Aristotelian Perspectives on Social Ethics Essay - 4412 Words

Aristotelian Perspectives on Social Ethics I examine the philosophical perspectives of Aristotle on issues of medical ethics and on his social ethics in general, including the moral issues of abortion, euthanasia, and other issues of social ethics such as the issue of cloning. I have chosen the domain of applied ethics as viewed from the Aristotelian point of view precisely because certain issues have been virtually unexamined by scholars. I shall direct attention to certain treatises of the Aristotelian corpus such as On the History of Animals, On the Generation of Animals, On the Soul, The Nicomachean Ethics and The Politics. My main objective is to provide a more systematic account of the Aristotelian perspectives on the above†¦show more content†¦We learn about the Pythagorean views on marriage and procreation from Iamblichus (BII, 211-212) who indicates that a man should take the best of care for bringing a child into the world considering both the time and the way this should happen. What is more important, how ever, is to relate their views on procreation to their theory of the immortality of the soul. After death the soul disappears like a dream and dwells in a spiritual heavenly world until it reappears cleansed in a new birth. (2) The soul keeps only the fragmented happy moments of each of its cycles on an earthly life and will conclude its dream in the heavenly world, which is interrupted by its visitations (reincarnations) on earth. Thus, it is evident that for the Pythagoreans and, as result, the Hippocratic tradition, abortion would be morally unacceptable, since it stops this journey of the soul — the incorporeal part of the human body — towards its ultimate enlightenment, i.e. its relation to the divine. After all, such cases of bloody events like abortions, were seen as possible sources of ritual impurity. It is also noteworthy that such a view on abortion would relate to the conservative approach to abortion according to which the fetus has full moral status which implies that its right to life must beShow MoreRelatedPathos And Logos Of Martin Luther King1051 Words   |  5 PagesMartin Luther King Jr used the Aristotelian persuasive method of ethos, pathos, and logos to persuade the clergymen to change their decisions of them stopping their non-violent protests. These persuasion techniques allowed King to infiltrate the minds of the clergymen in every aspect of their lives such as religion, white supremacy, and their own logic. He uses religion to shine a light on their perspective and approached problems within the letter that the Clergymen were unaware about. King, usingRead More`` Revelation `` By Flannery O Connor1018 Words   |  5 PagesKnown for implementing religious views into her writing, Flannery O’Connor composes the short story, â€Å"Revelation†, which includes her views on morality and ethics in society. Through a religious lens, O’Connor writes of the life of a woman, Mrs. Turpin, who is in her fort ies and who regularly reminds herself that she is an acceptable member of society, because she is not â€Å"white trash† nor is she part of the lower class African Americans. Engulfed and blinded by her hypocrisy, the woman constantlyRead MoreReview of Aristotles Nichomachean Ethics1388 Words   |  6 Pages Aristole’s Nichomachean Ethics is a critically acclaimed piece of literature that has laid the framework for philosophy as we know it today. It is considered to be a historical piece that was the first to address ethics in a unified, clear, and concise manner. The book was translated by F. H. Peters with an introduction by Hye-Kyung Kim. Aristotle was one of the great early philosophers who ventured to speak to humans about how they conducted themselves as they related to others; however,Read MoreConsequences of Friedmans Shareholder Theory for Hrm Ethics and Alternative Perspectives2229 Words   |  9 Pagesmanagements â€Å"primary responsibility is to the shareholders who own and invest in the company†. What are the consequences of this philosophy for HRM ethics, and what alternative perspectives might serve the profession in the future? Friedman’s Shareholder Theory Milton Friedman’s shareholder theory has had a broad range of consequences for HRM ethics. The main consequence being that if management are only answerable to owners and shareholders, and must do as they wish, management’s quest will almostRead MoreAristotle s Views On Human Happiness1022 Words   |  5 Pagesbelieved NP that by nature, we desire to participate in social life. He argued that our purpose was to act rationally. He also advocated the use of rational thought in the service of the community. Whilst Aristotle’s ethics of happiness can be considered to be positive as it results happiness for individuals.However,this can also be perceived as a weakness of his argument, particularly by uilatarist.Uiltilitarists would argue that Aristotle virtue ethics is too person centered,and does not account for theRead MoreHumans, Animals, And Nature2341 Words   |  10 Pageshappen, genetic engineering of animals is a morally preferable option compared to not inte rvening at all in order to ameliorate the frustration of animal interests and to increase their happiness. He provides an alternative interpretation of the Aristotelian notion of telos (i.e. the nature or purpose of something) to provide a philosophical foundation for his position. Rollin holds that genetic modification of an animal merely alters its telos rather than contradicts it, entailing that this is morallyRead MoreAristotle s Views On Friendship1357 Words   |  6 PagesIt is well known that Aristotle attaches importance to friendship within his ethical reflections. It suffices to recall that the Nicomachean Ethics, the most representative of the ethical works of Aristotle, contains two complete books, books VIII and IX, dedicated to friendship. This means that the theme of friendship is given a much wider space than other fundamental ethical issues. However, this breadth in his explanations is not something casual, but rather responds to Aristotle’s belief thatRead MoreSimilarities Between Confucius And Confucius1391 Words   |  6 Pagesboth examined the concept of friendship. Since they lived in vastly different societies, one would expect that their concepts would be dissimilar. Surprisingly they are also similarities. The two traditions’ thoughts on friendship are from two perspectives, virtue and trustworthiness. There are some similarities between Aristotle and Confucius on the concept of friendship. Both viewed friendship as virtuous and trustworthy of friends who obtained the character of each other. According to AristotleRead MorePersonal Growth And Happiness : Positive Psychology1367 Words   |  6 Pages Growth and Happiness In considering personal growth and happiness we naturally connect with the concept of subjective wellbeing and also the positive psychology movement. Positive psychology, with its foundations influenced by Aristotelian ethics, concentrates on the elements of human behaviour that effect personal and community development. These are referred to as our universal character strengths and include the acts of integrity, forgiveness, kindness and gratitude (Peterson Webb, 2006)Read MoreThe Beliefs and Actions, Past and Present, on Church and Abortion1071 Words   |  5 PagesChristian groups, especially Catholics, who believe that abortion is a mortal sin. In his book, â€Å"The Morality of Abortion: Legal and Historical Perspectives,† John T. Noonan (1970) states that â€Å"The Old Testament has nothing to say on abortion† (6). John Connery (1977) agrees with Noonan in his book â€Å"Abortion: The development of the Roman Catholic Perspective† where he writes, †Å"If anyone expects to find an explicit condemnation of abortion in the New Testament, he will be disappointed. The silence

Edith Abbott and her Contribution to Social Work Essay

Demographics: Edith Abbott was born in Grand Island Nebraska in 1876 (â€Å"Edith†, n.d.). Her parents were both active in civil rights and the government. Her father, Othman Ali Abbott, served in the Civil War and her mother, Elizabeth Abbott, was a respected high school principle prior to marrying Othman (Coston, 1986). Her father was also the first Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska, and her mother was an abolitionist and a women’s suffrage leader (â€Å"Edith†, n.d.). Edith’s younger sister, Grace, was also involved in public welfare and current social problems of the time (â€Å"Edith†, n.d.). Both Abbott sisters gained their pacifist beliefs, interest in progressive reform, and dedication to equal rights from their mother Elizabeth Abbott (Coston,†¦show more content†¦She was concerned that social work students were being placed in the field without proper supervision and that those agencies weren’t teaching students as well a pro fessor could (Wisner, 1958). She also wanted social work students to have access to other subjects and be able to incorporate research into their studies with the proper facility and training (Coston, 1986). Edith was strongly influenced by Charles Booth, Sidney Webb, and Beatrice Webb (Wisner, 1958). The American Economic Associate and the American Statistical Association also influenced Edith Abbott tremendously (Wisner, 1958). According to Elizabeth Wisner, Abbott was in many ways the architect of our present graduate curriculum. After Edith passed away, many people continued to make her dreams a reality. Flexner and Frankfurter furthered her interest in seeking university affiliation for social work education (Costin, 1983). Edith Abbott’s ideas were better respected after she passed. She influenced many people, not just social workers but educators from many different disciplines. The way that social workers learn today is partially thanks to her. Type of Social Worker: Edith Abbot was a social worker with a generalist perspective. She didn’t focus on one specific discipline of social work; she wanted to change the way social work was taught inShow MoreRelatedDr. Abbott And Social Welfare History1128 Words   |  5 Pagesadvancing the field of social work and one of the early influencers was Edith Abbott. According to the Social Welfare History Project, Abbott was an early social reformer born in 1876 and lived until 1957. Dr. Abbott was known as a â€Å"Social Reformer, Author, Administrator and Educator†. (Sorenson, Abbott, Edith - Social Welfare History Project) This paper will explore the background which brought Dr. Abbott to the forefront of the early social work world by speaking about her ethnicity, family backgroundRead MoreThe Dubious Legacy of Public Housing3184 Words   |  13 Pagesfailures in the history of American public policy. High-rise public housing projects like the Robert Taylor Homes and Cabrini-Green have become synonymous with poverty, violence, out-of-wedlock childbirth, welfare dependency, and a myriad of other social ills in the minds of most Americans. Although most have now been demolished, these towering high-rises became looming monuments to this epic policy failure—gargantuan symbols of the demoralizing and debilitating conditions that were forced upon society’sRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 Pagesobtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. To obtain permission(s) to use material from this work, please submit a written request to Pearson Education, Inc., Permissions Department, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458, or you may fax your request to 201-236-3290. M any of the designations by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish

Famous Speech and Critical Thinking for JF Kennedy -myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theFamous Speech and Critical Thinking for JF Kennedy. Answer: Introduction The aim of this paper to focus is to critically analyze the speech of JF Kennedy during his inaugural address as a President and the video statement made by Apple in 2017 on the themes of inclusiveness and diversity. Employing the learning outcome from critical business thinking, this paper examines the structure of the speech and video statement and contextualizes the contents of the speech and the company statement. Then the paper shifts to analyzing the difference between the structures of the video statement by Apple and JF Kennedys speech and engages in a critical comparison. Analysis of John F Kennedys 1961 speech John F Kennedy delivered an inaugural address in Washington on January 20, 1961. When he took the oath to the office, he was the 35th President (Goetsch and Davis 2014). JF Kennedy delivered a speech characterized with rhetorics and lofty promises to uplift America from the then misery. Kennedy emphasized about human agency, the power of man to change the course of destiny and usher in transformations in their situations. Kennedy emphasized that Americans should not forget the contributions of the previous generations and therefore, it is the responsibility of the present generation to carry forward the legacy of their forefather. The new generation of Americans should not forget the trials and tribulations induced by war and the glorious heritage that they are predecessors (Cottrell 2017). His speech was beaming with optimism and he emphasized on the vision of American towards its competitors, towards the friends and towards the spiritual and the cultural allies. JF Kennedy was reso lute in his commitment to bring an end to mass slavery across the world and the plight of poverty. JF Kenndys speech was important considering the changing socio-political conditions in America, he appealed to the sentiments of the people to break the shackles of misery and poverty all across the world. JF Kennedys speech is important in the context there were many new countries that wanted to assert independence from the colonial powers and therefore, Kennedys exhortation that they wish to be an ally of America is quite appropriate (Martnez 2016). Kennedys contention on making America s superpower emphasized on Americas vision of becoming a superpower in the unipolar world. America sought to emerge as the superpower and establish itself as the most powerful nation all over the world. His exhortation on the capability of United Nations as the last hope for seeking justice and appeal for peace brought out USAs alliance with United Nations. Kennedy dreamt of an America that would emer ge as the bastion of justice and become a beacon of hope for the teeming million populations all over the world (Collis and Hussey 2013). Kennedy spoke about the dominance of modern weapons and this highlighted the growing threat from the biological wars of weapon, nuclear war and destruction caused by modern war. Kennedy spoke the role of Russia and the imperative for Russia to come together and be part of important decision-making rather than fighting a lone battle. The audience of John F Kennedy who came to listen to his speech went far beyond the people (Martin 2015). His speech appealed to a wider global audience. As can be inferred from the contents, tone and the layout of his speech that he insinuated on the cold war. The speech was arranged in a manner to embolden the different nations of the world and inspire the citizens of the world to not to lose hope and hold onto their courage (Rabe 2014). The most interesting part of the speech articulated by Kennedy and felt by other citizens is that And so my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you- ask what you can do for your country. His speech is important in the context of his victory by a small margin. His inaugural address was successful in reaching to a wider audience and people who ahs heard his speech applauded him (Newcomb, Alyssa,What Apple Is Doing About Lack Of Diversity In The Workplace 2018). His speech made a connection with people and elementary school children wrote to him a letter of appreciation. Analysis of statement by the company-Apple annual report Apples famous inclusion and diversity video harps on the concept of diversity as open and the emphasized on the imperative to embrace new culture. This video begins with women garbed in her hijab and articulating about the need to embrace. The notion of inclusiveness and diversity that has taken the world by storm (Bryman and Bell 2015). It has become important to foster new values. It shows the companys endeavors to incorporate inclusiveness and promote the values of diversity. This video and the themes featured in the video have become a become an important topic in the Silicon Valley (Paul and Elder 2013). The video presents Apples policy that open is not just a word but emphasizes on the importance of inclusiveness. The video talks about the need to embrace people who are disabled, able-bodied, from different races, cultures, personalities, ideologies and differences (Ru-Chu 2013). The speech focuses that humanity is not singular but it is diverse and lingers on the issue of plur alism. In Apple, 29 per cent of the leaders are women (Hair et al. 2015). It was further reported that 39 per cent of the employees are women and are below the age of 30. It was reported that the female representation in Apple is on a steady rise. There has been an increase in the number of women since the survey conducted in 2014. The company acknowledged that it is dependent on the spectacular contributions of the women leaders in and employees in the company. Many women in the company are under the age of 30 (Zikmund, Babin, Carr and Griffin 2013). About 39 per cent of the women in the company are women. The Vice-President of Apple Kim was of the opinion that she was thrilled to be a part of Apple and her stint as a woman leader. The company has shown commitment towards the cause of diversity. During the period of July 2016 to July 2017, more than half of the employees who were recruited into Apple belong to historically underrepresented group that includes women, black, Hispanic , Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and Native American. The new people hired or recruited have been claimed to be more diverse compared to the present employees. Apple has been touted to be a multigeneral company with employees ranging between the age group of 18 to 85. The HR team in Apple is aware that the people whoa re being recruited today will reflect the culture of the company tomorrow. Apple is a global company with more than 130000 employees. Since 2014 there has been a high induction of female employees in the company and it has recruited 37, 000 women on a global basis. The new agenda in Apple is a diverse and welcoming community ushers with it a new and healthy work culture. Apple has established Diversity Network Associations (DNAs). The brand believes that a welcoming community would be helpful for the diverse communities to experience the world of Apple. The diversity and inclusiveness is posited to be useful for the future of Apple. Apple has achieved pay equity in almost all the countries. It has created opportunities for women to earn at par with men and made an attempt to eliminate their marginalization. Apple have also shown its commitment towards people with sexually diverse background, this includes the rights of the LGBTQ Equality and Human Rights Campaign (HRC). In 2017, Apple have dedicated a part of its proceeds for the Pride Edition Apple Watch Band, the Trevor Project and the ILGA. Apple is of the belief that that most powerful; technology should be at the disposal of everyone that should include the individual with different disabilities (Borchorst and Siim, 2016)This creates opportunities for everyone to work. Apple is of the belief that a more diverse future can be possible by emphasizing on the aspect of education. Apple has been the partner of National Center for Women Technology Information Technology that is committed towards the cause of women empowerment and participation of women within its network. This initiative by A pple has made an appeal to a section of audience who believes in the cause of empowerment, equality and diversity. These are the millenials. However, the rhetoric of Apple might not be compatible for sections of critics who may feel that corporate are trying to exploit the sentiments of popular sentiments of people for their own benefits. There has been a trend to incorporate the values of equality, women empowerment and diversity and the corporate enter[rises and in this case, Apple have understood that using such rhetorics would enhance their brand value and take them to a wider audience. This can also be related to Apples history of being exclusionary and discriminatory. According to a report published on August 12, 2014, Apple was accused of its lack of diversity. The diversity report published by Apple found that that the most likely person to occupy the top paying and prestigious position would be a male and white (Kernbach, Seppler and Bresciani 2015). The then CEO of Apple T im Cook was not contended with the current position of Apple and felt that Apple needs to adopt more inclusive policies. Cook further opined that Apple has shown commitment in improving the experiences of the employees and striving towards greater diversity Structural comparison of speech and statement In case of the JF inaugural address it was found that the speech proceeded in a coherent manner with pauses sometimes to allow the audience to feel the impact of the speech. The speech has been written and articulated in a manner such that it appeals to the sentiments of the audience. As witnessed above, the speech was well received and even connected with the children. In case of Apples statement on inclusiveness and diversity, youtube has been used. The use of video in a digital era is an appropriate decision. Apple has strongly emphasized on the themes of equality, diversity and inclusiveness by creating a video of its employees who are considered as assets of the company. Kennedys speech was made in the context of cold war, potential threat from nuclear weapon and the emphasis of a powerful America that is premised on the foundations of ethical values. In Kennedys speech there are loft promises and emotional exhortations strewn throughout the speech. In case of Apple the employme nt of real life people instead of models to cut across the issue of diversity and inclusiveness in a good step. The video persuades to embrace ideologies, emphasizes on the plurality of humanity and celebration of differences. Towards the end, the video is shown with women leaders from the company who have made important contributions. The structure of the Apple statement would appeal to the millenials as the key words of open, embrace, difference; plurality and inclusiveness have become essential in the contemporary time. The speech proceeded in a manner so that it would appeal to the sentiments of the audience and through images, there was an attempt to establish the stand of the company against the rising criticism it has faced over the years. The portrayal of women employees towards the end of the is an attempt of Apple to entrench its view and silence its challengers. Conclusion This paper was concerned with the inaugural address of John F Kennedy and the video statement made by Apple towards its stand on equality, diversity, difference and inclusiveness. It was found that the speech by John F Kennedy was well received by a wider audience including children. The speech was organized in a manner that it could linger on different themes that was considered appropriate for the then American context. America was dealing with the complexities of civil war, cold war, threats from other nations, emphasis on making America a strong nation and other relevant issues of the time. On the other hand, Apples statement focused on the issues infesting the present generation as well as the accusations made against Apple about its lack of diversity. It was found that Apples video statement was less effective compared to JF Kennedys inaugural address. The themes and organization of the speech was appropriate and made a connection with the audience. References Borchorst, A. and Siim, B., 2016. The multicultural challenge to the Danish Welfare state: Tensions between gender equality and diversity. InChanging Relations of Welfare(pp. 147-168). Routledge. Bryman, A. and Bell, E., 2015.Business research methods. Oxford University Press, USA. Collis, J. and Hussey, R., 2013.Business research: A practical guide for undergraduate and postgraduate students. Palgrave macmillan. Cottrell, S., 2017.Critical thinking skills. Macmillan Education. Goetsch, D.L. and Davis, S.B., 2014.Quality management for organizational excellence. Upper Saddle River, NJ: pearson. Hair Jr, J.F., Wolfinbarger, M., Money, A.H., Samouel, P. and Page, M.J., 2015.Essentials of business research methods. Routledge. Jackson, S.L., 2015.Research methods and statistics: A critical thinking approach. Cengage Learning. Kernbach, S., Eppler, M.J. and Bresciani, S., 2015. The use of visualization in the communication of business strategies: An experimental evaluation.International Journal of Business Communication,52(2), pp.164-187. Martin, J., 2015. Situating speech: A rhetorical approach to political strategy.Political Studies,63(1), pp.25-42. Martnez Palacios, J., 2016. Equality and diversity in democracy: how can we democratize inclusively?.Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal,35(5/6), pp.350-363. Newcomb, Alyssa,What Apple Is Doing About Lack Of Diversity In The Workplace(2018) ABC News https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/apple-lack-diversity-workplace/story?id=24950798 Paul, R. and Elder, L., 2013.Critical thinking: Tools for taking charge of your professional and personal life. Pearson Education. Rabe, S.G., 2014.The most dangerous area in the world: John F. Kennedy confronts communist revolution in Latin America. UNC Press Books. Ru-Chu, S.H.I.H., 2013. Effect of using Facebook to assist English for business communication course instruction.Tojet: the Turkish online journal of educational technology,12(1). Zikmund, W.G., Babin, B.J., Carr, J.C. and Griffin, M., 2013.Business research methods. Cengage Learning.

A Trip to Paris free essay sample

Looking at this photo of myself four years ago, I can say that I am no longer that little shy kid always attached to his twin brother. Sure Ive grown in size, but no matter how that change is measured, whether in meters or feet, it will never compare to how much Ive grown mentally. The year 2006 was a pivotal year for me, vastly changing my perspective on life, as it was the year in which my mother had told me Antonio, Im sending you off to French camp during the summer. I can still remember my response to the news — Why are you punishing me and sending me off to school during the summer — but now looking back at her decision, Im grateful that she did, because ultimately that decision molded me into who I am today. During the course of two weeks I lived with more than one hundred other kids of various different nationalities, took French classes, and toured around the city of Paris. We will write a custom essay sample on A Trip to Paris or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The day of my arrival onto the campus, I vividly remember the nervous feeling that I had looking at all of the different faces, wondering how Id befriend them all, especially my roommates. Once I met my roommates I realized that everyone was just as nervous as I was, since they were all in the same circumstances that I was. With each day I made more friends, and eventually came to realize that having a friend and living with a friend are two very different things. Being around someone twenty-four hours a day, even if it is just for two weeks, will make both closer than they are with most. In those two short weeks the people I met, the ones that I came to call my friends, I also came to my family. Those friendships that I made in some ways have defined me, since thanks to them, I learned a lot about other cultures and about myself. I learned that I love languages, I learned that I enjoy learning about different cultures, but most of all I learned the importance of communication. In o rder to succeed in life communication is critical. For example, when a director films a movie, he or she will film a scene from various different angles, and each angle has a different effect on the scene. The same can be said about an idea, but in a more complex way. Each different culture offers a different perspective on a certain idea, which in turn will be once again affected by the language spoken by the portrayer, giving a multitude of different perspectives on just one idea. Here I am, four years later at seventeen years of age, now a speaker of four languages, giving me the opportunity of doing more of what I do best, meeting new people and starting a conversation.

Differences between Real and Fake Smiles

All smiles follow the same language, a well-known proverb, yet contested by social knowledge of man. Not all smiles are genuine and therefore, not all speak in the same language. Nonverbal expression, especially through facial movements, helps in understanding the meaning of the messages communicated. Facial expression forms an integral part of the interaction.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Differences between Real and Fake Smiles specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A smile can speak a thousand languages and are often attributable with immense power for inner and social healing. A true smile has immense contribution to address problems faced by man. Therefore, the importance of smile to the man is immense. Consequently, it is important to understand if one can identify the difference between a fake and genuine smile. Hence, there is a difference between fake and real smile, which can be differentiated by social as well as scientific factors. This essay tries to find out the reasons that govern the difference between the real and fake smile and how the difference can be identified. Human face is an amalgamation of a large amount of dynamic information and plays an important role in interpersonal communication. Smiles can be real or fake and there are different interpretations regarding the differentiation between the two. Science states that there is a scientific way of identifying the difference between a genuine and a fake smile. In fact, the real smile that eludes happiness is called the â€Å"Duchenne smile† named after the French scientist, Guillaume Duchenne, who studied facial expression in humans is the late nineteenth century. Scientists believe a Duchenne smile involves two muscles viz. zygomatic major and orbicularis oculi that helps in smiling. Zygotamic major raises the corners of our mouth and orbicularis oculi makes crow’s feet next to our eyes when the cheeks are raised due to smiling. In case of a real smile movement of both these muscles are observed while in case of a fake smile only zygomatic major moves twisting the corners of the lips but no visible movement around the eye. This is an observable difference between a fake and real smile but the question that arises is that what is the reason for such a difference between the two smiles?Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In reality, scientists believe that these two smiles i.e. a fake and real smile, are controlled by two different parts of the brain. The reason for such a belief is when the smile is consciously created the left part of the brain responds to such desire, and therefore, moves only the left part of the face. Consequently, only the left part of the face smiles asymmetrically, with the right side of the face not moving likewise. However, when the smile is a spontaneous respons e it has no asymmetries. Therefore, this resulted in the belief of the scientists that the two types of smiles are controlled by two different parts of the brain. Scientists found that the fake smile is controlled by the motor cortex and that of the real smile is controlled by the limbic system, which is actually the emotional warehouse of the brain. Therefore, the scientific reason for the difference in real and fake smile is due to the control of different parts of the brain. Some researchers have differentiated between a fake and real smile by the duration of the time of the smile itself. They believe that a smile lasting for 500 and 4000 ms are real smiles as opposed to fake smiles that can be shorter or longer. Another difference between the two arose in the shorter onset and offset time for the fake smiles as compared to the emotionally stimulated real smiles. The scientific differences between a fake and a real smile is also related with the inability of man to activate certa in muscles voluntarily results in a different expression in case of a fake smile as opposed to a naturally stimulated smile that stimulates all the muscles creating the right facial expression. Therefore, the scientific reason states that a real smile would stimulate all the facial muscles while a fake smile will not be able to stimulate all the facial muscles resulting in a different expression. Socially the difference is seen in the difference in the smile in the eye. A fake smile moves the lips and makes the lips smile however, the smile is not carried over to the eyes. On the other hand, a real smile is always reflected in the eyes of an individual. Therefore, a real smile makes the eyes smile while a fake smile does not. Therefore, the difference between a fake and real smile is observable if the eye is closely followed.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Differences between Real and Fake Smiles specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Smiles are an integral part of nonverbal communication. A smile can speak million languages. Therefore, understanding a smile and if it is a real or a fake smile helps in understanding the real meaning behind such communications. Both scientific and social reasons acknowledge and explain the difference in a fake and real smile. In conclusion, it must be noted that a fake smile is created voluntarily and therefore fails to illicit the true smiling expression on human face, while a real smile, stimulated by the real emotions, illicit the true expressions on the face. Therefore, a genuine smile charges up the face and makes it look beautiful. This essay on Differences between Real and Fake Smiles was written and submitted by user Isabel Flowers to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The eNotes Blog Making the Most of a Missed Day What to Do When You Need a SubstituteTeacher

Making the Most of a Missed Day What to Do When You Need a SubstituteTeacher While the teacher is out, the students are still in class ready to learn. Your absence does not automatically mean that the students have to watch a video or do busy work to fill the day. Follow these tips to ensure that students continue to be engaged and productive while you are away. Create a collaborative project Though you will not be in class, the students still have a very valuable resource at their disposaleach other. This is a terrific opportunity to create a project that encourages collaboration. You can use the day before your absence to explain the project and get students started, and then have them continue their work during your absence. It is important that this project result in a final product that you can evaluate when you returnthis could be a group skit, a poster, a pamphlet, or a series of arguments to be used in a debate. The gap in daily activities can be an ideal moment to synthesize the work you’ve been doing together in the last few weeks. Students can reflect on the ideas they have been studying and apply them in new ways to demonstrate understanding. It might be best not to introduce new ideas here, given that you will not be present to answer questions about material that is unfamiliar to students. Set up the project the day before You should ensure that students understand exactly what they need to do while you are away. The role of each student and the expectations of the final product should be clearly communicated. Ideally, these expectations should be typed out and distributed to your students as well as the substitute so that there is no ambiguity about the assignment. Think carefully about the scope of the assignment and how best to involve every student in the activity. The project should be comprehensive enough to cover the entirety of the class periodthink of this not as â€Å"busy work† but rather an opportunity for students to think broadly and deeply about themes that they have covered in class thus far. To ensure that every student participates, it might make sense to give each student in the group a particular role. You may even want students to sign off on what they have contributed to the assignment so that one student does not end up taking on all the work for the group. Have clear guidelines for the students Students will be motivated to work if the final product counts for a grade and they know exactly what they need to do to succeed. Communicate to students that your absence is not a day off for themit’s a productive day that they must use to complete their project. A checklist might be a great way for students to know exactly what steps they need to take in order to complete their project and what rubric you will use to grade their work. Creating the list of steps for them helps to keep them on track while you are gone. Hold students accountable for their work Your class time is valuable. You’ve put thought into ensuring that your day off would be beneficial to students’ learning, and you’ve created an opportunity for students to demonstrate that they can work collaboratively in your absence. When you return, you should expect that students have followed through with the expectations you set out before you left. Inform the substitute Give the substitute as much information as possible about how the class time will be used while you are away. Offer instructions on how to handle misbehavior, particularly since students will be working in groups and may test the boundaries of appropriate volume and conduct. Finally, ask the substitute to leave a brief report on how the class worked together. This will give you valuable information that you can use to evaluate the success of the project. You may be surprised to find that the right planning will turn your day off into a day on for students!

Armenia Needs Humvees Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Armenia Needs Humvees - Essay Example However, this process was not finalised until December 25, 1991. It is also a member of NATO and the UN. As it is in the limits between Europe and Asia, it shares features with both. Due to this strategic geographical location, it is within the sphere of influence of the US and Russia. The Republic covers an area of 29,800 km2 and has a population of more than 3 million inhabitants of which 97.7% are Armenian, 1.3% are Yazidi Kurds and 0.5% are Russians. In 2005 the Gross Domestic Product, or GDP, was 14.17 billion dollars (circa 4,270 dollars per capita), situating it in the 127th position of the list supplied by the International Monetary Fund, just above countries like Iceland, Jamaica or Brunei [1]. Armenia is a poorly industrialized country, with a manufacturing sector that represents circa 30% of the GNI. A total of 40% of the work force is employed in industry and the building sector. In terms of production, the most successful areas are mining (the extraction and refining of minerals such as gold, copper, silver or zinc) and manufacture, with the production of machinery and synthetic rubber at the forefront. It is a complex but beautiful language [2], which shows influences from Hindu, Persian, Arabic, Greek and Latin. It also incorporates expressions and words from English, Russian or French. Interestingly, Armenian has remained virtually unchanged since it was first used more than 1,500 years ago. Armenian alphabet is truly unique. It was designed by Mesrop Mashtots at the beginning of the 5th century. Due to the uncertainties of those years, it was received as a divine gift, as an intellectual tool in the fight against fanaticism. Until that point, any documents in the Armenian language had been written by "borrowing" the Greek alphabet. Armenians soon started using the new alphabet to translate, for example, philosophical, scientific or religious documents, which has allowed them to safeguard their identity during successive invasions and thus avoid the loss of their traditions and customs. 1.3. Culture Armenia is an interesting tourist destination. In total, on the territory of Armenia there are 10 natural lakes, 15 rivers and 5 canyons. Natural attractions include the hot springs of Jermuk and Arzni, where one can take a bath immersed in medicinal mineral water; the beautiful Lake Sevan, where one can relax on its shores or practice water sports; the spectacular waterfall of Shaki; the forests of Dilijan, Gugark or Bjurakan; and the caves and cliffs of the Southeast of the country, all locations of great natural beauty. One of the symbols of Armenia is the Mount Ararat, which at 5,265 m high can be seen from many locations in the Southwest of the country. Yerevan, the capital of

Style over Substance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Style over Substance - Essay Example However, for this to work effectively without swaying the viewing, specific regulations and understandings need to be considered. The effectiveness of televising the Presidential Debates is based on the capacity of giving viewers information about the persona, characteristics and ideologies of a given candidate. From a recent study, (Drew, 32), it was found that the Presidential Debates and the televised effects is what determined how citizens would vote. This pattern is one which was noted over a series of years, beginning in 1998. Each year, the vote became predictable by the debates and the responses which individuals had to these from the TV (Drew, 32). When looking at this information, it can be seen that voters rely on the information which they see on television based on the presidents, all which changes their outlook and decisions, specifically because of the knowledge received from the TV. The ability to receive knowledge about issues from the Presidential Debates is one whi ch should be considered not only with basic information, but also with the framework which is used. If citizens had the capacity of recognizing the models which were used with the debates, it would eliminate some of the abilities to change the mind of citizens in society.

How do we come to believe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

How do we come to believe - Essay Example is not everyone who might have benefited from such knowledge, knew everything that they might have needed to know inorder to believe.For instance,in market economics the theory of the equilibrium was quite widespread but with a completely indifferent view.The theory assumed that,the appropriate pricing in the market place was predicated upon how fast the diffusion of knowledge about the true values of goods and services took place.This view presently might come under fire,as generally faulty by observation of the facts,and to some extent a major cause of the present economic down-turn. Going by the limitations sometimes associated with communications,aggravated further by human factors of resistance to change especially by die-hard supporters of partisan consensus;it took quite a considerable time for a mainstream consensus to come into the fore,bearing a new kind of scientific knowledge that was effectively designed to account as data for empirical evidence.In philosophy, Epistemology is concerned with the nature,scope and limitations of knowledge.But knowledge depended in part on the availability of facts and ideas.Therefore,as a matter of principle in these present times,the readily available and huge numbers of facts and non-facts on the Web,has created the capacity to alter the whole epistemology of Science.Therefore a well researched review able to synthesis a voluminous body of existing facts with the aim of creating a new knowledge ( hypothesis),contains knowledge of greater value as a contribution to Scientific literature in the sense that it adds more pr imary fact(Jones 111). On religion and religious beliefs,Roy Clouser argues that ‘every religious tradition considers something or other as divine and that all of them have a common denominator in the status of the divinity itself’.In spite of many religions disagreeing on what is divine,they however all agree on what it means to be divine.The divine is whatever is unconditionally and nondependently

Nicosias Municipal Theatre Collapse Structural Analysis

Nicosias Municipal Theatre Collapse Structural Analysis Property Building Nicosia Municipal Theatre Location Mouseiou Avenue 4 Nicosia, 1097, Cyprus Report Date 29 March 2017 Purpose of report: A structural statement towards Nicosias Municipal Theatre after its roof collapse by addressing concerns raised by the public with reference to its historical and cultural importance for its users. The report will include studying the buildings background and suggestions for the most appropriate reconstruction of the roof having in mind its structural strength, the original shape of the building before collapsing and its materials. Points of interest: Roof reconstruction during refurbishment. Weight of steel shears used over steel beams exiting structures strength. Materials used on the original design and during refurbishment. Type of steel beams used its construction method, why it was chosen and its use background Recommended actions: Repair beams structure with original material, or suggest a new more sustainable one. Investigate what might went wrong and repair as necessary the collapsed roof with particular attention to keep the original design always in mind. Thorough repair of all existing cracking to restore the overall structural integrity of the building. Remove redundant old structure remains (a sensible precaution for future consideration). Conclusion: Introduction Each building writes its own story and Nicosias Municipal Theater for half a century was a point of reference for the island of Cyprus, and so it should remain. The Nicosia Friends Association considering the historical value of the site supports that the building is marked among the timeless places of the island that the Municipal Theater was, and should remain, a serious outbreak theatrical, educational, and entertainment building for the country. It is an essential part of the citys story, one of the capital culture incubator unnecessarily deprived the last eight years. It is more than a melancholic and sad spectacle, the image of an important building abandoned and left to the mercy of time! Such buildings are living organs in our culture, and shouldnt be allowed to collapse, be useless to stand as haunted corpses waiting for the bulldozer to demolish mercilessly, eliminating them from the map of a town! There are some buildings that have acquired life and soul because of the role they have played or continue to play within our own lives. Because the building is not just a functional and aesthetic personality, but also a cultural, historical and a point of reference landmark in the city. Despite all the possible errors in the functionality or controversial style that a building might have, it is still commonly accepted benchmarks and objectively speaking important in our lives. The Municipal Theater of Nicosia, was a building that was a living cell in the cultural pulse of the capital for years. Without doubt, this building, even several decades ago, when it was designed, was anachronistic in style. The exterior being a neoclassical housing, with pediment and columns, in contradiction with its modern for the time interior. But what is important is to realize that creating a building, we create an object that can indeed be made from inanimate materials but has life and character of the time used and operated by its people. This building was more than such an organic mechanism, as it was called by locals, the instrument for cultural activity of Nicosia for many years, the area where the Cyprus Theater Organization lived the greatest of glories, which thrived on the stage of our leading actors, which hosted so many artists from all over the world. A place that hosted many outstanding and of high importance theatrical performances, political ceremonies, numerous works of world repertoire, musical performances by top musicians around the world, and was the focus of cultural life in Nicosia. General Information Historical and Cultural Background Architectural Description and Drawings: In describing the property references and drawings of the front, rear, left and right side elevations will be used, section, plans and structural analysis drawings. (Still pending- under processà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦)) The property is a Theatre of neo-classical style that was built in 1966 and it has been used for theatrical and dance performances, musical concerts, and other political and national ceremonies. It has the capacity of 1220 seats, central ground floor sitting and balcony seats, but also contained smaller dance studios and theatrical practice rooms on the rear sides of the building, and dressing-rehearsal rooms at the rear back of the building and underground. On the underground you could also find all technical material and equipment for the theatres use. The main accommodation is on two storeys with a further cellar/basement level below the rear part of the property. A marble covered faà §ade occupies the front of the building but no damages occurred to it from the roof and structure collapse, nor cracks or decay signs. Cultural and Historical Background: Before collapsing, the theatre was the main stage of the Theatrical Organization of Cyprus. As an only 50 years old building, its current structural and architectural stage raises several concerns by the locals, as it is considered a quite new, for its historical value, building. The Nicosia Municipal Theatre was designed by Pefkios Georgiades in 1966, a prime architect of its time in Cyprus, and built in October 1967. It has not only been Cyprus Theatre Organisations (THOC) centre of performances but the first choice of use by foreign artists as well. In July 2002, the municipality had chosen the same architectural practice to revise the theatres renovation in order for any upgrades to take place, having contemporary needs and safety protocols in mind. In March 2005, the responsible for the renovation construction company had been chosen and contracts were signed (A. Panayides Contracting Ltd) with the refurbishment works coming into completion by November 2005 for a total cost spen d to reach à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬5,580,072. After less than 3 years time, in June 2008, Cyprus experienced a disaster which could have been a tragedy, which could have caused a painful reference in the memories of the people of Cyprus for generations, as few hours before the roof collapsed there was a performance going on. The roof collapsed overnight on an empty theatre, few hours before a sold out, end of year performance, with the audience to be filled mainly with children and teachers. The fact that the roof structure collapsed only 2,5 years after the government expended nearly à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬6m on the buildings refurbishment is in any architects and engineers eyes a shocking, unexplained incident, with many still wondering What caused the entire roof to collapse so soon after so much . money were spent on improving the structural integrity of the building? Structural Related Information: The construction of the original design has been proven as conventional throughout and, from an optical examination, contained no rare detailing or materials which might arouse structural problems. The ministry of Culture denied any access to the public into the details of the structural report. The public announcement included a statement saying only that it seems like the steel structures resistance, on which the roof was placed, was not evaluated correctly among other things. It also addressed that the structure failure occurred on a part of the roof where only a replacement of the crenelated iron pieces of the roof and nothing to do with the support beams as any replacement or maintenance to them was believed to be needless. Furthermore it was said that the steel shears capability to endure the weight of what was going to be suspended from them was overestimated and wrongly calculated.The Inspective Committee stated as a final reason for the incident, technical reasons that cause d the failure. In general, the buildings material where mainly local stone for the walls construction, concrete for the foundations, marble exterior facades, wooden interior wall facades and lastly steel for the roof structure with steel shears as the covering material. The beams structure used, according to the public structural report released to the public, was a combination of the Quadrangular Truss and the French Truss along with Vertical Struts. A structure that can handle the shape and such function that the architect originally designed, for this kind of long spun structure of distance up to 60 metres long (197ft). This building has been a prime figure for Cyprus capital city, but yet was abandoned and left at its since then stage, ever since June 2008, when the structure collapsed, with no plans for reconstruction of the roof, although there is a high demand by the majority of Nicosians, the municipality is under a legal fight over the incident in contradiction with all those guilty in 2010. They sued the contractor, architect and engineers and requested a full payment for the reconstruction fee, assessed to be about à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬4m to reinstate the theatre. From the information released to the public, it is known that the original design for the roof was made from Steel, a combination of the Quadrangular Truss and the French Truss along with Vertical Struts. The main reason was the big length span of the buildings roof and also knowing that steel trusses are usually made of multiple angles, plates and eye bars, in order to create such shapes which are easily modified in order to resist a tensile stress rather than a compressive stress. This system of truss arrangements allows fewer of its members to be in compression, and also, its shorter members are in compression and the longer ones in tension. Purlins are used to support the rafters of the structure, so the distance between the struts, because of the fact that the roof is covered with iron sheets, fixed on the purlins, should not be more than 5 feet apart from each other. This is the most economical and practical method of construction, as the number of braces used depends on the roofs inclination, span and shape. A horizontal tie was used to avoid bending of the laterals. Furthermore, raising the lowest chord should be considered, in order to substantially increase the tension in the truss members in need. The reason is because a truss with its lowest chord with a rise of two or three feet is better aesthetically and visually, and of course stronger, as by raising the bottom chord will shorten the rest structure members, hence the more strength and forces will be distributed better. This specific structure was chosen for the roof of the theatre, having in mind its span of 190ftwith spacing, from center to center, of 20ft. The roof was made with 28 beams, which would be supported by purlins at points seen above in the diagram, marked with letters A, B, C, D, E, and F. Additionally a thinner steel sash was placed between C and D, for better light and ventilation to be allowed into the interior of the building when was needed. Parts marked with A and B was not part of the truss strength structure but they were placed there to be an additional frame work to upkeep the elevated roof and the stresses. One of the suggestions proposed for the refurbished structure was to turn the roofs structure bottom chord in a segmental shape, which will give to it an elegant framework, but also more efficient proportions for such a wide span structure. The parts built-in between the junctions A, B, C, D in a Quadrangular Truss, are simply struts external to the truss. In both above cases, original and suggested one, all members of this kind of truss are made of several angles, to take up any tension or compression. The involved stresses in this Quadrangular trusses, due to weather conditions, should consider, according to calculations for the maximum stress that might be created by any potential material choice or combination of loads for structures of 100 to 200 feet span. The topography of the site is unlike to might have caused any complications that may be connected to the incident, as there are no geographical problematic features which might have caused foundation problems. On the exterior, a small crack can be seen on the north side elevation, right above the top floor windows, which is spreading down to the rear end of the wall until reaching the side door, which leads inside the theatre. Also, on the south elevation of the building, a cracking can be seen above the central beam, which spans until the top floor windows and also at the ground floor main windows. (Drawings to follow). No other external cracking of significance could be located that might have been caused after the roof collapsed. On the interior, a large cracking can be seen on the wall between the main stage and the sitting area and also in the corresponding wall above on the top floor gallery (sitting area). Even though the cracking is relatively small in scale compared to the buildings damage, it appears to be quite new, which makes it look like it was caused from the incident and not prior to it. The majority of the affected areas are those which have been recently refurbished. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Historical structural steelwork handbook: properties of U.K. and European cast iron, wrought iron and steel sections including design, load and stress data since the mid-19th century. W. Bates; British Constructional Steelwork Association. London, 1984 Stiffness of joints in bolted connected cold-formed steel trusses, Zaharia, Raul; Dubina, Dan. Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 2006, Vol.62 (3), pp.240-249 [Peer Reviewed Journal] Science Direct (Elsevier B.V.) Rotational stiffness of cold-formed steel roof purlin-sheeting connections. Zhao, Congxiao ; Yang, Jian ; Wang, Feiliang ; Chan, Andrew H.C. Engineering Structures, February 2014, Vol.59, pp.284-297 [Peer Reviewed Journal] Science Direct (Elsevier B.V.) http://www.lawyersincyprus.com/el/article/roof-collapse-whos-to-blame http://www.cyprusedirectory.com/articleview.aspx?ID=2604 http://chestofbooks.com/architecture/Construction-Superintendence/Chapter-II-Types-Of-Steel-Trusses.html#ixzz20ySOLRb5 Architectural Association of Cyprus Official Report of Incident ETEK Org

West Side Story :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The movie takes place in the West Side of New York, in the late 1950s.The Jets are a teenage gang of American boys determined not only to check but to destroy the growth of Puerto Rican population and influence on their block. They are opposed by a Puerto Rican gang, the Sharks, led by Bernardo.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the entirely dance sene, the members of the two rival gangs provoke each other. A fight breaks out between them, but it's broken up by the arrival of two cops. After the police has got rid of the Puerto Ricans, Riff, the leader of the Jets, informs his gang that he will challenge Bernardo to a decisive rumble that night at a dance. The Jets are convinced of their invincibility, they sing the Jet song.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Riff tries to talk his friend Tony into being his lieutenant for the challenge. Tony, who is the co-founder of the Jets, has been growing away from the gang and is now working at Doc's, the neighborhood's drugstore. Tony reluctantly agrees to meet Riff at the dance and sings about his feelings the song he sings is called something's comming i think. The Jets, led by Riff and Graziella, and the Sharks, led by Bernardo and his girl Anita, meet at the dance in the neighborhoood gym, where in choreography their violent hostility to each other is reflected when they dance at the gym.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the frenzied dancing, Tony meets the lovely Maria. She is Bernardo's sister who has just arrived from Puerto Rico to marry Chino. To both Tony and Maria, it's love at first sight. But Bernardo stops them from dancing together and insists that Chino takes Maria home.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Later the challenge is made for a war council to decide on weapons for the rumble. Meanwhile, Tony walks through the streets, thinking only of his new love, Maria . On a tenement rooftop, Bernardo, his girlfriend Anita and their friends joyfully sing about the relative quality of life among Puerto Ricans in New York. At midnight, the Sharks boys go off to the war council, much to Anita's annoyance at Bernardo.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Meanwhile, Tony finds the building where Maria lives and he climbs up her fire escape to meet her. They sing of their lovetonight. They plan to meet in the bridal shop where Maria is employed the next day.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At Doc's drugstore, Riff and the Jets are warned by Krupke, a cop, no to cause any trouble on the block.

Moderation vs. Extremism

Man is a complex individual. Embodying the gift of life and the challenge of living it, man is faced with challenges brought by the decision he makes in living his life. Through these challenges, he explores his identity and personality. He is able to assess his inherent characteristics, his abilities and skills. The discovery of his potentials will lead him to utilize it in a manner in which he sees fit. The ability to do what he wants in life is attributed to the freedom that he lives.Humans are driven, free, and capable of governing their lives. The need to survive is the challenge that humans continuous to overcome every day. The individual behaves and reacts to the situations and the people around him. He has an idea of what he wants in life and how he should live it to its full potential. Personal reasons such as success or the need for financial resources and a suited career is sometimes included in the reasons why man behaves and reacts towards his surroundings in a certain w ay. All these reasons contribute to what is essential in life, to be happy.It is such a clichà © for people to talk about happiness in the modern times the society now lives in. The information technology era had brought a perception that man is keen to adapt in a fast-paced and complicated life. The modernism ideology has influenced how people thinks and behaves. This can be mostly associated with the need to be famous, or rich. To further understand how man identifies himself with happiness, Socrates’ definition and view regarding happiness can be used to explain how it is. The Greek word â€Å"ethos† is where the word ethics is derived from.Consequently, the word also is defined as â€Å"habit†.(Beebe, 2003) Socrates is one of the several philosophers who explored the definition of habit and character that one must cultivate in order to live. On a greater scale, how should man be and become in this life. Socrates believed that one should settle the definitio n of ethical character as a manifestation of its morality actions.(Beebe, 2003) As an example, when a child discovers his father killed someone, and his father is hunted by the F.B.I, when someone ask him, he would automatically refuse to be truthful about the whereabouts of his father.This is considering the facts that the child admires his father very much and can not imagine his father committing the crime. In that situation, should the child be tagged as a liar and dishonest person, considering the person involved in very dear to him and is a very influential person in his life. Should one doubt the ethical character of the child or understand the reason why he had lied. This is the question that Socrates posted on the idea of ethical values. With the definition of ethics comes the idea of virtue. Virtue is also associated to â€Å"excellence† and can be applied in many aspects of our lives. Socrates posted a question, â€Å"when does someone consider his life to be happ y?† (Beebe, 2003)Beneath the question is the question connecting the idea of virtue and happiness.   Using the definition of virtue, it questions how man can be of his full potential. What can make his life truly happy? In reality, when one person thinks of happiness, it becomes a subjective view on the person’s life. Socrates on the other hand thinks of happiness as an objective feature of one’s life. Socrates also claimed that â€Å"the most important thing is not life, but the good life†.(Beebe, 2003)This statement comes with the idea that the fulfillment of life is the essence of life itself. Happiness is not just the mere smiles and the happy feeling attributed to it, but when everything is wrong, one lives and overcomes it. This is exercised by the ethical and virtuous persons. They consider more of the quality of their lives rather than just the length and living simply the life they ought to live. Understanding Socrates definition of ethics and v irtue, rather than the pursuit of wealth, reputation, prestige and others, one must focus on aspiring to be ethical and virtuous more than anything else.Because these two ideas generates happiness, is a factor of happiness and creates the life with moral quality. Virtue and happiness is both necessary and sufficient to be able to be happy. Being virtuous is necessary to become happy. The idea of living a virtuous life is fulfilling the excellent kind of life a person can fulfill. This is disregarding the material aspirations of one’s life, in return, one gains the ideals of honesty, fairness, and bravery that contributes to the quality of life one lives. These attributes may not give enough material possessions but the morale and quality of life is the result of living the virtuous life.In Socrates famous saying, â€Å"The unexamined life is worth not living†.(Beebe, 2003) To this saying we pose the idea of wisdom and the pursuit of knowledge and reason. Virtuous livin g is having the gift of rationality and the capacity to think critically. The discussion of virtue is also important in the pursuit of happiness. Virtuosity also comes with work. Being virtuous is a process and a pursuit, and together with work, one can achieve happiness. We can therefore say that according to Socrates, one can not be happy without being virtuous, and one can not be virtuous without being wise.BEEBE, J. R. (2003) Socrates on Prozac and Happines. acsu.buffalo.edu.Beebe, James R. â€Å"Socrates on Prozac and Happines†.   2003. Lecture notes. acsu.buffalo.edu. November 27 2006. .Kalin, J.G., Davis, G.S, and Geisler, N.L. â€Å"Determinism†.   2004. November 27 2006. .

The rape of the lock and a modest Essays

The rape of the lock and a modest Essays The rape of the lock and a modest Paper The rape of the lock and a modest Paper The two basic modes of satire are good-humoured teasing and savage attack. Discuss The Rape of the Lock and A Modest Proposal in the light of this statement. The Rape of the Lock and A Modest Proposal were both published for the first time early in the 18th century (1712 and 1729 respectively). In addition, Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift were close friends. Given these facts, one could easily assume that there would be numerous similarities in style and arguments. This, though, is not necessarily the case. Satire is largely defined as a genre that attempts to highlight and criticise the flaws and failings of society through mockery and ridicule. It is often intended to inspire self-evaluation or, in more extreme cases, reform. However, the styles of these satirical pieces can be greatly contrasted. The Rape of the Lock is distinctly light-hearted, and very few, if any, instances of severity can be found. This type of satire is commonly known as Horatian satire, named after the Roman satirist, Horace, who claimed that every play should either instruct or delight better if it does both. The poem is written using the heroic couplet, for which Pope is widely recognised to have mastered and made his own. The heroic couplet consists of rhymed pairs of iambic pentameter lines. The natural balance of the couplet form is well suited to this Horatian style of satire, as it encourages comparisons and contrasts. The form provides a means for two ideas or situations to be compared or contrasted against one another. It is therefore perfect for the evaluative, moralising foundation of the poem, but does not attack the subject matter too viciously. This also complements the mock-epic style in which the poem is written, by building up something in one line to have it swiftly put down in the next. This approach to satire is expressed extremely well in an excellent example in what is largely known as the toilet scene, near the end of canto 1. Here Pope comments on the misplaced priorities of modern society through the description of Belindas dressing table, at which she prepares herself for battle: The tortoise here and elephant unite, Transformed to combs, the speckled and the white. Here files of pins extend their shining rows, Puffs, powders, patches, Bibles, billet-doux. Here we have two examples of Popes use of the heroic couplet to comment on what he considers to be faults in society. Having the tortoise and elephant unite creates a pleasant atmosphere of harmony, most notably, though, in the animal kingdom as opposed to the human world. However, this image of harmony is quickly destroyed in the next line where Pope tells us that this union is at the expense of human consumerism, as the elephant and tortoise have been transformed to combs. We then are shown what can be found on Belindas dressing table. The order of items as described in the verse is the most significant feature here. By including the bible amongst the other more trivial items suggests that religion has become secondary to more frivolous issues, this case being cosmetics and romance. By having Belinda arm herself at the dressing table is typical of the mock-epic approach, which pokes mild ridicule at society, and the situation in general. It can be argues that the cutting, or raping, of someones hair is by no means a trivial matter. This may indeed be the case, but Pope has used the mock-epic style to trivialise it by blowing the whole situation out of proportion by presenting it in an epic fashion. This is made apparent at the very beginning of the poem, with Pope asking, What mighty contests rise from trivial things? This conforms with the Horatian ideals, as it very much appears as if Pope is attempting to reason with his target audience rather than attack their morals or beliefs. Typical features of an epic are seen throughout the poem. The appearance of the sylphs and other supernatural entities, for example, liken the situation to a struggle between the natural and supernatural. The depiction of Belinda as a pure and virtuous figure as opposed to the mysterious and somewhat nefarious baron also suggests a battle between good and evil, which is also common in classical epics. This style allows Pope to steer clear from his own personal opinions, which is extremely important in maintaining the atmosphere of impartiality required to lower the seriousness and harshness of the poem.

Free Essays on The Most Embarasing Moment

The most embarrassing moment in my life happened in the restaurant one decade ago. I promised to four of my good friends that I will treat them with nice dinner in the best restaurant in the city if I get the promotion I was expecting. When that long awaited moment finally arrived, we all gathered on the warm summer Saturday night at the â€Å"Vesuvio†, Italian restaurant located in the heart of down town, with reputation of having the best Italian food in the whole country. â€Å"Vesuvio† was a pleasant upscale restaurant with the big hanging, mushroom-shaped lights and heavy wooden tables covered with traditional white tablecloths. We had some great time that night, telling jokes and remembering good high-school days over pasta, shrimps and pizzas. When handsome waiter brought our bill, I proudly reached for my black oversized purse to take my red leather wallet out of it. I did not find it right away, so I nervously shuffled the numerous items in my purse. I l ooked again, and again and still could not find it. I turned my purse up-side-down. At that time my Clinique make up bag landed on the table followed by the car keys, some photos, bunch of store receipts, my new sunglasses, but no sign of the wallet. After a short while I gave up and totally embarrassed and rather red-faced admitted to my friends that I accidentally left it at home. They started teasing me saying that since I invited them, I should pay even if I had to stay in the restaurant’s kitchen washing the dishes. However, the restaurant saga ended with my friends paying for the dinner. Furthermore, they never wanted me to pay them back. Even though my most embarrassing moment happened almost 10 years ago, they still tease me for that. Needless to say, I have never went back to â€Å"Vesuvio† again.... Free Essays on The Most Embarasing Moment Free Essays on The Most Embarasing Moment The most embarrassing moment in my life happened in the restaurant one decade ago. I promised to four of my good friends that I will treat them with nice dinner in the best restaurant in the city if I get the promotion I was expecting. When that long awaited moment finally arrived, we all gathered on the warm summer Saturday night at the â€Å"Vesuvio†, Italian restaurant located in the heart of down town, with reputation of having the best Italian food in the whole country. â€Å"Vesuvio† was a pleasant upscale restaurant with the big hanging, mushroom-shaped lights and heavy wooden tables covered with traditional white tablecloths. We had some great time that night, telling jokes and remembering good high-school days over pasta, shrimps and pizzas. When handsome waiter brought our bill, I proudly reached for my black oversized purse to take my red leather wallet out of it. I did not find it right away, so I nervously shuffled the numerous items in my purse. I l ooked again, and again and still could not find it. I turned my purse up-side-down. At that time my Clinique make up bag landed on the table followed by the car keys, some photos, bunch of store receipts, my new sunglasses, but no sign of the wallet. After a short while I gave up and totally embarrassed and rather red-faced admitted to my friends that I accidentally left it at home. They started teasing me saying that since I invited them, I should pay even if I had to stay in the restaurant’s kitchen washing the dishes. However, the restaurant saga ended with my friends paying for the dinner. Furthermore, they never wanted me to pay them back. Even though my most embarrassing moment happened almost 10 years ago, they still tease me for that. Needless to say, I have never went back to â€Å"Vesuvio† again....

Offshoring Service Sector Jobs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Offshoring Service Sector Jobs - Essay Example 1-10, 2011). In addition, this has also created a single platform for the businesses that can develop, broaden, and extend their business operations and activities from local to international arena. Indeed, these elevations and progressions has augmented the element of competition in the business community, hence it has now become one of the most imperative aspects for all corporations and businesses. As an outcome, the key emphasis of the organizations is now on the amplified productivity of goods and services (Feenstra & Taylor, pp. 1-10, 2011). The trends of the current market in the recent years have also depicted the fact that the businesses are constantly struggling with the challenges in order to survive and persist in the marketplace for which they are striving to work in the most effective and efficient manner. The notion and idea of globalization and globalized production has also broadened its capacity to the service industry as well. However, the human resource has always comes under the consideration to be the most valuable asset, because they can either make the organization witness the heights of success or can be the prime reason for its failure (Feenstra & Taylor, pp. 1-10, 2011). The records divulge the fact that the global economy is experiencing a structural change. With the increase in the global competition, pressures on profit margins have also come under its influence, which has given rise to the concept of offshoring. Through offshoring, likelihood of productivity increases as the enterprises have the option to work round the clock to send the data back and forth from the host country to the home country (Farrell &Â  McKinsey Global Institute, pp. 3-10, 2007). Therefore, offshoring has become a prominent part of the recent trend, predominantly in the service sector that is the relocation or repositioning of an operational unit or process of the organization that include information technology, accounting and several others from one pla ce to another either on a local or international basis. In addition, offshore also comes under association to outsourcing of people that has gained significant importance from the latter half of the twentieth century (Farrell &Â  McKinsey Global Institute, pp. 3-10, 2007). The below graph is a representation that undoubtedly and noticeably demonstrates the idea that offshoring in the service sector is intensifying with the passage of time. (Schaaf, pp. 11, 2004) This is due to the reason that offshoring saved a huge amount of expense of the wages as the under-developed nations produce more skilled workers on relatively less wages when compared to the workers of the developed countries. Lower production cost coupled to the lower cost of labor is one of the leading and principal reasons that lead to offshoring in the service sector. The studies expose the piece of information that there is a huge difference between the labor costs of the underdeveloped nations when compared to the de veloped countries. Besides, the other costs such as health insurance and pension costs are also much lower in the underdeveloped countries relatively. Nevertheless, the saved amount can come under utilization for the telecommunications, data security, or the service quality of

Factors Influencing Adult, Learning in Technology Based Firm Essay

Factors Influencing Adult, Learning in Technology Based Firm - Essay Example From this discussion it is clear that  the teachers or modern practitioners have concluded that there are two different types of teaching methodology, in the andragogic approach; which based on teaching drawn from the experience of the participants and the pedagogic approach. Here the teachings are based completely on the prerogative of the teacher. Studies have proven that in order for an adult to learn, he/she must have the necessary atmosphere. This is necessary because, with the increase in the age, the experiential learning tends to increase, so does the tendency to relate to past happenings of the same vein.  As the study highlights the program tended to put the ideas of adult learning into test and understand the impact and the effect of the same. The program had all the attributes, like modularity, easy approach and peripheral qualities. It was designed for the middle level Managers who had around five to seven years of experience and could base their learning on the expe riences.   At the end of the program, when the evaluation was asked, they gave flowing tributes about various instructors and their way of teaching, a critical evaluation is made to understand the various facets of the program and the cumulative impact on the behavior of the participants.  The structural base of the learning is modular and the learning is self directed, the onus of the learning process lies in the hand of the participants as they principally drive the class.... In the andragogic model, the participant’s views are taken into account (Gadamer et al., 2004). The structural base of the learning is modular and the learning is self directed, the onus of the learning process lies in the hand of the participants as they principally drive the class. There is a high amount of emphasis on setting up the adequate type of physical and psychological climate for the learning to happen. The auxiliary factors would include the proper learning environment, the emphasis on self directed learning. During the course of the program, the students were given the complete freedom to express their ideas and discuss them in the relevant groups (Garvin, 2000). There was a general transfer of the attitudes, values and ideas of the groups. Due to the modularization of the study, it became easier to complete the contents. The relevance on the level of ensuing entertainment is also extremely high, with a lot of the emphasis being laid on making the learning process more enjoyable in nature (Hayes et al., 1998) The students were given a lot of chances to explain their own experiences from the various facets of the personal and professional experience to augment the learning process. Therefore, looking at all the attributes, the methodology that was followed here was andragogic in nature. MODEL OF STUDY AND ITS SUBJECTIVE EVALUATION One of the models that have been used here for the purpose of studying the organizational learning is the pedagogical model. This particular model is basically an unidirectional model with the emphasis being on the delivery of the appropriate learning material and the instructors (teachers) (Tsang, 1997). This is mainly because of the fact that this model is unilaterally

Nestle and the Global Issue of Water Supply Case Study

Nestle and the Global Issue of Water Supply - Case Study Example This paper will identify the feasibility of social responsibility programs and the ethical elements to be considered while entering a new market segment. 1. The case study indicates that the Nestle faces a series of challenges associated with corporate responsibility while planning its international business expansion. Nowadays, a number of international organizations are working toward the protection of various human rights and environmental sustainability. As part of their global operational strategies, some organizations strongly argue that access to water is not a matter of choice; on the other hand, it is a basic human right which insists that water should not be bought and sold. Hence, Nestle considers water supply as one of the most serious issues to be resolved in relation to its position in the global bottled market. In order to overcome such issues, the company has recently planned several social responsibility programs in its marketing strategy. By practicing social respon sibility programs as part of marketing strategy, a company can attain a number of potential advantages. Today, a company cannot continue its sustainably profitable operations unless it practices some sorts of corporate responsibility policies. In the opinion of DuBrin (2008), the most potential advantage of social responsibility is that it aids organizations to achieve a good market stature which sets them apart in the competitive business world (pp.100-101). In addition, such strategies may assist companies to comply with government regulations as well as the norms of other non-governmental public welfare organizations. Finally, the concept of corporate social responsibility would be helpful for a company to convince its clients that it has taken all initiatives to protect the environment and thereby to ensure public welfare. 2. Variances in ethical views among people are found to be a potential threat to multinational companies like Nestle as they need to serve a large number of d ifferent customer segments. In the view of Briscoe, Schuler, and Claus (2008), the extent of this ethical variance may be determined by a range of elements including family background, education level, economic status, and other cultural variables (pp.137-138). In countries like China and India, orthodox families would not be willing to change their conventional ideologies and hence they may not easily adapt to a â€Å"disposable culture†. It would be a cumbersome task for the Nestle to attract such customer segments because their consumerist perceptions have evolved over a long period of time. In addition, people’s education level may also be a crucial factor in defining their ethical views. The people who have attained a high level of education would be more concerned about health as well as environmental safety.

Hisory of Mexican Art Essay Example for Free

Hisory of Mexican Art Essay Mexico is known worldwide for its folk art traditions, mostly derived from the indigenous and Spanish crafts. The archeological setting in Teotihuacan is the largest in America and corresponds to a civilization that florished in the Valley of Mexico between the 200 B. C. and 250 A. D. The ruins show the remainders of a city built along the Alley of the Dead. Among its main buildings, the 5 levels 65 meters high Sun Pyramid and the smaller Moon Pyramid, with 4 levels. Ancient Aztec art was primarily a form of religious expression and a means for paying tribute to their gods. In addition, various forms of Aztec art were used to assist in communication. Pottery of all shapes and sizes depicted a variety of designs that were meaningful to the Aztec culture and religion. They typically were meant to depict or pay reverence to specific Aztec gods or to represent an Aztec tribe. In addition to the pottery made of clay, the Aztecs showed their deep religion through a variety of sculptures carved out of stone. In the 16th century, two cultures mixed: the native Mesoamerican cultures and the Spanish. This phenomenon lasted from the fall of the Aztec empire, in 1521, to the end of the Spanish domination, in 1821. Colorfully embroidered cotton garments, cotton or wool shawls and outer garments, and colorful baskets and rugs are seen everywhere. Between the Spanish conquest and the early Twentieth Century, Mexican fine arts were largely in imitation of European traditions. After the Mexican Revolution, a new generation of Mexican artists led a vibrant national movement that incorporated political, historic, and folk themes in their work. The painters Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros became world famous for their grand scale murals, often displaying clear social messages. Rufino Tamayo and Frida Kahlo produced more personal works with abstract elements. The literature of Mexico originated from the concepts of the American and Spanish settlements of Mesoamerica. Outstanding colonial writers and poets include Juan Ruiz de Alarcon and Juana Ines de la Cruz. Folk dances are regarded to be one of the most important features of Mexican culture.

George Orwells 1984 :: essays research papers

1984, George Orwell Winston is the unfortunate victim of a totalitarian society gone haywire. In Oceania 1984, the Party has complete control over every aspect of its citizens’ lives. Telescreens that monitor their movements are found in every house and apartment. If a member of the Thought Police catches you so much as gritting your teeth during one of Big Brother’s speeches, it’s off to the Missionary of Love to be interrogated about your partaking in a conspiracy against the Party. It’s a time of unknowing chaos where war is peace, ignorance is strength, and freedom is slavery. The Party avoids revolt by using an interesting technique--not giving its citizens a reason to revolt. If the Party promises, for example, that there will be no reduction of chocolate rations and there does happen to be a reduction, they simply go back and change their original statement. This meaning they rewrite any newspaper articles, etc. that give evidence that they said there would be a reduction, and destroy all of the old copies. In this way, the Party’s predictions are always true. So our good old friend Winston is sitting in his office one day when he starts to have--gasp!--negative thoughts about the Party and its leader, Big Brother. He buys a diary, a crime considered worthy of death by the Party, and begins to record these thoughts daily. By chance, Winston happens to meet a fellow Party-hater, Julia. They believe that the Brotherhood (an organization against the Party) exists and that their co-worker O’Brien is involved with it. They meet with O’Brien and confirm that yes, indeed, he is involved with the Brotherhood. O’Brien gives them a copy of “The Book'; written by the Brotherhood’s leader Emanuel Goldstein about his political ideas. Julia and Winston are secure in their involvement with the Brotherhood and

Movie †Psycho Essay

Psycho (1960) is a powerful complex psychological thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock. This horror movie is based on the novel written by Robert Bloch. Story-wise, though, I do not consider this movie to be an extraordinary but its brilliant excursion and its ingenious construction and above all its wonderful musical scores invented and innovated by Bernard Herrmann has made this movie all time great. Bernard Herrmann was born in New York in 1911. He studied music at Julliard School of Music and joined CBS radio in 1934. He quickly joined young Orson Welles to score his radio plays, including the notorious Wars of the World and within a very short span of time he established himself as a recognized film music scorer. Although remarkably versatile, Herrmann proved particularly adept at scoring dark psychological melodramas, such as Hangover Squire (1945) and On Dangerous Ground (1951), and it was perhaps inevitable that he would be teamed eventually with master of suspense and artist of â€Å"Psycho† Alfred Hitchcock. Their subsequent partnership resulted in a composer-director relationship unmatched in film history of creativity, flair and cinematic symbiosis. We find fantasy, romance, nostalgia, tenderness; all there in Herrmann but the unique scores of â€Å"Psycho†evidently suggest Herrmann’s departure from traditional compositional techniques. The most noticeable departure from film music custom is hat. Herrmann elected a daring and controversial orchestral combination: strings alone. Now such a combination imposes severe limitations on the range of available tone colors. This means a commensurate increase of composing problems, since generally important for composers to be able to call on the many resources of the symphonic ensemble- woodwinds, brass and percussion as well as strings- for variety and contrast in the treatment of musical material. But Herrmann’s selection of string alone deprived him of many tried-and-true musical formulas and effects normally employed in the scoring of horror and suspense films. Going by the established music theories, we find that music theory describes how sounds, which travel in waves, are notated, and how what is sounded, or played, is perceived by the listeners. Every object has a resonant frequency, which is determined by the object composition. Musical sounds are composed of pitch, duration and timbre. Pitch is determined by the sound’s frequency of vibration, whereas Rhythm is the arrangement of sound in time and Meter animates time in regular pulse groupings called measures. Melody is the unfolding in musical time of a principal single line of pitches. This line can be sounded alone, unaccompanied, known as monophony. It can also be accompanied by chords, known as homophony. Melody is often the most identifiable element in western music. Instrumentation is the study and practice of writing music for musical instruments. Writing for a specific instrument requires the ability to take into account the special properties of that instrument. Where as Diegetic Music, which is also called â€Å"source music† is produced by people or devices that are part of the story space of the film. Diegetic sounds are those pieces of sound that the characters in the movie should be able to hear, whether the sound source is visible or nor.   Coming back to â€Å"Psycho†, along with the strings, Herrmann has wonderfully used Diegetic Music also here. One does not have to be musician to notice a marked absence of tunes or melodies in the sense in which these terms are generally used. It is safe to say that in Psycho Herrmann was simply following his own customary practice in this respect but the result in this case is a special, disturbing quality, one which contributes greatly to the scores overall effectiveness. In an interview given in 1971, Herrmann explained that he had used only strings for Psycho because he felt that he could complement the black-and-white photography of the film by creating a black-and white sound. In most people mind the strings are associated first and foremost with romance. Nine times out of ten when a love a scene takes place on the screen the violins will soar in a big tune, the cellos throb in a passionate counter melody. But in Psycho, the level of score created by Herrmann with strings is mainly due to the fact that Strings span the longest effective gamut of notes; have an effective range of dynamics unmatched by the other group; and within the boundaries of their basic single tone colors they can command a great number and variety of special effects. And when the expressive range of string orchestra is compared to that of black-and-white photography, Herrmann analogy becomes perfectly clear. After watching the movie first scene that comes to my mind and the images that conjured are those of Janet Leigh being hacked to death in the shower and now I realize why even people who have not seen the movie are aware of it but Bernard Herrmann’s strident, discordant music, the â€Å"bird-shriek† and â€Å"distorted screaming bird-cries† appears to be one of the most horrifying cues ever composed, Herrmann brilliantly proved here that the view of the camera is very important aspect of film making but to enforce that view and to provide fluidity ,music is even more important. In conclusion this can be safely said that No film sound track library would be complete without â€Å"Psycho†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  References    Movie : –   Psycho U.S. Release date : – June 1960 Running Length  Ã‚   : – 1:48 MPAA Classification : –   R (Violence) Cast : – Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam, Janet Leigh Director and Producer   :- Alfred Hitchcock Screenplay : Joseph Stefano based on the novel by Robert Bloch Cinematography : John L Russell Music : Bernard Herrmann U.S. Distributer : Paramount Pictures.

Mark strand

So the poet I decided to do this on is Mark Strand. He was born in Canada in 1934 and grew up in different places in the United States. He studied at several universities including Antioch Ohio college, Yale, also the University of Florence on a Fulbright fellowship where he studied 19th century Italian poetry. When he was a child, he actually wasn't considered bright. He was a painter while studying at Yale, and a lot of people say that he creates a â€Å"painterly' image in his poetry because of the way he closely examines things.I found it really interesting that in an interview he said that he wasn't good with language as a child, and so the idea that he would one day become a poet would come as a huge shock for his family growing up. Strand felt deeply connected with the painter Edward Hopper. He wrote a book about his works, explaining the paintings in very expressive details. Strand definitely has a way of showing his passion for both art and poetry and combining the two.Hopp er was considered a very misunderstood, realist painter and Strand said that he eally connected with his â€Å"strangeness† and feels influenced by it. Strand's poetry has a very simple language to it. It sometimes borders on something beyond reality, in the way that he perceives the world. He wrote a lot of poems about dreams and disassociation from the world. He's written 14 books of poetry. He also writes a lot of life and death. Death, being what he considers the main point in lyrical poetry. What I really connect with Is the rhythm of this poem first of all.I actually enjoyed a ot of other poems by Strand but after we looked at Fishing on the susehanna river by Billy Collins, this intrigued me because it reminded me of that similar rhythm. I enjoy the repetition that things will always end but then continue to go on and return again. Theres this sadness in the earlier stanzas about how things Just stay the same, leave and come back again. The hopelessness of a mundane wo rld. In the end theres kind of a positive hopefulness where the people at the party don't think the night will end. They don't let it though the music stops. mark strand By Idramaqueenl

General Electric Essays

General Electric Essays General Electric Essay General Electric Essay The firm operates In four primary business segments; Energy, Technology Infrastructure, Capital Finance and Consumer / Industrial. Headquartered In Fairfield, CT, General Electric has grown over the past 122 years into a financial behemoth realizing revenue in excess of $146 billion in 2013. Throughout its existence, General Electric has demonstrated an inconsistent record in terms of ethical governance and responsible business practices. Leek many of its peers, the firm endured a number of scandals, particularly in the late uses and Into the sasss. In response to these Issues and In accordance with the Serbians-Solely Act passed In 2002, General Electric has transformed Its business practices and Is now recognized as one of the more respected players in the world of corporate governance and honorable business practices. Contemporary business practices exercised by the firm have earned numerous accolades including: #6 Best Global Brand (Interbrain) #10 Most Admired Company (Fortune) #180 Greenest Company (Newsweek) To understand how this corporate evolution occurred, we need to understand the organizational structure and managerial best practices utilized by General Electric and the nature of the legislation that necessitated this institutional change. What is Serbians-Solely? The Serbians-Solely Act of 2002 (SOX) is a federal law that mandated new or enhanced standards for all U. S. Public company boards, management and public accounting firms. Drafted In response too number of high-profile corporate scandals that occurred In the late SASS and early sasss by LLC_S_ Senator Paul Serbians and U. S. Representative Michael Solely: the legislation imposed several powerful exchanges designed to curb corporate malfeasance and to protect investors. The most significant of these mechanisms included indivi dual certification of corporate financial statements by top management, increased penalties for fraudulent activity and the separation of auditing and consulting functions in outside business agencies. Mum. Sallow. Com) The overarching effect of this legislation was the increased scrutiny of flannel statements submitted by publicly traded companies and growing corporate auditing expenditures. (Sadism,2007) Board Composition: structure and governance General Electric has been a progressive company in terms of Board composition and governance. (see composition matrix- attached)For decades, the company has demonstrated a desire to promote diversity In governance from three primary perspectives: gender, race and age. : In Dalton, General Electric had historically satisfied many of the obligations outlined in the Serbians Solely legislation well in advance of its passage including listing the definition of individual committees and the number of committee meetings. (General Electric Annual Report 2000) One potential conflict that exists with the General Electric governance strategy is the ambition of President / CEO and Chairman roles. This is a practice that the company has exercised since Ralph Cordoned combined these responsibilities In 1958 challenge that exists within the Board structure of General Electric is the lack of term limits. Nominated individuals are approved annually through a majority of votes present and may continue to serve indefinitely. This issue was debated recently when shareholders proposed a 15 year term limit of Board service along with separation of the CEO / Board Chair role. The measure was defeated in a lopsided vote held during the companys April 2013 Board meeting. (Casts, 2013) re-sox (2000) * no mission or governance statement listed post-sox (2003) The role of Gees Board of Directors is clear: to oversee how management serves the long-term interests or shareholders and other stakeholders. Today (2013) The primary role of Gees Board of Directors is to oversee how management serves the interests of shareholders and other stakeholders. Board Size 19 15 17 Inside vs.. Outside # of Committees 7 5 # of Meetings 10 13 14 Audit Committee Consisted of outside directors. Held 5 meetings in 2000. Reviewed the activities and independence of Gees independent auditors as well as the firms financial reporting recesses. Composed of independent directors. Held 11 meetings in 2003. To review the activities and independence of Gees external auditors the activities of Gees internal audit staff Also reviewed Gees system of disclosure controls and procedures. Composed of independent directors. Held 12 meetings in 2013. Primary responsibilities include: selection of independent auditor, review the independent audit, oversee the firms financial reporting activities and accounting standards. Tenure unlimited Compensation Combination of cash stock. $75,000 annual base plus $2,000 per meeting . Compensation committee. Removed contingent service reward of 5,000 shares. Combination of cash, stock other. 250,000 base. Average compensation = $302,457 The moral of the story as it relates to Board structure and Governance within General Electric is that while the firm did work to shore up its regulatory and oversight positions post SOX; the company had exercised the basic principles outlined in the legislation for some time. Performance Metrics Executive General Electric has functioned for decades under the philosophy of hiring, motivating, rewarding and retaining its executive leaders through compensation. The many has maintained an executive compensation model that includes salary, bonuses and stock options as the vehicle to achieve this goal for decades. While the total compensation packages at the highest levels of leadership are not as lucrative as they once were General Electric has adapted its compensation policies in order to remain competitive and compliant in an evolving business environment. 2000- Jack Welch In the year 2000, Jack Welch stood without peer in the world of American business. Recently named Manager of the Century by Fortune Magazine, (Calvin, 1999) General Electric increased revenues to nearly $130 billion. During this year Mr.. Welch earned $16,700,000 in salary and bonus. In addition, Mr.. Welch was granted 3,000,000 stock options which became exercisable upon retirement as well as 850,000 restricted stock options. The later options were granted by the board in appreciation of 20 years of service to GE. Furthermore, Mr.. Welch was granted a split-dollar life insurance policy contingent upon execution of a personal consulting contract (up to 30 days annually) at the discretion of the acting CEO. Final terms of the consulting contract and retirement package are not listed, but the value is estimated to be north f $420 million. 2003 Jeffrey Melt Jeffrey Melt emerged as the new CEO of General Electric following a highly publicized succession process in 2001. Perhaps due to his relatively short tenure to this point, but more likely due to the passage of the Serbians-Solely Act; overall executive compensation was revised at General Electric in 2003. In addition to a more responsible base salary, executive bonuses and stock options were much more clearly outlined and defined in the 2003 proxy statement. While the Board Compensation Committee does state: We rely upon Judgment and not rigid deadlines or formulas or short-term changes in our stock price in determining the amount and mix of compensation elements for each executive officer official documents include an element of specificity not previously available to investors. Mr.. Melt was paid a $3,000,000 base salary and bonuses totaling $4,325,000 a 10% increase from the previous year. In addition, Mr.. Melt was granted 250,000 performance share units in lieu of stock options. This is the most significant change related to executive compensation policies that occurred at General Electric post SOX. Recognize the unique position of the GE CEO. The committee believes that the CEO of GE needs no retention compensation, and that his equity compensation should be focused entirely on performance and alignment with investors. This change in policy effectively linked 50% of the Coos equity compensation directly to the companys cash generation performance; the remaining 50% would only convert to shares if specific shareholder return metrics were met. In short; the better the performance of the firm the better the compensation for Mr.. Melt. Finally, select executives at GE (including Mr.. Melt) were granted 3-year performance incentive awards. These awards would be paid only upon achievement of unlisted specified goals related to: earnings per share, revenue growth, return on total capital and cumulative cash generated. 2013 Jeffrey Melt Today, the evolution of executive compensation continues at General Electric. The 2013 Proxy Report provides a thorough and defined description of all elements and metrics used to determine final executive compensation. Following essentially the same compensation model initiated in 2003, Jeffrey Melt realized total compensation (including projected pension value) of $20,592,769. Leadership, Ethics Firm Values General Electric is a perfect case study in the evolution of an American business. Formed in 1892 primarily as an electric company, the firm has grown into a global dynamo. Today the company operates in several areas including finance, appliances and power systems. This type of evolution and growth does not happen by accident, it is the result of visionary leadership a quality that has existed within GE for a century. Founded by one of this countrys greatest innovators, General Electric has embodied the vision of Thomas Edison since its inception. The company has dabbled, innovated and revolutionized a number of industries throughout its existence. This truth is a testament to the men that have lead the organization throughout the years. (see past leaders attached) More recently, present-day General Electric has been molded primarily by two individuals who utilized their personal skill to direct the company through a challenging time. Jack Welch (1980 2001) Jack Welch Joined GE in 1960 as a Junior chemical engineer. Early in his tenure, Welch considered leaving the organization citing a frustration with an overwhelming bureaucracy that existed within the firm. Welch was convinced to stay and worked his ay up the ranks becoming Chairman and CEO in 1980. Welch became one of the most successful executives in the history of the United States during his tenure, growing the value of the company by 4000%. He accomplished this by imposing leadership efficiency practices throughout the company. Welch promoted strong businesses by limiting bureaucratic inefficiencies, trimming inventory and closing factories. His governing philosophy at GE was that a company should either be number 1 or number 2 in a particular industry or it should get out of that business. Welch adopted Motorolas Six Sigma quality program in 1995 to further streamline operating efficiencies. In addition, Welch instituted a rigorous method of assessing organizational performance and leadership termed Session C. The goal of this organization. During Jack Wheels tenure, General Electric became wildly profitable and became recognized as the preeminent organization in terms of operating efficiency and profitability. Mr.. Wheels methods, while successful were generally autocratic and focused on two specific issues: profitability and legal compliance. Jeffrey Melt (2001 present) Jeff Melt was groomed to lead General Electric from a young age. Millets father worked for GE in the Aircraft Engines Division. After receiving his A. B. In Applied Mathematics from Dartmouth College, Melt earned an M. B. A. From Harvard. Jeffrey Melt formally Joined General Electric in 1982 and began his professional ascent. Following a public and high-profile transition; Melt was challenged with the difficult task of replacing legendary GE CEO Jack Welch in 2001. Melt was immediately dealt two unparalleled challenges upon assuming the position the terrorist attacks of September 1 1, 2001 and to a lesser extent the public backlash attached to the prominent accounting scandals that occurred at the turn of the century. Melt began to create an impact immediately, adopting a more people- oriented approach to management than the efficiency-minded approach that had governed GE for the preceding two decades. Melt launched a series of effectiveness-oriented measures that encouraged innovation and risk-taking. Melt also began to look to developing markets in search of opportunity. Finally, Jeffrey Melt moved Gees operational focus to areas not previously considered: concentration on long-term growth over short-term gains, infrastructure development with an emphasis on green energy and increased marketing efforts focused on social responsibility. The contrast between these two vastly different yet extremely effective leaders provides an interesting snapshot of the effects of the evolution in American business following the corporate scandals of the late sasss and early sasss. While General Electric was not directly attached to a major scandal during that era, the timing of Gees leadership transition was fortuitous. While there is certainly room for a chicken vs.. Egg debate regarding the change in managerial philosophy at GE; the change in leadership at the top of the company definitely provided an opportunity to shift course in the post-SOX business world. Corporate Sustainability Social Responsibility Similar to many traditional American manufacturing powers, General Electric did not exercise sustainable business practices for the bulk of its existence. This, of course, was not uncommon in American industry. However, at the turn of the century, the first mention of social responsibility appeared in a GE company document. Integrity: the Spirit and the Letter of Our Commitment was a comprehensive document outlining the companys policies related to privacy, supplier relationships, working with governments, environment, health and safety. The initial draft of this document was essentially a rule book seeking to achieve legal compliance in the various nations where General Electric conducted business. The following year, (2001) two share owner proposals sought to amend and bolster the Integrity statement Share Owner Proposal No. 2; which attempted to improve the quality of life for employees and their communities by allowing collective bargaining, eliminating discrimination intimidation and promoting free labor, as well as Share campaign initiated by the General Electric Company that downplayed the dangerous effects of PCs dumped in the Hudson river by the company. The GE Board of Directors voted against both proposals. The reality of the Boards actions demonstrates that the early years of General Electrics sustainability and social responsibility programs were based in superficial statements only. In 2003, General Electric launched an interactive, electronic version of its Annual Report. This new medium included a section devoted to the Citizenship initiatives active within the company. The two paragraph overview acknowledged the need for a modern corporation to practice environmental compliance, leadership in corporate provenance and high ethical standards. The document lists various social programs supported by the organization and its employees including nebulous philanthropic and volunteer efforts. While a step in the right direction, an outside observer may still question the level of commitment GE expressed to its sustainable programming. The strategy did not contain the measurable, quantifiable objectives required to effectively execute a large-scale sustainability program. (Epstein, 2003) Today, General Electric has created and maintains a robust, independent website dedicated to corporate sustainability. Www. Sustainability. Mom outlines Gees commitment to long-term sustainable business practices including: internal processes, (people, governance, compliance and health safety) sustainability initiatives (health, energy climate, water and natural resources) and progress (public policy, grassroots activism, lobbying, human rights and research). Most importantly, the site lists and outlines performance metrics used to govern thei r processes including the GRIP 63 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines. The end result of the GE sustainability program has been a complete remake of the GE brand identity.