on Earth. For example hospitals contend that the money should be used for needed medical expenses. Others argue that the money could be used to solve poverty problems and debt.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Ethics and Reality Essay -- Religion Philosophy Papers

Ethics and Reality One of the most pervasive problems in theoretical ethics has been the attempt to reconcile the good for the individual with the good for all. It is a problem which appears in contemporary discussions (like those initiated by Alasdair MacIntyre in After Virtue) as a debate between emotivism and rationalism, and in more traditional debates between relativism and absolutism. I believe that a vital cause of this difficulty arises from a failure to ground ethics in metaphysics. It is crucial, it seems to me, to begin with "the way the world is" before we begin to speculate about the way it ought to be. And, the most significant "way the world is" for ethics is that it is individuals in community. This paper attempts to develop an ethical theory based solidly on Whitehead’s metaphysics, and to address precisely the problem of the relation between the good for the individual and the common good, in such a way as to be sympathetic to both. One of the most pervasive problems in theoretical ethics has been the attempt to reconcile the good for the individual with the good for all. It is a problem which appears in contemporary discussions (like those initiated by Alasdair MacIntyre in After Virtue) as a debate between emotivism and rationalism, and in more traditional debates between relativism and absolutism. I believe that a vital cause of this difficulty arises from a failure to ground ethics in metaphysics. It is crucial, it seems to me, to begin with "the way the world is" before we begin to speculate about the way it ought to be. The most significant "way the world is" for ethics, is that it is individuals in community, and this is the cosmology promoted by Whitehead. In Process and Reality, Whitehead outl... ... an action is performed, it has a determined relevance for future actions and entities so we have to make sure that our actions are the right ones. That is to say, not just any action, is an ethical action. An ethical action requires Goodness. By performing an action which can be described as good, my individual good action is linked with all good actions. It has been defined by the notion of Goodness, and contributes to the definition of Goodness. We have, then, a reciprocal relation between the good for the individual and the common good grounded in Whiteheadian metaphysics. Bibliography Sylvan, R. and Bennett, D., The Greening of Ethics, Cambridge, U.K.: The White Horse Press, 1994. PR Whitehead, A.N., Process and Reality, New York & London: Macmillan, 1978 edn.. RM Whitehead, A.N., Religion in the Making, N.Y.: New American Library, 1974 edn..

Monday, November 11, 2019

Running head: The significance of character

The strength of establishment as well as the efficient creation of the character as a literary element was significant in how the text creates an impact on its readers. In this paper, three literary texts would be discussed according to the excellent manner by which the characters were devised in the two short stories and the poem.Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† provided characters of good and evil manifesting in an individual. Ambrose Pierce wrote from two perspectives that reveal the personalities of the main character and the narrator in â€Å"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.† Finally, there was impeccable characterization that was exhibited in T.S. Eliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.The two stories showed different pictures of death because of the characters that killed and were killed; one was that of evil and the other of an attempt to exemplify patriotism.â€Å"Prufrock,† on the other hand, presented a character that was like a dead man walking, he was alive in the poem, unlike the fate of the other two main characters in the stories, but he might as well be dead because of the despair and his struggle to find a place in the world. All of these three texts largely depended on the success of the characterization in order to produce a significant impact from the readers.They were works that held a place in literature because their characters were remembered to be unique and had stood from how the authors had carefully taken the time to exhibit their complexities and personalities.The CharacterThe character in literature could be a person, an animal or an object in a story, play or another other literary genre. There could many classifications for a character. In stories, some would be classified to be main characters, while others would be supporting characters and others miscellaneous ones.Those that were considered to be main characters were those that were directly involved in th e story. The story revolved around them or they make the story revolve.Authors could choose to develop their characters or reveal who their characters were in different ways. The writer could directly say at the beginning what the character was like in one time manner.   While in other time, it could be on an installment approach wherein the character’s personality would be revealed gradually as the story unfolds. Sometimes, the characters were revealed through the speech of the character.The characters could reveal their own characteristics. It could also be possible through the thoughts and feelings of the character. The author could also show this through the actions of the characters. The reaction of other people towards the characters also describes the personality or reveals the characterization.The goal of the writer of a text would be for the readers to see the characters to be believable and worth caring about (Card, 1988). Even if in some stories, characters were not real people, the writer must still develop the characters to be relatable or to be representative of people in society that would come close to the reader’s heart or recognition.Since literature was about significant human experiences, the character served as the connection between the story and the readers. They played the role of providing for the readers a better understanding of the diversity of human nature and human behavior.According to Card (1988), â€Å"people become, in our minds, what we seem them do†Ã‚   (p. 4).This was considered to be the strongest form of characterization. However, while in some stories this form of characterization was enough, the best form of characterization could not be based on what we instantly see.It was something that was formed from tying up the character’s motive, background, recognizing stereotypes, network or relationships, habits and patterns, talents and abilities, tastes and preferences, attitude and so on (Card , 1988).The character could be considered to be responsible for the thoughts and actions within a literary text. They must be seen to have one of the highest priorities in analysis when it came to literary elements because they served as mediums by which the reader truly gets the connection with the text.Without this connection, the text could not serve is purpose sufficiently. The characterization greatly influences the other elements in a literary work such as the theme, setting and tone.The lack of effectiveness in character development could confuse the writer’s intention for the plot and conflict, it could block the reader’s understanding for the them, it could basically ruin the entire experience that the writer would have want the reader to get from the literary text.When characterization was well developed, it would serve as the foundation for the formation of the plot and conflict, it would support the revelation to them, it would complement the setting and th e conflict, and thus it would make the text work.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Economic Impact of Tourism

Select a small to medium size town and explain the economic impact the tourists have had on this place. Introduction The potential of tourism as a development strategy for small towns is a very important issue for local economic development. Many small towns have benefited from tourist development all over the world . I have decided to choose the town of Jurmala in Latvia as the focus of this assessment. Background information about Jurmala Jurmala – the medium size resort town in Latvia and is well known for its natural treasures- the mild climate, sea, healthy air, curative mud and mineral water. Its strcture consists of three former villages that were united in 1959. The attraction of Jurmala hides in its almost 33 km of long white sand beach, large pine forests and the natual border of the city – the river Lielupe. In Jurmala you can discover the combination of harming wooden houses built in the beginning of the last century and modern resort buildings. The unique combination of these components makes Jurmala very attractive to the tourists and makes the town an attractive relaxation and cure place for many tourists. Since 1871 the main means of transportation is train, remaining the station buildings of the late 19th century and early 20th century. The territory of Jurmala is proposed for inclusion in the World Heritage Tentative list is the Eastern part of the town -from the mouth of the river Lielupe till the territory of former fishermen village in Dubulti that for the first time was mentioned in historical sources in 16th century. This place is very interesting because here the distance between the river Lielupe and the sea is only 500 metres. Modern town of Jurmala Jurmala has grown as a tourist destination over the past decade with its main walking street Jomas and different shops which include gift shops, art galleries, quaint buildings, modern spa hotels, coffee shops, etc. The unique features of the area and the geographical location of Jurmala make the area boating, fishing, bird-watching, sunbathing, camping, etc. The entrepreneurs of Jurmala offers new possibilities for tourists every year – hotels and guesthouses and various entertainments. They cantaste delicious and healthy food in Jurmala's restaurants and cafes, walk along the central promenade of Jomas ideal for a variety of recreational activities such as river rafting, biking, hiking, street, explore the eco-trails in Kemeri National park  and Ragakapa Nature Park, enjoy the water attractions in the biggest aquapark in Northern Europe â€Å"Livu Akvaparks† and â€Å"Nemo†, visit the famous concert hall Dzintari or simply watch the sunset on Jurmala beach! | | | | | | ‘’According to data provided by the Central Bureau of Statistics, the number of tourists in the first quarter of 2009 has decreased, and adds up to 15 530 persons, that is by 28% less than in the according period in 2008. The highest load in this period was in resort rehabilitation centres and sanatorium – 31%, but the average load of hotels and resort hotels was 13%† www. jurmala. lvâ€Å"Division of guests by the country: Latvia (51%) – 6145 Russia (12%) – 1841 Byelorussia (8%) – 1191 ( + 7%) Estonia (7%) – 1100 Lithuania (5%) – 846 Norway (4%) – 689 Sweden (2%) – 376 Finland (2%) – 266 Germany (2%) – 164 Denmark (1%) – 111 ( + 50%)United Kingdom-1311(+10%)† www. jurmala. lv  Looking at the statistics by the division of guests by countries, we can see that the greatest increase is for tourists from Denmark – increase by 50%. During winter and spring months guests chose to stay in Jurmala city resort rehabilitation centres and sanatorium as they provide wide choice of rehabilitation, health and medical treatments of high quality, but for lower prices than in other EU countries. The average length of stay in Jurmala is 5 days, and that is by 2 days more than it was in the corresponding periods in 2008. Byelorussian guests have stayed in Jurmala longer than other guests – in average 18 days, then comes the guests from Germany. To show the economic impact the tourism has on Jurmala more precisely, I would like to stop at the economic impact analysis of Dzintari concert hall which is situated in the very centre of Jurmala and has an international significance. This place attracts more and more tourists and visitors every year because of different events such as like pop and rock band concerts and various entertainment events which are being held there every season from May till September. The concert hall also supports youth festivals, chamber music concerts and always gives priority to orchestra concerts. Tourists all over the Europe and especially from Russia come here each year to see the international contest of young singers, called â€Å"New Wave†. During the hot season the concert hall generates more than LVL 8. million turnover. It can easily show the economic usefulness and an important contribution to Jurmala economic development as well as to the development of state economics. Dzintari concert hall became a limited company in 2004 and started to attract more tourists. The audience of the concert hall per season since year 2003 till 2004 increased from 100  000 till 200  000 customers and now the number is still growi ng till 250  000 tourists. Due to the fact that the number of customers is growing the concert hall can provide more employment to the local people. Customers not only watch the event, they spend money on transport and it allows the transportation system become more economical as well, they also spend money on food to dine in Jurmala’s cafes and restaurants that gives them an opportunity to stay open longer and earn more. The tourists have some extra expenses during the event too such as tea, coffees, juices, alcoholic drinks, ice-creams, flowers for artists, etc. â€Å"According to the statistics o Dzintari concert hall, 76% of Dzintari hall audience spend on related goods and services more than LVL 30 per event. Only 24% buy the cheapest tickets, go to the event by public transport(when you go to Jurmala by your own car you have to buy a pass which costs LVL 1 and the money also goes to the development of the town of Jurmala), during the event take only tea, coffee or beer and go home for dinner â€Å"(see the table below) www. su. lt/filemanagerThe expenses of Dzintari concert hall customers SUM PER EVENT| PERCENTAGE OF CUSTOMERS | TOTAL EXPENSES| LVL 10-16| 24%| LVL 5940. 00| LVL 30| 30%| LVL 24300. 00| LVL 40| 15%| LVL 12000. 00| LVL 60| 15%| LVL 18300. 0| Up to LVL 100| 6%| LVL 18600. 00| | 100%| LVL 74140. 00| There were 90 events in Dzintari concert hall in 2007. We can see from the table that despite short event season, customers spent more than 6. 5 million Lats(Latvian currency , 1Ls is about ? 0. 83 ). Jurmala in the past. Telling about the economic impact of tourism on Jurmala nowadays, it would be also essential to mention the Soviet Union times when Jurmala was one of the bigge st rehabilitation centres and health resorts for the working people from the whole entire Soviet Union. To understand the economic impact of tourism on Jurmala those times I would like to provide some data. J Jurmala in the past had about 70 health centres with about 12,000 tourists all year round. Today, there are about 30 recreation facilities in the recreation business, able to accommodate no more than 4,000 guests. Earlier as many as 232,000 people came to Jurmala for holidays every year, now this figure is down to 62,000, which is a very big difference and certainly it has a negative impact on Jurmala’s economy in comparison with the Soviet times. As for the number of foreign visitors, it shrank four times after the introduction of visa requirements for Russia, for example. T Let us have a look at some objective reasons for the decline. During the Soviet times, Jurmala was very popular resort for the people all over the Soviet Union. And the region of Jurmala experienced constant growth since 1969. The situation changed dramatically since the early 1990s when Latvia re-gained independence. Latvia hasn’t been able to attract local or Western tourists to compensate for the reduced number of holiday–makers at its rehabilitation centres. In the last two years some positive trends emerged, however. Firstly, the annual number of tourist visitors has grown up to 12-15%; it’s much higher than an average figure for Latvia in general (5-6%), or the global rate of 9 percent. In the given situation (the survival of the fittest) the strongest will survive, i. e. those, who managed to preserve rehabilitation facilities, keep skilled personnel, and do qualitative marketing. Secondly, a new trend emerged, i. e. he opening of small pensions, boarding houses (bread ; breakfast), and small hotels with 5 to 30 rooms† Dainis Urbanovich, www. baltic-course. com Conclusion Looking at the information provided in the essay, we can see that the tourism has a great impact on the development of Jurmala as a resort town and the more tourists(consumers) that can be attracted by Jurmala’s beautiful nature, climate, hotels and, of course, the events in the Dzintari concert hall and different other places of entertainment in Jurmala, the higher the economic impact. Words 1527 Bibliography Books Book 1- The understanding of the travel and tourism industry Websites www. jurmala. lv www. baltic-course. com www. su. lt www. riga-hotel-guide. com Learners Declaration: I certify that the work submitted in this assignment is my own. Full Name Viktorija Chesnovicka†¦Address 2 Pavasara gatve , flat 21, Riga, Latvia LV-1082.. |

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Environments Shape Organizations

Environments Shape Organizations Introduction Organizations’ performance largely depends on the environment under which they operate. Here, environment can mean either internal or external factors that directly or indirectly affect how an organization operates towards achieving its set goals.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Environments Shape Organizations specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These factors are known for causing either positive or negative impacts that consequently influencing how that organization works. In most cases, environments dictate how organization operates, and the more stable an environment is, the more successful it will be. At times, organizations can change their way of operation or structural body in order to match with the environmental conditions. Environment also has a contribution towards the strategic plan of the organization. This is important because it provides means in which set goals and objective s are achieved. For an organization to perform best, it must have competitive advantage in that, it must be in a position to offer different goods and services in a different manner with the immediate organizations or of the same goods and services but in a different way that is most likely to satisfy the customer. Other factors in the surrounding that are likely to have an impact on an organization include; the market in which it operates, availability of skilled labor, availability of required resources and raw materials, accessibility, availability of potential customers and their level of demand for the products. The internal factors may include; management, organizational structure, availability of funds and synergy aspects in the organization (Draft, Marcic, 2010). In some cases, organizations can change the environment under which they operate; this is due to the objectives, goals, vision and mission of the organization. Due to the services delivered, organizations can affect its surrounding either negatively or positively. The type of environment available is bound to determine how an organization will operate either for the better or worst.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More How environment shape organizations The ability of an organization to succeed depends with the ease with which it adapts to the new environment. This is due to the fact that environment has the capability of affecting how resources are utilized and how products are received by the customers. In most cases, organizations are affected internally by factors such as regulation measures for safety and other services such like packaging and advertising. Work processes and organizational structure is also affected (Harrison, 2005). Environmental factors that are bound to affect an organization are divided into two categories, that is; PEST and SWOT. Under pest, po litical, economic, social and technological (PEST) aspects are considered. On the other hand, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) are considered. These factors are determined through analysis that is PEST and SWOT analysis respectively. PEST analysis and at times referred to STEP analysis can be defined as macroeconomic factors that are capable of influencing strategic planning in an environmental scan. In the United Kingdom, environmental and legal factors have been chipped in amounting these acronyms to PESTEL or PESTLE. Today, ethics and demographic factors have been included to make the acronyms STEEPLED. PEST analysis is important as it helps an organization know some of the factors that have to be put in mind for a successful operation. Usually, it enables an organization understand its current position, its potentials, performances of its market and how to continue in its field of operation without much hindrances. The earlier mentioned macroeconomic facto rs do not directly affect an organization but do affect demand and supply of goods and services eventually affecting its performances. PEST analysis is vital especially when a company wants to join a new market as it helps identify the available opportunities (What is PEST analysis? , n.d) Main aspects of PEST analysis Economic Factors considered here include; changes in various rates such as inflation, exchange and interest. Economic growth in a country is inclusive; this factor is core for any business progress as it determines it’s easy or difficult of succeeding. This is so because it affects demand and available capital plus its cost.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Environments Shape Organizations specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In cases where capital is readily available due to its cheap cost, organization can be in a position to invest easily with hopes of making profits. It is also apparent that demand of some goods and services grows with the positive growth of a country’s economy. Chances for successful exploitation of a certain strategy is also determined by the economic conditions at the very time, it is possible for an organization to perform well during economic recession while another can only succeed during economic rise depending on the services or goods being provided. It is therefore possible for the latter one quitting the market making a way for the former to get into the market. Many organizations leave the market during times of economic crisis. Exchange rates are also known to determine hoe cheap or how expensive imported goods are, this suggest the price at which goods and services offered by the organization will be sold or bought at. Inflation rates have a great influence on a company’s progress because with a continued increase in good’s prices over time, demand decreases and this affects sales in a company leading to its colla pse. Variations in rates of interests can have adverse effect on organizations during loan repayment or any other payment. This is in the sense that, repayment is made b use of the agreed rate regardless of the rise or drop in rates at the time of payment. If for example, during time of crediting the rates are high then they drop during payment, the company is likely to gain in terms of monetary value and vice verse. All these rates are interrelated and they have an impact on how an organization operates. Political The government has an influence on a country’s economy through; tax policy, political stability, employment rules, environmental laws, tariffs and trade restrictions. In most case the government have the mandate to determine the goods to import or export and those ones not to. Also, it can decide on the countries to trade or not trade with. These decisions affect organizations either positively or negatively.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Interest rates are influenced by inflation rates which greatly depend on the banks restrictions outlined by the government’s priority. The government has a big role in the determination of how organizations are funded. Political stability has also a direct effect on how a company can perform. During political crisis, many companies are unable to operate leading to their low performances, as compared to the times when there is peace in a country. Qualified labor is required for best performance which ii only possible through training that is directly influenced by the government. A country’s infrastructure and health are also under the control of the government and they have an impact on the companies’ progress in terms of goods and services delivery and adequate labor respectively. Social Demography, age distribution, health issues, safety concerns and profession stance are some of the factors under this. A company’s performance and its products demand ar e dictated by social aspects. For example, young people have vigor and are more willing to work as compared to the aging employees, this has a direct effect on how a company operates and if young labor is to be incorporated, labor value increases. Demand of a company’s products depends on age distribution and the number of people working. It is therefore important for a company to recognize how demand changes with fashion in order to operate to an optimal customer satisfaction. Technology Technology is comprised of automation, technological advancements, research and development (R and D activity). These factors have influences such as lowering entry barriers into the market, maintaining economic level quantity (EOQ) and decisions outsourcing. Technology leads to innovations and creation of new industries. Technology offers a company competitive advantage thus creating threats to the existing ones. It has a hand in improving an organization’s services and products thou gh this can be an additional cost due to the required training before it is being implemented. Environmental Specific industries are prone of environmental and ecological factors such as weather and climate change. Such organizations include; insurance, tourism and agriculture. Knowledge of these factors influence companies’ performance and how they deliver creating. This paves way for new market and demolition of the ones in operation. Legal These factors include laws such as antitrust, employment, consumer, discrimination, security and health. All these laws affects ways in which an organization works and the rate of its product’s demand. PEST analysis is an appropriate and effective tool of creating a clear image of the environment under which organizations work. Threats and opportunities of a given organization are determined through this analysis hence supporting strategic planning that helps in attainment of the set goals in a more sufficient manner compared to i ts surrounding competitors. Together with PEST analysis, SWOT analysis can be used in order to determine environments of barriers involved include revenge from already industry players, capital required, accessibility to distribution routes and scale economies. Availability of product’ substitutes A threat to an organization’s products and services is experienced when there exists new and equal substitutes. These encourage customers to switch to these alternatives thus affecting an organization’s performance. Apart from a customer’s readiness to go for substitute, other threats that result from this are; how the new substitutes work in the market and their cost, also how much it costs to switch to this alternatives. Customer’s/ buyer’s bargaining power Bargaining power for buyers is high when there are many suppliers and more distribution channels for a product. This is a threat to an organization as there will be no constant customers as th ey will always have a variety means of the required products at a price that is friendly to them. Profits are cut down tremendously when there exists such a threat. Suppliers’ bargaining power Suppliers have a key role in the determination of a company’s profitability. This is because they supply material such as raw materials, labor and expertise. When the bargaining power for suppliers is high, then the profits made will be lower. This is possible when a firm is not the only customer to the supplier or when a supplier is the only one serving the firm. In such cases, a supplier can be reluctant to work with a firm or hike the supply cost and this has a great effect on an organization. Intensity of competition from rivalry Rivalry to an organization is brought about by various aspects such as availability of competitors whereby if there are equal organizations in mode of their structure, then competition will be high as compared to when there are rare industries of the same size. Others may include industries’ costs, product differentiation level, exit and entry costs and strategic objectives (Strategy- analyzing competitive industry structure 2004). Conclusion It is evident that an organization’s shape is determined by the environment in which it operates. Factors affecting an organization can be either external or internal. In business these factors can be evaluated by use of analysis strategies such as the SWOT, PEST and porter’s competitive models. Usually, the identified micro and macro environment are known to influence an organization’s performance in the market either positively or negatively. Therefore, an organization’s ability to achieve its set goals heavily depends on these environmental factors. Environment is also capable of determining how organizations enter new markets or exit. Environments are therefore very important as it can help organization know what products to deal with or how to attain a competitive advantage over its rivalries. References List Draft, R. Marcic, Dorothy. (2010). Understanding Management. Wodsworth: Cengage Learning. Five competitive forces model porter. (2011). Retrieved from valuebasedmanagement.net/methods_porter_five forces.html. Harrison, M. (2005). Diagnosing organizations: methods, models and processes. London: Sage Strategic management. (n.d). Retrieved from quickmba.com/strategy/pest/ Strategy- analyzing competitive industry structure. (2004). Retrieved from http://tutor2u.net/business/strategy/porter_five_forces.htm SWOT analysis examples: Reports on different companies. ( n.d). Retrieved from marketingteacher.com/lesson-store/lesson-swot.html. SWOT analysis method and examples, with free SWOT template. ( n.d). Retrieved from businessballs.com/swotanalysisfreetemplate.htm. What is PEST analysis? (n.d). Web. Available from coursework4you.co.uk/essays-and-dissertations/pest-analysis.php.

Monday, November 4, 2019

Identity theft Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Identity theft - Research Paper Example This begins with understanding the various reasons why this problem remains relatively under-appreciated and what drives some people to engage in this sort of activity. At the same time that internet criminals are becoming ever more sophisticated in their means of making money from their activities, the general consumer public remains relatively unaware of the dangers. Everyone has heard of the identity theft and many have been victims of it, but few are willing to take the steps necessary to protect themselves against it. Despite the increasing numbers of online shoppers and the relative ease shoppers encounter as they enter an online retailer site, there are several negative factors not directly related to the consumer that nevertheless affect consumer behavior when determining whether to make an online purchase. One of the primary dangers being confronted is the issue of identity theft and information mining being conducted on reputable as well as questionable sites (Wolfinbarger & Gilly, 2003). Until these issues had received some attention, buyers were recommended to make online purchases using more traditional modes of payment rather than through credit cards or online bank transfers. In more recent years, however, numerous security sites and software has been developed designed to assist retail clients build consumer confidence in making the more convenient credit card purchases over the internet, displaying small padlocks as a sign of trust or requiring specific security codes prior to accepti ng a payment through shopping cart technology (Wolfinbarger & Gilly, 2003). While it has become infinitely safer to make purchases online, shoppers are still cautioned to use care when entering personal information and in choosing retailers. Despite the relative ease shoppers encounter as they enter an online retailer site, there are several negative factors that must be weighed before an actual purchase is made. As is reported by Steven Chucala

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Auditing and Accounting Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Auditing and Accounting Ethics - Essay Example lient. Loebbecke, A., (2000) mentioned that a self-review threat occurs when any product or judgment of a previous assurance engagement or non-assurance engagement needs to be re-evaluated in reaching conclusions on the assurance engagement. When a member or member of the assurance team was previously a director or officer of the assurance client or was an employee would be in a position to exert direct and significant influence over the subject matter of an assurance engagement. Examples of circumstances that may create this threat include, but are not limited to: a member or member of the assurance team being, or having recently been, a member or member of the assurance team being, or having recently been, performing services for an assurance client that directly affect the subject matter of the assurance engagement. Mintz S. M. ... Examples of circumstances that may create this threat include, but are not limited to: dealing in, or being a promoter of, shares or other securities of an assurance client; and acting as an advocate on behalf of an assurance client in litigation or in resolving disputes with third parties. Hayes, R., Dassen R., et al (2005) also noted that a familiarity threat occurs when, by virtue of a close relationship with an assurance client, its directors, officers or employees, a member, firm or member of the assurance team becomes too sympathetic to the client's interests. Examples of circumstances that may create this threat include, but are not limited to: a member or member of the assurance team having an immediate family member or close relative who is a director member of the assurance team having an immediate family member or close relative who, a former partner of the firm being a director or officer of the assurance client or an employee in a position to exert direct and significant influence over the subject matter of the assurance engagement, and acceptance of gifts or hospitality, unless the value is clearly insignificant, from the assurance client, its directors, officers or employees. An intimidation threat occurs when a member or member of the assurance team may be deterred from acting objectively and exercising professional skepticisms by threats, actual or perceived, from the directors, officers or employees of an assurance client. Examples of circumstances that may create this threat include but are not limited to: threat of replacement due to a disagreement with the application of an accounting principle; and pressure to reduce inappropriately the extent of work performed in order to

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Educational effectiveness - International Comparison Essay

Educational effectiveness - International Comparison - Essay Example All these aspects should go hand in hand in establishing an effective educational system. But there is also one new yet already proven method of assessing the effectiveness of the educational system, and this is through international comparison. Comparisons of various schools’ students’ learning across countries are already being done 50 years ago. And recently, the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) realized that this will be a good method of analyzing the level of efficacy of the educational system of the major schools around the world (Department of Education, Science and Training, 2005). Initially, IEA though of comparing the educational system of the schools so as have a clear and unbiased comparative data about the schools’ educational performances. Thus, all levels in an educational system, the teachers, the school administrators, the policymakers and even the educational facilities are being assessed and compared. As the time goes by, IEA realized that comparing the educations’ effectiveness of schools around the world can also give tremendous benefits to schools being compared and even to students and teachers themselves (Department of Education, Science and Training, 2005). The series of tests or exams for the students, the demo and several teacher valuations are known to be the proven ways of knowing if the students are learning or not or if the teachers are capable of teaching or not. But, the efficacy and efficiency of education per country as a whole cannot be assessed by those two methods. Thus, understanding and analyzing all the concepts and issues behind cross-country comparison of educational effectiveness is a good approach of appreciating education. The results of this paper can provide unlimited benefits to the students, teachers and the schools. They will be provided with ample

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

The Role Of The Judicial Branch In A Democracy Essay

The Role Of The Judicial Branch In A Democracy - Essay Example There are three branches making up a democracy and these are the legislature which not only sets out procedures that should be followed by the government but also ensures that the law is performed. The executive is the second branch of democracy and its main job is ensuring that policies are turned into action while the judiciary does the work of applying the law according to the procedures of justice that have been put in place while at the same time resolving any disagreements that might occur in the society. In order to ensure that there is freedom which is a one of the most important parts of democracy, it is necessary for these three powers to operate on their own but also act in a way that balances each other. Having the key values defining the law is what forms the groundwork for democracy since they help to constantly protect the constitution. These values also ensure that equality and civil rights and freedoms are always seen. Democracy is therefore thought to be one of the best types of government as a result of the clear separation that occurs between each of the arms of government. This is the reason why a judiciary that is independent in its actions is often seen as one of the best examples of a democracy that is working as it should be.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

The Rationalism Of Rene Descartes

The Rationalism Of Rene Descartes In the early part of the Meditations, it has been quite clear that Descartes was very much leaning towards solipsism, a philosophy that asserts only the self exists. This is what makes his rationalism quite unique. His rationalism put everything under radical doubt. He had earlier on declared that he exists only because he thinks and doubts things. To put it simply, he exists because he thinks he exists. His being a thinking being is proof because if this were not the case, then he would not have perceived it in the first place. This assertion of his is already quite problematic. The argument is circular, in that there is not enough grounded evidence in which the conclusion, that is he exists, can spring from. Though he had differentiated this from a state of dreaming, to simply assert oneself as existing because one is aware, although quite optimistic, is nonetheless not enough to support the claim. It is not the same as saying that one is feeling hungry because of the feeling of pain in the stomach and other bodily functions connected to making the brain realize that one is in a state of hunger. Had Descartes accepted the notion of the senses playing a part of a persons clear and certain knowledge of the world, then simply being conscious of ones existence through thinking might be more reasonable, since the brain would be sending signals or at least contemplating about itself, which is a distinct characteristic of man being a rational being. To simply rely, however, on ones own reason and rejecting anything coming in from the senses is realistically impossible. For certitude does not simply come into us without having a prior experience about it. He says his senses are deceiving him because of the idea of something within him seems not the same as the object he sees through his senses. He uses as an example the sun, wherein his idea of which is a giant fiery ball of flame and in actuality, he simply sees it as a speck in the sky, only about a third or so larger than the moon. This is a poor example, given that there exists then sciences explaining such phenomena. Yet his conviction remains the same. A thing might be something else than what it seems but how can we perceive its true form if not through the senses? Would Descartes know that the sun was a big fiery ball of gases had it not been for empirical sciences saying such? He says that he is grounded on the natural light of reason and yet seems to derive his conclusions through the use of empirical data. Given Descartes radical doubt, up to the point that he even doubts memories, indeed the only thing that one can be certain about is that one is doubting and trying very hard to think about what there is to doubt and what there is to believe as clear and distinct. Yet Descartes is certain of another thing aside from doubting and this is the idea that there is a God. In his third and fourth meditation, he comes across the possibility of error occurring to him even within the natural light of reason, and of the problem of whether or not God exists. Conversely, if God exists, he pondered if it was possible that this almighty being be deceiving him. He begins his thinking that there is a God who created everything by saying that everything that has been created must be in some way, coming from something else which possess the qualities or modes that is the same with the thing created. A stone, he said, can begin to exist only if it is produced by something that containsà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬either straightforwardly or in some higher formà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬everything that is to be found in the stone; similarly, heat canà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t be produced in a previously cold object except by something of at least the same order of perfection as heat, and so on(Ariew Cress, 2006). He adds to this that his ideas of a stone or of heat cannot simply come from him alone but from something else that has these qualities. Such ideas are but mere representations of a reality, much like what a photograph would do as a representation of an event. And since such is the case, there must be something, he says, in which all those ideas originate from since there cannot be an infinite regress of ideas. Ideas, in themselves, are not false since they are not from the senses. Even ideas of other men, angels and of God, as Descartes had put it, even if all three did not exist, are real ideas. So long as these ideas are not from the senses, Descartes regards it as clear and distinct. However, there are false ideas for him. The notions of hot and cold, colours and the like that represent non-things, are false in that they are materially false. Regardless, all the ideas that Descartes think about, whether they are materially true or materially false, he asserts to have come from God. He says this because he had, from before his elucidation, thought that things coming from the senses are real. Now, through the use of the natural light of reason, Descartes perceives them as false. He has greatly erred, so to speak. Then, if he is someone who is both incomplete and commits error, there must be something out there that does not. God existed because he has a notion of an imperfect being (himself), and there must be, from this idea of imperfection, something that is perfect from which the imperfection is derived. Since he is a thinking thing, he must have come from something that is also a thinking being, although much greater than him. Descartes adds that the idea of God did not come from the senses nor did he spontaneously created it because if these were the case then he would have been able to manipulate the idea. However, he cannot do this to his idea of a perfect being. and if there is a God, can this almighty being be deceiving him? Descartes answers that it is not possible because a perfect being cannot do something that is out of its nature, which is everything good. Error stems from judgments which in turn, is a product of a persons free will and from a perception of a thing due to ones senses. This is another circular argument from Descartes. In line of theology, it could be applauded but in the realm of philosophy, more or less, it has its loopholes. For one, it is too assumptive. There exists a cause of everything, truly, but the idea of God is anyones guess. To simply state that there is a God because one is imperfect and therefore must have come from a perfect being is, just like his argument for existence, without much proof. Another is his argument that the perfect being is necessary because it is an uncaused cause. Surely, this is true because there is no infinite regress but the first cause is not so much important as the second one, or the third or the fourth or even the last cause of the other cause. To put it, these series of causes are important in each and every aspect just as the first because it is a series of causes that without one of these, the end result would not have happened. Conclusion I assert then, that in Descartes thinking, there is something lacking. In his methods, it is as if he simply grab things out of thin air and claim them to be true and distinct because, to put it, they had been grasped only by the intellect. To not rely on our senses in the physical world is something that we should try to shy away from. Even the Eastern philosophies, particularly that of the Indian civilization, accepted that though the world is not ultimately real, it is real in the practical sense. Nevertheless, a strong point in Descartes thinking is that like all great philosophers before him, he had produced a new mindset for future generations to ponder upon. His esteem of the capabilities of the intellect perhaps cannot be compared to any other. Yet to rely solely on the intellect is a brave feat but nonetheless ungrounded. His claim of treating something as clear and distinct because it is obvious, when we think about it, is not really on par with reality. Descartes emphasis on the human mind to be the sole tool for determining whether or not an idea or an object is clear and distinct is perhaps one that overestimates the capabilities of the mind if not giving it a heavy burden. But that is why we called Descartes philosophy radical, isnt it?